A GOD THING

It really is.

You see, I haven't had any soda....NONE...since February 25th.

I know a lot of folk won't understand this....a lot of you have never had the God thing happen to you.

Sure, I know it's good for me to stop, but my desire was ONLY to cut down and not be so dependent on Dr Pepper.

But.....then the God thing happened.

How do I know it's God? Well, there are a few reasons.

First, as I previously stated, I never wanted to cut out, just cut back.

Second, I've never really had a strong enough desire to cut back enough.

Third, it came to me out of the "blue-clear sky."

Fourth, I never had the will-power to actually stop drinking them completely.

Fifth, I just know it in my spirit.

Some of you are rolling your eyes...it's OK that you don't understand. You don't need to.

Let me tell you how it happened....

On Tuesday, the 24th, my hubby and I were lying in bed talking, when it hit me. We weren't talking sodas. We weren't talking health. We weren't talking addiction....nothing. Into my head pops the thought that we, as a family, MUST give up sodas.

I'm not sure if it's for health reasons, or addiction reasons or what. Maybe it's all the sugar. Maybe it's all the chemicals. Maybe it's the caffeine. Whatever it is, I just know that we all have to get rid of it.

I told my sweet hubby, who has supported this decision from the get-go. I had 1 Dublin and 4 2-liter bottles (that were opened, but still had about 1/2). We allowed my 2nd son to take the Dublin to his teacher and we dumped the rest. Yes....there were some brimming tears, but still....

See, when we (meaning my hubby and I) are teaching our children to obey, we do not allow them to question until AFTER they obey. If it is not instant obedience, it is not obedience. I don't mind the question...I really don't. Questions like, "Why can't we watch a certain TV show?" That is OK....what is NOT OK is for me, or Daddy, to tell them to do something and they ask "why" before it is done.

So not only do I have to obey the Big Man, Himself, but I have to set an example for my kids.

We told the kids, "We don't drink soda." They wanted to know what brought Mom, of all people, to such a crazy assumption. All I could tell them was that God told me to. They get that......it's one thing to disobey Mom, but you don't disobey God.

So there you are.....we are done with sodas. We have been almost 5 weeks without any. I assure you, the Dr Pepper industry took a hit, but that is OK.

Now, to try to answer a few of the questions that you are thinking....

Yes, I did have horrible headaches.

Yes, I still crave them, but I haven't really WANTED them...does that make sense? (One is physical, one is mental.)

Yes, I still think it would help to have one during my times of stress...which, according to DH, would be about 95% of the time.

No, I can't tell that I've necessarily lost weight. (I have been working out with weights, so am gaining muscle, I hope.) Though I don't feel bloated anymore.

No, I probably will never have a soda again. The rule is for all sodas....even diet.

Yes, I have been drinking tea...even sweet tea...though the sweet is cut down by half.

No, I don't really care WHY God told me to lay off....it's enough that He told me.

So there you go. Just wanted to share.

MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

Hey, guys! I hope you had a great weekend and are geared up for another wonderful week ahead.

I hope you will join me for Making a Happy Home Monday. It is a blog carnival that I host in which I want to encourage and inspire others to take an area of their homes and improve it. You can take any area, big or small, and make it happier. You do this by cleaning it, organizing it, or simply making it prettier. Either way, when you do this, it makes you happier.....thus making your home happier.

If you decide to join me, please sign up on Mr. Linky down below. I would love to see what you are doing around the place. If you can, share some pictures to go along with your project. Hope to see you soon.

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For this entry, I decided to share something that I had to do last night that really helped us out.

This past weekend, my husband and I took our older 2 children to a Junior Bible Quiz tournament. Well, wouldn't you know?,The day before we leave, my oldest begins to complain about his ear hurting. I gave him some Tylenol and he seemed to do better. The next morning, he was still hurting. I talked to the school nurse and it was determined that he had swimmer's ear.

On the way to the meet, I treated #1 with alcohol.....heh....RUBBING ALCOHOL IN THE EAR to evaporate any trapped water, then drops for pain. We put cotton in the ear. He did well until that night. He cried quite a bit, due to the pain. What a horrible feeling to be away from home, away from your doctor, on a weekend, when your child is in pain.

SO, I treated him with more meds and had him lay on a warm wash cloth....anything to soothe him and help him fall asleep.

The next morning, he did a GREAT JOB! (more on that soon) On the way home, the exhaustion and cold wind only served to cause more pain. BUT, I was reminded of something by a friend. I tried it and it worked wonderfully.

