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...

weekend cakes...

i had 3 orders this weekend...


the 1st was for these twin Elmo heads...i had a mother contact me, saying she already had a sheet cake for the party lined up, but she wanted 2 smash cakes for her twin girls...they love Elmo, so this is what she went with...

both were yellow cake, iced in red buttercream fur...i made their eyes & noses out of fondant

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the next order was delivered over the mountain on Saturday, to a very special (& large) baby shower...the theme was ladybugs & here's the invite they used...

the customer wanted the cake to match the invites, but she also wanted my famous modeled fondant baby on top...

it was 4 tiers of yellow cake, all iced in buttercream...

in addition to the baby, the blocks, flowers, bow & ladybugs are also modeled from fondant...

the customer was very pleased with how the design turned out!

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lastly, i made this fishing cake for 16yo Kendall...

it's white cake, iced in blue buttercream...i made the leaves, boat & fish from fondant...the pole & cattails are not completely edible



thx for looking!
sharon

she's a she...& she's already fixed!

i took our kitty, Night, to the vet yesterday...dropped her off 1st thing in the morning for an overnight visit...since we've claimed her as our own (& she's claimed us right back), i figured we'd better take her to the vet to not only get her fixed (one adopted kitty is enough!), but to get a rabies shot, de-wormed, etc. too

i went in this morning to pick her up, & guess what?
she's already been fixed!

the vet was able to confirm that she's a she...she's pretty comfortable with all of us (especially me) - & we've been able to pet her on our laps, love on her every day, even pick her up...but i've never been brave enough to flip her over or try to examine her enough to find out her sex...we just assumed since we couldn't see the obvious, that she was female...i'm glad that's been confirmed ~lol~

they also guess she's around 3 years old...not quite as old as i had guessed...she's got a peppering of white hairs throughout her black fur - almost making it look like she's graying...but i guess she's like me - u can't guess age, based on gray hair ;0)

i wonder where she came from? was she someone's beloved kitten - fixed, taken care of...then they moved away & left her behind? did she just run off from home?

she was most definitely a stray when she came to us - no collar, rummaging through our trash, searching for food...staying far far away from us - too scared to let us get anywhere near her when we tried

she's fattened up since moving in under our back porch...we have a little house out back for her, & she'll use that to lay around in during the day sometimes...but at night, she goes back deep under our porch, & sleeps there...she has NO interest in coming inside - no matter how hard the girls try...she never touches the trash now...& she's outside, waiting, every morning when we come out to leave...& again, waiting for us to come home, every evening (of course, that's dinner time too)

we missed her while she was at the vet...& worried about whether she was scared or not...we were even afraid that she might be mad/scared & take off once we brought her home again

she didn't meow once the entire ride home - which is weird...she meows a LOT...& loudly too...so we worried a little...but i had a can of food ready when we opened the door to the carrier...she recognized immediately where she was, went to check out her spot under the porch, returned right away & ate her food, then meowed long & loud for a very long time...rubbing up against our legs & trying hard to keep us from going inside - she was wanting some major attention!

& we ate it right up!

wordless Wednesday...everything...

weekend recap...

what an awesome weekend! it was sooooo pretty outside & we took full advantage of it!

Saturday was a big day in our house...Curtis finally convinced me to take the plunge & get satellite TV (him working 2 jobs def helped his case)...we had cable at our last place, but they're aren't any cable companies that service where we live now...satellite TV was the only option - & well, only one of the 2 offers local channels...so early Saturday morning, the Direct TV guy came out & installed our new distraction...er, i mean TV ;0)

while he was there (for 7 hours!!!), we tried to keep busy outside...which wasn't hard - it was gorgeous & like almost 60 degrees!

although, maybe we should have stayed close by the tech...cause now Curt's iPod is missing :0( the guy was super nice & i'd hate to accuse him if Curt just misplaced it...but we've searched the house high & low...Curt says it was sitting on his dresser that morning & now it's gone...i've got a call in with Direct TV & am waiting for the local folks to call me back...not sure what will happen with that

anyway, after spending the entire day at home, waiting for the Direct TV guy to get done...Curt headed into work (his 2nd job) & the kiddos & i went to my Pap's birthday dinner...Pap Lawson (my dad's dad) turned 87 on Saturday!!!

Sunday after church, i delivered this motorcycle cake...


then we headed over to my parents for some 4-wheeling fun...the first hoo-rah of the season!

Corinn rode some...but preferred to just kick back & enjoy some string cheese in the sun instead ;0)

my sis & her kiddos came over...

(they're rolling Bryan's cars on my dad's make-shift green house...he's starting seeds for his garden & he's even going to give us some starter plants!)

even Matthew rode his tractor up from his house! ;0)

Katie (Matthew's mom - my brother's wife) is expecting another little boy next month...Jaden absolutely adores little Levi already! he's counting down to the due date...& he HAS TO touch Katie's tummy & talk to the baby every time we see her!

Grandpa built the kiddos a campfire...

