My Apologies

Since all of you here are friends and family, you are by now aware of our struggles of recent.  First of all let me say, Thank you so much to each of you who prayed for Rachel while she was in the hospital.  Secondly, Thank you all who prayed for our family while our girl was overcoming her illness.  The greatest gift you can give anyone is time... Time spent in prayer for them.  Thank you all so much for your many gifts to us!

Not long ago Rachel gifted me with three small silver stones.  One read FAITH, another HOPE and the third LOVE.  I put these little reminders from my special daughter on my desk, where I could always be cautioned as to priorities in life.  One day I looked down and there were my little stones, HOPE, LOVE but FAITH had gone missing.  I began looking around, a friend stepped in to my office and asked what I'd lost.  "I have lost my FAITH." Then it struck me...loosing the little cautionary stone, posed a huge question, but why?

Had I lost my FAITH?  I did not feel as if I had lost faith in God. Hebrews 11:1 says, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The very definition of faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing.  There it was the very thing I had lost, confidence, not in anyone else but confidence in myself.

Now I have never been a very confident person.  I had been raised with the J.O.Y. mentality...Jesus first, Yourself last and Others inbetween.  I recall fighting against this with the introduction of what was for me a new school of thought from a counselor.  She said, "If you are on a plane, what are the instructions for placing on the oxygen masks?  To place your's on first, then help those around you."  She pointed out if you do not take care of yourself first, how can you help others? You will not have the ability.

Take care of YOU, never loose faith in YOU!  The more you love others the more they need YOU to love YOU! 

BTW, I found the little FAITH stone and was so glad I found it.  It is now placed where I can see it everyday and with conviction I will never loose my faith again.

NOW.. we need to finally finish our tutorial! 

Valentine's Day approaches!! 

When we last left our tutorial, we had painted the foam cupcakes to resemble our favorite flavors.  This being completed we need to get those lil' cuties a topping! 

Well Betty Crocker or Pillsbury step aside, we are decorating these cuppie cakes with plaster.  Here is the type I used:

*I should mention at this time, I did use the cake decorating items I use regularly for my actual edible cakes.  The plaster icing washed clean as a whistle so no worries.  If you are concerned, you can purchase seperate items. *

Take about two cups of the plaster in a mixing bowl and add your choice of acrylic paint to tint.  Now I was able to achieve a good pink, but as I ventured toward red, the plaster thinned too much to be anything other than glaze.  (That gives me a new idea...stay tuned)

Warning: This is not an appetizing pic...but this is not

"a yummy for the tummy" right?

Mix this well, my plaster came with a pink tint that dried to white, so I had a bit of a guess.  Once well mixed place in your pastry bag and choose your decorating tip.  I changed mine out a few times...I get bored. 

*Another warning: Leave the foam cupcakes in the tins to place on the frosting.  They become very top heavy and roll over on you!*

I am sure there are those of you who are spectacular cake decorators. I am lacking in those skill for sure, so I did my best.  Decorate your cupcakes, any style you choose.  Have some glitter, heart picks, jewels, stickers or whatever you desire on hand to place on the wet plaster icing.  At this point decide if you want to insert a wire hanger for them, if so do it now. The plaster will break and crumble once dried. 

Here are some of my creations:

I also decided to attempt to make a cupcake wreath.  At the end of the first tutorial, once the cupcakes have firmed up and been painted.  Turn the cupcake upside down and cut in two, from the lining side.  Continue to frost and decorate as above, but these you will be able to lie to dry on a piece of freezer paper or the like.  Once dry, I hot glued them on to a wreath.  I thought it needed no more than the cupcakes. 

I hope you enjoy today!  Blessings to you all!