It's a rice-sock.

I can't believe I had forgotten such a thing. And seriously....everybody should have the makings for such an easy, but effective thing.

I put rice in a spouted cup and poured it into one of my sons' sock...then I tied it. I didn't fill it too full, as I wanted it soft enough to form around the ear a bit. I microwaved it for about 30-40 seconds. I placed it on my son's ear. It was so comforting. Between that and the meds, he awoke with a smile and happily told us that he was no longer hurting. And THAT makes for a happy home!

Please join me and share something good that is going on in your home.

SORRY

I'm so sorry I have been M.I.A.

This has been a crazy week...a CRAZY week.

First off, I would like to give a big shout out to all of you who have popped over as a result of the UBP!!! That is too cool! If I haven't come to yours yet, I will....I just haven't had the time. I hope to see you all soon.

Secondly, what I've been doing is getting ready for this weekend. This weekend, I will be traveling, with my hubby and 2 older kids, to a place for a District Junior Bible Quiz tournament.

Now, I've explained it a bit. It's a lot of fun and the kids really get to know the Bible. (I will be doing a demo type thing in a later post.) Normally, our matches consist of about 15 teams total and 6 rounds in our division. Nope...this one has about 40 teams and we will be competing in 15-20. THAT'S A LOT!!!

But, we've been practicing, packing, getting things set up for the care of our younger 2 (who still have soccer games to attend)......I don't know if you remember the last time I had to leave some kids.....one of them ended up with staples in his head and a broken arm. I certainly hope THAT doesn't happen.

Anyway, that is what I've been up to. I hope to get back to a normal (somewhat, anyway) schedule of posting this next week.....which has it's own set of issues: model of the Alamo, t-shirt book report, 2 1-page reports, FIL coming in for a week, water baptism, lunch for all those coming to celebrate, cleaning the house for company....including FIL company....did I say he's staying for a week?

Heh....my hubby says that I couldn't deal with a high stress situation. I told him that I was doing fine dealing with high stress....THEN he said that this wasn't high-stress....that I was creating it all. WhatEVer!

All this and I haven't had a soda in 29 days. REALLY! (Hence a following post for the next week or so.)

Well, I need to skedaddle! Y'all take care.

Be sure to join me on Monday for Making a Happy Home Monday!

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Hey, y'all. My friend Lisa, and her sister Lana, co-host this cool blog carnival called "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday." A lot of peeps post recipes, tips, product reviews, ask questions....it's a lot of fun. Click on the widget up above and it'll shoot ya on over and the you can join us!

My entry for this is.....

CHICKEN SALAD

We go from this....

TO THIS....

With just a few ingredients.

Just a heads up...this picture is NOT of my chicken salad so the ingredients you see here aren't necessarily found in my chicken salad.

CHICKEN SALAD

ingredients:

4 roasted chicken breasts (skin on, bone-in)

1 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup mayo (the real stuff)

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

TARRAGON!!!

OK...first, you need to roast your chicken...yes, ROAST IT!

Leave the skin on....drizzle a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 30-45 minutes at 350.

Remove chicken from oven to cool.

While chicken is cooling, clean and chop celery. Put into bowl.

Add 3/4 cup mayo. (no need to mix yet)

When chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the skin and remove meat from the bone. (Why the skin on? The 2 main reasons...flavor and moisture!)

Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces....not too big, but definitely not too small.

Put chicken into bowl with celery and mayo. Toss to coat.

Add salt, pepper and a bit of chopped FRESH tarragon. This adds a wonderful flavor to the salad.

Toss all this together.

Serve on a whole grain bread with some greens....YUM!!!!

MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

I'm back for Monday!

Welcome to another installment of Making a Happy Home Monday! I hope some of you will join me. If you are popping in as a result of the UBP, I REALLY hope you will join me :)

Let me tell you new readers about this blog carnival. I have hosted this for a few months. The point of this is to inspire and encourage women to choose an area of their homes that need some attention and love. If the area is dirty, cluttered or not efficient, then it is not happy. If it is not happy, the Momma isn't happy. And you know what they say? If Momma ain't happy....ain't NObody happy.

SO, pick a project...ANY project. Make it big. Make it small. Clean it. Paint it. Organize it. Do whatever you need to do to make that area happy. The goal is to do something....ANYTHING. Just one area a week to get your home on the path to happiness. I hope you will join me. Just link up on Mr. Linky. Post info about your task. I would love to see some before and after pics, too.

