Robert and Mary - October 2015

So... it has been six months and just seemed fitting to give an update on the happy couple... but, you need the back story first.  Let's go back to October 2015.

I got to play wedding planner as we cleared out our living room, decorated the fireplace and brought in chairs.  As I worked with this 79 year old who had been a widow for over 25 years, I tried to find out what she wanted in this memorable occasion.  Q... Did she want flowers?  *no, keep it simple.  Q... what about just a couple flowers, something to hold so that your not just standing with fidgety hands?  *yes, that would be fine, but keep it small.   Q... what was the one thing not in your first wedding that you would like in this one?  *well, the church wasn't even finished, so ... well, can we have a cake?  I don't want no big fancy thing though.  Just something small.  I just want a simple wedding, everything simple.  Just our kids and their families.

My husband was to do the wedding, we knew the bride really well and the groom had become a friend really quick.  Several phone calls and messages made it clear that they both wanted to honor their prior spouse by using their same wedding rings as before.  Throughout all the planning, they wanted to be very respectful to their children and their feelings.

So... without further ado... let me share the ceremony and photos with you.

Robert Wakler (groom), Nelda Turner (bride's daughter)

 Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God, friends and 

family to unite this couple Robert Ervin Walker and Mary Francis Proctor in 
the bonds of holy matrimony.

Robert and Mary, I do not believe that it was an accident that you met and 
fell in love. I sincerely believe that this is God’s plan and that you are 
honoring him in your commitment to each other. I believe you will be 
blessing to others and to each other. I pray that we who are here will love 
and support you the way you have unconditionally loved us.

Anyone who has been around Robert and Mary can recognize how deeply in love 
they are with each other. They are both secure enough in that love to talk 
and fondly remember their former spouses Janice and Bill to each other.

Robert and Mary have asked me to take a moment and recognize how God had 
blessed both of them with loving, godly spouses who have gone on to be with 
the Lord.
Robert was married to Janice for 56 years.
Mary was married to Bill for almost 34 years.

Both of these marriages were based on a love for each other and the Lord.

A marriage based on the Lord has a strong foundation.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (NIV)

Robert and Mary understand that the Lord is the strand, the common bond 
that will hold them together.


Their love for each other, and their life circumstances, reminds me of a 
love story found in the Bible in the Book of Ruth. It is a love story that 
Robert and Mary are both familiar with.

It is a story that starts with the loss of a spouse and ends with a wedding.

It begins with a focus on a mother in law named Naomi who has lost her 
husband, and her sons and longs to go home to the land of her birth. She 
advises her daughter in laws, who are also widowed, to stay behind.

It is the story of Ruth, her widowed daughter in law, who would not stay 
behind but who followed and remained devoted to her mother in law, Naomi, 
even after the death of her spouse.

It is also the story of a man named Boaz, an unmarried relative of 
Naomi's. Naomi, will in time play matchmaker and set a series of events in 
motion that with God’s help lead to the marriage of Ruth and Boaz.


Today, I am reminded of another mother in law and in this case a widowed 
man that is still devoted to her. That same mother in law was used by God 
to start a chain of events that have led us here today.


Robert, your commitment and love for your mother in law speaks volumes 
about you. Mary recognizes the kind of man you are and will be to her. And 
so do we.


Now Ruth could have stayed in her own land and remarried but she chose to 
go with Naomi. In doing this, Ruth choose to remain single.

When Ruth got settled in this new land she did not hurriedly seek out a 
mate but waited focusing on the needs of Naomi. Until Naomi intervened.


Mary, you have been a widow for 26 years. You could have chosen to seek out 
someone years ago but you waited. I believe you waited for the right man 
and the right season. Robert knows what kind of woman you are because you 
have waited and have lived your life in service to family and others.

Today both of you take a bold step into your new life together.

Robert and Mary, if you will turn and face each other and repeat your vows 
to each other at this time.

 Robert and Mary vows here.

I , (name), take you, (name), to be my wedded (wife/husband), to have and 
to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer for poor, 
in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. 
And here I pledge you my faithfulness.
Robert and Mary have chosen to use their same rings from their previous 
marriages. They are using them to as a reminder of what has come before, 
how God had blessed and how they again recognize that Lord is the constant 
unchanging center of this covenant to each other.
Rings

May we have the rings? Would you two join hands now?

Nelda Turner (bride's daughter), Mary Proctor (bride), Darrell Proctor (my hubby, oh, did I mention that the Bride is his Mother, yes... my Mother-in-Love!!!), Robert Walker (groom), Johnny Walker (groom's son)

Robert, please repeat after me – Mary, With this ring, I thee wed, and with 
it, I pledge my heart and my devotion. You may place the ring upon her finger.

Mary, please repeat after me – Robert, With this ring, I thee wed, and with 
it, I pledge my heart and my devotion. You may place the ring upon his finger.