& we just enjoyed hanging out & taking in the warm weather & sunshine...it feels sooooo good to get some reassurance that Spring truly is right around the corner!

but as always, Monday came way too soon!

back to work...back to school...put in another week, & hope & pray next weekend is as nice as this one was!

don't forget...we need your help...

don't forget to visit my page & donate today...help the Warrior Women reach our goal & raise $2,000 for Relay for Life!!!

to motivate folks just a little, i've decided to offer up a prize to the highest contributor...i will award a prize of one free cake order (to serve up to 25 people) to the person donating the highest amount! this will run until the walk on May 8th, so u have plenty of time to give...i will announce the winner here on May 10th

so go give!!!

xoxox,
sharon

i'm jealous of her high tops...

Gabrielle's favorite new addition to her wardrobe...

wish they came in my size! ;0)

weekend recap...including Corinn's 6th bday...

ugh - i'm such a blog slacker!

not only with posting...but with reading & commenting too! i haven't had time to check in on my friends' blogs in quite some time & i feel so out of the loop...i apologize...it's this damn job! ;0)

anyway, better late than never...here's our weekend recap...

Saturday, Jaden's Cub Scout Pack had their annual Blue & Gold Banquet - this was our first year attending...they kick off the banquet with the derby car Pack races...this is where the top 3 from each of the Den races compete for the top trophies

i told you how Jaden's only goal at the Den races was to win a trophy...luckily, they didn't hand out trophies then - but i was worried how he'd handle the winners getting 1 this time...i prepped him, explaining that the big winners probably would get a trophy, & that it was ok that he didn't...he was actually ok with it - finally saying "u're right Ma, it's only a trophy" ;0)

but i still had hope that he'd win the "most original design" competition since it was purely based on the amount of money each scout could collect in their box

Jaden drew his 3-headed dragon car on his box...his aunt Kelly (my sis) donated $10 to the cause...i threw in $30 & crossed my fingers (hey, the money goes to the Scouts - so it was for a good cause)

but honestly, it was this car AND box that should have won! i mean look at this kid's creativity!

me & another mom were in charge of counting out the money toward the end of the banquet...i had high hopes when she counted Jaden's total & told me it was $41.75...all the other boxes i'd been counting had $15-20 in them!

but then, i got to this one kid's box...it was a pretty cool car - actually a truck, but definitely not the most original...but he must have had all his grandparents & uncles in attendance at the banquet - cause his box total came up to $129.50!!!

Jaden did come in 2nd, but of course his total was no competition for the little rich kid ;0)

so anyway, the time came to hand out the trophies...they ended up not only giving one to the top 3 winners of the Pack races - but they waited to hand out the Den race winner trophies until the banquet too...so there was this table with about 15 trophies on it & i'm praying that Jaden doesn't cry...i know he's still hoping he'll get a trophy - but i know otherwise...so i'm busy trying to chat with him & talk about how fun the banquet & races were...just basically trying to distract him so his mind isn't on the trophies

they give them all out & then it's time for the "most original design" winner to receive his plaque...i announce the winner & let everyone know that the Scouts raised $312 with the voting (pretty cool fundraiser, huh?)...then i sit down

then the Pack Master announces that they have 2 surprise awards...we had some visiting Scout Masters from other local troops at the banquet...& the Pack Master had asked them to vote on 2 different categories

one was "best overall design" & they awarded that boy with a plaque as well

the other was for "best craftsmanship" & wouldn't u know?
Jaden won!!!

he was so stinkin' proud! & i may or may not have cheered a little too loud for him ;0) but to see him go up & accept his plaque (a pretty good trophy replacement) was priceless!!!

i posted on Corinn's 6th birthday last week...but we just had her party this past Sunday

she wanted not 1, but 2 cakes...she wanted to include both her favorites right now - puppies AND kitties ;0) she & i sat down & drew up the design - the puppy was to be brown, but yellow cake...& the kitty was to be white with gray stripes - & fudge chip cake

i won't tell u about how the puppy's head fell off right before the party...& how i had to scramble to repair it & find a way to keep it standing...but hey, it worked & was all worth it in the end!

we invited all our local immediate family (my mom & bros/sis - & their kiddos)...plus Corinn had a sleepover the night before...she was allowed to invite over 1 friend - but lucky for her, her BFF is a twin...so she got a 2fer! ~lol~

i tell ya what - girls are awfully loud...especially when u get 5 of em together! ;0)



Corinn had waited almost a whole week from her actual birthday to open presents - so she was just a tad excited! ;0)

Curtis was at Corinn's beck & call all day...earlier, he'd taken all 4 girls (plus Jaden) to the river to throw rocks...he drove around until they found a playground that wasn't still covered in snow so they could play too...then, when one of Corinn's friends wanted the training wheels taken off one of the girls' old bikes, he was right there to assist...what an awesome daddy! ;0)

& i just thought this pic of Corinn & her BFF locking arms was sweet ;0)

& that was it - another busy/fast weekend that just flew on by!

but hey, it's getting warmer here...it's starting to feel like maybe Spring is right around the corner (jumping for joy inside!)

well, if u don't count all the random snow we got yesterday & that's still coming down today...it's not enough to count really - didn't delay school or anything...i think it's honestly too warm to stick...it's crazy how "warm" 40 degrees feels after nothing but super low temps for so long!