Another Practice Cake - Mother's Day

My mom has always been super supportive of my hobbies "of the week" as I like to call them.  Mostly, I pick up a hobby, enjoy it for a few months, then get bored, and move onto something else.  That ultimately means I have a lot of "supplies" for hobbies I haven't touched in months!  Maybe even years.  Since I haven't been able to showcase my talents (hahahah!) for my mom or my step-dad yet, I decided I was going to make my mom a Mother's Day cake.  It was a disaster.

I bought this really cool pan where the cake ultimately ends up looking like a checker board.  Cool, right?!  Not! My mom requested a white cake with almond flavoring and a red velvet cake.  Me being the overachiever that I am decided that I was going to make both of these cakes from scratch.  If you know me at all, you know that I have a hard enough time making a grilled cheese sandwich.  Nevertheless, I started my endeavor.  Things proceeded fairly well until I got the the cooking temperature and time.  The red velvet cake was to bake at 350* for like 25 minutes.  The white cake at 325* for 20 minutes.  Um, crap.  I went with it.  LOL.  Needless to say, when I pulled the first take out of the oven, the white cake was starting to burn and the red velvet cake was not fully cooked.  I didn't realize this at first, because my toothpicks (you know the way you are supposed to check if a cake is done or not) were clean.  I left my cakes in the pan for 10 minutes, like I'm supposed to, and went I went to flip them over to the cooling rack, they fell apart.  At this point, the clock had just struck 11 pm!  Oh forget it, I went to bed.  Here's what the cakes looked like BEFORE the oven.  :-)



Oh!  And while I was waiting on the cakes to bake, I cut out 20 daisies from white fondant, and rolled 10 centers for the middle of the daisies.  More on this later...



Moving right along - quite possibly the longest post EVER!  But anyways, so Saturday I was running some errands and one of them included the grocery store.  While I was opposed to doing a boxed cake for my mom, I was running out of options.  So I bought the boxed cakes.  They both baked at roughly the same temperature for the same length of time.  Home I went to bake some more!  Here are the SECOND cakes after being removed from the oven.



Sunday morning, I wake up and decide to go ahead and put a layer of icing on my cake, known as a crumb coating.  Um - the only thing this layer did was BRING OUT MORE CRUMBS!  The harder I tried to prevent crumbs, the more the crumbs the cake had.  After getting the cake iced, it was too freaking humid (or something) but my fondant daisies would not stick to the cake, no matter how hard I tried.  I tried gum paste glue, I tried just pushing them basically all the way into the icing, nothing worked.  I assume it was because I didn't let my flowers dry enough or something, because I tried to finish them Saturday and put them on my cake Sunday.  I don't know what was wrong.  But anyways, so to plan B I went.

I finally just put the words "Happy Mother's Day" and four very basic Wilton Roses on the cake, complete with green leaves.  I have these imprint things that I imprinted to the side of the cake, but I don't feel like they turned out quite how I wanted them to turn out.  In my defense, it was only my first time to use them. Anyways - without further adieu, here is my horrible, no good, very bad Mother's Day cake.  In the end, it turned out okay, and I'm really loving the "checker board" cake.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a day that is meant to recognize all of the amazing work that your mom, grandma, stepmom, etc. do in your life each and every day.  It's a wonderful holiday, really.  I love being able to spoil my mom and tell her how much I appreciate her on this day.  I should do it more often than just one day a year, and I try, but I know that this day is the day that I really focus on nothing but mom.  My mom and I have the most amazing relationship.  She is the greatest mom a girl could ask for.  She's sometimes blunt, but she tells me what I need to hear even if it's not the easiest thing to handle.  She was a single mom for much of her life, even when my dad was around, he wasn't super involved in our lives.  But even as a single mom, she was completely involved and interested in our lives.  I can remember one Christmas in particular that she talked about how it was just us, the three amigos, my mom, my brother, and I.  And even though she has since remarried, and the marriage brought in two additional children, I still feel like it'll always be the three amigos.  I'm lucky to have the mom I have, and I wouldn't trade her for the world!

But... Mother's Day is also hard for me too.  I try not to let it be, but there's no way around it, really.  I want kids, there's no denying that.  But maybe it's not in God's plan for me.  I'm trying very hard to accept that, and know that it'll happen if it's meant to be.  But I see so many people who were married (hell, couples who didn't even start dating until after Marcus and I were married) who have kids, who are working on their second child, etc.  And I'm bitter.  I am genuinely happy for those people who are able to have kids, to announce their pregnancies, and enjoy life with children.  But in the back of my mind, I wonder if that's EVER going to be us. And maybe it won't be, but if that's the case, I really wish I could know that now and start working on being okay with it.  But then I get to watch the comments on Facebook about how Mother's Day is only about the "mothers" out there, and I want so desperately to be a part of that club.

