St. Patrick's Breastplate

I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this today to me forever
By power of faith, Christ’s incarnation;
His baptism in Jordan river,
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb,
His riding up the heavenly way,
His coming at the day of doom
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of cherubim;
The sweet ‘Well done’ in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors’ faith, Apostles’ word,
The Patriarchs’ prayers, the prophets’ scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the star lit heaven,
The glorious sun’s life giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward;
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan’s spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart’s idolatry,
Against the wizard’s evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave, the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
By Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Epiphany

The celebration of Epiphany is the culmination of what is traditionally called the Twelve Days of Christmas. The word literally means “revelation” or “sudden unveiling” or “manifestation.” It commemorates the day when wise men from the East were conducted by a miraculous star to the nativity in Bethlehem. The magi were thus the first to comprehend that Jesus was not merely the prophetic fulfillment of Jewish aspirations since the beginning of time. Instead, He was the hope of the world, the light of the world, and the joy of every man’s desiring. They beheld the very glory of God that day—for in the city of David, the Savior was born.

As a result, Epiphany is the celebration of the ultimate proclamation of good news. Good news, indeed.

-George Grant

Humility and Delight

"Authority exercised with humility, and obedience accepted with delight are the very lines along which our spirits live." --C.S. Lewis

HT: George Grant

6 Years!

3's a crowd...or a cake!

I received a cake order from a woman who was doing a surprise birthday party for her mom who was turning 60. The three things she said her mom loved were gardening, Kenny Rogers, and black licorice. What?! I had a challenge ahead of me. I decided to make it mainly a garden cake with Kenny Rogers song titles as the garden markers and a black licorice "60". Here's the finished product. I was quite pleased. :)

I have a very trustworthy husband.

Click to enlarge.

Frilly Feminine Birthday Cake

Our friend Megs turned 18! Here's the cake I made to celebrate the occasion.

She loves stripes and frills with a touch of the funky. I thought the cake turned out to be quite a good representation of her.

Chic Barn Wedding

Another wedding job! I didn't get a ton of photos (and some are from the photographer), but you get the idea.

Head Table



Petal chandeliers



Hot times!

We've had quite a busy summer this year! We've enjoyed a few weddings, a family reunion, out of town guests, and general outdoor merriment. Here's a little taste of what we've been up to.

Downtown with friends from CA

Sabbath Feast outside.

Fiesta night family reunion day 1. Our yard.

Bean toss game

Family Reunion day 2. At the park.



Our little man.



Cousins!

More than you can handle?

"God has promised to never leave us or forsake us; He has promised no temptation will ever be so bad that we can’t escape. But He never promised not to give us more than we could handle. In fact, He gives us more than we can handle all the time. If He didn’t, then we would not need to lean on Him for grace and strength."

                                                                                                                             -Nancy Wilson

I'll certainly think twice before I say that little phrase again! Thank you Mrs. Wilson! You can read the whole article here (and please do!).

No honeymooners here.

Day 2 of a 3 day potluck marathon! This is what I'm making today.

It's sublime.

Sweet Sweets

A couple of my cakes from the last little while.

End of the school year cake

80's cake