Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Today was a good day.

Today, Mama got a brand new bag.


So out of the box for me but I love it. And who cares if I have 2 boys, I'm carrying a pink bag. It will be my everyday/diaper bag. I'm trying to scale down the size of the bag I carry every day (my Mary Poppins bag).

Also, I whipped out the DEBIT (not credit, Dave would not approve) card and signed up for my Half-Marathon. This is a pic of the MEDAL I will get when I finish. It looks much better in person. And I will be wearing it EVERY day.



Also? I got a Facebook Comment by one of the authors of my FAV cupcake books! WHOOP!


These are from the second book. Here's a screenshot: You can barely see it down there, but it's there. He says ::ahem:: "Now that's dramatic. I love the presentation."




eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!


Validation of Work: Check.




Monday, August 30, 2010

I'm taking the plunge...

Only 7 more days until my 2nd 10k. Last year, I started running "seriously". I've always done it some, off and on. I've done a few 5k's (3.2 miles), for fun. I always do the Susan G. Komen Race for a cure, it is a well sponsored event and most of them I've done were in Dallas, where they are based, so it was a HUGE deal. I've also done them in Austin and Nashville. I never aspired to do anything more than a 5k. I've always known that running was sort of in my blood--both of my parents were avid runners when I was young, they still run now when they can, and my brother and I went to many races and did several "kiddie" races ourselves. But I never considered myself an "athlete". My brother got all those genes. But last year, we had just moved to a new state where I knew like 2 people. That's more than most people when they move, so I was grateful for that, but it got pretty lonely. I was at home with the boys all day every day. I "joined" a mom's group in that city (and when I say joined, I mean I joined, but never went to any functions. I mean, I'm not going to take my boys to ice cream at 4:30 in the afternoon. Those were the kind of things they did). We tried to brainstorm some things to do, but they all cost money (like mommy-and-me-classes, etc.) Running? FREE. (or until you get hooked and want running shorts in every color of the rainbow...but I digress). So one day, I informed my husband that I was going to go for a run. It turned out to be so cathartic and.....quiet. It was freedom from being stuck at home, if only for 20 minutes. It was my time. So a couple days later, I went again. You get the drift. I slowly started to enjoy it more than I ever have. I became a "runner". Ok, well, a "jogger". I'm not exactly Speedy Gonzales out there. But I'm out there!


So I did a 5k on July 4th. It was hot and it sucked. But, it wet my appetite to do races again. I need all the motivation I can get, and If I'm "training" for something, that gives me the discipline to get out there and do it. I don't do it for FUN. Quiet time, yes. Fitness, yes. Fun? NO. It's hot and sweaty and my feet are blistery and my legs are tired when I'm done. I am human.


So I started looking for another race to do in another month or two. Then I came across this one. I was going to do the 5k, like I always do. And then I got a wild hair up my bum. I thought, what the hell?? I'm going to try a 10k. I mean, it's only 6 miles. Roughly. I mean, I can do 3 with out dying, what's 3 more? So I signed up, found a training program in a book, and off I went. I set a goal: 70 minutes. (Ok, well, my real goal was to finish with out keeling over. Anything after that is gravy)


I "trained" running about 3 times in the week, for about 2 months. 2 short runs and 1 long run per week. Each of those increase a bit each week. That's all! I even ran in the rain. Once. And it didn't start raining until about halfway during one of my long runs. If it would have been raining at the beginning, I would have brought my ass right back home. I mean really. But I kept up, put my sweat towel over my ipod, and kept on a couple more miles. That day, I was all kinds of proud of myself.


We were off as Darryl Waltrip yelled "Boogity Boogity Boogity" over the megaphone. This is Tennessee, people. My final time was about 63 minutes. I about cried when I crossed and looked at my watch. (I don't look at it much when I'm running...or it won't move...you know). I beat my time! WHOOP! After that, I was like, OK. I can do a 10k. Completed. Back to 5k's!



