The Bestest, Moistest Chocolate Cake Ever!

I'm not exaggerating at all... it truly is the moistest chocolate cake!
And a great way to use up some of the zucchini coming out of the garden.


Zucchini Chocolate Cake

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup baking cocoa ( I used a tad more... oops, it came out faster than I expected!)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

in mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, beat well after each addition. Beat in oil and vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa, soda, baking powder and cinnamon in another bowl; gradually add to creamed mixture. Fold in zucchini and nuts.
Spread into greased 13x9 baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool before cutting.

History, Quilts, Books... 3 of my Favorite Things

I just found this book at the little, local library! Very interesting!


Beautiful photos & amazing stories of quilts coming across and through the most rugged terrain imaginable!


Those women of the Oregon Trail inspire me and I am in awe of the way they managed family life during those difficult years in the wagon train.


They used their quilts for many purposes: to wrap their grandmother's tea set in to prevent breakage, to warm their children when they encountered severe weather, to provide a source of enjoyment during those dismal days, and to leave a legacy and a story behind for future generations.


This particular quilt and home are located only a few miles of where we used to live. An amazing family with an amazing story of homesteading in a tranquil, little valley in Oregon.....

Another book that I have loved reading lately and completed in only a couple days (yes, it's that good!!) is The Frontiersman's Daughter by Laura Frantz.

It's history, romance, intrigue... all contained between a front and back cover. Loved this one!

And the neat thing is that the author is one of my blogging friends. She is a great mom, wife, and author. The best part is that she loves Jesus and truly prays about each step and phase in the book writing process. She has said that her stories are His stories... isn't that cool? She wishes to honor God through her writing!

She is now awaiting the final steps in her 2nd book... Courting Morrow Little. I am so looking forward to reading it.

And she is completing the writing of her 3rd book... The Locket.

Go visit her at her blog.

You can find her book on cbd.com or amazon.

I was special enough to get an autographed copy!! ha ha

A Few Minutes to Sew... Literally!

Remember my coin quilt top?....

I finally had a few minutes to sew on it today. Really... only about 1/2 hour.


Zucchini bread in the oven, dinner casserole ready to go in next, baby down for nap, dishes caught up, laundry folded and put away....


It all adds up to a little bit of time before baby wakes up and the other kids get home.... then off to football practice!

Super simple quilting! I'm only going to do lines along the rows in the sashing.

I chose some soft, pink, sweatshirt-like fleece for the backing. Not the easiest to quilt with. It tends to stretch alot and pucker.

I have a feeling my seam ripper and I are going to be inseparable the next couple of days!

This one is going to be Lindsey's little quilt. Cozy, Comfy!!

So, gotta run now.... bread is done!!!

A Little "Teen Boy" Factoid

Did you know that it only takes 1 minute and 10 seconds for 8 dozen cookies to disappear during a water break at football practice?!!

Those young teen boys don't mess around when it comes to fresh, homemade cookies!

I'm happy that I made them happy...

It's a Rebel!!!

Notice the zucchini on the right? Does it look different than the other one?
It's my rebel zucchini!
I planted Black Beauty Zucchini from Hume Organic Seeds (which means they should all look like the one on the left) but this one plant is producing a striped squash.
It's actually quite pretty.
There must have been a sneaky seed in the packet...


"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
--- 2 Corinthians 5: 17

Take a Big Breath!!

-school starting

-volunteering at school

-watching a friends' kids so she could volunteer at school

-football practice for Kyle

-football practice for Ryan

-2 Dr.s appt's for Ryan... staph infection...yuck!

-grocery shopping

-birthday present shopping

- 2 football games

-Booster/Parent club meeting

-meeting with the principal to discuss Booster/Parent Club ideas

-preparing for Open House at school

All this in the last 6 days.... uuuughhhh!!!!

And the schedule doesn't look like it's gonna slow down any time soon!

Some days I really feel like I lose perspective on what's truly important.... Jesus! And my time with Him.

Although the kids and I have been doing some devotion and Bible time in the mornings during breakfast. I look forward to this time. It's just a few minutes but really has brought out some good topics of conversation.

How do you fit it all in? How do you manage your time and still have enough time for what's important?

"But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord;

I say, 'You are my God.'

My times are in Your hand;

Deliver me from the hand of my enemies,

And from those who persecute me."

--Psalm 31: 14 & 15

Have We Already Forgotten 9/11?

I asked my kids if they did anything at school to commemorate 9/11.

All 3 of them said "No". Kyle said that his teacher asked, "What happened on this day 8 years ago?". But that was about it.

