Help me decide!

For Christmas my dad spoiled me and supplied me with the means to purchase the KitchenAid stand mixer of my choice.  After much deliberation (for the last 6 weeks) and visiting multiple websites and stores, I am still at a loss!  I want to get it right because this thing is going to be around for a long time.  I've finally decided on a model, the 5 quart Artisan Series, but I still can't pick a color.  The real problem is that every color renders differently depending on the website, so I'm not really sure what any of them are going to look like in real life.  I've gone to look in stores, but they only ever seem to have red, white, black, and silver.

From Bed, Bath, and Beyond, I like the colors Ice...

and Tangerine...

On Macy's site I like Pistachio...

and now Cinnamon.

How in the world am I going to choose?  I need your help.  Now, I can't promise that I'll choose the most popular color, but it will definitely influence my decision.

Things that may influence your decision:

• My kitchen has each these colors (and many more) in the decor.  
• I don't intend to leave this thing out on the counter.  I can't stand a cluttered counter, and since I have the cabinet space I will be putting it away.
• I want a color that makes me feel bright and happy when I see it.  I want to pull it out of the cabinet and smile, not just because I'm about to make something delicious, but because I'm using this happy-looking machine.
• No, I really don't want white, black, or silver.  Yes, they may be a little more classic and timeless in appearance, but I'm going for pure joy here, people! 
• For some strange reason, I feel like the color I choose says something about me and I'm having a mild identity crisis.  

Which color are YOU?  (Browse many more color options here.)  Maybe you've already found your perfect color like my friend, Keli, who is SO Empire Red.  

Which one of these would you pick for me? Halp!

It runs in the family.

The women in my family are notoriously good cooks. Both my grandmothers, my mom, my aunts, my cousins. I have big shoes to fill. I love to cook. I love good food (a little too much). I love the accolades that come my way when cooking something good for my family and friends. I love the subtle nurture that is inevitably tied to filling the bellies of the ones you love. It's a simple pleasure.

This summer I got to cook pies with my Grandma Johnson on the farm.



I love being on the farm.

It's warm and old and a little quirky.

Everyone knows Grandma Johnson (Grandma 'Nene to her grandchildren) makes the best pies. It was really nice to learn from her, but it was even nicer just to spend time with her.



I got to hear her tell stories about her childhood. She told me about the early years when she and my grandpa were married. She went with him while he served in the military. She stood by him through his dreams of owning a farm.



Nearly 6 decades, 5 children, 10 grandchildren, and 11 (and counting) great-grandchildren later, she is still standing by him.



We talked while we cooked. We learned about each others lives while we cooked. It was a beautiful thing. The pie was beautiful, too.

Special Delivery

On a whim, I decided to make pies and deliver them to unsuspecting friends. It was fun. There were a few small "cup pies," perfect for one, four little "lover pies," perfect for two, and one "big happy family pie," perfect for one big happy family.



The only thing that would have been more fun than seeing people smile when they opened the door, would have been seeing them smile as they (hopefully) enjoyed their pie.



The Peters children exclaimed, "We love cherry!"



What a fun, blessed night.

A Week of Re-Caps

Last weekend I... walked to defeat ALS

went to a friend's birthday party...

held baby Jonas...

and snapped a picture of Ellie sleeping on top of the closet door.

This weekend I... made a delicious chicken pot pie...

baked an apple cake in a skillet with Yvonne...

went to an antique store where I fell in love with some old books...

and went to the Apple Festival where I made a little friend.

I have so many things overflowing from my heart this week, but I'm just not able to clearly verbalize them at this time. So all I can say is that this is what I did, and I'm still here by the grace of God.

Angel Food Cake

My grandparents visited for the weekend. We did a lot of fun things, including an Angel Food cake-making lesson. The cake turned out so well, and it was so delicious. Unfortunately when we came home from church, the cake was swarming with ants! Ugh.

If only I had listened to Grandma... She didn't think it was a good idea to put leave the cake on the counter. If I had listened, I could be eating this again tonight. *Sigh*

Rainbow Cake

This is the product of my first cake decorating class. I'm pretty sure it was the worst cake in the class. I was late for class, forgot half my supplies at home, dropped half my icing on the floor, and had difficulty following directions. Let's hope next week's class is a little better.

Resurrection Day

Sunday we celebrated our risen Savior. It was a glorious day for multiple reasons. In our Sunday evening community group, I'm really enjoying the growth that's occurring in everyone. People are getting saved, sharing the Gospel, making disciples, memorizing scripture, and all kinds of awesome stuff! What a joy it is to be part of this Christ-centered community.

We also enjoyed dinner with family on Sunday. We had a delicious meal with Kyle's parents. Fresh tulips adorned the table.

Also adorning the table were these delicious Cake Pops that I baked with Alisha over the course of Friday and Saturday. They weren't as cute as the originals, but they were delicious.

Why I really love to bake

Grandma taught me right. Once a bowl licker-
Always a bowl licker.
Kyle took this picture. He just thinks it's hilarious.

Cinnamon Rolls

Oh, my goodness. These cinnamon rolls will knock your socks off! As soon as I saw the recipe, I knew that I must make them.

Gooey, sugary dough. Oh, me, oh, my.
When I began making these, I had no idea how many pans of rolls this would make. After the dough had risen, I became concerned. What am I going to bake all these in? Fortunately, the corner market had aluminum pans. Look at that hunk o' dough!
Buttered, sugared, cinnamoned, rolled, sliced, and rising.
Now just top it off with a sinfully sweet (I mean this might actually be sinful) maple frosting, and voilà!
Did I mention the smell? The sweet, sweet, heavenly smell? I had the windows open, but wanted to close them just to keep the fragrance inside. After they were finished I sent one pan to the in-laws, one pan to my own kitchen, and four pans to the Baptist Student Center. Within 5 minutes, this was the scene. Then the moaning began. Exclamations of "best cinnamon rolls ever" were coming at me from all different directions. What a wonderful thing to hear! Particularly after you spend hours preparing something. If there had been any weaker a reaction to them, I'd have gone back to Grands, but now I just don't think I can. Believe me, if you had tasted them, you wouldn't be able to either.

Simple Things

I've been inspired. I came across a blog written by a woman who shares favorite things from her home and her life. So, as an intro to my new blog in a new place, I've decided to share with you a few things from my life right now.

Fall is my favorite season. The weather is turning. Football is in play. School is in full-swing. All of these things make for a happy Chelsea.

These are some delicious Autumn-themed cupcakes. I like the way they taste, and I love the way they look inside my cake platter. Next time I will try to making orange flavored icing instead of just orange colored icing.


This is a little knick-knack my dad got me last year. Everyone in my family knows I love Halloween almost as much as I love Christmas. I get Halloween gifts from them. That makes me makes me smile.


I am beginning a new craft inspired by some clearance books from Barnes & Noble (my new favorite date spot). I am no seamstress, but I believe I can similarly recreate these eclectic creatures.


If all goes well, I may even make some for Christmas gifts. Although, many in my family would not fully appreciate the awesomness that exudes from these beloved friends.


Well, dear friends, I do hope you enjoy the new blog in the new space. I will continue to paste to Xanga for those who read there. Arrivederci.