Annie's Blessing

We did it! FINALLY! Mitch got to bless Annie! It was certainly short and sweet, but it was one of the most sincere and tender blessings I have ever attended. He did such a great job, and I know how nervous he was, so that adds to how impressed I am! It is customary, I guess, for the parents to bear their testimony after their baby is blessed. I was sitting there stewing over what I should say, when the words to this poem jumped into my mind.

THY WILL By: Lynnette Brinkerhoff

A strange sort of people,

us mortals, we are.

We pray to thee father,

then we wish on a star?

We beg thee for rain Lord,

Oh, and please fix the truck.

Then we whine and complain,

as we drive through the muck.

Please bless our loved ones,

and those who are sick.

Too bad. I'm too busy.

WHEN WILL IT CLICK???

Thanks for the kids lord,

we love them, we do!

WHAT? another one?

What's wrong with you??

God has the plan folks,

and we DON'T know best!

So open your ears,

and give that mouth a rest!

Yes, you were right lord,

you knew all along.

Thank goodness, at least

I'll admit when I'm wrong.

I am your servant lord,

show me the way.

What can I do,

for another today?

I borrowed a pen from my mother in law and jotted it down. I figured it exactly what I was feeling, so it qualified as a testimony. =)

We had a little luncheon after Sacrament meeting, and I wanted to share a couple of recipes that I made for it.

CHICKEN WONTON SALAD

1 pkg (3 stocks?) of Romain hearts (chopped bite size)

1-2 chicken breasts (I prefer to grill mine) cubed

1/2 pkg deep fried wontons

Dressing:

1/2 C olive oil

4 TBSP vinegar (I usually use apple cider, or rice)

2 1/2 TBSP sugar

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

toss everything together RIGHT before serving.

COCONUT CUPCAKES

1pkg white cake mix

1 pkg coconut pudding mix

3/4 C milk

2 Eggs

1 C sour cream

1/3 C oil

Make sure to watch them closely in the oven, you want them barely done. Mine took 20 min.

Buttercream Frosting

1C butter

(don't soften it too much... 1/2 hour sitting on the counter is about right)

3C powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-3 TBSP cream

(just enough to make spreadable)

Toast a little bit of coconut for a garnish

IT IS DIVINE!

I put together a little slide show for all of you who couldn't make it. I was horrible at taking pictures, and alot of the wonderful family who was there is not included in the slide show, But I still love them, and I'm sorry I didn't get pictures of everyone. =(

Thank you to the ones that were there, in body and spirit! {get better JoDee... We love you!} I love all you guys, really, and I so appreciate your support... click HERE now to check out the slideshow.

Zipper Flower Tutorial...

O.k. kids... first things first you will need a zipper. All zippers are not created equally. I prefer the zippers with the metal teeth, simply because they add dimension to the finished flower. Now, zippers can be relatively expensive. for this particular flower I used a 22 inch zipper. (1 zipper makes 2 flowers generally) (the longer the zipper the more petals your finished flower will have)a 22 inch zipper at JoAnns is about $8... which makes it about $4 per flower... now to me, that is alot. So.... I go to the thrift store. I buy jackets with long metal zippers, for about $4. That makes each flower about $2... MUCH BETTER! (this involves cutting out the zipper, but i just get my seam ripper, and it is done in seconds.) It is also important to note that colored zippers are sometimes more expensive, unless you purchase them in the "jacket" form... =) *I recently discovered that tent zippers generally have metal teeth... talk about a goldmine! ;)

O.k so get a needle and thread. (make sure you use strong thread) Weave it in and out like so.. all the way to the end.

Just kidding, cut off about 2 inches or so (this will be used to make your center), and then sew to the end. Then you just cinch the thread up tight. This will cause the zipper to twist, kind of like a whirlpool slide.

Once the zipper is cinched up tight just stitch a few stitches at the end of the zipper to keep it from unraveling. Then start arranging the flower. layer each loop on top of the next until you get something like this. Then start stitching randomly, just to tack down each petal. (make sure you are using matching thread. =) Also, if you have to go over the teeth, make sure your thread falls perfectly BETWEEN them, because they are metal, and sort of sharp, they will cut your thread, and then your flower will fall apart. *trust me on this one. ;)

Then just twist up that little piece you cut off earlier. stitch it so it looks like this.

Then just stitch it to the flower and voila! You my crafty little friend, have just created a zipper flower. =)... now just attach a clip or a pin or sew it to your favorite hat, or shirt, and you will be looking FINE! Now hurry and go find a zipper!!!