For my project, I chose to clean out the cabinets in the boys' bathroom. These shelves are used for some stockpile items, as well as all the boys' toiletry items. This cabinet was just gross....GROSS! Anytime I took something out, other things fell out behind it. It was hard to know what all (or how much) I had stored in there. Not only that, but I'm sure there were lots of things that needed to be thrown out.

Here is a before picture. This is embarrassing.....but as I'm trying to get YOU to do something around your home, I figure I need to be totally transparent on all of this. The top shelf isn't really that bad...neither is the middle shelf. But, the bottom? YIKES! The picture honestly does not do it justice.

BEHOLD!!! The contents of the bottom shelf only. OH MY!

OK....bottom shelf done. Filled up one plastic bag with junk that needed to be tossed...either expired, too empty, too gummy....do we REALLY need 5 contact lens cases?

I wanted a picture of the contents of the top shelf 'cause I was really wondering how many I had.

You're wondering too, right?

• 8 shampoos
• 8 conditioners
• 6 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioners
• 12 body washes

While I'm at it, I counted the other stockpile items from the 1st and 2nd shelves (not shown specifically)

• 9 deodorants
• 7 hand soaps
• 15 tooth pastes
• 14 toothbrushes
• 5 (brand new, in the pkg) razors for both men and women

This doesn't count anything currently in use. And if you think I buy tons of one item....well, inspect the pictures a bit more closely. Out of the toothpastes, I probably have 5 different kinds. Shampoos? Well, we have Herbal Essence, Pantene, Garnier Fructise, Suave, Finesse.....body wash? Zest, Irish Spring, Soft soap (Spa line), and a few kid shampoo and bath items.

And here we go....the finished product. It only took me about 30 minutes. I emptied every shelf and wiped them down with Clorox wipes

SO.....there you have it. Sign on up! I would love to see what you're doing around the place.

IT'S TIME TO PARTY!!!

This is my first time to join in this party. I think it will be a lot of fun! Won't you join in? Go HERE for details.

The party for this year is during the week of March 20-27. Apparently, there are prizes....I'm pretty pumped for that. But more than anything, to find a cool new blog to read. I browse blogs every now and then. But, few do I return to visit. Some, I have even dropped. Anyway, you never know what you can find.

So first, let me introduce myself to some new readers.

My name is ~LL~. I live in North Texas. My DH is a pilot...we have been married for almost 18 years. We were high school sweethearts. We have known each other for much longer....we were in the same first grade class and continued to be in the same classes until graduating high school. We have 4 boys: ages 9, 8, 5 and 3. I'm a certified teacher, but have been staying home, with the younger boys, for the past 4 years. I really enjoy blogging. I hope you enjoy your visit.

PRIZES! There are prizes.....LOTS of prizes. The 3 I especially want are: #59 - the Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer, #22 - a $50 gift card to Target, and #119 - 2 Life journals for Bible study. You can see a list of prizes HERE!

Anyway, if you are a regular reader, pop on over and join in. If you are new.....WELCOME!

OUR TRIP

OK...first off, there are a LOT of pictures. But, it doesn't take a long time to actually look at pictures.

Secondly, these are in reverse order. Why? Well, when you download on blogger, you can only do 5. Those 5 are posted in the reverse of what you selected. Then, every subsequent download is over the others. I didn't think of that until I was on photo number 10. It doesn't matter the order, though ;)

This is our trip to Austin. The MAIN reason we went is to go visit these people right here. If you go to Mommy Spice on my sidebar, you can read her blog. This couple has meant so much to us over the past several years....we love them dearly. You can see Spicy Girl in the pink. (You WOULD have been able to see a picture of me and all the goodies, along with my other 2 kids, but I look pregnant. I refuse to LOOK preggers if I ain't actually preggers. It was NOT a pretty picture....all hangin' out and crap like that....but I digress.)

Anyway, this couple has an Auntie Anne's Pretzel Shop in the Austin area. We went to see them, their store and, of course, to sample. As I had never had an Auntie Anne's pretzel product, I was lucky to taste some of EVERYTHING! YUM!!! The cinnamon sugar with light cream cheese is YUMMY!


Checking out of our hotel. This is one of the few places that trusts their guest to NOT jump out of the window...they still opened. We took full-advantage and let the kids throw all of the soft stuff down to DH and the FTU. TOO FUN!


After some Amy's ice cream.

