My First UH Game

   My one friend is best at keeping last-minute plans. She invited me to attend a University of Hawaii football game just a bit before it started; and off we went to my first UH game.

    The view from our first seats...

   The band's half time show. Something with the Wizard of Oz. Watching this made me miss the Marching Cadets of CLHS.

    The football team of UH is well, it's NO Gamecock team! It reminded me of high school. (and yes, my school usually had an unbroken record - of losses...) With about five minutes left in the game (which everyone knows could take a good 20 minutes), almost everyone left... see how the stands emptied out. What fair weathered fans. Ugh.

  Guess it was good to attend a UH game so now I know. I think I've been to college football games in 12 different states now. However, this really really made me miss THE Gamecocks!!!!!

One Good Look'n Salad

   Taco salad night at the Jackson's... sauteed green peppers and onions over mixed greens with seasoned chicken strips, with a side of sour cream (of course), and topped with a variety of cheeses.
   Delicious! It's always a bonus when dinner is good look'n, as well. Of course, this just makes sense because I am usually cooking for my good-looking husband. Tee he he.

Happy 175th, St. Paul's!

   This year marks the 175th anniversary for St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Amongst other festivities, my father ordered one of my special Christmas ornament for six different Pastors. I looked at the church's anniversary logo, and got to design custom made ornaments.

   HERE you see one side, a cross with streaming sunbeams:

   The cross-stitching design was the same, and the basic colors were in the golden-maroon family, but I still made each ornament different by using different materials. THIS ornament doesn't look at "Christmas-y" because it doesn't have the green and red as the one above.

   The other side of the ornaments had a summary of a verse from Psalms. It said, "Save Your People, Bless Your Heritage" with a large 175 in the middle, and also the years 1837 and 2012. This "stretched" the design out a bit, which still looks nice but also slowed down the whole process when I assembled each ornament. I used double trim around the seam line, and was pleased with the results. So far, others have enjoyed them, as well.

   Yes, I said I made SIX. Whew. Fun though.

    If YOU want a custom made ornament as a gift this year, please discuss color/theme options with me. Place your order soon!

Just out for a little drive

   A few weeks ago, Eric and I drove to the other side of the island. We were actually running an errand, but the place was closed because it was a Sunday. (both hooray for them and boo because we were trying to pick up something that day) Though we couldn't do our business, we did manage to enjoy the day. Suddenly, I looked up and remembered how much fun it is just to go for an afternoon drive with my Sweetie. Back when we were just starting to date, Eric took me to this park:

     
   We drove along the coastline a bit, taking the "long way" home, hoping it would result in less traffic that day.

    A little mountain, through the car window.

 
 I never get tired of this view!

 Beautiful waves!

Beautiful day!

It is a special area.

I love the ocean!

    We drove further, seeing all sorts of trees and mountains with the water.

Oahu, Hawaii!

    Later, driving and chatting.

Tie Tyed Cupcakes!

      A few weeks ago, someone brought a variation of this to a Women's Bible Study event. It was just before our other friend's birthday, and I knew it was the perfect treat for her party... THIS was my first attempt at making "tie dyed" cupcakes.

    Up close, they really do look tie dyed. To make them, you simply put one can of Sprite (yes, pop) with any plain (I used white, yellow may also work) cake mix - no egg, no oil, just mix and pop. Stir together well. Then divide up the batter into the number of bowls equal to the number of different colors you want to use. Use food coloring in each bowl to make different colors, then spoon a little of each color into paper baking cups (already in the cupcake pan) Gently swirl the colors together, being careful not to over mix. Then, bake as directed on the box for cupcakes. They come out like this:

   The topping and frosting possibilities are endless, but I did sort of a mixed color swirl frosting squeeze. Not the way I would do it again, but it was still delicious.

    Up close, peeling off the paper lining.

   
  Here is one tie dye cupcake, cut in half -- you can see it really is like a rainbow and a birthday cake had a baby. Is this the most healthiest? No. However, it is gluten free... and it is SUPER fun!

 
 Next time you have a special event, go ahead and try to make these. How will YOU decorate the tops of your tie dyed cupcakes?