July: Three Big Cakes in Three Awesome States.

Hello everyone!

July has been a busy month, so I thought I'd update the ol' blog with the highlights.

Ben and I began the month visiting family in Kansas. Ben's stepdad turned 80 at the end of June, so the family decided to celebrate with a birthday party/reunion on the weekend of July Fourth. Of course, one of the perks of having a cake decorator in your family is fancy cakes for big occasions, and this was no exception. To celebrate Don's b-day i made a cake celebrating the different stages in his life.
















































More photos of the cake and the reunion can be found Here.


About a week after the reunion, the bakery that I work at got a VERY important call. We were hired to make a cake for New Kids on the Block! Let me say that again... NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK! Holy cow! Since i was already planning on going to their concert with my big sister, sister in law, and her two sisters, i was totally stoked to get a chance to make their cake. Here are a few pics....

This is the flier for their summer tour. They didnt give us a lot of direction on the cake, so we decided to mimic the flier...


















Me, channeling Bob Ross...






















I decorated the sides of the cake with silhouettes of screaming fans... lol...


















and here is a pic of "the guys" with their cake. It's just so beautiful...


















Cake number three came at the end of the month. One of my cousins, Katie, got married on July 25th, and she asked me to make her cake. Her only direction was chocolate, Chocolate, and CHOCOLATE. So... this is what i came up with:


















I think i nailed the theme ;)






















































Aww... they're SO cute!

As always, more cake pics can be seen HERE. I've added recent pics of my work at the bakery, so check it out!

Jealous???

A few months back I began the exciting journey into the world of home gardening, and this week I enjoyed the first fruits of my labor! Take a look at this beauty!'





















That is 100% HOMEGROWN BABY!!!


Here's a look at things to come!










































I started the summer telling myself, "Just tomatoes, I want to focus on JUST tomatoes so that i can devote my full attention to JUST TOMATOES..." Of course, my first trip to the garden center I left with 6 tomato plants and this little beauty...






















One free rosemary bush that is just LOVING the spot that i picked out for it in the garden...

fast forward about a month, and its time to buy tomato cages... One more trip to the garden store and not only do i leave with 6 tomato cages, but I also get...





















Sweet Basil























Sage






















Ivory Bell Pepper






















Yellow Squash





















and Zucchini!


Then today, I was browsing the new Whole Foods that just opened in my neighborhood and came home with these...






















Thyme





















and Oregano!


I think i may have a problem...


...and since I dont want anyone to leave this post thinking that I've been the only one spending time cultivating a green thumb, Here is what Ben has been up to... Erasing the evidence of the 95 lb dog that tore up our yard last summer!




















I really wish I had a before picture with the bald patches, because the new grass he planted is coming in SO nicely!

Sayonara Office Life!!!

The Top 10 Things I Will NOT Miss:

adjustable desk chairs
paper pushing
computer eye-strain
company-wide happy hour in the conference room
xerox copiers and the resulting paper jams
fluorescent lighting
the extreme number of emails that seem required to fix simple problems

"business casual" dress code

cubicles
anything titled "team-building"

Going Pro

As most of you know, I've been playing around with this whole Cake Decorating thing for a few years now. I am happy to announce that, through a lucky set of circumstances, I am going pro!

I've have been hired as a cake decorator by Society Bakery here in Dallas and couldn't be happier. They're one of the best bakeries in Dallas and a great place to hone my skills. I've given notice at my current job and still have to serve my two weeks, but look for an update on bakery life coming soon!

Mmmm...

This post goes out to all the choco-holics fighting off the afternoon sugar craving...

Chocolate Oreo Cake- made by me!

You're welcome :)

Reason to wash your hands #437

So, last week I ended up with a dollar bill stamped with the always fun website wheresgeorge.com . If you've never heard of or seen it before, its this ingenious little website where you can register your dollar bill and track it through its previous owners. Whenever I get a Where's George bill, I always log it. I'm not going to spoil someone else's fun. They may be interested to know that the dollar bill they are holding in their hands was used to buy Sunkist Orange Soda in Dallas Texas on January 13th 2009, you never know.

So last week, I logged my Where's George bill, made comments about its appearance and also about what I intended to purchase with it, hit enter, and then waited with baited breath to see where else this lil' bill had traveled.

So, before me, the last person who logged the bill was in Willmette IL... and the users note says...

Found in a Dumpster!

ew... Hand sanitizer, please!

Happy Happy Birthday!

January was a big month for birthdays in our family, and today was the most important one....
...
...
...

TUCKERS!























Thats right, folks, our sweet wittle boy is 3 years old today!



















Don't you roll your eyes at me young man!

To celebrate he got a REAL FOOD dinner, his favorite!
Rice, peas, carrots, and chicken- all mixed up with an egg cracked on top and mixed in. YUM!



















Yeah, NOW I got your attention...



































I think he likes it... Notice the use of a drop cloth... he's a messy eater...

And for dessert... Doggie Ice Cream!


















I believe it was a good day for him...

It was a big week for Tuck for another reason too... He is now FINALLY allowed to sleep outside of his crate! I know, some may think that 3 years is a little long to wait, but when you have a husband who sleeps as lightly as mine does, a hyperactive puppy just doesnt mix.

He's been SO good. He's only woken us up at 3am ONCE, but I think it's because he didnt eat his dinner that night... his choice, not ours...


















Awwwww... Who wouldnt want to wake up to that face in the mornings???