365-96 Diva-licious cupcakes

A couple of weeks ago I saw a notice for a cupcake class at a fancy kitchen store. It was just for the afternoon and cost more than what i would normally pay but the cupcakes sounded divine! Boston Cream, Banana with caramel frosting and one-bowl chocolate (yum!) cupcakes. And i thought maybe the price would include a cool gadget or something.
So i signed up. There were about 6 people there and we each got to particpate in making the cupcakes - either by stirring the batter, adding flour, eggs, etc. Then while they baked we were invited to shop with our special 10% discount.
Afterwards when the cupcakes were ready we got to frost and put together. The Boston Cream cupcakes were easy. Just slice the cupcake in half. Add whip cream to the center and cover with the top half that is dipped in chocolate ganache/frosting just prior to topping. The Caramel frosting for the Banana cupcakes started to separate (the butter from the sugar/caramel) because it was a little warm. Per our teacher it should remain very cold up until time to use/eat. They were all quite yummy and we got to bring home copies of the recipes and instructions. With the money i paid for the class i could have bought 2 cookbooks and a couple of cool kitchen gadgets but would i have gone and made the cupcakes and had the fun i had on my own? no -- so it was all good. And we did get to bring a few of the cupcakes home also.

Of Church and Priests and such.

An old school mate of my husband’s came to visit the other day. They/we hadn’t seen each other in at least 20 years. He lives in Mexico and as he “graduated” from their school he is a priest and has been moved a couple of times. So he no longer has his parish close to my husband’s home town. Yes my husband also attended the seminary for many years until one day he decided to try and cross the border to earn some money for books and tuition to continue going to school. He was about 20 years old and once he got over here, he enjoyed the freedom and ease with which one could earn money, how easily he found a job earning minimum wage but living a good life with that small amount. As we have been married over 27 years needless to say he did not return to the Seminary. One other schoolmate (among others I’m sure) also did not finish and is now married with a family and living in Houston. They did not have the commitment and desire of a priestly life and it was well they realized early on. I wonder though if my husband’s family had been able to pay for all his schooling, he wouldn’t have left to earn money, would have he continued and eventually become a priest? And thus have ended up like Father Cutie?
As all the escandalo unfolds with Padre Alberto Cutie [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOcsa9XzcSU] – I wonder again why there is not a better system in place in regards to the education and formation of priests. The Catholic Church can be so strict and has so many guidelines, yet just because someone goes through the studies and agrees to all the rules, it seems these are the main things encouraged for them. I do not necessarily agree that they must be celibate but can certainly see how hard it would be to be married and have a family when you want/agreed to dedicate your life to the church and God’s teachings so for that reason alone it makes sense. Would a wife be able to handle her husband spending all his time at church, visiting hospitals, sick people, etc. I mean they have no other life but the church. Of the priests I’ve known, that is what they do – and out of those very few seem to have that speaking ability that I think is also very essential. And the couple I have ended up finding and loved to listening to - end up leaving the church because they are not able to be celibate anymore. And it is so unfortunate because these are the priests that were encouraging and motivating people to come to church and would use everyday happenings and teach how they relate to God and the bible and how we in turn can become better people. Mass was always super packed when these priests were around.
Just this Sunday I became so frustrated with all the crying and whining of all the children (and so sorry to say it was our raza who once again do not make their kids behave and are rude). The priest did not appear to be in a good mood as he was very somber and did not like how the little altar server girl was helping him (poor thing probably won’t be doing that service anymore). Plus he rushed through the prayers and spoke very monotone and his accent was hard to understand at times. With all the distractions going on the Mass might as well have been in Latin for all the good I got out of it. Surely speech classes are given in the Seminary, this one must have skipped out on a few. I think a passion for the Lord’s work and gospel should definitely be a requirement, plus a love of people and desire to help humanity. I know I’m not the only one whose opinion is to get rid of the celibacy rule and let’s get some priests who love what they do and can inspire our young people (all of us really) to go to church and learn about the bible. I get so sad when my desire to learn and hear God’s word ends up taking me to another church and events because I’m not getting what I need from my own religion/church.

