A Play On Words

And the word is '3'...For Toy Story and the age the boys are turning! 2 handsome twins turning the fantasic age of 3...passing the all knowing "terrible two's" and entering the age of "why"..."Why is the sky blue?" "becuase it reflects off of the ocean", Why is the ocean blue?", "Because it reflects's off the sky", "Why?" hee hee! LOVE it! And today my OWN baby started to clap...how cute!
We also left him last night for the second time ever and went to Tony's company Christmas party. He screamed the entire time...but lucky for my good friend (and babysitter) we came home early. Normally at these sorts of things, Tony and I pull out all the stops and show everyone a great time. One year he pulled a chair onto the dance floor, made me sit on it and did a "dance" for me...No no...it wasn't overly distasteful, but it's the sort of behavior that a supervisor shouldn't really be displaying...So we played it cool, ate a very lovely dinner, had a glass of red wine and bid an early farewell. We anticipate him hearing the, `why`d ya leave so early on Saturday night?" but alas, he is a responsible father and mentor now...so we left the gallivanting to Stu...the very interesting fellow who was running around the entire floor with pretend mustaches for all to bare...It's "Mowvember" and, in case you're not aware, during November, men grow mustaches to show their support for prostate cancer. Tony has been told he looks like a skinny Hulk Hogan....Two more days....lol Anyhow the funniest part about all that is the women that were running around with mustaches and the men who wore these things as unibrows...hmmm...not QUITE the main purpose...but what was he expecting from a bunch drunk people? Sheesh...lol


Anyhow....To the cake!

I especially like the dresser in the background..I made it out of raspberry flavored rice crispy treats! mmmmmm...

Happy Christmas....Oh Wait..BIRTHDAY!!

So this is twin number 2....lucky for me and the holiday season, her very favorite-est thing in the whole wide world is candy canes and candy cane kisses....

This means I get to make a Christmas-y type cake! It were fun. The inside is an alternating layer of my chocolate mud and vanilla mint cakes...this means people at the office can take an entire slice, but they can either choose to have 1 flavor or 2! HOW DELICIOUS!!
And it was all held together with vanilla mint frosting and mint flavored fondant....yum! yum!

I didn't realize it while I was doing it, but the drageés look like multi-colored snow falling on the trees...I just thought it would look neat...nice outcome!

I particularly like the gigantic kiss on the top.  It had nothing much to do with the cake design itself other than the  fact that it's red and there's candy cane kisses surrounding the outter layer...I'd say it was  "sweet" touch! tee hee hee!

For The First Twin...

Ok...So I got an email a few weeks ago regarding my hubby's coworker wanting a cake for her sisters birthday...It wasn't until yesterday that I realized she is a twin! So come this Monday...birthday cake part deux! hahaha!! Anyhow, her sister is HUGE fan of chai, so naturally a chai flavored cake would be the way to go...It was quite yummy...similar to a spice cake...I TOO am now a fan!

The second cake you see is a cake for a boy who is turning 10 today...or...well..at least his party is today....lol Anyhow this cake is themed after Naruto, it's a 2 tier monstrosity with strawberry flavored pulled sugar and gumpaste weapons accompanied by a gumpaste headband....The cake I borrowed this idea from was sent to me by his mum and found on the internet...Yet again, I give thanks to the creator of this masterpiece...It's a fantastic cake to work with, lots of great techniques to play with...and a very LARGE piece of art! It stands an entire foot high and is 100% edible...as always...lol On the inside is marble cake with scrumptious strawberry frosting...SOOOO DEEEE-LISH!

This is similar to another that I had done previously...

This cake is $150.00

This is the original creation that I duplicated

This is my creation taken from the one above. The birthday boy LOVES the color orange so we made the bottom tier the orange one

The most important piece to this cake is the headband...It was absolutely necessary for the birthday boy

Lots of close-ups of the pulled sugar. It too is flavored with strawberry, and pulled to look like fire.

This is a marble cake with strawberry frosting

Throwing star...

This cake is $160.00

From A Simple Christmas Shopping Trip....To A Near Miss.

It all started on Wednesday, November 10th...It was our 4 year anniversary and our first date in over a year. We went out for dinner sans children, ate tons of delicious food, drank wine, laughed and talked...and talked...and talked...we reflected over everything we had been through in such a short time and talked about how well we get along and happy we are with each other and how lucky we are to have found each other because we just fit so well...it was like falling in love all over again....and it made us even more grateful that we had each other to rely on when things get hard...and well...it was just a night that we didn't take for granted...we enjoyed every second with each other and listened intently to one another as we each took the time to tell each other what we loved about our lives together. And we went home with an even greater sense of appreciation for everything we had....

And then the very next day it was magnified...by about 1,000,000,000.

Near miss is RIGHT! We decided about a month ago to send Joey to his dads family for a few days at this time so,
A: He could spend a few days with them and
B: WE could take a drive to Edmonton to go Christmas shopping sans the boy and his curious little eyes...before the weather got too bad...and therefore bad roads etc...

