wordless Wednesday...woodland cake pics i promised...

as promised...

thx 2 Carrie 4 the pics!

Twilight deja vu...

i made another Twilight cake last night...very similar to this one...only smaller...and with NO WOLF! i think because the wolf represents one of the boys in the movie...& the birthday girl must root for the other team? i don't know, i'm not a Twilight fan...never jumped on that whole vampire thing...but i know plenty of folks have...including Autumn! she & her mom will be going to see the latest Twilight movie tonight at midnight...& this cake is just the sugar she needs to keep going until movie time! ~lol~

it's yellow cake, iced in buttercream...i modeled all the accent work out of fondant & dark chocolate fondant...the apple is styrofoam, covered in fondant

this year's garden...& soup...

we've got a much bigger garden this summer...a serious upgrade from the raised veggie bed we had last year...

i already mentioned how this was actually a mother's day gift from my parents...it's come along quite well since then! the girls have loved helping me out...making sure all the plants get plenty of water...

even weeding...

this is what the garden looked like, the day before we left from the beach...

& this is what it looked like, the day we got back...a week & a day later!

Gabby's bean plant is doing soooo well (she brought this home from school some time in spring - 1st grade)...

the bugs sure do like Jaden's cabbage plant! i've dusted it since then, & it's already looking much better (this is also a plant that came home from school in the spring - 3rd grade)...

the squash & cucs are going crazy already!

but here's what i'm really anxious for!

tomatoes & corn...the best summer foods!

besides helping me water & weed, the girls also enjoy playing with the clippings & weeds that come out of the garden...as well as wild onions & whatever other goodies they find around the yard...

making their infamous "soup"!
(an old favorite past time of theirs)...

just the other day, Corinn asked me if i could make sure to save any veggies that the bugs ate, or that wasn't good to eat...they want to make sure & get it in that soup recipe of theirs! ;0)

so tell me...mary, mary...quite contrary...

y u buggin?

~lol~

i mean, how does ur garden grow?

do u go all out? or just a simple veggie bed? maybe those cool upside-down-hangy-thingies?

r u harvesting yet? or just getting started?

weekend cakes...

my weekend started Friday evening when i delivered these beach cupcakes...they were for a little girl who's family was leaving early Saturday morning for their beach vacation, & would be celebrating her birthday there...i made 8 beach balls & 8 little crabs...all white cupcakes, iced in buttercream & decorating in fondant


immediately following that delivery, the kiddos & i went to my friend's house...Carrie was my partner in crime for the RMH job...she has a cake shop built in her basement & a son the same age as Jaden...who get this - also has Asperger's! i know, crazy how we connected...& as more time goes by, we're finding out we really make a great team! so anyway, the kiddos played...& scarfed on pizza for dinner...while she & i worked on a wedding cake together

Carrie took an order for a gorgeous woodland themed wedding cake...she's works with fondant, but isn't confident in her modeling skills yet...& i've done some other modeling work for her before...so she asked me to make the bride & groom figures for this cake

they're Japanese characters from an animated show "My Neighbor Totoro"...which is apparently adored by the couple

here are my fondant versions...groom on the left, bride on the right...
(they wanted the groom to be holding a mushroom instead of a leaf)

Carrie iced & began decorating her red velvet wedding cake, while i worked on the fondant pieces...

here are some mushrooms i made, that will go on the cake...& u can see the acorns in the background...

once Carrie gets her final pics uploaded, i will share them with u...i have a feeling that the finished cake, in combination with it's tree stump stand, turned out beautiful!

then Saturday evening, i delivered this cake to one of Gabby's bestest friend's birthday party...

it might look a little familiar...that's because her big sister's cake back in May was pretty similar...it sounds like Brookelyn must look up to that big sis of her's ;0)

it was 3 tiers of funfetti cake, iced in pink buttercream & decorated with dark chocolate fondant dogs & paw prints...i got word that the birthday girl loved her cake & the guests thought is was super yummy!


& that's it! that means that the rest of the weekend was cake free...the way i intended my summer weekends to be (but u know how it goes...& i'm thrilled i can keep my cake folks happy)...that's y i'm able to post this blog right now...weekend posts are something i rarely do, but i'm done with cakes (for now - small Twilight one coming up for Tuesday)...& get this - my parents took not only my 3 kiddos, but my sister's 2, & brother's 1 (just Matthew, Levi is still a lil too small) & took all 6 of them camping! from Saturday until Monday!!!

& with Curt working every afternoon/eve, i'm all alone in the house! believe me, i'm happy to get some me time...but i miss the kiddos...& i'm not sure what to do with myself...this just feels weird ~lol~

beach vacay...picture marathon...

i kept some notes on my iPod Touch while we were there...sort of a beach journal to keep up with all that we did, so it would be easier to blog about it when we returned...but all that did, was make it even harder for me to know where to begin! there's no way i can tell u about everything that we did...trust me, i only had my camera along for about 1/2 of our adventures & i still took almost 400 pics! so in typical Sharon fashion...here's a picture marathon (with some commentary)...cause u know that's how i roll ;0)

the kiddos were amazingly well behaved on the ride down...they get better & better every year! of course, we got the "how much longer til we get there?" about every 1/2 hr or so...but mostly, they just watched movies & played with the stuff they brought along...surprisingly, no one napped...& we made it in 7hrs instead of our usual 8! i ranked it as a very successful drive...