So yes, I know I suck for being depressed on Mother's Day.  But it's life.  It's how I feel, and the people that don't like it, can kiss my lovely behind.  I really am excited to spend this Mother's Day with my mom.  I made her a cake (even though it looks like a disaster) and we're going to her house to make homemade ice cream, coupled with hamburgers, chips, and hanging out.  It really should be a good day.

Cake Decorating - Level 2 - Week 1

I officially made the move from blogger to wordpress.  And holy moly, I love it here!  I wish I had done this a long time ago!  :o)  It's so much more user friendly than blogger - and I love the fact that I can easily post, change, add categories (because they are in a drop down menu!), add pictures.  Yeah, it's pretty much awesome.

Carie, Lindsey, and I started Level 2 of the Wilton Cake course at MIchael's.  In this level, we'll use a lot of fondant, royal icing, and gum paste.  This is definitely more of a challenge for me than the first one seemed to be.  I have a short attention span, at least by 8:30, when our class gets out.  And I feel kind of slow.  LOL.  I'm not - I know I'm not. And I'm hoping it was just this class, since I knew I had so much to do when I got home.

[gallery link="file"]

Here are my lovely creations.  Clearly - making the move to WordPress means that I need to start taking better quality photos, and not use my iPhone anymore.  In both pictures, the one on the left is made using a press, basically like a die cut.  And the one on the right is used by using a cookie cutter to make the overall shape, using a round ball to "flatten and lift."  In my defense (because I really do need it), the one on the right in the right picture feel out of my bag and landed underneath the heater in my car, so it doesn't look so pretty anymore.  I need some work.

Warning! This BLOG POST MAY BE OFFENSIVE.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Tonight, headlines were made when the announcement of Osama Bin Laden's death rang out across national media outlets. And of course, Facebook being one of the biggest social media networks - my wall instantly filled with comments from all different friends. Many of them expressing gratitude to the "special forces" that took out Bin Laden, but even more of them questioning "what more do we want from Obama."

So here's my soap box...

Let's give credit where credit is due. To the men and women who have spent almost twenty years looking for that SOB! Osama Bin Laden has been on our radar since 1993 and the first World Trade Center bombing. Our search for Bin Laden didn't start when the towers collapsed in 2001 - it began way before that. President Bill Clinton was in office. So maybe we should applaud Obama for having the balls to pull the trigger... or wait a minute... ORDERING SOMEONE ELSE TO PULL THE TRIGGER! But um, yeah, I definitely want more from Obama, and *YOU* should too.

So really - here's what *I* want from Obama.

I want an economy that isn't in the toilet, and going down faster and faster. Want to know why gas prices are so high? It has VERY little to do with the fact that the price of oil has gone up. The dollar has declined in value, significantly. Why? Because we continue to print money. On January 1st, 2011 - the conversion rate of $1 to Euros was 0.7471. Today, May 1st, the conversion rate is 0.6759. (If you don't believe me - check it out for yourself... Yahoo Finance!) It costs more US DOLLARS to buy the same item, because the conversion rate continues to decline. Can we blame that on Bush?! I mean, Obama was sworn into office in January 2009. We're going on two years, 4+ months, and we're STILL blaming Bush.

And let's not even begin to talk about the unemployment rate... it's currently sitting at 9.2%. And guess what? That doesn't even take into consideration the people that have given up looking for work because they've been unemployed for so long. People are only considered unemployed if... they are looking for work, do not currently have a job, and are available for work (source!). Again - the increase in the unemployment rate must be Bush's fault too, huh? Oh! And for a chart that shows the steady incline of the unemployment rate - check out this website.

Oh! And the push to increase taxes on the wealthy. Did you know that the top 1% of wage earners pay 28% of the taxes? And... the top fifth of households paid 69% of all income taxes that were paid to the IRS. (Source) Small business owners employ 99.7% of the workers in this country (Source). So let's tax the living day lights out of them. You know, because they aren't paying enough in taxes as it is. You take an average business owner that is making over $250,000 (if he's married) and $200,000 (if he's single) a year. Let's then increase his tax bracket, and make him pay more. Oh - and since he's a small business owner, he's probably a sole proprietor, so he doesn't get the income tax breaks. So now that we're taxing Mr. Business Owner more, he's not able to afford to hire additional workers because he's giving the money that could be used for hiring more people to pay Uncle Sam. And you think 9.2% for unemployment is high. Just wait.

I could continue on and on. I expected a lot more out of Obama because of all of the hot air he spewed when he was running for President. Our economy is in the toilet, prices on EVERYTHING have gone up because gas prices have gone up because the conversion rate of the dollar has gone down significantly. More than that, I'm sick and tired of Bush being blamed for everything. The man has been back in Texas for over two years, minding his own business, and certainly not influencing public policy AT ALL! Instead, he's out taking Wounded Warriors for bike rides at Big Bend National Park.