I did a couple more 5k's after that, after taking A WHILE off, and was truckin' along when the worst bronchitis EVER hit me. 3 doctors and 8 weeks and tons of meds couldn't fix me. It was awful. 8 weeks is a freakin' long time to have a cough. Needless to say, I quit running. I had been planning to continue running through the winter, but by the time I was better, there was some SERIOUS snow on the ground. One look outside for this FL/TX girl and I was like..........uh uh. I wonder if I would have been doing it had I not had to stop running. Who knows?

So this year, it got warm again, I started running again. And instantly became happy again. When I stopped running, I was not as happy with myself. Those that do can tell you, it is a SERIOUS mood-enhancer. Really. So, once I got my groove back, I focused on doing the 10k. Again. What???

Things were rolling along until a few weeks ago, I was in a hurry getting the boys in the car and stepped forward on to a stroller wheel that my foot clearly didn't know what was there. My left ankle turned 90 degrees. The wrong way. Uh, ouch. DAMMIT. Just when I was getting in a groove! UGH! It wound up laying me up for almost 3 weeks. I ran a total of 3 miles in 3 weeks. That's down from about 10 miles a week, average. UGH. But finally I am back and feeling good. And now I have another wild hair.


I've decided to try a half-marathon. My thought process is the same. My longest run now is 8 miles (which I did this Sat-go me!) and I didn't keel over. A half-marathon is 13.1. If I can do 8, surely I can do 13, right? I figure if there was ever a good time to do it, it would be right after my 10k. I mean, I'm already halfway there with my training. How hard can it be? And, I figure if I'm gonna do this once in my life, I'm gonna make it a destination race. Kind of like a destination wedding, but with out the cake and booze. Add to that we are HUGE NASA nerds, and it's in FL so the weather will be AWESOME and not cooooooold like here, and it's almost a done deal.

So I'll be blogging my way through the ups and downs, showing you that if I can run anyone can! And, that it is some hard stuff. I'm not one of those glamorous people who don't break a sweat and wear cute outfits. I wear what's comfortable, a visor, and I have a huge fanny pack of water bottles and sunglasses and energy gels and my phone and pepperspray. And I sweat. Alot. Hot? Nope! But as long as I make it home, I consider it a success.
I also need to add that doing anything more than "recreational" running requires alot of support from your spouse and family. Because sometimes, you need a swift kick to get out of bed at 5:30 am, even if it's raining. And sometimes, having to log in a ridiculous amount of miles on your husband's day to sleep in will require him to get up with your children, because you're gone so long. My husband has been very supportive of me, and I want to thank him for the past and future support!!


I got my running schedule in my calendar, all I have to do now is sign up. :)

Oh, and Also? in 8 weeks I will be in Hawaii for my brother's wedding. Destination wedding. So some of my "training" will have to be done there. Running. In Hawaii. On the beach. (It would be like a movie except the part of me would be played by Jennifer Garner.) I can think of worse things! More on that another time!!

Friday, August 27, 2010

A few quick updates...

Well, I got all excited about taking my critters to the Fire Department and now it seems like they are not taking any more :( I mean, that's good because they have so many, but now what do I do with mine? I have calls into the Police Department and a local Children's home and am waiting to hear back. Wish me luck!


Here's a little update on my sewing project--when I took it in I had to put it on his cover myself like a big nerd. The teacher came over and was all, did you make that? And I was like, yeah, it's not exactly perfect but I did it! and she was all oh....I can't sew. But I'm going to silently judge your crazy crooked sewing and wonder why you didn't get a professional to do it. Ok, well, maybe not that last part. I'm a little critical of myself sometimes! Then the teacher shoved it in the "Wall Of Nap Mats". I snapped a quick pic of it on my phone like a BIGGER nerd. I really wanted to get a pic of my cover on my mat but I didn't want her to think I was too crazy. See how it fits in perfectly with the rest now?



I'm also working on sketches for an upcoming 13th birthday party cake for the girl who lives across the street from us. It is supposed to be a surprise, although, I wonder if she is suspecting anything because she did watch the boys for me a couple times during my classes when Husband wasn't here, so she knows I "do that kind of thing", and her mom has been asking her a ton of questions about favorite colors, etc. :) I've been growing frustrated at the local craft stores not having a few specific things I need, so today we loaded up and drove 45 minutes two towns away to get one thing that costs $3. Because if I would have ordered it online, it would have been like $15 with shipping, and I may not have even gotten it in time! I did purchase a couple other inexpensive things while I was there, you know, to make it worth my while.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

A Sign, with big, red, flashing lights!

