As promised, here are the pictures for the SpongeBob cake I had made over a month ago now and for which I was asking for opinions in one of my previous posts.
As I said it turned out better than I thought but once I realized it wasn't going to be a disaster I started actually wanted to make it perfect.. but I got tired and lazy and didn't add SpongeBob's greenish patches. Perfection does not exist... especially when you get lazy. LOL.
I know, I know... I have gone MIA. I don't even know what to say except from, understand me oo, please understand me. I have been going through a lot lately, and it's hard to get inspired for writing anything.
There has also been this one serious issue that we have been dealing with, and I am just looking to God for this. Very challenging, especially when you have to put a front for people not to suspect that you are down... because you just can't explain your private problems to anybody.
I hope all is well with all of you. It seems that bloggers also have been a bit busy this past few weeks or months. I pray that God's grace and his mercies accompany you in the morning when you wake, in the evening when you lay in bed and everywhere you feet takes you. Amen!
Well, I never updated you guys on the SpongeBob cake. It turned out better than I thought it would be but then I got tired and skipped a few details. But people were still impressed. I will post the picture maybe tonight or tomorrow as it's on hubby's laptop and he is gone to work with it.
In the meantime let me share the cake I made yesterday for another of my nieces. She was turned 1 year-old. It was really a simple cake, deorating-wise, mainly because I was not inspired at all. I wanted to make a pink easter bunny cake and what I was picturing was brighter and more colorful than what it turned out to be. The difference: my actual performance to get to the level of what I was picturing. I decorate with really basic tools, I have nothing professional so it takes a great deal of creativity to make something really pretty with a lot of details and of course that's a lot of mental effort, time, and energy...
Anyways, let me stop talking. Enjoy!
You guys have no idea how much I wanna blog... several times a day. I have so much to say, yet little time to put it all into a coherent, pleasant-to-read format... I wanna blog about anything and everything, even very personal stuff, then I think about privacy, and time and say to myself nah... it wont be interesting... then I scrap it all and come back only days later... I guess that's my way of apologizing for not being a consistent blogger. Sorry guys :-(
Ok Valentine is finally over... not too long ago i used to get soooo annoyed by that season and how in the weeks leading up to that, all the stores are taken over like by a storm by all things red and pink and heart. Soooo cheesy I used to think, can't people realize it's just all a big business and get over it?
Well let me tell you ooo, I have changed my mind oo. I don't care how cheesy it is, my husband better get me something, anything. LOL. I used to proudly say that I didn't care much about these things. I still don't care for flowers and much less for teddy bears. Come'on, I am 25, why do I need a teddy bear for when I get to have my own personal life-size, warm blooded, loving teddy bear who can actually scratch my back? But yeah I do care about Valentine. And my husband knows it oo.
Okay let me just vent. So my hubby is the kind that forgets his own birthday. He doesn't care about cards, gifts or even people wishing or knowing about his birthday (I made him a surprise birthday a few months ago and he wanted to crawl under the couch, he was probably blushing under his very beautiful chocolate skin). Of course, he doesn't remember anybody else's birthday (except mine of course). I asked for his siblings birth dates, of course he doesn't know. His dad? nope, don't remember. Not even the exact ages. Okay...
So back to my story, last year was our first valentine together and mister my one and only FORGOT! Nothing ooo. Not a message, not a card, nothing. On my hand, I made a nice, simple but special dinner and had us dine on the floor, in the middle of the living room, with candles and other girly romantic stuff. I was broke so i didn't buy anything other than a card, and a beautiful frame (God bless the dollar store...) with his pic in there and a loving note. Now, of course I was a little bit frustrated but when I saw the absolutely surprised look on his face, I forgave him almost instantly. So innocent... The poor boy had no clue it was valentine. I asked him how come? How can you miss Valentine in this country? It's all over the place! Anyways so I told him this year no excuse ooo. None whatsoever. I told him I am too young to be forgotten on Valentine just because he doesn't pay attention to "these kinds of things".
