Pumpkin caramel cake and echoes of mercy (oh, yes I did)

Well my littles are down for the count and I'm inhaling cake like it's the end of the world.  Considering how tight my jeans were this week you'd think I wouldn't be eating this little pumpkin beauty with cream cheese frosting as if it were the last meal I'd ever see, but you'd be wrong.  I actually think it could have turned out a little better.  If I were to do it again I'd just pool hot caramel on the bottom of the bowl instead of channeling my inner chemist and infusing the layers.  But live and learn.  If you're looking for a new fall dessert I'd give this one a try.

1. Make Martha's cake in as many layers as you'd like.  Lessen the baking time a few minutes for each layer you want.
2. Make cream cheese frosting:
1 stick butter (softened)
2 packages cream cheese(softened)
2 cups of powdered sugar (or more to taste) I went the less route so it wouldn't be overly sweet

3. Poke holes in the cake (or go the pool route and don't) and fill them with the salted caramel

4. Top first layer with frosting and then repeat with all your layers

5. Frost the whole cake with a light coat and stick it in the fridge for 30 minutes

6.Frost the cake again with remaining frosting until nice and purty
7. Decorate how your inner Martha would lead you.  I went with grated white chocolate and coated some leaves with the rest of the melted chocolate until set.

8. Stand back and admire your masterpiece!
9. After eating one perfect piece put the cake back together and walk it over to your neighbors house.  The End

In other non cake related news I have in fact taken two small steps away from the coop and started school this week.  What was supposed to be one class turned into two and away we go.  I have to say I'm a bit giddy about it all.  If your interested in the nitty gritty I'm getting a masters in curriculum & development with an early childhood focus at PSU.  Whew that's a mouthful.
 I told Ava I was going back to school and she immediately made me a name tag and insisted on taking my picture.  She then rolled her eyes and said that she doesn't think she has time to make me lunch every day.  I assured her that I wouldn't be requiring a lunch and she ran off to practice her spinjitzu.  (don't ask)

I do want to say how thankful I am for the certain gift of clarity this fall.  A few months ago I started to feel a little nudge.  It began with a quiet whisper to erase the white board.  So Ben and I said no to a few of our usual autumn suspects.  All good commitments.  Great commitments in fact.  Then I just waited for Him to fill in the blanks.  And He did.
Sometimes I hesitate to even throw the praises out there because sometimes (or a million times) God doesn't fill in the blanks.  He lets us sweat it out awhile.  I'm guessing this is because He would rather have us hanging onto Him instead of hanging onto our comfortable circumstances.  We all know the stories of how the money came through right when we needed it and so and so was cured and then he found a job in the nick of time.
But God is God even when our circumstances don't change and we break down in the ugly cry at two in the afternoon on a Tuesday.  He knows what we need and will take us where we're going.  He's our loudest fan on the sidelines and cheers us on when we fall.  He wants our most honest insides.  He doesn't love us because we're doing the best.  He loves us because we're His.
So with that disclaimer, He's given me a few busier nights.  One will be helping a neighbor start a small spiritual exploration group with some very sweet ladies looking for a little more hope in their lives.  What a privilege right?  To be a part of someone's God journey.  It's scary too but I'm excited to just share my story and look for truth right along with them.
And then there's class.  Whoo hoo!  I am loving it.  Honestly it's too easy and I catch myself making notes about how I'd teach it differently.  I mean, if I have to find two babysitters, make dinner in the crockpot, and lay out everyone's footy jammies, the least you could do is not wear a sweatsuit to teach class.
But I feel a little bit more alive.  It's all still there.  What stirs me up and gets me mad and makes me smile from the city to my driveway.  And weirdly it makes me happier when I'm around my kiddos.  There's actually room for both.
Maybe it's a not rebellious notion but it kind of is for me.
So today I'm thankful for a season of peace and busyness and freshly paved road.