Daddy Cakebaker (August 2007)

Ever since I can remember, my maamaw (grandmother), has made cakes. I am not talking about any cakes. Every year for our birthday, she would ask what kind of cake we would like and it did not matter what it was. She made dragon cakes, strawberry shortcake cakes, Barbie cakes, and so on. She made wedding cakes for everyone in our family including mine. She is just an amazingly talented person…always has been.

A couple of years ago, I decided to try my hand at this cake-baking thing. I don’t know why I ever thought that this was a good idea. I only have 4 (almost 5) children. Oh, and homeschooling takes no time at all! I have all the time in the world to mess up cakes!

Last Christmas, Maam gave me my favorite gift I have ever gotten (no offense Maam!) She gave me all the old pans she has used over the years. She also gave me her Wilton cake books with her writing in them. She wrote what cakes she made, for whom, and the date. She also had pictures of all of her finished products…some with Clayton and I standing next to our prized birthday cakes! She also added some new frosting tips so that I could really make some messes.

And this is how it all began. I have done my share, now, of kid’s cakes. Some are definitely better than others. I always end up calling upon Maam for advice and of course sending her a picture of the finished product.

Some women at church had heard that I could bake cakes. I think that what they heard was a little more than my talents could carry me. Nevertheless, they asked me to make a cake for an upcoming baby shower. They wanted to make a baby carriage and I agreed. I began to sweat a little when they started handing me napkins with special designs that they wanted copied onto the hood of the cake, but Courtney never turns down a challenge!

I did a trial cake so that there was no mistaking that it could be done and I felt very relieved when the girls liked it. So, I began the cake that was to be my final product-my masterpiece! I cooked the cake the day before because I knew I was going to be at church all day helping out with a flee market. After a long day, I pulled the cake out to decorate it. It was hard as a rock. I had overcooked it. It was now 8pm. I was going to have to go to the store because I did not have enough ingredient s to make another cake. I was down on myself and began to ask Matt if I had ever done anything right in my life.

It was then that Matthew pulled out Mr. Grumpy. It is a little man he draws on his hand. He dove his hand into the icing and began kissing me with him. I had icing all over my face and we were both laughing. Instead of going to bed (as he should have), Matthew began to cut away the sides of the cake. He poured some milk and vanilla on a plate and began brushing the dry cake with it. My cake had new life and Matthew had unselfishly saved the day. Thank You.

P.S. It was the best-tasting cake I have ever made to date.

A Lesson In Leading (July 2007)

The whole family went on an early morning walk this morning. At the very end, there was a big hill, so Matt and I got the kids out of the wagon to walk. Addy started crying because she wanted one of us to carry her. Matt and I continued to walk and in true Addy-style, she stood her ground screaming, “I CAN’T WALK! CARRY ME! I told Matt that if we continued to walk, she would still be standing there tomorrow at this time. I recently had a standoff at the zoo and tried it. She is definitely the strong-willed one of the family. It does not matter if you offer her an entire candy bar. She won’t eat it unless it was her idea (or you let her believe that). I know someday this characteristic will serve a purpose, but at the moment , it is challenging to say the least.

Anyway, to continue with my story: Dylan suddenly turned around and ran back to Addy. He held out his hand and said, “Here Addy, I will help you.” They ran hand-in-hand to meet us. What an awesome example of how Christ is with us. At that moment, Dylan knew that more than Matthew and I. No matter how stubborn we are, He comes back for us, takes us by the hand and helps us along. He definitely does not yell at us and walk away!