Snack Time

I arrive at my nanny job at 2pm and the two boys I watch are already down for their afternoon nap.
Right on cue, at 3:30pm, is when they wake up. I usually hear Gabe (1 year old) first and then Isaac (3 years old) wakes up and starts talking to him. It is always fun to walk into their room because Gabe's little face always has a big grin on it from behind the crib bars. He knows what is coming, snack time! I get them ready and we head downstairs to the kitchen. Isaac climbs up into his blue booster seat at the table and I put Gabe in his high chair. I go and get some fruit and cut it up small enough for Gabe to munch on and then give Isaac his fruit too. Then I get Gabe a bottle of milk to go along with his fruit and Isaac either water or juice. On some days Isaac will have some yogurt as a snack and on special days he will get a cookie.
I also try to give Gabe some cheerios but he just doesn't seem to like carbs except for fruit. The only things he likes to eat are fruit or protein. When I told my husband Rue about this he said in his best Arnold Swartzenager voice. "He's going to be a body-builder!"

After snacks are eaten, then of course comes clean-up. Isaac is the easiest because all I have to do is tell him to go wash his hands and face. He goes into the bathroom, pulls out his little stool and cleans himself up. Gabe on the other hand usually manages to get fruit all over himself, in his hair and on the high chair. So it takes me a little time to get him clean. He doesn't like his face to be wiped off so he squirms and this makes it a little more difficult. Once the task is done they are both happy with happy tummies. And then it's play time! :)




(I took these pictures of the boys as they were waiting for their snacks.)

Will it snow?

Pacific Northwest meteorologists are saying that tonight the temperature is suppose to dip into the mid 20's. Now I know in some places that seems like no big deal, but we rarely get temperatures that low. And then on Thursday night the high is suppose to be in the teens. Then on Friday, during the day, it will only reach freezing. They call it the Artic Blast since all the cold air is coming down from Canada.
But sadly, there will not be any moisture so that means no snow. I would love for it to just dump snow on us so we could enjoy a good snow before the winter is over. Rue and I did go up to Crystal Mountain and went snowboarding (which you can read about here) and that was fun to see all the snow in the mountains. It was so beautiful.
Who knows, maybe they are wrong. Maybe it will end up snowing. The meteorologists here in the Northwest have been known to make mistakes before. :)


(You can check out our weather forecast here)

Valentine's Day

My sweet hubby bought me this bouquet of roses and the balloons for Valentine's Day. Also he gave me the Canon digital camera that took this picture!! He had me open it right before we went to dinner. I was so happy! I have wanted a digital camera for the longest time. Now I can take lots of pictures and post them on my blog.
Let the picture taking begin! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Rosie

Rosie is my dear, sweet kitty that Rue gave me for my 21st birthday this last July. One day he came home and handed my a shoebox and said, "Happy Birthday!". I heard a little meow and I opened the box to the cutest little kitten. I picked her up and cuddled her for the longest time. She was so sweet. I bought her a little collar with a bell on it. She was so tiny that we could not hear her when she was walking around. I was afraid that she was going to get stepped on! My little bell was the perfect idea and if she couldn't be found all you had to do was stop and listen for the little bell.
She was sweet and also feisty! She loved to play and would "attack" your feet whenever she got the chance, and she still does. She would hide around the corner in the hallway and jump out at you when she heard you coming. She was only as big as a coffee mug. So, try to imagine a little ball of fur as big as a coffee mug arching her back and "attacking" your feet. It was the cutest thing. She would also do this little thing where she would arch ber back and run/bounce across the floor. Rue played the most rough with her and she loved it and still does.
But of course all little kittens must grow up, but she is still very small for a full grown cat. She still loves to play rough and "attack" you, but also loves to cuddle. One thing she hates is to be alone. Most cats would run and hide if there were a lot of people around but she wants to be with everyone.
When I go to bed at night she sits by the bedroom door and meows for a couple minutes before she realizes I won't be coming back out. When the alarm goes off she hears it and comes and scratches at the bedroom door until I get up. Then I must pick her up and cuddle her for a few minutes. She just purrs and purrs. And then starts "attacking" my feet!
I love my little Rosie! I think she is the sweetest cat in the world! :)

(My mom took these pictures of Rosie.)