Now that bothers me. I'm not saying I want them to sit around and watch hours of 9/11 footage on TV or spend every class discussing it. I just thought that a nice, respectful time of remembering would be good.

Maybe a certain time when all the classes stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance together. Or a time to gather around the flag pole and spend a few minutes together remembering.

It makes me wonder what our country will be in future years if we are not raising our children to respect Veterans, or to remember those fateful days in our history. If our children are not raised to be patriotic, then what will our country be when their generation is in leadership?

It's like December 7th. I don't know if the average American gives much thought to that day either. I like to remember and be thankful to those men and women who serve our country and put their own lives in harms way for the sake of this nation.

Did your kids do anything special for 9/11 at school? I need to hear some encouragement that other schools at least acknowledged the day.

"Joshua said to them: "Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, 'What do these stones mean to you?' Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever."

--- Joshua 4: 5-7

Quilt Update

I'm gradually making some progress on the Bible quilt. I really like how the blues, pinks and creams are going together.


4 blocks down, 6 to go!

1. Garden of Eden- done

2. Farmer's Fields- done

3. Steps to the Altar- done

4. Jacob's Ladder- done

5.Hill and Valley

6. Walls of Jericho

7. Children of Israel

8. Wings of Eagles

9. Sarai's Choice

10. Job's Tears

"Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name."

--- Hebrews 13: 15

Waiting... Waiting...

It's sooooo quiet around here! The 3 older kids began school today and the little one is down for a nap. Quiet is not always a bad thing, it can be good, in fact.

I just never enjoy the first day of school. I miss them.

We have a little tradition around here on the first day. The kids get to come home to fresh baked cookies and we sit around eating cookies and discuss the happenings of school.

So I went to bake some cookies this afternoon, and NO chocolate chips. uh oh!!

I flipped through a new cookie cookbook and found these. But, uh oh, Lindsey just ate the last apple from the fruit bowl. Thank God for the apple trees outside that are putting on ripe fruit! I ran out to the nearest apple tree and picked a couple for this recipe... And they are YUMMY!

Apple- Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup diced,peeled apples

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease baking sheets.

Combine flour, baking powder, spices and salt.

In another bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs.

Blend in the dry ingredients. Fold in apples, oatmeal and nuts.

Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheets. Bake 12 -15 minutes until golden brown.

Makes about 3 dozen.

Now I'm just waiting for my kiddos to get home!! (Hopefully there will be some cookies left over for them.... ha ha!)

"Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

--- James 1: 4

Danger!!!!!

Has anyone else figured out that Dark Chocolate Peanut M & M's are dangerous?!!!

And I believe they know mind control techniques.... no kidding!

They know how to call out to me even when I put them in the very back of the cupboard and try to forget they are even in my house!

Beginnings and Endings

Things have been so busy crazy around here the last week.

Football practice is in full swing every evening for the boys.

Birthday celebrations are finally over. Three birthdays come and gone this week.

And school starts on Wednesday.

It has seemed like such a short summer but I know that it's the same number of days that it always is. I think my parents were right about time going by quicker as you get older!

I'm sure once school starts, I will be able to spend some more time on my quilting projects and my blog won't be so neglected.

I pray that you all have a wonderful week. That the kids will be safe as they start back to school, public or homeschooled. That we all could find some time each day to spend it with Him, listening and being still before our Maker.

"O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man."

--- Nehemiah 1:11

Birthday..Birthday... And ANOTHER Birthday!

Yesterday, this handsome fella turned 11 years old! .....

Today, this big guy turned 13! (No kidding, I have a teenager now!!)....

And in 4 days, this little beauty will be 8 years old!....

Sometimes I wonder why God has been so good to me. Why has He blessed me with these children that bring me so much joy?

I'm so humbled by His love and goodness that he so freely gives!

And yet, I'm reminded that my children belong to Him. They are children of the One True God!

He has chosen to bless my husband and I with 4 beautiful, healthy, active kids. I don't know why... all I know is that I pray that I can be the kind of Mommy that He wants me to be.

I pray that I can teach these young ones about His mercy and grace and His unfailing love for them.

I want their lives to shine for Him. I want them to stand out from the crowd... to be different because of their devotion to God and their love for Jesus.

Thank You, God, for the generous blessing of my children. How humbled I am that you have faith in me, that I can raise them to become responsible adults who love You. You are so good to me... I love You, I praise You for all the good gifts You bring into my life!!

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,

The fruit of the womb is a reward."

---- Psalm 127: 3