The Kiss

In recognition of your commitment to each other, by the power vested in me 
by the state of Texas, and the Almighty God we love and serve, I now 
pronounce you man and wife. Robert, you may kiss your bride. Mary you may 
kiss your husband.



The Pronouncement

It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you for the very first time 
Robert and Mary Proctor Walker. And all God’s people said – Amen.

                                   

And... so now... these six months later?

They lived happily ever after.

The End.

Cake Balls for the Wedding

I told you that it was gonna be a while before I could get back here.  I trust that you all had a blessed CHRISTmas and have headed into the New Year running at full speed.  I know that several in our family has been hit with the crud, but for the most part we are ok now.

Cake Balls...When my son and his fiance asked if I would be willing to make cake balls for their upcoming wedding, I said "yes".  It is a ton of work and we had dozens left over, but it was all so worth it!  My kids don't ask for much, so I like to do what I can when they do.  Now though, I digress...back to cake balls.

There are lots of recipes for these online, but I am going to do a lot of pictures.  You should know by now that I am a visual person, and so that is how I teach too.  Let's get started...

Let's talk about cake and icing flavors.  I put white cake with white frosting, chocolate with chocolate, lemon with lemon, strawberry with strawberry, German chocolate cake mix with the coconut frosting,...you get the idea.

I mix it just like the box mix says, pop it into the oven, and set the timer.  Take this time to clean up the kitchen or toss in a load of laundry.  Multitasking will allow you to get so much more accomplished.  I don't know about you, but life is short and I have lots to do... or that I want to do anyway!  lol

There really isn't anything difficult about this next part.  Take the cake out and start scooping it into something that can take the heat and be put in the refrigerator.  Yes, start tearing up that cake as soon as you take it out of the oven!  Put it all in the bowl and just break it all up.  

This is where you are going to have to judge it for yourself as to how much frosting to put in.  Some days it seems to need more, and there are other days that it just seems different...maybe the weather outside and humidity has something to do with it?  I really don't know.  I do know that it takes between 3/4 to a full container of the frosting per cake mix.  I used full cans this time and it worked out fine.  Start mixing it...

Keep mixing...

There ya go, it is starting to look like cookie dough.  Now, cover it and put it into the refrigerator to chill.  Because I was doing these for a wedding and had about 500 cake balls to make, I did two and three cakes in a row.  I usually just leave mine in the fridge overnight and start making the cake into balls the next morning.  Yes, it is very time consuming!

Wax paper goes on a cookie sheet, I use the sheets that have sides to keep them from rolling around.  Then, I like to use a melon ball scoop to make them a more uniform size.  You will need to stop and wash your hands at times.  When it starts getting more room temp, your hands seem to get sticky.

Scoop it out, roll into ball, plash on the sheet and keep going til you are out of dough.  I can get about 3 dozen balls out of one cake mix.  Slide your cookie sheet(s) into the freezer.  You can dip them the next day.  IF you are not dipping them the next day, take them off the sheet and put into either an airtight container or into baggies.  I put mine into baggies and just stacked them, 500 balls take up a lot of space!  

I use Almond Bark for my dipping.  I know folks that use the chocolates from the Cake Carousel in Richardson, and some that use the bakers chocolates sold at the craft stores in the Wilton Cake section.  I just have not tried any of the others, and have stuck with what works for me.  I try to heat about half the package at a time, and there are good directions on the package. It takes "about" one package of Almond Bark per cake mix.  I hope that this has not confused you.  

You can see as my friend, Linda, is dipping this one...my preferred method of dipping is two forks.  Drop the ball in, scoop it out, and tap it a few times on the side of the bowl to get extras off. 

Some will look smoother than others, and I think that is partly due to the creaminess of the Bark. Ooops, let's back up just a bit...you can see my bag of cake balls that I cut open so that I could get to them.  Be sure to take them out to start a small room thaw for a few minutes BEFORE you heat up your Bark.  IF you dip these when they are straight from the freezer, they might crack or you might get a hole with some cake snaking out as they cool and have to have somewhere to sweat.  

From the fork, it goes back onto some fresh was paper to dry, harden and cool.

Because these were for a wedding, I took a small knife and trimmed all the drips of each one after they had hardened.  They just look nicer.

This is just to show you how you can get the frosting too hot and burn it!  Ewww....that one got thrown out.

This is from my chocolate ones, and you can just see the difference.  I will say that the chocolate Almond Bark always seems to melt and dip so much better than the white does.

After the balls have been cooled and trimmed, you are ready to put them into containers for eating or transporting.

This is what 480 cake balls look like!  Wow! Now, we did not serve them like this.  We had tiered glass plates that we displayed them on.  I think that I will have some pictures to share from the wedding in my next post and you should be able to see them on display then.

Well, that it is for now, and I hope to be back more regularly now.  IF you have any questions about the cake balls, please just leave me a comment and I will get back to you on it.  See ya in a couple weeks!!!  Stay warm, it is cold out there!