My latest addiction ~

_inside of the cake pop

cake balls ( so yummy )

cake " burgers"

another look inside...

I am having so much fun with this... making cake pops ! Starbucks is now carrying cake pops and after buying Maddy one or two... okay maybe a half dozen or more.... with each time I drive through for my caffeine fix... I decided to " google " cake pops and how to make them... so simple, but there is an art to making them look so pretty and I am working on it... Have you heard of "Bakerella" ? You'll find her HERE and she also has written a "Cake Pop" book. The possibilities are endless... I'll share some I have made so far... please keep in mind,I am working on the creative and " pretty " factor. I also found Bakerella on Youtube... with video instruction & tips ! This is great when you have to make something for a party or for your kids' class.

Happy Mardi Gras !

Fat Tuesday aka Mardi Gras Day !
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I love a traditional Mardi Gras King cake . I love mine cream cheese filled ! I am happy to report that I consumed almost an entire King Cake a few weeks ago thanks to my Aunt Donna ! When we lived in PA , we had aunts from Billy's side send them to us ... they are so fun and so good ! If you don't the story of the King Cake...
allow me....
At long last our journey was joyfully fulfilled. The star we followed shined brightly over the stable where we found the holy baby Jesus. This is now known as the twelfth night of Christmas, january 6th, the Feast of Epiphany. With much revelry, this is now the beginning of the Mardi Gras season and is celebrated with the oval shaped king cake commemorating out journey and decorated in the carnival colors of green for FAITH, yellow for POWER, and purple for JUSTICE. As it is served, look for the baby representing " our finding the baby Jesus" , for you who finds the baby buys the kink cake for the next party!

In the name of tradition, The Three Kings

In Pennsylvania, they celebrate Fat Tuesday by consuming gluttonous potato donuts. They are very delicious also... SEE THEM HERE And this is why the Pennsylvania Dutch began the tradition of Fastnachts, a Pa. Dutch Shrove Tuesday Tradition

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 9, 2011. In Pennsylvania Dutch country, March 8th, Shrove Tuesday, the day before the start of Lent, is known as "Fastnacht Day." The Pennsylvania Dutch celebrate Shrove Tuesday by eating yeast raised potato doughnuts, which are lovingly known as "Fastnachts."The name "Fastnacht" is German for "Fast Night." Fastnacht Day is a day to forget about dieting and a slim waistline and feast on doughnuts! It's a custom that had its beginnings with the Plain People. Making Fastnachts helped to use up the fat and sugar they had on hand before the Lenten fast began.

Mardi Gras in Mobile

We were able to travel to Mobile a couple of weekends back and take the kids to the Saturday parades. They had so much fun ! It was so neat to share this with them, part of Mobile culture... I grew up doing every year !

"Arriving" in true Mardi Gras spirit. Jackson wasn't interested in donning the mask I picked up for him ! Grant wore his for a short time. Maddy had hers on most of the day and the ink from it transferred to her face and she was pink for the next few days!

I love catching the beads and cups at Mardi Gras , my kids however love the fact that stuffed animals are a popular item to be caught... now, we have just moved and keep in mind, I have already made at least 4 trips to Goodwill dropping off donations. I really don't need 20 more stuffed animals coming home with me ! It is my opinion that these revelers retrieve these stuffed animals from their kids in donations boxes perhaps the mom has sorted them into.. and this saves them money on buying their throws ! THANKS mister... thanks a lot !

No matter .. . I will always love Mobile Mardi Gras !

And my kids will too !

SERIOUSLY ! ? It's snowing here ! ?

I'm glad I knew right where the snow gear was packed, because after a week here in Olive Branch, we had seen snow for a third time... and this one was a significant snow for this area. They are not equipped for this.

This is not familiar to people here at all... a snow plow. (I snapped this photo in PA of the plow truck) . There are no salt houses here. I think there was a truck out treating the roads with brine, but I'm sure that is not plentiful here either. It's just not necessary... ( usually), but this has been an unusual Winter for the South.

The Move ...

This is what Jackson thought about moving. Why wouldn't he... he is loving life, in the fifth grade, has a lot of friends in PA, hanging out at Spring Mount Snowboarding every chance he gets ! He had the greatest teacher for 5th grade, he was involved in the student council , in the chorus, and variety show practice was about to start. And I am feeling terrible about the situation. A situation that I know we have wanted for a very long time, an opportunity to get back closer to our families , yet I am having a hard time getting excited about it. I never ever expected to have this tug at my heart like this has.


