So Thankful!

Every day is Thanksgiving day... I just wished I was better at expressing thanks for my blessing (including trials) on a daily basis.  Despite the daily grind we all go through and the interruptions to our concept of a peaceful life (Life happens) we, ALL of us have so much to be thankful for.  When life smacks us with a trial it's so easy to forget what we DO have.  I am going to try harder to have an attitude of thankfulness all of the time.  I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for the blessings he has given me all my life through the rough spots and the smooth ones for bringing me this far.  There's no way I could do anything on my own (anything good anyway).  He deserves all the credit.  I am sorry I don't always remember to thank Him for the gifts i enjoy.  The family I've been blessed to be a part of, food, shelter, clothing, indoor plumbing, electricity, and so much more... for the very air I'm given to breathe.  Without Him I am lost and have nothing.

Today I was able to spend time with family.  I don't always get to see my oldest son and his family on holidays as they live a distance from us but it is always wonderful to see them.  It's a wonderful blessing to be able to share a table with parents, children, grandchildren, in-laws, and of course my husband.  I missed the ones that couldn't be there but was happy to hear from them and see their pictures (I'm thankful for technology).  Yes, I have much to be thankful for.

Since my last post my son and daughter-in-law have moved in and I now have a 'partner in crime' while the guys do whatever it is guys do.  Finally I have a female in the house to balance the testosterone around here!  She helped me this week work on some fondant decorations for our Thanksgiving Day cake.  She went with me to do some Christmas shopping (yep... I'm done, it's wrapped and everything!).  It's nice to have her with us.

I've done a couple of cakes since my last post (are you surprised?).  When I don't have a special occasion to do a cake I try to make one a week anyway and try new things and brush up on my skills.  Dear husband gets tired of cake sometimes I'm sure but he doesn't complain, especially when he has a fork in his hand.  He is the guinea pig to all my experimentation... hope he doesn't mind sharing a bit with the kids now!

                                                        "Practice" wedding cake

                                                   Close up of roses and scroll work

The next one is the cake I made for my family for Thanksgiving.  I call it "Evil Chocolate Cake".  It has two layers of chocolate-chocolate chip cake with a layer of fudge brownie in between, and chocolate fudge butter cream icing.  The decorations are marshmallow fondant.  I need to give credit to my daughter-in-law for her help - she made the sweet little pears, apples and grapes.  The cutest little pears I think I've ever seen too.

                                         You have to admit those little pears are darling.

                 This is my "Evil Chocolate Cake" and my first attempt doing 'basket weave' decorations.

I think it came out pretty good.  I know it tasted downright evil!  Anything that yummy has to be evil!!!  Anyway it went well with the pies as the end of out Thanksgiving feast.  I'm sure thankful too because it was a lot of work.  It's satisfying to serve up something yummy and pretty too.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  I hope we will all do better (me especially) at remembering to be thankful all of the time.

Happy Thanksgiving!


                                    

Chest Pains or Cake? I'll Take Cake!

Last weekend was a busy one.  I did three cakes.  One for a baby shower, a birthday and one for my Dad's birthday.  All came out pretty good... not perfect (I'm my own worst enemy), but they pass, and they went off pretty good to those involved.  I love to see people smile when they eat my cakes!

                                  This is the cake I did for the baby shower.  2 layer 8" round  
                                     vanilla-almond sour cream cake with vanilla-almond icing.

                 This is my Dad's birthday cake.  Chocolate cake with chocolate fudge icing - the cab 
                   & decorations are chocolate marshmallow fondant and the trailer is covered with
                                                    regular marshmallow fondant.

                              This is a birthday cake too.  It is 3 layers of fudge cake with hazelnut
                               fudge filling and icing.  The flowers are just like the ones I did on the 
                                                  flower pot cake - marshmallow fondant.

Among making the cakes I also got to see my family doctor.  I've been having some alarming symptoms (chest pains, etc.) on and off for a while now and my family history isn't so great so I also got to see a cardiologist. Friday I get to have the pleasure of a stress test.  Yay me.  NOT.  I'm hoping for the best and know that Heavenly Father is in charge and He is good to me all the time.  In the mean time I'll keep praying & keep tinkering with cakes... practice, practice, practice. 

Cake Crisis!

I've spent several days this week working on a cake for my Mom's 65th birthday.  I thought it was gonna be a fairly easy cake to do but darn if the cake itself would cooperate!  The flowers turned out awesome but the rest....  Actually I took pictures right away "just in case" and I think I'm going to be very glad I did.  As the cake is settling it is leaning more and more to one side.  Not sure what that's about because it has plenty of supports to keep it stable.  I suppose it's like me - unstable despite support!  Anyway, I'm pleased with how the flowers came out.  I have preformed a "surgical intervention" on the cake since the pictures were taken and I'm crossing my fingers and saying a prayer that the cake will make it... at least till she sees it in person.  This may not sound like a crisis to anyone else but to me it's a disaster in progress.  Please pray for my cake - and that my Mom will enjoy it if it makes it to her house in one piece!

                                        This is my first attempt at fondant/gum paste flowers. 
                                     I don't think they turned out too bad for being self-taught.

                                                  Oreo "dirt" isn't too bad either!

                                            The leaning flowerpot (before it started leaning)

Just a quick description - The cake is five layers of chocolate cake, with chocolate icing tinted to look like terracotta.  the dirt is Oreo crumbs and the flowers/leaves are marshmallow fondant.