While spending the better part of this week trying to get completely unpacked (yes, I know it's been like 5 months since we've moved. I've been busy, ok?) I came across 2 boxes of stuffed animals. That's right, TWO BOXES. BIG ONES. Not to mention the humongous basket my boys have. Most of the ones in the boxes are ones I've had since childhood. I've always been a "packrat" and I get stupid emotional attachment to things. Those shows about "cleaning your house" where the people are in their driveway with all their belongings? Going through them and having a physically hard time letting go of the popsicle ornament they made in 4th grade? Yeah, that's me. I'll admit, I've gotten alot better about it over the years. I mean, there used to be THREE boxes. When you get married, your stuff doubles. But really, about 80% of the crap in the house was mine. And then when you have kids? forgeddaboudit.
Anyhoo, I am at a place where I'm ready to get rid of all of them. Well, maybe I'll save a few. I wanted to figure out something to do with them, instead of just throwing them out or giving them to Goodwill. I remember when my Husband worked at a Dallas radio station after Sept. 11. They had a "Teddy Bear Drive" and filled up an entire office (no joke, it was like 4ft deep when you opened the door) with stuffed animals and someone was going to drive them up to New York. That has always stayed with me.
So Tuesday, I posted on my Facebook if anyone knew where would take them. I got tons of good suggestions. I didn't think the children's hospital would take them, for sanitary reasons, and a quick trip online confirmed that. I can run them in the dryer (Thanks, Oprah!) to kill the dust mites, but I guess you can't exactly sterilize them! I also was told fire and police stations take them and give them to kids. BINGO. I looked up our local fire station on line for info and there wasn't any. Looks like I'm gonna have to call them. And then guess what? Wednesday night, my husband and I are enjoying an exciting night of Big Brother (don't judge), wine, and Macaroni-Grill-in-a-Bag. All of the sudden we hear sirens and see flashing lights go by our house. A firetruck turned down our culdesac! We ran outisde. Along comes an ambulance and another firetruck. They filled up the culdesac! It turned out to be a false alarm, the house 2 doors down from us had a CO sensor go off (that was apparently hooked up to the alarm system!) One of the firemen came up to the corner by our house to help the truck back out. All of the sudden I was like, Hey!! I'll ask him! Why not??? He's here! I shouted to him like a huge nerd "Could I ask you a question? You know, when you're done?" He obliged and came over. I asked him if they took stuffed animals. He said yes, they keep them on the trucks, and told me which station to take them.
YAY!
My mind started racing. I'm gonna post on Facebook and my Mom's group and we are gonna flood that place with critters!! Little did I know, another Mom was posting right then about maybe having a meet-up at a Firestation! I mean what are the odds? I was seriously just about to do that. All these things are signs to me! This was meant to happen! I hope they're ready!!

p.s. I don't know WHAT is goin on with my spacing. Sorry this is just one big blurb :(

Monday, August 23, 2010

Pretty Little Bag

Since I'm using this blog to showcase all my skillz, I just wanted to show yall this. I made this little bag for a sweet baby girl's first birthday. You know, since I did have the sewing machine out and all. (Some would argue I'm not the best about putting things up when I'm done with them.)




I knew I wanted to make something for this little girl, especially since her mom is pretty crafty too and thought she'd appreciate it! Plus, an opportunity to make something girly and frilly? YES!


Some of my boys' favorite toys are things they can put other things in. Like backpacks, bags, suitcases, wagons, etc. They will dump out one toy bin just to fill it up with something else.


This bag turned out a little bigger than I originally planned,but that's ok, maybe it can grow with her! It's about the size of a Dr. Seuss book. It turned out pretty good considering I didn't use a pattern! And it only took me ONE NIGHT!! I also wanted to bling-it-up a little more with beads or something but she's only one! Can you say choking hazard?? (It's a shame, really. When you become a parent your view of the world completely changes. Anything I come across I'm like, can that kill my child?)


