Snowed in

We were snowed in yet again.  After getting 25 inches dumped last weekend, we got another 5-10 inches today.  And what is worse are the blowing 60mph winds which are causing huge snowdrifts everywhere.  Unless you have a 4 wheel drive there is no use in even venturing out there cause you WILL get stuck. So I spent my day making my son's b-day cake.  He is 14....a teenager...yikes!  I hope our battles will be few and far between, otherwise I may lose my mind.  One day at a time.....

So here's a pic of the cake.  It did not turn out very well but I'm not a baker so he knows I put in the effort and that's all that counts. There's a little boy on top of the cake which you can't see too well but it's there.

Winter Wonderland Feb 2010

We are currently at Mother Nature's mercy...snow is coming down hard and we currently have at least 24 inches, and mother nature is not done yet.  Because of the wind we have large snow drifts all over.  This of course is a child's wish come true!  And an adults worse nightmare,why?  Because the driveways have to be shovelled and cleared.  In all honesty though, it sure is pretty and magical looking.  Our dog Scully absolutely loves the snow but I think this blizzard will prove differently since he can literally get lost in it...poor baby.

I've always been fascinated with cakes that are decorated with fondant.  I think they look so crisp, clean and lovely.  I love watching the new TLC show "cake boss".  I'm NOT a baker by any stretch of the imagination, don't get me wrong.  BUT I do like a challenge and since my son's b-day is approaching I thought I would make him a homemade cake this year...a fancy one.  So I did a "tester" first to see if I was even capable.  The colors did not come out to my liking so the cake turned out very pastel and girly. BUT,  I did it!  It was not too hard but very time consuming.  I need to buy some better "guy" colors for my son's cake but I'm ready to make him a nice one.  And when that's done....I won't make another one for a long while.

I'm attaching some snow pics and a pic of my fondant "tester" cake...enjoy

Pic of the back yard

Front Yard with a large snow drift

Neighbor's car is not going anywhere

View from my garage

My son & his friend shoveling snow

My son and his playmate Scully

Here it is, my first fondant cake

Well that's it for now folks.  I may post more snow pics later or tomorrow when it ends. 

More bread dough projects and some Christmas pics

Howdy everyone. I know, I know, I'm a little late in posting Christmas pics, so what's new. I always wait until the last minute for everything, it's the story of my life. The procrastinator....that's me.

A few days ago I participated in a forum where a small group of members would make a craft and post the pic on the appointed day. As usual, the procrastinator (that's me!!) waited until the day before the pic needed to be posted before doing SOMETHING. But it had to be quick. Soooo, I made a wall plaque out of bread dough which I think came out pretty well considering it was done in such a short time. I'm also posting a pic of a bread dough project my son made for my x-mas gift....it is way cute! Here are the bread dough pics:

Sibi's smiling sun:



My son's x-mas gift:



Christmas pics:

Bread dough ornaments and Gingerbread house

Hi everyone, hope your holidays were fabulous and fun! We had fun this year baking lots of cookies, yum! My son and I also made bread dough ornaments and put together a gingerbread house. I think we'll make this a tradition. The bread dough ornament recipe is soooo easy...

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup water

You just keep kneading it and adding flour, or water, depending on the consistency, until it feels like bread dough and doesn't stick to your hands. Then you can have all kinds of fun creating! I baked it at 225 degrees for several hours until they were hard. Here are some pics of my ornaments. I'll post my son's special bread dough creation with you as soon as he finishes painting it!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

It's been a few years but we finally got a significant amount of snow! Quite a bit actually....blizzard like conditions. The snow started on Dec 18 and didn't let up until about 8pm the following day. It's soooo pretty and Nick and Scully have enjoyed the heck out of playing in it! I've spent most of my time indoors, warm and cozy. While I love the snow, I don't like the cold, hence my reluctance to hang out in it and shiver my tooshy off. Here's a few pics taken with my cell phone. Not the greatest quality but ya get the main idea.









Christmas is right around the corner...just 3 more days! My shopping is done for the most part and my packages all sent. The house is decorated so the only thing left of course is ..... cookies! I've got all the stuff now I just need a kick in the pants to make them all. I want to make a bunch because some cookies I'll be giving out as gifts. So much to do....so little time. I also have to wrap presents still. Ugggg.

Made some soaps with curly cue embeds in it. The scent is Inspire and although it is lovely...it is a bit soft so it'll need a nice long cure time. Here's a pic:

Honor Roll!

For the first time my son is on the A/B honor roll. I am very proud of him because he's been working very hard for this! To commemorate this special occasion and show him how proud I am of his achievement I bought him a large giant cookie decorated just for him. Here's a pic:



I hope he'll be able to keep this up!! I'm very happy!:-) I love you bunches boo!

That time of the year.....to get sick

Well everyone...what did I expect..to dodge the sick bug forever? I mean really, what was I thinking, I was immune??? NEVER. It will eventually attack us all in some degree or another. In other words I was sick all weekend....bummer! And it was one of those OMG it is GORGEOUS fall weather outside -- crisp, cool, not a cloud in the sky, sunny, ya get the idea? And I spent all of it inside nursing a nasty cold that hasn't let me sleep much so I'm a walking bit** right now. Oh how lovely for my family. Actually I've been keeping my distance from them so as not to infect them and shower my yucky mood on them. They should be grateful!

In spite of my grumblings and clogged up respiratory system I made soap. Where I got the energy I don't know...but I made 3 batches, unheard of for me in 1 day. So I will share my pics as always.

Spiced Pear



Snowflake



Vanilla Bean

Beautiful fall day!!

Wow what a lovely day we've had today! Nicholas, Luis and Scully have been outside almost all day playing baseball. Scully is the ball chaser and keeper, Luis is the pitcher and Nicholas is batting. They are having a blast and the weather outside is just perfect for it, crisp, cool, and sunny! I'm posting a couple of pics here.

Also I made another batch of soap last night that came out really nice. I scented it with coolwater fragrance, a very masculine smell but lovely and refreshing. I'm posting a pic of that soap here too. Would write more but it's too pretty outside to be stuck inside sitting at my computer all day. Have a great day everyone!

The boys playing baseball


The ball keeper


Coolwater Soap

Learning as I go

So, what's new, I've got a new soap to post. It's scented with Spiced Plum and smells absolutely delicious. My hobby is so much fun and I learn something new every time I make a new batch. The scents, colors, recipes,....FUN! When I'm feeling antsy, bored, or blue, I concoct a new recipe and whalla....a new soap is born. For the first time since my soapmaking adventurs started I've had a couple of batches seize on me, you know....soap on a stick. When this happens ya gotta move, move, move or you're in trouble with a bowl full of hardened soap. I've managed thus far to move fast enough to get it in the mold, thank goodness..but just barely!

Aside from the soaps I also baked a cake from scratch. I don't bake very often, it's just not my thing. But the other day it was a dreary day, raining, cold, and overcast gray skies. I wanted something sweet but didn't want to venture outside in the rain. So I used what I had in my pantry and made a lovely chocolate cake with buttercream frosting. It came out quite yummy and pretty too. Simple mind you, I'm not a baker, but a pretty color.

Right now I'm in the process of finding a new job as an administrative assistant. It's not going to be easy finding this job for the kind of money that I need, close to my house but I am ever hopeful that God will help me find this job that I so desperatly need. Of course, working from home would be my ideal situation, but really, how many legit "work at home" jobs are out there? Not many I'm sure. If anyone reading this knows of a legit full-time, good paying job that can be done from home let me know. I want to be employed by someone - not own my own business.

Well, that's all for now. Here are a couple of pics for you: