Tonight was 31cent night at Baskin Robbins helping support the Local Volunteer Fire Department. Tonight some of the Youth Group from church and some of us older young adults loaded up and went for dessert and enjoyed some wonderful fellowship! My husband John was the sweetest thing! He surprised everyone including myself and bought 52 peoples dessert. He said that this was a small way for us to say Thank You for helping us with the clean up after the storm!

Ms. Paula said that she has finally figured out where her neck has been missing at for so long! Moooo!

Thank You!!!

Classy-Black on White

This beautiful cake is absolutely a knock out! All smoothed butter cream icing vs. fondant ( I do not do fondant ) is absolutely a knock out! Each layer is a different flavor. Beginning with the bottom layer, it is all white . The second layer is red velvet and the top layer is chocolate. Yummy! I love a bride who shows her personality! It is finished off with beautiful white pearls and a beautiful black ribbon! Classy!

I told this bride to be "original" with her thoughts and boy did she ever!

This cake is going to Cookeville to be enjoyed by a beautiful couple celebrating their wedding!

Enjoy!

Birthday Strumming and Magazine Cover's

Yesterday was the Rock N Roll Birthday of Trevor Moore. He is the son of Scott and Jennifer Moore. I am related to Scott and think that they are the sweetest couple! Trever is my friend now for life! He too is an Elvis lover! Jennifer requested this darling cake for his party. I looked back in history at the original acoustical guitars and this was it. Happy Birthday Tevor! Enjoy being 11!
Today the "Hall" crew will be celebrating Ms. Fuzzy's 50th Birthday! Telesa Pelham her niece is such a sweet friend and such a thoughtful niece to Karon! When she ordered this weeks ago, she said for me to do whatever as long as it was very "painful". Ok, what better than her own picture (that will be paced on the cake when she gets it to the party) on her own cover of AARP? We thought this was absolutely perfect for her since she works in a doctors office. I love you Karon and I hope you enjoy your birthday! You are beautiful on the inside and outside!

Friday, I ran into the school were my children attend and on my way out I ran into our dear friend Lincoln Davis. I was so surprised to see him coming up the side walk. He did not know that our children were students at Centertown and was as surprised to see me and I was to see him. He and I discussed about the storms of a couple of weeks ago to the Governor's Inaugural Ball 8 years ago. Boy how time flies! He didn't recognize the kids because they have changed so much. I thought since they have changed so much over the last few months...I would share with you their latest school pictures. Dillon, Katie, and John Ryan are a true blessing to John and myself. We know that God gave them to us for only a short time. Dillon is 13 and an 8th grader and Katie is 11 and is a 5th grader. John Ryan is finishing his Sophomore year of college.
As we spoke about how the storm devastated several homes in our area, it didn't devastate our faith, love and our will. Thank you is not enough to everyone to has either called, came by, stopped me on the street, sent sweet notes in the mail, sent e-mails, brought food, worked at our home, or those little "somethings" that you just did and are still doing. I thought that my job would be interfered with because we were having to concentrate on the house and yard so much....but I have been able to keep things rolling right along. Little things in life that use to be important...well....that changed last May when Dillon broke his hip. Being a good Christian example for my family and my community, serving God, being a good mother, daughter, sister, friend, and neighbor is my main goal in life. My mother is my shining example at 85...I see her making that great example every day. I want to be just like her. My mother can run circles around me...and...I want my children to grow from her just as I have. As my friend Bridgett says..."We are here to uplift and to edify each other". She is absolutely right. Shelia Boyd summed it up just perfect to me the other day. "Life is so short, we are only promised a short time here on earth, but eternity is forever!" She is absolutely right!


I am going to quote Dot Dunn, "While your children are sleeping tonight....stand over them and watch them as they sleep. This is a precious moment...one you can never replace." I am going to add to that quote, "Get down beside your children tonight and say your prayers with them and count all of your blessings!"

