Fluffy Chocolate Frosting

This frosting is so light and fluffy and delicious!
It reminds me of a tastykake chocolate junior. only better.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

recipe from Allrecipes

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

(I like to add a small pinch of salt)

Directions
In a medium bowl, sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa, and set aside.


In a large bowl, cream butter until smooth, then gradually beat in sugar mixture alternately with evaporated milk. Blend in vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. If necessary, adjust consistency with more milk or sugar.

Project Status: Completed... finally

Truckload of topsoil has been shoveled.

Mountain of mulch (that still didn't go far enough) has been spread.

New berm created (to replace lost grass)

Walkway extended (for better footpath)

Perennials divided and relocated. (for low budget goal)

(billions) of weeds pulled

Watering system in place. (sort of)

Chicken wire installed (not soon enough for some plants)

Two (4' x 8') Square Foot Raised bed created (one for herbs and veggies and one as a cutting garden)

Leftover pieces of sod from daughter used to patch lawn.

Wheelbarrow and shovels returned to their place in the shed.

Knee pads and work gloves stowed.

Time required for project:  grossly underestimated.

South side of house with ginormous Trumpet vine planted just for hummingbirds (and privacy).

I have had climbing roses, grapes, Morning Glories and Clematis on the arbor by the door and eventually everything loses its vigor.  I just cut to the ground a clematis and already see new growth bursting forth.     

I pulled out my Flowering Almond too.

(It was located between the two bottom windows)

It is most beautiful covered in tiny pink flowers in the early spring (that last for a week) but then just looks untidy and unattractive for the rest of the year.

It has a new home in a less noticeable place in the back yard.

Flowering Almond

(Eastern Exposure ~ back of house) Small cutting garden currently filled with one of my favorite... Cleome.

These pretty flowers self-seed. I gathered some tiny

plant-lets from the back and transplanted them here.

Next spring I will give more attention to what I might grow.

This old wheelbarrow has many miles on it!  It has hauled dirt, mulch, fireplace wood every fall and quite a few kids in its lifetime.

This is the back edge of our property. The wheelbarrow is parked right in front of our tiny pond that we fill with goldfish.

(North side) Hydrangeas just beginning to bloom.

With all of those buds it looks like it will be an abundant year.

The beginning (April)

May progress

Finished end of June!

All hard work brings a profit, 

but mere talk leads only to poverty.

Proverbs 14:23

Another Wedding and a Night of Dancing!

Yes, another wonderful celebration of the marriage of a sweet, young couple. Did I mention John and I have been invited to "7" weddings this year. Three of which I have been asked to photograph. (Not this one but I just can't pass up an opportunity to shoot some photos!) Yesterday was the wedding of John's cousin's daughter.

The service

First dance

 The Ceremony

 The two men of her life

 Cousins and Family

How fun to spend an evening with the people you grew up with!  John had the best time and a lot of laughs with his cousins remembering their childhood adventures and antics.  Many stories told before were just as delightful as ever (especially the ones about his older cousins babysitting him).
How did it happen that we are all now becoming the oldest generation???
Wasn't it just a few years ago that we were attending each other's weddings?

An added joy was having our son-in-law's family there too.

That handsome couple in the top right photo are Josh's parents.

The other Poppy and Grammy to Keri, Noah, Silas, Caleb & Cambrie

♥

 

 

 The last dance of the evening, John's cousin grabbed my camera and took this shot of us on the dance floor. It is a little flashed out but still special to me.

My beloved danced, not just every slow dance but almost every fast dance with me.

I am so in love with him!

No matter that our feet and calf muscles are sore today...

last night was perfect!