Anyways, in the end, we had a lovely dinner at a local steakhouse, I had a beautiful card (which he simply signed, my hubby is not eloquent with words, but his face is soooo expressive that it compensates for the lack of words) followed by a warm, comfortable and romantic evening and he planned it all and surprised me. What you people take for granted was special for me ooo. Those things don't come naturally to him so I can appreciate it even more.
I told him I gave him a A+, and he also gets a sticker and a picture of him featured front page of my blog. He laughed, shook is head and said I was crazy.
So since I always follow through on my promises, like the song says, "there goes my baby"...
and the card said:
" For my beautiful wife -- Your worth is beyond measure.
I hope you see it in my eyes...
I pray you sense it in my touch...
I long for you to know with all your heart
How valuable you are to me
'If you can find a truly good wife, she is worth more than precious gems!' Proverbs 31:10
If there were a thousands ways to show how much you mean to me,
I'd still fall short of expressing the love and respect my heart holds for you.
I feel deeply blessed to be the one God chose for you...
and I'm honored to spend my lfe with someone as beautiful a you.
With Love on Valentine's Day and Always"
My babe is the best!!!
Alright before it gets even cheesier, here is a little valentine humor. I promise, I'll get over it, lol.
Roger, who was 19 years old, was buying an expensive bracelet, to
surprise his girlfriend on Valentine's Day, at a very smart jeweller's shop
in Hatton Garden, London.
The jeweller inquired, 'Would you like your girlfriend's name engraved on
it?'
Roger thought for a moment, grinned, then answered, 'No, instead engrave
"To my one and only love".'
The jeweller smiled and said, 'Yes, sir; how
very romantic of you.'
Roger retorted with a glint in his eye, 'Not exactly romantic, but very
practical. This way, if we break up, I can use it again.'
*********************************
Alright, before I go, thanks guys for all your suggestions with cake decorating ideas for my nephew. I browsed and narrowed down a few ideas and I ended up picking Spongebob as the theme. So the cake will be blue and I will try to incorporate some of the other characters (if I can). I want to do a good job on it, so I'd rather keep it simple and professional looking rather than trying to do too much.
And let's end this with a kiss, shall we? Muah!!! See you next time!
Ok ladies and gentlemen, I have a birthday cake to make for my nephew who is turning 4 next weekend. I have not taken the time yet to think about what I would like to do decoration-wise, color, theme etc.
I was thinking maybe you guys could tell me what you think? Any suggestions?
Also I probably will be working on my Wedding Inspiration cake #2 so I am welcoming ideas on any sort of wedding cake design that you would like to see.
In the meantime, because of the profound love I have for you, let me share our dinner with you guys ;-)
My husband wants to lose weight so "salad" is his new word... despite the fact that I keep telling him that diet alone wont do it, "salad" seems to be the magic word. So I try to keep it rather light and interesting but I have to admit that I run out of inspiration quite often.
I know.... I know... It's been a long time off for me from Blogsville.
First of, I would like to say Happy New Year 2012 to all of you guys, fellow bloggers, followers and random readers!! I have missed you dearly!
During this long absence there was so many things I wanted to blog about, but little time. And I also have to admit that my mind was focused on many things and pulled in so many different directions...
My husband and I (and my family in general) had been going through a very rough time (not in our marriage thanks God!) and last year, as I was blogging I was also trying to keep pulling myself out of the blues... this mood into which we sometimes get, where everything looks and seems so blurry with no sorts of exits. Anyways I am a happy and bubbly person in general but there are just those times...
And sometimes you just have to get angry and say enough is enough! For me it was a spiritual decision and I decided to enter the new year in a spirit of heightened focus and attention on God, and take a step back from my regular life.
Anyways, all I can tell you is that God listens and talks back. Sometimes we are just too busy to hear or to even pay attention. Plus how can we hear when we are not connected on a regular, consistent basis?
