A mountain cake

Hi,
I hope the little white box that appears in the background disappears pretty soon. I wrote an email to photobucket, which I do not use, to find out how that little message got on my blog. It is very irritating!
So, I worked all day on this cake. I think it looks okay. I made a four tier round cake and put a trail all the way down. I also made a waterfall and some streams all the way down the mountain. Daddy suggested that I make some birds and a little squirrel, so I attempted to do that. They look okay, but they are not professional.



I also got the dogs bathed today. That activity is always a chore. The sheepdog is all soft and silky, and the golden retriever is soft and smooth. Right after I bathed them, they each went to their DIRT hole under the tree!! Oh well, I tried. Tonight, I put their flea medicine on them. They are about eaten up with fleas this summer. I also bought some 'green or natural' flea killer stuff at the vet. This vet has some little worms that eat fleas/ants, etc. It is a package of what looks like dirt, but it is microscopic worms that are bred to kill fire ants, fleas, and such. I tried it last year, and I think it helped. So, you put the 'dirt' in water and soak it for ten minutes. Then, you put it out under shady areas where the worms can come alive and crawl in the yard. The directions tell you to put it in a sprayer hose thing, but I don't have one of those. So, I put the mixture in three different gallon jugs and poured it out on the ground. The worms supposedly crawl around in the yard, eat the fleas, and then die. I am not sure if they do this really, but it is worth a try. I had to wait until nightfall to do it, because the weather is so hot outside. The directions say to wait until dark, if the temperature is over 86 degrees. I think that 100 degree weather calls for waiting until dark! I splashed some of it on me, and I feel like I have swallowed microscopic worms! Of course I didn't, but have a panic attack feeling like I did!! I splashed some on my legs, too. Yuck. I washed it all off in a nice hot shower, though.
So anyway, the dogs are taken care of for a while, the cake is made, Don likes it, and now I am ready for bed.
Take care and have a good Sunday!!

Homemade Fondant, Finally!!

 
This picture is from Rachel's birthday party that we had last year. Her birthday is coming up soon, so I thought I would put up this picture of my family.
I just finished making some homemade fondant for a cake that I will be making tomorrow. We are having a party Sunday for my son-in-law, Don, who is going to hike the Appalachian Trail. I am making a cake for him, although he doesn't eat cake, and I will use the new fondant icing that I made for the decorations. The fondant tastes really good. I hope I can get it to work tomorrow when I begin to decorate. If the fondant is a little too stiff, it can be put in the microwave to regain its pliability. I hope it will work! I am going to attempt to make some type of mountain cake, with a hiker going up! I wonder if I can do it...
I haven't been blogging lately, because I went to Florida to visit Adam and Vicky for a week. Also, I have been having trouble with my golden retriever escaping out of the backyard!! She has never done this before, and I do not know what is up with that! I called my contractor today to see if he can fix my fence. He will do it Tuesday. Right now, I have a bunch of things put in front of the gate and the hole she has been going out of. It looks like a big mess, but is is doing the trick of keeping her in!
So, I may have a good picture of my cake to put up Sunday.
P.S. I really do not know why that little white box is in the background. It showed up today, and I have no idea how to get it off. If anyone has a suggestion as to how to get it off of my blog, I would greatly appreciate it!!

Ah...the Dentist!

I got my car all fixed and ready for a road trip, but I am afraid to drive by myself! I guess I will take the train to Tampa. That is the safest way to go, and the least worrisome. My jeep will be ready for me when I get home. Today's trip was to the dentist. A tooth broke off a couple of weeks ago, and I have been putting off going. (I hate the dentist, well not the dentist, the drilling and grinding sounds at the dentist!)
I thought I better get there before I left on my trip. So, he patched up the broken one, and then he found out that another tooth was in worse shape and did a root canal right there before I could say no! Those procedures are expensive, but he said he would work with me on it. Also, he charged me less than usual, I later found out. So, when I get back from my trip, I will go back and have the second half of the root canal done, along with some other repair work. Whew!
Why am I so afraid of the dentist? This problem goes way, way back to my childhood, when I had lots and lots of fillings and things done. I asked my dentist one time why I always had such trouble with my teeth, because I knew that I took care of them. He just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Your teeth just seem to decay easily." What an answer......
Dr. Hester was a kind person and a good dentist, but I had one too many drillings and fillings and drillings and fillings and, well you get the picture. Any dentist I go to has to hear my sob/sad story about my fears. To top it off, I now have to take antibiotics beforehand, due to a little heart condition. Imagine taking four big, 500mg amoxicillin pills one right after the other an hour before each appointment...even to have your teeth cleaned!! They say it is more important when your teeth are cleaned, because more bacteria can loosen up during that activity.
Crazy, crazy, crazy......Just one more silly adventure in this saga that is my life!! HA!
So I say, Ah...the dentist~

