(almost) wordless Wednesday...uh oh...

am i one of those dog owners that strangely resembles their pet?
~lol~

weekend recap...

our weekend was pretty chill...we did go see How to Train Your Dragon with the kiddos on Saturday...of course, Jaden started counting down to the release date (which was last Friday) as soon as they started airing the trailers a few months ago...so he wasn't gonna let us forget that it was out! we all went & had a great time - it was a really sweet movie!

of course, 2 days after we get a dog, it starts raining & doesn't stop! well, it's stopped a little here & there, but mostly it's been raining continuously since Friday night!

luckily, Rocket is the BEST DOG ON EARTH! he totally tolerates letting me towel dry him off each & every time he comes in from the rain...he actually kind of enjoys it...he's got such personality! he's very obedient & super sweet to all of us...he does awesome in his crate & hasn't had any potty accidents yet...he's fitting in with us perfectly - i'm so glad he found his way into our home! :0)

we did get in a little outside time Friday evening before all the rain hit...

i think Spring is officially here!

& look what showed up on our sidewalk Saturday morning...

u're guess is as good as mine!
i'm thinking maybe Night found a nearby fish pond?

weekend cakes...

Saturday, my sweet hubby got up super early to deliver this cake for me...it was designed by (now) 12 year old Tony...he was inspired by the original 13 things cake i made some time ago...except he went with his high school colors of blue & white...

he then chose the 12 most important things to him...his PS3, gifts, an iPod, Percy Jackson books, football, namely The Steelers, a laptop, Facebook, money, a NintendoDS, his cell, & a pizza...

both numbers were white cake, iced in buttercream...i made the 12 items from fondant

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next up was this cake...also inspired by a previous design...

this cake was chocolate (top tier) & marble (bottom tier), all iced in buttercream...i made the bow, stars (the wires are not edible), dots & birthday banner from fondant

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lastly, was this cute little cow cake...

2 year old Camden LOVES cows, so that's basically all he wanted on his cake...

the cake was fudge white chip, iced in buttercream...i made the cow from fondant, the little hay pile is buttercream & i made the fence out of gumpaste


thx for looking!
♥
sharon

look at him now!

remember this tear-jerking story?

well get ready for more...
the return of J-Mac

related...
autistic teen picks perfect bracket

3...2...1...blast off!

when Jaden was about 4, he started asking for a dog...he was very specific too! he wanted a big black dog & he would name him Sloopy

we weren't quite ready for a dog back then...so we told Jaden that when he got older & was more responsible, we'd consider getting a dog that he could help take care of...he wanted to know how old...we said something like "oh, i don't know...when u're about 10 or so"

well, if u know Jaden...then u know that he NEVER forgot that conversation! every few months or so - when he'd see a cute dog, or we'd be walking around looking at the pet store - he'd mention..."boy, i can't wait til i'm 10 & can have a dog!"...this has gone on for almost 6 years! we'd gently remind him that we didn't exactly say he'd definitely get a dog when he turned 10, but that anything was possible

well, Jaden turns 10 in July...
i know...double digits people!!!

& we really think that not only is he ready, but the girls are ready too...they've shown that they can solely be responsible for feeding our outside cat, every day...& picking up around the yard after her...we've had several conversations about how important it is that they keep their rooms picked up & take care of their things, cause if we get a dog, we'll have to watch that he doesn't chew up toys or find things on the floor that he shouldn't...we've talked about how the dog will need lots of daily exercise & attention...how the kiddos can't be fighting all the time & making the new dog nervous (hello i've-gotta-pick-on-my-brother/sister-every-waking-moment-of-my-life stage! ugh.)...& they've actually shown some big improvements

so anyway, i figured i better start the search...we have very specific requirements for a dog & i figured July would be here before we knew it!

last week, i began searching adoption sites...hunting thru Craigslist, & researching different breeds...our number one requirement was that the dog doesn't shed! u know...cause of the cakes? even tho the dog won't be around my cake area, i still can't take the risk of dog hair floating around in the air...the 2nd requirement is that it NOT be a puppy! we really didn't want to do the house breaking thing...or deal with the chewing, or the getting up in the middle of the night...or u know, any of that jazz...we've already raised our babies, & don't want to start over again! plus, there are tons of adult dogs out there that need a good home...i was sure we could find one that would fit well into our home...& of course what ever dog we get, has to be great with kids!

well just the other day, i was literally refreshing the pets page on Craigslist & an ad pops up...

