"Morning After" Chocolate Cake

I was sent this recipe a few years ago, but finally tried it Wednesday when I needed a quick dessert. Claire and I made this together and it turned out pretty good! Not much was left when everyone was done with it. Mine didn't look near as fluffy as the original picture, but that didn't seem to matter in the end. After-Party Chocolate Cake

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter 6 eggs, separated 1/2 c. sugar confectioners sugar

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. 2. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the side wall with a strip of parchment paper. 3. In the bowl of a double-boiler, combine butter and chopped chocolate. Add water to bottom of pan and place bowl over pan. Melt chocolate over medium heat until smooth. Remove bowl from pan and cool slightly. (I cheated and did mine in the microwave - I don't have a double-boiler.) 4. Beat egg whites with an electric mixture until soft peaks form. Slowly add sugar and beat until glossy and stiff. 5. Whisk egg yolks into chocolate mixture. Whisk in a dollop of egg whites to lighten. Gently fold in the rest of the egg whites with a rubber spatula. 6. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until cake is set (center may be jiggly), about 40-45 minutes. 7. Cool cake for 20 minutes and remove sides of pan. Continue to cool. Dust with confectioners sugar. This taste great with a little dollop of ice cream or cool whip as well!

This flourless cake has a light, mousse-like texture. Best served warm.

One of those days...

I know I'm not the ONLY one that is having one of THOSE days...

• not funny

got info in the mail from The Scooter Store (I'm only 42 and "perfectly" healthy)

• disbelief

dog escapes and makes friends with a skunk

• Headache

packing for a trip and still doing laundry

• heartache

friend from church died from massive heart attack last night

• Praise

McMama from My Charming kids had a Healthy baby boy yesterday!

• Thankful

School is over for the day, the dryer works, and I am loved

• Grateful

Jesus will sustain me and love me in my failings

Awwww! Sweet Reward from a friend...

Thank you Michelle of Flour Child for my first award! I love how she writes so wonderfully about her beautiful children and National Champ for a hubby! She bakes the most yummy looking dishes - an inspiration to me. She's creative, takes wonderfully pictures, and lives in an amazing beautiful place. There is a "meme" (i.e., chain letter of sorts) attached to this award, in the form of lists of sevens. Heck, I'm game! But if I "tag" you below, and you don't feel like playing along, that's fine by me. I just wanted you to know how much I enjoy your blog! 7 things I did before 1. worked at a cemetery in high school 2. assistant in a computer lab 3. work in the grill at Bible College 4. Sutherland's store cashier in the days before scanners or auto cash registers 5. Sylvan Learning center tutor 6. Test administrator 7. Substitute teacher 7 things I do now 1. Laundry, laundry, laundry 2. Drive my children around to all their activities. 3. Homeschool teacher 4. cook & bake 5. Keeper of the Calendar 6. Clean and pickup the house 7. play my flute in the church band/worship team 7 things I want to do 1. Travel to Ireland, the East Coast, Australia with the family 2. Start scrap booking again and finish all those unfinished albums 3. Be a better listener and really hear what is being said 4. Become a better money saver 5. Listen and Play with the kids more 6. De-junk the house (okay I'm really talking about the garage) 7. start sewing again 7 things that attract me about the opposite sex 1. A great sense of humor 2. compassion 3. eyes, it's in the eyes 4. attitude 5. the way he treats others 6. it's the little things he does 7. Responsibility 7 Favorite Foods 1. Ice cream 2. Lasagna 3. Macadamia Crusted Tilapia with White Chocolate Beurre Blanc4. Macaroni and cheese (Red Lobster) 5. Steak - just - just a little pink 6. Chocolate chip cookies dough 7. Chicken Spiedini 7 things I Say Most Often: 1. What did you do now? 2. There are privileges for staying, there are privileges for going. 3. Do you have homework? 4. Is this a need or a want? 5. Oh look! It's a "smart" driver. 6. Did you do your chores? 7. Did you write it on the list? 5 Tags (and award too; pick one up) I've chosen to tag some blog that I enjoy reading. They encourage me, educate me, make me laugh, and even bring me to tears. They write of celebrations of life, frustrations, joys, and times of sadness. I appreciate their honesty and what they share. Celebrating Life from artags.blogspot.com (special friend, heart for her kids, family, and God, and saving money) the momma from Finding Joy in the Little Things (special friend, heart for her kids, family, and God, and saving money) Mck Momma from My Charming Kids (she puts her heart into it and has a heart for God.) Stephanie from A Year of CrockPotting (what great recipes she gives and a challenge she is meeting) Marie from Breadbasketcase ( I love to bake bread and Marie