Rue and Annie

Valentine's Banquet

2006

Getting Ready...

Well, my friend Hannah and I have decided to do the South Beach Diet together. As most of you know she just had a baby and has some "baby fat" that she wants to get off. And I of course want to lose some extra weight before I put some "baby fat" on. I thought it would be nice to have someone to do the diet with because then there is accountability. (As if posting my efforts on the internet isn't accountability enough!) :)
The South Beach Diet has 3 phases. The first phase is the most strict. It is pretty much no fat, no sugar, no carbs. You can eat all the vegetables you want, except for things like corn and carrots that have high in sugar. You can have low-fat and non-fat cheeses and eggs. And lots and lots of lean meat, such as skinless chicken breasts and fish. Also you can have nuts but only a certain amount. But absolutely no bread or fruit of any kind. (There are more details but I won't go into them.) And of course no junk food. You are aloud 75 calories of sugar-free candy if you desire, but sugar-free candy messes up my stomach, so I am going to stick to the sugar free jello which doesn't bother me.
Hannah and I each got the South Beach Diet Cookbook from the library and did our grocery shopping. I have my lunch and dinner meals all planned out for the week. You stay on phase one for 2 weeks or more if you feel that you can stand it. Then you move on to phase 2 where you start to introduce fruit and whole grains back into your diet. Weight loss will slow some on phase 2, but you stay on this phase until you lose the amount of weight you want. Then phase 3 is pretty much eating healthfully. By then end of the first phase most cravings for junk food should be gone. I am looking forward to that. It would be so much easier to eat healthy if I didn't crave junk food.
So anyways, this will be an adventure but I am glad to be doing it with Hannah. My husband is throwing in his full support also. I will let you know how much weight I have lost this coming Sunday!! :)

Valentine's Banquet

The youth group at my church put on their annual Valentine's Banquet for the church last night. We started the tradition when I was in the youth group. The first time we put it on was 6 years ago. The youth group made chicken cor don bleu with green beans and red potatoes. There was also a lime punch served with dinner and a garden salad to start. Then for dessert there was a yummy white cake with strawberry and chocolate sauce.
The room was decorated with white Christmas lights and lots of pillar and tealight candles. There were vases of different flowers on each table.
They played the old/newly wed game. Rue and I were called up to play, so were Hannah and Gabe. We had so much fun. Rue and I got three points and Hannah and Gabe won with four. We all had a good laugh. There were four other couples who played also.
The speaker was Marty's (our old youth leader who in now a pastor in Bellevue) brother-in-law who also a pastor. He spoke about having high expectations for your marriage. He talked about how all to often we settle for less than we actually could have in our marriage. It was a really good lesson.
When everyone was leaving they gave each lady a red rose. We had a great time of fellowship!


(My mom took these pictures. Aren't they pretty!)

Watson's Nursery

This morning I met my best friend Hannah at 9am. She packed up little Gabriel in the car and we went to go find Watson's Nursery in Puyallup. Gabriel looked like a little teddy bear with his hood with the little ears on it. I just wanted to squeeze him! The sun was shining and it just made everything so much more peppy and happy.
I had gotten the directions from mapquest and we took a wrong turn at first but we turned around and we eventually found the nursery. They had a beautiful outdoor area with lots and lots of primroses plus all kinds of other flowers also. We went inside a big green house where there is a gift shop and a coffee stand. I ordered a hot chai and Hannah got a latte. We sat and talked for awhile and she held Gabriel because he doesn't like sitting in his carrier too long. Then we started shopping. We looked at all the flowers outside and I decided to get some primroses, tulips and forget-me-nots. Hannah really wanted pansies but unfortunately they had a very small and very poor selection so she decided to wait and get them somewhere else. Gabriel was getting fussy and when we went in to pay his little voice echoed off the glass ceilings and walls. Once we got back in the car he was soon asleep.
I always love spending time with Hannah. Since we have both been married and now she has a little one our time together has grown less. I really treasure her friendship and the time we do get to spend together.