Black Standard Schnauzer
his name is rocket he is 2 years old and not neutered. need to find him a good home. he is a purebred, he is a very excited and playful dog, house trained, and loves to cuddle. for anymore information or to set up a time to see him, call...

i already knew that Standard Schnauzers were in the non-shedding dog category (i know, all dogs shed...but these type of dogs shed very little - kind of like people)...he's black - Jaden's preference...& his name is Rocket? ok, how perfect is that?!

i immediately called!

one of my first questions was about the shedding...the owner says "oh, Rocket doesn't really shed at all!"...score! i ask about how he is with kids - turns out excellent, they have 2 small kiddos themselves! they're a young couple who live in a single wide trailer...they also have a dog that the man has owned for 10+ years & his wife just had surgery...2 small kiddos & 2 dogs are a lot for anyone to take care of, but she really wasn't able to do it all while being laid up & living in such a small space...they really didn't want to have to get rid of him - she went on & on about what a sweet & well-behaved dog he is - but they decided he had to...they wanted to make sure he ended up in a great home tho...so Curtis & i arranged a time to go meet Rocket

& oh. my. word.
he had us at hello!
~lol~

he was of course excited to meet us...he jumped on us & licked us - even barked once to say hello...but after i gave him some love & he checked us out thoroughly, he quickly laid down beside me & relaxed while we chatted with his owners...he's more gray, than black...& a little on the small side for a Standard Schnauzer...but omg, he's so sweet! & soooo lovable! it didn't take us long to realize that we were head over heels in love...& that he'd fit into the Skates household perfectly! ;0)

meet "Rocket Sloopy Skates"...

the absolute best part was surprising the kiddos! of course, they had no idea we were even looking for a dog...their reactions were absolutely PRICELESS!!!



yeah, it's definitely a super early bday present for Jaden...but he doesn't care - all 3 are in absolute heaven with the new addition to our family...& Rocket seems to be feeling right at home too!!! ;0)

wordless Wednesday...welcome Spring!

weekend recap...

in between delivering both cakes on Saturday, i had a special meeting that afternoon...i haven't officially announced anything here yet, but my Twitter & Facebook friends already know about my exciting news...

i get to tackle a pretty huge cake job in June...our local hospital is rebuilding at a new location - & they've asked me to not only create
an exact replica of the new hospital
for their 3-day grand opening event, but also
5,000 cupcakes
for their employee celebration day!

oh. my. gosh!!!

i couldn't believe it when they asked me, but i'm super psyched now! thankfully, i have tons of help around me if i need it...& boy, i think i'm gonna need it! ;0)

can u believe i have to make a model of this?!
(well, minus the bulldozers)

my brother is on board to help me out with the replica project...he's an artist - & way better at the architecture/engineering aspect of things! he & i got to go & tour the new hospital Saturday...we took lots of pics & mostly just stared at the building with our mouths hanging open...we're not sure what we've gotten ourselves into! ~lol~

the rest of my weekend was pretty chill...i'd promised the kiddos a campfire Saturday night...& since i was super tired from working on cakes the night before, i figured i'd better get the fire going before it got too late...or i may end up having some disappointed kiddos when i pass out on the sofa & can't drag my butt outside to build one! ~lol~

so even tho it was still light outside, we went ahead anyway...& it was really nice!

we had mid/high 70 degree weather all weekend...so it was already awesome enuff! but hanging out around our 1st campfire of the year made it even better!

we picked up some BK for dinner & had ourselves a little picnic...

& of course, we played...

Night is always nearby these days...keeping a watchful eye on her family ;0)

or playing too...she LOVES the kiddos & all the attention they give her!

Sunday, we had a cook-out at my brother & sister-in-law's house to celebrate my mom's birthday...anytime we can get all the grandkids together to play is fun!

& eat too? count me in!!! ;0)

hope u had a great weekend where u are! i'm soooooo happy that Spring is officially here...we're looking forward to many more weekends outside!!!

weekend (of girly) cakes...

first up was this butterfly cake...the birthday girl decided, just the week before, what design she wanted...not in enough time for me to get rice paper (edible) to make butterfly wings...i usually use royal icing, the rice paper & food color gels to make edible butterflies...instead, i found these feather ones at Michael's...

they're on wire, so inserting them into the cake gave the feel that they were really fluttering around it...i love how this cake turned out & i might try to talk more future folks into letting me use these butterflies instead of the edible ones! ;0)

the cake was 2 tiers of confetti cake...all iced in buttercream...i gave each tier a border of buttercream grass, & accented the cake with flowers i made from fondant

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i also made a castle cake for Miss Carley this weekend...

she wanted 2 tiers of marble cake...i iced it all in buttercream (u can't tell very well, but i gave the buttercream walls a cobblestone texture too - click on the pic to enlarge)...then i added cardboard tubes & inverted sugar cones (all covered in fondant) to make the towers...the grass & vines are piped from buttercream, & the door/windows & tiny flowers are made from fondant

thx for looking!
sharon

ARF!