My Final Cake from Class!

So....this is what my kitchen table has looked like for the past week. Except when I have to clean up to feed the goofballs.





I've been making the flowers that were going on the cake, a few at a time. Which is kind of annoying, considering all the stuff you have to get out to make them. Would I have liked to be able to make them all at once? YES. Will my boys allow that? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

But anyway, I got pretty much all of them done in not exactly the colors I wanted, and they wound up being pretty fall-ish.

I was pretty busy Sunday morning making this chocolate-marshmallow fondant. I'd never made it before, but I wanted to bring in something I'd be working with (like the regular marshmallow fondant. That's what I usually use instead of the boxed kind because it tastes so much better) and could practice with. Oh, and also? This was the first square cake I've ever baked also in my brand-new square pans. My wedding cake was square, that's how much I love square cakes. I'd also, obviously, never covered a square cake with fondant, and I've heard they can be kind of squirrely, so another chance to practice! I also whipped up a batch of fresh buttercream to ice my cake.

It was kind of a, well, you know, to roll out. It was pretty soft and sticky. And I even added more powdered sugar than the recipe called for! But I managed to get it on the cake in one piece....sooo....SUCCESS!!!!

p.s. This fondant smells and tastes like Tootsie Roll...mmmmm.....so insanely good. I had a lot extra so I shared with the class :) The general consensus was....YUM.


Next I put all my flowers together. I thought I got a picture of the 2 egg cartons I carried them in in, but I guess I didn't. I had so much crap to carry in I actually had to get a grocery cart. Yall should have seen me. DORK ALERT! I meant to get a picture of that too, but, oh well.
Here's a close up shot:
It took me forever to get them to stay where I wanted. I think I mentioned before that I am not a flower person so I had no idea how to arrange them. All I know is, I'm a fan of tightly bunched bouquets.

Next I started to combine colors for my leaves. I had hunks of green, yellow, light brown, dark brown, and dark red. I just kept putting colors together until I got what I was looking for.

Then after I rolled out and cut out a few of each leaf shape in the colors, I cut a piece out of the fondant already on the cake and picked it out. (Hello? Time Consuming.) Then I put the colored one in there. The idea I was going for was green leaves changing colors and falling down.

That's about as far as I got after my 2 hours were up. I had to pack up all my stuff and lug it home to finish.

Here's the finished product:


And in case you were wondering....here's the inside. I almost cried when I had to cut it. Usually I make the fancy cakes for other people so I don't have to do it!!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Weekend School Update

Here's a quick update on my 3rd Fondant and Gum Paste class from this weekend. We learned 2 more flowers, daisy and mum. Besides being a little frustrated with the less-than-clean lines the plastic cutters cut out (I prefer metal), it went pretty well! For the last class we are supposed to bring in a cake that has been iced (crumb coated) and all the stuff we want to put on it and assemble it in class. We can either do one of the pictured cakes in the book or come up with something original. Yall know me, am I gonna copy something exactly? Uh, no way. I've been trying to come up with something for the past couple weeks and finally made a decision. There's several cakes in the book that have TONS of flowers on top, and I kept coming back to those. But ugh, that's alot of work! Also, most of the flowers we've done are very "spring-y", and really wanted to do something a little more season-appropriate. Like in "fall" colors. So that's what I'll be doing, I think what I have in my head may be a little ambitious, but we'll see!



This is the daisy. Pretty basic, you just use the same cutter to cut out 2 of the flower shapes in the white and then attach them offset from each other. Then you take a piece of yellow and roll it in the sugar, much like the calla lilies. Then you put it in this little shallow plastic cup so it can dry with the leaves "cupped" a little.

This is the start of the mum. You start with the round ball base we made in week one, and cut out 6 or 7 of these same shapes. Put it on the skinny foam and run the plastic ball tool around the edges and it kind of cups the edge of the leaves. Then you thread it on the spaghetti on the bottom one at a time and glue them up on the flower.
When you have all of them on there you also put it in the little plastic cup to help it keep it's shape when it's dry.

