These Sweet Days

2010-05-28T12:43:00.000-07:00

Join me at my new blog! www.CakesByCassieAZ.com

Happy Birthday, Reagan!

2010-05-01T17:55:00.000-07:00

My sweet little Reagan was born three years ago

. She is getting so big, but she is growing into the most beautiful little girl. Her smile warms my heart every day. She always comes into my room every morning wanting a "Good Morning Hug". She affectionately calls her baby sister "Pipey", and when she is needing some love, she will come to me with a stern command - "Hug and Kiss!!!", meaning she needs a hug and kiss, right here, right now. Reagan thanks me for "taking care" of her when I give her breakfast, and she tells me she missed me when I get back from the store. Reagan has been the biggest challenge, most rewarding thing that has ever happened to me, and she has truly showed me my purpose in life, and what it means to experience the best kind of love there is. These are some pictures from her birthday.

You're Invited........ I made 60 of these babies by hand. Lots of paper, lots of printer ink, lots of blades for the paper cutter, lots of hours.

I made Reagan an adorable little Tinkerbell outfit with a matching hairbow. I FREAKING LOVE HAIRBOWS. She doesn't. This one was on a ponytail wrapped so tightly around her hair that she didn't even stand a chance of pulling it out.

Gosh - she is SOOOO cute, right?

Don't even get me started on my cake. I made marshmallow fondant, WHICH, everytime I make, I hate. I hate the consistency, the feel, how it goes on the cake, the only thing I like..... it's cheap. So that's why I did it. I shouldn't have. I may try it again sometime, I always do, and I'll probably hate it that time too. So anyways, the cake tasted great. That's about it : (.

My cookies turned out kinda cute. I made a ton of these. They were party favors, and I took them to Reagan's preschool for her class to share for her birthday. Her teacher put up a Happy Birthday banner and they sang to her. Wasn't that nice?

And boy am I ever glad I made extra cookies, because that is what I used to

bribe Reagan to let me take her picture.

We had the party at Jumpstreet, it's an indoor trampoline park

We got there a lot and we love it. It's just fun.

They let me bring my own tablecovers and plates, etc. I like matching. I'm not at all OCD in my real life, but when it comes to party planning, I get obsessed.

We had pizza and sang Happy Birthday. You probably could have guessed that.

Reagan got SO many great gifts. Thank you to everyone who came for all of your extremely generous gifts. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family.

And just so I don't leave out my little #2. Piper is great too :). I love her just as much :). She will get a very special blog post after her birthday in September.

Cookie and Cupcake Decorating Tutorial!

2010-04-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome to those of you that are new to my blog! This is a tutorial for those gals that are taking my cookie and cupcake decorating class on March 15. Please email me if you are interested in taking this class, or if you are interested in HOSTING another class at your home and you think you can get about 8 people to sign up!

These are the supplies that EVERYONE will need to bring please:

12 cupcakes

12 cutout cookies (I am including a recipe, or you can use your own if you would like!)

1 (1 lb.) box C&H Powdered Sugar, please only C&H brand

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

We will all be decorating cupcakes, and cookies, but you do have the OPTION to assemble a Cookie Bouquet also. IF you choose to assemble a cookie bouquet, please follow these directions to bake your cookies on sticks, and bring the EXTRA SUPPLIES at the bottom of the post.

No Fail Sugar Cookie Recipe:

2 cups butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp amaretto (or almond extract)

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

6 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar well. Add eggs and extracts. Mix dry ingredients separately, and add to the butter mixture a little at a time. You may need to add the last few cups of flour by hand, otherwise mix on low. Chill dough for 2 hours. Roll dough somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 inch and bake at 350 degrees from 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the cookie. You want to see just a little bit of golden brown right around the edges on the bottom.

For those of you that choose to also assemble a Cookie Bouquet, these are the EXTRA supplies that you will need in addition to the supplies listed above.