This is a picture my mother-in-law Bonita took when she went to Watson's with Ruhiyyih. You can read about their visit on her blog.

Ben's Back!

My big brother left Alaska on Tuesday because he felt that the Lord was leading him to come back to Washington. He lived in Alaska for about 2 years. He really likes it and wishes he could stay but he really wants to go to Bible College. He wants to work here and save up his money and go to Frontier Bible School in Wyoming and study to be a youth pastor. I am happy to have my brother close by again!

...love is kind...

"Love is patient, love is kind; love does not envy; love does not boast, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, is not selfish, is not easily angered, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in sin, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails..." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

The first act of love is patience. Patience requires holding our tongue when we want to lash out when we feel someone has wronged us.
The next way to show love puts us into action. Once we have held our tongue and not returned evil for evil, we can show kindness. We must consider others better than ourselves like Philippians 2:3 says, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." If we think we are better than those around us chances are we aren't going to treat them with love and kindness. We are going to want them to make us happy and when they don't we are not kind to them.
The definition of kind is: 1. of a friendly, generous or warm-hearted nature 2. showing sympathy or understanding 3. humane; considerate 4. forbearing; tolerant 5. generous; liberal 6. agreeable; beneficial
The one I found interesting is "beneficial". Do people benefit from being around me? Do they come away feeling encouraged by my kindness? Or do they feel aggrivated because I was harsh with them? Do I make others burdens heavier or lighter? Am I one of their burdens!?
I have to work at cultivating kindness in my life every single day. But God wants me to be looking for ways to show His love to others. The Bible says that we are to "do unto others as you would want them to do to you." It says do unto others. We are to look for ways to make people's burdens lighter. If we see someone hurting or in need then we need to help them in any way we can. And a lot of times the people we need to show kindness to the most are the ones living under the same roof!
I pray everyday that the Lord would help me to be kind to those around me and the place I can start is with my own family. Just as God is working in my heart to cultivate patience, He is also working in my heart to teach me kindness.

• "When we truly care about people, we find ourselves paying attention to the circumstances of their lives and being concerned about their welfare." - Elizabeth George

• "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Colossians 3:12

• "She opens her mouth in wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness." Proverbs 31:26

Take Your Medicine

Right now Gabe (one of the little boys I watch) is sick with a pretty bad cold. On Monday and Tuesday he had a fever, but today the fever is gone. There remains though a horrible cough that is deep in his chest. But even though it makes him feel better, he hates to take his medicine!
I remember being sick when I was little and the things my mom would do to get me to take my medicine. There was the horrible mashing up of tylenol and mixing it with a spoonful of honey or jelly. I absolutely hated jelly and the only time jelly was used was when it was someone other than my mom giving me my medicine. (And they found out real quick how much I hated jelly.) Sometimes there would still be a big chunk of tylenol that hadn't quite been mashed enough and it would get stuck in one of my back teeth. Then I would have to try and get it out with my tongue. (I shiver just thinking about it.) Once my mom brought me my spoonful of honey and tylenol with a glass of water. I put the honey in my mouth and then spit it out into the glass of water while pretending to take a drink. I thought I had gotten out of taking my medicine, but of course my mom knew what I had done. She made me drink the entire glass of water!
Then there is the liquid, grape flavored medicine. It is suppose to taste good so kids will want to take it, but I always remember that the taste always seemed to make me feel worse. It was awful!
And there were also the chewable advil and tylenol. These were just as bad! Again, the grape ones seemed to be the worst. I would chew them up as fast as I could, but of course, some would get stuck in my teeth. I would then gulp down a big glass of water.
But along with the bad there were a couple of medicines that actually tasted yummy. One was orange triaminic. I remember I loved to take my orange triaminic. Not only did it taste good but it would clear up my little nose so I wouldn't have to sleep with my mouth open. Having to sleep with my mouth open was torture, but orange triaminic was my hero.
And there were the times I had ear infections and my mom would pick up yummy pink medicine from the pharmacy. And it had to be kept in the fridge. I know that when people hear "pink medicine" they think about pepto-bismal. But this medicine in no way tasted like pepto-bismal. It was some kind of antibiotic. All I remember is that I liked the taste and it made my ears feel better.
So, I will say I am very glad to be able to swallow pills whole now. No more chunks of tylenol in my teeth, thank you very much! :)

Getting Ready...

