Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! A wonderful day to celebrate God's Love for everyone! At our house, we definitely celebrate this day in 2 perspectives. We celebrate our love for each other through making cards, enjoying a day together, playing games and loving each other. But we also take special time to focus on God's love! 

For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life! John 3:16

As the day begins and the girls got ready for parties and so much candy we remind them, and ourselves that today is the day to SHOW God's love to everyone! We pray that every Valentine we give will show God's love to each friend and bless them with friendship.

As far as celebrating at home we have planned to celebrate the 15th, since being a firefighter family our Dad was working on the 14th so the 15th is our family Valentine. I have a few games planned, a Charlie Brown Valentines Day show, and hot dogs. HOT DOGS?? Yes, the girls asked for hot dogs and that gives Matthew and I room to get a few steaks and shrimp to cook at home for us. Yes we do celebrate Valentine's Day with the family mainly and if we get a chance we go out but this year having 3 kids and just needing more rest we love eating a good meal with our family and then after the kids go to bed watching a movie and being together. Matthew and I are very much homebodies and as long as the kiddos are sleeping (can these teeth come in faster??) we get some time together. 

Heart Cakes for the win! This year alongside a good dinner, I chose to stretch my baking and icing skills with raw edge stacked heart cakes. I am practicing extra because I have been blessed to make my niece's wedding cake in May and "being a learn" as I go baker needed some more practice. This time was making the smoothest buttercream whipped to perfection and using some simple strawberry syrup to moisten the cakes. Now not being able to try my own cake or frosting, not eating gluten or sugars, My family and friends help me to better my baking! 

It was nice to make smaller cakes so I didn't have to make more than one recipe of frosting! I make a box strawberry cake and a simple vanilla buttercream frosting. I used a cookie cutter to cut out the shapes, topped with some homemade strawberry simple syrup, pipped little flowers in between the layers and let loose with the flowers on top! All in the name of practice using a variety of tips and techniques. My last cake had a very dense frosting and so I needed to practice making a smooth whipped frosting! I whipped it good and for longer! I also sifted my sugar before and I believe this helped too! It was so smooth! Yeah, I took notes and will add this to my baking journal! I also used some melting chocolate to create a few fun additions, some initials, hearts ect. I didn't add all of what I created but was also practicing. Using melted chocolate is not my first love or my best technique by far so more practice is needed! For those who actually bake and see things-- I didn't take off the bottoms of my cake to make the sponge even in color or whatever- just didn't focus on the cake as much as the frosting. :) I am not perfect but some reason baking and decorating hits my need for art in life. (as well as sewing, painting, beadwork, and the like) Hobbies Hobbies! 

Well, I had an extra cake and frosting so more practicing! So much fun! 

God loves you so much! Let Him show you how much by looking around at all he has made and the wonderful people in your life who imitate his love for you!