* cookie sticks (NOT LOLLIPOP STICKS)

* medium sized flower pot

* styrofoam ball to fit snuggly inside flower pot

* dried beans

* tissue paper or shredded paper

*OPTIONAL- large cellophane wrap and wired ribbon with bow wire (bow wire is found near the ribbon in the craft stores)

You can find most of these supplies at Michael's Art and Craft Stores.

Here is a little tutorial on how to bake your cookies on sticks:

This is my (play)dough. For sake of demo, it's my cookie dough, ok? I love my little 9" rolling pin.

You can roll out your cookie dough between two dowels if you would like. This helps your cookies bake evenly, and they look nicer!

Cut out your cookies . . . . you probably already knew that part . . . .

Next we will be using the cookie sticks.

NOT lollipop sticks (right); cookie sticks (left)

Place your cookie stick all the way onto the cookie. Don't press too hard, just enough to get the stick to sink in a little bit.

Roll up a little log of your leftover dough and cover the stick with it.

Smoosh the dough around the sides so the stick will bake into the cookies.

Flip the cookie over, and bake on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Here are some of the supplies for the bouquet assembly: Flower pot, styrofoam ball, and dried beans.

It doesn't matter what size your pot is, just make sure that the ball fits snuggly inside. You want to have just a little hump coming out the top of the pot from the styrofoam.

If you want to wrap your bouquet up in a big, fancy, gift wrap, you can bring a roll of cellophane wrap.

And, to tie it all together, bring some thick, wired, ribbon and bow wire.

These are some examples of what you will be able to do after you take the class:

Let me know if you have any questions! I look forward to meeting everyone!

Cassie Selle

480-695-0212

cassieselle@cox.net

Easter

2010-04-06T19:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! We had a nice Easter. The highlight for me was seeing the girls in the adorable matching dresses that I made for them. I couldn't get a good picture of the two of them together because, well, Reagan's a maniac. That's an understatment. The designs were a bit different, but I used the same fabrics. Piper had a matching headband, and Reagan had a purse and a hat. (The hat was SO hard to make, and I don't think it fit real well.)

Reagan had an egg hunt at school and it was SO CUTE! The Easter Bunny hid all kinds of eggs on the playground and the kids went CRAZY collecting them. It was so fun to watch. Reagan was pretty mad when there were no more to collect. It's hard to do anything fun with this silly child because when it's over she is MAAADDDD.

This was the best picture I got of the girls together in their dresses. We also had a picture with the Easter Bunny where they both actually SAT still on the Bunny's lap. There were no smiles, but hey, there were no tears either; I'm happy.

We waited in line for an hour to see the Bunny. This is Reagan playing at SanTan while we waited. I would post the pic here, but the quality really sucked. Can't get much for $25 these days. And of course they wouldn't let me take my own pics. Rip off. But, ya gotta do it. It's the Easter Bunny.

That same crazy bunny did deliver a pretty sweet Easter basket to the house. He hid it in the BATHTUB! (That used to be my favorite place to find my basket when I was growing up! What a co-inky-dink!) He also hid eggs out front! With more jellybeans..... Reagan ate more candy the past 3 days than she has her whole life before.

I have pics of the egg hunt and I might upload those later and post them if I quit bein' lazy. Check back soon too, because there is a very special little girl having a very special birthday party soon. And there are some very special invitations in the works.... yes, everything is special; I'll stop saying it now.

Cakes!

2010-03-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

These are a couple of cakes I made this weekend. This was for a "VIP" themed 40th birthday at the W Hotel. White chocolate ganache filling....... yum.

This is a "Two Peas In A Pod" cake. It was made for a lady that was having twins and wanted something very simple. I also made cupcakes to match but I forgot to take a picture!

Family Rules Canvas

2010-03-12T14:24:00.000-08:00

I have totally fell in love with these "Family Rules" canvases that people have been blogging about. I first saw it on the blog Loving My Lovebugs. And, although mine does not even compare to how cute hers looks, I got good practice with this one and I'll probably eventually make another one that looks better. Plus, this month is National Craft Month so I am celebrating by doing a few fun projects. This is what it looks like.Start with a blank canvas. (This isn't the size I used, I bought this then changed my mind and bought a 12x24 instead so I didn't have to overlap the scrapbook paper in the middle)
Cut 12" x 2-3" coordinating papers.