"Special Delivery"

My dear friend Bridgett asked me to make this darling cake for her and I absolutely think that it's adorable! "Special Delivery" is a perfect title for this cake. God blesses us with children and Jesus loves the little children of the world!

House Updates 2 Week Anniversary of "The Tornado"

New Central Unit. Jimmy Priestly and his crew are the berries. They have it completed!
Holes in the house sealed. Ready for the vinyl and roofing next week. Windows will be here Monday! Yeah!!!
Jack and Diane Odom are former employers of mine and are some of mine and John's dearest friends! We go waaaaaay back! We love them! Got these huge trees to replace the ones that were damaged. Had to get a back hole to dig the holes. They are Bur Oaks and a Weeping Cherry.

Me and my Mother (who is 85) got the landscaping all trimmed back and cleaned up. When the roofers/vinyl guys get done, we're going to strip all of the pine needles and timbers up and replace all of that.

My husband, my father-in-law Wayne, John Ryan and I worked like dogs and then here shows up Mike Grissom with a track hoe and a back hoe. John played around and got the barn almost completely down yesterday and Mike came in and had sparks flying when he tore down the rest of the barn. (he did not know that the electricity was still hooked up to the barn) ha, ha It was like the 4th of July for a minute or two! Ok, now that the barn is leveled and a hole dug to China and everything in it and burning (by the way we do have burn permits) we can say it looks much, much, much better around here. Oh, by the way...I actually got the yard mowed yesterday as well. Oh...I forgot...the clothes line is in full functioning working order! Done been wearing it out! Only a few of us southern women still use them, winter and summer!

Friday Madness

Joyce and David Britton's son Davey is celebrating his 21st birthday tonight at the Hobb's home. I've been talking back and forth with Joyce and Emily about Davey's cake. So...with their help, we came up with this darling masculine cake. Davey has been involved with some of the most wonderful organizations in Middle Tennessee. He was a FFA member, 4-H member, Graduate from Motlow State Community College, attending MTSU, former WC Pioneer, and loves soccer and football. Happy Birthday June Bug! (you just had to be there for that joke!)

Michelle Prater ordered this darling cake for a huge celebration! When you reach the milestone of 70, you deserve a celebration. My mother is 85 and acts like she is 55. Michelle is a wonderful person and a great mother! I hope that you enjoy this Michelle and Happy Birthday to Mason!

Annie Jr. 2008-Centertown Elementary School Theatre Club

Got my pictures up and running of the play. Katie was an orphan and was also a NYC "rich lady".
The kids did a total of 7 shows including one at the 1st Presbyterian Church in town on Sunday. They got standing ovations after each show!

Katie is on stage with all of the orphans. They did such a great job. The girls had dirty faces and ratty hair. They even got really into character and really "showed out" by sticking their tongues out at Ms. Hannagan and picking at her.

It's absolutely amazing to see how well these children learned their lines and knew their friends lines as well. Dr. England deserves an award and he received it last night at the final performance. He deserves a big :)! Thank you Dr. England and Ms. Moore for having the only Theatre Club in Warren County!

Relay For Life Cookies

While Julia and Todd Noblin are off in Hawaii, I thought I would show you what she's missing. I fixed her cookies and delivered them yesterday at their office and when the secretary said that they were not going to be back until Friday, the District Attorney's office jumped right on them. I will make you more Julia, I promise!
Terry Connor...gotta love him...ordered cookies that had eyes on them. So....I fixed him up with lemon-head shaped faces with blue eyes and funny faces. This fits Terry's personality so well. He and Katie are absolutely a riot at church. He and her pick and each other and then are hugging and loving on each other. Got to appreciate Terry for wanting eyes. With him being an eye doctor in town, quite fits him! Terry and Kay are the sweetest couple! (Hey Terry, Katie said that they were cute as a button!)

Enjoy!