Didn't matter.
About 45 minutes into the trip...we see a white truck about 5 vehicles ahead, pull out to pass a guy in front of him....Fine...except there was a semi coming straight for him in the opposite direction...Nobody knows what this guy was thinking...but anyhow...the semi pulled as far over as he could....unfortunately it didn't prevent complete chaos from exploding all over highway 63...yet again. All you could see was debris everywhere...the white truck spinning (not flipping) around miraculously NOT hitting any of the 5-7 vehicles it was around....and then there was the semi...it was a logging truck...empty...but a logging truck nonetheless. it connects with the white GMC which sends it jackknifed straight into our lane directly towards us.....We were VERY lucky.

Before all this went down we took note of all the vehicles and said how silly they all looked because they were so close to one another...we also poked fun at how they were all speeding and the fact that we certainly were NOT falling for the "we can speed too because the police ALWAYS pull over the guy in the front....(NOT true....speaking from the experience of our LAST Edmonton trip....good times...) So we kept our distance...and Tony kept a watchful eye on the speedometer...I think this saved our lives....We were far enough away to avoid certain death.....About 10 feet to be exact.....

So...the semi flies by, RIGHT in front of us as we slam on our brakes...then I (being an EMR) LEAPED out of the car...ran to the guy in the semi... assessed the driver....he was fine...so I bolted to the guy in the white GMC to find him walking around (BIG no no) and saying he was fine...He had a bleeding nose from his airbag going off and a bit of glass in his mouth...I checked him over and stayed by his side in case the shock wore off and he started to feel the effects of the accident (the thing with first aid is...there's really only so much you can do without their permission...it's really crappy!). He ended up being fine...the police came...first response was there and took over for me...it was excellent.....(no, not really). He didn't want an ambulance which was fine....he had a ride back to Fort McMurray, and a rental car ready for him before we were finished writing our witness statements...

This poor guy just got off night shift...we don't know what the deal was with his decision making...he claimed the sun was in his eyes...unfortunately the sun was NOT in any of the other peoples eyes...therefore we all think he was saying what (he thought) would make the situation easier on him...It IS reasonable to assume that he was exhausted, saw the truck but didn't compute the issue to come, should he pull out...THAT, I would believe...I've misjudged due to being tired in the past, and I certainly was not about to tell him off as he had that happen multiple times by other drivers by the time I got to him...I was more concerned with his life....And that's exactly what I told him...

It's kind of funny how the real version of ourselves comes out in this sort of situation...By all accounts, we avoided a head-on collision with the semi, by only a few feet because of this persons bad decision making...yet both Tony and I were more concerned with how the 2 drivers were doing...and stuck by the man at fault, until the police arrived, to make sure he was alright....We just wanted to make sure everyone was ok....

Anyhow, here are the shots...

This is after being pulled off the road by a police truck...The semi driver saved this guys life by pulling as far to the right as he could, avoiding a direct head-on...a few inches closer to the middle of this truck and 200km+ contact would have ended up with a VERY different outcome.

Now in this next shot (Of the semi..below)...try to imagine that I have run passed the truck, turned around and taken the picture from behind it...because that's exactly what I did...the truck is facing the direction he was driving....we were the oncoming vehicle next in line for contact and he flew right in front of us ending in the ditch....This is a logging truck...imagine had there of been logs on there...again...a VERY different outcome would have occurred...and I may not be writing this right now....

I had no zoom on my phone...but the semi is the thing in the ditch on the left...good times...good times...

Anyhow...this is NOT a cake post....BUT..the Christmas shopping got finished..and I DID buy loads of cake shtufffff....aaaannnd my visa is full. hahaha!! BUT I got lots of cool things...colors, flavors, molds, pans...you know..general things that all decorator extraordinare wannabes have in their kitchens...but I have NOWHERE to put any of it!!! AHHHHH!!! Guess we need to buy a new house? (ya...RIGHT....lol

And then we had to face the roads coming home....

About 5 minutes before the junction to highway 55...we decide to turn on the radio....JUST as we get to a station we both enjoy, the announcer gets on and says the following:
"The highway between junction 55 and Mariana Lake has seen a lot of freezing rain and the police are STRONGLY recommending that drivers do NOT drive on it today"...Well crap. We were already there...what to do? What to do?? Drive slow. Didn't do much...we were ALL OVER THE DAMN ROAD!!! We had to pull over for an hour to calm our nerves and attempt the stupid highway again...funny thing...the road was UBER busy with crazy fast drivers passing each other like lunatics..and all we could do was wonder why WE were the only ones too scared to drive...WTF!? Well....a 4 1/2 hour drive turned into and 8 hour drive....and the baby was FANTASTIC the entire way. Dream baby...We wouldn't have braved the roads but we were already there...it was as stupid as that. Last trip (aside from January for the baby's surgery...I'm SOOO looking forward to that one...[enter sarcasm here]). I hate bad roads...I hate bad drivers...I LOATH the combination....and I don't want to get on that highway again for years...sigh...if only that were an option.....