Well last week I lost 1 pound! And that is my goal for this week. I would love to lose more than 1 pound a week because it feels so slow. I would love to lose 5 pounds a week, but then of course my metabolism would slow down and I definitely don't want that. Plus my doctor said that 1 pound a week is a healthy rate and it will help me to keep the wait of permanently in the long run. The weeks go by really fast so I know that if I am patient I will start to see a change. I am sure that 10 weeks is going to go by before I know it and I will be 10 pounds lighter! That is a nice thought.
I have been working out a ton. Last week I worked out 5 times and for an hour each time! I felt so good after each workout. My goal is to do the same thing this week. I worked out on Monday and Tuesday. I decided to take a break today so I can rest my body.
I am working hard! :)

Love is patient...

"Love is patient, love is kind; love does not envy; love does not boast, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, is not selfish, is not easily angered, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in sin, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails..." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Since Valentine's Day is coming up and it is suppose to be a day all about love, I thought I would study 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
In the world today love is defined in many ways. But in the Bible it says in 1 John 4:8b that "...God is love." Therefore if God is love then He has the overall authority to say what love is! We all may have our own definition of what we think love is, but in the end it is God Who has the right definition. We must look to His Word, the Bible, to find it.
The first definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4 is "Love is patient...". In the dictionary the definition of patient is: 1. capable of bearing affliction calmly 2. understanding: tolerant 3. persevering: constant 4. capable of bearing delay
The definition of patience is: capacity of calm endurance or long-suffering
As John MacArthur says, "In these verses... love is action, not abstraction." Love isn't just a warm feeling we feel. We must choose to show love to those around us. How? The first thing mentioned, of course, is through patience or some would say long-suffering. When we are hurt or wronged by someone we are to be patient. We are to love our enemies. We are not to lash out at them in return, but we are to be long-suffering. 1Peter 3:9 says, "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing...".
This has been something that I am trying to cultivate in my life. When I am feel like I have been insulted, I want to give that person a piece of my mind. But God has told me that I am suppose to be patient and not return evil for evil. Being married has definitely been a good place for me to exercise holding my tongue and having patience. There are times when I feel like my husband has done or said something rude and I just want to tell him what I think about it. And most times I do. But I have been praying for the Lord to change my heart and He has been. I am no where near being perfect in this area, but it brings so much encouragement to see the Lord working in my heart and even my husband sees it!
So by this definition of love we can see that we are supposed to love those who may not love us. We are to love those who insult us and abuse us. We can see this example shown very clearly for us by Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:22-23, "'He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.' When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly." He was beaten, tortured and crucified and never did He once return evil for evil or try and fight back. In fact He prayed for His tormentors that they might be forgiven. So when someone treats us wrong we should pray for them like Jesus did.
Let's show true love to those around us by being patient and long-suffering no matter how they might treat us. "We act like [God] when we are patient with those around us." -Elizabeth George

"If God had been a man, He would have wiped out this world long ago, but He has that patience which bears with all of our sinning and will not cast us off. [Therefore] in our dealings with our fellow men we must reproduce this loving, forbearing, forgiving, patient attitude of God." - William Barclay "The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians"

The Little Munchkin Boy

My best friend Hannah sent me this picture of little Gabriel this morning. Isn't he so cute!? He had just taken a bath and had his little robe on. She calls him her Little Munchkin Boy. :) I think he is about 7 weeks old now. Hannah is doing really well recovering from her unplanned c-section. She is well enough now to start getting some light exercise. Today is a gorgeous day so she is going to bundle him up, put him in the jogging stroller and go for a nice walk down 30th street. (30th goes down to the waterfront, which is so pretty.) You can see a picture of him on his "birthday" on my post "It's a Boy!".

