Celebrating Love.....

Ben and Kelsey had a beautiful wedding this weekend and the following day, we celebrated the folks 48th wedding anniversary.  Brian and Kristin joined a host of aunts and uncles and cousins along with Andy and Anna and the kids.  It was a great weekend!

I had the privilege of baking the cakes for the festivities.  We took 10 sheet cakes to the wedding and a small wedding cake for them to cut for the photos.  That was a first for me.  I showed Kelsey a few photos of cakes decorated with a rose design.  I have done 'rose' cupcakes before but not a cake.  I watched a how to Youtube a few minutes before I decorated it.  I sprinkled on a few groupings of pearl candies (which do not show in the photo).  They were pleased with it and that is all that matters.  =)

 I was thankful that I ordered boards and boxes to transport all the cakes.  They had planned on having the cakes cut in 30 pieces each, but the caterers cut them in the traditional 48 pieces.  They had four cakes left.  I made 5 marble and 5 white almond wedding cakes.  The rose cake was also white almond wedding cake and I made it into 4 layers (cutting each oval in half with floss) so it would be taller.

 I had some batter left over from the marble cakes so I made a marble sheet cake to take to the anniversary and frosted it with chocolate frosting.  The anniversary cake is also white almond wedding cake.  I used that recipe to make Annette and Chris' cupcakes a couple years ago.  That recipe is on here, I'm pretty sure.  This was all buttercream frosting.  The cupcakes had a whipped frosting.  Both are really good.  Karen (Wilhelm), Kristin and I frosted all the cakes on Friday.  That worked well.  We had 10 sheets frosted by noon.  I then frosted the wedding cake and baked the last sheet cake for the anniversary and frosted it with white and the palest of pink roses.  Lots of memories made this weekend... 

The Nest Emptying...Old Family Photos..

I am switching out some of my 8x10 layouts in my photo screen and as I was looking in the album that I put them in after they spend their time in the screen, I came across these old family photos. We all look so young here and I am thankful that my nest emptied slowly ...
....and I am also thankful that we still have Michael here to keep us thoroughly entertained... =)
I gave the guys haircuts tonight and Michael didn't think he needed one just yet. I told him he needs to look nice for his jobs.............he told me he looks nice enough... =)

We did the haircuts anyway. I am glad he doesn't realize that if he really didn't want to do something .....there is probably not a whole lot I could do about it... =)

He is a lot of fun, and is still very obedient....he might walk off grumbling about it under his breath....but he always gets his chores done and in the end, does what we ask of him...

Steve has been working in the shop for days on the planter. We are very close to starting. The ground temperature is still a little too cold and the soil a bit to wet yet, but maybe by the end of the week.

.......And I just remembered as I was grabbing those family photos that I never did post a photo of the cookies that Alison helped me decorate! I did not want to reveal them before the wedding rehearsal, so I'll just post them here... They were so fun to decorate! =)

Sip

Marty, this was one of my favorites of your photos as well! I am trying to get some pages for a 'brag book' for my purse and this was the first one I got done. This graphic isn't exactly wedding looking...but it reminds me soooo much of Toots! =)

graphics by shabbyMissJenn and font is cheryl's hand

Wedding Photos from Marty

What a treat to find a DVD laying with my things on my pew at church this morning! These are not even all that he took, I just thought I grab some to post....

Thanks so much Carolyn and Marty for all of the help last weekend and for the DVD!! =)

Had to snag these from miss R... =)

I had to snag these photos from miss R. I love how Aunt Kristin fixed up Smiley's hair. It stayed so pretty, even with all the dancing and playing the little girls did.... They were so cute together all day. Forgive me for bragging, but I DO think we have the corner on cute with our grandbabies....hehehehe
They loved the cake...or should I say...the frosting.... =) Cami's hair looked so pretty, too! She has all those beautiful curls to hold that pretty scrunchie right in place =)

Thanks Renae....it is so fun to see everyone's photos...can't wait for the DVD to arrive!! =)

More Wedding Photos =) (thanks for sharing Cheryl)

The glow of the candles were beautiful, but doesn't even compare to the glow of that beautiful bride coming down the isle to meet her groom. What a day.....God has blessed....
Happy Moms!
I always cry when my kids sing...Andy, the song was beautiful ...."You Raise Me Up"
another fun shot..... =)
Ma and Pa... =)
That cake not only looked beautiful...it was absolutely delicious!
just look at those beautiful girls! =)


I thank my God every time I remember you.
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you
will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:3-6

Photos by Dave Davidson PICTURE PERFECT WEDDINGS

Frame and ribbon by mojackson

Pre Wedding..... Beautiful Videos and Music!

These videos are on Cheryl's blog as well (mama of the bride..). I snagged them from her! =)

Dave Davidson of Picture Perfect Weddings from Des Moines, Iowa did the photography for Brian and Amy's wedding. It was so fun watching him get so many of these snaps. He took over 3000 photos and I can't wait to see every last one of them!! =)

Wedding

At Meyer's Castle

How cool is this?!

If you have followed the kids' story at all, Brian proposed to Amy in front of the History wall in at the St. John Public Safety Building (which also houses the police station =) last January.

Well....Amy's mom, Cheryl, emailed the city offices and told them the story, and they had their names and date of the proposal engraved on some bricks in the wall.

A limo picked up the kids after the reception and drove them to the wall, and the newspaper was there waiting for them (and a policeman to tell them they could not park there..hehehe) and they had their photo taken and the bricks shown to them..as a wedding gift from the city. We got some copies of the Sunday paper before we left town, so we could have the article as well. So many special memories made and we are so thankful for the beautiful weekend they had and hope they have a wonderful honeymoon as well!!

I can't wait to see all the photos, Cheryl!!....We'll be like kids in a candy store, won't we???

The Beautiful Wedding Weekend! =)

Grab a cup of coffee...if you want to see every last one..this is going to take a while. Mind you...these are only the ones I took...with a little help from Daut....

The photographer took some 3000 and is giving the rights to use .....hang on...when the kids get those.....oh, my..I can't wait!! =)