Cake Class II

I just finished my final for Wilton Course II — working with royal icing, color flow, and learning to do the basket weave. I had to use a different tip for my basket weave than the book called for, because my icing was "grainy" and clogging the tip. Weird.



I walked in the door and Charis ran for her fork. :(



Also, the "back" of my cake fell off on the way home. But I just shoved it back on and gave that piece to Charis.



The royal icing flowers are fun, because you can make them way ahead of time. They dry hard and you can store them longer than Twinkies in an air-tight container. So ... you may end up with Victorian roses, pansies, or daffodils on YOUR cake. :)

Out of Control

Please visit my latest article over at Ungrind.

Mountain Escape

I spent this weekend at our church's women's retreat, held at Trail West in Buena Vista. It was awesome! I really look forward to this every year.

Views of the road into the camp, and of the mountain behind the camp. The aspens are turning, and are beautiful, but my camera makes the colors seem muted.

This time, I helped out with hospitality and registration, so I had to arrive at the site early in the morning. Some of the folks had arrived the day before to really get a jump on things.

Author Shelly Cook Volkhardt spoke and what she had to say really touched me in so many ways. The whole retreat was an awesome time with God — and a time of renewal and refreshment (and eating tons of really great food that I didn't have to plan, cook or clean after!).

During our free time on Saturday, a friend and I headed up to Independence Pass and marveled at the wondrous sites. My photos don't do justice to the colors. They were so vibrant!

On the way to Independence Pass, with the fall colors creeping up the mountain.

Valley of aspens.



Shannon and Jodie on a bridge with the aspens in the background. You get more of an idea of the colors in this shot, but not quite.

This beautiful scene and the one below it were the same property off the road. Tons of people were stopping to capture it.




Shannon and Jodie at a very chilly 12,095 feet. The terrain at that altitude is tundra. Very cool.

View from the top of Independence Pass

View of the valley from where we started, along the winding road with no guardrail.

I love living here.

Homecomings!

This morning I read about the homecoming of two more children from the orphanage. These two precious children make it EIGHT homecomings for this month! It's so exciting and I am rejoicing for the families who have their children home (with that being said, some of these families have had to be split up through the process -- Haiti will allow the process of only two children at a time through Parquet -- so some of these families have brought home their older children first). Please pray for the adjustments these families are going through. Please pray their other children process quickly.

Please pray for the process to speed up for EVERYONE. It's hard to go through this journey, and it's hard to go through this with others who are waiting, too.

I heard this weekend that there is a new director at IBESR and she is processing dossiers. One from our orphanage was released. It wasn't ours.

Please pray for our dossier to be released from IBESR TODAY. Please pray for my heart and my attitude. I've been really depressed about the whole thing, and taking it out on everyone (sorry).

I heard that Yslande asked about me a lot and misses me. I heard she's very helpful and eager to please. I also heard that Catiana is a spitfire. God, please prepare their hearts ...

Beautiful Day

A pregnant friend struck down by a stomach bug asked me to watch her son today. He's 2 1/2 (and he makes sure you say the 1/2 when saying his age!) and gets along great with Charis. So I took the kids to our local zoo.

We talked about how the alligator starts with "A", etc., so we were schooling :)

It was a GORGEOUS day!!! Mid-70s. Slight breeze, with a feeling of fall. Trees are starting to change. The smell of evergreens in the air. Gorgeous. Gorgeous. Gorgeous!


This shot actually is near our house. There is a patch of yellow flowers, mostly on commercial fenced land. But I tried to get this with the wood fence post.


Charis on the carousel -- heehaw! What a show-off!


Gotta love a zoo in the mountains!


The changing trees, blue sky, fluffy white clouds.


Wildflowers




Charis took good care of her friend today.
I love this pose (and it wasn't prompted) ... they were standing on a boulder and I had just told Charis to make sure she didn't push him off!
My friend and I joke that we're going to betroth them!

Homeschool, Hernias and Happy Birthday

What a week it was!

Charis and I started homeschooling. She's only 4, but I want to get her ready for K. But I've been SO INTIMIDATED. What's the problem? I think, It's only PRESCHOOL! I should be able to handle this.

The first day seemed to go pretty well. But the rest of the week was downhill.

She tells me she doesn't want to "play school" any more. What am I supposed to do with that? I try to keep it fun and have veered off the curriculum to meet her needs. But when things get a little "hard"—like writing letters in the space provided—she doesn't want to do it anymore.

I welcome suggestions!

And then we spent all of Friday in the car driving to New Mexico. Mark's mom had surgery for a hiatal hernia Friday morning (we couldn't leave Thursday like we were hoping—Mark had been busting his tail to get a job done and actually worked through the night). We got there Friday evening, but didn't see her until Saturday. She was able to leave the hospital that afternoon. She's really sore and is restricted to liquids for a couple weeks, then soft foods for a couple more. But other than that, she's doing well.

And Sunday was Mark's dad's birthday. He turned 70 and it was great to be able to spend the weekend with them.

