The Cake - The Sweater - The WTF Cards....

So I started on Audrey's cakes, and still haven't found a pan to do Barbie's dress in. I actually found a vase of mine, washed and bleached it out, and was able to turn out a nice cake. But once it was done cooking, it just wasn't wide enough to stick big-ol-barbie (yeah, don't we all wish we were as "big" as barbie!) in there and still have cake leftover. I think today or tomorrow I will finish baking the second layer and find something else for barbie's dress.

I started trying to knit a sweater.... wow, it's going to take me forever to finish this thing! It may or may not fit when I am done with it, but hey.. there is always Audrey that will fit into it! I'm trying the cable stitch on it for th first time, and so far I'm not really finished with enough rows to see how it is turning out. I am having fun with it though, and that's all that matters!

I thought I would jump ahead this year and order my Christmas cards early. Well, I always create them online at Snapfish. They turned out pretty good on the "preview card now" frame so I ordered them. I got them last week all excited that I would be ready to mail them all out by the 1st of December. The excitement lasted until I pulled the first card out and it read:

"ing you Happy Holidays and a Wonderful 2009!" "ING????" "ING?" what... the.......

After 1/2 hour on hold, I was promised I would be fully reimbursed for them once they recieved them back with the postage free label they provided. So I re-ordered them, and just to be safe, I shortened the greeting way down in hopes that when I get them next week they will actually look like what I ordered!

Ok, guess I should post this and finish up my last 1/2 hour of work! Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!

So....the slippers didn't quite turn out.....

I have no pictures to post today, but thought I would at least write a quick blurb. Bridger loved his new, soft, fleecy pillow case, and I did start on the slippers. Apparently, unbeknowest to me, my sewing machine will not sew faux fur and leather together. Too thick? you ask? Ohhhhh,nnnoooooooo...... I guess it just won't take the stitch. Who knew? I guess after 1 1/2 hours of getting completely frustrated...now I know! Anyway, I will try the slippers again when I get some other cute fabric.

On a separate side note.... I got a link in an email today that's kinda cute... tons of recipes. Check it out if you want.... www.northpole.com I'm going to let the kids play some of the cute little games on there today.

Hope everyone's Thanksgiving is wonderful! And remember all the MILLIONS of things we all have to be thankful for!!!

What to do?

So, I've only slept a couple hours today, but it's all good because I don't have to work tonight (stoked) (Big Grin). I've been aching to do something crafty for the last few weeks, but have got nothing done except work, sleep, and some chocolate crinkle cookies that somehow didn't turn out like they normally do. So, despite of lack of sleep and overwhelming tiredness, the kids are in bed and I want to get started on SOMETHING! Two things in mind.... First one: very simple (so I should probably just stick with it), make Bridger a nice fleecy, soft pillowcase. Now that the temps have been hovering in the very low teens, our house has become somewhat ice-box-ish and he keeps complaining that his cotton pillowcase is cold when he puts his head down.

Second: I was so graciously directed to my new favorite blog; http://www.homeadebyjill.blogspot.com/, and found a sewing pattern for soft-sole baby shoes. SOOOOOOO cute!! Since I don't have babies anymore, I was going to try and alter the pattern a bit to fit around a size 8 toddler foot. I have some soft faux fur material and some soft suede leather. I would love to knock out a couple pair of super-de-duper-cushy-warm-soft house slippers for the kiddos. Of course, put something girly and cutesy on Audrey's or else she probably won't want to wear them. Sooo, off I go. Of course, I may just fall asleep before I get everything set up too!

AAAAH, THROUGH THE EYES OF CHILDREN!

Do you remember the days when we were young, free of responsibility, innocent, and thought that any dress (or outfit for that matter) looked breathtaking when paired with a tiara, bunny ears, shawl, any necklace on hand and pretty much any adornment you could find? I wonder, why don't we do that anymore?? Is it because we are too worried about what others may think, or perhaps just to caught up in our everyday chores and responsibilities? Maybe it's because I don't have a fresh set of bunny ears on hand.... I do enjoy watching my little girl still revel in her childhood and dress up in every pink, pretty, glittery thing she can find though. Though Bridger really isn't into dressing up, he still takes childhood head on with the never-ending construction zone that is his room. There is always a truck needing dumped somewhere, something needing fixed that only the tools in his toolbox can work, or the occasional jet that needs to fly repeatedly around, and around, and around... (you get it) the house. Oooh, to be a kid again! Now, I guess I should go back to my work and responsibility {sigh}

edible art

So it's almost Audrey's birthday, and we finally decided when to have her party. When asked a theme, she couldn't choose between princesses, barbie, strawberry shortcake, and tinkerbell. Her exact quote, "I, like, like them all, I don't know, I want all of them, It's like, too hard... you pick mom." So, being the loving, considerate mommy I am, I picked the one that had a birthday pack on sale at www.pinatas.com ... Viola, we are having an Barbie Island Princess birthday party. Now for the cake..... First of all, I looooveee making cakes, and decorating them, I just have to start several weeks in advance if I want it to turn out ok. For Bridger's birthday this year, he wanted a Bob the Builder birthday. I decided to try fondant for the first time because I had been wanting to for quite awhile....but... since I'm several hours from any Michael's store, didn't want to order it and pay that much, I learned how to make my own fondant (and learned what NOT to do when making my own fondant!). About 3 bags of marshmallows later and a counter-dyed-green, out came a pretty spiffy Bob cake. It was a hit, and tasted really good. NOW, however, my daughter is expecting nothing less than spectacular for her cake. I ordered an island princess barbie on-line (since we didn't have any on-hand just sitting around) and have decided to try a barbie cake on top of a sheet cake. With any luck it will look like the one I found on the internet below (including another cake of course. As Audrey so blatently pointed out "uh, mom, that isn't going to be enough cake for everyone.." (me)"I know honey, I will make another one underneath it." (audrey)"oh, ha ha, I was like... uh, that's not big enough!, ha ha" and she is only 4...) So, I will cross my fingers and prepare for the cake-batter, marshmallow, and powdered sugar tornado that is about to hit my kitchen!!! I'll post pictures of the finished cake (if it's a picture of a sheet cake on it purchased from the store, you'll know that I'm huddled in a corner at home in my kitchen covered with powdered sugar and pink and purple food coloring!)

Once again, we ventured out to take the annual family Christmas card photos. This year we didn't have any place in mind, so just drove until we found a place that would work. Luckily you can't see everything that went into them! The dogs went with us, but wouldn't sit still and smile at the camera when we did - they did however think it was great fun to race me back to my spot before the timer went off to take the picture. We managed to get a few good ones without the dogs running in them and with the kids looking at the camera and not to see what the dogs were doing. Next year we are bringing a 3rd-party photographer with us!!!

New to Blogging....

Ok, so I'm finally going to do it... I will start my very own blog. I have to admit, back in the days before internet, when your journal or diary was a "blog" I wasn't that great at writing in it everyday (of course, that was something no one else ever saw.... hmmmm.... maybe I should think about this a little more!)
Well, be patient with me! Hopefully one day I will live up to all of my blog idols and be at least half the bloggers they are... I can dream! Until then..... blog on!