A Royal Birthday Affair

So my baby Madison's 3rd birthday party is tomorrow and this is the cake I am making for her tonight...



I decided to go with a castle theme for her cake since we are having her birthday party at the Georgia Renaissance Festival. I found this adorable and easy cake from one of my FAV blogs- Hostess with Mostess!

Now I have to scramble to my local SuperTarget at lunch with my shopping list so everything can be prepared tonight.

I must say though, this is the funnest shopping list I have EVER had!

-Strawberry cake mix (no time to make anything from scratch tonight)
-kids ice cream cones
-pink ice cream cones
-sugar cones in various sizes
-bubbletabe
-smarties
-runts
-gummy lifesavers
-necco wafers
-pink and purple balloons
-Dora the Explorer wrapping paper
-big purple bow

I already have my cake pans in various sizes, a glass cake stand and a giant, industrial-size vat of cake icing from my splurge on Tre'stin and Tayler's cake.
Hopefully this cake will turn out a replica of the picture above!! (fingers crossed)

After our day at the Renaissance Festival I get to WOW her with her present, which I'm sure she is totally unexpecting...
Being the Dora fanatic that she is, and seeing the sheer delight she has playing at centers in daycare, I decided to combine the two for her gift!



I can't wait to see her face when she opens the box, which also happens to be bigger than her!!

WE ARE ENGAGED!!!!!!

I Love you Mr. Rachal!!!
Hahah, Ok sorry, just had to let that out....

How Sweet It Is! (Cake Success)

Okay, so birthday party part 1 is finally behind us, and the kids had an awesome time!

Sarina and Mimi were with Nana, so the night before the party the birthday girls helped me fill the eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt and bake the dark chocolate cake.




And put up decorations




They also helped lick the cake bowl clean. lol


We made "grass" with a concoction of shredded coconut and green food coloring.



The biggest pain was getting the icing on!!


And our final result...


Not bad for a first try huh?

Here is the cake set up on the table for the party...
My cousin made cupcakes with coconut grass too- and we didn't even plan it! Great minds DO think alike! =)


The girls well behaved in their Easter Dresses...


And the girls hammin' it up!




Egg hunt highlights







The cake all lit up!



So now Mimi's birthday is in 3 weeks and I'm on to my next cake project!


We are planning a "Royal Princess" theme, so this is the cake idea I have in mind. (I'm thinking vanilla cake and strawberry icing)


The cake I'm making is a rather simple design but I've been inspired by some beautiful cakes I found on the web. Eventually I would like to work my way up to these!!






I'll update you guys when it all comes together!!

TTFN
~Angel

Make my CAKE and eat it TOO

I’m SO Super excited I can hardly contain myself!! =)

Been keeping busy lately getting ready for the storm of birthday parties that is coming to our house. 4 out of 5 of our children have birthdays within an 8 week time frame, and I’ve been swarming around busy as a bee getting everything together!!

The first birthday party is this weekend for Tre’stin and Tayler, who both have April birthdays. And then smack dab in the middle of their birthdays is Easter Weekend! So I thought what better way to celebrate their birthdays than with an Easter Bunny themed party and Egg Hunt!

It’s been fun finding Bunny Decorations and neat candies to fill their basket with, but when it came to finding the right cake I wasn’t satisfied.

I went to the usual spots- Publix, Kroger, Sam’s Club, etc. trying to find the perfect cake to fit their party.



It hits me- the mainstream cake business is a REAL rip-off!!

They charge $35 for a sheet cake made with $5 of cake mix, covered with $5 of white icing, and then I presume a $25 “labor” charge for someone to write happy birthday in icing on top?? The real annoyance comes when the person who writes on the cake has horrible penmanship or can’t SPELL! I’m thinking that’s about $100 worth of cake I’m buying in the next few weeks and I don’t see the value in it.