We drove home Monday and now it's off to another week of "What am I doing?"

Images of Destruction

Warning: this Video contains images that are inappropriate for young viewers. But it's real. And it's where my daughters are.

RHFH Rescue Center for more photos.

Read here for pressing needs.

You are a Coloradoan if ...

A friend forwarded this to me ... it's too funny.

You are a Coloradoan if ............

1. You switch from "Heat" to "A/C" in one day. (I did, in fact, do this a couple days ago in the car.)

2. You know what the "Peoples Republic of Boulder" means. (I haven't been up to Boulder yet, but it's its own thing).

3. Your sense of direction is: towards the mountains and away from the mountains. (It took me a while to get used to "direction" here. The mountains were north of us in the city from where I came, now they are west -- but they're east when we go visit Mark's family!)

4. You're a meat-eating vegetarian.

5. The bike on your car is worth more than your car and you have your own special bike lane.

6. You're able to drive 65 miles per hour through 13 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without even flinching. (Getting there.)

7. You take your out-of-town guests to Casa Bonita even though you would never go there otherwise. (Trust me, I won't take you there -- we went there once while in Denver -- won't go back.)

8 . You think your major food groups are granola bars, tofu and Fat Tire beer. (That goes with the Republic of Boulder thing).

9. You design your kid's Halloween costumes to fit over a snowsuit. (You betcha!)

10. You think that sexy lingerie is wool socks and flannel PJs. (You betcha, part 2)

11. You know all 4 seasons "almost winter, winter, still winter and spring blizzards (unfortunately ... well, we do have a couple weeks of "unbearably hot")

12. You've been tear gassed in a riot to celebrate a CU/CSU victory.

13. You can never figure out why your out-of-town guests faint from altitude sickness on a picnic to the mountains. (and then you raid their pockets).

14. You can drive over a 12,000-foot pass in 4 feet of snow, but can't get to work if there are 4 inches of snow.

15. You know the "correct" pronunciation of Buena Vista. (I don't know how they say it here -- I think it's "boo-na" -- I'm going there for our women's retreat in a couple weeks.)

16. When you visit friends at sea level, you can drink a case of beer and not get a buzz.

17. Your car insurance costs more than your car.

18. You have surge protectors on every outlet. (see #26 for explanation)

19. April showers bring May blizzards. (You don't plant anything you want to keep until after Mother's Day.)

20. "Timberline" is someplace you have actually been.

21. You know what a "Chinook" is.

22. You know what a "Rocky Mountain Oyster" is. (Only by reputation -- NEVER going there.)

23. You know what a "fourteener" is. (I will climb Pike's Peak before I die).

24. You don't know what a "turn signal" is. (That may be a Boulder thing, too.)

25. A bear on your front porch doesn't bother you nearly as much as a Democrat in Congress does. (That's NOT a Boulder thing.)

26. Your golf bag has a 9-iron, a 3-wood and a lightning rod. (Lightning is a fact of life around here in the summer. Colorado is in the top three states for lightning, and El Paso County is #1 in Colorado -- Tesla built his lab here, if that drives the point home.)

27. You know who Alferd Packer was and what he did.

28. You know who Baby Doe Tabor was.

29. SPF 90 is not out of the question. (Seriously.)

30. People from out of state breathe 5 times as often as you do.

31. Having a Senator named Nighthorse doesn't seem strange.

32. Thunder has set off your car alarm.

33. A full moon has never kept you awake at night.

34. You have an $800 stereo in your $300 truck.

35. A sudden loss of cabin pressure is not a big deal.

36. You think a red light means 3 more cars can go. (I'm from Los Angeles area, so I'm used to it!)

37. Where we're going, we don't need roads!! (Yee-haw!)

38. You know where Doc Holliday's grave is. (Haven't been to that part of the state yet)

39. You know where Buffalo Bill's grave is. (Driven past, but haven't stopped yet)

40. You know where the real " South Park " is. (Went through it last weekend.)

41. You can recognize the license plates of all 50 states on sight. (Or the state's 50 different plates!)

42. Driving directions usually include "Go over _________ Pass." (Did that last weekend, too! -- and will this weekend, as well)

43. You've "checked for ticks." (A friend had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever last year ... I don't recommend it.)

44. You've dressed in shorts, sandals, and a parka with a hood.

45. You've gone snow skiing in July and.....

46. You've played golf in January and.....

47. They were in the same year!

48. You've urinated on the Continental Divide just so it could "run into both oceans." (That's disgusting.)

49. You know what a downslope and an upslope weather pattern is .

50. And the most important: You get a certain feeling of satisfaction from knowing that California and Texas are both downstream.

51. You actually understand these jokes and send them to your Colorado friends

North Pole

Charis and I joined three sets of friends and headed to the North Pole today. It's a "theme park" designed to be a child's dream of what Santa's Workshop is like. It was built more than 50 years ago in the mountains.

It was very appropriate today, because it was only in the high-40s today in the mountains! Good grief! It's still summer, isn't it?

Charis was able to visit Santa ...

