DIY Cake Plate Made With Pony Beads

DIY CAKE PLATE MADE WITH PONY BEADS AND CANDLESTICK HOLDER

Materials:

Pony Beads (I used about 2.5 LBS)

Candlestick Holder (The Dollar Tree does have pretty nice candlestick holders that make for an even more budget conscious project)

E6000 or 9001 Glue

12" Cake Pan

1) First, I placed pony beads (you can use any color you desire. I purchased mine from Michael's & Joanne's. Joanne's actually had a better deal. FYI) in a 12" metal cake pan. If you purchase the container that I did, I used a full container & then half of the 2nd container. The reason for using so many is because you want the cake plate to be thick enough to hold your cakes & withstand the test of time. 
2) Then, I baked the beads at 425 degrees for 30-40 minutes...until all the beads had completely melted. (They do not smell very pleasant, but the aroma leaves after about 30 minutes.)
3) I let this cool in the pan for about 30 minutes, then the plate will come right out of the pan. You can actually hear it popping loose from the pan in your 30 minutes cool-down period.

4) Next, I glued the plate onto a candle stick with 9001 glue.

5) Let your glue dry and ta-da you have a beautiful one-of-a-kind cake plate that will wow your family & guests.

** This is a great project to do with your friends or children. It's a quick & easy project that all are sure to love. 

I hope y'all enjoy this project as much as I did!

Pumpkin Better Than Sex Cake

PUMPKIN BETTER THAN SEX CAKE

Ingredients

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 – 15 oz. can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 – 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 – 8 oz. tub cool whip
• ½ bag Heath Bits
• Caramel Sundae Sauce 

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, spice and pumpkin puree until a smooth batter forms.
2. Pour batter into a greased 9×13 baking dish, and bake at 350º, according to the directions on the cake mix box (approx 23-28 mins).
3. Remove cake from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes after baking.
4. Using the end of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the top of the cake.
5. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the cake. This should fill in the holes and soak into the cake.
6. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
7. Remove cake from refrigerator and spread cool whip over top of cake. Sprinkle on the heath bits, and drizzle caramel over top. 
8. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours, or overnight (best).

** This was an awesome, scrumptious dessert. It was quick & easy and most importantly DELICIOUS!

If you are familiar with the original version of Better Than Sex Cake, this version is just as good and certainly fits in perfectly with this wonderful fall weather.

If you make it, please let me know how you like it!

I will try to start posting regular blogs again, but this time I think I will devote each entry to a specific subject so it is not so overwhelming.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Clear View from Mt. Perspective & Monkey Bread Recipe

Even bad news can sound like good news if it is seen from a certain vantage point. So much in life depends on "where you're coming from" as you face your circumstances. The secret, of course, is perspective.

Perspective is related to the way we view something. The term literally suggests "looking through... seeing clearly." One who views life through a perspective lens has the capacity to see things in their true relation or relative importance. They will zoom in on the big picture. They will distinguish the incidental from the essential... the temporary from the eternal... the partial from the whole... the trees from the forest.

In many ways what we see in our past and visualize in our future determines how we view ourselves today... right now... that depth-yielding third dimension we call "the present."

LIFE IS SHORT.

That's not only a valid observation from experience, it's a constant beacon reflecting from the pages of the Bible. Psalm 90 flashes that truth again and again. Listen to some of the analogies employed by the composer.

Life is short...

...like yesterday when it passes by (v. 4a).

...as a watch in the night (v. 4b).

...like grass ... it sprouts and withers (vv. 5-6).

...like a sigh (v.9).

...soon it is gone (v. 10).

Wistful scenes looking back from Mt. Perspective. Standing on that silent summit brings a subtle, perhaps painful reminder that we aren't getting any younger. Life indeed is short.

LIFE IS CHALLENGING.

Because it is short, every moment wells up challenging possibilities. Because it is uncertain, it's filled with challenging adjustments. Could this be what Jesus referred to when He promised an abundant life? Abundant with challenges, brimming with possibilities, spilling over with opportunities to adapt, shift, alter and change? This is the perspective that keeps people young. It is also the path that leads to optimism and motivation.

Ever new dawn, before you awaken, life makes a delivery to your front door, rings the doorbell, and runs. Each package is cleverly wrapped. Put together they comprise a series of challenging opportunities brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems. They are wrapped in paper with BIG PRINT. One package reads: "Watch out - better worry about this!" Another: "Danger: this will bring fear!" And another: "Impossible, you'll never handle this one!"

