Author Archives: zookeeper12
Seussical the Musical Cake
Some of our favorite cakes to make, if not our very favorite, are cast party cakes for Richmond Civic Theatre. We learned a long time ago that if you can put just a bit of a person’s character, whether real character or onstage character, onto a cake, that person is SO tickled. Whether it’s a person’s favorite color, sport, flower, whatever it is, a ninety-year-old turns into a little kid. It’s a “simple gesture” but blesses folks so we try to incorporate something that will bring that smile whenever possible.
One of our earlier attempts at trying to get as many characters from a play onto a cake was Alice in Wonderland. It was a sheet cake and, though the kids got a huge kick at seeing themselves on the cake, it was way too busy. We vowed to be more tasteful after that.
Dr. Seuss screams busy and it was a hoot getting to do a cake with so much going on. Seussical the Musical was filled with so many sets, characters and stories and we tried to fit as much of the play on the cake without being obnoxious.
We have a pretty good Creative Team here at Fechers’ Panache. We start ’em early! And they love it!
Autumn working on Whoville
Don’t freak. It’s a dull knife used for fondant cutting, etc.
The tub, fish and McElligot’s Pool
Whoville (and the field of clover covers the bottom layer, of course)
The Thinks
The Jungle of Nool
Circus McGurkus
Horton’s Egg
JoJo and the Cat in the Hat
And my favorite Who, Lenae . :o)
What’s not shared is lost,
Michelle
Goofy Baby Trick
So 5 are at Lake Erie with Civil Air Patrol helping with the D-Day Re-enactment and Lenae had to get to the theatre, kids eat free…it was a good day to go to Steak & Shake. I was good – ate salad and no shake – saving that for Chick-Fil-A. It was fun to hang out with Lenae before she rushed off and the youngers plus I was able to catch Seth doing one of the baby tricks we’ve taught most of our munchkins. Enjoy the adorableness!
What’s not shared is lost,
Michelle
Cowboys and Aliens ….and God?
A movie review provided by this bewildered movie buff.
I like movies. I watch a lot of them AND I’m also pretty observant so I am not blind to the obvious bias Hollywood and the media have against conservatism and, especially, Christians. If there’s a Christian in a movie, he or she is usually at least mentally off, the “really” bad guy, or the idiot.
When the preacher-man first made his appearance in Cowboys and Aliens, my first thought was, “Oh, great. Here they go again. This one is the nutcase of the town. He’s probably a mass murderer or the town drunk. Whatever he is, he definitely will not be a good guy.” Not only is he a good guy, he’s one of the wisest in town, a man of integrity and all-around nice guy. Not only that, the preacher tells the saloon owner that he needs to have faith to which he, Doc, replies, “”God ain’t done much for me.” Now, I know this isn’t exactly doctrinally sound but it’s not “too” far off base, but the preacher says, “You can’t expect God to do everything. You gotta earn His presence. Then you gotta recognize it, then you gotta act on it.”
Also heard in this flick:
- “God don’t care who you were, son. Only who you are.”
- “If there’s such a thing as a soul, this man had a good one. … Please protect it.”
- “She’s in a better place.”
- “Whether you end up in heaven or hell, it’s not God’s plan, it’s your own.”
The movie also includes self-sacrifice, overcoming bigotry, and a boatload of courage. This is by no means a family-friendly, Christian movie (although some parents thought it not a problem to bring their toddlers to the 10 o’clock showing. Good grief). There’s some language, immodesty, and a whole heck of a lot of violence (a.k.a “action-packed” which is why I chose that movie!) but I didn’t leave thinking, “What did I ever do to them?!” I won’t spoil the movie for you but if you want to know exactly what is in this flick or any other, you can go to Plugged In. Warning – this site tells you what you’re looking for but is a “spoiler site.” Cowboys and Aliens has some creepy-looking and quite original creatures, ships and I really want a bracelet like that!! Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig went above and beyond to bring life to their characters. I thought the whole cast did an amazing job at making this ridiculous scenario believable for the duration of the movie. It’s well-made and if you can get past that it’s yet, another, “aliens are here” movie, this is fantastic storytelling! The Cowboys and Aliens site is pretty impressive, too, and worth a visit.
There ya have it! My movie review. Enjoy!
What’s not shared is lost,
Michelle
So…I’m a Nana
Autumn Rose
It was surreal. I was holding this precious little girl that looks SO much like 6 other tiny baby girls I’ve delivered but it wasn’t I that labored; it was one of those baby girls. My daughter. My first granddaughter. I had asked Corinne if I can be “Nana.” One, because I’m too young to be Grandma and two, so the grandbabies can differentiate between grandparents. And, third, because I’m too young to be a Grandma.
Craig, Jillian and I arrived at the hospital on Wednesday, July 19. Corinne had been experiencing “labor light” and was enjoying it. She was already at 5 cm so the hospital was keeping her. She had been permitted to eat pizza before we got there since she was going natural and not using any pain meds. She had been laboring since the day before and was starving. That didn’t make any difference when I was in the hospital. They didn’t even like me to eat crackers! The reasoning was that if I needed a C-section, they didn’t want food in my stomach. I was glad she was able to eat but jealous at the same time as I am still bitter about having to starve to death.
Anyhoo, for those that know the journey we have been on with Corinne, you know that this was emotional for many reasons. It’s so hard sometimes to trust that certain events in your life were really meant to be in God’s plan. But one thing I have no doubt of – there is NO child conceived without His consent. And so, I’m waiting with anticipation to see what God is going to do with this new season in all of our lives! It only occurred to us just before Little Autumn’s birth that our near future includes weekends with Autumn staying over playing with her Uncle Seth…who is only 1 1/2 years older than her. When she’s 20, Isabelle will be 26. They might just be hanging out! It’s strange, I tell ya.