Relay For Life Pancake Breakfast This Saturday, April 26th

Pancake Breakfast: Saturday, April 26th

8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Come and enjoy a wonderful Homemade Pancake Breakfast with Goolsby Sausage and your choice of Coffee, Juice, or Milk.

$5.00

ALL PROCEEDS GO TO WESTWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST YOUTH GROUP

RELAY FOR LIFE TEAM!

Annie Jr. Off Broadway Play

Dr. England does such a wonderful job with the Theatre Club at Centertown Elementary. The kids have been working very hard all school year getting ready for the performance of Annie Jr. Katie is an orphan and is also a NYC High Society Lady. They are just wonderful! The kids have learned their lines and tonight is the closing night. They have performed 7 total shows. Boy I can tell the kids who have been in the Theatre Club before and also the girls who have taken Ballet from Mrs. Paula. It really shows. Katie has been in ballet at Mrs. Paula's for 8 years. Last year she was Michael Banks in Mary Poppins. She was more than thrilled to be a main character!

My server is having problems with the pictures, I will try to repost them after tonight's performance.

Break a leg Katie!

The Innocence Of A Child

My daughter Katie asked me a question today that I just had to share with everyone. "What does Thou Shall Not Covet your neighbor's house; thou shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's?" I asked her where did she hear this at. She told me that she read it in her Precious Moments Bible. I asked her did she know what it meant and she said "kinda". So she and I sat down together and discussed how people are jealous and envious over worldly items. After studying with her...she came to the conclusion that it meant that if someone wants what you have so bad that they can't think about anything else but wanting what you have and no matter how much it may hurt that person, they just have to do things to try to hurt you or have it. Then she said jealousy. I said absolutely. I told her that we must pray for people who have such terrible problems like that. She is so smart at 11 years old. Isn't it amazing how an innocent young child can think about something so deep. Take time to give a moment to your children and let them ask you questions...maybe some that you may have to study or think about and spend "quality" time with them. Conversations like these will build morals for them for the future. Something that they will use everyday of their lives. It's one that they will remember forever!

APRIL GIVEAWAY!

For the month of April I am going to have a "Surprise" give away. Here are the rules:

Leave a comment below telling me what color I should re-do our master bedroom in. Of course John leaves all of that up to me and I want something different. It's antique white with white trim. Leave details like colors to trim with and so on....I will randomly draw out someones name on Wednesday, April 30th at 5 p.m. If you post a link on your blog, and someone mentions seeing in there, you will get your name entered in again.

Oh, I will give the person who has the best color scheme a little "Special Surprise" as well. Get your thinking caps on and your color charts out. Be specific with colors and even list brand names so I can check them out. ( I have a Jacuzzi tub in our room that is almond with beige tile )

Happy Birthday Carly!

Carly Pack is celebrating her birthday today and her mother called me and asked me to make her a Princess birthday cake and I was so excited! I has just gotten this pan and was dying to use it! Of course, I had to add my own personal little flair by using the Cornelle Lace to fru fru it up even more. Happy Birthday Carly!

(I remember when Carly was a baby and she would come to my house with one of her daddy's socks as her security blanket. How sweet and precious little memories like that are!)

The One Week Anniversary-Posted 2:00 p.m.

Ok my blogger friends...you are going to have to bear with me and my sense of humor for the next month or so. Ok, now that I have said that....my friend Susan Grandey aka "Martha" told me years ago that the FlyLady says that it makes you feel better and your day will be much brighter if you shine your sink. Well everyone....my 85 year old mother and I have been at work today in the house getting more things done/cleaned/rearranged. I remembered what Susan said to me and I am pleased to show everyone my beautiful shiny kitchen sink.

When I changed my restaurant license over to a caterer's license, Ms. Pamela from the Health Department told me that I sure did need a new sink because every woman who cooks deserves an upgrade of some sorts weather it be new dishes, table and chairs, cabinets, counter tops, or even pot holders and dish towels. Well my new thing was my beautiful sink. I have been so proud of it for the past several months and you may think that it's silly for me to be so excited over a sink...but after a week ago right this minute...I didn't know what the little things really meant. I think that my friend Bridgett was just as excited over it when she saw it. I told her that we could almost take a bath in it now. lol So....enjoy the shiny sink.