Mix a million paint colors until you finally find a color that you like to match your scrapbook paper.

Paint the sides of the canvas.

Spend 3 hours finding fonts and sizes that you like on your Cricut and cut out every little tiny letter for all of your "rules". If you are talented on the computer you could probably figure out how to print these directly onto the scrapbook paper. I'm not that cool, though.

Line everything up, get your sizing right.

Check to make sure your 2 year old isn't upstairs tearing the covers off of your bed and pouring green glitter and green paint all over your sheets.

Open your Mod Podge. I love this stuff.

Mod Podge every single one of those silly little letters onto their paper strip. I hope you don't have to be anywhere. This took a long time.

Let your strips dry for a few hours.

Mod Podge every strip to the canvas. Let it dry for a few hours, then do a layer of Mod Podge over the top of it all. You can wait another few hours and do another layer if you are obsessive, like me :).

So, all in all this was fun. I definitely underestimated how long this would take. I am a fast worker, and I say it took about 6 hours total.

Here are my rules:

Family comes first

Be thankful for what you have

Pickup after yourself, help eachother pick up

Use nice words

Hold your head high

Always tell the truth

Encourage your siblings, share in their joy

Forgive easily

Say I love you often

Give to others first

Use your manners... yes, please, no, thank you

Say your prayers

How did I do for my first tutorial?

Blake's Miracle

2010-03-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

This weekend my daughters are both participating in a float-a-thon for Blake's Miracle at their swim lessons, SwimKidsUSA. They will be raising money for alternative pain management for children in the hospital. The event is from 8 AM to 4 PM and they will have tons of stuff for kids like bounce houses and food. Everything is free and everyone is welcome. This is one of the best things you could possibly donate money to, and if you do feel called to donate, please go to my page www.blakesmiracle.dojiggy.com/sellegirls.

Photo Fun

2010-02-28T20:10:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, I recently got a new camera. I had never really been too interested in photography, but I took a few online Photoshop classes to learn how to improve my pictures and do some design work, outside of photography. After 12 weeks of Photoshop classes, the main thing I learned was that my pictures stink and unless I start taking some better pictures, Photoshop isn't gonna do anything for me! In the past few months, I was so lucky to meet an AMAZING photographer named Sarah Goodman. She took some beautiful pictures of my family last year (including the family picture of us here on the blog!) and not only is she the best photographer I have ever met, but she is SO sweet! For those of you with kids, you're not going to find anyone better to photograph your kids than her. So, anyways, I was able to take a photo class with her yesterday. It was probably the best class I have ever taken in my life and I left there feeling so inspired to take pictures. If you are interested in photography, or even if you just like taking pictures of your kids, TAKE THIS CLASS. It's so worth the money. I didn't have much time last night to take lots of pics, but here are a few that I liked. This one is my favorite! I love the little drool hanging off of Piper's chinny chin chin. I was going to Photoshop that out, but I thought, ah what the heck, it's real.

Normally I love color photographs. I'm not much of a black and white girl. I love bright, funky colors of my kids. But, for some reason last night I was in a real classic mood.

Stay tuned for my next round of photos coming up this week!

Real (Baby) Food

2010-02-27T22:13:00.001-08:00

This week we tried something new. A milestone, if you will. Can you guess what it is? Yep, you guessed it. Piper got her first, real bite of food. Well, if you consider pureed, cold, jarred sweet peas......... food. I wouldn't eat it, but hey, when you don't know any diff.......? Big Sister got to do the honors. And she sure was proud to do it. If I even tried to help with the spoon, if I even thought about trying to help with the spoon, she screamed at me! She had to do it all herself. She had to "do it me-self!"

And Big Sister was so darn sweet, she even knew to take the bib and wipe Piper's little sweet pea-stained mouth.

Then she shoved that spoon right back in her mouth. I don't think she cared that Piper was full. I don't think she cared that Piper was sooo over it, I don't think she cared that Piper was gonna puke if she had to eat even one more bite of this yuckiness, she wanted to feed her more. So she did.

I have to say, Piper was really kind of into it for a bit. She licked her little fingers. She opened her little bird beak to let the spoon in. Then just as soon as she started eating, she stopped. She decided then and there that she was not going to eat another bite of sweet peas. So, I put it away and we will try again again another night. Not bad for a first-timer.

Valentine's Projects

2010-02-16T09:19:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I was SO busy with tons of Valentine's projects. I always take on way too much then I get mad at myself, but I just do it all over again the next weekend. Most of my projects turned out ok, but I did have some problems with a few just because I was rushing through everything!

I was so lucky to be able to go into Reagan's preschool class to take some pictures of their Valentine's day party. The teacher always plans the cutest, most fun projects for these crazy 2 and 3 years olds! For Valentine's day, she made cookies, gave each kid a cookie, some frosting, a little cup of sprinkles, and had them decorate a cookie. Now that's my idea of a good time! I was surprised that they all actually decorated before eating the cookie! I think this is the ONE picture EVER I have of Reagan smiling nice at the camera. Cookies can do that to a girl. (Notice the cute personalized placemat they made a few weeks ago for each kid to have at their spot at the table! Cute!)

She really did pretty well decorating! She must have seen this done once or twice....

And remember those pots that Reagan decorated last week? Ta Da! Here they are in all their cupcake glory. These babies were hand decorated and made into CUPCAKE BOUQUETS. Reagan made six of them, and I made six cupcake bouquets.
Six cupcake bouquets = 72 roses = uuugggghhhh
It was so worth it, though, because everyone loved them.

Another project that I did was handmade Valentine's for Reagan's class. I felt like I had to do this, and I had to go overboard with it because last year I completely failed. Last year I was pregnant, I was very sick, I was down 20 pounds, hadn't eaten in about 6 weeks and could barely function. I walked into Reagan's classroom last year on Valentine's day with Reagan, her jacket, probably a sippy cup............... and no Valentine's for the party. I totally forgot. I spaced it. I had been looking forward to this moment, this moment of making something special for her, something for her to share with her friends and be proud of, since her birth 2 years ago, and I forgot. I cried. And I cried even harder when I picked her up and she had a bag of Valentine's from every other kid in the class. Some even with candy attached to it, oh yeah, and none from her. So needless to say, I made them this year, and I made them good. These babies were handmade on my Cricut, each one meticulously cut to the right size, chalked around the edges, and personalized with a matching glitter pen.

And don't forget the big, fat, yummy, sugar cookie attached to the back of each one. If you opened the envelope you would probably find a coordinating patterned paper with a little V-day note stamped on and a 'Love, Reagan'. Phew, I have redeemed myself.

I also made this bow to match the Valentine outfit that I bought Reagan, WHICH I could not find the shirt for the morning of the party. Boy, was I ever mad about that. She wore a pink dress that was cute, yes, but not what I planned. She must have known I needed some sympathy, because she let me french braid her hair. She NEVER lets me do that. And she sat there NICE while I was doing it. She let me take a few good pictures during the party with her adorable french braid and bow that did not exactly match her dress, and then by the time I picked her up she had taken her hair out, the ponytail was nowhere to be found and her teachers had left her bow in her cubby. It was nice while it lasted.

2010-02-12T21:08:00.000-08:00

This week Reagan did a really fun project. She painted flower pots for Valentine's day! There were six total, and I painted the whole thing red first, then let her go at it with pink and white paint. She absolutely loved it. Until the guy started the lawnmower close by. We had to cover our ears until he was done.

Then we got back to painting.

Piper just hung out in the grass.

Then I put her on a blanket so she could roll around and act surprised.

And give that pretty little smile.

And just hang out.

Check back in a few days to see what special project these pots were used for!!! (P.S. It's something really cute! And sweet . . . . . . !)

