Another cake...

This is my 4th fondant cake to make. My friend Jessica is having a birthday tomorrow, so I baked her a cake and brought it to work today (we work together). She has a star tattoo on her forearm, and she wears alot of things with skull & crossbones, so that is where the idea came from. When she came around the corner, and saw her cake, she burst into tears; scared me to death... she was just so thrilled, it really made my day!!! The cake-making is getting easier now that I've learned through trial & error; the fondant is smoother, and thicker; and I'm learning how to make things ahead of time, and how to store them for later use. This cake was pineapple & strawberry marble, with almond-vanilla buttercream in between the layers and under the fondant as well; that's actaully what the fondant sticks to when you apply it. The skull is made from gum-paste, all the stars are marshmallow fondant. It was the best-tasting cake I've done yet!!

Resale Shop JACKPOT!!!

Madi has wanted a vanity table with a little chair for her room for a couple of years now. We have been looking for just the right one to fit in her room, and also our budget. Paige, Madi and I went to some resale shops in town on Saturday, and Madi found this vanity in the very back of the place, covered in more stuff...it was horribly ugly, the fabric on the bench was floral and looked like something from the 70's...(baby doodoo green, and pukey orange), the color of the metal was almost a grey-beige, with speckles all over it, and the mirror frame was wicker and had palm-trees in the corners. But Madi knew that her mom has mad skills, and could transform that ugly vanity into a gorgeous, stylish piece of work!!! And the best part of all, it was only $30, for both pieces!!! JACKPOT!! So we took it home, painted it flat-black, covered the seat cushion and attached ball-trim; isn't it so ADORABLE!!! So now her whole room has to be re-done to match this awesome vanity, and Madi has already started on her curtain!!! She is making a valance out of tulle...more pictures to come!! STAY TUNED!!

Dancing Dog

Daphne, our little Chihuahua/Rat Terrier Mix doing her dancing trick that Mamu taught her a couple of weeks ago. And she's also doing her Tootsie Roll trick that Mark taught her...when he comes home to find a little 'Tootsie Roll' on the floor, it's what he says, and she is shamed, and rolls over and plays dead. She entertains us all...

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Spring Break!!!

Well.... Mark & I took off the whole entire week of spring break for a family vacation... we had so many fun activities planned...boys went their own way a couple of days, and we, the girls, went our way too!!! First thing I did was paint fingers & toes, and give everyone haircuts; Sofie wanted 12 inches off of hers (that was hard for me), and V got her little swing-bob that fits her so well. Later that day I took my girls to the movies, Madi brought a friend, and we went to eat at Yesterday's Texas for their famous Babbaloo Fries. Mark took the boys to Main Event, the movies one day, Academy Sports for paint-ball guns and gear. We all met up at the hotel, checked into our two rooms and hung out in our in-room jacuzzis. Then we all got dressed and took the shuttle to Razzoo's. Chance had his first taste of raw oysters, he actually ate three! Madi, me and Mark had some too! Everyone except for Wyatt had sea-food; Chance had alligator tails and craw-fish, the rest of us had crab-legs; the little girls are finally big enough to figure out how to get the meat out; nice for me!! After dinner we walked over to Marble Slab Creamery for ice cream cones, lots of silliness, and some cute pictures. The next day the girls went to the Galleria Mall, we followed Madi around for a few hours while she shopped, then we had some sushi for a snack, shopped some more, ate dinner at Mi Cocina, then finally ended up at the skating rink for three hours of skating. We got home around ten o'clock that evening and the boys were packing for their 4-wheeling trip to Bulcher on Friday. They each had their own 4-wheeler to ride, so they had alot of fun on the trails. Mark & I decided to never, ever, ever take an entire weeks vacation with all of our kids again; it's a great idea in theory, but it's way to hard to please everyone all the time, and it was a lot of stress for us, and not much relaxation (and that's what we needed)!!! But all in all, it was fun, and we are glad we did it...and it was good for the kids to experience the BIG CITY!!! I'm ready to go back to work Monday, to get some rest!! ~wink~wink~
Next year, we are taking a cruise (ALL BY OURSELVES) aren't we selfish??

My Dad, Lavelle...

He's singing at his Dad's 90th b-day party!!!

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Victoria singing "Who Knew', by Pink, as I play.

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Paige playing & singing her ORIGINAL SONG!!!

She wrote this song a few weeks ago, put it to music, and ROCKS IT OUT!!! So proud of her!!!

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Sofie Belle singing 'Boondocks'

My shy little girl, isn't being as shy anymore!!!

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Singing at PawPaw's 90th!

My Great-Uncle Leon Rhodes is playing the lead guitar in this video, on a song he played with Crystal Gayle in '69???

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THE CAKE!!!

WHEW! This cake was NOT as easy-going as Victoria's, everything that could've gone wring, DID! It was raining while I was doing it, and I think that was a huge factor, the fondant was sticky, and I couldn't get it smooth, and I kept bumping into it, over and over. I stored the cake overnight in the oven, and when I pulled it out to finish decorating it, I smashed the top of it into the oven door; I was in tears... after about four hours into decorating it on Saturday morning, I just had to take a break because it wasn't cooperating at all. I'm attributing this to the fact that I didn't have my assistants with me on that day. Mark took Wyatt fishing, so he wasn't there to make my cocktails!! ~Wink~Wink~ Bloody Mary's make the cake decorating experience go so much smoother.. (Just a little inside tip) But, eventually he came home, made me a screwdriver, assisted in making balls (he's very good at that), and was just THERE for me, it went so much better!!! Maddie LOVED it, her little dinner-party went well yesterday. We had Angus burgers, potato-salad, and baked beans. A few friends and family came over, and everyone said the cake even tasted good TOO!!! YAY!!! So I have pics of the cake, but not of the party yet, those pics are still in Mamu's camera, should get them posted tonight!!!

Madi's 15th B-day cake!!!

This is our inspiration cake; I looked up several on-line, and gave her a choice; of course she picks the MOST difficult!!! I've already gathered my supplies, going to get started tonight!! Her party is Sunday at 2, everyone's invited!!! Come and see our version of this cake; it's going to be FUN!!! Did I mention she's 15!?!?!?!?! CANNOT BELIEVE IT!!!