Car mechanics

Well, my car is in the shop again. I put it in the shop back in May, so that I could travel to Tampa in a well-oiled machine! ha
I also bought new tires for the venture. That was good, though, because I really needed those. The mechanics also found many things to fix, of course, so that trip cost me quite a bit.
On the way home from Tampa, I noticed air conditioning drips coming down on my feet. I never took it back to the shop, though. Then, one of the needles started pointing all the way to H. I never took it back. Last week, I noticed the car wasn't going into gear correctly on the interstate. The other day, a red light came on saying, "Check gauges". So, I called to go to the dealer this time. Previously, I had been taking my car to a local tire/fix it shop called Savannah Tire. I thought the dealer would be more expensive. I was wrong. I should have gone to the dealer in the first place. Well, our Jeep place closed a couple of years ago, so I started going to this smaller, more convenient location. There is now another Jeep place, so I decided to go there. Plus, I had a recall on the car that I had never taken care of. Anywho, the Jeep is in the shop until later this afternoon...more $$ that I do not really have. But, I must have a car, so there ya go!!
I hope to get to Tampa this week. I am going to the dentist tomorrow to get a tooth pulled. The big one in the back broke off. I think it is a wisdom tooth! My internet was out, but it is fixed (that one didn't cost anything). So after tomorrow, everything SHOULD be fixed~let's hope so, anyway~~
I have GOT to see my son. I haven't seen him since May, and I am very anxious to go to visit him. He graduated from college and went straight over to Europe for a month and ten days. I miss him very much!! If I cannot get anyone to go with me, I may end up going on the train. The train ride that I took a few months ago was fine, so I may opt to do that.
The birthdays and graduations that were keeping me in town are all finished, so now it is my turn to do something for me that I want to do, and that is to go visit Adam and Vicky in Tampa. Wish me luck that I am able to go in the next couple of days!!

Amy, the M.A.

Hi,
Amy, my sister in law, graduated last night with her Master's degree in Transformational Leadership (an education degree). She has worked really hard for this, while juggling three children, a home, a husband, and her job teaching Pre-K.

I am very proud of Amy. I first met Amy when she was in the 6th grade, and she was one of my band students. Yes, you read that correctly. She was one of my first students.

Here are some pictures of her special night.
Walking in, all smiles! You deserve to smile, Amy!!




I made a cake for her with a graduation hat. I have had this idea all summer from Wilton, and now finally got the chance to make it. I also added the symbol of her university. The color was supposed to be maroon, but I was apprehensive about making it too dark. The color on the invitation was a light maroon. So, the color ended up as more of a dark pink. It was okay, though.

The graduation ceremony was held at the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum. It was a very nice ceremony. The reception food was great, too, as furnished by Creative Catering. It was delicious!

Here is a family picture of Amy with her mom and dad (Ron and Joan Pulley), her husband (my brother William), and her youngest child Lauren. Her other two children are on a mission trip with their church group. This is one happy and proud family!!

Lauren is 10 in 2010!!

Today is my niece's birthday. Lauren is 10 today. She had a sleepover party with her friends last week, and she had a purple guitar pinata for that party. When I told her that I had a guitar cake pan, her eyes lit up. I asked her what kind of guitar she wanted, and she just said PURPLE. So, I made a purple guitar. I had some pansies and violets that I made this weekend, so I added them to the guitar. I tried to put all of the parts of a guitar on the cake, and the flowers added a touch of girly girl to it. The strings were hard to get on straight, but they were okay. By the time I got the cake to the party, though, the strings had 'popped'. It still looked good. Here is Lauren and some candid shots of the party. Enjoy!

Blowing out the candles!!

Growing Up Girls Doll #10

Rachel and Lauren posing, 10 fingers up!

Lauren and Papa!!

My Cheshire Cat Tree

On a recent trip to Tampa, we went over to St. Petersburg. I found the tree! The tree in question is one that I found a few years ago on a trip with Rachel and Mamma. I think this tree looks like the tree in Alice in Wonderland where the Cheshire Cat is found. I was so happy to find this tree again! This time, Adam and Vicky were with us. So, I got Rachel, Adam, and Vicky's picture in the tree. If I had not had on flipflops, I would have tried to climb up to sit in the tree! I chose to just pose beside the tree. Now that I know where the tree is located, I will wear my tennis shoes on the next trip. My tree is located outside of the Fine Arts center in St. Petersburg, near the pier.
So, I hope you enjoy the pics!!

 

Our beloved Saramina

Hi everyone,
Today was my aunt's 89th birthday! Wow! Her birthday wish was for everyone to live a long and happy life just like hers.
I made a very special cake for her with pansies and African violets. Our family has a weak spot for both of those flowers. My grandmother's name was Pansy, and there have always been African violets in our homes. A house is not a home without an African violet in the window. We all had a great celebration tonight with many family members in attendance. We really missed those who could not come, but we had a great time. Here are some pictures of Saramina's happy day.

Happy 4th of July!

I just HAVE to put these pictures here today. I am so proud of this cake. I found the design on the Wilton website, and have been waiting to make it. This fondant design is the second one that I have done by myself. The drape did not turn out exactly like the picture, but I think it is pretty good, haha.
The stars on top were supposed to have U.S.A. on them, but I forgot to do that part. When I realized I needed the letters, I had already put the stars on the straws. The picture calls for popsickle sticks to be used, but there are none of those in my supply box. I found these straws and used blue ones to tie in the red, white, and blue theme.





I hope you enjoy the pictures. I must tell you that when I made the cakes, I thought I took out two 'white' cake mixes from the pantry. After putting them together and getting ready for the eggs,I realized that I put one white cake and one french vanilla cake in the mixing bowl!! I have no idea how the cake will taste, but I bet it will be interesting! Ha ha ha ha!!
Here are two pictures of my daddy from World War II. The outside picture is of him standing in front of Hitler's house, in Germany, around 1944. I am not sure of where the indoor picture is taken.



Men like my daddy and many of your daddys and military relatives have helped to make our country great, so that we may continue to celebrate the 4th of July for many years to come! Happy 4th!!

A Whimsical Tea Party

Hi,
I have been wanting to go to this little tea house, called A Whimsical Teacup, for a while now. My sister went to a bridal shower there, and it sounded like a neat place to see. So, my friend and I decided to go one day this summer.



















We found out that there are 'dress up' items at the little restaurant, so we invited our little nieces to go, too. Of course, we each invited our sister-in-laws who have the little nieces ~



Meet Julia and Haley! They are both 3 years old.



So, I had the Whimsical Tea, which included a garden salad, several tiny sandwiches, a drink, and some sweets. I could have ordered a pot of tea, but with the sweet items, I knew I woudn't be able to really taste the tea! The sandwiches were a sampling of what they have: chicken salad, tuna, and ham and cheese. The sweets were a cream puff, a chocolate cream puff, a lemon bar, and a little cupcake. Fruit is added to all of the food items, so I also had strawberries, kiwi, and melon. The little girls had a nice time putting on the little hats, boas, and necklaces. The entire tearoom is pink, my favorite color!

Cathy, Haley, and Trish


Dewilla and Cathy


Ellen and Julia


Haley and Trish


The Tea Room


After leaving the tea room, we went to a few used furniture stores. My friend wanted to find some bedside tables for her house. She finally found a very interesting/different looking one that she bought for her son's room. He lives in New Orleans, but she wanted it for his room for whenever he is at home.
Today has been pleasant. Now, I need to find some other little interesting places to go for lunch this summer. Have a great day!