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
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!
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 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
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!
i promised to let u know how my last scan went...well, i met with my oncologist on Monday (Corinn's bday) & found out that everything came back clear...praise God! the doc said my lymph nodes actually look smaller than when all this began...guess all that treatment really did do the trick!
in fact, the radiation did such a good job of zapping the tissues in my neck, that i'm still feeling the effects! i have a sore throat almost weekly, but the doc says this is normal (really? after almost a year?!)...i also have pretty brutal reflux - doesn't matter if i've eaten too much, eaten the wrong type of food, or just haven't eaten at all...i get heartburn almost daily (also apparently normal?!)
& now i'm finding out it has effected my thyroid as well - turns out my levels were low when they ran my blood work on Monday, so they asked to run it again...sure enough, Hypothyroidism...apparently, another common effect of radiation to the neck - yay! ;0)
thankfully, my levels are not severely low...i'm on a low dosage of meds now (Synthroid) & they'll check my levels again in a month...& this could explain my recent lack of concentration & memory loss...and my dry skin/irritation...maybe even some of my weight gain & lack of energy?! yeah, that's it! that's why i'm fat ;0)
so hopefully, the meds work...& hopefully i don't have to take em forever! sounds like there's a good chance i will tho - i guess we'll see...& of course i'll keep u updated
as for my next scan, i'll go again in may (another 3 months) - taking me up to a whole year since i finished treatment!!! if that 1 is all clear too, then i'll go down to just once every 6 months...that def will be nice!
this past Saturday, we had Den races for Jaden's Cub Scout pack...i'm sure u've heard of the Pinewood Derby races before...each boy gets a kit (remember, Santa gave Jaden this kit) - which contains a block of wood, axles (nails) & wheels...it's up to them to turn those items into a derby car...
of course Jaden's car had to be blue...& he went with a 3-headed dragon design of course ;0) he was soooo proud of his car...all he talked about was how much he hoped to win a trophy...
this was my 1st time at a Pinewood Derby race & i was surprised at how official it was...the boys had to turn in their cars, have them weighed (u want to get as close to 5oz as u can so the car is heavy enuff to pick up some speed, but u can't go over 5oz) & checked in to the computer...
the boys waited patiently for the races to start...
they raced 3 cars at a time... (the skateboard car on the right was the overall winner)
they'd place them at the top of the track, leaning on these little pegs that would hold them in place until the start... (the front light on the lighthouse car on the left actually blinked)
then the pack leader would pull out the pegs & the cars would take off...at the end of the track was a digital finish line that would record each finishing place...
Jaden's car was raced 3 times before it was taken out of the running...he placed 2nd, 2nd & 3rd...
here's a video of his 2nd race...we had a pretty fun time!
Jaden placed 6th overall (out of 9) - pretty good for his very 1st car if u ask me! (btw, no one got trophies - thank God!)
he won't get to compete in the pack races this Saturday during the Blue & Gold banquet (only the top 3 from each den do), but his car will be in the running for "most original design"...each boy will decorate a shoe box to set beside their car & folks will put money in the boxes of the cars they want to vote for...each quarter counts as 1 vote...i'm thinking about stacking Jaden's box with like $50 so he can win ~lol~ i bet i'm not the only parent considering that tho! ;0)
u already saw the cupcake cake i made for Corinn's birthday snack today (she's 6!!!)...it was 23 fudge chip cupcakes - iced/decorated in butter cream
but i also had 2 other cake orders this weekend...
1st was this cutie for an old friend (BHS grads - this was for Keena's son)...she lives about 2hrs away, but her parents are still local & are always happy to deliver cakes for us...i made Cole's big sister's 1st birthday cake back in 2008 - this time, it was his turn
Cole's mom said the elephant theme has followed him from birth...his cake was 2 tiers of fudge chip, iced in butter cream, then accented in fondant...i made the little elephant from fondant as well
i also created a little peanut smash cake for Coleman (yellow cake, iced in butter cream)...although from certain angels, this cake tends to look more like boobs or a butt! ~lol~
Cole's mom sent me this pic & a sweet email after the party... "Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! The cake was perfect, just as I had imagined! And taste good...man! Love that chocolate chocolate chip! Thanks Sharon! Your cakes made the day perfect!"
isn't he adorable?!
next up was this Vera Bradley bag...
it was picked out by 13 year old Jordan (who is also a repeat customer)...her mom sent me the link to the VB Bowler bag, in Rasberry Fizz...it was my job to turn it into a cake ;0) it's marble cake, iced in butter cream, then covered in pink fondant & hand painted (with edible gel colors)
to be honest, i wish i had a few more hours to devote to the painting of this design...it was soooo detailed! i did my best to simplify it, but to still make it recognizable...i think i found a happy medium
i got an email & pic from this mother too... "Oh my heck, the cake was beautiful! Jordan loved it and so did all of her friends. Next time I need to get some business cards from you to hand out because I think every person at the skating rink wanted you name and number! Here is a picture of Jordan with her cake and thanks again."
both were yellow cake, iced in red buttercream fur...i made their eyes & noses out of fondant
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...
it's white cake, iced in blue buttercream...i made the leaves, boat & fish from fondant...the pole & cattails are not completely edible
