Massiel's Baby Shower

Here are a bunch of pictures from the shower. No, the boys were not there the whole time. They went out shooting...you know...man stuff :)
Thank you to everyone that helped! I thought it was a smash hit and so much fun.

Book Review

I recently read 2 books that were quite different in almost every way imaginable.


The first was “War” by Sebastion Junger.

Mr. Junger traveled with a unit of marines through the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan for 15 months while filming combat, interviews and just every day life. His movie “Restrapo” made it’s first appearance at the Sundance film festival. The book is basically just the written version of the movie. It is hard to read sometimes and the truth about war sometimes slapped me in the face. The quotes from the soldiers almost always have the “f” word in them…but I found myself thinking that it would be weird if it didn’t. I like to think of myself as a pretty realistic person, life is not always about roses and pleasant things. I know war is hard and combat is unimaginable (I can say this because I’m a normal citizen never having engaged in a fire fight and I can not even comprehend being in that situation.) This book put me into combat. It helped me understand what our soldiers are doing over there (and I don’t mean from a political stand point.) In fact, I think it helped me realize that war and fighting really doesn’t have anything to do with politics at all. It is just our boys & girls over seas putting their lives at risk to help better the lives of others. The other thing this book helped me realize more is how hard it is for soldiers to come back and live a “normal” life. The psychology involved with both fighting other human beings and then coming home to be “normal” civilians is something that again, I can not even comprehend. Above all else though, it made me APPRECIATE the men and women in our armed forces even more. The words “thank you” can not fully express the gratitude I have in my heart for you. Thank you!!!


The second book I read was called “The Girl Who Chased The Moon” by Sarah Addison Allen. It was light hearted, easy to ready, full of whimsy and magic. I have to admit, it was a nice mental and emotional vacation from “War”. It’s about a 17 year old girl whose mother just died and she goes to live with her grandfather whom she didn’t even know existed. The finds herself in a small North Carolina town where cakes call to people and the town secret is magical. She discovers the mysterious past of her mother and makes some great friendships. This book is fun and easy to read and I would recommend it to anyone just looking to be entertained.

Just Sittin' on the Deck

I think one of my favorite places to be in my house is actually not in my house at all. I love my deck!!! (Soon to be wicked awesome man-cave if Devan has anything to say about it.) The storm clouds are rolling in and while this picture doesn't even come close to doing it justice, it is down pouring. There is a slight rumble of thunder every now and then, but other than that all I can hear are crickets, some birds and an occasional frog. No, I don't live in the middle of Nowheresville (even though I would like to)... so, yes, there is also a car driving by every few minutes. This is the view from my deck...I wanted to share it with you.



This is the view from the front of my house right now...I was driven to the covered deck in the back because of the rain.



Now on to other matters. This weekend marked a big day in the life of my good friend Megan. We had her baby shower. Unfortunately, I don't have any of the picks from the shower (Megan if you are reading this...please forward a couple to me :) ). My job was to make her cake. Lately I have been diving in to the wonderful world of cake decorating. It really is much easier than I thought it would be. Here is my first attempt at using fondant. The colors were my attempt at matching their baby's room.



While we are on the subject of cakes, this is the Bleeding Armadillo I made for Price and Cyndi's wedding. And yes, the inside was most definitely homemade red velvet.



While my cake skills still need quite a bit of work I really enjoy doing it. I don't mind that they take several hours. I love the idea of creating something out of food. And I love seeing the look on the face of who ever the cake if for. So, if anyone wants a cake made...let me know, it might not be perfect, but I promise I will try my very best.