The Sparrow's Nest

Abraham Lincoln

Home Again

...and we haven't stopped running yet!

Mr. Wilt had a church softball game last night and I co-taught our church's Friday preschool program this morning. Whew! :o) I'm looking forward to getting some rest this weekend. In the meantime, Mr. Wilt has been presented with some exciting new job possibilities. Keep us in your prayers! :o)

Away for a Bit

We will be in and out of town (busy, busy, busy) until next Wednesday, so things will be a little quiet here at the Nest until then. Mr. Wilt will have his laptop with him, so I should be able to check in every now and then to see how everyone is doing. We would appreciate your prayers for safe travel and I will miss you all! :o)

A Tasty Mother's Day Treat

This Mother's Day I was unable to be with my mom (I did call her on the telephone to wish her a happy Mother's Day), but I am taking her gift with me to North Carolina this weekend. For her present, I baked and decorated a 2-layer lemon cake with buttercream frosting. I piped a spray of yellow sweetpeas on top. She enjoys it when I make things for her with my hands and she loves sweets, so this seemed to be the perfect gift. :o)

I love you, Mom- I wanted to take this picture so you could see the cake just in case little fingers get into that frosting before it makes it to your house! ;o)

PS- A huge thanks to Kathy for introducing me to the "hot knife" technique to smooth down all that frosting. It was wonderful! If you haven't read my review of Kathy's cake decorating video, click HERE. It's a winner! :o)

Happy Anniversary, My Love!

Nine years ago today...

God has been so very good to us. I love you!

And per my husband's request:

Us on the beach during our honeymoon. One of his favorite pictures of us. :o)

Expelled: A Review

Last night, the Mister and I had a fabulous double date dinner (try saying that 7 times really fast) with our friends Sara and Jim. Afterwards, we headed to the movie theater. Let me just say 3 things about movie theaters now as opposed to movie theaters when I was in college:

1. I must be getting old because the previews were a little too loud and slightly obnoxious.
2. I must need to spend more time with my husband because it actually made me slightly giddy to get to hold his hand. In the dark. Wow. ;o)
3. I must be getting fat because the seats seem reeeeeally close together and I think I have a bruise on my left hip from connecting too much with those awful cupholder thingies. Ow. :o)

Now, on to the movie. I posted here a bit ago that I had heard good things about Ben Stein's new movie, Expelled. I was not disappointed. For anyone who does not know who Ben Stein is, he is best known for his role as the boring teacher in the 80s flick "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". "Anyone? Anyone?" If you still don't know who Ben Stein is, once upon a time he produced a game show called "Win Ben Stein's Money". If you still don't know who Ben Stein is, you need to see the movie. Then you'll know. :o)

Let me prelude this review by saying that yes, I am one of those Christian "idiots" (as stated in the movie by several prominent Darwinists) that believes in Intelligent Design- more specifically, I believe that God created it all. He spoke the words and it was. Even more scary, as I have studied Scripture, I have found that I am the "worst" kind of Creationist: I am a six-day Creationist.

From hearing the premis of this movie, you might think that Ben Stein is in the same boat as me. Au contraire. Ben recently donated campaign money to Al Franken. He has given money to Ralph Nader. He is not Christian by faith, but was raised Jewish. What Ben does want to know, however, is "Were we created by a Creator or were we the accidental collision of a lightning bolt and a primordial mud puddle?" And why can no other scientific theory other than evolution be discussed in regard to the matter?  As Ben states in the theatrical trailer: “There are people out there who want to keep science in a little box where it can't possibly touch God. Scientists are not even allowed to think thoughts that involve an intelligent creator.”

Now, if you head to the theater hoping that Ben will prove that creation was authored by God in six days, you're going to be disappointed. What you will find is that Ben shows his own "journey" as he travels from school to school, meeting teachers, professors, and scientists who have been "blackballed" for their stance on Darwinism.  You will see Ben tour Dauchau, one of the most gruesome sites of human torture and death during World War II. You will see the connection made from Darwinism to Nazism- and it is a scary one. One that could easily be made in the United States today. You will see prominent Darwinians, who, when pressed to present proof of the origin of life, fall all over themselves trying to pin the answer on the backs of "crystals". Richard Dawkins himself states that life could have been begun by an outside source. Wow.

Thank you, Ben Stein- I hope that your film will enlighten the scientific field to tear down the wall and liberate non-Darwin thought. They might be surprised that, unlike the reality of Darwin's theory of evolution, that we will be the better for it.

CVS Shopping: May 11-16

In the midst of Mother's Day and all of our home renovations going on this week, I almost forgot to do this- yikes! Here are the deals I got this week at CVS! :o)

First transaction:

• 5 tubes Colgate Total toothpaste $2.99, 2 ECBs, 4 $1 coupons, 1 .75 coupon

I always try to do a transaction to EARN ECBs first, so this week it was the Colgate Total toothpaste deal. Yes, we have a lot of toothpaste already (some of which has been donated), but I knew that I could earn ECBs with this deal, so I did it. Here's how the math worked ou:

1. 2.99 x 5= $14.95
2. $14.95- 4.75 in coupons= $10.20
3. $10.20- $3/$15 coupon= $7.20
4. $7.20- $7 in previously earned ECBs=.20 + .25 tax = .45

With this deal, I paid .45 out of pocket and earned 10 ECBs...a pick-up of $3 to go toward my next transaction. Hooray!

