Lots to catch up on!!!

Wow! Ben and I have been up to a lot since I made that strawberry cake!

My cousin Aricka graduated from West Lafayette High School.

My cousin Sarah graduated from Lebanon High School.

And we went camping over Memorial Day weekend. It was so much fun! Grandpa and Grandma were able to come which was very exciting, and so many family members visited or spent the night as well! We were very busy.....

There was swimming...

And dress-up..... This is what happens when you have a big sister!

There was cooking.... Autumn and I were responsible for making a dessert for dinner.

I think her favorite part was eating the Cool Whip!

We played in the sandbox....

And ate a ton!!!!

We also went on lots of golf cart rides! Poor Aunt/Grandma Joyce is probably dizzy from circling the campground so many times!!

And Autumn got a new pair of VERY girly flip flops:)....

And our flowers are really starting to bloom!!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

My grandma is 86 today! And still beautiful!! Love you, Grandma! Happy birthday!

My Camping Cake:)

Yea!!!! Tomorrow begins the Memorial Day weekend which means (in my family:) ) ..... CAMPING!!! I can't wait to see everyone for our trip to Indiana! It will be a busy weekend - Aricka (my cousin) is graduating from West Lafayette High School, so her party is on Friday and graduation is on Saturday. And then there's all the relaxing and the eating and the Bocce ball....

Well, everyone tries to pitch in and bring food. So, my mom suggested I bring a bag of cookies or something easy and store-bought. But, I just purchased a new cooking magazine and couldn't resist the challenge!!! Oops.

You know the joke that goes... "It's not how beautiful you are on the outside. It's what's on the inside that counts." And then the other person says, " That's what ugly people say." ?

Let's just say you know you really have a doosie of a cooking experience when your mom is encouraging you on the phone by saying, "I bet it tastes really good." :)

Here's my attempt at a homemade "Triple-Decker Strawberry Cake" including "Strawberry Buttercream Frosting".

It started well....

Action Shot

3 Burned Cakes

I learned this trick from Sandra Lee (but it worked a little better for her:) ).

I had to "shave" the cakes. Here's the result - a less burned looking triple-decker.

Shortly after this photo was taken, I called my mom:).

As long as the cake and icing stay cold, I think everything should look OK.... We'll have to wait for this weekend to see how it tastes all together!

For Fans of "The Office"

Well, I've only caught "The Office" TV show here and there. However, this spoof seems to be pretty dead on. Enjoy! :)

Sno Cone Season Has Officially Begun!

We can't wait to make our first Sno Cones of the year!

One More AWANA Video

Here's one more AWANA program video from last week (all videography from the program is courtesy of Nancy Heslop - thanks, Nancy!!). This is the SPARKS group (Kindergarten - 2nd Grade) performing John 3:16. [They really are saying John 3:16 at the beginning.... it just sort of became a "round" rather than saying it all together:). ]

Last Night of AWANA 2008

Tonight, we had our annual AWANA auction and ice cream social. The kids have been working hard all year long earning "AWANA bucks" that they are able to spend at the AWANA store multiple times throughout the year (or save them). Or they can spend them at the AWANA auction. One of our fearless leaders, Kevin, is the auctioneer, and the kids (wth help from their parents) bid on various items. It was a lot of fun, except for the heartbreaking moments when the Cubbies (2-3 year olds) would bid for something and lose. There were multiple tears shed! (I'm not quite sure they totally understood the whole auction thing.) But they were SO proud when they won!

Here is a video from our AWANA Closing Ceremony/Program (last week). It is a group of our 5th and 6th graders performing to Arise My Love by NewSong. The kids worked SO HARD and put in a lot of practice. We were all so proud of them. God was glorified! It was awesome!

2 Cor. 5:15: "and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf."