"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 1 Cor 15:55

 What a wonderful day we have to celebrate!  I love these words found in 1 Corinthians because they are a reminder of Christ's glorious resurrection and the comfort each believer can take in knowing that we are forever alive in Christ! How I anticipate the day when I see those believers who have gone before me in heaven, that the Gloria who my little one is named for is whole and healed and with the Lord.  The beauty of spring surrounds me today and helps me to lift my eyes upward and rejoice for all the new life that thrives during this time of year. The flowers blooming and the birds singing, I am so grateful for these natural gifts God has blessed us with.

This week I spent a good bit of time in the kitchen and experienced some triumphs and some failures!  The orange poppyseed tea bread came out sinfully delicious!  I tell you, once I start eating it I can't stop!  One batch of whole wheat and flax pancakes came out just so-so while the one I made this morning was much improved (thanks to a few substitutions).  The Kahlua brownie triffle sent me flying back to horrid chemistry lab days when you realize near the end of completing your concoction that you forgot a pivotal step.  In this instance I had layered the triffle brownie-cool whip-heath bar three times over and then opened the fridge just to find I had left the pudding chilling in the fridge.  Yes!  The very pudding which is supposed to be smothered between the brownie and cool whip layers.  I'd like to blame this on "pregnancy brain" (or maybe the Kahlua?) but I know better.  This is a typical mistake for me!  I also made pineapple casserole for a neighborhood gathering and despite my husbands upturned nose, I was glad to see many people were brave enough to try it!  I had never had it before moving to the South, although I am not sure if it is considered a southern dish.  I assure you- if you like pineapple you will find this to be a delicious dish! I've included a few of the recipes below:

Orange Poppyseed Tea Bread

1 1/2 c all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp poppyseeds

2 tsp orange zest

1/2 cup butter softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

Glaze:  1/3 cup powdered sugar, 2 tbsp fresh OJ, 1 tsp orange zest

Preheat oven to 325, grease bottom of loaf pan.  Combine flour, baking powder, salt, seeds and zest.  In a separate bowl beat butter on high speed 30 sec, add sugar and beat 3 minutes until light and fully.  Add vanilla, add eggs one at a time beating 30 sec after each.  Add 1/3 of flour mixture beating on low speed.  Add 1/2 the sour cream, add another 1/3 of flour mixture then the rest of the sour cream.  Once all the flour is added, pour until pan and bake for 60-65 minutes.  Brush glaze over top while cooling. 

Pineapple Cheddar Casserole

20 oz can pineapple chunks

3 tbsp flour, sugar and melted butter

1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cup crushed Ritz crackers

Drain pineapple and reserve 3 tbsp pineapple juice.  Arrange pineapple on the bottom of greased 1 1/2 qt casserole dish.  Stir together flour and sugar and sprinkle over pineapple.  Drizzle pineapple juice over the top.  Cover top with cheddar cheese.  Mix together the crushed crackers and melted butter and spread over cheese.  Bake covered at 350 for 15 min, uncover and bake 10 more minutes.  I found that the cheese was not melted quite enough so I would continue to bake until you don't see many shreds of cheese.

In the sewing department I was able to start and finish making my homemade nursing cover thanks to http://www.prudentbaby.com/2010/01/diy-nursing-cover.html.  Being the novice sewer that I am, I of course ran into some difficulties.  Also, I found a few nursing covers at Target  anywhere from 10-12 dollars.  Considering the fabric, boning and d-rings I bought (plus the tantrums my husband endured) I am not sure that I would recommend making these regularly when they can be purchased for about the same price.  The advantage is that you can choose the specific fabric you want and make matching accessories.  I suppose I also gained the self-satisfaction of knowing I have learned at least the basics of how to sew a small project.  I would love to make another one with matching burpcloth for a friend so perhaps I will work up the nerve and stamina to do so this summer.

And last but not least....Dresser 2 has reached completion!  Voila!


I am thinking of adding a pattern from her bedding to the drawers but want to get dresser 1 done first.