So, back at the hospital, Corinne’s labor actually began to hurt and I could tell it was the kind of pain that gets the job done. She still managed to crack jokes and gab her head of in between contractions. Josh’s parents arrived that evening and we decided to leave Jillian at the hospital and we went to a hotel. We had asked Corinne & Josh if they wanted us there and they didn’t mind either way. We decided to get out of the way and let them have this special time. It was hard to leave but we knew she was in good hands. And Greater Hands.
Autumn Rose was born at 3:50am on July 2oth, 8lb. 1 oz., 22″ long. And she’s 
perfect. She’s beautiful. And she’s too far away, dang it. Okay, I don’t have to get in a plane to go see her so I am grateful. She’s only 2 1/2 hours away. But newborns don’t stay newborns long.
We took the whole herd and my mom up yesterday to see the new family. We crowded into the tiny apartment. It was like “how many people can we fit in a VW?” We managed and had a good visit. And I held Autumn. I have pics of everyone holding her and it was so precious to hear all of them ask, even my macho men, if they could hold her again.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.
Psalm 127:4
I’m a Nana! Let’s do this!!!
What’s not shared is lost.
Michelle
You’re causing me to stumble!
Reckless words pierce like a sword but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18
Sometimes I wonder why God blessed me with children because my mouth isn’t always a blessing to them. I’m focusing on memorizing verses that focus on the tongue so I will have those handy reminders stuck in my head and heart so they will nudge me whenever I open my big fat mouth. We’ve memorized these verses together as a family but the problem with being the one holding the verse card is I’m not memorizing or reviewing; I’m making sure everyone else has “got it.” So, I’m working on these on my own and will start sharing the responsibility with my olders so we can all learn together. That being said, I struggle with thinking before speaking sometimes! God knew I needed work in this area so, for this and a plethora of other reasons, He, in His Wisdom, gave me children. For those of you with small children and are thinking, “Oh, I feel your pain,” I’d like to say…you have no idea. Yes, it’s hard when they’re small. But when you have a young adult i.e. a thirteen-year-old boy with a built-in argument mechanism or a rebellious daughter who can get your blood a’boilin’…on purpose, there is a whole, different dynamic! Of course, there’s something to be said for child training when they’re young. That’s another blog post. But the self-control that must develop when you live with adolescence can only be accomplished with exercise and supernaturally! There is NO way anyone can withstand the temptation to verbally retaliate against their mouthy yoot without God. I’m convinced of it. It’s hard enough when God’s got your back. Compound that with today’s trend to raise brats (through lack of training) rather than responsible, contributing adults, and you have a formula for disaster.
SO, as I’ve been trying to focus on replacing a bad habit of being reckless with the good habit of being wise, I’ve asked my kids to be patient with me and to forgive me when I mess up (another good habit to teach your kids via example). There are times when I’m worn out from all of the exercising the self-control muscle and just want it to be “easy.” You know, so I can be lazy. :oP I know…endurance, perseverance and all that. That’s how the supernatural exercise works. But I’ve decided some of the “responsibility” does fall on my brood. I’ve starting reminding them that they are not being “wise” with their mouths by telling them….”Hey! You’re being a stumbling block! You’re tempting me to sin. Knock it off!” He he. Okay, it doesn’t sound very deep but it does bring a chuckle. They say laughter is healing, right?
Moments that are not shared are lost,
MF
Isaiah -God My Salvation
He had his arm up and elbow out. It was excruciating. For me, not him. Four years ago today, I endured my second most painful childbirth experience because the little guy’s elbow was stuck outward and that pain made for a very emotional birth experience. After our little Isaiah Joseph made entry into the world, my husband and I melted into sobs.
AND, if I had to do it all over again…I would in a heartbeat. Isaiah, as it turns out, is a dynamic personality and we love to chat with him, watch his antics, and we enjoy the anticipation of what he’s going to do next as well as what kind of man he will turn out to be. We’ve known he’s a command man since he was small (see Created To Be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl) and we’re praying for his wife now (she will never be bored).
Isaiah means “God is Salvation” or “God my Salvation” as well as “God is my helper. As with all of my little ones, God gives me a special lullaby to sing to each of my babies as I rock them. This is Isaiah’s:
Your name, Isaiah,
God my salvation,
Your name gives hope
To a hopeless world.
Little man, Isaiah,
God is my helper,
Be a help
To a hurting world.
Great man, Isaiah,
Grow strong, be brave.
Be a hero in a desperate world.
Great man, Isaiah,
Grow wise, live God’s Word.
Be a light in a dark, dark world.
Little man, Isaiah,
You are so precious.
Share Jesus’ love
With His precious world.
Happy Birthday to my little man!
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Play with your food!
Michelle
Isaiah’s Birthday Invite -No you can’t all come, it’s just cool
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Fird Day
My 3 y.o. looking at my desktop Third Day pic: “Oh, dat’s Fird Day. Dat’s da guitar guy (Mark Lee), dat’s the deer da deer guy (Tai Anderson) (the sound he makes for bass when Make Your Move comes on), dat’s da drumming guy (David Carr) ,dat’s da sing-song guy (Mac Powell) . You and daddy sit in the seat cuz if U stand on da stage, Third Day (fird day) will squish U.” Be afraid, be very afraid. How cool is it he knows who’s who? Not sure of the stage-violence logic, though…..
http://thethinkingcloset.wordpress.com/
Recipe For A Wild Thyme 