So yeah - I expect Obama be held to the same effing standards that all the liberals held Bush to, and demand the same actions that were demanded of Bush. Yes, I expect more out of Obama than just him issuing an order to kill a man. Of course, I'm happy that Bin Laden is dead, because he's been a huge threat to global peace for many years, but Obama isn't the one that has to live with the fact he took a man's life, even if it is Bin Laden. Yes, he should get credit because he was the President in office that issued the order, I'm not denying that, but he shouldn't get all the glory.  And there are some people out there (those that prompted this blog to begin with...) that feel he should.

Warning! This BLOG POST MAY BE OFFENSIVE.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Tonight, headlines were made when the announcement of Osama Bin Laden's death rang out across national media outlets. And of course, Facebook being one of the biggest social media networks - my wall instantly filled with comments from all different friends. Many of them expressing gratitude to the "special forces" that took out Bin Laden, but even more of them questioning "what more do we want from Obama."

So here's my soap box...

Do *YOU* (whoever *YOU* may be) think that sitting behind a desk in a cushy office really did shit to capture/kill/whatever Bin Laden? Seriously. Let's give credit where credit is due. To the men and women who have spent almost twenty years looking for that SOB! Osama Bin Laden has been on our radar since 1993 and the first World Trade Center bombing. Our search for Bin Laden didn't start when the towers collapsed in 2001 - it began way before that. President Bill Clinton was in office. So maybe we should applaud Obama for having the balls to pull the trigger... or wait a minute... ORDERING SOMEONE ELSE TO PULL THE TRIGGER! But hell yeah, I want more from Obama.

So really - here's what *I* want from Obama.

I want an economy that isn't in the toilet, and going down faster and faster. Want to know why gas prices are so high? It has VERY little to do with the fact that the price of oil has gone up. The dollar has declined in value, significantly. Why? Because we continue to print money. On January 1st, 2011 - the conversion rate of $1 to Euros was 0.7471. Today, May 1st, the conversion rate is 0.6759. (If you don't believe me - check it out for yourself... Yahoo Finance!) It costs more US DOLLARS to buy the same item, because the conversion rate continues to decline. Can we blame that on Bush?! I mean, Obama was sworn into office in January 2009. We're going on two years, 4+ months, and we're STILL blaming Bush.

And let's not even begin to talk about the unemployment rate... it's currently sitting at 9.2%. And guess what? That doesn't even take into consideration the people that have given up looking for work because they've been unemployed for so long. People are only considered unemployed if... they are looking for work, do not currently have a job, and are available for work (source!). Again - the increase in the unemployment rate must be Bush's fault too, huh? Oh! And for a chart that shows the steady incline of the unemployment rate - check out this website.

Oh! And the push to increase taxes on the wealthy. Did you know that the top 1% of wage earners pay 28% of the taxes? And... the top fifth of households paid 69% of all income taxes that were paid to the IRS. (Source) Small business owners employ 99.7% of the workers in this country (Source). So let's tax the living day lights out of them. You know, because they aren't paying enough in taxes as it is. You take an average business owner that is making over $250,000 (if he's married) and $200,000 (if he's single) a year. Let's then increase his tax bracket, and make him pay more. Oh - and since he's a small business owner, he's probably a sole proprietor, so he doesn't get the income tax breaks. So now that we're taxing Business Owner more, he's not able to afford to hire additional workers because he's giving the money that could be used for hiring more people to pay Uncle Sam. And you think 9.2% for unemployment is high. Just wait.

I could continue on and on. I expected a lot more out of Obama because of all of the hot air he spewed when he was running for President. Our economy is in the toilet, prices on EVERYTHING have gone up because gas prices have gone up because the conversion rate of the dollar has gone down significantly. More than that, I'm sick and tired of Bush being blamed for everything. The man has been back in Texas for over two years, minding his own damn business, and certainly not influencing public policy AT ALL! Instead, he's out taking Wounded Warriors for bike rides at Big Bend National Park.

So yeah - I expect Obama be held to the same effing standards that all the "liberals" held Bush to, and demand the same actions that were demanded of Bush. Yes, I expect more out of Obama than just him issuing an order to kill a man. Of course, I'm happy that Bin Laden is dead, because he's been a huge threat to global peace for many years, but Obama isn't the one that has to live with the fact he took a man's life, even if it is Bin Laden. I know many soldiers that would have loved to have the change to do just that, but I don't believe that Obama should get the credit for it.

