Monday, September 15, 2008

weekend cakes...

first up was another beer cooler cake for a wedding rehearsal dinner - the groom is an employee of MillerCoors - so all the beer cans are their products.....marble cake, iced in butter cream.....i made the "beer cans" out of fondant & hand painted on the logos.....the "ice" is clear gelatin (it was so dark outside, on the restaurant patio, where the party was being held - i had a hard time putting in the "ice" and knowing if i was filling up the blue empty spaces).......the white rim of the "cooler" is not edible


next up was this cake for a co-worker's husband.....she was throwing him a surprise 50th birthday party & wanted the cake to portray him (as a much older man), fishing on the beach (as he does a lot when they go on vacation).....she had me match up his swim trunks & trusty beach hat ;0) the bottom tier is confetti & the top is fudge chip.....all iced in butter cream.....the "sand" is a graham cracker/brown sugar mixture.....i made the man & tiny shells out of fondant.....the chair & fishing pole are not completely edible


then came this Scooby Doo cake for little Hannah......it's chocolate cake, iced & decorated in butter cream


and lastly, my nephew's 2nd birthday cake! Matthew turned 2 yesterday - he LOVES 4-wheelers & tractors.....he especially loves his daddy's 4-wheeler, so i made it into a cake.....this is confetti cake, iced in cream cheese icing......the 4-wheeler is made of rice krispies, covered & decorated in fondant.....the handlebars are not edible

he giggled when he saw his cake & said "4-wheeler!" :0)

Friday, September 12, 2008

10 things i'm loving...

i'm loving that fall is here!

(pics taken november 2007)

it's time to start planning pumpkin patch trips & halloween costumes - this is my very favorite time of year!

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i'm loving me some mr. skates!


(pic taken august 2008)

my hubby’s been extra sweet to me these days – i swear, i probably haven’t done the dishes in like a month! he's been getting dinner going most evenings, he did a TON of laundry yesterday, he's been helping clean house here & there!
i went to bed this morning at 4:30am & he let me sleep until 7am (beginning a busy cake weekend again) – i got up to find out that he had already given all the kids baths/showers, fed them breakfast, had them all dressed & ready to go to school! all I had to do was brush the girls' hair ;0) then he jumps in his car & heads off to work TWO side jobs today - probably won't get home until 7 or 8pm!

he starts his new job on monday, so i'm loving this last little bit of mr. mom! ;0)

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i'm loving the new ford flex!


only, in black - and without the different color top - allllll black! ;0)

i just told ya about my van hitting the big 200K this past weekend, so i'm dreaming of what my new ride will be.....i'd LOVE to b sporting this flex! but i'll probably end up in another mini-van.....we'll see - new car shopping is still a little ways off

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i'm loving this one's style


she's so original! :0)

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i'm loving that this one is always wearing shades these days


and that she feels she must put her hands on her hips, every time her picture is taken! ~teehee~


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i'm loving that jaden is doing so very well in 2nd grade!

he's always excelled at math, but struggled with problem solving - being able to read the scenario, actually retain the information given, then produce the correct answer - especially when it involves money! but this year - easy breezy baby! ;0) not only with problem solving, but with all subjects AND his behavior! that's my boy - keep it up bub!!!

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after my very first trip, i'm loving the driving range



i'm on the social committee at work & i headed up organizing a golf outing for us on wednesday - 1 round of putt-putt & 1 medium bucket of balls at the range (then we enjoyed an italian catered lunch afterwards)....i wasn't sure how i'd do - but i did pretty well - plus had a great time!....and knowing that curtis loves driving balls (he got in plenty of practice on his lunch breaks, at the course, at his old job) - i'm thinking of planning a little date for us here :0)

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i'm loving the almost instant relief - the cake decorating weight, being lift off my shoulders


even tho i've still got to make it thru september, i can see the light at the end of the tunnel, & that in itself has helped my stress level go down

i admit - i'm having a reeeeaaaaly hard time turning everyone away (i got 6 requests yesterday alone - probably 14 total just this week!) - but i'm sticking to my guns - and i feel good about it!

and i don't feel like i'm in a constant panicked rush any more, wondering what it is i've forgotten - cause i know i've forgotten something!

my skin is clearing up - i was really starting to look like a 14 yr old boy who's going thru puberty! ~lol~

my headaches are popping up less often (i'm a migraine sufferer - ugh)

and i am spending lots of time daydreaming about what fun things i'm going to do with my extra time, come october - with AND without my family!
do u know how long it's been since i've read a "real" book?! (if you give a mouse a cookie at bedtime & skimming thru US weekly do NOT count!)

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i'm loving the newly acquired jump rope skills!



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most of all, i'm LOVING these nuts! ;0)


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what are YOU loving right now?

Thursday, September 11, 2008

back to dance...

this week, the girls' dance season started again (it runs sept. thru beginning of june)

we had to limit the girls to 1 class each this year.....we realized how expensive dance can get with 2 girls taking multiple classes last season (not only tuition cost, but costumes, recital pictures, etc.)......plus, jaden is now taking jiu-jitsu - another costly activity.....so, we decided to scale it back a bit this season

they did get to pick which class to take tho......corinn chose tap (she took ballet last year) & gab chose acrobatics (she took ballet & tap last year)......both were super psyched to start & they were even more pumped after finishing their first class!

corinn went first on tuesday

coming down the stairs, right after class - look at that face!

she couldn't wait to show us some moves!
(sorry for the blurry pic!)


then yesterday, gabby started acro - she had been standing on her head at home for the last week, in preparation! ~lol~

and after class, she couldn't wait to show us her bridge!

i'm so glad that they made the decision as to what class to take, and then were happy with the decisions they had made!
it sounds like this season is going to be a lot of fun!

sweet note from Corinn's preK teacher...

i got the following email from Corinn's preK teacher this morning ~grinning ear to ear~


"I wanted to let you know that Corinn is doing so well in school. She is bright and articulate. She knows a lot about nature and the world around her. She is an AWESOME student. I can see her being a leader and helping others in our class."