Also certain situations can only be broken through prayer AND fasting, where it's not about not eating food, it's about devoting a lot of that time that we take worrying about eating (cooking, thinking of what to cook/eat/carry out) and enjoying the satisfying feeling we get from physical food to seek spiritual nourishment. Also, that physical discomfort (hunger pains) just like any other type of uncomfortable situation puts us in a condition of heightened awareness of the presence of God (when we pair it with praying, praising and reading the Word). It's the truly the key to many breakthrough as mentioned in the Bible and as evidenced by many testimonies of people around the world.
Now let me tell you. I am not a "fanatic" Christian ooo. Although I do have daily devotions, I only go to church on Sunday (and not even every Sunday) and that's pretty much it. I am just that regular girl next door, who is struggling to become a good Christian with a consistent walk with Christ. I know I get lazy when it comes to praying and reading the Bible, but this fast was a true renewal for me. I have experienced God like I never did in my life before and within the first week of fasting 3 top priority prayer topic which were responsible for that awful time that we had were answered. How? I don't know. Everything just fell into place. Just like that!
My dear friends, let's make sure that we stand firm on that Rock. He is truly a shield and a fortress and the helping hand in times of need.
Alright, how is that new year treating you guys sofar? Any great things has happened yet? Anything exciting? any life changing event?
Anyways, I am glad that we all made it to 2012. I pray that you have a blessed year. I pray that God's watchful hands be over you and that his wings cover and protect you. I pray that you be the head and never the tail in anything you decide to put your mind to, whether it's work or a hobby or a major decision. I pray that you be blessed in the morning when you wake up and in the evening when you lay to sleep. I pray your household never lack any good thing. Overall I pray that you experience the sweetness of the embrace of God.
I know you all are busy finishing up Christmas plans and shopping. In the midst of all of this hecticness, may you remember what Christmas is really about.
The societies in which we live function in a way which often make us forget a little bit the true meaning of this season. It's about giving, not necessarily receiving, it's about loving, forgiving, sacrificing and not necessarily breaking the wallet for the most physically enjoyable things, food and comfort included.
If you have somewhere to go for Christmas dinner (whether it's your home or not), think of all the men, and women and children, both young and older, living under bridges, in mud huts, or literally on the streets.
If you've got somebody to spend Christmas with, consider yourself blessed. Think of all those who are lonely, in nursing and retirement homes, in military bases, in prisons and detention centers, in mental health hospitals; think of those who have no family despite their wealth and material comfort, those who have been rejected or abandoned, or those who have been forgotten.
If thoughts of those delicious meals especially prepared for you (or in expectance of you) bring happy thoughts to your mind, if Christmas shopping, gift wrapping and Christmas tree decorating was fun, think of those battling various diseases in hospital beds, some of whom cannot eat or enjoy food, cannot walk, and will probably be left reminiscing memories of more joyous Christmases.
If you have a computer and you can read this post, think of the many children for whom what we will spend/have spent on our decorations, or meals, or gifts on this season, could cover meals or a shelter for many many months.
Finally if the Christmas season brings happy memories and thoughts, a smile of your face and much to look forward to, remember those for whom Christmas is a torture. Maybe they have lost a spouse, a child or a mother or father at this time of the year? Maybe they have lost their home? Maybe they have been raped around Christmas time? Maybe they have had an abortion, or cheated on their partner or have taken somebody's life and are just being eaten out by guilt? Maybe they have a bed but cannot sleep? Maybe they have simply lost their job, their ability to provide for their family and their dignity by the same token and life has been a nightmare since then?
Say a brief prayer for all your fellow human beings, suffering or not, family or not, friend or enemy.
Before I wish you merry Christmas, let me share this inspiring little Christmas story with you (and 2 of my favorite Christmas carols). Read on...