BeepBeep

Yesterday I attended a class to learn how to work my new sewing machine. Although I had experimented at home with it, it kept beeping and stopping. Upon checking the owner’s manual, it went into a long drawn out explanation that gave the impression the beeping had to do with the settings. I was so glad when yesterday I started sewing in class and it began giving me the same problem. The teacher at first was just as perplexed. So she adjusted the thread somewhat. Still beeped. She took the thread out altogether and rethreaded the whole thing. Beeping stopped. As the class progressed I noticed a little tab peeking out from underneath my machine. Unsure if i might break something i none the less pulled on it. Low and behold it was a little trouble-shooting cheat sheet! And there under number 19 (a little light flashed on stitch number 19 when it beeped) it mentioned “may need to readjust threading”.
I also learned that i didn’t have to follow the instructions per letter in the owner’s manual for my bobbin. The book gave a complicated process that i was having trouble with. The teacher said i could do it like i’ve always done, just wind the loose end about 5-7 times around the bobbin and go. worked just fine. I’m such a rule follower that it makes me nervous to try something new, different. What am i afraid of? i don’t know, it’s something i’m working to overcome - sometimes the rules can be broken with no harm done. This is what i’m hoping to work on by quilting. Yes there are certain rules but doesn’t appear so when it comes to fabric - Colors do not need to match - it can be as wild and as funky as i want it to be. looking forward to these experiments.

What's a Thangle?

Thangles, dayglo tape, blocks, triangles on a roll. These are just some of the new terms I learned last night at my quilting class and yes dayglo tape is exactly what it sounds like. A roll of brightly colored tape used to mark our rulers (at least that’s what we did last night) in the various positions needed to keep track of where we will be measuring and cutting for different widths of cloth. I’m sure it has other uses but we haven’t learned them yet. And triangles on a roll are just that – a big roll of paper triangles to use as patterns to cut the fabric. How cool is that! We will be using Thangles instead of triangles on a roll which are basically the same thing except they come in strips instead of on a roll, but the lesson on how to actually use them will be next week.
Quilting, I (and my classmates) are learning is turning into an expensive little adventure, especially for those of us who also just purchased sewing machines. In addition to the above we needed thread, cutting mats, rotary cutters, pins, seam ripper and a quilt ruler. Having sewed off and on through the years I did have some of these supplies but not all. We also learned to never, ever leave our cutting mat in the car. A class mate left hers and by the time she got in the car to come to class it had bent out of shape from the heat (and it wasn’t even a very hot day). Now she has to purchase a new one and at $25 her cost in this venture has just gone up.
But all in all, we will take away a valuable skill and an item that will last for years to come –as will most of the supplies with proper care – and that is what we are anticipating. By the end of the class we should all be very familiar with quilt-speak.

The thread goes where?

Well, I’ve taken out the new machine to familiarize myself with all it’s fancy gadgets and workings. After several tries I was finally able to get my bobbin threaded after spending a few minutes figuring out the example drawn in the instruction book, yet I still don’t think I’m doing it quite right. It kept getting tangled up on the bobbin and ending up in a big mess that definitely would not work. So I managed to figure out a way to get the thread on there tight and managed to thread the machine. I then went through some old scrap material I still had (I keep everything!) to test some of the stitches. It sews beautifully!
However as I went through the various stitches, the machine kept making a beeping noise and stopping. Apparently it is factory set and although I moved the knobs to adjust the stitch length, it still keeps beeping. This will be very annoying if it does this while I’m in my quilting class so I found a class for next Monday morning – lesson 1 to learn how to work my machine. I had already been through this series of classes with my previous machine and now I’m back at square one.
Well it will be worth it, this has some really neat stitch options – ivy and starbursts among others and I can’t wait to use them on upcoming projects.

Reviving an old hobby..

A few years ago I purchased a new sewing machine. I had sewn a lot when my kids were young making nursery items and as they grew I also sewed their play clothes and Halloween costumes. As I began working full time and the kids got busy with activities I no longer had time to pursue this hobby. Attending the state fair one year I came across a sewing exhibition that featured all sorts of sewing machines. I became inspired and later went to my nearest Joann's crafgt store and purchased one hoping to get back into sewing if nothing else for mending clothes and the like. I became so frustrated with trying to figure out how to get the bobbin to work I gave up and set it aside. The machine sat there for a couple of years gathering dust until a few weeks ago when I came across some free beginner sewing classes at the store where I purchased the machine. I became excited about sewing again and using their embroidery equipment and my machine for the embellishment made this little Easter drawstring bag. I did get a little discouraged when the fanciest stitch I had on my machine was this little double zig zag. Everyone else had much fancier machines with stitch options such as ivy, hearts, swirls, etc. Needless to say I was easily swayed to purchase an upgrade of my machine to get some fancier stitches. I found a place called The Old Craft Store that teaches beginners to quilt and can't wait to use my new machine and begin sewing in earnest again. My mother used to love to sew and I wish she had the confidence to attend classes like these to get back into it as well and so she can make new friends. That was something that really stood out to me that in the classes I attended and even when visiting The Old Craft Store, I saw no Latina's or anyone from any other culture. Growing up many women from our family and my mother's circle of friends sewed so it's bizarre to me that I see very few women of other culture's at craft stores (and I live in a large multi-cultural city). It's so satisfying to work on something that eventually comes together into something that can be used or worn for generations to come. Perhaps I'll get my mother to come along, she would like the mother/daughter time anyway.