Ride an antique carousel with Santa's entire team of reindeer...

Ride a bunch of kiddie-sized rides with her friends ...

Write her name in the perpetually frozen "North Pole" ...

Ride the candy cane coaster ... (one of the couple of rides I had to ride with her and which left me feeling less than stellar).

Tackle the giant slide ...

Take a leisurely ride with her friend ...

We're Moving

I am putting in my change of address forms. It appears we will permanently be residing at IBESR in Haiti.

Of course, I'm joking, but it feels like we've been in this department forever. Close. We've been there 11 months now. We were told 4-7 months when we entered.

Madam Beaudin, who is/was the director of IBESR (and on whose desk our file has been sitting for months), apparently has been nominated to be the Director of Social Affairs. Congratulations to her! But, in the meanwhile, I don't know if this is why our file has been "sitting."

Update Sept. 4: Apparently Madam Beaudin has received the post, according to Dixie at God's Littlest Angels. Please pray she signs out our files before she leaves. Also, please pray for the country's people. They have been hit so hard by the storms, and the death toll from Hanna is escalating. Relief can't get to the flooded orphanages. People are stuck on their roofs. People haven't had any clean water to drink for days.

Please, Madam B (or whomever is taking your place), PLEASE release our file. We've been married the required amount of time. We're both older than the required age. We have only one birth child at home. Please tell me what is the problem. These girls need a permanent home where they will be loved and cared for! Their forever family is waiting!


August 2008 photo of Yslande. I haven't received Catiana's photo. The weather really effects the internet signal.

In addition to prayers for the adoption, I seek prayers for the safety of the kids at the O, the workers and their families. The storms have been flooding Haiti. Parts of the O have flooded and some of the donations have been destroyed.

Hanna eyes Bahamas after battering Haiti

Ariana Cubillos / AP A man walks through a rice field in L'Artibonite, Haiti, that was flooded by rains from Tropical Storm Hanna on Tuesday

SAINT-MARC, Haiti - Far-reaching Tropical Storm Hanna drenched flood-plagued Haiti on Wednesday, adding to the miseries of a country that has lost 110 lives to mudslides and flooding since mid-August.

The storm that had been drifting south and east finally swung toward the north on Wednesday and authorities issued a hurricane warning for northwest and central Bahamas.

Hanna was expected to sweep across the Bahamas and then start climbing along the U.S. coastline by the weekend, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami — with a 20 percent chance it could bring tropical storm force winds to New York City.

Haitian authorities on Wednesday reported five more deaths caused by Hanna, raising the toll to 26.

Floodwaters swamped a hospital in the Les Cayes area, forcing nurses to move patients to higher floors. At least 5,000 people in Les Cayes remained in shelters, said Jean-Renand Valiere, a coordinator for the civil protection department.

Haiti already had suffered scores of deaths due to flooding cause by Tropical Storm Fay and Hurricane Gustav in late August.

Haiti is particularly vulnerable to devastating floods because of its steep hillsides that have been deforested to plant crops or make charcoal.

Meanwhile, Ike strenghtened into the fifth hurricane of the Atlantic season as it cruised northwestward at 18 mph across the Atlantic with top winds near 80 mph. Forecasters cautioned that "it is too early to determine what, if any land areas might be directly affected by Ike."

Labor Day Getaway

We were able to get away for the long weekend, finishing up a vacation package we purchased last year through a time-share thingie. So we went to Breckenridge again.


We got there Saturday in time for the rubber duck races (kids' race). There also was a carnival going on along the Blue River, but the tickets were $5 each (and each thing was at least one ticket). So we passed on that stuff. There is a really awesome toy store (Peak-a-Boo Toys) along the downtown area with a play area in the back. We visited the store a couple times.


Charis waving her American flag during the rubber duck races.


Ducks float down the Blue River on the way to victory.


Charis with her souvenir princess ducky.


On Sunday, we went for a hike at Sapphire Point (overlooking Lake Dillon). It was a really easy hike (1.5 miles, fairly flat), but Charis wasn't enthused. I wonder if the additional altitude bothered her.


Last year, we went in the fall and saw the beautiful changing aspens. I'm glad we got to see the area in summer, too. Beautiful flowers -- wild and in gardens. I'm really disheartened about all the dead evergreens we saw, though. I don't know if the death is from bugs, disease, drought or what. But there are A LOT of dead trees.

Mark, Charis and Jodie on hike overlooking Summit County.

View of Lake Dillon from the trail.

We stayed at the Grand Timber Lodge, which was really nice. There was a kids' area with a playground, fountain, and kid-friendly pools. This was the place the time-share folks were trying to sell us last year. This year, it was a different lodge, but the salesman knew we weren't interested in buying in Breckenridge and got pretty rude with us. At least we didn't have to sit there for two hours.

Charis (behind the playground in bright pink bathing suit) and her new friend play on the playground.


View of mountains from Grand Timber Lodge.


This picture doesn't do justice to this garden in front of a shop along Main Street. I would love to do something like this. Click on it to enlarge it.