Out of the Blue

If there is one thing unpredictable about our state, it is definitely the weather. I am convinced after the last few days that I should carry a diverse wardrobe of clothing for all seasons in my trunk at all times, to be prepared for anything that comes my way.

The other day I was running some errands with my Mom when a a big SMACK hit one side of the windshield. "What was that?", we both shouted. I was sure a rock had flipped up and hit my windshield or something. OH NO!!! Within a matter of seconds it came. Out of nowhere, Hail! YES, hail, in hundred degree temperatures? It felt we we had be transported back to Winter. Could this really be happening. Now in August? After living here so many years, you wouldnt think it would surprise me, it did!

It was coming down so heavily and thick it was hard even seeing to drive. The road was completely white and it lasted a good ten minutes or so. It stopped and then began again. It was so crazy. I couldn't believe it.

Eventually the hail did stop, but it still rained all day and through the night. I was grateful for the rain and some cooling from the intense heat, but the hail, that was just Out of the blue. I didn't expect that one coming. I Guess we better pack up our winter coats, boots, swim suit, and shorts and be prepared for anything that comes our way.

A Pioneer Day Celebration

We had a fun Pioneer Day as a family this weekend. Ryan and my sister-in-law Jessica, came over and spent the weekend with us. We spent our holiday weekend at home, but Ryan and Jess still wanted that outdoors camping feel and so they set up the tent in our backyard and had there own camping trip in the comforts of our backyard.

My Dad was quite the cook this weekend, and cooked up some delicious dutch ovens meals for us. We had a yummy Dutch Oven Breakfast Saturday Morning and a incredible dinner of chicken and potatoes that night. Dutch Oven cooking is long process but at least your really hungry when it comes time to eat. It tasted great. Thanks Dad! also had fun going to a movie, playing volleyball and badmiton and water games outside.

And what would our "pretend campout" be with out s'mores... We ended the night roasting marshamallows and making smores in the fire pit.

I have always loved photography and was playing around taking some pictures of the fire and i had to share a couple that turned out way to cool to keep to myself without sharing.

We had a fun weekend. I hope you all had a fun Pioneer Day and weekend. I am so grateful for my family and so glad we were able to spend the weekend all together.

One year older and Wiser too!!

Happy Birthday Dad! I love you so much! I hope you had an excellent birthday!

We loved having Grandma and Grandpa over to join in our festivities of fun. We had great food, presents, and of course I made his birthday cake.I always have so much fun putting them together and making them unique for each person. A little history on the cake...My Dad loves Four wheeling and the outdoors, and he especially loves doing both of those things in the little town of Enterprise. Not me I would rather be in St. George but to each his own. His grandparents lived there and he spent time there as a kid growing up. He loves going there to visit his family and more to spend time in the hills riding four wheelers and they also have spent some time hunting there in the past. The mountain with the E is in Enterprise and is actually for their town and high school. He was so excited and loved it. I loved making this cake and it turned out pretty darn cute. Kenny was a big help and helped to carve the mountain out of a chocolate muffin and make it look realistic. He did a great job if I do say so myself. Thanks Ken!

Incredible Flag Cake- A must try!

Red White and Blue Flag Cake

Baking Directions:
To make this cake you will need three full layers of white cake, all the same height (make two recipes of cake or two cake mixes - you will end up with four layers so use one for another purpose). One layer will need to be white, one layer will need to be red and one layer will need to be blue. Use food coloring to get desired shade. Bake the layers in 9" round greased and floured rounds. Let cool. Freeze the layers to make them easier to work with during assembly.

Assembly:
Split the white layer and the red layer in half horizontally using a long serrated knife. (You can also use a cake leveler to help keep the cut even.) Do not split the blue layer. Start assembly by placing one split white layer on a cake plate. Frost the top of this layer using white icing. Place one of the red split layers on top of the frosted white layer and frost it with icing. Set aside.

Place the remaining red split layer and the remaining white split layer on top of the full blue layer. Place a round bowl (or paper pattern) approximately 5" diameter on the top of the cakes in the center and cut through all the layers using the bowl as a guide. You should now have a circle cut through the layers. Keep the center red circle, the center white circle and the outer (approximately 2" wide) blue cake ring. Set aside all other cake pieces for a different use.

Place the outer blue cake ring piece on the iced white and red cake layers. Carefully spread icing around the inside of the blue ring. Insert the round white cake piece in the center of the blue ring and ice. Insert the red round cake piece making sure it is flush with the blue cake ring. You should now have a complete cake ready to ice. Finish by icing the entire cake with white icing and decorating as desired.

To serve, cut into slices and be amazed at the cool flag each piece becomes!

Tips:


• I used paste food coloring to get the deep shades needed -however you can use liquid or a combination of both. It will take quite a bit of color. If you do not have the right tone of blue, mix a little black food coloring with a lighter blue color to achieve the right shade of blue.


• You can use 8" round pans to bake in - but I liked the proportion of the final flag pieces with the 9" pans. You will need to adjust cutting measurements accordingly if using different sized pans.


• I cannot emphasize enough how much easier it is to assemble this cake if the layers are frozen when working with them. They thaw quickly so can be assembled right before serving if desired.


• Use regular, whipped cream or cream cheese icing.


• Decorate the cake with patriotic sprinkles, tiny flags, red, white and blue candy, berries, etc. to give it that extra sparkle.

Note: I found this idea on KSL.com as part of their Studio 5 program. For a full instructional video, look at Studio 5 site at www.KSL.com

Happy Fourth of July

I hope that everyone had a great fourth of July. We had Grandma and Grandpa and some cousins over for a BBQ, fireworks, and some good American Fun. We had fun spending time together. We made our traditional 4th of July homemade chocolate ice cream. YUM! This is always a favorite. My Grandpa Wahlin loves homemade ice cream. He was so excited and anxious for it to be done I wasn't sure if he would be able to stand having to wait as he checked it every couple minutes.

I found the coolest idea and recipe for a Flag Cake. I have included the instructions and pictures of the final project. I found it on KSL's Studio 5. They do have a video explaining how it is done. It may sound complicated, however it is the easiest cake i have ever made in my entire life. I am so grateful to live here in America and I am so glad that we have the freedoms we do. We are so blessed and have so much to be thankful for living in such a great Country.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

Cool Cake huh? I have posted the recipe so you can try it too.

Good-Things-to-Come

Good-Things-to-Come

"Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come." Jeffrey R Holland

Click the link above to watch Elder Holland Most Recent Mormon Message.

South Dakota- A Vacation and a Adventure

Well we spent the past week in South Dakota to visit all the beautiful country and to see especially Mount Rushmore. Our vacation started out with a bit of adventure. We decided to make the long drive all the way through gorgeous Wyoming (j/k).........the only cool thing in Wyoming was the massive Windmill Farm. It was so neat, however the rest of the state doesnt really qualify as beauty i think maybe we should refer to it as unique. Yeah Unique is good. Definitely recommend driving through at night.

We were almost out of Wyoming and to the border of South Dakota when we heard a loud noise, swerved across the road, and pulled over to find out we had blown a tire. The tire was smoking and smelled of burnt rubber. Once the tire cooled off and stopped smoking, Kenny and Spencer helped my dad change the tire and get the spare on to at least get us to South Dakota. WOW! What a way to start a vacation. We were all safe and all went well without further car trouble. We enjoyed visiting the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, and Custer State Park.