A Little More Practice

Tonight was my second cake decorating class at Butler Community College in El Dorado.  Tonight we worked on leveling our cakes and smoothing our icing.  We also practiced a few decorating techniques.  Once our icing was smooth (or somewhat close to smooth), we were free to decorate our cakes however we wanted.  Everyone in class did a stellar job.  Below is my second cake creation.  On a January day when the outside temperature reached nearly 60 degrees, this is in no way reflective of the weather outside.

A New Hobby for the New Year

I have always found the art of cake decorating interesting.  Growing up, I watched as my mom decorated many birthday and wedding cakes for friends and family.  This past Christmas I asked my husband for a new hobby kit, a cake decorating caddy.  A good friend of mine thought it would be fun to take a class together.  She located the class details and we enrolled.  Last Tuesday, I attended my first cake decorating class offered at Butler Community College in El Dorado.  The main problem I see with this new hobby is that hubby and I have started 2012 with great momentum in eating better and exercising more. I've yet to see how my new hobby fits into that wonderful plan.  Tonight I baked and decorated my first practice cake.  My inspiration comes from the cake that Rockstar wants for her birthday next Saturday, much similar to the one below only covered in stars. Since we are just weeks away from Valentine's day I found the heart shaped design fitting for my practice run.  Tomorrow is our monthly carry-in lunch at church. I plan to take this to church so that it may be eaten and enjoyed (hopefully) without sabatoging our current goals. While I am certainly looking forward to tasting my creation of white cake with strawberry preserve filling and buttercream frosting, I'm also looking forward to practicing again!

Book Review: Indelible by Kristen Heitzmann

Indelible is a romantic suspense novel written by award-winning author, Kristin Heitzmann.  Indelible features new characters such as Trevor MacDaniel and Natalie Reeve among others and also weaves in many residents of the Redford community first introduced in Heitzmann's book, Indivisible.  While the story-line stands alone apart from Indivisible, I believe readers will find Indelible much more enjoyable and somewhat easier to understand if they choose to first read Indivisible.


I found this book to be written in familiar Heitzmann form.  I did find the antagonist's introductory parts of the book somewhat confusing. I considered the disjointing of thoughts part of the author's style and saw it through to the end.  As the book carried through I was able to easily tie it all together and realize the author had been referencing John Milton's epic poem, Paradise Lost.  This is a light romance of a budding relationship that develops despite Trevor's perceived past inadequacies and Natalie's almost super-natural and at times disabling ability to see into people with her eidetic memory.  The suspense keeps the story-line moving and the reader anticipating the next twist or turn. Indellible, like other Heitzmann novels, captured my attention and made for a quick, suspenseful and enjoyable read.  

The product description from the back cover of the trade paperback reads:


In a clash of light and darkness, can courage prevail? 
Rescuing a toddler from the jaws of a mountain lion, Trevor MacDaniel, a high-country outfi tter, sets in motion events he can’t foresee. His act of bravery entwines his life with gifted sculptor Natalie Reeve—and attracts a grim admirer.
 
Trevor’s need to guard and protect is born of tragedy, prompting his decision to become a search and rescue volunteer. Natalie’s gift of sculpting comes from an unusual disability that seeks release through her creative hands. In each other they see strength and courage as they face an incomprehensible foe.
 
When a troubled soul views Trevor as archangel and adversary, Redford’s peaceful mountain community is threatened. Together with Police Chief Jonah Westfall, Trevor presses his limits to combat the menace who targets the most helpless and innocent.


If this sounds like a book you might enjoy, you can check out the first chapter for free at Scribd by clicking here.  This book is available in both print and ebook form from most retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Christianbook.com.  

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.


My particular digital review format of this book had some quirky formatting as some other reviewers have noted. I downloaded the free Kindle sample and found it to be without quirks.  I believe the odd formatting and hanging letters is a reflection of the compatibility of my review copy and my Kindle device, not the author's grammatical error or inadequacy. 

2011 Reading List

For several years now, as new year's resolutions come around I've contemplated the desire to read more books.  This year I think I may succeed.  This is my ongoing blog with the books I've read in 2011.