Works-For-Me Wendesday

I can't say that I love doing laundry, but it's not the chore it used to be. Oh, I still hate folding socks (thank you hubby for doing them), but I have to tell you about a few things that have made this necessity more enjoyable. First off, I have friend who introduced me to making my own laundry detergent (this is posted to the right, down a little) and second, I don't use fabric softener any more!!! I love it! I love a good challenge and Traci did this in the way of finder a better way to be frugal with fabric softener. Thanks to our local Linens N Things going out of business, I was wandering through the aisles and found these Dryer Balls. I was intrigued, but never-the-less, decided to try them. I shelled out the $8, put a load of laundry in the dryer and waited... No fabric softener (liquid or sheets). I LOVE them! My drying time is cut way down, my clothes are fluffy and soft, and thanks to the Lavender Essential Oil that I put in the wash, they smell great as well! Now several places online allude to the balls getting stuck in my clothes - may I add those little sheets don't care where they hide. I can't tell you all the times I've gone somewhere only to find a dryer sheet sticking out at the most inopportune time and oddest place! And the noise - can't really tell much of a difference in that. Now it says that you can use from 2-6 of these in your dryer and they last from 2-5 years... Is there that much of a savings??? KCBD TV did a test and they found that:

What about the cost savings to you? We put a calculator to it. Let's say you dry six loads of laundry a week. The cost to do that is roughly $100 per year. But, when you use the dryer balls and cut your time by 15%, you save $15. On top of that, you will not have to buy dryer sheets, at approximately $20 a year. A $35 savings over the next three years will give you a total savings of $105.

Where you might find them: Linens-N-Things (while they are still in business), Walgreens, Amazon, Ace Hardware, Target, and a few other places. While doing a search online, I found them as cheap as $6-7 and as expensive as $19. Frankly, I went with cheap, saved on shipping and took advantage of a store closing. Works for Me!

Learning to Dance

"You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy." Psalm 30:11 "There is the life you dream and there is the life you live." Angela Thomas Saturday I attended a ladies conference (When Wallflowers Dance) with special speaker Angela Thomas. She was just excellent when I heard her a few years ago speak on "Do You Think I'm Beautiful". I just about bawled through that one because she had pegged me so well. I was sure she had seen a short video about my life and experiences and written the book for me. It was then I discovered that I was a kingdom girl, like in Cinderella. I was so thankful I wasn't the ugly step-sisters, the tyrannical step-mother, the absent queen, but who I really wanted to be was not the ever seeking, ever wishing, ever trying Kingdom girl. Nope, I wanted to be Cinderella dancing in Prince Charming's arms. She challenged me (okay I wasn't the only one there, but she had a message for me) that in our darkest moments or in our greatest joys, God is there, still treasuring me/us. In short, she said:

1. Choose God - become a woman of God
2. Stop the chaos - Stop being what everyone thinks you should be and restore your soul. Give up what takes me away from Him.
3. Stay connected - to the Body, Show up, Stand up, and be ready.
4. Restore order - to our home and our physical bodies

• Keep a clear and pur mind/conscience
• Have a clean house - she wasn't talking about dusting here. She was talking about protecting our homes from the outside influences and darkness that invade.
• Redirect my heart - Don't increase in negative thoughts and bitterness.

I saw that I had let myself go - I've been so busy running, doing, trying, organizing, etc. that I forgot I needed dancing lessons to prepare myself to dance with the King. Will I ever be the Proverbs 31 woman. I don't think she exist - at least not in my house, but I'm starting my dancing lessons again and I'm working myself from being a wallflower kingdom girl to a princess, daughter of the King. Not there yet... I'm still on the edge of the crowd with the rest of the Kingdom Girls, but I'm next in line and I'm taking lessons...

