The post that has taken me all month to complete.

Here are some pictures from the last month! BUT FIRST- the story of 'The Cake'. Piper had a birthday at the beginning of the month and for weeks before her birthday, the ONLY thing she would tell me she wanted was "a green cake."

I don't know if I've ever covered the subject of Piper and her obsession with the color green, but it has seriously become a concern to me! =) She wants EVERYTHING green. So for her b-day we decided to make it a green day! We ate green pancakes, green jello cubes, green beans, green sherbet. We even wore green clothes. Jeremy said that it felt like St. Patricks Day in January.

I started making the much anticipated green cake the day before the party... and somebody put the idiot idea in my head (you know who you are, uh huh.) to do a fondant frosting... uh layer... whatever they call that on the cake. I don't know, I thought it would be fun to try something new. Who cares if I am a complete amature and I would be happy just to not burn the box-mix cake; LETS make fondant!!! (with no fancy dough hook mixer, just my wooden spoon and brute strength.)

The first batch of green cake came out of the oven and I remembered that I was supposed to grease the pans. oops. But, hooray, the cakes come out just fine with no crumbles. I can't say the same for the second set of pans I put in the oven. I DID grease those and they came out crumbly. Really, it is beyond my understanding, but I worked with what I had.

I frosted the cakes with green cream cheese frosting, just like the pro-lady told everyone how to in the YouTube video. It didn't turn out at all like she said it would though. Hmmm... But who cares it was a GREEN cake and Piper was SO excited!



I started making the fondant after the girls went to bed, and I was happy with how it was turning out. Though, I doubt I will make it ever again unless I have a hefty machine with a dough hook!

I had planned to just put the fondant on the cake and go to bed (I figured it would be like doing a pie crust and would take 10 min.) Not so. I started rolling out the fondant and attempting to transfer it onto the cake, but it kept sticking or tearing. After 7 attempts to put the fondant on, over a 45 minute time frame, I was getting very frustrated and it was getting VERY late. Enter: My awesome and very patient hubby, who I had assumed had already fallen to sleep. Jeremy came out to the kitchen, and knowing that I was in the state of mind to beat something with the rolling pin... he kindly took the weapon from me and asked if he could help!

After one, yes, ONE attempt- he was able to get the fondant transferred for me. He covered both the cakes and helped me color the remaining fondant for decorating. Jeremy did all of the work on the cakes for the next half hour, until he starting throwing a ball of fondant in the air, in which it hit the ceiling and he said that, that was his cue to go to bed. =)

The finished cake wasn't all that I had hoped it to be. It wasn't wonderfully smooth and perfect looking (mostly because at 1:00 a.m., I no longer cared) But, it was a very good tasting cake and Piper gave it a double thumbs up!

Piper crawling through a pop-out tunnel that she got for her b-day.

Rebekah crawling through the tunnel....

Jeremy terrorizing the children with the tunnel.

The following are random pictures from the past few weeks, I'll try to include explanations for some:

Rebekah got a book for Christmas that shows her how to make towel animals. This is one of the first that we did together. We called it 'Yoda cat'

Free movie night at the school.

Over about a week and a half, we had a lot of rain. I wish I could have pictures of all the water on the night of our 'big storm', but it was to dark.

*sigh*.... I really did like that tree. = (

A newly developed lake. (about 4-5 feet deep in the middle)