The Meaning of Flowers

Before you give your sweety a bouquet of flowers this Valentine's Day, find out what the flowers mean first. Each flower has a different meaning. For instance red roses mean "love", Baby's Breath means "everlasting love", and Calla Lilly means "beauty". Even though many of them have positive meanings, some have negative, like a Dark Crimson Rose means "mourning", a Striped Carnation means "refusal or no I can't be with you" , Hemlock means "you will be my death"! (Although, I am not sure if I have seen Hemlock in a bouquet before.) So just remember that the bouquet you give can have a hidden meaning! :) I found a website that gives the meaning of many flowers, click on the link to read more. The Language of Flowers

The Old Rugged Cross

The Old Rugged Cross

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain.

O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world, has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above to bear it to dark Calvary.

In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, a wondrous beauty I see;
For 'twas on that old dross Jesus suffered and died to pardon ad sanctify me.

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true, its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He'll call me some day to my home far away, where His glory forever I'll share.

So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, Till my trophies at last I lay down;I will cling to the old rugged cross,And exchange it someday for a crown.


"During a period of spiritual struggling, George Bennard (1873-1958) started to study and contemplate the cross of Christ. Bennard had been very active in the Salvation Army and later was ordained as a evangelist for the Methodist Episcopal Church. As he studied on the verse Philippians 3:10, "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death," Bennard got the theme for a hymn that has become a favorite for many, "The Old Rugged Cross."
In 1913, Rev. George Bennard, an evangelist in the Methodist/Episcopal church was “praying for a full understanding of the cross and its plan in Christianity.” Over a period of time he studied more and more about the cross. He prayed and meditated on the cross of Christ, until one day he was able to say, “I saw the Christ of the Cross as if I were seeing John 3:16 leave the printed page, take form and act out the meaning of redemption.” Through this experience and others in his life he penned the words and wrote the tune to our hymn,“The Old Rugged Cross.”"

Valentine's Traditions

• In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.
• In Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favourite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"
• Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.
• In some countries, a young woman may receive a gift of clothing from a young man. If she keeps the gift, it means she will marry him.
• A love seat is a wide chair. It was first made to seat one woman and her wide dress. Later, the love seat or courting seat had two sections, often in an S-shape. In this way, a couple could sit together -- but not too closely!
• Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off.

Christ Arose

Christ Arose

Low in the grave He lay -
Jesus, my Savior!
Waiting the coming day -
Jesus, my Lord!

Vainly they watch His bed -
Jesus, my Savior!
Vainly they seal the dead -
Jesus, my Lord!

Death cannot keep his prey -
Jesus, my Savior!
He tore the bars away -
Jesus, my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose, With a mighty triumph o’er His foes;
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever with His saints to reign:
He arose!He arose!Hallelujah! Christ arose!


"The hymn, “Christ Arose” is a hymn of sheer drama. Robert Lowry, the author, has said,My brain is sort of a spinning machine, for there is music running through it all the time.As he read the verses above, Luke 24:6-7, he sat at his little pump organ and wrote out the words and tune to this hymn in 1862. Lowry was a Bible scholar and engaging orator who became the music editor for the Biglow Publishing Company. This hymn of his depicts a shining contrast between the moods of death and resurrection."

The Bell House

My mom wrote: "A very special back step. My grandpa carved his initials into one of the steps after he poured the cement for them. WDS...Walter Dale Sundin. I believe the date reads March 22, '53. We all got warm fuzzies to see it still there."

My Aunt Karin told this story to the lady who now owns the Bell house: "I was 15 or so. Us five kids and along with Kathy's bestfriend Kathy A. were sitting at the kitchen table here devouring burgers and pork and beans. Everyone was in a jovial mood. I picked up my spoon, scooped up two pork and beans, and 'boing", flung them at Paul. Well, not to be out performed, he picked up his whole plate of beans, sauntered over to me, and dumped them straight away on my head!" Incredulous with disbelief, through the slop I lifted up two fingers to Paul and vehemently cried, "Two beans. That's all you got, two beans!" We all roared with laughter, even my mom."

History of Ground Hog Day

Today the ground hog saw his shadow so I guess we have 6 more weeks of winter. I was curious as to how this little tradition got started.
The tradition started in Germany and they used a badger, but when it was brought to Pennsylvania they replaced the badger with a ground hog.The official first Ground Hog's Day was on February 2nd 1886. For more of the history click here - ground hog.

