weekend cakes...

Friday, i brought this cake along with me to the office...Rylee's mom always picks up her birthday girl's cake the Friday before her Saturday party...i missed the 1st birthday, but have been able to do every birthday cake for Rylee since! (here's her 2nd & 3rd)

this year, she chose Phineas & Ferb...i was able to get all her favorite characters on there, & pull in some tie-dye to match her party decor! it was all yellow cake (all 72 servings of it!), iced & decorated in buttercream

then on Saturday, i had a bachelorette party cake picked up...

this one was all fudge chip cake...first, iced in buttercream - to create all the right curves ;0) then, covered & decorated in fondant & dark chocolate fondant

usually, i create any "naughty" cakes in the middle of the night...then have them hidden away in a box by the time the kiddos get up the next morning...but this time, i figured the design wasn't too risque, & didn't bother hiding it

Jaden giggled when he first saw it, then asked what flavor cake it was ~lol~ Corinn's first view of the cake was this, as she walked out her bedroom door...

her exact words...
"that's disgusting!"
~lol~

finally, on Sunday, i had yet ANOTHER Pittsburg Steelers cake to create...what is it with these VA folks & their love for the Steelers?!

it was marble cake, iced in buttercream & decorated with fondant

as always, thx for looking!

{this moment} piggy back

{this moment}

"Photos - no words - capturing a moment from the week.
A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

inspired by SouleMama - a Friday ritual

farmer's market...

this past weekend, besides getting all tatted up...we also made some time to take the kiddos to a local farmer's market...we'd never been inside this one, & since i had a free Saturday morning (which almost NEVER happens), we wanted to check it out

right away, Jaden was completely intrigued by the 2 HUGE windmills they have outside...& there's a vendor that has big playground equipment for sale, outside the market...& koi ponds out front...we hadn't even made it inside yet, & the kiddos were having a blast!

there was some pretty cool stuff inside too...& we got there early enough that the place wasn't busy at all (the crowds started piling in as we were leaving)...it was nice being able to stroll through leisurely, not having to worry about the kiddos getting lost in the crowd or bumping into folks

we didn't spend any money...well, except for letting each kiddo get a big lollipop...& a big bag of Kettle Corn for Curtis ;0) Corinn REALLY wanted this bag too...

but sorry, Mama's not spending $30 on something that i'm pretty sure i could make! ;0)

afterward, we went out to eat at IHOP...something else that rarely happens! i think the fact that we don't go out often is really good for the kiddos...they're so well-behaved when we do...& they appreciate it tons more!

(almost) wordless Wednesday...what the?!

anyone know what the hell these things are?!?!

they appear to use the cocoon thing sort of like a hermit crab would its shell...they climb around on the trees/bushes with what looks like only 4 front legs...then, if u get too close, they'll pull back inside the cocoon to hide...some of our bushes are covered in them! & they're doing a good job of killing those bushes too...Curt's been knocking them off & my dad's been dusting the property...but there's even some on the side of the house...& i'm just curious as to what they are...anyone know?

weekend cakes...

Saturday, i delivered this Twilight cake to Alexia...she actually designed this cake...giving me the specifics on color & design...she knew exactly what she wanted! ;0)

it was 3 small tiers of fudge cake...all iced in buttercream & covered in my dark chocolate fondant...all accents are made from fondant, & i hand painted the Eclipse moon logos...the #11 topper was not edible...pics never pic up the shimmer when i use luster dusts - u can't tell, but this one was quite sparkly & pretty!

when i showed up & the birthday girl spotted her cake, she squealed a little...then as all her friends came in the room, the noise level went up...then the cell phones & DSi's popped out for pics...it was quite entertaining...also, very rewarding ;0)

last Friday, baby Jake turned 1! Jake is the son of a friend...and about the cutest baby ever!

because i was a little pre-occupied on Sunday, i totally forgot to take pics of these cakes before sending em out the door (Curtis delivered them in the pouring rain for me...thx hun!)...thx to Steph (Jake's aunt - the girls' old daycare provider) for taking these pics for me!!!

the top monkey cake was a 2-layer 9x13" marble cake...iced in buttercream & topped with a big chocolate fondant monkey face :0)

i also made a matching "smash" cake for Jake...also in marble...at first, Jake gently began eating fingers full of icing

but within a few minutes, that "smash" cake earned it's name...it was too funny!

thx for looking!

it's a sickness...

i've always loved tattoos...i went out & got my very first one AS SOON AS i turned 18! it was just flash...nothing custom...& not something i regret...just kinda wish i'd given it more thought

each of the 3 i got later, meant something...& i'm still thrilled with them - love em!

but i've always wanted more...& when i say more, i mean MORE!

i didn't know what, exactly...that's why i never went for it...i always knew that i wanted some art to represent my children - but i didn't envision that tat being the BIG piece that i knew i'd eventually have...i just knew that one day, it would come to me

then a few months ago, it kinda did...