Cookies!

2010-02-05T11:39:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I decorated cookies. These are my Superbowl cookies. And, you should be pleased to know that I actually googled 'how many laces are on a football' so my decorating was completely accurate! (I also had to google 'who is in the superbowl' LOL). I am taking orders for these for Sunday. $3/cookie, minimum 1 dozen please! I also had to do some Valentine cookies for a demo this weekend. I am going to do a bunch more Valentine cookies next week for gifts, so come back next week to check them out! I will probably be making some cookie bouquets also.
I can't decide whether I like the scalloped edge hearts or the regular ones....

And there was a poor little healthy-fed child around all day picking dried royal icing off the table and eating it. At the end of it all she got 2(!!!) mini heart cookies and she described them as "de-wicious". She was obsessed with touching the cookies, and even as I was taking pictures she was sticking her cute little fingers in my shots. I swear I didn't stage this, she was really doing this.

I like this simple one.

And again with the poking.

The whole gang together.

Bouncing!

2010-02-04T18:14:00.000-08:00

My family loves to go to Jumpstreet. It is an indoor trampoline park and it is SO fun. Why didn't they have places like this when I was young? So, we have been taking Reagan a few times a week to burn some energy before dinner and bedtime. (Although I think Daddy is starting to like it more than Reagan.) As soon as we get there Reagan flings her shoes off (we actually lost a pair of pink crocs there last Monday!) and takes off running full speed to either the big crocodile slide or the small trampoline area.

Then Daddy climbs up and starts warming up.

After the warm up he starts bustin' some moves.

And occasionally Reagan will catch one of these moves

out of the corner of her eye.

She is so proud, she loves her daddy and gives him a standing ovation with a handful of applause.

Then she decides it was no big deal and goes in for a flip of her own. (It usually ends up looking like a cross between a somersault and a cartwheel, but impressive none the less.)

And by the time we are ready to go, this is what everyone looks like. Well, everyone except me and Piper who have been just sitting in the chair and drinking formula for an hour.

Speaking of Healthy Eating......

2010-01-11T21:17:00.000-08:00

Just in case that last post was too healthy for you, here is a picture of the cake I made for my mom's birthday over the weekend! This was chocolate cake with cream cheese filling, white almond cake with chocolate filling, and chocolate cake with cream filling!

2010-01-11T20:58:00.000-08:00

Those of you that know me know that I only feed my family healthy food, and always organic when possible. For the past few years I have read more and more about how awful pesticides and added hormones are in the produce and meats we consume. I really believe that these are linked to cancers later in life and maybe other diseases. I loved Miss M's blog today about her baked ziti (which I'm totally gonna make!) and the links to Prevention magazine online about 7 Foods that Should Never Cross Your Lips. I kept reading after that article and found How to be a Budget Organic. I would hope this would convince all of you non-believers (of organic produce, that is) that organic really is the only way to go!

Cute Pics

2010-01-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

I LOVVVVVE my new camera! I got it around Christmastime, just in time for great holiday photos. So, I'm really not that great of a photographer, and I know I have missed MANY great pictures of my kids over the past few years due to my lack of skills. The great thing about this camera is that I can still totally suck at taking pictures, but they turn out halfway decently! With a little help from Photoshop, I went a little crazy with color on these pictures, and I think they turned out pretty cute. (I love that bold, funky, cheesy, bright coloring on pictures of kids.)

2009 Slideshow

2010-01-08T16:30:00.000-08:00

These are some of my favorite pictures of 2009. Happy New Year!

2009-12-26T23:22:00.000-08:00

Sorry..... I couldn't resist the Miley Cyrus for this one : )

Recent Cakes

2009-11-17T21:50:00.001-08:00

These are the little cows I hand sculpted with fondant and gumpaste. I think this one turned out cute!
Kristin's Wedding Cake. You can't see it in the picture, but there is a gold colored "G" on top of the cake. This was the most beautiful color scheme and the most beautiful reception! The flowers on the cake are real flowers.