Try something new. Have Jesus Christ answer the door for you!

MONKEY BREAD WITH CREAM CHEESE GLAZE

This is the perfect breakfast for Valentine's Day! I made it for our 1 year anniversary & my hubby LOVED it!

King Cake Monkey Bread

4 tubes refrigerator biscuits [buy the plain Pillsbury biscuits, not the flaky biscuits! The plain biscuits will come in packs of 4 and the tubes are small]
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1-3/4 cups sugar, separated
1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup evaporated milk 3/4 cup butter
1. Preheat oven to 350F and spray a bundt pan with nonstick spray.
2. Mix the cinnamon with 3/4 cup sugar. Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces and roll in cinnamon sugar mix. Layer in prepared bundt pan.
3. Mix 1 cup sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk, and butter in saucepan; bring to boil and pour over the biscuits. Bake for 30-45 minutes. [the baking time can really vary; check the pan often to see how things are progressing and remove from oven when all of the biscuit pieces appear to be fully cooked]
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the stovetop for a few minutes, then carefully invert onto a plate or cake stand. 

CREAM CHEESE GLAZE

Ingredients:
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

3 to 4 tablespoons milk

Beat cream cheese until very creamy. Beat in powdered sugar. Stir in vanilla. Add 3 tablespoons milk. Totally combine. Add more milk to get desired consistency. Drizzle over monkey bread.

I have completed a couple crafting projects since I last posted!! 

Here are some pics!

My "A" Spring Butterfly Wreath. Pictures really don't do this any justice, but here she is! :)

I bought a heart wreath form from Michael's, 2 bundles of potpourri, "A" initial from $1 section, and long assorted swirly sticks to add some depth. I used hot glue to assemble and whalllla.

A couple friends & I went to this adorable pottery/painting shop in Columbia, SC called the Mad Platter for "Diva Night" and this was the result of my trip. :)

I have an adorable fur lion named Gracie and she LOVES her kitty cookies, so I thought what better gift for her than to make her a cookie jar?? I tried to paint it to look just like her (I'm not very talented in the painting department).

This is what she looks like.

And this is her with "Twin".

This project isn't anywhere close to finish, but this "A" is done. I am 3/4 done with the "S", but now I am having a hard time finding the pearls. 

When it is finished it will say "ASHE" in all pearled out letters. I plan to buy a really pretty frame & cover the back mat with a pretty fabric and put the letters on top of the fabric so it will have a neat 3-D look to it. I'll post my progress. I think it will be super cute, but it is VERY time consuming.

A LITTLE UPDATE FROM THE ASHE FAMILY!

Jason & I just celebrated our 1 YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY! Yayyy.. It has been such a blessing to have him as my husband and I can't wait to see what this next year holds for us. They say the first year is the hardest, well if that's the case, we will be smooth sailing because we have gotten along so well and really grown in our marriage & our relationships with Christ. Maybe that's what happens when you are soul-mates, sent from heaven to be each other's better half.

Ok. Ok. Enough of the sappy love story. Jason really outdid himself for our anniversary. He started the anniversary weekend off by sending me not 1, but 2 bouquets of flowers (one that had a wedding picture that was personalized inside the vase). Roses and Calla Lillie's, my favorites!

That Saturday night he took me to dinner at the Oak Table here in Columbia, but of course, I was running a tad behind because of some complications with my Lorac Self Tantalizer. Who knew those actually had expiration dates. Word to the wise - don't use Lorac Self Tantalizer after the expiration date. You will look like a spotted leopard. Not a good look. 

ANYWAYS. So Jason told me he would get my black clutch ready. So as I was rushing out the door Jason said look in your clutch and make sure that I got everything. So I looked and what do you know?! There was a wrapped Pandora box. I was SO surprised! I opened it and not only had he bought me a beautiful bracelet, but he had picked out 7 charms that all have a very special meaning :)

Monday (our actual anniversary) Jason took me to Zootastic for a Safari Encounter. Um. I seriously can not express to you in words how much I ADORED, CHERISHED, LOVED (ok I'm pretty much obsessed) this gift. I got to feed, play & cuddle with baby tigers, lemurs, kangaroos (surprisingly, my favorite) and zebras. I won't write anymore about it, I will let the pics do the talking for me.

