Weekend Happenings

Good Friday morning!

I finished my February Paula Deen Recipe Challenge yesterday... March 1. When the directions said "Prep Time - 25 Hours," they weren't kidding. The finished product pictures are in the Gallery.

I have to admit. I did not paint egg whites on 95 rose petals and delicately dip them in sugar. Nope. I did not.

I did, however, paint egg whites on six rose petals and stir them around in a sugar bowl. Yep. I certainly did.

Then I used un-sugared rose petals to make a design... just on the top of the cake.

When Mikie came in and saw it in all of it's "I'm-in-the-middle-of-the-dining-room-table" glory, he said, "Ahhh. What a pretty orchid."

And that's when I got a little angry, because I did not mean to make the design on the top of the cake look like an orchid.

However, when it was all said and done, I removed the petals (because they were not organically grown rose petals, you see), and we ate the cake.

And the cake was good.

The End.

RANDOMNESS #1 - Don't forget to watch The Pioneer Woman Cooks at 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning on The Food Network. She has some really good recipes. I can't make something from every show, but I've made several of her dishes.

And they were good.

The End.

RANDOMNESS #2 - I'm going to finish re-posting yesterday's tornado story. This is a timely story with the Severe Weather Risk we are facing today. I pray you and yours will not be harmed by the storms moving through this evening and tomorrow morning.

When you left me yesterday, I was sitting under a desk in an all-glass insurance company building with three small children. My friend had just crawled down the hall to check on the whereabouts of the tornado which had put us in this precarious position (so to speak).

As a mother, I take great pride in being able to protect my children the vast majority of the time. I spray them with bug spray. I smear them with sun screen. I take them to the doctor the minute something even appears to be wrong. I make sure the food they eat is not contaminated (except by my cooking). I watch them on the playground and make sure they do not go too high, too fast or have too much fun. That's my job!

How totally frustrating this situation would have been if I had not been able to place my safety and that of my children in God's capable hands. In my mind, my favorite verse kept coming back to me over and over again, "...for I will never leave you, nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5) I realize it doesn't translate into, "...for I will never let a tornado set a tree on your car." However, I did understand that if a tree was on my car or in front of my car, God was in control... not Miss Belinda.

End of tornado story... it passed without hitting our building or the van. However, it did do a lot of damage in and around Mountain Brook that day.

With our little adventure over, and the boys tucked into their beds safe and sound that night, I told Mikie, "I don't know what I would have done if my friend hadn't been there to tell me what to do." The minute the words were out of my mouth, I knew and believed with all my heart that if she had not been physically sitting beside me speaking the words I needed to hear, God would have spoken to me (not out loud), and the outcome would have been the same.

How incredibly sad that so many times we don't panic; we just get stupid and forget we may be mothers (and mothers are wonderful creatures), but it isn't a mother who protects us and looks after us day after day. It is the Father.

What's the practical day-to-day moral of this little story you may ask? This one is loaded with them!

1. When in your car during a tornado warning, picking up a couple of Grapicos before trying to make it to the mall 15 minutes away probably isn't the best use of your time.

2. When unable to reach a nearby mall during a tornado warning, taking shelter in an all-glass building probably isn't the safest place to take three small children God has entrusted to your care.

3. Trying to buy $100,000 in life insurance (quick) crouched on the floor of an insurance agent's blacked-out office during a tornado will not leave the children you are trying to keep calm with a sense of security (although it might make your spouse pretty happy).

4. None of the above really matters because God, the Father (not the mother) has said, and I quote, "...for I will never leave you, nor forsake you." AMEN!

(This story was written in May, 1998.)

Weekend Happenings

I can sum up The Faulkner Five weekend with one word... BLAST!

BLAST is a weekend-long event sponsored by our church and Youth Department each year. It is looked forward to by hundreds of kids in our area.

It is a big deal.

Austin - Austin is helping with a group of 9th grade boys. (He recently began helping in their Sunday School class.) He loves BLAST and he loves being with these guys. He is pumped.

Josh - This is Josh's last year at BLAST since he will be graduating in May. He has only been to one BLAST before (last year), so he is really looking forward to this one. One of his favorite Sunday School teachers of all time is coming from out-of-town to lead his group.

Roxie - BLAST is a teenage girl's dream come true. From 5:00 o'clock Friday afternoon until noon on Sunday, she will be with her buddies worshipping, praying, playing, eating, sleeping. It is a non-stop spend-the-night party.

Me and Mikie - We are helping behind the scenes. I have some specific things I am doing and Mikie will be offering to help with transportation, etc. when we arrive at sign-in tonight. (He'll also be helping me with my "specific" stuff. He does not know this yet!)

I will fix a big Sunday dinner for after church, and then everyone will go to bed for the remainder of the afternoon.

I know this, because we've done it before.

Since there is a threat of severe weather, I don't know how Friday night and early Saturday morning will go, but by breakfast Saturday morning, I believe everything will be "good to go!"

I hope you have a wonderful weekend with family and friends. Please stay safe. I'll be back next week with Mindless Monday... of course.

Take care, and I'll talk to you Monday.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda