Our New Foody

Most of you know the health concern raised for little Westly last week. We discovered his hemoglobin was a bit low and he was slightly anemic. So Dr. Hole prescribed vitamin drops with iron for him. And Mama worked very hard to get West to eat solid food, for he was on a food strike for about a week. This week we have a brand new Mini-Doodle! He is peppy and energetic and is loving solid food again. He is eating a ton! And trying lots of new things, like wheat thin and pretzels from Trader Joes, baby fruit snacks, and organic Elmo cookies. The vitamins and food are helping, as well as all your prayers. Thank you!

Project Cake

I met one of my cooking/baking resolutions this month: bake a cake from scratch. I decided since it was my first cake from scratch, I would go all out and make a chocolate mud cake for Valentines. It proved to be quite a process and I did things I had never done before:

I started by hand-chopping dark chocolate that was then melted.

I had to separate the yolks from the whites

Then I did something I had never done before nor knew was possible: whipped the egg whites until they foamed like hair mousse!

To make the frosting, I chopped more dark chocolate and melted it in a bowl over a pot of simmering water

I baked two cakes, stacked them, and filled the middle between them with home-made whipped cream

It was quite delicious, but lots of work!

We shared dinner and the mud cake with our dear Susie

Valentine Fun

My artsy/crafty projects for February were all Valentine themed. First, my friend Becky and I made these heart-shaped wreaths. We got fun two-sided paper, cut them into strips, folded and glued the strips into hearts, and glued the hearts together to form a wreath. Way fun!

Next, I hand-made Valentines for my loved ones.

Aspiring Chef

Today I am making my first cake from scratch in honor of Valentine's. Keep your fingers crossed it all turns out okay. Pictures will come this week. I can definitely use all the help I can get....even from this little Cutey :)

Where would I be without that mermaid? Recently I've been frequenting the Bucks more than I thought, and it was made evident to me when I got another free drink coupon in the mail the other day....when I had just gotten one last month! See, I have a goldcard which I put money on (a big portion of my monthly allowance), and everytime I use it to buy a drink, I get a point. After 15 points, I get a free drink. So I've gotten well over 15 drinks in the last month, which is more for me than usual. Normally it takes me a couple months to earn a free drink. The reasons?

1. Special drinks. Pretty much from fall until after Christmas I'm at the Bucks a lot because of their special holiday drinks. Though now they're done with those, so not sure this reason works anymore!

2. I've been hanging out with my friend Becky a lot and we both have a weakness for the Bucks, so if one of us suggests an iced coffee, the other is quick to agree!

3. Though Westly is sleeping better at night and I don't need a nap everyday, he is up longer periods of the day and is much more active and demanding. I gotta keep up my energy!

4. I pretty much only go online when I go to Starbucks, and good etiquette says you buy something if you're gonna use their free wi-fi!

5. I go through trends, and right now I'm in my coffee/chocolate cravings. I'm sure it will subside...hopefully!

Risk

Today our Pastor Benji (cool name, right? Well, he's a cool guy) talked about taking risks for God, living a life outside the middle-class status quo and obsession of wanting safety and security.

He read a quote that basically challenged the church to be more adventurous, creative, and risky for the gospel.

Benji challenged us to live this way, on a large and small scale. He challenged us to ask a stranger if they go to church, and if not to invite them to ours. He challenged us to update our Facebook status with something like "I love Jesus with all my heart".

To say the least, his sermon galvanized me to be braver for Jesus.

I HEART This Month

February is here! Which means I need to start planning my big romance plans. Since we've been married, I've been in charge of planning Valentines for us. This year includes our new love of our life, little West. So I've got to get creative in including him, and also working on a tight budget.

One of my cooking ambitions this year is to make a cake from scratch, and Valentine's would be the perfect occasion. I'm thinking of a chocolate mud cake, something so sinfully decadent and delicious, you would only feel comfortable eating it on this indulgent holiday!

I also need to start thinking of my artsy/crafty projoect for this month to keep up my resolution. I'm sure it will have something to do with hearts and red and pink....stay tuned!

Hugs and kisses!