Marching Band sure has changed

When I was in band (flute player here), the uniforms were old, they smelled like moth balls, our formation not straight nor exciting. The funny thing is that some of the bands today are playing some of the same music that we played "way back when" (um, okay, we're talking 25 years for me) and our kids think most of it is cool! Commitment and taking it serious were big issues, but that has changed (at least I hope so!). As a mom, it is natural to want to tell others when their child does something right, and I'm going to take this time to brag about the band that our oldest son in in. I'm actually going to post the complete article, but I sure understand if you don't read it all. Friday, October 24, 2008 8:42 AM CDT

VBHS Band Marches To Victories By Pam Cloud

The Van Buren High School marching band has been racking up awards at several recent competitions. At three area band contests, the band has marched and played its way to the winners circle, according to Ron Smith, VBHS band director. “Those are the only three competitions we’re going to,” said Smith, who is in his eighth year as band director at Van Buren. “It was quite a run, though; we went to three contests within 10 days. That’s a lot.” At the Broken Arrow Invitational on Oct. 11, Van Buren — the only Arkansas marching band invited to perform — placed first in the Class AA division, also taking awards for Outstanding Music Performance, Outstanding Visual Performance and Outstanding General Effect in its division. The band took home third-place honors overall, placing behind two Class AAA schools, Tulsa Union and Owasso, Okla., both of which have garnered national recognition. “When you go to Broken Arrow and compete against 30 bands from the southwest — Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma — and to hear them say Union, Owasso and Van Buren in the same sentence, that’s pretty good company to be hanging around with,” he said. The band traveled to Little Rock on Saturday for the Showcase of Bands and brought home 10 trophies. “There were 10 trophies available, and we won all 10 of them,” Smith said, adding that the band competed against 38 other bands at the Little Rock contest. Competing in the 5A division, Van Buren received trophies for Outstanding Percussion Line, Outstanding Color Guard, High Music Performance, High General Effect, High Marching, Class 5A Championship, the Raymond Brandon Award, presented to the “most outstanding band of the day,” Superior Band, Superior Color Guard and Superior Drum Line. Most recently, the band competed at the ASBOA Region II Marching Contest Tuesday at Northside High School. Smith said the band received unanimous Superior ratings, the highest award given at that competition. Smith said the 110 band members have been practicing long hours since the summer months to perfect the show, which includes music from the rock group Evanescence. “From the last week of July to when school started, we were rehearsing about seven hours a day,” Smith said. “When school started, it’s been three hours a day.” Smith credits the band’s success to the extreme talent and dedication of the band members. “It’s really hard for them. They can’t really have a job, and they have to keep up with their studies,” Smith explained. “There’s a lot of sacrifices they have to make to be a part of this organization, but they feel it’s worth it.” The eight-minute show includes two Evanescence songs, “Hello” and “My Immortal.” Smith said the music was custom-written for the VBHS band’s show by Aaron Guidrey, a percussionist from Las Vegas who performs with one of the Cirque du Soleil shows there. “He’s an extremely talented writer,” Smith said. “You can’t just go out and buy that (music) for marching band.” Smith said he’s been blessed with assistance from Darren Davis, band director at Broken Arrow High School, who has helped with visual design of the band’s field work. “It’s amazing to have someone of that stature take an interest in our program and want to help us out and see us be successful,” Smith said. “He’s one of the elite music educators. He’s a genius.” Smith said in the eight years he’s led the band, they’ve had success. “But this by far has been the pinnacle,” he said. “I feel like we’ve really turned a corner this year ... and are on our way to being nationally competitive, which was a goal we set out for eight years ago. “But a coach is only as good as his players,” said Smith. “We’ve got some fantastic kids who are extremely talented and dedicated to the program. “We give every bit of credit to these kids,” he added.

