Frosting: The Need for Speed

I just made a few more batches of frosting and think I've figured something out; the trick is to make it quickly.  The recipe I use is:

6 T margarine or butter

4 1/2- 4 3/4 powdered sugar

1 1/2 t vanilla

1/4 C milk

Mix margarine in mixing bowl until fluffy.  Gradually add half of powdered sugar.  Then add milk and vanilla, then the rest of the sugar, adding more milk if necessary to reach spreading consistency.

I never have to add milk.  This recipe is supposed to frost two small layers of cake, one 9x13, 24 cupcakes, etc.  If you like to pile on frosting like I do, it only frosts 12.  Yum.

So today I made two batches right in a row; one I kept the blender on quite a bit, and was a little slower; the second, the butter whipped up quickly and the whole process took about 4 minutes.  I tried the same method of piping on the frosting for the first and second batches and got the result on the second.  I've learned something.  

Cupcakes on R are batch 1; cupcakes on L are batch 2.  Batch 1's icing fell right away; batch 2's was just firmer and still looks exactly the same 10 min. later.

Teratology

Happiness is...

Here I present the cupcakes I've always wanted to make. Ta da!

Why have I always wanted to make these? Because a) I think they look pretty, b) this is how all the cool kids are doing icing these days, and c) the way the cool kids do it seems good for delivering lots of icing.

I made a single layer cake batter who h resulted in 12 cupcakes. The icing recipe I made was supposed to frost two layers of cake. I think that is supposed to frost 24 cupcakes. I used it up on just twelve.

It was super easy. I just sort of scooped frosting into a sandwich baggie, snipped off the corner, and piped it on in kind of a swirly motion. It was actually easier than frosting any other way. Pretty and sugary.

Good morning

Things fell into place to make the kids happy face breakfasts. We can always use the extra cheer!

Heigh-de-ho, neighborinos!

We have a new family moving in next door and and I don't know their names yet.  I decided to bake a loaf of sandwich bread to take over.  I hope they are not on a gluten-free diet!  In any case, it certainly can't make things worse.  It will finish baking in four minutes from the present moment in which I am typing, and I am hoping it will be sufficiently cooled that I can slice it and take it over while the kids are still asleep.

Some food

I made a few neat things over the weekend: some hamburger buns and son of calzone.

It's all in the timing...

I continue to think about this issue of the right time.  I know that our times are in the Lord's hands.  I read something yesterday that was pretty profound about how sometimes God is just waiting to build the right character in us so that when we have arrived where we are meant to be we can remain there.  Been thinking about this a lot.

I got an e-mail this morning that linked me to a video about making a countdown caterpillar, which is helpful for teaching kids about time and waiting.  Here's the link, just in case it's something you'd like to do.  I think it's adorable.

The Waiting Game

This morning I was hearing more from James, this time about being patient (5:7-11).  It occurred to me that being patient is often referred to as "the waiting game." I first thought to myself after reading about patience that it is not a game at all.  And then I thought to myself that if it were a game, it would be an endurance sport.  So of course I thought of the currently enduring Olympic games in London, and my love for its host city, and national culture.  Keeping calm and carrying on is the way to slowly, steadily, take the gold in the waiting game.

(P.S. I have decided I am a full-on Anglophile.  This is encouraged in part by rewatching season 2 of Downton Abbey.)

According to James

Okay, so it is tax free weekend in Oklahoma, which means you can buy clothes and school supplies tax free.  Yay!

For me.  I don't need school supplies - wait, well, I do, actually.  Gotta think about that.

I was really thinking more about clothes.

I have been having "I have nothing to wear"  moments lately.  Mostly about tops.  And if I had kept myself in shape this wouldn't be an issue, but I seem to gain weight when I bake/cook a lot.  Or just don't exercise.

Anyhoo, I'd been thinking that I really might actually need to buy a few shirts this weekend.  So I can have something to wear.  Like what clothes are for.  So maybe I need to buy just a couple of plain t-shirts.  Yawn.

I've been studying James lately, and the topic of hoarding wealth was the focus of today's lesson.  I've really been pondering it.  Specifically, with regard to what there is to wear in the house.

I hope this is follow-able.  As I was thinking about this, my daughter was watching an episode of Thomas that focused on James.  The Thomas theme song tells us that "James is vain but lots of fun."  During this episode James was feeling particularly proud of his new paint and blacking etc.  He thought maybe Sir Topham Hatt was favoring him.  One of the other engines said to him, "Looking splendid isn't the same as being really useful."  I felt a bit convicted overhearing this.  Then James said, "But the best thing of all is to look really splendid and be really useful."  I laughed and agreed.  But I'm not sure I should.

I am purposefully writing this before the episode is over because I can't resolve this right now.  I just wanted to share what I'd heard from James.

Pop culture

The kids are having Popsicles and popcorn for a late snack. I didn't give them soda pop, but could do pop tarts one of these days. And maybe some
Rice Krispy treats for that snack, crackle...

Passing the torch

So I cried a little when I watched the American women's gymnastics team win a gold last night.  It was a very sweet win!  I remember watching as a kid and thinking how graceful the gymnasts were.  I myself learned to do a cartwheel in my lifetime.  Could even do one on a balance beam.  Oh, yeah.

Now that swimming is wrapping up and most gymnastics are done, I think I'm going hand off the games to others to cheer the teams on.  My husband and I talked about how much more we've enjoyed watching this time around because it is all in HD.  Such a spectacle!  Yet I am too inspired by the athletes' discipline not to feel like I need to get to work.

Oh yeah - I loved the girls' jackets on the medal stand.  They're actually for sale.  Guess who won't be buying one?  But I predict this will be a new fashion trend.