Merry Christmas

Let's play catch-up

Wow, so a little over 2 months since I've posted anything! I'll try to do a quick overview of what's been up with pictures!

1st day of school 2010

celebrating Christa's 12th b-day with a Pac-Man cake

Fog Fest parade 2010

my brother home for a visit after 2 yrs in Africa!

We took a trip down to San Diego for my son's Marine Corps bootcamp graduation

October 2010

my new Marine!

Sailor Moon for Halloween 2010

Rachel Berry from Glee (tv show)

Dorothy and toto

Giants win the World Series!!

One of my best childhood memories

My memory escapes me a lot of the time. Oh sure if I see a picture from my childhood I can say, "I remember that!" But most times its all a bit fuzzy. A few things do stand out though and one of them is making mud pies in the backyard. Specifically, the side of the house where it was all dirt and some weeds. I'd love to take the hose around to that side of the house and let the water run. Until the ground was a soft squishy grey mess. Then I'd play. I'd make pies, mud castles and just a general mess of myself. When I was done, I'd hose off the mud and head in for dinner. The best part, my mom never got mad. She didn't mind the mess and she let me be a kid free to explore my world.

And sometimes as a mom that's the best thing you can do.

Banana Cupcake with Chocolate Ganache and Peanut Butter frosting

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My sister-in-law had been craving a banana cupcake with peanut butter frosting so when I saw these on Pink Parsley , I thought they'd be perfect. Two things I did different, I used semi-sweet chocolate instead of bittersweet and I didn't use banana extract. I just used a little more mashed banana instead. I made these for the 4th of July party at her house and stuck them in the refrigerator once we got there. I think they should sit out for a bit before eating so the ganache in the middle has a chance to melt a little. I'm not a huge fan of peanut butter frosting but this was actually pretty good!

ENJOY!

No Sew T-shirt tote bag

That's right, NO SEW!! I don't have a sewing machine. And even if I did, I wouldn't really know what to do with it. I mean yeah sure after awhile I could learn a thing or two but I haven't really had the opportunity.

For my son's graduation this fall from bootcamp, I can order a shirt in support of his platoon. The problem? I don't like wearing t-shirts.

U-N-C-O-M-F-O-R-T-A-B-L-E!

So the idea came to me that I could take the t-shirt with the emblem and turn it into a purse or better yet a tote bag! So I searched and found several tutorials that would help me do this. Duct tape! Who knew?

Then of course I thought how cute it would be to turn my kids t-shirts into bags! I went to Michaels Craft Store and they have all kinds of duct tape in patterns and solid colors. My daughter picked a shirt and here's how it turned out!

Sonic the Hedgehog Cake and Cupcakes

My nephew turned 5 and requested a sonic the hedgehog cake

I made a 4 layer white cake with raspberry filling, buttercream frosting and marshmallow fondant accents. The cake was dyed blue and red to get an american flag look.

There were also cupcakes to match.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE LOGGIE!

My Devil Pup is becoming a Devil Dog

I know I haven't posted in a few weeks. I was a little frustrated with blogger, everytime I tried to post anything with pictures the computer would freeze. grrr.

So anyway two weeks ago my oldest child, you know the one I've been gushing over. Graduation, parties, blah blah blah? Well he's off to Marine Corps bootcamp. I'm so proud yet completely devastated. As moms we would do anything to keep our babies safe and HOME. But I know I must let go and let him become the man he wants to be. Right? right.

So he's been gone 2 weeks and we haven't heard a word. That's the hardest, not knowing how he is doing. Waiting for the first letter to arrive. I've been writing but they take awhile to get to the recruits. He graduates in October and I can't wait to make the trip to see him become a Marine.

This month he celebrates turning 18 so in honor of that...

peanut butter cup cake

ps... yes it took 3 tries before I could upload the photo. grr