Amanda's Baby Shower cake. Her theme was real different, I made the cake match the invitations. Her baby boy will be named Zealand.

Cake Balls made for Grandma's church bake sale.

This was made to match the invitations also.

And my favorite.......... Piper's baby shower cake. This was definitely a labor of love. I spent a lot of time on it, but it was worth it. I have been wanting to make this cake for a long time.

Halloween Costumes

2009-11-02T14:27:00.001-08:00

Reagan LOVES pirates! I think she gets it from Spongebob. This was her Halloween costume when we tried it on a few weeks ago. This weekend stunk because she came down with strep throat; no costume, no pirate, no candy. Bummer. Piper didn't get any candy either, but at least she got to dress up! She was so cute in this little pumpkin outfit all day.

Bow Crazy!

2009-10-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday I started making hairbows for the girls. Let me tell you . . . . it is ADDICTING! I started Wednesday, and I haven't stopped! This is a bow holder that I made over this past summer for Reagan's room. (I copied the idea from someone selling them online). There were a few scattered bows here and there on it when I started. This is today!

My next project ...... an overflow bow holder.

Treats

2009-10-28T11:33:00.000-07:00

I am going to be doing a lot of baking in the next few weeks, so be sure to check back for lots of pictures! These are mini cupcakes I made for Reagan's preschool teachers' with extra cake batter. This was a cute little fall cake for a birthday party.

One Month!

2009-10-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

I am copying an idea I got from Miss M's blog.

Each month I will take pictures of Piper next to this little bunny to see how much she grows over time! This is month one, 10/10/09. Isn't she just so sweet? I had a hard time keeping the bunny away from Reagan long enough to take the picture! He has been in the toybox for a month and she has totally ignored it . . . . . until I picked it up to use it . . . . . . .

2009-09-29T09:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome Piper Anabella Selle! My beautiful little baby girl was born on September 9, 2009 at 4:09 PM. She was 7 lb., 3 oz. and 20 1/4 inches long. She is almost 3 weeks old and still very tiny! This past week she was still only 7 lb, 7 ounces. She is so sweet and beautiful, but very fussy. We have tried a couple of different formulas to try and soothe her little tummy, but so far we are still up most of the night! It is funny how two children from the same parents can be so different! I hate to compare my two girls, but I guess I just expected Piper to come out looking and acting just like Reagan! They look so different and act differently, but they are so sweet and equally beautiful in their own ways. I love them both so much it hurts! My sweet little Reagan is so sweet to her baby sister. This was the first day that Piper came home. So far Reagan really hasn't been jealous or mad about the baby; she is super helpful, her job is to throw away the diapers.

Our first picture of us as a family of four.

Daddy has mostly been giving Reagan lots of attention so I can take care of Piper, but here he is in the hospital with the baby.

Piper and I cuddled like this in the hospital for three days straight! (Maybe this is why she will not sleep in her bassinet now?)

Cookie Bouquets

2009-08-23T12:46:00.001-07:00

This was a cookie bouquet for Reagan's awesome swim teacher. She has been taking lessons from him since she was 4 months old and he is great! His wife is having a little baby girl and is due the day after me!

We have been so lucky to have such wonderful teachers at Reagan's little preschool program. They work so hard and take such great care of her. Starting next week Reagan is moving up to a new class, so I made these to say thank you to her old group of teachers.

Kids' Cakes

2009-08-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

Mickey Mouse and June from Little Einsteins

Cookies to match these cakes

Spiderman

Batman

Anniversary

2009-08-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

This week was my third wedding anniversary. We have come a long way and had a lot of changes in our lives in three short years. August 5, 2006

July 26, 2009

New Cake Pics!

2009-08-08T16:38:00.000-07:00

Seashells and coral wedding cake

I thought this one turned out cute! This little girl had her birthday party at the zoo.

