Saturday, my cousin Tiffany married her sweetheart, AJ...it was such a beautiful, yet simple event...going with the theme of the weekend, her patriotic decor was just perfect!
and thankfully, the heat wave held off just long enough...Saturday was absolutely beautiful! (Sunday, & every day since, is a totally different story!)
their cake was a combo of 3 flavors...fudge chip, classic yellow, & marble (AJ's favorite)...it was all filled & iced in my buttercream...then decorated with a navy blue ribbon & fresh gerbera daisies
they were married in their backyard...really, the perfect spot!
it's always fun to get to serve one of my cakes - i got to hear lots of great feedback from the guests at the reception...& it was an honor to get to create this sweet couple's cake - best wishes guys...i know u'll be sooo happy together!
here's the message i got from Tiff...sounds like they loved their cake! "Thanks for your beautiful creation! It was perfect! AJ loves the marble cake, and we heard a lot of compliments on the design & actual cake taste - it was good and moist...of course like expected!"
i have some pics of my cousin's wedding (& of course, the cake too) to post soon...but today, we're hanging out, doing a little cleaning, maybe checking out the parade later, & definitely going to see the fireworks tonight! (well, except for daddy...he has to work)
we've been enjoying some AWESOME weather over the last several days (like 50 degree nights, 70 degree days)...but it seems as tho the sweltering hot days are back...it was 70 degrees by like 8am this morn, & check out our 10-day forecast...
ouch.
oh well, what's a little sweat amongst family? ~lol~
Curt has smoked Black & Mild cigars for years...he's tried to quit several times - would slowly work his way down to just smoking 1 a day...then somehow, he'd pick the pace back up & be right back where he started from
but this Father's Day, i got him a special gift...look closely...
that's no ordinary cigar...that's an eCig! an eCig is an electronic cigarette...it uses an atomizer & eliquid (juice) to create a vapor, not smoke...
the juices come in different levels of nicotine, so u can use them to slowly ween urself off & quit smoking all together...or u can continue to vape - with nicotine, or without...it's not the nicotine in ordinary cigarettes that kill u, it's the harmful tobacco, chemicals & carcinogens that they add to the cigarettes!
*here's just a few of the ingredients that go into the making of cigarettes...
Acetone - ingredient in nail polish remover Methanol - used as rocket fuel Naphthylamine - a carcinogenic Pyrene - a carcinogenic Naphthalene - moth repellent Cadmium - used in batteries, a carcinogenic Carbon monoxide - poisonous gas Vinyl Chloride - used in plastic materials Cyanhydric acid - was used in gas chambers Ammonia - detergent Arsenic - lethal poison Dibenzacridine - a carcinogenic Polonium 210 - a radioactive element DDT - insecticide Formaldehyde - used as an embalming fluid
*eliquid & the vapor it produces contain 3 main ingredients: nicotine, propylene glycol, and flavoring...these 3 ingredients are also found in regular cigarettes, but are known not to be carcinogenic, and are approved by the FDA *source
not only can u get different levels of nicotine, but there r also TONS of flavors to choose from...Curt's currently waiting on an order from Ms. T's Bakery - just looking at her site makes me drool!
we gave Curtis this gift first thing Father's Day morning & he hasn't touched a single B&M since! it takes a little more time/preparation than just grabbing a pack at the store...but he sits down & loads up his cartomizers with the juices he likes, charges his batteries, & packs up his little case each nite - & he's good to go for the next day! plus, he's actually getting into mixing juices & finding flavors/combos that he likes (he's been mixing a tobacco flavor & juicy fruit flavor lately...has some caramel brownie & green apple lollipop on the way!)...it really becomes somewhat of a hobby
he's been getting a huge kick out vaping indoors...he loves the reaction he gets from walking thru the store & puffing away...i just pretend i don't know him! ~lol~ he delivered pizza to the police station the other night & had several cops/dispatchers gathered around, asking him questions about his eCig...he's also convinced a few of his friends to give it a try - they've purchased their own, & given up cigarettes completely!
the kiddos LOVE that daddy is no longer smoking...he's now vaping! ;0) they've forever been on his case to quit (& believe me, they throw up the C word at him every chance they get..."daddy, u're going to get cancer!" ~lol~), so they're super happy to know what he's doing now is safe...not to mention, he's tasting food again, feeling like he can breathe better, & his random headaches are gone!
it's the Father's Day gift that keeps on giving! :0)
here's a link to the starter kit i picked up for Curt...the price is pretty great for what u get...& if u consider what we were paying for B&M's before Curt got this eCig, it's probably already paid for itself! & here's a video that Cigtechs put out (a tutorial on how to use the 808), in case u're interested in how it works...
also, here's a great link for the argument of eCig vs cigarettes...there r some additional resources linked on that site as well...eCigs r not currently FDA approved, but a much better choice if u ask me!!!
*special thx to our friend Mark for turning us on to the whole eCig thing...& for his help with getting Curt started...Mark has been cigarette free for over a year & a half now, & is quite the vaping expert ;0)
Corinn & Gabby picked up hermit crabs at the beach souvenir shop with their spending money...they'd already grown used to handling them - we find tons at the beach every year...of course, those hermit crabs are tiny (well, mostly - we've found some pretty big ones on the sound side)...there's really no worries when it comes to watching out for their claws...
at first, it didn't appear we had to watch out for the store-bought kind either...they'd climb around in our hands & didn't seem to be too concerned with our fingers...for the first week or so, they never tried to do any pinching
but then one evening last week, i heard a blood curdling scream come from the kitchen! Corinn had been handling Sally (her hermit crab...Gabby's is named Spikey - he's pictured below) & apparently Sally had had enuff...she'd clamped that big claw onto a pinch of Corinn's palm skin & would NOT let go!
i'm talking the soft fleshy part too...right in the middle of her palm! i pried the crab's claw open, careful not to rip Corinn's skin or harm the crab...as soon as she was loose, she sighed deeply...i think it scared her more than anything else...but i bet that sucker hurt too!
Curtis was so pissed...he came running into the room & looked as though he was ready to throw the hermit crab to the floor & stomp it...i bet if it had been him releasing Corinn from the crab's grasp instead of me, Sally would be one claw short this week ~lol~
needless to say, we're a lot more careful about how we handle these critters...especially Corinn - she doesn't let those pinchers anywhere near her skin any more!
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
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...
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)
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~
and thankfully, the heat wave held off just long enough...Saturday was absolutely beautiful! (Sunday, & every day since, is a totally different story!)
their cake was a combo of 3 flavors...fudge chip, classic yellow, & marble (AJ's favorite)...it was all filled & iced in my buttercream...then decorated with a navy blue ribbon & fresh gerbera daisies
they were married in their backyard...really, the perfect spot!
it's always fun to get to serve one of my cakes - i got to hear lots of great feedback from the guests at the reception...& it was an honor to get to create this sweet couple's cake - best wishes guys...i know u'll be sooo happy together!
here's the message i got from Tiff...sounds like they loved their cake!
the kiddos' favorite part of the wedding?
the pinata! ;0)
