Cakes and Closets

Every year, just before Christmas, I do a thorough closet cleaning. This year was no exception, and Snake's room was the one I really had my eye on. The kid is growing so fast I can hardly keep him in clothes(hint to a OK friend...need more 12's and 14's?) Anyway, I tortured him and required him to try on EVERY pair of pants...which of course is pure misery for an 10 year old. I finally wittled the massive pile down to just what was needed and even made him give up all but four pairs of shorts for the winter.
The best part about the whole closet and clothes ordeal was that the following weekend, my husband was volunteering at a local ministry and as he was leaving someone was unloading a BEAUTIFUL maple dresser with matching mirror that the manager said he could buy for $60 bucks!!!!....did I mention that Jake is the only one without a dresser???? He has had a 3 drawer Rubbermaid on wheels in his closet for underclothes and jammies but everything else was either hung up or on shelves in his closet.
It was perfect timing since everything was cleaned out and gone through...I couldn't be happier to say that all the closets are cleaned out and toys gone through...that is always such a huge undertaking and to have a checked off my pre-Christmas list is a weight off my shoulders.

Now to cakes. I make cakes as a hobby. It is very relaxing for me and I love the creative part of it. This month I had a bunch of cakes to make and even had a Wilton character cake in the mix...which I have not done in years. In addition to the following cakes I also made two cakes and 4 plates of gourmet jumbo cup cakes for a cake auction that our church has every year. My Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake went for $75 bucks and a Red Velvet Crumb Cake similar to the one below went for $65. Each plate of (4) gourmet cupcakes went for between $20 and $35. I was super excited...mine didn't catch the highest bid(that was $120 for a cheesecake) but they were highly sought after which made my day.

Red Velvet 4 layer Crumb Cake....it was suppose to have five layers but in the middle of making-baking-frosting 5 different items...I misplaced one of the layers...I found it after I had frosted the stupid thing!!!!

My Niece, the Beast turned 2, and we celebrated with a Wilton Dora Cake. The recipe called for a different color for her skin, but it was super orange....so I altered it and ended up with a Caucasian version of Dora...I was cracking up...totally not a politically correct thing to do..but it was so funny to me after a late night and cramping hands from icing the darn thing.

Well, that was not so bad. I knocked two off of my list...more later.

What we did last night(actually what we have done the past two weeks)

I know, I know....I am fired. I do not think I have ever gone TWO WHOLE weeks without a post but it is not because I don't have anything to post...it's because I have SO MUCH to post. I really do not even know where to begin...how about I bullet point the topics and then try to touch on all of them this week.

• Closet Cleaning
• Birthday Parties/Cakes
• Cake Auction
• Christmas Shopping
• Black Friday shopping(1st in line a Target...3am)
• Christmas Tree Cutting
• Thanksgiving Prep
• Krispy Kreme Field trip
• Flat Stanley Musical
• Garage Cleaning
• Jane Austen Reading
• Christmas Decorating
• Writing on the bathroom wall
• 5year old joke gone awry

Winter is upon us

Somebody PLEASE tell Beez that it is WINTER!!!!!

It was 40 degrees outside and the wind chill made it in the 30's. Tonight we should get down to the mid-20's...and she is building sand castles. Oh, and she wants an audience...which means that I am outside in the freezing cold watching her build away.

Lord, I love the fall and winter but if this keeps up I will praying for spring to come earlier. I almost built a fire in our fire pit this afternoon...Lord help me.

Not Me Monday 11/17/08

*******UPDATED********

It seems everyday during the week, I have random thoughts of..."THIS is so going to be a 'Not Me " entry next week." but then, in the utter craziness of my life I forget them and try to pinch out what little remembrance I do have at the end of a very long week. So, here goes.

I did not buy the cutest white maternity top from Old Navy this week because I am NOT pregnant and that would just be absolutely crazy..(but for those of you who do not believe me, at least understand that I am really tall and I have issues with finding long shirts...and sometimes, just sometimes the extra length bequeathed to maternity tops hits me just great and I can not resist.)

I did not run away from the Monkey Exhibit at the Zoo last week when the Monkeys stopped being Monkeys and started doing "Monkey Business" Cause I am one of those cool moms who totally are down with the "How babies are made" talk...or at least I was until EVERY body part started having an alter ego within the minds of my growing boys.

I did not find and buy the cutest shoes at Target last week while shopping with my sister...because we were Christmas shopping...NOT shoe shopping. And they were NOT an amazing deep purple Mary Jane-like flat because there is no way that I would have anything to wear them with...oh and they were only $9.98!!!!

I did not buy my oldest son almost $100 worth of clothes for Christmas and almost fall out right there in the middle of Belks. Cause $100 is not THAT big a deal...did I mention that it was only FOUR items...and that usually when I spend a hundred bucks at a department store it is because it was an ADDITIONAL 50% off an already 75%...which is basically FREE and like twenty items MINIMUM!!!! I thought they would have to shock my heart to bring me back.

I did not spend 8 of the past 9 nights up with one or more of my children for PROLONGED periods of time and various cough-choke-gag-cough again-hint of fever-you better not puke on my bed maladies...cause that would be INSANE and I would then not be able to be a rational level headed mother in the morning.