Second transaction:

• $10 Hershey's deal  Buy $10, Get 5 ECBs, 2 .55 coupons for York Peppermint Patties
• 1 pack Huggies diapers  $8.99, $2 coupon
• 1 Schick Intuition razor $9.99, 6 ECBs, $4 coupon
• 1 bottle CVS hair gel
• 2 9 V batteries (not pictured)

With this deal, I purchased several "needs" for the week. I didn't expect to do very well, but it turned out fine. I did find that I made 2 boo-boos that could have saved me big $$$. The total (minus coupons, ECBs, etc. came to $5.18. Not too bad, but...I could have used an expired CVS Huggies coupon (they take them 2 weeks after the expiration date) AND if I had had another CVS $3/15 coupon with me I could have used it too! Rrrrr! :o) That would have made my total .18 out of pocket (plus tax). Ah well...you live and learn. $5.63 is my grand total for the week! :o)

To "come over to the dark side" (LOL) and begin the adventure that is CVS shopping, visit Crystal's CVS 101 post here. It's the best. :o)

Bunny Salads

We had the pleasure of lunch company (my friend Angela, her 2 boys, and new baby girl) yesterday, so I whipped up a few of these little cuties (recipe found in my 1950s Betty Crocker children's cookbook) as well as some weiner pigs-in-a-blanket. Aren't these just the sweetest little bunnies? :o)

Here are the foods you need to make a "bunny":

• pear half (body)
• cottage cheese (tail)
• sliced almonds (ears)
• raisins (eyes)
• cinnamon candy (nose)

I laid each one on a Romaine lettuce leaf for ease in transferring to plates. They were easy to make and oh, so cute. Perfect for springtime! :o)

Product Review: Basic Cake Decorating DVD

Mrs. Kathy Brodock (of Teaching Good Things) approached me about reviewing her "Basic Cake Decorating" DVD. I have taken all 3 of the Wilton Cake Decorating courses and regularly decorate cakes for family and friends, so I was excited to see what she chose to present. Here are my findings based on viewing her DVD. Enjoy!

Product: Basic Cake Decorating DVD.
Company: Teaching Good Things.
Starring: Mrs. Kathy Brodock.
Length: 59:10 minutes.
Price: $19.95.

Review: If you want to know how to decorate lovely cakes for birthdays or special occasions and DON'T have the time or money to invest in taking Wilton classes, this is the product for you. I would have saved myself so much time and money if I had had this video when I first took classes. Here are some reasons I appreciate Kathy's video:

• The video's organization. The video is divided into important areas of decorating knowledge: supplies needed, recipes for decorator frosting, decorating tips and their purposes, and more. The amount of information provided is just what you need to know in order to begin the process of cake decorating.
• Kathy's pleasant speaking voice. Kathy is so likeable- from the first moment you hear her Alabama drawl. You will feel like you are in the kitchen cooking with a friend (albeit a very talented, experienced friend).  :o)
• The DVD format.  The fact that you can review information when/as needed is crucial in learning good cake decorating skills. The DVD format makes that easy to do. If you can't remember how to do a perfect shell, simply return to that part of the DVD. If you need to jot down a recipe or list, pause the DVD. So helpful.
• The close-ups. Seeing the piping bag so closely (as well as the angle at which it is held) is a huge plus over taking regular classes. Truthfully, I never saw my instructor's hand closely (I had to crane my neck to actually see my instructor at times), so seeing the "close-ups" really help to get your angle correct- which hugely impacts how your frosting appears.
• The fact that Kathy herself "messes up"...and she shows you how to fix it. Oh, how I appreciated this! In my cake decorating classes, my instructor NEVER messed up- therefore, we never knew how to fix our mistakes! Kathy shows you how to repair dropped garlands and more. Cake decorating is an art, and even artists at times need to correct mistakes on their canvases. I appreciated Kathy showing how to correct those inevitable boo-boos, rather than pretending that everything always goes as planned (Note to novice cake decorators...it DOESN'T!). :o)

Now, for some additional information: If you are looking for tutelage on how to do everything when it comes to cake decorating, you will be severely disappointed. I've taken 3 classes, can make wedding cakes, and still don't know all there is to know! This video delivers what it promises: basic cake decorating skills. Cake decorating takes lots of practice, so be prepared to take time to learn! I think this is a fantastic video for "getting your feet wet", and it will have you easily creating lovely cakes for your family without the usual expense in getting started. :o)

Thank you, Kathy, for allowing me the privilege to review your video- I can't wait to see the next one out! :o)

NOTE: Cake decorating can be a real ministry to others, and I have included it under the "Month of Cheerful Thrift" as it is one of the ways that I save money for our birthday parties for our children.  Here are a just a few of the cakes I've created for our family (click to enlarge):

And the Winners Are...

Sharon D. and Jen!

Congratulations, ladies, on winning the Supermarket Savings 101 course from Money Saving Mom! I hope you both enjoy learning some new tips to keep grocery costs low. A big thank you to Crystal for donating such a generous prize! I will notify her by e-mail and the winners should receive your copies of the e-course shortly. :o)

Thank you to everyone who entered our giveaway- this will be the last week of a "Month of Cheerful Thrift". On Monday I will announce the new month study. :o)