Month in Review - April 2011

A friend of mine, Amy, does this monthly recap on her blog every month. I really enjoy reading about what she has accomplished each month, so I thought I'd start doing the same Month in Review myself. :o) And, maybe, just maybe, it'll help me attempt to accomplish more each month so I have more to blog about. Hah.

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

I read Remember Me, The Return, and The Last Story, all part of the Remember Me series by Christopher Pike. For Magazines, I read Martha Stewart Living, Whole Living, Real Simple, and Lowe's Creative Ideas.

What movies, television shows, plays, etc. did I watch this month?

I kept up with my weekly television shows - Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill, Army Wives, and Vampire Diaries. New movies watched... Love and Other Drugs, You Again, and Hoodwinked.

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?

April was a tough month for "fun" mostly because work and school was very intense. We celebrated my best friend's 30th birthday at Blue Mesa with a group of friends. We did the MS Walk in Addison for the MS Society. And, I took Level 1 of the Wilton Cake Decorating class at Michael's.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?

This was actually a big gift month, and that's kind of unusual for April. Marcus bought me flowers, a Blu Ray Player, all of the Harry Potter movies, and Hoodwinked. Just because. :o) We got Lindsey flowers, a Michael's gift card, a book, and dinner for her birthday.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

Nothing really unusual this month. I bought the supplies for my cake class, lots of ingredients to make icing/cakes. I bought a necklace and a pair of earrings from Etsy.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?

None. This was a very healthy month for me. :o) I did start the visits to the weight loss doctor this month.

What were my accomplishments this month?

I made it through the month! There was so much going on this month, including three trips to Abilene, so I'm glad that I was actually able to successfully make it through the month of April without any major hardships or failures.

What were my disappointments this month?

Luckily the disappointments this month were minor, and at this point, I don't couldn't even tell you what they were.

Anything else noteworthy to include?

It's in the months when things seem to be the most stressful with work and school that I'm reminded of the amazing friendship I have. I haven't always had friendships that were unconditional, and it's taken me this long and these many years to find it. Carie and Lindsey - if you girls are reading this - thank you for being you. Thank you for being a shoulder to cry on (sometimes literally), an ear to listen, and most importantly, a friend. I wouldn't trade our friendship for anything!!

And... I'm beyond thankful for my marriage. We've had some rough spots in our relationship, but I'm constantly reminded of how much I'm loved and appreciated. And that is wonderful.

Month In Review: April 2011

A friend of mine, Amy, does this monthly recap on her blog every month. I really enjoy reading about what she has accomplished each month, so I thought I'd start doing the same Month in Review myself. :o) And, maybe, just maybe, it'll help me attempt to accomplish more each month so I have more to blog about. Hah.

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

I read Remember Me, The Return, and The Last Story, all part of the Remember Me series by Christopher Pike. For Magazines, I read Martha Stewart Living, Whole Living, Real Simple, and Lowe's Creative Ideas.

What movies, television shows, plays, etc. did I watch this month?

I kept up with my weekly television shows - Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill, Army Wives, and Vampire Diaries. New movies watched... Love and Other Drugs, You Again, and Hoodwinked.

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?

April was a tough month for "fun" mostly because work and school was very intense. We celebrated my best friend's 30th birthday at Blue Mesa with a group of friends. We did the MS Walk in Addison for the MS Society. And, I took Level 1 of the Wilton Cake Decorating class at Michael's.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?

This was actually a big gift month, and that's kind of unusual for April. Marcus bought me flowers, a Blu Ray Player, all of the Harry Potter movies, and Hoodwinked. Just because. :o) We got Lindsey flowers, a Michael's gift card, a book, and dinner for her birthday.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

Nothing really unusual this month. I bought the supplies for my cake class, lots of ingredients to make icing/cakes. I bought a necklace and a pair of earrings from Etsy.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?

None. This was a very healthy month for me. :o) I did start the visits to the weight loss doctor this month.

What were my accomplishments this month?

I made it through the month! There was so much going on this month, including three trips to Abilene, so I'm glad that I was actually able to successfully make it through the month of April without any major hardships or failures.

What were my disappointments this month?

Luckily the disappointments this month were minor, and at this point, I don't couldn't even tell you what they were.

Anything else noteworthy to include?

It's in the months when things seem to be the most stressful with work and school that I'm reminded of the amazing friendship I have. I haven't always had friendships that were unconditional, and it's taken me this long and these many years to find it. Carie and Lindsey - if you girls are reading this - thank you for being you. Thank you for being a shoulder to cry on (sometimes literally), an ear to listen, and most importantly, a friend. I wouldn't trade our friendship for anything!!

And... I'm beyond thankful for my marriage. We've had some rough spots in our relationship, but I'm constantly reminded of how much I'm loved and appreciated. And that is wonderful.