Never Forget!

I'll never forget where I was & how I felt that day!

I thank God that we live in a free country &
I appreciate each & every man & woman that's willing to fight for my family's freedom!

I'll never forget!


Wednesday, September 10, 2008

show your support

I mentioned Danielle back in July when she was about to testify in front of the Joint Economic Committee in DC about the price gouging going on at Questcor, the manufacturer of Acthar Gel (ACTH) for infantile spasms (IS).

Today, she posted an open letter in response to Don Bailey, the President/CEO of Questor.

Please hop over there & show her your support. Just post a comment to say hi & let her know you're praying for her & her family.

She's currently going through a relapse of her son's IS - Trevor went 8 months seizure-free, after Danielle & her hubby fought to get his first 5 vials of the ACTH (at $25,000 a vial!!!). But they just found out last week that his seizures have returned. She's currently playing the waiting game AGAIN - for the vital drug from Questor, that's needed to stop Trevor's seizures.

No mother should have to go through this!

Hugs & Kisses Danielle! I can't stop thinking about & praying for your family! Love you girl!
Sharon

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

pie in a jar?

mama j, over at Give. Live. Love. sent this to me - she thought i'd find it interesting after my dabbling in the cupcakes in a jar idea.....and i did! these r sooooo pretty! and probably much yummier than cake! (can u tell i'm not a huge cake fan any more?!) ;0) just wanted to share it with u....now, go try it - and send me some! ~lol~

corinn's firsts

yesterday, corinn decided she was ready to be dropped off in front of the school (in the drop off/pick up zone) instead of having me walk everyone inside, like i've been doing since the first day.....what a big girl! i know she looks nervous in this pic - but she's not....she just wasn't looking at me until i snapped the pic ;0)

and actually, we've changed the breakfast routine too - the kids used to eat breakfast at school, cause everyone was going in different directions & we had to leave the house earlier in the mornings....but this year, we've discovered that we have plenty of time for the kids to eat at home - and it's cheaper (believe it or not!).....and since they're all going to the same place this year - the morning routine has gotten a lot easier, in general :0)

then last evening, corinn had her first homework assignment! the other 2 kiddos have had homework every day since returning to school, after having labor day off - but last night was corinn's 1st!

look at that concentration!

LOVE IT! ;0)

Monday, September 8, 2008

weekend recap...

well, this weekend - i got 3 hours sleep thursday night, 3 ½ hours friday night & 2 hours saturday night....then i CRASHED sunday night! ~lol~ i still managed to get in a fair amount of play time with the kids, attend my niece's birthday party, & i didn’t feel rushed to meet deadlines....and yet again, my hubby saved the day, er weekend, by taking care of meals, entertainment, baths, etc....BIG UP'S TO U AGAIN BABE! i ♥ you!!!

amazingly enough, it all worked out really well....mama was just tired! ;0)


saturday, we were stuck in the house for the first part of the day - our area felt the effects of Hanna (good bit of rain & lots of wind)

but later, we were able to hit the school playground - the sky looked as tho it might open up and pour on us at any given time - but thankfully, it held off

daddy was attempting to teach gabby how to dribble a basketball....he's so excited about the future super athletes we have in our house....all 3 beg him to "work-out" on his total gym with them - it's actually a good machine for them to use - u're just lifting ur own body weight, so they're not straining or anything....and gabby LOVES to run! she watched some track & field events during the olympics & was simply mesmerized ~teehee~
ok, time to rest
corinn's turn
curtis & i ended up playing a little one on one - i blamed my loss on my sleep deprivation ;0)
then it was time to head home

both men were hot & sweaty, so took their shirts off - or maybe they just wanted to show off ;0)
then, some sparring started.....jaden is constantly trying to ruffle curt's feathers & get a boxing match going - i love all that male bonding - and all the shirtless men! ;0)

and u see that raggedy mini-van in the background? the one that's missing 2 hubcaps - both on the same side?! guess what she did over the weekend?
yep - she rolled over 200,000 miles!
it's really time that we start looking into a new ride.....this van has done really well for us tho! it's a 2002, that we bought when i was pregnant with corinn & we knew we'd need more room....it only had 34,000 miles on it when we bought it!

all the miles added up during our commuting days - when we lived in maryland (outside DC) and sat in traffic for hours each day, going to work in northern VA....then when we moved to front royal & drove 2+ hours each way to go to work in northern VA still.....we've had to replace the power window motor and the transmission, and of course minor repairs & service throughout the years....but she's done me good!


after the playground trip, we headed to deandra's birthday party.....she'd been asking for a Nintendo DS for a while & her mom (my sis) had her convinced that she wasn't getting one

PSYCH! ;0)


sunday, i delivered my dino cake to garrett's party at the town park....curtis & the kids went along to play
gabby, the jump rope/monkey bar queen

garrett's mom sent him over with 3 favor boxes for the kids - soooo sweet! thx tammy!

of course, jaden was thrilled with the dinosaur theme box of goodies!

gabby trying out the glider that was in her favor box

after children's choir practice sunday eve, we headed over to Nana & Grandpa's to say
HAPPY GRANDPARENTS DAY!

and to ride grandpa's 4-wheeler ;0)
matthew & jaden will just rest here with the g-parents

i hope you had a great weekend too! :0)

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