Cute little firetruck cake

2009-06-09T22:37:00.000-07:00

Cake Pictures

2009-06-09T17:46:00.000-07:00

San Diego

2009-06-09T14:23:00.001-07:00

We spent a few days in San Diego. Our main reason for going was to visit Sea World. We did go and Reagan really loved the dolphins. I did not post any pictures because I think these beach pictures turned out much cuter than the Sea World pictures.

It was a very cloudy, cold day on the beach. Reagan didn't care for the ocean too much. I think we were all just a bit cold.

You can really see how pregnant I am looking in this picture!

One thing Reagan really enjoyed was running away from the waves! She ended up losing the race once and got her shorts all wet.

This was so cute. Right outside of our hotel room were these flowers. She loved to smell the flowers everytime we left the room.

She really has the most beautiful little face. She was such a perfect angel for the whole time we were there.

Reagan's 2nd Birthday

2009-06-09T14:13:00.001-07:00

Reagan's birthday party was at Bounce Jungle. This was such a cute place. There was tons of kids there and they could all just bounce around like maniacs! We did a combined party with our friend Aiden. He turned 3 the same time Reagan turned 2.

I couldn't believe she actually knew how to blow out candles!

Reagan loved going down the slides. She sure is not scared of heights, I guess!

Cookies for her preschool class.

This was her 2nd birthday "princess" cake.

Been So Busy!

2009-06-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

My life has been real hectic lately. I have pretty much completely abandoned my blog. I am going to try in the next few months to blog more frequently. Until then, I will update you all with a few quick blog posts!

Cakes!

2008-09-24T23:39:00.001-07:00

It has been so long since I blogged, so here all all my cakes from the last few weeks.

Cute Pics of Reagan!

2008-09-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

Reagan is so smart! I gave her a bathtub crayon and she wrote this right away!

Her favorite show right now is Spongebob. She saw this Patrick beanie baby at the mall and Great-Grandma had to buy it for her.
If you look real closely, you can see Aiden underneath Reagan. She is giving him a very big hug, and he just can't get out until she is done with him.
Reagan is the neighborhood nosy body. She is always looking out the window.
Beautiful girl.

This Week's Cakes

2008-06-27T19:34:00.001-07:00

This is a simple wedding cake I did for some friends. We went to the wedding a few weeks ago, it was beautiful! (What girl doesn't love going to weddings?) The food was AWESOME! Usually catered wedding food isn't really all that fantastic, but I was so impressed with the buffet at this place. The company is from the west valley, and called Fat Eddy's, Fast Eddy's, something like that. Yum!

My little brother turned 18 last weekend. My husband is taking him to a D-Backs game as a gift, so I kept with the theme and made a baseball field cake. I don't usually get to eat the cakes I make because they are normally for other people, so this was a nice treat! It was quite good, if I can say so myself : ).

Sheet cakes can be boring sometimes, so I tried to make this one real jazzy with a cute font and fun colors.

Family Pictures

2008-06-01T22:39:00.001-07:00

Family Pictures

2008-06-01T22:32:00.001-07:00

Cakes

2008-06-01T22:23:00.001-07:00

Graduation cake for a highschool senior graduating in May.

Wedding Cake

Babyshower with bugs and butterflies theme.

My Baby is One!

2008-05-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

I made this princess cake for Princess Reagan on her birthday. The top tier was especially for the babies, made sugar-free and sweetened with applesauce. They really liked it! The bottom tier was a chocolate cake with whipped chocolate ganache filling for all of us sugar-addicted adults.

This was one of my favorite gifts. A fairy princess outfit complete with wings and a tiara!

Prince and Princess tiara cookies for all who came.

Reagan had a beautiful, fancy birthday dress that was all pink with fancy tulle and lace. She was running around in just her diaper by the end of the party.

Fun On The Lake

2008-04-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my brother and I took my out of town cousing to Saguaro Lake for a paddleboat tour. It was really fun! The weather was perfect, the skies were beautiful, and the lake was magnificent. I would recommend it to anyone that wants to get up close and personal with Arizona scenery! This is the link, you can buy tickets online. http://www.saguarolake.net/

This is Ralph holding Reagan on the boat.Our first glance at the paddleboat as it pulled up to the dock.

