Still here...

No, I have not fallen off the face of this earth... Just life has been happening :) We are well into my High School Daughter's Marching Season which is an absolute proud parent moment for us! I am definitely enjoying these teenage years, which I think surprises me. I have been expecting the dramatics and attitudes, and although that is the case at times,  what I didn't expect was the hard working, responsible, and beautiful girl that Tori has turned out to be :) She gets so much better grades than I did in High School and she has just been making such good decisions with her friends, that I am truly thanking God for breaking me in gently! Tori's involvement with the Band has been such a blessing in that it has taught all of the kids to be accountable for each other... a few weeks ago, I watched an  older band girl speak to a freshman girl about the "attire" she was wearing and let her know that what she was wearing was very inappropriate and that she was a "Band Representative" and needed to be dressed modest in order to portray a positive image! Inside I was going YES!!! I love that our kids can tell each other that! These kids have been working so hard since the 3rd week of july and they are just amazing and we cannot wait to see how they do at their first competition in October! Tomorrow is Tori's 15th Birthday and I am making cake balls for her... so since this is technically a cake blog, I will give you my super easy way to make cake balls, which if you have never tried... be prepared to be in heaven!!! I am going to make a simple box cake recipe, in this case- confetti cake, per tori's request. Once it has baked and cooled, crumble it up in a bowl and add a can of frosting so its a moist goey mixture. With your hands, make bite sized balls of batter and place on a cookie sheet then place in the freezer for a couple hours. Last, dip the balls into a candy chocolate dip (melt chocolates in a double boiler, Michaels craft store sells different colors too) and place back on the cookie sheet to harden. You can freeze them for an extended time or leave out at room temp for a day or so. They won't last more than a day in my house so its never been a problem on how to "keep" them LOL ;)  ENJOY!!! They are worth it!!! Instead of a cake pic, I am sharing a picture of Tori in her band uniform :)

Expect the Unexepected?

Ok, so I always try to remember that my cakes NEVER look like I intended  :) Its never "supposed" to be like that but somehow turns out that way... So this is my tip for today: Be ok with the finished result! Example you say to yourself, dear reader? OH YES!!! I have plenty of those :) But for today I will share my latest... The 1st thoughts in my head when I "dream" of making a specific cake are always of flawless icing, perfectly cut fondant, and overall joy in the presentation of my beautiful cake... then there is reality! This occasion starts out with the planning of my lovely friend Kathylee's Sprinkle. She is pregnant with her second daughter and I am excited to offer my contribution of making her "Sprinkle" cake, since I have not had the joy of ever doing a cake for her or her 1st daughter Addie. The theme has been set as a "Garden Party" and after submitting several options on the type and style of cake she would like, we settle on this beautiful creation that should just be absolutely perfect for what we are planning in this "Sprinkle".  So here goes, this beautiful masterpiece that I will...... ummmm.. copy?

It all started out great enough, no cracked cakes when I took them out of the pan, bottom layer a french vanilla with a yummy cream cheese coffee filling, and the second layer a lemon on lemon cake... absolutely essential for summer!

The day I started decorating ended up being a hectic day with several van loads of moving stuff to get through. Around 3pm I decided that I should check out my cake supplies and see that I have everything I need, and of course I end up doing a run to Michaels.  In my time crunch, I make a decision to "cheat" and buy pre-colored fondant and flower cut-outs and 'tweak" the design of the cake a bit.  The end result was not quite the cake that was dancing around in my head as I finished around 10pm... Do you know that I always end up this way?  I am still in search of my "perfect" cake, but until then I will just keep on trying! Luckily for me, I have awesome friends who praise the cuteness of my cake and graciously overlook the not-quite-smooth icing, the fondant colors running down the cake, and the ever so adorable patch where my daughters hand smashed into the side  from the ride up! THIS is what keeps me going, and wanting to try again :) I make cakes to honor those I love and want to please in a special way, and the love I get back is truly immeasurable and keeps me grateful for my family and friends.  So in honor of "Expect the Unexpected" here is my dear friend Kathylee's Sprinkle cake that turned out ok in spite of me!!!!

Benjamin's Homecoming Year Celebration

This is a cake I made for my beautiful nephew Benjamin. He was born at 26 weeks and is an absolute miracle from God to our family! I had fun making this animal print and used fondant as the main medium. I free-handed all the shapes that I needed and even experimented with the "grass" around the border. I also of course needed to include a picture of Benjamin stealing a taste of cake while he was supposed to be posing for pictures :) I just love that boy!!!

2 Peas in a Pod

1st time for everything

Well here goes an idea that I have been thinking about for a while now :) I will have pictures posted of past cakes that I have made and this will be a great venue to share my future cakes! I look forward to sharing with readers and hopefully have a great interaction with tips and tricks to share along the way. See you around as I share my Cakes of Life with you!