Lots of Cake

As Rebecca said, you've brought me lots of joy because next week I'll baking, baking, baking... and then more baking! Sounds like fun to me! Thanks for the Thanksgiving cake orders! I think I'm all booked for the week. As much as I'd like to, I don't think I can squeeze anymore in. But I'm already taking orders for December, so get your order in quickly! Well, I'm off to find a place for 10 pounds of flour and sugar... do you think that will be enough?!

By the way, didn't you love Rebecca's guest post? She was too kind about my cakes, but I'm thankful that she was willing to share her thoughts with you. I think she'll be back very soon, so be looking out for her next post. I know you'll enjoy it!

Guest Postest With the Mostest...

LOVE FOR JOY'S CAKES!!!

Here's a guest post from Rebecca...

Hi Everyone!
I am the biggest fan ever of Joy and her baking! I am so excited she has chosen to share her gift with us to allow us help support Yancy's Sudan trip! Since I have tasted all of her baking (and consider myself to be an expert food critic...Food Network should be calling any minute!), I volunteered to report on each of the cakes:
1) Peanut butter cake - Oh my Lord! This is one of the first of Joy's cakes I remember tasting, and it is one of my all-time favorites. Joy says that it is a consistent cake...that it always comes out the same every time she bakes it. I also say it is consistent - CONSISTENTLY INCREDIBLE! Moist and so rich, if you and your family are not allergic to peanuts, you should purchase this cake!!
2) Toasted coconut cake - This cake is Yancy's favorite, and I love it too! I know people are either for or against coconut, but I say be for it!! It is multi-layered and fluffy, and the icing is so good. Plus, this is a classic for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Try it out!!
3) Red Velvet Cake - Another CLASSIC! You know how the icing of red velvet cake has pecans in it? The thing I love about Joy's version is that she chops her pecans very finely. It makes for a great icing consistency...there's that word again! Yum! Bring it on!
4) Chocolate cake - Okay. So if you were questionable about peanut butter or coconut, who doesn't love chocolate?! This cake is an incredible white cake with a yummy chocolate icing. Excuse me...I just had to wipe drool off my mouth.
5) Caramel apple cake - I just had the pleasure of trying this newest of Joy's creation, and it may be overtaking peanut butter!! Seriously y'all, it is 2 layers of moist, dense apple cake (made with red and green apples to provide wonderfully balanced flavors) and iced with caramel icing that is perfect! It is another wonderfully Fall cake. I am about to go get my second piece for the evening! (Notice I did not say my last!)

As I close my food analysis for the evening, let me remind you that Joy is only charging $25 for these made-from-scratch, delicious, made-with-love cakes! After you taste yours, you may want to pay more. (Remember all proceeds go to Yancy's trip!) And what is so crazy to me is that Joy LOVES to bake these cakes!! So if you place an order, you will not only be contributing to a great cause, you will be bringing JOY to JOY!

Thanks for allowing me to make you really hungry...I'm going to close and go get my second piece of caramel apple cake!

Good evening!
Rebecca

Cakes for Sudan!

As most of you know, God has given Yancy a heart for the people of Sudan. He's been thinking about going on a mission trip there for a while and has finally decided to go in March! I'm so excited for him because I know that he's wanted to go for so long. Yancy will be a part of a team of 6-8 and they will do discipleship training and hopefully some medical work too. As you can imagine, this will be an expensive trip. So since I love to bake, I am going to start selling some cakes to contribute to his trip. Anything I make over the cost of the ingredients will go directly to Four Corners Ministries for his trip. I've been debating the best way to do this and I've settled on just taking orders. I'll need about a week's notice and I'll have a few cakes to choose from. All cakes will be $25. And if you need some persuading, I have some references on standby! Call me!

PS... A big shout-out to Rebecca for helping me with the flyer! I'm terrible at that kind of thing and she's terrific! I'm not sure if you can tell or not, but it has cakes in the background! :) Thanks, Rebecca!

What a Weekend!

*This is a LONG post*
From the first time that we met Bullen and Andrew, we've been telling them about the National Peanut Festival. And this weekend we got to share that experience with them! I don't think they had any idea what to expect, but I know they had a great time! On our way into town Friday night, we stopped and had dinner with my family. It was hectic, as always, with 3 busy little boys, but I'm very thankful that my family got to meet our dear friends. My Dad asked them what their favorite thing about being in America was and they both said, "school!" Can you believe that?! They are so grateful to be getting an education.

We left my parents' house and went to Yancy's parents' house where Yancy's Dad had been smoking pork butts all day. Bullen and Andrew got to "shoot the bull" and wait for the pork. (They think that saying is so funny!) We also had boiled and raw peanuts while we waited. They prefer them raw. Saturday, we relaxed and ate A LOT! In between the eating, my Mom helped them with their math homework. They were so kind to her and kept saying that she is "the smartest one." I thought that was so nice. And Mom said they they are doing great with their algebra, just needed some guidance. Cynthia and Harold were the perfect hosts, as always. They both worked hard preparing all the food. We had bbq, brunswick stew, corn, beans, and veggies. Jerri made a delicious mac n cheese with crushed Cheez-Its on top... my favorite! I was full all weekend. And then we sat around the fire, telling stories and visiting.Then on to the excitement... the fair! Even with all the talk about the fair, they still didn't know what to expect. I think they were expecting a show, but they were not disappointed. We got them on the farris wheel and bumper cars. And Yancy finally talked Andrew into riding the Indy 500, a little roller coaster.
And who can go to the fair and not eat?!?! We had the best corn dogs ever from The Corn Dog Man and, of course, I had to have an elephant ear. It's not the fair to me without one!

Sunday, they had the opportunity to speak at my home church in Dothan and then at AUMC here in Auburn. They did an awesome job! Their testimonies are so powerful! I meant to take pictures, but I was listening and forgot. Oh, well... I think I took enough pictures... I told you this was a long post! It was a really great weekend!

Come hear Andrew & Bullen!

Hey, Dothan Friends! Our Sudanese friends, Andrew and Bullen, are going to be sharing their testimonies on Sunday morning at my home church. You can read about them here and here. They are such a blessing and are so good at helping me keep things in perspective. I know you'll be blessed by their stories and their faith in God! Come out at 9:30 to First Free Will Baptist Church on the corner of Honeysuckle and Hwy 52. Hope to see you there! :)

A COLD, But Fun Weekend!

We had a great weekend! Yancy's aunt and uncle came to visit and we always enjoy our time together! Friday afternoon, we went to the raptor center. They do a presentation on Friday before every home. All of you Auburn folks should check it out!! We even got to see Spirit up close and personal. I didn't have my camera, so no pics of it, but it was fun. Saturday, we spent the day debating how many layers of clothing we were going to need to keep warm for the game. We were almost right! We pretty much froze the whole game, even with lots of layers and blankets. By the time the game was over, my legs were frozen from the knees down!! The game was awful, but at least we were with great company!

Livin' on the Plains

Well, I can't believe I haven't announced this yet, but... we're staying in Auburn! Praise the Lord! Yancy found out a couple of weeks ago that they're going to let him stay here and work. YAY! We took the sign out of the yard that day! It's such an answer to prayer, just not the answer we thought we'd get. We have loved living in Auburn and are so thankful to be able to stay! We have such great friends, great neighbors, a great church, and on and on and on. To be honest, I was shocked that God answered our prayer. I know that sounds awful, but we had been praying for so long and it just was not the answer I expected. Anyway, we are thrilled and look forward to many more happy times on the plains!!