"Once upon a time, there was a man who worked very hard just
to keep food on the table for his family. This particular year a few
days before Christmas, he punished his little five-year-old daughter
after learning that she had used up the family's only roll of expensive
gold wrapping paper.
As money was tight, he became even more upset when on Christmas
Eve he saw that the child had used all of the expensive gold paper to
decorate one shoebox she had put under the Christmas tree. He also was
concerned about where she had gotten money to buy what was in the
shoebox.
Nevertheless, the next morning the little girl, filled with excitement,
brought the gift box to her father and said, "This is for you,
Daddy!"
As he opened the box, the father was embarrassed by his
earlier overreaction, now regretting how he had punished her.
But when he opened the shoebox, he found it was empty and
again his anger flared. "Don't you know, young lady," he said
harshly, "when you give someone a present, there's supposed to be something
inside the package!"
The little girl looked up at him with sad tears rolling from her eyes and whispered:
"Daddy, it's not empty. I blew kisses into it until it was all
full."
The father was crushed. He fell on his knees and put his
arms around his precious little girl. He begged her to forgive him for
his unnecessary anger.
An accident took the life of the child only a short time later. It is told
that the father kept this little gold box by his bed for all the years of
his life. Whenever he was discouraged or faced difficult problems,
he would open the box, take out an imaginary kiss, and remember the love
of this beautiful child who had put it there.
In a very real sense, each of us has been given an invisible
golden box filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children,
family, friends and God. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold."
Count your blessings and thank the Man upstairs. And for you all who believe in the sacrifice of the Holy Son of God, let us all remember His humble origins, born in a barn, held in a manger, in a faraway, foreign land, Him who was/is the only Son of the Creator of the universe, son of King and King Himself. No gold, no silver. Only stars, sheep and shepherds to witness the birth of the One who would change creation.
May your Christmas be filled with joy, laughter, and a true, deep feeling of peace and happiness.
Merry Christmas!
"Carol of the Bells" - an upbeat version
My all time favorite (even though I don't like this version),
deep touching touching words; reminds me of my
semester performing this song with the
Malone University Women's Concert
Choir many years ago
"Lo, How a Rose e'er Blooming"
The inspiring story was taken from http://www.wanttoknow.info/goldwrappingpaper
My eyes are red and swollen from crying and my heart is bleeding out. Somewhere in the world, since 1996, more people have been killed than during the Jewish Holocaust and there is a woman or a child being raped every minute. This tragedy has largely, blatantly and purposefully been ignored and attempts to unveil it have been hushed. However grass root movements are slowly springing out all over the West to denounce the privileged public financial and logistic support that perpetrators of these horrendous crimes have been getting from our dear Uncle Sam (and other Western nations) in the name of natural resources.
Please watch this very sad and shocking short video...
It's funny how they had to have a western, white, upper middle-class family as the victims in this video, because otherwise, people would not care to watch or to get educated about this conflict that touches all of us: the use of rape as a weapon of war. If you have a mother, sister, a daughter, then you should care...
Watch this next video if you want to get the full picture (it's in English with french subtitles)
Warning: Even more sad than the previous one, but very very educational.
For the update: last week the current dictator originally installed and sponsored by the West (mainly the US) has just cheated his way to the presidential seat when for once the people of Congo had the opportunity to take their future into their own hands. The diaspora was not allowed to vote, people, including children were coerced into obtaining several differing voter cards per person and polling station agents were forced (as in beaten, threatened and kidnapped) into stuffing the boxes with hundred of thousands of already filled ballots.
You cannot watch this, and not want to do anything. You cannot watch this and keep silent. And if your mouth has a hard time voicing this (I know how awkward it can be sometimes), your fingers can speak, talk and even shout.
