Beautiful Birthday

UPDATED: PHOTOS ADDED

The past few years my birthday has gone by without much fanfare, which is fine with me. I've been very preoccupied with my busy life and raising a little one so the days really are just flying by! But it was very nice this year when I got to have some extra fun celebrating my birthday. I felt so special as so many people wished me well on my birthday. And I got to celebrate 2 weekends in a row, with both family and friends. I had, not one, but 3 cakes! All were delicious, but one was extra special because it was homemade and amazingly decorated by a sweet friend. Plus I got to go to 2 performances, one a ballet and the other Cirque du Soleil! La Nouba - the Cirque du Soleil show - was a surprise from my husband...he did good!! :) I had no idea what he had planned and it's something I had mentioned a long time ago wanting to see.

Oh, and I've decided to start celebrating the anniversary of my 29th birthday because I really don't feel any older than that! And I won't tell you how many anniversaries I'm celebrating this year! But life is good, and worth celebrating another blessed year!

Evan loved to help me blow out my candles!

This is the beautiful cake my friend made...by hand. Isn't it amazing!

Making Marshmallow Fondant

Just for anyone that might be interested, here are details on making marshmallow fondant. I thought after my last post, those of you who may like to make your own fun fondant cake, would like to know how. Please don't be intimidated, it's really not hard just VERY messy. But it's so fun and you can truly be creative.

I first learned the directions for making marshmallow fondant here - http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/Fondant.htm.

She is very detailed, which is good, but I've now found some more concise directions at the links below. The link above also runs through the whole process of putting the fondant on the cake, where the other links just show the fondant recipe.

http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Rolled-Marshmallow-Fondant

http://www.ehow.com/how_4681043_marshmallow-fondant-recipe.html

 

http://candy.about.com/od/fondantcandyrecipes/r/mm_fondant.htm

 

Here are some of my tips:

• If you color the fondant, use Wilton dyes that you can find at local craft stores...I got mine at JoAnn's. Also, be sure to wear latex gloves when coloring the fondant so you don't color your hands, too! :)
• Crisco is your friend, use LOTS of it to keep your hands from sticking to the fondant and the fondant from sticking to the table. Also, as Peg points out, you can use Corn Starch on the table for rolling the fondant out. Overall, I've found the Corn Starch has worked better for me.
• Find yourself fun cut-outs at JoAnn's and you can easily decorate the cake with those. See posts on my Mickey Mouse and Baby Shower cakes to see what I mean.
• Fondant will last in your fridge for several weeks so make it in advance. Just coat it in crisco, cover with plastic wrap and then put it in a ziplock bag, being sure to get the air out. Also, don't put different color fondant into the same plastic wrap or ziplock since colors can bleed.
• Use thick buttercream (not whipped) icing to ice the cake. The fondant will hold better to the cake.
• For fun ideas for cakes, visit this website - http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/. They posted my Mickey Cake there - http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/coolest-circles-mickey-mouse-birthday-cake-66.html

Feel free to ask me any questions you may have. And if you try this, let me know! Wish I could invite everyone into my home and show you how to do it, but I'm sure you can probably find a video on YouTube. :)

Evan's 3rd Birthday Recap

I know I'm a bit behind in posting photos and details on Evan's 3rd Birthday party, but the last two weeks just took off and I haven't been able to catch up until now.

Evan's party was a blast! Evan had a great time with all his family and friends...there were 13 kids total and lots of adults too. The weather was just perfect...not too hot or windy, and no rain! Here's a view of the party in pictures. It was a CARS theme and I really tried to have fun playing on that theme. My cake didn't turn out bad, but ended up not fairing very well in the car ride over and in the heat. The icing melted (think my mistake was using whipped icing) and the fondant was slipping down the cake so it looked squished on the bottom even before the party started. I was pretty diappointed at first, but once everyone started arriving all that disappointment melted away...I think I can look back and laugh about it now! We actually had to put Evan's remote control Lightning McQueen car up against the back end to keep the whole end from falling apart. That definitely makes me smile now! In the end, Evan's only 3 years old and he didn't care if he had a perfect cake, nor did he really notice it falling apart. He just loved his Lightning McQueen cake and kept coming over to it and pointing it out. And many other kid's eyes just lit up when they saw the cake. And I put the time and love into making it for him...that's all that matters!

