The Grass Is Always Greener . . .

Today Megan looked at me after I got out of the shower and said,

"Momma, how can I get my boo boos to look like yours?"

Interesting question. Well, Ms. Megan, here is how you get your boo boos to look like mine. First, you need to get pregnant, gain 70 pounds, watch your boo boos grow to inhuman proportions, have the baby, nurse the baby, watch those they-can't-possibly-get-any-bigger boo boos get even bigger, stop nursing, lose the 70 pounds, watch the boo boos deflate like old balloons, turn 35, get pregnant again, gain 50 pounds, watch your boo boos grow to inhuman proportions, have the baby, nurse the baby, watch those they-can't possibly-get-any-bigger boo boos get even bigger, stop nursing, lose 35 pounds (still workin' on the rest), watch the boo boos deflate like old balloons again, and get ready to turn 36. That, Ms. Megan, is how you get your boo boos to look like mine. Thanks for asking.

P.S. Thank me later for not including a photo with this post :)

Almost as Cool as the Swiss Alps

We took a little trip to Chicago back in April.

Since it seems I have very little time to blog these days, I figured I'd give you the abbreviated version. Hey, better than nothing right?

First, we visited the John Hancock Observatory.

96 stories to be exact.

We had a nice dinner (too busy eating to take photos).

We didn't even have to chop it up in little pieces for anyone. Amazing!

Then we went back up in the Hancock Observatory to see what it looked like after dark.

'Cause when you spend that much money on drinks, you take pictures of them!

And now I have to tell you a little story about one of the most romantic moments of my life. I was sitting next to my husband (whom I haven't had a real conversation with in approximately 8 months) on the 96th floor of the Hancock Observatory. Seeing the city lights below was awe-inspiring and one of the most amazing views I have ever seen. It was one of those views that makes you realize how small you really are compared to the giant world around you. I squeezed John's hand and said, "Is this just incredible to you????? Probably not, huh, since you've been so many different places. You've been to Japan, all over Europe, seen the Swiss Alps, etc. This is probably nothing compared to those places." Then he looked back at me and said, "Yeah, but YOU weren't there with me when I saw those places." *melting heart* Then he corrected me and said he hadn't ever seen the Swiss Alps :) Ha!

*Stay tuned for more of our Chicago adventures . . . visiting with Ruth, eating deep dish Chicago pizza, seeing the Shedd Aquarium . . .

Because I Don't Ever Want to Forget

If you are my friend on Facebook, you've already heard this little story. If you aren't my friend on Facebook, you really should be. BUT, it you don't already have a Facebook account . . . be forewarned. It is as addictive as crack cocaine and a BlackBerry. By the way, Nana calls my mom's BlackBerry her "blueberry" by mistake and it always cracks me up. Just imagine (in Nana's croaky old voice) . . . "Deb, your blueberry is ringing.") *insert me giggling in the background

But I digress . . .

This was my status update yesterday on Facebook . . .

I'm including it here because these are the days . . .

the days filled with all the little things . . .

I don't ever want to forget.

Went outside to get the mail today (while holding Brendan) and said to myself . . . "Wow, how odd it is raining on such a gorgeous, sunny day." I then realized Brendan was drooling and the wind was blowing it right in my face. Nice.

More Cakes

A few months ago, my sister asked me how much I would charge to make a wedding cake for a girl at her work. At first, I was like "Oh no way. I cannot handle the stress of making a wedding cake for someone. I'm not good enough to make a wedding cake. There is no amount of money in the world that could change my mind. No wedding cakes. Never. No way."

Then she asked me again and I said yes. Way to hold my ground, huh?

So, in my panic I knew I needed a new fondant recipe. The old one was getting too dry on me and wasn't flawless enough for a wedding cake. This cake had to be perfection. OMG.

I practiced a new recipe on my friend Andrea's birthday cake.

She didn't know she was the cake "guinea pig."

She just thought I was being all nice and sweet bringing a surprise cake to her party. Works for me!

The new recipe had some corn syrup in it and it made all the difference in the world.

So here is my first wedding cake ever. It was half chocolate cake, half french vanilla. The whole cake had vanilla butter cream filling and was covered in marshmallow fondant. The beads were edible and painted with luster dust to give them a shimmer. It was the bride's design. That was the hardest part for me. If I was going to spend 92385720948375 hours making a cake, I wanted it to be something that reflected my taste. I had to remind myself that I had to create my customer's vision instead of my own.

I'm including this picture because I liked the cake better without the beads.
I also would have liked a little scroll design, an ivory cake, brown ribbon, a monogram topper . . . ah, there I go again.


Know anyone else who needs a wedding cake?
I have the PERFECT design in mind.


Then, I made this little cake for my dad's 60th birthday, the morning before I delivered the wedding cake. I proved to myself I could do two cakes in one weekend.

I've been seriously thinking about starting my own little cake business.
If you know anyone in the Columbus, Ohio area that would like a cake for a baby shower, wedding (I'll give you an AMAZING PRICE), bridal shower, birthday party, graduation party, etc. just let me know. Email me at lmk710@columbus.rr.com for a price quote.


Now I need a little name for my business.
What do you think?

Waiting for More

Most days I have a choice during Brendan's first nap . . . exercise or blog . . . exercise or blog . . . exercise or blog . . .


Not that you can tell from looking at my thighs but exercise has been winning lately. (I'm only down about 20 pounds.) I've been exercising like a mad fool and I think it is time for some balance.


This week, I'm going to catch you up on all the fun that has been going on lately. We took an awesome trip to Chicago, finally bought a Wii, Brendan can do all kinds of new tricks, Megan got her hair cut, Brendan had his first hair cut too, I made some new cakes (including a wedding cake) . . .


Wow, the kinda stuff that has you chomping at the bit waiting for more, right?