DH and DS #4

Brothers: #2 and #1

DS #3

DH and DS #1

The food court area, where Amy's was, had a lot of cow statues....the kids were all over them. Here is #3 and #4.

#1 and #2

His ice cream was obviously quite yummy!

All 4 outside the Oasis restaurant in Austin.

OK...there is a story with this. This picture is taken at the Oasis over Lake Travis. It is gorgeous...a lot of fun. Well, the kids kept walking to the glass looking over onto the lower decks and down to the water. We look up and notice one of the boys "caressing" a certain part of the sculpture. I'll leave it to your imagination, but the thing I think of is Ralphie and the leg lamp.....watch the following clip to about 1:45....THAT is how it was with this sculpture.

On the train, waiting to circle the park.

#3 and #4 on the swings

#4 holding onto the bar.....INTENSE!

#3 on the sliding bar

OK...thanks for visiting. I'll be putting up zoo pictures later. Tomorrow, I will be taking the boys to the zoo....just hope nobody approaches me. They might think I'm trying to break the monkeys out of the their cage. :)

FUN FACT FRIDAY

Notrees, Texas, USA

Notrees was named by grocer Charlie Brown who started his store in 1946. The town had one native tree before the construction of a Shell gas plant forced the removal of the tree. A lot of oil companies set up camp in the town and at one time the town boasted ten oil camps. The community still exists and has just recently started to grow trees again.

**This town is really close to the town I grew up in.**

TAKING A BREAK

Spring Break, that is.

We were going to go to Austin tomorrow for 1 night....just for fun. Stay in a hotel and play at the pool....visit a few friends and eat some pretzels. (Don't worry, Mommy Spice...I have coupons.)

Anyway, we just now (at 5:00 Sunday evening) decided to leave TONIGHT!!!

You have to know that this is major for me. I don't usually adjust well to big time spontaneity ~ but I'm doing it.

Anyway, all that to say that I will not be here to post for Making a Happy Home Monday, or Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

Have a good break and I'll be back in a few!

FUN FACT FRIDAY

Thought I might try a new thing. If you would like to join me, I certainly don't mind you borrowing this banner. Just PLEASE link back to me. If someone else does this, I'm sorry....I didn't see it.

FUN FACT FOR FRIDAY 13, 2009

This week's Friday the 13th is one of three to endure this year.

THIS IS THE BEST

Have you seen this commercial? It is one of the funniest I have seen in a LONG time. It is great!

Take a look......(be sure to turn off the playlist down at the bottom.)

SHOUT OUT AND A SHARE

OK...first off, I want to give a shout out to Jane4Girls!

She is a coupon queen....NO...I MEAN....THE QUEEN! Me, and some of my other coupon buds ain't got NUTHIN' on this gal. Go check her out.

Anyway, the main reason I decided to shout out to her is because she shared her own version of the pizza rolls that I did here. She uses a homemade pizza dough along with a variation of my pizza "innards."

Anyway, one thing she posted was that these freeze well. I didn't think about that. How handy! I mean, if you are going to whip these up, then make a double, or even a triple batch. I think I might do that. Some of her readers posted that they do the same thing, but with different fillings. Oh yeah....this could turn into something nice. :)

Along those lines, I was thinking of things I like to do that make my life a bit easier.....my dh and I love to have frozen breakfast burritos ready to grab and go.

BREAKFAST BURRITOS

1 pound breakfast sausage

12 eggs

green chiles

grated cheddar

flour tortillas

In a large skillet, brown 1 pound of breakfast sausage.

Drain well.

Crack all 12 eggs over the sausage. Stir around to scramble.

When eggs are done, add the green chiles and cheese. Stir around until cheese is melted.

Fill tortillas. Roll and then wrap in foil.

Microwave frozen burritos for about 1 minute.

*you can use jalapenos, potatoes, bacon, chorizo

IN LIKE A LION

Hey, y'all! It's spring! Well...almost.

Here in Texas, it has been spring for weeks....all the blooms are fading and the trees are leafing out. AND in true Texas weather fashion, you count on at least one more cold snap by Easter. I hope that we are in the last snap right now. Yesterday, it was in the 80s. Today, it is in the 30s/40s, windy and rainy...with more of the same for the next 3 days.

I'm not sure what it is about spring that makes me want to do a bit of cleaning. It makes me want to get stuff done that I don't think about every week....or every month, for that matter.

As I LOVE lists and how-to type things, I thought I would share a few things with you.