Anyhow..we are all safe at home...Joey is home from Sparwood...everyone is good and I am making CAKES next week! SWEET!!!!

That post will be SO much better!! hahahaha!!!!

And The Days Go By.

As time goes by I get closer and closer to the realization that maternity leave is temporary...A year goes by quickly when you're having fun...and this year has been the most fun EVER. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and mine is getting closer by the day. Come the new year, I shall be a worker bee once more and my adventures in Cakeland/Mommyville shall be slashed drastically. It seems, however...that those days are starting sooner then later anyhow...well at least the slashing of the cakes. About 2 weeks ago, my infant had learned the art of crawling...which was QUICKLY followed by climbing...which led us to 5 1/2 hours in the ER just to hear the Dr. say, "oh ya...that...we don't so anything for that...it's kind of a useless part of the body...have a nice night!" It's the piece that connects your upper lip to your gums...go ahead...feel for it...you may have it...or you may not...my baby no longer has his...A little piece of advice for all you new parents out there...if your baby decides to smash his/her face and bleed...expect blood...I mean LOTS of blood.....It was October 30th, and we're walking around Walmart as our sleeping infant drooled blood...and it's not until we got into better lighting that we noticed the poor little guy had a RING OF BLOOD around his lips...and this was about 3 hours after initial contact....Oh dear...Can you say "parent of the year"??? WTF!? Poor little guy!!! Funny thing though...we sort of fit in...I mean...it WAS almost Halloween after all.....HA!

So with that being said...he's fine...and has since discovered the art of furniture walking....the house is becoming baby proofed...again. I thought I was done this part!! I had to go around the cupboards yesterday and put locks under the kitchen and bathroom sinks...where all the chemicals are...and in the process, I tore one of them little buggers off its' hinges...damn. I lost my balance and fell on it...this is sort of the opposite effect I was hoping for....lol Oh well...they were ugly anyhow...I wonder what Tony would do if I accidentally tore out the flooring?...hmmmm.....(I'll get back to you on that one....lol)

So what does ANY of that ranting have to do with cakes? I can't MAKE a cake when I am RUNNING after my infant...toddler...damn....I think he's not an infant anymore is he? sigh....all grown up....Anyhow...no matter how you look at it he's hell on 2 feet and puts EVERYTHING in mouth and FREAKS when I leave the room, and follows me EVERYWHERE......so the caking must be done when daddy is home...
Which means my cutbacks must be even greater...Originally I was thinking no more then 2 in a 48 hour stint...but I just did that and still ended up staying up till 2 in the morning because my day was filled with playtime....And what makes decorating a cake till that late, worse, is the horrible haunting nightmares you get with the sleep that follows.... Before bed, I was making a monkey out of a tootsie roll but the damn thing kept drooping and falling apart, so I dreamed all night that my cake was falling apart....It's a horrible feeling! (Last week I had a dream that the baby was licking a gross/germy coffee pot, and when I came to, I was reaching over the side of the bed, feeling in mid air, near the floor in a panic, trying to grab the pot away from him....I'm a dummy....but there's something really funny about having your consciousness kick in when you're in the middle of doing something  really stupid.....I managed to embarrass myself in the middle of the night with nobody around to notice...yup.) NEVER bring me to a hypnotist...EVER.

So the cakes have to be one per order per day...I need a few days in between to focus on keeping Hurricane Cakezilla from attacking my kitchen....sigh...How I wish I had my own space and true business to do this with...Oh well...I will just enjoy what I can....I love my family...and I love my cakes...and I will soon need to work again...so everything needs it's own personal attention...and affection....speaking of which....

Two of my friends had kids with birthdays today and so they asked me to make the cakes....

The first one is for a 2 year old. Originally she wanted it to be a monkey themed cake...but we were both shocked at the lack of monkey stuff in town...so we went with a monkey/jungle theme....It was fun...making this cake brought back that feeling of bliss while decorating....the next time I will add more/different leaves to the top tier as well...

The second cake is for my friends 9 year old who loves Pokemon...This character's name is Lugia...and I went for a mock 3D effect on it...He stands out but in a "bubble" sort of way....I like the final product....It worked out well....

This is a marble cake with banana frosting

And this is what my cakes look like on the inside! yay!

$150.00  This comes with the toys...either jungle, or monkeys...whatever is needed to fulfill the idea...

This is a chocolate cake with chocolate and vanilla frosting

$100.00

So there you have it.....Next weekend there will be no posts because my hubby is taking me to tropical island of Edmonton for our 4 year anniversary...VERY exotic...I plan on coming back SUPER dark and relaxed from the beaches of Old Navy, Lululemon, Ikea, Winners...SO EXCITED!!! Only a short 5 hour flight on air Tucson which will be JUST fine as he got us seats in FIRST CLASS....that's right baby...I get to sit all the way in the front! BAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!

Until next time! Happy caking! :)