Grant & Maddy among the boxes. Amazing, it is how quickly 3 men can pack up your life and load it into a truck in 2 days ! On that morning we woke up in PA and that same night we lay our heads to rest in MS.

Jackson on the plane. The trip was great... it was a very early flight. Grant & Maddy slept during the flight. We finally get to see Olive Branch ! We finally get to see our new home and the kids new schools !

Fear, Excitement, Sadness, Loss ...

Katrina Kenison best describes my current existence ...

Home was this whole perfectly contained universe-town, friends, acquaintances, the streets we traveled everyday, the restaurants... the baseball diamonds... the library, the church."

And we were about to leave it all. Panic stopped me in my tracks, heart hammering in my chest and eyes filling with tears...

In her book " The Gift of an Ordinary Day "

So, friends ask me "How are you doing?" To be honest, I am trying to not think about it all and push my emotions to the side... "FOCUS" I tell myself ~ at the same time putting off what I should be doing to get ready for the next few days ! Trying to make the most of our days left here !

Dear God, Please get me through this week and let this be easier for my kids than it seems to be for myself. Please hold me up and don't let me fall apart ! Amen

Home is where your heart is, and my heart is scattered from Alabama to Pennsylvania and very soon will land in Mississippi. I will definately be leaving a big piece of my heart here. So many memories , so many wonderful friends.

It's all going to be fine... I know this. It's just not an easy thing to do....

Will blog again soon.... from Olive Branch !

The Olive Branch...

The Olive Branch is known as a symbol of peace & goodwill. In the book of Genesis, following the great flood, Noah sent out a dove to find dry land. On the third flight the dove returned with an olive branch which meant that the waters had receded and there was dry land. It would be a new beginning for Noah and his family. Ironically, the Olive Branch will become a symbol of a new beginning for my family.

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My husband has been offered a position in Olive Branch, Mississippi. We will be moving there soon after Christmas. It is exciting and scary. We will be closer to family. Still a 6 hour drive, but it sure beats a 22 hour drive ! The kids will be changing schools and that's never easy to do. It's not easy to leave a place you've called home for nearly six years. A place where my daughter was born and my boys have lived more of their lives here than their birthplace of Alabama. A place that holds so many memories we have strived to make as a family. A wonderful suburban little town. This is much harder to do than I thought it would be. If I allow myself to think about it , (lately) I just fall apart. So, I try not to . There have been so many treasures I have discovered here in beautiful PA. The treasure of watching four seasons turn. I'll start with Summer...my first memory after arriving here in July of 2005, was it being in the wee hours of the morning, getting to the apartment we were in temporarily, and there were so many fire flies flittering all around us ! It was just beautiful and the boys were chasing them all around. Summers... catching fireflies and playing at the creek. Fall... the most beautiful, vibrant pallet of colors I have ever seen. Collecting & crunching leaves with my kids. Pumpkin patches and all things Fall. It is my favorite season here. Winter... while I do not love the freezing cold... my kids do not seem to mind it. They love the snow. Snow IS beautiful when it is fresh and falling ! I love watching my kids playing in the snow , making snow angels, snowmen, sledding & snowboarding. Spring blooms here are so pretty. Buttercups and tulips are plentiful. The purple crocus peaking up through the snow covered ground. And my favorite is the return of the robins. Something I never paid attention to , ever. Robins everywhere, collecting items to build their nests, then collecting worms to feed the baby birds.

And these are the four seasons I have known for the past 5 and a half years here. I will never forget our days here. I will never forget our friends who have become like a family to us. I really hope that we will return to visit friends & this beautiful place one day.

A New Beginning. It is exciting and overwhelming. It is fearing the unknown. It will be challenging to put a new home back together after being off loaded from a moving truck . It will be ambitious...meeting new people... getting involved in schools and community and church. It will be crazy at first... but it WILL BE OK .
I pray and I pray and I pray... that it will be okay and it is the place we are meant to be at this time in our lives... Olive Branch , Mississippi.

My trust lies completely in my God and he tells me..

For I know the plans I have for you , declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you , plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29 : 11