This sweet baby tiger's name is Sandy. Absolutely precious!

Jason & I feeding Gia

This little guy, Boomer, was my FAVORITE! Thanks to him I want a baby kangaroo. I may or may not have looked online at how much they are going for & where I could get one. They are relatively cheap (all things considered). Only $1500 for a male. We must get a house with a 6 ft fence. lol

Lemurs

That female lemur was pretty mean to Arinya. She snatches the grass out of her mouth & popped her on the face. All the while, the kangaroo just looked at the lemur like she was insane. #TeamKangaroo

Seriously, I am obsessed. That's the first step. lol admitting it.

I kissed a kangaroo & I liked it!! #funnysonglyrics I am not ashamed either lol.

Boomer was trying to use my shirt as his mommy's pouch. He didn't quite fit.

Byyyeee sweet baby Gia. We <3 you!

I am almost as obsessed with this series as I am with all those baby animals you saw in those pictures.

I can't RAVE enough about this Beautiful Creatures #CasterChronicles series. In my opinion, it far surpasses any book series in it's category, yes, I even mean the Twilight series (and I did LOVE that series, too)! I am on Beautiful Chaos right now and so far, it is the best book in the series.

My excitement for the release of Beautiful Creatures the movie is overflowing. Don't forget to go see it on Feb. 14.

Beautiful Creatures isn't the only movie I want to see that day. Safe Haven is also premiering that day as well. Ohhh the choices.

Ok well, that's all I've got for now. I hope you are all having a very blessed week!

"God With Us" & Recipe for Oreo Truffles

To mar means to injure or damage; to spoil, disfigure, or impair. 

It's an accurate description of sin's effect on us.

As we approach Christmas, it's good to remember why Jesus was Born.

Jesus Christ's birth, prophesied by Isaiah, was divinely mortal. Conceived by the Holy Spirit, he was a child of the heavenly Father and a human mother, and nurtured in Mary's womb. Through this miracle, the reality of Immanuel, God with us, was fulfilled (see Isaiah 7:14).

If you believe Jesus was ONLY a man, you are mistaken. If you think of him as ONLY God, you are off-track. Jesus IS God who became human so that you can know him personally. He IS God with us, and his constant, divine presence is forever, always with you, no matter how alone you may feel.

The Son of God did not come to establish a nostalgic family-oriented, commercially successful holiday.

Christmas began with a present from God to His sin-damaged world.

Romans 6:23

The masterpiece of God's human creation, marred by turning away from Him, can be restored when we give our hearts to Christ.

Jesus came to earth to repair our sin-damaged lives.

OREO TRUFFLES

• 
  
  8 ounce package Double Stuff Oreo Cookies, finely crushed
  8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 
                                                       1  
  pound white baking chocolate, melted
  
  
  

  In a large bowl combine crushed cookies and cream cheese. Beat with mixer on low speed until well blended. Form 1-inch balls by hand. Put in freezer for 15 minutes. Dip balls in white chocolate; place on baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.

  
  

  Jason & I have been super busy (good busy) these last couple weeks. 

  
  

  Jason's 30th birthday was November 30! We celebrated in Mississippi with our family after Thanksgiving dinner. I have a couple pics to share from that wonderful time. 

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  I found this adorable"30 Sucks" idea on Pinterest. I was quite pleased with how it turned out. If anyone needs to know how to make it, please just leave a comment or message me & I will post a tutorial. 

  
  

  

  
  

  Uncle Buddy & Jason

  
  

  

  
  

  Aunt Debra & Uncle Buddy

  
  

  

  
  

  The 2 special men in my life <3

  
  

  

  
  

  Jason & Aunt Debra

  
  

  

  
  

  Jay Fox (my bestie) & I on Thanksgiving Day!

  
  
  

  

  
  

  Our Christmas Tree this year! It's our first Christmas Holidays as a married couple and we are so excited :)

  
  

  

  
  

  Sophie & Bella having a staring match over who gets to eat the antler.

  
  

  

  
  

  Sophie & Blanche playing.

  
  

  

  
  

  My sweet little angel baby, Gracie, helping me do dishes.

  
  

  Well I love you all & I pray you are all having a very blessed week.

  
  

  I will try to post some book recommendations soon :)