I DO understand the value of a specialty cake from an actual bakery because the level of craftsmanship is well beyond what the average person can do. At the same time, you are also spending a lot more money (because you get what you pay for), but I wonder if the novelty of the expensive specialty cake is lost on young children who will spend about two seconds admiring it before it gets devoured with a spoon and a side of ice cream.

WHERE IS THE HAPPY MEDIUM?

That’s when I came up with my brilliant idea! (Heaven help us)

I will make the birthday cakes MYSELF! Haha

I know what you’re thinking, so THAT’S IT?!!

But let me clarify… I don’t just intend on making a plain cake covered with icing and a numbered candle stuck on top. I will attempt to make a bakery cake creation that is able to compete (and perhaps win) against a Publix cake!

So Latrail thinks I’m putting way too much pressure on myself to bring this together, but I don’t see it that way.

Children are only young for so long. They grow up and get over a lot of the simple things they enjoy as children. While they still have that amazement and wonder in their eye, why not cherish it? Why not do the best you can do? At least the memories will stick with them even when they become desensitized adults.

I also look at it as an investment to acquire such a skill. With five kids, can you imagine how many birthday cakes we will have to buy in a lifetime? LOL. I’m saving us like a MILLION dollars!

I started surfing the web for ideas and found some really cool blogs!

My favorites are listed below:

www.bakerella.blogspot.com
www.cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com
www.allthingscupcake.com
http://cupcakeswirl.com
www.bakeorbreak.com
www.bakelove.com


Could it be that baking has become hip and no one told me?

In my research I learned that there is a “silent war” going on between cakes and cupcakes. Apparently cake decorating is a hobby for mostly old school June Cleaver moms. Young hip moms are making cupcakes instead. It’s crazy, like pirates vs. Ninjas, but I LIKE IT!

There’s like this secret club of young cool mothers who bake as a hobby- but come up with these crafty designs and have modern printed flour aprons! Where can I sign up for membership!!?? LOL

The apron below is available for purchase at bakelove.com website for $18, along with cute tees as well! I want one...



Okay, so YES I had to invest in a base supply first to get this idea off the ground running!

OMG did I really spend $50 on cake supplies last night? I purchased my 3 round cake pans so I can make a 3 tier cake, then I got a giant tub of professional decorator cake icing (b/c it only came in wholesale size), not to mention other accessories such as the icing spatulas, decorative candies, food coloring, and a cake stand.

I expected Trail to snap on me when I came home with all of this, instead he just kind of shook his head then kissed me on the forehead. I’m starting to realize he understands me much better than I give him credit for. ;-)

So tonight is the big night! I don’t want to pressure myself Saturday morning into having to create a 3 layer cake right before the party. I have all my supplies laid out and ready to go when I get home.

The cake theme is going to be Marshmellow Peeps, though I plan on freestyling the design once the cakes are made. I’m not expecting my FIRST cake to be some culinary masterpiece, but hell- I KNOW I can top the old lady in the Ingles Bakery! LOL

I will take pictures and share with you guys.

If everything goes as planned, I feel a new weekend hobby coming on!! I want to experiment with cupcakes and these cool "cake pop" things I keep reading about too!!

Michelle O. = The next Jackie O.?

Has anyone else been keeping up with Michelle Obama’s fashion?



Not to make light of the political tasks that she and the president are undertaking, but I think her appearance is of extremely significant to our nation.

When was the last time you remember a first lady being watched and mimicked this closely for her fashion?
The outfits Michelle and her daughters wore on Inauguration Day sold out online within a matter of minutes!

I NEVER heard a news segment about what Barbara Bush or Hillary Clinton was going to wear next! (Because we already knew: a frumpy 2 piece suit, Helmet Hairspray Hair and some granny shoes. =P)

I can’t think of a fashion forward First Lady in my lifetime, but my mother has often spoken fondly of seeing Jackie Kennedy in the White House when she was a young girl. Even though her role as first lady had it's own importance to the nation, Jackie Kennedy began a fashion revolution of the American public. She was not only young and attractive, but intelligent and cultivated, and possessed an innate sense of style and elegance.