I did not threaten my children with NO THANKSGIVING OR CHRISTMAS break if they did not make their fall goals...cause that would mean that I MIGHT NOT GET A THANKSGIVING OR CHRISTMAS break....and you don't want to see me at Easter if I missed Christmas.

I did not use the 1-2-3 punch of Tacos(for Saturday dinner), Hello Kitty Nightie(for Saturday dessert), and Meatloaf(Sunday after church meal) to make up to my husband the fact that I spent 4nights and 5days with my sister...cause I never use the power of a good meal and a great nightie to my advantage.

*****UPDATED*******

I have 6 sisters and 5 brothers...a few of who regularly read this blog. One of them sent me the following email with her own "Not Me" list. I couldn't help but post it...and I agree...she TOTALLY beats mine this week.

So I can't comment anymore on your blog for some reason, but here goes my Not Me Monday story... are you ready for it... I meant to leave it a couple weeks ago when it happened but at that time realized I couldn't leave comments for you under "name" anymore

So here it is...
I did not go with my friend/employer to a super fancy French
lingerie boutique while I was working. While we were Not there, I did Not
try on mulitple bra-panty combos that made me look and feel as expensive as they
were. Although all of the panties I tried on were done so over the thong I
was wearing, I did Not forget to remove the last pair of $50 grey undies from my
buttox and put my pants on over them with the tag blatanly hanging out the
back! After my purchase of the cheapest bra and panty combo they had at
the store, we walked out to the car and my friend Jennifer did Not shriek as I
leaned into the Expedition to strap her little man into his carseat as she saw
the tag to the $50 grey panties hanging out. I did Not jump into the front
seat, strip down as an old man pulled up into the spot next to us(AHHH!!), take
them off and sheepishly take them back into the overpriced French
boutique. Now I don't think the French owner believed my story, but that
doesn't matter because it did Not happen!
AHH!!!
That tops them all for
me.
Love ya,

Praying God's Word Over Our Children

One of my first must read blogs was Bring the Rain. This wonderful mother speaks her heart and bares her soul in honor of Our One True God. She is the earthly mother to three lovely ladies, and heavenly mother to two others. She is also a fellow homeschooling mother, and this being her rookie year, she is faring wonderfully. I would love for you go and spend a minute on her page, and read what she has to say about praying over our children the Holy Scriptures. She is urging us to pray these 7 prayes, 7 days a week over our children. Not only has that inspired me to do the same, but I also feel led to search out scripture to pray specifically for my BOYS. Every mother knows that boys and girls are different, and while the verses she choose, would definately have purpose over my growing boys, I feel like Holy Spirit is urging my to make this practice even more practical. So, go and visit and then sit and pray.

Not Me Monday 11/10/08

It's that time again...time to bare our souls for all the blogosphere to witness.



Here is the TRUTH.

I did NOT take my kids to the doctor EIGHT times in the past two weeks...cause that would just be insane...especially since we had not been since SPRING!!!!

I did not do SEVEN loads of laundry on Saturday...cause I do not do laundry on Saturday....and having SEVEN loads to do on a Saturday would mean that I must have either flaked out on my motherly duties, or was at the Doctor ALL week long...and I have already denied that.

I did not eat FIVE helpings of shrimp last week...in one sitting...cause that would mean my petite girly figure would have been blown.

I did not completely freak out last week when I did a family themed night...and discovered what a complete amount of insane work it takes...cause I am SUPERWOMAN and I don't sweat the small stuff...or the blue pasta, or the HUGE American flag tablecloth, or the All American Apple Pie(that was a disaster)

I did not take all of my kids to vote with me on Tuesday...cause that would be just a little too freaky for my small community to handle.

I did not ditch a date night with my darling hubby, and spend the evening with my sister instead...NOT ME!!!

I did not cry myself to sleep one night because the a fore mentioned sister does not live right behind me anymore...cause I am a big girl.

I did not steal all of my kids Reese's Pieces from Trick or Treating...No really I didn't because, instead I just went and bought myself a 44oz. bag that I can instead keep ALL TO MYSELF(so much for that girlish figure)

What we did last night....11/4

It's ELECTION CENTRAL at our house tonight. This was our first real family themed night -a la Whittaker Woman. The kids painted a HUGE flag for our table cloth...hand prints for the red stripes, and cookie cutter blue stars...yes there were 50...and do not fret about the white stripe at the top...it was cut off so the 13 stripes were right too!!!!

(technically the red was mixed with pink...but work with me here...I have a 5 year old girly girl and pink rules!!!!)

These were Stars and Stripes appetizers...homemade Stripes a la mozzarella sicks and Homemade Stars which were cheddar, artichoke, and bacon cheese.

Blue pasta, with Maverick Meatballs, and Red Sauce

Then we did Alaskan/Palin Moose Munch...in three different flavors...the perfect Election Night Snack. This one was Chocolate/Caramel.

This one was Chocolate and Caramel, dusted with powder sugar.

This one was just Caramel