Works-For-Me Wednesday

We love to make homemade pizza at our home. Making the dough really doesn't take much time, but it seems that everyone loves to have a different kind of pizza. To solve the problem, I use round cake pans! The dough recipe I use will make 2 personal pan pizzas or 1 large pizza per batch, so it is easy to figure out how many batches to make. I spray the cake pans with Pam Olive oil, roll out a small (a little bit larger than my fist) portion of the dough, and place it in the pan. I use my pizza cutter to cut off the excess dough by rolling the blade around the edge, just above the dough. You can make a thin or thick crust depending on how thick you roll out the dough. Put on your layer of sauce and create away. We lay all the ingredients out in containers and everyone can either construct their own pizza or I can make them up for them. Works me me!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my Window...is a chill and a huge pile of fallen leaves that needs to be played in. I am thinking...My Drama King needs to get a new acting job. From the learning rooms...starting a new chapter in history - India! I am thankful for... the paint (from paintballing) came out of daughter's jeans and jacket! (I love ZOUT! From the kitchen...a new recipe for mexican chicken lasagne I am wearing...Jeans, pink tank under a brown linen3/4 sleeve shirt I am reading...On a Whim (Katie Weldon Series by Robin Jones Gunn Espresso for Your Spirit: Hope and humor for Pooped Out Parents (Pam Vredevelt) I am hoping...to start back exercising after taking too much of a break. I am creating... Hand embroidried gifts for Christmas I am hearing..."Find your Wings" song playing on my daughter's stereo, amidst the frogs and crickets outside. Around the house... signs of a home well lived in. One of my favorite things... snuggling up with the cat and a great book. A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...Marching Band competition, parent teacher conferences for 10th grader, making ice cream for Co-0p, Angela Thomas conference (Yeah!), laundry (ugh).

May I this peaceful park remind me to take time with Him and listen, in quiet, for His direction.

The Simple Woman is the original home of The Simple Woman's Daybook.

The Simple Woman's Daybook will take place each Monday. Now you can share with others a little look into your day plans and thoughts while you are focusing on the simplicity of the everyday moments around you. That is my vision for this idea! Slow down, take time and enjoy the moment...the day

Works for Me Wednesday - Empty the Dishwasher!

There always seem to be a problem with the dishwasher. No one is "able" to look at the blinking panel on the front and see the dishes are clean or that it is full and needs to be started~ Grrrr! A few years ago, when the kids were younger, I made a small 2-sided sign and attached it with a small suction cup to the front of the dishwasher. Both sides have a comical picture illustrating the words:

1. Dishes are dirty

2. Dishes are clean

The person who starts the dishwasher is responsible for flipping the sign to clean, the person who last empties is responsible for flipping it to dirty. Each of our 3 kids have an assigned responsibility: Empty top rack, empty bottom rack, empty the silverware. Their responsibility is always the same and we always know who has not done their job. Works for me!

Teen with Car Keys

Don't sweat it Girl!

Connor: Mom, do you know that (as he's warming up his pizza for lunch) we sweat? We have to have salt to sweat. So salt is good.

Mom: Yes I know that, but salt is only good in moderation.

A few minutes later in the living room during lunch:

Connor: Claire do you know that we sweat?

Claire: Girls don't sweat, we glisten!

Connor: Oh! Is that a special type of sweat?

Super Band!

Okay, I'm a mom, so I just have to brag just a bit. This last Saturday, the VB Highschool Band (of which Caleb is part of) went to the 2008 Broken Arrow Invitational, Broken Arrow, OK. Claire and I joined Treasia, a good friend whose son was also in the band, to watch them perform. We're so glad that we did! The weather was perfect and just a slight chill at night. There were 30 bands performing representing 4 states and there were some really impressive. Two bands had a Christian Theme: Jerico and Between Heaven and Earth and the story of each was very clear! The VB Band was the only band that performed without Drum Majors, but that is another story. In the initial Preliminaries, VB placed 4th and took 1st in their AA class, taking 1st in Musical, and Visual Performance, and General Effect. They advanced to Finals Competition (12 bands) and we were just astonished that they placed 3rd!!!!!! Last year they placed 5th, and there were so many really good bands there this year. We loved seeing all the exciting costumes and watching the wonderful formations and songs. What a great way to top off the weekend! Way to go Band!

Tortilla de patatas and You Tube

Let me say that I'm, for once, thankful for You Tube.

Caleb brought home an assignment for Spanish Class - to make Tortilla de patatas or Spanish omelette. After reading through the recipe, it didn't seem really clear so we went the only source we could think of - Google, which directed us to You Tube . After watching the video, which we totally did NOT understand, as it was in Spanish, the visual presentation was what we needed. With the recipe in hand we somewhat confidently started to make a double recipe, only to discover we were 3 eggs short... *sigh* Third trip to the grocery store... * Important note, son should read all directions before starting. Peeling potatoes AFTER they have been sliced, is difficult and time consuming!

