When life gives you lemons....

.....make cake!

That's not how the saying goes, I know, but it's still tasty. I thought I would share a picture of the cake I made for my son's 4th birthday.















This is a cake I've always wanted to make, so when my grandmother sent a box of oranges and Meyer lemons from my great-grandmother's citrus trees, it seemed like the perfect time to do it! Normally, when faced with an abundance of lemons, I make lemon curd. I have plenty of jars on hand right now, so I zested and juiced 8 Meyer lemons and froze all of it in ice cube trays. Two tablespoons fill one ice cube space and a tablespoon of zest with another of juice will make nearly one cube. Having those on hand really cut down on prep time for this cake! And the lemon curd from the pantry completed the cake as filling between layers, so making this from scratch was far easier than I could possibly imagined. I found my recipe for this cake here. Let me tell you, the frosting was the best I have ever made, and I'm guessing that's all thanks to the stand mixer that my husband bought me for Christmas!

You cannot go wrong with this cake! I will definitely be making this one again. As a special project, I saved the seeds from the lemons and planted them in trays. My g-grandmother is nearing 102 years old and there is no telling what will happen to her house when she should pass away (which could be years away). Meyer lemons are easy to grow indoors and with any luck, in 5 to 10 years, I will be making this cake again with lemons from my own trees!
That would be a really special keepsake to have around to remind me of my grandmother!

Fuzzy Bum

The wool diaper covers I made while I was pregnant are finally getting use! In fact, I love them. I wasnt sure that I would use them at all. I had tried cloth diapers with this baby during his first month and he went thru several in an hour, which discouraged me and so I gave it up but, thankfully we had a day when we ran low on diapers and resorted to cloth and rediscovered how easy these covers make everything! They stay dry, so much better than my fleece lined snap covers, and they are super soft. And did I mention some of them are cashmere? Oh yes. And who among us has not dreamt of having our bottoms cushioned in cashmere? For the price of a bag of sweaters from the thrift store, that no one was going to wear anyway, I have the most lovely diaper covers. I assure you, I chose sweaters that no one would voluntarily wear, so dont lament the sweaters that were sacrificed. Here is a picture of Liam wearing one:

I hand sewed these while stuck in bed with swollen feet during my last trimester, so at some point I will have to finish them properly I suppose. And for each cover I make, there is a matching pair of fuzzy leggings waiting to be stitched together. Here is where I bought my pattern (this is also where I bought the sling pattern).

They have lots of good things, and some are downloads, so no waiting for shipping!

My plan is to use these on the days when I am home and use disposable when I'm out and about, but that could change as he gets older. I am blessed to have a father-in-law who insists on buying our diapers, removing one of my reasons for cloth diapers. I do think potty training will come easier if I use cloth though. Anyway, I'm pleased with the results of this project.

Who's the Boss?

So our drive home from bible club tonight took an interesting turn - in a good way. One of the boys asked why I didn't pick up hitchhikers and I explained that their father has asked me not to, so I don't. We quickly came onto the subject of Dad being the "head" of the family and what that means.
I saw an opportunity and I took it, and began to expound on how Dad being the head of our family is exactly like Jesus being the head of the "body" of believers, since both are made up of many members. And like any body, not one part can function without the head to direct it.

We discussed that the head contains the brain, our thinking organ, and also houses 4 of our 5 senses. The head sees, hears, and smells what is around us and commands the body appropriately, whether it be to run from trouble or to sit and enjoy a slice of cake. It considers all options and then orders (both in the sense of command and alignment) the rest of the body accordingly. It consumes food and water and brings it to the body for dispersal. Daddy does that for the family. He considers all the information around him and then makes a decision that is best for all of us. And Jesus does that for all believers. Not one of us can see what is coming at us in the future, but He can. Not one of us can know the fullness of existence (creation), but He does. Without Him as the head, leading, bring us food, we become like any other body separate from its head - Lifeless.

The one sensation that we share with God is touch. We can feel Him as He feels us. A cheek can feel a hand's caress. We have a sense of what is there and that it belongs to our own body. Touch is by far the most rewarding and wonderful sense. Who turns down a hug? Think about that - not only does He know you, see you, hear you, speak to you, but He FEELS you. Gives me goosebumps!

It was a pretty awesome conversation to be having with my children!

The best part is that one child asked, "Well, who is the heart of our family then?" Well, Jesus is! Not one of us can live without Him.

1 Corinthians 12:12 The body is a unit, thought it is mad up of many parts...
Ephesians 4:15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Ephesians 6:23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church...