You can do several easy things:
1) You can share either videos on your Facebook page or your blog (see the end of the post for the urls of the videos) or you can share this post on your blog. What the conflict needs is to be exposed by regular citizens like you and me. So if you have a bigger following than I do, please mention and link my post on your blog in a way that draws attention. The more people know about it, the more we are likely to raise voices that will try to speak for our voiceless brothers and sisters
2) You can sign the petition at http://www.unwatchable.cc
3)You can make a quick virtual trip at Friends of the Congo at http://www.friendsofthecongo.org/ and read a little bit about this issue. Friends of the Congo is a US-based grass root movement composed of regular people who devote some of their time to raising awareness about this conflict. 4) If you are on Facebook, send a friend request to "Kambale Musavuli". He a young Congolese who grew up in the US and abandoned his academic career to focus on speaking out on this conflict. He has very interesting links, videos, Facebook statutes about Africa and particularly Congo and neo-colonialism/neo-imperialism. 5) Above all you can pray for the Congo. These issues are real. Pray for peace, pray for healing from psychological, physical and emotional trauma. Pray for freedom from greed. Pray for hearts to be touched and souls to be renewed. But please do not pray only, as your Father in Heaven uses real human beings to bless and touch lives. Action #5 needs to paired with another one.
Your most powerful action would be: share these videos AND to read up little bit on the issue just so you have a basic understanding of the situation and how it affects you and the rest of the world, and how it affects Africa. You have all the resources at your fingertips to help in your own little way, which will actually go a long way.
On my end, I have decided to blog once a week on that particular issue in addition to all of the above options.
Would you give me feedback on which of number 1 to 5 you can do (will do, have done)?
In this world of evil and suffering, stay blessed and covered by His wings in the name of Jesus.
PS *** First video: Is your phone rape free? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIePzz_CEuQ Second video: Crisis in the Congo: Uncovering the Truth http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rM7bexchwG8#!***
As I promised, here are a few pictures of the cake I made yesterday for my little niece, Anyi, who was turning 2.
It's a Red Velvet Lemon Curd Vanilla Cheesecake. See my Inspiration Wedding Cake #1 for details and pictures of the layers.
For the brief description: It was decorated with light pink fondant for the main color, medium and small fuchsia, yellow and purple fondant circles, and light pink purple bow, a figure "2" for the new milestone and other fondant details mimicking a wrapped gift as well as fondant flowers.
I baked, torted and iced the cake (it was actually 2 cakes that were assembled together) and also made the decorations the day before the birthday let them dry overnight, and put it all together yesterday morning.
The little rolled pieces of paper were for support of the little structures and helped keep the round 3-dimensional shapes. I took the pictures around noon and the birthday was later in the evening so I took the pieces of paper out before we headed out.
Actually here is a video of it before the pictures.
I thought to myself since I have been inspired this weekend to blog a little bit, why not just keep going while it lasts?
So, I have decided that you might be craving for a little piece of heaven. After thinking that particular thought, another closely related thought crossed my mind? Who better could offer you, at this very present moment, that little bit of ohhh so smooth and moist velvety sweetness? Then, something lit up in my usually-sharp-but-lately-very-jelloed brain. ME!!!!! Of course, me!!!
Look at this pic? Can you find the object of our interest?
Good job!!! You got it!!
Let's not play easy here, let me present a few facts before I let you salivate.
Fact #1 I love baking
Fact #2 I love decorating the cakes I bake
Fact #3 No, but seriously though, I have high hopes of being able to open my own cake business (from home) hopefully very soon, once I feel my decorating skills are worthy enough to be making money off of it and once I have a solid base of friends and friends of friends who have seen or tasted my cakes.
I have always wanted to work for me, clock me in clock me out, pay me, review me, promote me... lol you get the picture. But I have just recently realized that in addition to this, I do NOT like being employed, as in waiting for a paycheck, calculating my hours, and having my personal life revolved around somebody else's business or company... And that's not good because that can potentially make me a not-so-good employee and turn me into a clock-watcher which I absolutely despise.