1) The Choice - Nicholas Sparks
2) A Walk to Remember - Nicholas Sparks
3) Fearless - Max Lucado
4) Indivisible - Kristen Heitzmann
5) Halos - Kristen Heitzmann
6) The Negotiator - Dee Henderson
7) The Guardian - Dee Henderson
8) The Truth Seeker - Dee Henderson
9) The Protector - Dee Henderson
10) The Healer - Dee Henderson
11) The Rescuer - Dee Henderson
12) Daddy Dates - Greg Wright
13) A Rush of Wings - Kristen Heitzmann
14) The Still of Night - Kristen Heitzmann
15) Danger in the Shadows - Dee Henderson
16) A Time to Dance - Karen Kingsbury
17) A Time to Mend - Angela Hunt
18) Message in a Bottle - Nicholas Sparks
19) A Time to Embrace - Karen Kingsbury
20) The Chocolate Diaries - Karen Scalf Linamen
21) Safe Haven - Nicholas Sparks
22) Even Now - Karen Kingsbury
23) Enemies of the Heart - Andy Stanley
24) The Blessing - John Trent and Gary Smalley
25) Secrets - Kristen Heitzmann
26) Shadows on the Sand - Gayle Roper
27) A Wedding Invitation - Alice j Wisler

Little Princess: Nose Extraction #2

There have been a lot of sneezes and sniffles around the Magruder home this past week.  Our Little Princess has been feeling pretty good, but none the less requires a Kleenex before bed each evening.  Little Princess is definitely a product of her mother and finds her 8:30 bedtime to be too early.  We often hear her talking, singing, and occasionally the pitter-patter of those little mischievous feet.  Saturday night was no different - that is until the Little Princess began a whimper that I feared signaled something more than sleeplessness.  As I climbed the stairs and entered her room she informed me that she had toilet paper in her nose.  I tried to coax her back to bed, yet she continued to tell me about her nose.  Recalling the previous lip-gloss bead in the nose incident, I turned on the light and looked into her nose.  I noticed a small white ball inside her nose.  I went for the small flashlight I keep downstairs and also found the baby "booger" suckers.  I tried for several minutes trying to suck out the paper or to get Little Princess to blow the toilet paper out of her nose - neither seems to help any at all.  I went downstairs and woke up Daddy for assistance.  Daddy tried my tactics in addition to the Neti-pot technique trying to flush it out.  I "googled" the event searching for parents with similar problems to no avail.  I could not decide if this was an emergency room trip or if this was one of those wait and see moments.    Daddy wanted to try one last method of extraction.  Little Princess laid abnormally still for her busy body as Daddy took out a very small set of tweezers from a Swiss Army knife and I held her head and the flashlight.  After a few minutes of careful extraction, Little Princess was freed from her pea-sized wad of toilet paper and sent back to bed.  Given the increasing difficulty of these nose extractions, we wait and hope that there will not be a blog titled: Nose Extraction #3.

Book Review: A Wedding Invitation

How much can a simple wedding invitation change a person's life?  In Alice J Wisler's new book, A Wedding Invitation, it drastically changes the lives of many.  Main characters, Samantha Bravencourt and Carson Brylie share a past together that has the potential to impact their present and future lives if they are willing to see past the hurt and disappointment of the past to embrace a second chance for a future.  

I found this book to be an easy and enjoyable read.  The elements within this sweet romance lead you questioning the direction the story will end for much of its forty-eight chapters. The story-line moves between the present and the past as it lays the foundation for Samantha and Carson's history together.  Throughout the book the author introduces many characters that provide a positive and encouraging support system to Samantha even in the midst their own individual struggles. The book includes some recipes that were alluded to throughout the story and also includes some questions for conversation.


If you are looking for an enjoyable, romantic read that will leave you believing in the endless possibilities of love and how our days and our lives can be altered by one small event then I suggest you take a look at this book.

I received this book for free from Bethany House Publishers for the purpose of this review.

One Less Tooth

This morning while eating corn pops for breakfast, Rockstar discovered that her front bottom tooth was very loose.  It had been loosening for a few days now.  She first discovered it hurting at breakfast on Thursday morning.  I encouraged Rockstar to wiggle it back and forth and reassured her that there was little pain in pulling a tooth as loose as hers. She ran off to the mirror and within moments returned with much excitement as she held her tooth in her hand.  She literally jumped, danced and sang with joy and promised to tell everyone at church tomorrow that she had lost a tooth.