Menu
Lightning McQueen Race Day Sandwiches (made to look like a checkered flag with dark and light breads)
Mater's Tater Salad
Sally's Spinach Dip
Mack's Mexican Dip (spelled CARS with the tomatos on top)
Fillmore's Fruit Skewers (Evan ate a ton of these - loves his fruit!)
Flo's V8 Cafe (lots of different drinks including capri suns, Evan's favorites)

Activities
Ramone's House of Body Art - painting wooden cars
Playing on the playground - Evan loves the swing and insisted on swinging one last time after we have finished cleaning and packing up.

Here is photos of the cake right after I finished...if only it had lasted, but oh well. That's life. :)

UPDATE: Want to learn to make marshmallow fondant and cool cakes? Check out my latest post.

The Joy of Easter Sunday

On Friday I attended our church's Good Friday service. It was a great reminder that though the world sees the cross as humiliation and death we know it is about love and eternal life. Amazing how God conquered death for all of us! It was a great way to start the Easter weekend.

And today, Easter Sunday, we had a wonderful day celebrating that He is Risen at a traditional church service at the church where Brad and I got married. It's also the church I grew up in. Evan was totally adorable in the Easter outfits I got him...yes, I got two only because I found amazing deals! Pretty much got both for the price I would have paid for one elsewhere. I really don't shop there much but wasn't happy with the selection elsewhere so I ended up finding them at JCPenney. Check out my cutie below! Oh, and he just got a new haircut on Thursday. It's shorter and not so shaggy.

 

Evan and his Aunt Tara (my stepsister)

Jumping for joy on Easter!

I think here he is wondering whether he's going to like the candy in this Easter egg!
(and this is outfit #2)

On Saturday we also got the chance to dye Easter eggs. Evan loved this as he is very artistic. I got these stamps with dye that you could also paint on with a brush.

Here he is concentrating so hard! He has taken to drawing and coloring,
pretty much anything artistic. Takes after his Daddy!

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter! And that you continue to be filled with the joy that God brings through his son's death and resurrection!

Evan's 1st Class Photo

I can't believe it's that time already! He's just 2 years old (almost 3) but because we have to put him in full-time daycare we went ahead and started him at a Christian preschool. So here is Evan's 1st official school class photo! Aren't the kids adorable! They just crack me up with their smiles. The photographer did a great job getting them to smile SO BIG!!! I think Evan looks like he may be the class clown! There are actually about 4 students missing so his class looks small. He can name every one of his classmates though. And the cute little girl on the left front with the cute pink boots...I found out she mentions Evan and one other kid in the class in her prayers. So sweet! I think he's having a blast at preschool and that just makes me smile. :)

Sushi Making 101

I have wanted to make my own sushi for years now. I first learned about it before I got pregnant with Evan so probably 4 or more years ago. I even bought a rolling kit that included a mat and instructions. But there was just never the opportunity, and then the kit ended up forgotten about in a drawer. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, Brad and I had a rare Saturday afternoon to ourselves because my mom and stepdad were entertaining Evan, and decided to grab some sushi. During our lunch I remembered the kit and how I'd still hoped to do a sushi making night. I realized Brad's birthday was coming up in a couple weeks so I mentioned it to him. Since he loves sushi, he was all for the idea! So we contacted a few friends and scheduled it for last Saturday!

It was a great time, and though we went all out for our first time, if we had kept it more simple, it would have been cheaper than eating at a sushi restaurant. We did end up being able to enjoy sushi for 3 days because of all we'd gotten. I think we will incorporate this into our dinner plans more often.

In addition, Brad loves tempura so he decided to make some shrimp tempura as well. I told him up front that I'd get everything for making regular sushi rolls but if he wanted tempura, he'd have to do it himself. I'm not good with oil. In fact, I almost burnt down our house when I was a teenager making mozzarella sticks! Okay, not really, but I did start a small fire on the stove!

I did some research up front to learn how to do everything and though I'd share what I learned. First off, I found this great website, http://makemysushi.com/. You have to check it out if you want to make sushi. It has demonstration graphics and all the basic information you'll need to know.

Luckily, Orlando has great Asian markets downtown that offer supplies at the best price, but many Publix supermarkets now offer everything as well, just a little bit more cost. I was lucky to have a guy help me at the Asian market who was a chef for many years and gave me a run down on how to make the shrimp tempura. A five minute lesson of what he'd learned over 10 years! I passed this info along to Brad and he did a great job with it. It turned out delicious. That was the one thing that was all gone by the end of the night. (Also, the website I mentioned has a shrimp tempura tutorial - wish we had seen that before, then we would have known to put them on a skewer to keep them straight. Well, we'll try that next time!)