We also practiced covering a cake board (what you put your cakes on) with fondant. You can just roll it out or they also have these really cool imprint mats to put on top of it when you are rolling. It gives a really cool dimension. You can use those for fondant on the cake also. I wasn't gonna do this unless someone had the "vines" one, because that's the only one that ties in with the theme of my cake and because I don't have any of them yet. Luckily, the girl behind me let me borrow hers. :) Bare with me on the kind of icky brown color, hopefully it will all tie in nicely!

Here's what they looked like when they were dry:

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Look Out Martha, I'm Coming for you (Part two)

Here's a pic of my workstation: My kid's little tykes table that is set up in my room for #1 to entertain himself when I need to be in there doing stuff. The table just to the right of that is my "Craft" table/area, which is clearly in need of some attention. It has never really been unpacked since we moved and this little project popped up out of nowhere. I was sitting in a grown-up sized chair, so at the end of the day, I had myself a pretty good little backache.


So, here is the finished product!

(sorry for the low light photos)

A pillow and pillowcase (which, yes, could be a little smaller but we may want to put a bigger pillow in it someday so I'm gonna leave it), Mat cover with velcro enclosure at bottom, and matching blankie.



Here's an extra picture of the velcro strips sewn on because I'm that proud of my self for it :)


The blanket


Domestic Goddess Status: Achieved!

Look out Martha. I'm comin for you. (Part One)

This is broken into 2 parts because blogger won't let me upload as many pics as I want. whatev.


*Disclaimer: My sewing experience is limited to taking a Home Ec class in high school and what my mom taught me when I was 10. Luckily, I remembered most of it.


So Friday morning, we set out to the Fabric Store to pick out some fleece for #1's napmat cover. We decided on this red with black pawprints pattern. It was definitely a compromise-I picked some that he didn't want and he picked some that I didn't like. This was the only one we agreed on. I figured, why not let him have some input, it's not that big of a deal. We got 3 yards, enough for a slipcover for the mat (I found some E-Z instructions on line. It's basically like sewing a pillowcase, which anyone should be able to do, really. I mean, I can, and that's not saying alot), a small throw blanket, and a little travel pillow and a pillowcase for that. We also needed thread that matches, a couple sew-on velcro strips for the bottom (not a necessity, but I figured it would help my shoddy sewing job stay on the thing), and some new needles for the machine.




Next up, get her out and dust her off. I got the spool on the right place on top, I think, so that's a good start.





Oh yeah. Good thing I remembered. There's a bobbin (smaller spool) that goes in the bottom that sews the bottom of the material. Let's see if I can remember how to get some thread on that. I'm not gonna lie, I had to look it up. I seemed to have lost the manual.



Now I need to find something to practice on and make sure all the threads are going where they should be. mmmm, sweat towel on floor right next to me from run this am? Works for me.



As you can see from the pile of thread above, it took several tries. The top and bottom threads kept coming unthreaded. SO FREAKIN FRUSTRATING. But eventually, sucess.


Next: roughly measure out and cut pieces I need.




I pinned the 2 "wrong" sides together (well, this particular material didn't really have a wrong side, I don't think. I couldn't tell a difference) and sewed around 3 sides.



Then I sewed a cuff on the bottom part of the open end. Here was my only major goof: I cuffed it on the wrong side. UGH. I am so not going around it with a seam ripper and un-doing it. So, I just folded it again on the right side and sewed over it AGAIN, chanting "Don't break! Don't break!" to the needle as it was plugging through the thick fold. So far, So good.


Then, I pinned the velcro strips roughly where I wanted them on the cuff. I had a much narrower width to work with due to the extra fold.



The next 2 pics are what the velcro looks like sewn on. Just imagine to yourself alot of to-my-self cussing and 2 broken needles, along with picturing me re-threading the needle on the "toothy" velcro strip about 397 times. It was a B-E-A-T-I-N-G. Luckily, the soft sides of the velcro and the 2nd toothy one went alot better.




Thursday, August 12, 2010

First Day of School!