& oh, the excitement when we finally crossed the bridge from Morehead City, over onto Emerald Isle!

the house was just as described...spacious & homey...beautiful wood beam rafters in every room...fully equipped/stocked kitchen, bathroom & laundry...a big front porch, plus a roof top deck...& of course, lovely central AC! perfect for a week-long vacay for our family of 5...& oh, plus Rocket ;0)

the front porch was the best! not only did we have an awesome view of the sound side of the island...but they also had these lattice gates made up, where we could block off the entrances/steps...i guess as baby gates - but for us, it kept Rocket from running off - he could come & go, in & out of the house, as he pleased :0)

as soon as we unloaded the truck, we headed down to the beach...just a short 2 block stroll on a nice sandy path...

Rocket didn't know what to think...but i don't think he exactly enjoyed the ocean...

in fact, i know he didn't...he is soooo not an outdoorsy dog...even on long walks on warm days at home, he'll randomly stop & take a break in any shade that we may pass...i think the beach was just asking too much ~lol~

but it sure didn't take the kiddos long to start enjoying themselves...

we stayed busy all week...but we also made sure to enjoy some relaxing family down time too...including having quiet time/naps almost every day! i know, crazy right?!

we went to the go kart track 2 different times...this pic is from our 1st trip - Jaden's so smug, cause he just beat our butts! ;0)

it only rained one time...a total downpour for about 15 minutes on our 2nd day there...that was the first time we got out the cards & had a family hand of Go-Fish going...but there were plenty of other card games throughout the rest of the week too

we went down to the sound side twice...mostly to just stroll & look for hermit crabs...

we took a "horse & nature cruise" with Island Ferry Adventures...it was a LOT of fun!

we spotted tons of different water foul...

even some of the wild horses on Shackleford Banks! it's one of the islands that's only accessible by boat...

our ferry ride was a trip around the many small islands near Beaufort (see pic below - click to enlarge)...we may take one of the other ferry trips next year...one where they take u out to the islands & drop u off for 1 or 2 hours - even the whole day if u'd like...u can picnic & look for shells...even get (sorta) close to the horses

one of my favorite parts of the cruise tho? checking out the massive beach houses lining the shore...if any1 is trying to decide on a birthday gift for me next month, i'll take one of these please ;0)

we drive to Fort Macon every year (only a couple miles down the road), but this was the first year we went during biz hours & got to go inside the different display rooms in the fort...it was pretty darn interesting!

here's looking down into the fort...from a distance (including our view from the ferry), all u can see is the flag sticking up out of the ground - the fort is completely hidden underground

here we are standing up top, with the ocean in the background...

of course, we always take a walk out on the pier...& this year, Jaden was not scared about falling through the slats in between the boards!

we cooked in every night except for one...we splurged this year & took the kiddos out to a seafood restaurant...Jaden even tried fried calamari! & Corinn ate so much of it, she got a tummy ache

to walk off some of our meal, we then went on a moonlit stroll on the beach...the kiddos all said "ewwwww!" when i commented on how romantic it was ~lol~

we let them go spend the money burning holes in their pockets (Nana & Grandpa always send em with some spending money)...Jaden got his usual arsenal of beach toys/gear...the girls talked Curtis & i into letting them get hermit crabs

& of course, we spent TONS of time on the beach!!! honestly, that was the place to be...Atlantic Beach had record temps while we were there - & the humidity was brutal! but the breeze off the ocean made the beach an awesome chill spot...we'd go down every morning, then again later in the day...even sprinkling some strolls here & there, in between

Corinn is such a beach bunny...she's in & out of the water, trying to do everything from playing in the waves...to collecting shells, fish & crabs...to building sand castles with Mama...to laying down in the sand & soaking in the sun...

Gabby is an explorer...she's constantly on the hunt for "treasure" & brings me every single pretty shell she finds...her fav time was catching tiny fish, hermit crabs & ghost crabs with daddy, & keeping them in little ponds she'd create...

Jaden never wavers...his only plans at the beach are to stay out in the waves...to feel em crash against his body over & over & over again!

he pretends he's a "water bender" & can control the waves...

i also taught him to float...he & i spent lots of time out in the waves together - holding hands & floating on our backs...letting the waves carry us down the beach...then we'd walk back up & do it all over again :0)

but my favorite part was how well all 3 of them played together this year...

even the girls got really comfortable with going out in the deeper water...all 5 of us would go out past the waves & hang out/play...& the girls thought that was the coolest!

every day, this dog would come down to the water...she'd run up & down the beach, trying to get the kiddos to chase her...then she'd just take off - swimming against the waves, out farther than i'll go! it would appear as if she was going to just keep on swimming, off into the horizon...but eventually she'd get tired & come back

oh yeah, another fav of mine? watching this sexy thing as he played on the beach with our kiddos...the sun shining off those muscles makes for quite the view! ;0)

we took Rocket down to the beach a few times throughout the week...when we knew we wouldn't be there for too long (thankfully, he did as well hanging out alone in the beach house as he does at home alone - he's an awesome dog!)...as long as he had shade, he was fine...but once, when we were just taking a walk on the sound side, & didn't take chairs or umbrellas...& he'd had enuff...so he started digging...

nope, not deep enuff...

ok, i give up...let me give that water stuff another try ~lol~

it was soooo funny!

we took only 1 full family pic...it was with my camera timer, right before hopping in the truck to head home...

the trip home was eerily quiet...we had a few nappers & none of the "how much longer til we get there?" questions...& we made it home in 6 1/2 hrs - record time!

this was by far, our favorite trip! it was actually nice staying in a private house vs a resort...we really didn't miss the pool or activities at all...although next year, we're thinking about waiting until September to go...not only to get a better deal, but also to beat the heat...let the countdown begin! ;0)