Thank You for all of your calls, comments, food, help with the clean up, cards, and especially your prayers. We we blessed by our family and our friends! We sure can see how much we are loved! God is so good and God Is Love!

Sensational Shoes

A girl can never have too many shoes. Aren't these just to die for! My friend Bridgett Powers gave me this darling cookie cutter and just couldn't wait to try it out!

Being a licensed caterer I enjoy getting comments like I did tonight! When people like Mrs. Faye Hickey come to you and say the most wonderful complimentary things about my work, it is absolutely the most gratifying think I could ever have. I thought it was so fitting to be considered the Bridal Shower Head Quarters!

One of my future brides, Misti Hathcock was the honored bride at a Bridal Tea at Westwood Church of Christ this past Sunday. Of course, I had to make sure that her cake was absolutely to die for. Even through I was in the midst of "Total Chaos" I saw to it that she had the most absolute darling cake. The picture below is not her shower cake, but is one that I can do. Every bride has her own custom cake. Someone may want me to replicate a cake that I have done in the past, but I always change it so every bride has "Her Own" design.
Misti's shower cake will be posted soon just as soon as I get the pictures back, I forgot to take a picture of it. It was a beautiful double layer rectangular shaped cake in delicate pink with white Chantilly Lace pattern. I had purchased a beautiful topper in silver that said in block letters LOVE. Misti is the most beautiful person on the inside and out and it was just so fitting for her to have such a beautiful cake.

My next bride is Kayla Boyd. Her wedding date is May 10th. She and Johnathan are the cutest couple! I can't wait to get their cake made! It is going to be so beautiful and just for Kayla!

Monogram Cookies Available

I just had to share these beautiful cookies with everyone. As a Caterer, I enjoy the design and artistic side of my job very much! My friend Susan is the "Martha" and she calls me "Julia". These beautiful cookies are available for any occasion. They would be a nice gift, secret sister present, Thank You present, graduation gift, or just a nice gesture to some you care about. Each order is custom decorated and individually wrapped. All colors are available and delivery is also available within Warren Co. 48 hour notice on ordering these delicate cookies. Please call for pricing.

Sunny Days at 520 Castle Street!

Last night I went to get some more laundry detergent to go to the laundry mat so I could get all of the big comforters washed when I saw these two beautiful ceramic plaques. I of course had to have them. They will be the first things hung back in our home when all of the repair work is finished!
I have had several of my friends ask me to post updated pictures of our home since we have gotten the clean up started. We look much better. It is getting more like a home now for us than a bomb explosion/disaster zone.

This is the front that took the hardest blow. Dillon and Katie's windows are still boarded up, but...looks much better.

The beautiful Red Maple tree that we had in the front is gone and the debris is winding down....I can take this look much better than Friday's look.

We've still got lots of work in the future...have had tons of contractor's here giving us bids and lots of reassurance that it will be back to normal as soon as possible.

This is Katie's dog Baby. She is strolling around in the back yard with me checking out every noise and pile. The back of the house is much, much better. More functionable. The kids are actually playing a game of basketball on the driveway this afternoon. Feels good to get some normality back.

Of course those of you who know how I am about my laundry....this is the thing that is driving me nuts. My clothes line is still down. I call it my solar clothes dryer. I am hoping that if I go to Lowes and get the other things to get the other pole back in the ground some kind man (aka my husband) will put it back up so I can do my regular routine.