My baby started school today.
Like, stay all day and take your lunch school.
Twice a week, anyway.
He did great. It has been all he could talk about for weeks, and when I said goodbye to him he gave me a hug back and said very reassuringly, "I'll see you when I'm done, Momma." I'm the one who got choked up! But I did all right. The house was so quiet all day, and when I got #2 down for his nap, it was like a ghost town! When I went to pick up #1, as soon as the teacher brought him out I got choked up again as soon as I saw him. What is wrong with me???
One of the things #1 needed was a "nap mat". (trust me, the irony is not lost on me. The prodigal son does not nap. But they do have quiet time, and he's pretty good most of the time with that at home.) So we picked up one of these at Walmart. They said it needed to have a "enclosed cover", and if I didn't have one then someone could sew me one. (I'm thinking, a cover? can't I just use a pillowcase over it when it's folded? An then at open house the other day, I asked them about it again, I said what does "enclosed" mean? does it need velcro or a zip? Or can I just use a king sized pillowcase? and they said usually a body pillow case would work. Still, I'm thinking, won't that be really big? the thing is not that big when it's folded up.)

Folded up:





spread out:But it turns out, They meant a cover like this:




Okay, well, maybe not one as fancy as that, but at least a slip cover to go over the whole thing. WHILE it's spread out unfolded. (i.e. body pillowcase) I can't believe I didn't realize that.


DUH.


I figured this out, mind you, NOT while I was dropping my kid off this morning, when the teacher DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING when I handed her the mat, stuffed in a pillowcase with a blanket, but after we left we pulled off to the side to watch (for future reference) how the "drop-off" line works. I began noticing all the other kids show up with various covers on their mats that were clearly on there before they folded them up.


DUH.


So in case you missed it, my kid was the one today laying down on the stark, cold, plastic, uncovered napmat with out a pillow while everyone else snuggled in their plushy abyss. At least he had a blanket. I might as well have just given him bread and water in his lunchbox.


So tonight, I will be digging out my sewing machine, that hasn't been out of the box in like 2 years. And we will be making a trip to Joanne fabric (darn!) tomorrow morning to pick out some fabric. Because I am NOT going to buy one of these covers (that most already have a mat inside there) for $75 online.


I'll show them. Well, if I can remember how to sew in a straight line, that is.


And if I can't, we'll be headed to Target for a new body pillowcase.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Atticus Cake


A few weeks ago I was asked to make a cake for one of my new mommy friend's little boy's FIRST birthday. She had decided on a "Rock Star" Theme and wanted a cake inspired by this one she saw online at Kara's Party Ideas.

What an honor! The cake features a lot of geometric shapes, which if you don't know by now, are my thing. I used my "Buttercream with out the butter" icing for a true white. I'm not sure why the top tier settled in a little caddywhompas, but I'm trying not to beat myself up too much about it. I mean, I used a level on all sides before I stacked them! What else can a girl do?? I think it turned out ok!