First, here is a link about spring cleaning:

http://organizedhome.com/spring-cleaning-chore-checklist

Back in the day, a serious spring cleaning was done, mostly in the colder areas. Houses were sealed in tight to keep out the cold and keep in the warmth. When it was finally warm enough, windows were thrown open to air out the "sick germs" and freshen the rooms. The home was cleaned from top to bottom.....a lot of soot on surfaces from the stove that, I'm sure, was kept burning 24/7.

All the linens washed, rugs beat, clothing switched out.....gardens were put in, fences were white-washed, and an inventory of the canned goods was taken. Since most people didn't get to just run down to the store, they had to live on what they had "put-up" during the summer.

In this day and time, we are in a bit of an easier situation, but it is still a good idea to jump into spring cleaning. Here are some things that I am doing and will be doing over the next few weeks/months. I would love for you to comment and share some things you might do that I haven't thought of. (Some of this stuff is done more often that once a year, but these are some things I'm needing to do right now - or have DH do. Also, I will not list things in a normal week of cleaning......stop laughing, DH!)

• clean all linens (including curtains, bed spreads and blankets)
• flip/turn mattresses: vacuum the mattress before AND after the flip. Freshen with either Febreeze or baking soda
• wipe down walls, doors and baseboards
• air out the house (open windows....at least two on opposite sides of the house so the air will pull through)
• vacuum UNDER/BEHIND furniture....the heavy stuff
• wash light fixtures (yes...you have to remove the globes)
• put away the winter coats
• clean out fire place of all ashes; close damper
• hose down outside of house
• work on garden
• clear out computer files
• clear ceiling and walls of any little fuzzy cobwebs
• wipe down the inside of all kitchen cabinets
• wipe down TOP of refrigerator (yep...the top you don't ever see, but know that it is NASTY!)
• get lawn mower, tractor mower, tiller and weed-eater up and running

WOW! I guess now that it is up there I actually have to start working on it. Who said I'm not smart?

Hope you have a wonderful beginning of spring. Let me know how you are doing.

ETA:

clean out the vent-a-hood

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

My friend, Lisa, and her sister Lana, co-host this fun blog carnival. Several people get together and share kitchen tips, recipes and other ideas. It's a lot of fun. I hope you will join us.

My submission is kind of a follow up for yesterday's Making a Happy Home Monday.

My kids LOVE pizza rolls. But, the ones you can buy in the freezer are garbage. I don't know what all you allow your kids to eat. Quite honestly, up until a few weeks ago, there were a lot of junk foods we would let our kids eat, but God has done a number on me. (A bit painful, to be sure....more on that another day.)

Anyway, I wanted to find a way to give my kids the "fun" foods they enjoy, but without the guilt. I don't know why I didn't think to do this before.....well, all I know is, "better late than never."

HOMEMADE PIZZA ROLLS

1 box Jiffy pizza crust mix (or 1 pkg of another crust mix....you can get these for less than $1)
1 package TURKEY pepperoni slices*
1 jar pizza sauce*
1 package mozzarella cheese*

* you will not need the entire amount

Mix crust according to package directions. While it is in its rise, chop up the pepperoni. Mix with pizza sauce and a handful of cheese. I heated for 1 minute in the microwave to make to combine a bit more.

Using a biscuit cutter, cut out 2 circles per pizza roll.

In the center of a circle, place a bit of pizza topping. Using either an egg wash, or a bit of water, moisten the outside of the dough circle. Top with another circle. The moisture acts as a glue and allows you to stick the pieces of dough together.

Prick holes in the top with a fork. This will allow steam to escape and prevent the rolls from exploding in your oven.

Bake at about 425 for about 10 minutes...until golden.

These are the rolls my DS #2 helped me to make.


Ready for the oven:


Nice and golden:

YUM!

You can see they fluff up nicely. You don't have the guilt from the high fat and calories, the grease OR the money. My kids normally eat 15 of the the little frozen pizza rolls...EACH! 1 box of crust mix made 12 of these biscuit-sized pizza rolls....enough to feed all 4 of my boys.

COME BACK ON MONDAY FOR ANOTHER INSTALLMENT OF "MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY!"

MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

Hey, everyone. It's that time of week! It's time for Making a Happy Home Monday.

This is a blog carnival that I host....a blog in which I hope to encourage and inspire people to take on a project. Many areas of our homes need attention. Many areas of our home are neglected. They might not be areas that are seen, but still, the shape they are in affects how we feel. (Or at least it does in my case.)