Mind you, that it also helps to cook with someone with a sense of humor. So while we were waiting for the dish to finish so we could flip Caleb found the toy handcuffs that Connor had purchased earlier in the day... Handcuffs and cooking do not mix!

When made correctly, the spanish tortilla is a delicious half-inch thick "cake" of fried potatoes mixed with fried eggs and onions. After cooking, the tortilla can be cut into pizza-like triangles to serve 4-6 people, or cut into squares to give a whole group a bite-sized toothpick sample.

1 cup olive oil four large potatos (peel and cut into small pieces about 2mm thick) salt to taste one large onion, thinly sliced (we diced them) four large eggs.

Some people add thin slices of red pepper together with the onion. He was given a recipe, but did we follow it? No! We put the first layer of potatoes on, let them cook a little, added another layer of potatoes and let them cook. We then we mixed the eggs with the diced onions and poured this on top of the cooking potatoes. We then let this cook and waited. Following the video, we took a large dinner plate, after draining the remaining oil into a cup, put the plate on top of the skillet and flipped it very quickly. Wahlaaa! We now had the dish on the plate! Then we added some of the oil back into the skillet and slid the concontion back into the skillet to cook the other side. We then slid it to a cutting board, cut it into small square, and put them into containers...

The verdict: Who knows if anyone ate them, but they actually smelled pretty good. The kids were not impressed with them. If I could have, I would have sampled some. We had a great time cooking them, and maybe Food Network could use a chef with some humorous antics!

Their Recipe:

Heat the oil in a 9-inch skillet, add potato pieces, one slice at a time so that they don't stick. Alternate layers of potato and onion. COOK slowly, medium flame. DO NOT FRY!! Turn occasionally until potatoes are tender, but NOT brown. They must be loose, not "in a cake". Beat eggs in a large bowl with a fork. Salt to taste. Drain potatoes. Add potatoes to beaten eggs, pressing them so that eggs cover them completely. Let sit for 15 minutes. Heat 2 tbsps of the oil in large skillet. Add potato-egg mixture, spreading quickly. Lower the heat to medium-high. Shake pan to prevent sticking (crucial step!!) When potatoes start to brown, put a plate on top skillet and flip to cook other side, adding another tbsp of oil. Brown on the other side. Can flip three or four times for better cooking.

Weekend Away makes my heart race

He stood there grinning and showed me the papers... tickets to Talladega Superspeedway. My first thought was when and who was going to go with him. There are so many guys that would jump at the chance to go with him, so I asked him... "YOU! I want you to go with me!" I could see the honesty in his eyes, but still I gave him 2 weeks and plenty of suggestions - Mike, Les, Jeff, his dad... but still he insisted he wanted me to go. See, this is not the first time he's won tickets to Talladega, but the 4th time since 1995, and I had yet to go with him. Something always kept me here - injury or new baby. Finally it was my turn, and I'm so glad I went. I had never been to Alabama before. We had 4 wonderful days to ourselves! Kids gladly stayed with friends and didn't want us to come home, though Grandma and Grandma were a wee bit tired from keeping Connor for us. I'm not going to bore you with all we did, but here's a hint

the Talladega race

watching the movie Fireproof at 10 p.m. eating at Hardrock Cafe in Memphis time to laugh and talk

staying on McCollough Blvd.

(dear friends with this last name)

getting up at 5 a.m. to go to a NASCAR race

began reading The Shack

trying new places to eat

beautiful sunsets

lots of walking!

Sonic Sweet tea & SoBe Green Tea

being among enemies in a friendly land

(Old Miss and Alabama were playing football this last weekend)

We're so thankful to our dear friends and Dave's parents who took our children without a blink of the eye and gave us much needed time.

$20 Words make life exciting

This morning in our grammar lesson, Connor had to take a regular sentence that he wrote using certain parts of speech: Subject noun, verb, adverb, preposition, article adjectives, adjective, object of the preposition and rewrite it using more exciting words ($20). Shoot! It takes long to write out what he had to include than it did for him to write it! This is what he came up with. I loved that he went right to the Thesaurus and began searching. This is what he came up with:

Orginal sentence: "I ran far across their wide creek."

New Sentence: "I leaped skillfully beyond the racing channel."

He's alreadying planning an adventure story and life based on his sentence...