Her Children Arise And Call Her Blessed Proverbs 31:28

 This is what I woke up to this morning as my son Timmy left for work. Sometimes as mothers we wonder and get discouraged as we pour ourselves out for our children and give up our own wants and needs for the needs and wants of our children.  Being blessed with six children of an age span from 4 years up to 23 creates a challenge sometimes to find time for yourself, (as I type this I'm putting on a small rubber dress for Princess Bell for my little Lilybeth).  :-)
Often I wonder especially when they are in their teen and young adult life, will they ever understand how much we love them and how often we turn the other cheek. Reading this note and looking at these beautiful flower (it could have been weeds and I wouldn't have cared) I could do nothing but cry.  I was weary and discouraged and then God comes and blesses me in this gentle way through my son. 

  Thank you Lord

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Very Awesome Journal -- Part 1

Greetings subscribers, regular viewers, casual readers, and drop-ins.  My name is Timmy Bauer; I'm Gabriele's son.  She's allowing me to write this next post because this latest project was a collaborative effort (and by collaborative, I mean that it was an idea that I had that I would never have been able to accomplish to the degree of awesomeness that it now is without her expertise).

For those of you that haven't already seen (aka, those of you that are blind), my mom is a wizard with a sewing machine.  She'd never say that about herself, and I'm hoping that this statement doesn't get removed by her when she reads this before publishing.  Well, she is; and I knew that I would want/need her help for what I wanted to do.

How this project got started is, well, ever since I was 18 (three long years ago) I started writing in journals.  Although I used the term journal somewhat loosely on the beginning.  The first one was just one of those compact notebooks you use for school.  But it worked.  It's surprising what a stabilizing force a journal can be in a person's life.  There's something I realized over the years though, and that's that--shallow as this may sound--the way the journal is put together (how it feels, what it looks like, etc.) does have an influence on the kind of writing that goes into it.  The majority of my intimate thoughts and struggles are found in sturdy, but soft binding that clasps shut.  I don't know why it works that way, but it has.

Well I just ran out of pages on my old, use-torn journal, and was having a really hard time finding a new one (for cheap... I'm a college student).  So I decided to make one.  My girlfriend helped by printing the pages (it is surprisingly impossible to find paper with vertical lines instead of horizontal).  I figured out a really good way to bind the pages together (basically, some folding in half, some hot glue, staples, and a strip of fabric), but I needed help with the cover.  That's where my mom comes in.

We started with some old leather from a pair of chaps that doesn't fit me anymore (I ride horses... and a motorcycle).  I pulled out the stitching and basically took the whole thing apart.  Then we worked on piecing together the design that I wanted.  My mom won't say this, but she's incredibly good at improvising a pattern in the moment.

It isn't completely done yet.  I'll be back to post part 2 when it's all finished.

Thanks for reading,
--Timmy

When Beautiful Sassy meet's Sunrise Kiwi

When I made my first apron Beautiful Sassy in hot pink, my daughter Stefi fell in love with it instantly. I decided then that I would make her one for Christmas. Her best friend Shelly also liked it very much (more so my son, who is her boyfriend). For Shelly's apron, I bought lime colored satin since she likes green.  And thus "Sunrise Kiwi," the newest addition to the collection, was born.

 Since both girls love to cook and bake and spend time in the kitchen, it was the perfect gift.

A New Year's Giveaway "A Lovely Baby Cakes Apron"

Here is my first giveaway for 2011!

This is one of the most alluring and sought after pieces that I have made.  It is a lovely, sassy little apron similar to this version, only this time in cute baby blue!  The fabric of the apron is sturdy enough to handle any kitchen mess you might make, and pretty enough for you to look great making it! ;)

One of the great things about this apron is that it is designed to compliment just about any body type.  Also, I have designed this apron with comfort in mind.  It is designed in such a way so that it does not put pressure on the back of the neck or shoulders.  The weight of the apron is distributed comfortably and evenly, utilizing the wearers whole body frame. So if you're like me and you love to make delicious creations in the kitchen, or if you're simply looking to improve your culinary skills, why shouldn't you look and feel great doing it?

So just take a minute to place your entry in this limited time giveaway and prepare to look and feel great in the kitchen!

Here's all you have to do:   You can also enter by leaving a comment on my late night boutique                                                       facebook  Here , and I will enter you into the drawing.

