Megan got saved last night!!!  Ethan said to her, "I thought you were saved when you were six."  Megan's reply, "Well, Ethan I maybe did, but I don't know."  She says she knows now!  Ahren and I are very happy and thankful!!  Please pray with us that the Lord would bless Megan, Ethan and that He would help Jaden to be saved as soon as he is old enough to be saved.  We're praising the Lord here! 

So after slacking off for at least 2 weeks, I'm back at it!  Changing my food intake and trying to up my exercise!  I want to succeed at this and reach my 1st goal-I'm shooting for Aug. 4th!  Please pray for me to let God help me to stay focused and determined especially in the hardest part of the journey.  I've got a friend who is very competitive and she is helping me out so I'm super thankful for her!!

Special Butter Cream Frosting


Okay!  Here is the best frosting for decorating or simply frosting your cake!  It's super easy and fun to work with!!  I wish I had found this years ago!!  Give it a try and let me know what you think.  Personally, I think it's best for decorating.

2 cups shortening
8 cups 10x sugar ( confectionary)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons clear vanilla  (only use clear if you want super white frosting.  Use the regular vanilla if you don't care if the color is more of a creamy white.  You can get the clear vanilla in the cake decorating isle of Walmart for $4.00.  It will last forever!)
6 fluid ounces of heavy cream

1.  Cream shortening until fluffy.  Add 10x sugar and continue creaming until well blended.

2.  Add salt, vanilla, and heavy cream and blend on low until moistened.  Add additional cream if necessary (up to 2 ounces).

3.  Beat at high speed til frosting is fluffy. 

This is so easy and fun!  I hope you enjoy it too!

Strive to Remember

You know, I was just thinking of all the posts over the 4th honoring our soldiers and reminding us to pray for and uphold them and well we should!  They need our prayer desperately!  But I feel that so often we forget that many of those soldiers have wives and children here at home, eagerly waiting for the day when their soldier comes home!  They are struggling.  They are hurting.  They are longing for the warmth of their husband's and father's hug.  They must struggle with fear and loneliness.  I'm not writing this to discourage anyone who may be reading, I just want to point out the we often forget the loved ones of the soldiers.  Those soldiers are praying for their families to be safe and to be strong.  We need to uphold them too!  Let's not forget the soldier's families. 
To all military families ... May the Lord hold you close to Himself and protect you and keep you strong til your soldier comes home!
For those grieving the loss of loved ones, your loved one is our hero and we honor their memory.

So we took the kids on Friday to Rose Hill Manor Park in Frederick, Md.  What a nice place!  Our kids had a great time!  It was about and a 1 1/2-2 hour tour of the mansion-carriage house, ice house, a log cabin, blacksmith shop, and the manor.  Very hands on!  The kids could card wool, they were able to try weaving, they grated cinnamon sticks, and ground a sugar cube with a mortar & pestle.  They got to try on a few clothes that the kids wore and play with a few toys.  Jaden loved the little table with the little "baby-sized" dishes and spoons!  He just kept pretending to eat.  Was so cute!  We all really enjoyed it.  It was a nice family outing-relaxing and fun.