Our country quickly made her an icon. She did not mimic the older, conservative styles of the previous first ladies, but remained very fashion forward in modern, yet sophisticated clothing: wide leg pants, clean suits, a-line dresses, pearl jewelry and those large round black sunglasses that became infamous and are still worn today.



The profound positive effect this had was that the nation’s young girls had a fashionable role model to look up to. The First Ladies before Jackie were older and more difficult for the younger generation to identify with. Once Jackie was in the White House, there were millions of women and girls alike imitating her style. She inspired books, movies, plays, songs, and even had a Barbie Doll in her likeness.

FAST FORWARD TO CURRENT DAY-

In the midst of music video ho*s, celebrities such as Britney Spears & Paris Hilton, and reality show queens like New York and Tila Tequila- Can you think of time we needed role models like Michelle Obama MORE? I become sick when I think of the images of women that my young girls are fed each day.

Whether we realize it or not, our daughters are soaking up these celebrity images, and the images that we ourselves as mothers put out to them with our own wardrobes, and they retain that for future reference. Our sons are watching too, and learning what they should look for in a woman and also how they should treat them when they become men. We don’t realize the profound impact we can have on our children and their future ideals simply by the appearance of our clothing.

But when I see snapshots of our first lady, I can’t help but to be inspired. Not only is President Obama giving our nation a message of hope, his wife is giving the same message to our young ladies and grown women alike.







How can you watch the first lady and NOT want to be just a little more refined, a little more sophisticated, a little more lady like?



There is also the idea planted that Michelle Obama has created this look herself, she is not some conjured depiction of what everyone else wants her to be. And she is a fashion leader naturally, not because she is vying for the throne.



Another positive note is that Mrs. Obama wears fashion that is real and attainable to the everyday budget. Most people brag about designers they can hardly afford or pronounce. I love that Michelle’s main wardrobe staple is J.Crew- simple, elegant, realistic. She is letting the style of the clothing replace the importance of the brand, a lesson we could all learn in today’s label obsessed culture.



And then what about the effect that the clothing has on confidence? It is hard not to notice her proud, regal bearing and the confidence of her step.
It’s not a strut, not a slink, not an awkward gait- just a simple, graceful stride that is boosted by an elegant outer image.



Isn’t that how I want my daughters to appear when they grow up?
Don't I want them to respect themselves enough not to feel the need to expose their bodies for attention, but to allow them to be noticed for more admirable traits- such as their mind or heart?

Isn’t that the image I want to project for myself as a mother and a corporate professional?

Sorry for my long musings, just food for thought today…

Ok guys so I FINALLY did it! I finally made another weekly splurge purchase at Sephora!!WHOO HOOO!!

I know, I know- THANK YOU! Please hold your applause for the END of the show!! LOL

In previous blogs I mentioned that I stopped doing my splurge buys at Sephora just $40 short of attaining my 500 point prize. My mind has been wandering to other purchases and my makeup collection is complete for now, so it has been difficult to return to Sephora. I would like to begin working on other projects, but I realize I must finish what I’ve started and get my prize!!

Sephora DID make it easy on me to make this purchase though. Spring is in the air and Summer is close behind. What better way to ring in the new seasons than with a new eyeshadow palette?

But not just ANY palette! One full of bright spring shadows, glimmering bronzer, pale pink blush and an assortment of creamy lip balm colors for only $20?!! Are you SERIOUS?!!

When I saw this online I fell in love!


I like purchasing seasonal makeup palettes b/c it feels like I have the “best of the best” for that season, and I don’t have to spend a lot of money to buy the full sizes. By the end of the season I’m usually over the colors anyways, so it works out well. But usually in a seasonal palette there are some colors you love and some you never touch. The thing I LOVE about THIS palette is that EVERY color is gorgeous and wearable! Also every review I read on this palette gave it FIVE STARS so I was really eager to get my grubby splurging little hands on it! lol

So for 3 days straight I stalked Sephora at Perimeter to get this palette, and each time I got there (at 11:30am in the morning, mind you) they had JUST sold out!!
Are you kidding? The mall JUST opened an hour ago and you are SOLD OUT?!