If you are interested in trying this out for yourself, below are the basic supplies/food you'll need. You have to make sure to get sushi rice - it's a short grain rice that will be sticky enough to hold together when you roll it. It actually sticks to your fingers when you are making it, so have a bowl with water and sushi seasoning mixed to dip your fingers in.

Basic Supplies:
Nori (Seaweed)
Gari (Picked ginger)
Wasabi
Sushi Rice (Shari)
Sushi Seasoning (or rice vinegar, sugar and salt - see recipe at link below)
Rolling mat (the ones with one side flat and the other round are the easiest to use)

Filling Ingredient Ideas (Choose ones to make the rolls you like):
Tuna - raw
Shrimp - cooked
Imitation Crab
Carrots
Avacado
Cucumber
Cream Cheese
Green Onion

Topping Ideas:
Toasted Sesame Seeds
Spicy Mayo

Here is the direct link on how to make the sushi rice - http://makemysushi.com/index.php/Sushi-Preparations/sushi-rice.html

Check out all the other links in the Sushi University area for tips and techniques for rolling the sushi and cutting the filling items. You can make traditional rolls or just put together different combinations that look good to you and enjoy! I liked being able to try different combinations than what is typically available. All were very good!

Here are some fun photos from our sushi party. I'm definitely ready to do it again soon!

Today Marks 7 Years of Marriage!

Well, today marks Brad and my 7th anniversary! It also means we've known each other and been together for over 10 years! I just can't imagine my life without him, nor would I want to! It is amazing to look back at our wedding. I posted our favorite wedding photo below. You can just see the joy on our faces! It was a beautiful day I will cherish forever. And it was a great start to a wonderful marriage. It hasn't always been easy and we don't always feel happy. But that is life. And we are taking this journey together one day at a time. We've been tested, we've seen tough times, and are actually walking through a hard time in our lives right now. But I've always felt God cementing our lives together....giving us strength and helping us learn to lean on each other and him to get through it all. So today I feel that same joy and realize how my love for my sweet husband has grown and strengthened over the last 7 years of marriage. I'm looking forward to the many years ahead!

On our Wedding Day - March 15, 2003

Recent photo - March 13, 2010
(Celebrating Brad's birthday and our anniversary
with our first attempt at making sushi. So fun!)

I definitely see a change in Brad's appearance (in a good way!) as he's matured, but I still seem to have the same baby face!

And some more fun photos from our memorable wedding day!

One Little Word for 2010

I'm forgoing resolutions this year and just sticking with one word to focus on in 2010. I started this last year with the word Cherish. And I really feel that word exemplified 2009. I time and again praised God and was thankful for the blessings in my life throughout the year, even among the hard economic times that hit me and many of my family members and through the struggles with my health. I also stepped up my photo taking, doing a photo a day and recording it in an album...a way I love to remember and Cherish all that happens in my life. Unfortunately, I'm not done compiling the album but I have great notes and digital photos so I know I will get it done in the next few months.

For 2010, I've chosen the word Trust.

I felt God put this word on my heart over the last few months. I have trouble giving my all to God, and fully trusting him with all aspects of my life. I always seem to keep a piece or pieces for myself, trying to handle them in my weakness. This year, I'm committing to giving it all to him and following his lead, even if it requires a large amount of Trust. I almost hate to say that because I'm scared of what that will mean...which is why I've struggled with Trust in the past. I'm asking God to take away my fears and replace them with hope. I'll be remembering this verse daily.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (New International Version)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Anther translation says he will "direct your paths" and I like how that better clarifies it. God is in control and will direct me where he wants me to go. Thankfully, I don't have to trust in my weak and failing human nature.

He has already given me a glimpse of his trustworthiness this past week. He answered a prayer within 24 hours of me praying for it! I was awestruck at how quickly and unexpectedly it happened...it never has happened this way in the past. I think it was God's way of saying "I'm here, I'm listening and I'm providing...you can count on me." We all need a reminder of this. I know not every answer will come so easily as God has his perfect timing in everything, but I praise God for the surge of hope he gave me through this simple answer.