Fact #4 Uhm... I went off track with Fact #3. Anyhow. I have made an engagement cake before but it was a surprise gift so the cake was not requested or expected therefore even though I wanted to do a good job, there wasn't the pressure of doing what was asked and even more. I have made 2 birthday cakes. I am now waiting for the right occasion, or somebody to request a baby shower and/or a wedding cake. Uhmm... the wedding cake will be a challenge, more because of the word "wedding" itself than anything else.
Fact #5 While waiting for the opportunity to present itself, I thought I should inspire myself with designs that I could use on a wedding cake. My intention is to make a series of inspiration wedding cakes that I could just present into a portfolio format at some point.
Red velvet and cheesecakes are my favorite cakes so unless nobody request something different, that's what I make.
It turns out that my sister-in-law, the mother of my little niece for whom I was making the Little Girl's Pink Birthday Cake shares my taste so thats what I made. *Cheesecake factory anyone? Have you tried their red velvet cheesecake cake?*
I made this mini-cake which is a replica (in taste) of the above-mentioned birthday cake, just so I can have an exact taste of what people will taste, eating that birthday cake (sorry for the redundancy). Basically it's my "control cake" and will let me know how it all tastes the next day, the 2nd or 3rd day, how moist it stays and how well the flavors remain and blend a few days later.
So this is a Red Velvet Vanilla Lemon Curd Cheesecake Cake.
With no further additions let me introduce to you Inspiration Wedding Cake #1
It has 3 layers of red velvet cake, one layer of vanilla cheesecake and one layer of lemon curd.
This was an absolute piece of heaven and I was really, I mean really
pleasantly surprised. It was moist, almost spongy and almost melted on
my tongue. The lemon and the cheesecake flavors complimented each other really
well and it was richly sweet without being too sweet, or tasting too
"fatty" or "buttery".
I just wanted to stop by and say hi. I have been a little quiet and probably will be for a while as I am focusing on a few important things in my personal life. Please pray for me...
I hope you are doing okay. The Almighty is watching over all of you guys as we head towards the end of this year. I pray that you all remain safe and the remainder of the month be filled with all sorts of blessings and good news, in your life and that of your family and friends. Say Amen with me!
I have baked a couple of cakes since I last posted. One that I just got finished making actually, for my little niece's birthday.
My other passion is music. I am very eclectic as it comes to that and love alot of different musical genres. In the past few years I have been re-drawn to African music more than anything. I am completely disconnected from all the trendy new musical releases other than what plays on the radio which I randomly happy to listen to. Anyhow, it's almost been like a rebirth to me, music-wise and even in the way that I dress (a lot more ankara styles and the likes) and decorate: everything ethnic and African.
On this note, let me introduce some of my culture to you. Here are two of my favorite songs (and videos) by one of my favorite Congolese singer. For those who do not know, this is Tshala Muana, the queen of Mutuashi (a particular congolese dance that involves mostly moving the hips). She was very famous in the past decades as she turned foreign officials heads in concerts all over western, central and eastern/southern Africa with her winding hips. As she has gotten older, she has kind of "calmed down" a little bit. She sings mostly in Tshiluba (one of the main languages in Congo, which I do not speak or understand lol), and some french and lingala (the main lingua franca for communication).
The title of this song is "Sikila"
Now let me show you some more traditional versions of the same dance... truly and absolutely African, beautiful!
For the story Mutuashi is mastered mainly by men (in the traditional
way of dancing it), and I cannot describe how these men move their hips,
you just have to see it.
** The main dancer is a female but the rest of the crew dancing in the back are men, I couldn't find a video with just men dancing that was worth putting up**
And the last video, it's a little long and the real dancing starts at minute 5:40, so you can start watching at that time if you want.
** Click here if nothing shows up, it's been giving me a little bit of a hard time **
For the little story, most traditional dances in Congo involve the hips. Maybe I'll share something more urban and trendy in another post!