Photo courtesy of JennyCrugerPhotography.com

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

48 hours

Let's start at the top, shall we?
  • Sunday: Acquire and assemble #2's Big Boy Bed. All are excited. The deciding factor on doing this is his apparent readiness to potty train. Although, the thought of him not being contained in his crib makes the mama cringe a little. Ok, a lot. *See sidebar child description.
  • Sunday Night: First night attempt in the Big Boy Bed. Of course, he is out repeatedly. Immediately. The mama sits in room for HOUR AND A HALF. Then turns over to Dad for relief. Eventually #2 settles down after 2 hours. Deemed mildly successful. Seeing as how #1 put himself in the Big Boy Bed at this same age with NO battle, we are hopeful.
  • Monday Naptime: #2 gets out of bed repeatedly for 2 hours. Mama calls Time Of Death on naptime at 2 hours. Prepares stiff drink for evening ahead with #2's alter, THE CRANKY BEAST.
  • Monday afternoon: While bathing said children, notices mark on #1's "hind-parts". Looks suspiciously like a bug bite. Reminds me to check other mark seen on #1's inside leg that he was complaining of the day before, which also looked like a small mosquito bite/possible pinch mark from something. Sees this:
OMIGOD. MY CHILD HAS LYME'S DISEASE.
  • Of course, this is the first thing that ran through my brain. See how it looks very "bulls-eye-ish" ? And he was very tender on it. That's always what you hear to look for on bug bites and tick bites. Especially when you have worked in wooded areas and with exotic animals. Now, I've been bit by plenty of mosquitoes, but never a tick. Seen'em on dogs, but that's about it. The boys were running around in our badly-needed-to-be-mowed lawn on Friday, so you connect the dots.
  • A quick trip to Web-Md (bad idea) confirmed my suspicions. I called the pediatrician immediately. Mind you, it's now about 4:30 and our doc is 30 min away. I described to them what I saw and they said he might have an infection and need to be seen tonite.
  • Into the car we pile. Thank goodness I remembered to put the Jambalaya in the fridge that I barely got made thanks to the no-nappage. While my brain has 30 minutes to obsess over my kid having Lyme's disease and is there a cure for that and he's starting school that we've already paid for in 2 days and how #2 is so not gonna behave at the ped from the no-nappage when......
  • We get to the last stoplight by the doc's and I look in my rear-view mirror and see.....#2. Asleep. DAMMIT! How did I not notice how quiet the car was? So much for him going to bed easily after not having a nap. If this kid has a 30 second nap in the car then he is GOOD TO GO. ugh.
  • The doc assured me that this was not Lyme's Disease, since apparently it is very rare in the tics around here. He did say there's a (insert really long acronym here) syndrome where bug bites mimic the same symptoms. He prob has a staph or strep infection secondary to the bite, because also apparently his inguinal lymph nodes were swollen. A little antibiotic a'doo ya and you're fine! Easy for him to say. (he did also say that if it were Lyme's, then this med would kill that too. So I guess there is a cure. Good to know.)
  • So we make the trip back, get the meds filled, and head home. It's now 7 and we're all hungry and cranky. The boys barely eat, and off to bed we go. #2's so tired, surely he'll stay in his bed, right? WRONG.
  • After sitting in his room for about 30 minutes, I call a truce. We hadn't taken the crib apart yet, just in case. (it's quite the maze in their small room with 3 beds). Mama needs a break and some sleep. I really believe in following things through, esp with the little ones, but I give up. Tomorrow's another day. I transfer the mattress and child to crib and all are asleep in 5 minutes.

BED FAIL.

Monday, August 9, 2010

I made a flower! I made a flower!

Yall, this is BIG news!


I am NOT a floral person. I barely had any flowers at my wedding, and would have had less if my dad didn't make me (floral arrangements for the altar, which were pretty). I mean, I like receiving flowers from my man as much as the next gal, but for the most part, I could take them or leave them. When we were wedding-cake shopping, we went to a high-end cake place that was very well known in the city and known for doing alot of flowers on their cakes. The only reason we went there was to just start shopping around. I knew that I didn't want any flowers on the cake. You should've seen the lady's face when I told her I didn't want any. (giggle)

I know probably alot of people can probably make flowers out of icing. I can't even do that. There is another Wilton class that tackles that, which I will probably take at some point. Yesterday we made some flowers to go with the bases we made last week. A rose, carnation, and calla lily. These are made out of gum paste, which is like fondant but dries alot harder and can be rolled out thinner (mostly for flowers and delicate designs and such.)
I took several pictures of the process, but my iPhone takes such crappy pictures none of them were salvageable. I'll take my regular camera next week. These were so fun but time consuming to make, and after making a few, I can definitely see myself making them in the future. The good thing about these is, you can make them WAY in advance and they keep, like, forever. They are technically edible, but I don't think anyone would want to eat them. They are so tiny also, they look kinda big in the pics! I'll include one crappy pic from my phone so yall can get a rough size estimate.
These are some pics I took at home.












Next week we are making a couple more kinds of flowers and working some more with fondant and cut-outs etc. We have to choose or design a cake to make for our final class, in which we bring in a plain cake that's frosted and all the things we want to put on it and then basically assemble it there. There are several pics in the book that have TONS of flowers on the top, and I really like those. Which flowers do yall like best?? That means I need to get crack-a-lackin on making a few flowers a week or I won't get it done in time.
TEAM FLOWERS!