Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday, Mom!!!

You are a wonderful mother and I have always loved making you smile, even when it hurt. Some of my favorite memories end with the words "Don't make me smile/laugh, it hurts"

I have been so thankful for you in the last 10 years especially, I don't know what my life would be like if I couldn't call you to find out what temp you bake potatoes and meat loaf at. I just never had to remember because I knew that I could always call you.

All the days I have been able to call you with something fun or cute the kids did and all the times the kids have gotten to stay overnight with you are wonderful memories. I love watching you with your grandkids, thank you for being such a loving Grandmother.

I wish I could make your day as special as you made mine. You managed to ruin all the birthdays since I moved out by making my birthday all about me!!! :) I dont get that as a mom and have come to appreciate those days even more.

Thank you for all the good times and I hope you know how much I love you.

Crusts anyone?

Daily I am reminded of how my kids have spoiled me as a Mother. They slept through the night at an early age, Knighton and his patience with his brother and sisters, Jessica and her desire to help everyone, Elijah and not being a picky eater and Allyson and her overall calming spirit. To name a few.

I could apply all of these these things (and more) to each of my kids, but today I want to focus on the not picky eaters in my family. Both of the older kids have developed less easy to please palates and that's to be expected. As young children I never had a problem with food left on the table because it wasn't good. I watch or hear about my sister-in-law fight on a daily basis to have her kids eat something besides fruit and chocolate milk and I am thankful all over again.

So the thing that made me thankful today... crusts. I watch my niece (different than those previously mentioned) on the week days. About 90 percent of the time she brings a PB&J sandwich. She nibbles right to the edge of the crust and leaves the rest because she doesn't like crusts. In the process she becomes one sticky mess and I have a hard time figuring out what goes on inside her head. The crusts are so thin by the time she is done with them she has to have eaten some of it.

It really isnt a big deal, just one of my pet peeves. (I dont have all that many, haha) I just let her do what she wants with her bread and make sure at lunch that she knows if she wants more sandwich she needs to finish ALL of her first one. Would you know, if she wants more, there are no crusts on the table.

Halloween

I know I am way over due for blogging about Halloween but I need to thank the family for making it a fun night! I am so glad that all could come' although we missed you Christina. I want to post all the fun pics we got... but the weren't on my camera so I need to get them from my mom and sisters. We decorated pumpkins and had chili in bread bowls. Thanks Andrea and Robert for bringing the cutest pumpkin shaped bread!!! Thanks to Mom and Dad for letting us use their beautiful home. I hope all was left the way it was found. :) Also thanks to all the kids who made the pumpkins so cute! I look forward to the Halloweens in the future with my awesome family.

you want what?

When my cousin Megan found out a friend of hers was getting married, she let her know that I do cakes. Her friend decided that I could do her cake and gave me a website to look at the cake she liked. We looked it up and I was surprised.... it was a very dark red, but I thought, sure that wont be so hard. It really was simple in design and decoration. Just fondant tinted red and pearl candy attached. Sounds easy, looks easy, right?

Well, let me tell you, it wasn't.

First I made the Fondant with the color added to the liquid part of the recipe so I wouldn't have to kneed more than I had to. The end result was a crumbly fondant. I decided that I had done something wrong in making it and to make another batch.

I had to run to the store to pick up some ingredients I had run out of. I then added the coloring (half a bottle at a time) after it was all made. It still wasn't as dark as I thought it needed to be so I ran to the store again to buy a darker red (hopefully) If anyone wonders Wilton, Christmas red is not a dark red. The end result was the same...Crumbly fondant

By this time I was in tears. I kept asking Megan what was I going to do. Do I just cover it in buttercream? Is there any way I can use what I have? After trying everything I could think of to fix it, I went to the store yet again to buy ready made fondant and I was never going to cover a cake in ready made fondant after that first time.

Anyway, I got home and started dying it red, and it started to crack as I kneaded the coloring in and we decided that that was as dark as it would get. I could only hope the bride would be OK with it.

Thankfully I was able to get the fondant on nice and smoothly and the addition of the pearls really brought the cake together. This cake also taught me a lot. Especially that I need an air brush, something that has been noticed many times since.

The bride gave me the best compliment ever, through Megan,

she said it was perfect.

What? (updated)

Its been a while since by last post, partially because I have gotten caught up in the happenings of life (without to many funny stories) and largely because I have been lazy. Typing has never come easy for me so I am anxiously waiting for the comp that can type for me as I talk.

This morning I woke up at 730 to get ready to take the kids to school and to the usual craziness. Ally was playing in the toilet with bright red hands and spots on her pants. Jessi had made punch for dinner and decided the best place for the packets was on the floor. Of course I didn't notice them the night before because, lets face it, I don't live in the ideal world where my house is perfect (or even half way there sometimes) Ally deciding that she could do and art project, opened three packets and proceeded to dye her pants, her hands and the toilet (water and all) red.

The kids were finally dressed and ready to go to the school for breakfast, but I couldn't leave yet... for many reasons.

First Jana hadn't gotten here yet, second I couldn't find my keys and third if the kids really wanted to eat at the school I needed my purse because they needed lunch money

The result... Jana showed up 5 min after I needed to leave, the kids went out to the car as soon as she came and I still couldn't find my purse and keys!!!

I did what any sane mother would do... I went out side and yelled at the kids to help me, not sit in the car (that is sane right) Of course they didn't misplace my purse and keys but they could help, right? As we came in I was telling them what I needed to find and Knighton said the keys were in the car. They just didn't mention they had them when they went out.

So two problems down one to go. I asked the kids to eat breakfast while I looked for my purse then promptly found it. we had 5 min to get to the school so they could have breakfast there, so we ran to the car and left.

As we got to the school I noticed that the crossing guard wasn't there. My first thought was, weird he is always here for the breakfast crowed. Then I noticed that the school was dark, now I thought, HUH?

Finally I saw the sign that said no school on the 17th

Ugh what a morning. All that to just bring the kids back home.