I started getting antsy about whether or not I would even be able to get the palette, so I just bit the bullet yesterday and purchased online. I have to pay $5 shipping but I figure it evens out in the gas I spent checking in at the mall. But this gives me 22 more points towards my grand prize... $18 more bucks shouldn't be TOO hard to spend!! =)

If you are interested in this product just remember its limited edition! So once it’s gone- it's gone! (And it’s already selling out in stores, so don’t wait too long to get yours!!)

Ladies, I assure you these are all the makeup colors you will need for this season, and even in tough economic times $22 is a deal you can’t pass up for everything included.

This set contains:
- 36 eyeshadows
- 12 lip glosses
- 3 blushes
- bronzer
- 3 applicators

***

In other news, phase 2 of my hair color process will commence this week! Even though my hair is no longer BLACK, it is still not quite what I pictured for the season!

I DID take a vote via text with some of my buddies to see if I should go more red or a lighter color… and the votes are in!

I’ll update you guys with a new picture this weekend after it’s complete so you can see the voting results!

Once I get these beauty projects out of the way, it’s time for some mommy projects to begin!

Upcoming Events:

-Easter Theme Birthday & Egg Hunt!
-4 of our kid's birthdays in a 6 week span!
-A "Royal" Birthday Event!
-Mother's Day!
-Sarina and Mimi as flower girls in my cousin's upcoming black & white themed wedding!

Whew, I’m a busy woman!!
Later for now!

Soap Opera Drama

I got an email today from New York & Co. ( my career wear store) that all this month on All My Children, all of the actresses will be wearing clothes from NY&Co.’s new spring collection.

I haven’t watched soap operas in AGES, but I’m thinking about checking it out after work on Soap Network to see how they put the clothes together.



NY&Co. is a great store for work clothes b/c they have lots of button downs, pencil skirts and career pants at WAYYY affordable prices. I haven’t shopped there for anything BUT work clothes b/c some of their clothing is a little “mature” for me. It will be interesting to see how some Hollywood Soap Stars can jazz it up for afternoon primetime!





Reading this email made me realize how long it’s been since I watched the soaps.

My mom has been a faithful fan of Young & the Restless and Bold & the Beautiful since before I was a baby. I remember when I would get off the school bus in elementary school I couldn’t talk to her for like the first 15 minutes I was home b/c General Hospital wasn’t over yet. LOL

After high school I went to college early in the morning, but worked second shift so I was usually home around lunch time. I think that was when I first started watching them faithfully and really got into the story lines.

But once I got my first 8 to 5 job, that kinda ended. We used to have a TV in the breakroom of my old job, but some channel hog was always watching news by the time I got to lunch. I didn’t want to seem trivial and ask someone to turn off CNN b/c “my stories” were on!!

I never got into the "Passions" craze that everyone seemed to be on a few years ago. (REMEMBER THAT?!!! HAHA)

I couldn't watch a soap opera that had a witch AND a midget!
That is just TOO MUCH going on!!
And I had to draw the LINE on that one when some GROWN ASS MEN asked me if I had seen the latest "Passions" episode. ( YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!! puhahah)

I wonder if any of the characters I even remember are still on the soaps?

On Y&R- Is Victor still running the show? Did him and Nikki ever get back together? What about my favorite couple Cricket and Danny? Is Mrs. Chancellor still ALIVE?

On B&B- Is Brooke still trying to lockdown Ridge? Is his mom Stephanie still interfering in their relationship? Did Dr. Taylor come back from death to reunite with Ridge? Hahahahahaha

I’ve never watched All My Children, but I’ll check it out and see what it’s about.

If anybody still keeps up with the stories, give me the scoop on the ppl I listed above!!