Jaden was commenting on that 13 year old tat on my back - the one that always makes me wonder if it started Jaden's dragon obsession...he was saying how cool it would be if it grew & went down my arm...&...well...uh...

light bulb!

what better way to represent my amazing son, than with an amazing dragon! & a dragon design could definitely create the beautiful 1/2 sleeve i envisioned having one day!

i still wondered how i'd tie in the girls...i wanted something just as amazing & special to represent them too...& just like that, it seemed to come to me as well - fairies! something that they do indeed love...sticking with the whole mystical/fantasy theme...even a good representation of the beautiful, magical beings that they are! :0)

& so - the idea slowly came to life...

i talked to my friend, David...he lives/works about 2 1/2 hours away, but comes home to visit regularly...i described to him what i had swirling around in my head...i sent him pics i had found online, to give him an idea of what i liked & what i didn't...we tentatively scheduled a weekend a few weeks out...& he drew up some sketches

& then the countdown began!

i continued to save my pennies & beef up my i'm-finally-gonna-do-something-for-myself-and-not-feel-guilty-about-it-tattoo fund...then a bonus at work also came right on time...when this weekend finally rolled around, i felt like a kid on Christmas eve...i was sooooo excited!!!

i'm not gonna show u full shots of both tats just yet...cause it's hard to see our final vision...it's all just outlining right now...JUST 4 1/2 hours of outlining! ~lol~ the basic set up for David to come in & work his magic with shading & color next time...& probably another time after that...chances are, i'll have 2 more sessions - one to finish the fairies with color/shading (they're on my other arm) & to begin the fill-in/shading/background of my sleeve...then one last sitting to fill in all the color for the dragon sleeve

don't i look thrilled?! ~lol~

David came to do the work in our dining room...& Curtis was able to sit & chat with us for a lot of the sitting...i had my cell (FB & Twitter) to keep my mind off the pain...but honestly, it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be - u kind of zone out after a while...well, at least until he gets to that tender, fleshy skin right around ur armpit - ouch! ~lol~

it really is a sickness...a need...an addiction if u must ~lol~ but one that i'm definitely not ashamed of...& hey, it could be worse, right?! ;0) now, another countdown has begun...i'm sooo stoked to get these 2 pieces finished! i'm not planning on stopping after that either...sorry Ma! well, i will chill for a while...but i have plans for at least 4 more in the future - they will be more of the smaller ones, but still kick-ass art on their own...& who knows after that? i'm always getting inspired & thinking up more designs...i just drew this cupcake the other week - looks like it could make a pretty 'sweet' tat, huh? ;0)


so, tell me...

do u agree?
do u have tattoos?
are u now addicted?

{this moment} what tha?!

{this moment}
"Photos - no words - capturing a moment from the week.
A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

inspired by SouleMama - a Friday ritual

i can't stop thinking about it!!!

i've got big plans this weekend! any guesses?

ok, if u're friends with me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter, then u already know...& by now, u're probably tired of hearing me talk about it! ~lol~

but i just cannot wait!!!

i totally know how Jaden feels now...u know, when he has some amazing (to him) event coming up...& it's all he can talk about...over & over & over again...he asks me a million times how many more days until...& when i appear frustrated with his constant jabbering, he'll say, "but Ma, i just can't help it! i can't stop thinking about it!!!"

i totally get that!
;0)

wordless Wednesday...Silly Bandz much?

weekend recap...

Friday eve, Curt cut down all the corn for me...& helped pick beans...

growing a garden is so rewarding!

i've gotten such great satisfaction out of helping put food on the table...& doing it with my hands, not my paycheck

speaking of food on the table...

we'd planned to take the boys out on Sunday - one last meal together before Curt Jr heads off to Cali...& at the last minute, Curt's parents (& his mom's sister, Aunt Faye) decided to drive down to join us! it was soooo nice having everyone together & getting the chance to squeeze on Curt a few more times before he leaves...the kiddos are gonna miss him like crazy - especially the girls! they adore their big brothers!!!

Gabby's got something in common with her big bro too - they're both ice cream fiends!!! ~lol~

Corinn is a shrimp lover...i swear she ate at least 20! ~lol~ & get this...insisting on peeling them all on her own! ;0)

one last shot...i told ya, the girls are crazy about those boys ;0)

(btw, check out the build on Corey now! where did that man come from?!)

other than that, & the cake orders i had...nothing too eventful happened this weekend...daddy worked...& we cleaned house...enjoyed some time outside...& then finally took the evening to relax once Sunday rolled around

how about u?