Step 1:  Post a status update on Facebook saying that you just entered into this giveaway (be sure to include a link to this post).
It could be something as simple as "just entered Gabriele Mia's baby cakes apron giveaway and hopes she wins! take a look here:  http://latenightboutique.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-years-giveaway-lovely-baby-cakes.html"

Step 2:  Post a comment on this blog post saying that you did it.

Step 3:  Check back on January 4th at 11:00 pm when I announce the winner (chosen at random using random.com)

Bonus!:  For an extra entry you can like my page on Facebook here.  Or if you're already have, you can click "suggest to friends" underneath the profile picture and select at least 5 friends.  Be sure to leave a second comment on this blog post saying you did it!

Thank you and happy posting!

--Gabriele Mia

Homemade Pizza

 This is my second try on homemade pizza; the first one was a sad story. My crust had no taste so I thought I would try to come up with a new healthy choice for pizza dough.  Last time the dough was the biggest issue - no taste.  This time I focused on making the dough with more flavor.  It was a big hit and so tasty .

 Roll your dough out as thin as you can, place it on a greased pizza stone and poke with a fork. Let it sit for 10 min.

 I used tomato sauce with basil to pour onto the rolled out pizza dough. Spread out evenly. Top with cheese and your favorite toppings. Sprinkle some more cheese on top and bake in the oven on 400 for 15 to 20 minutes or until done.

 4 cups of sifted wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons Italian season
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 3/8 cup water
2 tablespoons of honey and 2 tablespoons of olive oil
                                                    

I used my bread machine on my pizza setting and then rolled it out, but you can use your dough setting if you don't have a pizza setting.

Honey Almond Butter

This is a wonderful gift for your neighbors or friends for any occasion. I sometimes bring a loaf of my homemade bread and this delicious almond butter to potlucks or my neighbors. It is always a hit,  and followed by a requests for the recipe.

 This is what the consistency of the almond butter looks like, when it is combined.

 1 cup butter, softened ( I use fresh homemade butter)
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup confectioner sugar ( I use organic powder sugar it is made from cane sugar and not so sweet, you can get it at publix )
3/4 cup finely ground almonds
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Grind the almonds in a food processor (so that you have 3/4 of a cup of ground almonds ). In a bowl combine all ingredients and mix well. Keep refrigerated. 

                   It really makes a lovely Gift!

Lemon " Ruehr Kuchen"

 This " Kuchen" was baked almost every day in my house as I was growing up. It is delicious and easy to make. My friend Toni gave me some very large lemons from her lemon tree and I decided to make this cake.
My dear German friend Helga just the other day gave me this beautiful clay and glazed cake mold. She told me she had it for over 40 years and it was hanging on her kitchen wall as decor and never used. What a precious gift! Thank you Helga.

 It is so beautiful and everything you bake in it comes out perfect.

 2 cups wheat flour ( or any flour )
 2 teaspoon baking powder
 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

 1 pkg. 8oz cream cheese or sour cream or joghurt
1 cup butter or coconut oil or olive oil
1 1/2 cups cane sugar
4 eggs
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
 Mix cream cheese with butter until blended. Beat in sugar until smooth.
Add eggs. Beat until light and fluffy. Add lemon juice, lemon rind and vanilla.
Slowly stir in flour mixture. Mix well, the batter will be heavy.
Grease a 8 to 10 cups capacity tube-type pan.
Bake at 325 for 1 hour.
Place on rack to cool thoroughly. Dust with powder sugar if you like.

I hope you will enjoy making this yummy cake. Everyone in my family likes it!

Take -A- Long Coloring Pouch

 As I was thinking about what I could do for my little ones in church when they need to be quiet. I thought this was a nice solution to an activity they could do individually. It's all in one place and easy to take a long. I also like the size since their little laps can't hold much without it sliding down to the floor. Tristan likes to be creative and enjoys blank pages more then coloring books so he is super exited about his new take a long
coloring pouch.

It is easy for him to handle and opens and closes with a sew on velcro.

Oh So Cute Snack Bags

 Lilybeth and I went shopping with our friends today and I received so many compliments on these lovely snack bags.  So I decided to make more for others to enjoy them as well.

 I  took them with me and filled them with some snacks and a water bottle for Lilybeth. I think the next time I will put some handles on these snack bags, so she can carry them herself.

More Eco-Friendly Re-usable Bread Bags

 These lovely bread bags are a wonderful addition to your kitchen,  not to mention a great gift to any occasion. 

 The bread bags are eco-friendly and washable just toss into your washer and re-use again :)

 The Bread will stay fresh up to three days, and the look so pretty on your counter.

 Everyone of these bread are for sale in my Etsy Shop