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

I think my cake was a hit! I was up until midnight last night making it but I think it was worth it! The mousse was so creamy and smooth and the chocolate cake was perfect. All of the ladies loved it, some even had a second piece which usually doesn't happen. There were only three pieces left. It wasn't as pretty as Martha's but I am practicing. :)

Ideas for Valentine's Day

I found this small website with a few cute ideas for Valentine's Day. I really liked the idea to make a memory book of your lives together and also putting together a heart shaped box with little coupons inside for personal services. My favorite coupon idea was the "get out of a fight free" card! Very cute! :) If you are looking from some nice ideas for Valentine's Day click here. meltmagazine

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

This is the February cake from Martha Stewart Living January 2006. I am making it for Bible study tomorrow. I have been studying the directions since there are a lot of things to do. I am going to make it tonight when I get home from work. I made sure to make dinner this morning so I have nothing to when I get except bake when I get home. Daisy has Awana tonight, at church, so Rue and I are going to have a nice candlelit dinner, just the two of us. I made yummy Creamy Cauliflower Soup and homemade whole wheat bread. I will also make a salad to go with. I will let you know how the cake turns out! :)



Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

Vegetable-oil cooking spray
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2/3 cup sugar
1/2teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, room temperature
1/4 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 ounces solid semisweet chocolate
individual chocolate mousse (recipe follows)


1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place eight 6-ounce (3 1/2-inch diameter) ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet, and coat with cooking spray; set aside. (I just made one big cake using a 9 inch round cake pan.)

2. Stir flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add egg, milk, oil, vanilla, and 1/4 cup water; mix on medium-low speed until smooth and combined, about 3 minutes.

3. Divide batter evenly among prepared ramekins. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Run a knife around sides of cakes; unmold. Cakes can be refrigerated, wrapped in plastic, up to 1 day.

4. Trim each cake to 1 inch high. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut eight 10 3/4-by-4-inch strips of parchment paper. Wrap a parchment collar around base of each cake, keeping bottom flush with baking sheet. Secure each collar with tape; set aside.

5. Transfer bittersweet-chocolate mousse to a large pastry bag fitted with a large round tip (such as Ateco #808). Pipe a 1-inch layer of mousse into each parchment collar. Refrigerate until mousse is set, about 20 minutes. Repeat with milk chocolate mousse, piping on top of the bittersweet chocolate mousse. Refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

6. Microwave semisweet chocolate until slightly warm but not melted, about 30 seconds. Scrape at a 45-degree angle with a vegetable peeler, forming curls. Before serving cakes, remove parchment collars, and garnish with chocolate curls.


Individual Chocolate Mousse

Makes enough for 8 cakes
This recipe makes two kinds of mousse: bittersweet chocolate and milk chocolate.


3 1/3 cups heavy cream
8 large egg yolks, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Salt
7 ounces milk chocolate, melted


1. Put 1 2/3 cups cream into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 3 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; refrigerate 1 hour.

2. Put 4 egg yolks into the clean bowl of the mixer fitted with the clean whisk attachment; beat on high speed until pale and frothy, 4 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons water to a rolling boil in a small, heavy saucepan over high heat. Cook until clear, large bubbles form, about 1 minute. Reduce mixer speed to medium-low. Carefully pour hot syrup down side of bowl. Raise speed to medium-high. Mix until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in bittersweet chocolate, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and a pinch of salt with a rubber spatula.

3. Add one-third of bittersweet-chocolate mixture to whipped cream; whisk to combine. Add remaining bittersweet-chocolate mixture, whisking until completely combined. Press through a large-mesh sieve into a large bowl; discard any solids. Repeat entire recipe, substituting milk chocolate for the bittersweet.

Rubba-dub-dub

Here is another picture of Gabe. Isn't he just sooooo cute. For those of you who don't know, Isaac is adopted and the Scheidlers are in the process of adopting Gabe. It is a huge process! Please pray for them and this little cutie during the process. He completely fits with them and they love him to death! :)