Well, I wish you all a great and blessed 2010! Maybe you'd like to join me in picking a word for the year? If so, I'd love for you to share it with me. :)

P.S. Click here for a bunch of words to give you ideas.

Our First Gingerbread House

I decided to get a gingerbread house for us to make with Evan this year. For our first gingerbread house, I think we did pretty good. I did start by getting a bit frustrated with the icing that started by just beating into tiny little balls (it really takes way more water than the directions said)! Then we had a mishap as I mistook the roof pieces for the side pieces. :) My hubby straightened it all out, and we were on our way, except we had to keep Evan patient as he wanted to get into the candy right away when the house was supposed to dry for 2 to 3 hours! Wish I'd know that in advance. We ate dinner to distract him and then got back to the gingerbread house. We only waited a little over an hour, but it seemed sturdy so we went ahead with decorating it. Brad did a great job piping the icing for the doors and windows while Evan and I were spreading icing on the roof, then he did a lattice pattern on the roof. Finally it was time to add the candy - Evan did one side of the roof and I did the other. It was fun for us all and I'm pretty proud of our first gingerbread house. A new family tradition is born. :)

My side of the roof

Evan's side of the roof - he did really good!

Our Christmas Card

I was so excited that we finally captured a family photo with Evan smiling. As an active toddler, it's very hard to get him to slow down, not wiggle around and say cheese. Though he is getting better if you catch him at the right moment. Anyway, after several different trys we got a really nice family photo for our Christmas Card. Check it out below.

I always like to do a photo card because I love receiving photo cards. I keep them up for quite a while after the holidays and then I put them in a scrapbook page that I make with pockets to hold them. I love to look back and see family and friends growing and changing over the years.

Oh, and we have always had our cards printed at Costco. They have amazing prices on photo cards, nice designs, and they are a larger size than the typical photo card. I could actually design it myself if I wanted and have it printed at the same price. Unfortunately, I haven't been feeling well the last month or so, which meant I just didn't have the energy to design it myself this year, but there is always next year!

If you'd like to share your Christmas card as well, join the Christmas Card Carousel.

Decorating is coming along slowly...

Well, we never get the chance to put up our Christmas tree and decorations right after Thanksgiving. But it's for good reason - we are spending quality time with my Mom and Stepdad in Melbourne the weekend after Thanksgiving. So, I've had to start getting the decorations up during the work week in bits and peices each night. So far, I've only gotten the tree up and the garland over the mantle and hung our new stockings from Old Navy. Oh, and the table centerpeice I made is out. Tonight I'm hoping to have Evan help decorate the tree. I already put some new candy cane ornaments I got up, and so far Evan grabs every single one of them down calling them "candles" and saying they are his. It's going to be interesting to see what he does once all the ornaments are up! :) And Evan still refers to our stockings as socks, like he did last year!

You can see the decorations as they were last year here. I'll post pics from this year in the coming week. I'm also doing a crafty wreath project and hope that will come together over the next week. I love Christmas time! Don't you?

Halloween Recap

Here's my cutie in his Halloween costume. He LOVES the movie Cars so this was the perfect costume for him. Plus, he had Cars light up shoes (thanks to his cousin Garrett!) to go along with it. He really got the hang of trick-or-treating. Too bad not many of our neighbors were in the spirit with only a few porch lights turned on and giving out candy. Luckily, we had gone to a fall festival at a nearby church first and Evan got a big bag of candy there. Evan's Granny and Papa joined us and we had a fun night.

Check out the pumpkins I carved. Brad ran out of time to do his, but he's the one who picked the white pumpkin and wanted to do the ghost. I did the Owl for the pumpkin carving contest at work, and with a 50/50 chance I was the only loser. :( Oh well. I enjoy carving them, and Evan enjoyed helping me pull out all the guts and stir it around while I did the carving. True boy!

I hope everyone had a very Happy Halloween! Now I'm looking forward to the rest of the Holiday season as we wrap up this year.

Less Words Wednesday

There is a trend in the blog and twitter communities for a Wordless Wednesday, where you post a photo or photos for that day and not any words. Hence the name. But I am not really capable of no words, especially since I got my education and work in communications. So I've decided to change it to Less Words Wednesday. Here's my first one. These are photos of Evan from earlier this month that were taken by Brian Carlson, who goes to our church. Evan was not cooperating at all...typical terrible twos, but Brian still captured some great shots we'll treasure forever.