Gum

Sometimes, the phone call is just too important.

And the mice will play.

#Tatum

Reflection

Just cute when no one is watching.

Date

A date with our daughters...

Jen and I were begged.  

E & H spent months coming up with ideas ranging from a laughing contest to a fashion show to a supermarket shopping contest.  Being the practical and practically boring moms that we are, we settled on pottery painting, dinner, shopping at Ross and frozen yogurt.  

They weren't disappointed being 9 years old.

First was a bit of a surprise.  We had a little room all to ourselves at Clayopatra Arts Studio and what newspaper was there for our painting surface?  Eden's and my mug right on the cover all the way back from 2011.  What are the odds?

This was probably my favorite part of the evening.  

There is something very therapeutic about painting.

The Iron Grill for dinner.  

 And after shopping...Yum-e Yogurt which is ALWAYS a favorite.

2 turn 10

Two people in our house turned 10 this month. 

Eden went into double digits and since she was born on 3.14, she shares the holiday with Pi Day.  The second I learned about 3.14 Bakery in Burien, I stole her out of school and surprised her with a visit to her birthday bakery.   

 It was a bit of a let down as their pies were not quite what I would expect from a bakery named after the pastry but it was a fun treat.  We ended up with a dozen cake balls and a slice of pie.  

Not to brag but they need to hire me.  My pies run laps around theirs!!

Eden was so unimpressed that she got biscotti.  Which was equally unimpressive.  

The traditional display of gifts right before the ripping and tearing begins.

 Really making sure this wish counts. 

Mint ice cream cupcakes with Pop Rock sprinkles and rainbows with gold.

Hazel also turned 10 months on the 18th and is one sassy lady. 

 Most days she is pretty proud of herself.

Almost standing on her own.  Crawls up the stairs and then sits on the top stair just taunting me.  Loves fruit, cheese, cheerios, oatmeal and real people food.  Has 1/2 a tooth.  Speed demon crawler.  Loves to be outside.

St Patty's Day 5k

Back in the 5k saddle.  I am working on losing the weight yet again and I thought a little Irish luck would be helpful.  So, together with my bestie Jen, I ran the Snoqualmie St Patty's Day 5k.
Working on the time but managed to pull a 10:58 pace which was faster than my first 5k in 2011.

Things can only go up from here!!

Minnie Pops

An ISO ("in search of") was posted on a local trading facebook page for Minnie Mouse cake pops that needed to look exactly like these and she needed them in 48 hours...

Since a clothes shopping trip is slated for this Saturday and I need some money, I decided to jump right in with only 30 hours before the delivery deadline.  I may have forgotten that I did not have the dark chocolate candy melts and I may have forgotten that I didn't have little hearts. A month after V-Day and there wasn't a heart sprinkle to be found in a 20-mile radius. So I sent out my own ISO to my fellow baking wanna-be neighbor and she had just the thing.  Saving grace!!

So, I sculpted these naked beauties out of cake and frosting.  Candy melts for the ears. 

And then I dipped Minnie into chock-O-laht with a hint of coconut oil!!
I prefer using the tap-your-forearm technique for a soft drip.

Placing the heart bow.
Apparently my middle finger is my candy placing weapon of choice.
No offense.

And just like that, well after several hours, 25 lovely Minnie's for the little lady's 4th birthday party.

I was a freakin' nazi about storing them at just the right temperature to ward off condensation.  I also pulled a muscle in my vocal cords making sure no one breathed on, touched or even looked at these fragile mice until they were safely in the hands of the customer.  After tasting, throwing out a few flops and batting off sticky-handed children, I had exactly 25.  

Hives anyone?!

I decided to put myself out there.  A simple request on a trading site and I jumped right in.  I am an aspiring food artist and so for now, I cater to those I know.

I like to pretend that I know a little something.  

For the Love of Cupcakes

Someone couldn't resist.  Someone couldn't help but reveal with a cackle they were going to beat me!

Beat me at what?  

Cupcakes.  

Yes.  Cupcakes.  

As a friendly cupcake baking competition lingered on the horizon, Someone decided that yours truly, The Pie Lady needs to be knocked off her baking thrown.  And so "bring it" was declared.

"Watch your back", I said.  

So, I couldn't help myself and I enlisted the help of my dear friend, the birthday girl, to decorate Someone's house like a big cupcake.  At midnight.   And with peanut butter.

She whole-heartedly agreed with sparkles in her eyes.

Unfortunately, this was the face that was plastered all over the social media network to deliver a little payback.  

Except it looked more like this...

I would be removed from such scene if I just cleaned the windows.

So naturally, I hurried right over and said,

"over my dead body!"   

And now my face is burned in the minds of all those I hold dear.  

Lucky them.  

It's one of my best shots.

 We make good memories together...usually basking in the afterglow.

So....

Now its the night of the much anticipated competition.  There is electricity in the air and you can cut the tension with a cake knife.  Kitchens are bomb sites and many a wink was lost last night over flavor combination decisions.

7:00pm

Cupcakes are delivered.

8:24pm

"Here is a piece of paper, you have 1 minute to vote for your favorite based on appearance."

Um, what?!

We don't even get to taste them first?

Nada. Nope. Nine.

Someone states that they based all their hopes on taste; zero on presentation.  What a let down.
I lose all hope.  I vote for myself hoping to get at least one vote that way.

We all taste the cupcakes.  My favorite is Someone else's.  Lemon cake with crushed lemon heads, a raspberry sauce and garnished with fresh raspberries.

Barely audible over the roar of women gabbing, the results are nonchalantly announced.  Blah blah, can't hear, blah blah.

2nd place goes to #11.  I say "Debi!  That's you! You won 2nd!"  She looks a little stunned since she admitted to not trying for pretty.

and 1st place?
Embarrassingly, it was me.
I was secretly hoping to not win.  I do win too many things sometimes.  I feel like a hog.
A baking hog.
I won on presentation only which is about as satisfying as pureed pizza.

It was me who won the Symphony Bar for my Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes.
Me, who picked out the most perfect yellow bananas at the store on Monday so they would be a perfect ripeness by Thursday to make a most divine banana cake.
Me, who saved my neighbors fresh laid eggs for the homemade banana custard that was piped inside.  Only to almost make it all over again when I realized that I made it with 1% milk instead of half and half.

Me, who whipped fresh cream to just shy of butter for the swirly rosette frosting. Then I whipped it again when it became too soft for the precise effect I was looking for.
Me, who drove to the hardware store to buy Butane so I could "creme brulee" sugar-coated bananas with my kitchen torch.

Me, who made pie crust from scratch only to crumble it up and sprinkle it on top, saving a few hearts to garnish.
Me, who boiled sugar, burning it and then starting again, just to make ribbons of spun sugar for a lacy effect.
Me, who bought special heart cupcake liners after Valentine's Day so that they would match my pie  crust heart garnish.

All just so we could admire them.
Pureed pizza.
Yep, that good.

Apparently, Someone else had a tall glass of pureed pizza too.  After crushing lemon heads, melting chocolate, buying "blooming" cupcake liners, chopping raspberry cookies, piped lemon curd and infusing truffles, it was meant to be admired, not eaten.

Honestly, no "winner" here.  Just some awesome stories, trash-talkin' and delicious results.

Next year...you had better bring it Debi!  Again.