For example, nobody really sees my son's closet. It is an easy "overlook." BUT, when I got it cleared out and straightened, I felt so much better.

So, please join me! Just sign up down below on Mr. Linky. Tell us some of the things you are working on. Do you have before and after pictures? I would love to see them!

No matter what you do, make your home a happy home!

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My entry for this Monday is not really a "project" or item around the house that needed to be cleaned....though the subject does need cleaning often. :) No, the subject of my Making a Happy Home Monday is spending some quality time with one of my children.

That's not to say that I don't spend quality time with ALL my children, it's just that this was a bit easier to document with pictures.

My kids LOVE to help in the kitchen. They love to cook (guess they got that from me). It is sometimes hard for me to let go long enough to let them help. I get in a hurry and, quite frankly, would rather have everyone out of my way and get my stuff done. I'm a messy cook, but my mess cannot compare to the mess my boys leave. LOL!

That is something that God has been working on me about. There are several facets of this work in progress...which is me...that have been touched on in this. One is that I NEED to spend the time with the kids. It doesn't have to be outside, with a toy or a board game...it can be in doing my normal day-to-day stuff and having them help out. Another thing is that I need to learn to let go. I know I can cook....my hubby knows I can cook...I shouldn't worry about every single meal looking magazine-cover pretty. I can't worry about a little flour being spilled onto the floor.

SO, without further ado, here is my 2nd son working on pizza pockets. (I'll post the recipe on Tuesday.) I was throwing together a recipe when he happened to come in and, as usual, asked if he could help. My first inclination? (I thought this, but didn't say it out loud) No...let me just get this going. Y'all have been outside, everyone needs baths, I can get 2 of you bathed by the time these are done, we'll eat then settle down for the night.

After about 5 seconds, my response was, "Sure."

I'm so glad I did. How many times have I missed (or almost missed) a truly pleasant time with my children because of my lack of patience or perfectionist attitude. I pray that I remember every time I am asked by one of my kids, "Can I help?"

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Hey, y'all. I'm sorry I'm late with this....I was busy today and JUST tonight got on the 'puter.

My friends, Lisa and her twin Lana, host this blog carnival. It is a lot of fun. Many people sign up and share new recipes, old favorites, share tips and ask questions...anything to do with the kitchen. I hope you will join us.

I am going to show you what I made this past weekend. I have post this recipe before.

I will post it again, but the focus is on the frosting.

Cinnamon Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package (1 pound) confectioners' sugar
1 cup pecan pieces

Sift flour and sugar into large bowl.
Bring 1 cup butter, 1/4 cup cocoa and water to a boil in saucepan. Pour over flour mixture; mix well. Add buttermilk, baking soda, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla, eggs and salt and mix well. Pour into greased and floured 10x15-inch cake pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean.

For the frosting, bring 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup cocoa, milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla to a boil in saucepan; remove from heat. Add confectioners' sugar gradually, mixing until spreading consistency. Stir in pecans. Spread over hot cake.

Cake may be baked in 9x13 inch cake pan for 40 to 50 minutes

*****What I did this time:

I followed the recipe according to directions, but I poured the batter into a Bundt pan that had been greased and floured. I baked it for 45 minutes.

THEN.....I just eyeballed the powdered sugar in the frosting. I wanted it thick enough to set, but thin enough not to have to be spread with a knife. I poured it over and this is what I got.....

Couldn't you just put your face in that? YUM!!!!

MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

Hey, y'all. I hope you had a great weekend and are looking forward to another great week.

Today, I'm hosting a blog called "Making a Happy Home Monday." If you would like to join me, please link up on Mr. Linky (at the bottom) and share what you are doing. Please refer BACK to this blog by name or by the widget.

To participate in MHHM is simple. All you have to do is choose one area of your home that needs a little love and attention. Make the area cleaner, prettier, or more functional. Whatever you do, make it HAPPIER.

As this has been a CRAZY few weeks, I pulled a past project that I never did get to post about ~ my fireplace mantle.

Above my fireplace I have a Windberg and a cross-stitch sampler with our wedding info that my favorite aunt stitched for our wedding. On the mantle itself, I have various pictures and other pieces. The thing I really wanted to show you were my nesting Babushkas.

Aren't they cute? Can you believe there are 10 of them?


A blurry close-up of the tiniest one compared to the biggest 3.

So there you go. I hope you will join me. Either way, thanks for reading. I hope you have a great week. Please pray for me...and know that I pray for you.