Thursday night, the girls performed in a play called "Arf" at school...

all of preK, kindergarten & 1st grade was in the play...& the girls had speaking parts!

they were Alfie & Allie Afghan...the only kiddos that didn't need to make paper ears - their pigtails made perfect furry ears! ;0)

they remembered all their lines & did a GREAT job reciting them loud enough that we could all hear!

well, except for Jaden - he'd already seen the play at school earlier that day, so he stayed busy looking at a Star Wars book with a friend ;0)

here's a video of the last song they sang in the play...

happy birthday Ma!

we love you Nana!

weekend recap...Endless Caverns adventure...

wow, what a rainy, dreary weekend!

Saturday was a wash...i had cakes to do anyway, so Curtis & the kiddos just hung around the house with me all day (til Curt had 2 deliver pizza)...they even went on a cake delivery with me! oh, & the girls took advantage of the puddles that showed up outside ;0)

Sunday, we were ready to get outta the house! & i'd been itching to take the kiddos on an excellent rainy day adventure...

it seemed like the perfect opportunity...the whole family came along with me to deliver a cake on Saturday that took us on a drive right by Luray Caverns (not far at all from where we live)...we'd talked in the car about what a cavern was, & how the last time any of us had been in one was when Jaden was 2 & i was pregnant with Gabby...

really? that long?!

i've grown up around these caverns...i guess u just kind of forget about em...but none of the kiddos had actual memories of such a trip...they were hellsa full of questions!

do bears live in the caves?
what about bats?
how deep do they go?
on & on they came...we HAD to make this trip!

Endless Caverns is literally up the street from us...it was discovered in 1879 when 2 boys were chasing a rabbit...the rabbit disappeared behind some rocks - they moved those rocks, & found not a rabbit, but a dark hole with a breeze coming out of it...they explored the cave, & at fist thought they'd found a secret passageway under their garden, because the stalactites looked like carrot or parsnip roots by candlelight...

of course the lighting sucks down there! i tried both with the flash & without...i got a few that look ok, but pictures never do the experience justice! it really is amazing in person!

the kiddos LOVED LOVED LOVED it!

we totally surprised them with the trip...just told em we were going somewhere awesome, & then pulled up in the drive...once they figured out where we were headed (they of course recognize the signs since we live so close), they started getting super excited! Curt was actually shocked at just how excited they got...it was awesome!

Jaden was a little nervous at first...he knew bats would be down there...& even tho we've explained to him that the bats don't care about people coming thru & won't bother u...& even tho he actually LOVES reading about bats...he was a little scared that one would fly up & land on him - possibly bite him

but once he got inside & realized what a different world it was...that it was all lit up & that it wasn't just some dark hole we would be crawling through, he was cool

even when we started spotting bats...sometimes in clusters of 20-50, all huddled together, he was cool...he realized they were busy hibernating, not at all worried about what we were doing!

of course with the recent rain, the cave was also feeling the effects...the pools were full, the floors were muddy in spots...& the underground river was flowing hard! u can only see it from one specific spot - looking down in a hole that peers into the 3rd level of the cave (the tour only goes down to the 2nd level)...i didn't get a picture of it, but it was cool to see a river flowing fast down deep in the earth like that!

this room is called the crock room because of this crock that was put there years ago to catch the rain water dripping there...it's now an embedded fixture...

u're not allowed to touch the walls of the cave - the oils from ur skin will stop growth of the stalactites/stalagmites & will start growth of unwanted algaes & fungus...but in this spot, u could dip your hands in the cold water...

there are all kinds of rooms to see (the girls loved the "fairy room")...a mile of walking down, then back...& some truly unbelievable sites!

this is the snow drift...

it's not actually frozen of course (the caverns maintain an average temp of 55 degrees year round) - the white color is from calcium in the water that flows down & continuously shapes/changes/creates it (Endless Caverns is an example of a "living cave"...the stalactites grow about an inch every 100 years)...they only light this formation up for a few moments for the tours to view & take pics of it...they limit the amount of light it gets, in order to reduce the chances of algae growing

this rock marked the end of the candlelight tours they gave many years ago...it was as far as they could go back then - & they didn't know that touching the formations could harm them, so they had everyone on the tour sign their name...& even break off a "souvenir" to take home...u can barely see the writing in this pic (click on it to enlarge)...

the tour was seriously one of the best 2hr rainy day activities we've ever done...the whole family can't wait to go back!!!

here's a video from one of the last rooms we saw - the "cathedral room" (they have held weddings in this room)...it's a little long, but the end is the best part...listen as Jaden spots a bat take off flying (the light/music scares it)...& the very end, the tour guide gives some history/facts about the room...