We have went through the barn and got out everything that is salvageable. Of course, it didn't hurt the treadmill, I haven't used it in years....I guess that's a sign that I need to use it. lol

This is the salvagable items from the barn. We are in the process of getting everything itemized. Yesterday Bridgett Turner and I got Dillon's room squared away and we went on a "Scavenger Hunt" in our pasture and all of the neighbors pastures. We found my milk carton, Boomer's water bucket and John's bed cover for his TDOT truck in the pasture a good 500 yards or so away. I have no idea what we're missing, but....I am happy to know that God was watching over us. Thank you Bridgett for helping me!!!!

Being back in business and working again makes me happy. I have gotten calls this week and e-mails wanting cakes and catering jobs. Thank You so much for supporting me and loving me and my family so much!

Today my friend Bridgett Powers took me to lunch just so we could let our hair down from a few minutes. It felt good being out just to catch a breath of fresh air. Can't breathe too long...got 5 weddings in May to get cranked up for! Got cookies by the dozenssssss and birthday cakes rolling everywhere!

The Best Chicken Salad In Town

Friday's lunch was "My Signature Chicken Salad on Croissant" with chips and strawberry's dipped in the most wonderful Ghirradeli chocolate. The total cost for a lunch like this is $5.00 delivered! I had Potato Salad as a sub as well as Strawberry Pretzel Salad as a dessert sub.
Jennifer Lassiter ordered these darling birthday cake cookies for her sons birthday! They are absolutely darling! I have some cool cookies made for Dr. Terry Connor and Julia Noblin. Can't wait for you to see them! They are their personalities...just like peas and carrots.

Business Is Back Up And Running!

Ok everyone....I am back up and running in full speed. My crew has enabled me to get my mojo back in gear and myself re-organized and I just want to let everyone know that even though a wind can come and huff and puff, but it can break my spirit nor my will. You can't keep a good woman down.



Everyone please know that I am taking orders for cookies, cakes, parties and anything else in between! Business is back and up and running, please call, e-mail or leave a comment for orders and they will be prepared and delivered right on schedule!

The Greatest Gift Is Love!

The Clean Up

Well, I can only say what a day. 24 hours ago was absolutely a nightmare that I would never, ever, ever want to relive or wish on anyone else!
We had the biggest shock today when TEMA and the Insurance Co. showed up, we were given the green light to start clean up the mess. I think John mentioned it to Rudie Thomsen and within 15 minutes here came the Calvary from Westwood. I can't mention all of the names because I would leave someone out and wouldn't do that for anything! I had parents and children that I had kept in my Day Care from many years ago come walking up with gloves on and said what can we do? This crew worked for hours and hours and our yard looks much better. The tarps are off the house and plywood is up over the windows. Kenny Hodges from Pioneer Building Supply came and measured for new windows.

Men, women, and children were everywhere picking up and cleaning up. Several ladies came and picked up all of our laundry that I couldn't get washed here at home. Several people brought food, more food and drinks that I could ever imagine. Then here came the trailers, front end loaders, and chain saws. Then, before I knew it...all of the glass, debris, insulation, leaves, mud and everything else that was in our house that came through the holes in the windows and walls was clean! Paula Morris and Beth Deason were a life safer for me! Katie led the kids on a "Scavenger Hunt" they went through our field, our neighbors pastures, and through the creek finding precious "little things". I think that Stephanie Keith, Aunt Sue and Aunt Faye, and Granny Shirley took our laundry home. The funniest thing was the girls in the house needed a shop vac and I knew at one time we had two in the barn. So...here I went and started digging through the mess and after a long search, I found one so those girls got all of that glass up in the bedrooms. Then here comes Bridgett Powers, I had baked a cake for a bridal tea for tomorrow and here she showed up and finished this cake for me. I am speechless! Girl Friends and Guy Friends are not just friends, they're family. Our Christian Church Family has more than overwhelmed us.

Please continue to pray for us and for everone who has been touched with these storms. God blessed all of us with our lives. We didn't lose anyone. We came close to losing John Ryan, but God blessed us by saving John Ryan, Dillon, and Katie. God Is Good!