Reagan loved hanging out with Uncle Logan in the cabin.
As you can see, the boat wasn't very full, we were able to move around a lot.
We enjoyed the paddleboat, but we all agreed we would have rather been doing this. Maybe next time. (We will wait until the water is not 66 degrees).

Long Time No Blog

2008-04-15T13:38:00.001-07:00

Ah! It has been sooo long since I have blogged. I have been sooooo busy. Here is a quick recap of what has gone on in my life lately! The major project that has been going on is my kitchen remodel. Stay tuned for amazing before and after photos!!

(Cabinets are done, whew, now just the countertops left)

Reagan's First Easter. (Well, first Easter outside of the womb!) She got lots of great gifts from the Easter bunny and Grandma.

Playing with friends! Reagan's friend Daphne's first birthday party!

I am watching a friend's little boy for the next three weeks. So now I have an almost-one year old and an almost-two year old every day. Can you say busy? They are so much fun though! Both Aiden and Reagan are really good babies and so loveable. They play so cute together and we have done lots of fun activities. This is a preview for me of what is to come!

This morning I took the babies to the SanTan Village little water feature. Right by the play area, there is a big open area with a bunch of spouts that spout up water. It is for the kids to play in and it is PEFECT for their age group because they can just walk around or play around and I don't have to be right next to them like in the pool. They both loved it. I highly recommend it to anyone with little kiddos and I think we will go back next week.

Just a cake I did a few weeks back.

2008-03-21T22:53:00.000-07:00

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Blake's Miracle

2008-03-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

Blake's Miracle is a non-profit organization to raise money for Banner Children's Hospital Pain Management. The donations go towards making the kids as comfortable as possible while in the hospital. They give them therapy through music, games, toys, and all kinds of things to hopefully make the children manage their pain a little better. Reagan and I take mom-tot swim lessons at SwimKidsUSA, where the Blake's Miracle program started. The owner's 1 year grandson passed away after a tragic 3 month fight with leukemia. It is a great cause to donate to, and this past weekend SwimKids held a swim-a-thon to raise money. This year they also included a float-a-thon for the infants. I am proud to say little Reagan floated her little heart out and raised money for Blake's Miracle. This is the video of her floating with her teacher, Mr. Jesse. The website to read about Blake and the organizations is http://www.blakesmiracle.org/. But, just a warning, you can't read this story without crying your eyes out.

Great Side Dish

2008-03-03T20:28:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite clients gave me this recipe quite a while ago, and I make it ALL the time! It's so easy! My husband says it is his favorite thing that I make.

Holiday Potatoes

2 lb. bag frozen cubed potatoes

9 slices American cheese

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1/2 stick butter

1 cup sour cream

Combine all ingredients except potatoes in a saucepan. Heat on medium and stir occasionally until everything is melted. Mix in potatoes and put in greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. You can also crush up cornflakes and put on top of potatoes before baking for a yummy topping.

Cakes

2008-02-27T19:09:00.000-08:00

1st Birthday Party

Birthday Cake

1st Birthday

Update on Grandma

2008-02-13T21:26:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone that kept my family in your thoughts and prayers these last few weeks. Good news about Grandma, she is going home tomorrow! Well, not exactly home, but she will stay with my mom for a week or so, then go home. At least she is out of that horrible rehab nursing home! She will walk with a walker for a few weeks, even though she gets around really well, and she will just be super careful not to over exert herself. But, since she is in such excellent shape, she will be back to her old self in no time!

It is so crazy to think how life can change so drastically in one second. One minute she was moving a pot out front, the next minute she was on the ground with a broken hip. Now she hasn't seen her home in almost three weeks, won't drive for six weeks, can't take the dog for a walk, etc. We never know what is planned right around the corner for us, life may be drastically different tomorrow and we won't even see it coming.

So, have a great day TODAY! Don't let the small things bring you down! Do one nice thing for yourself and for someone else today.

Cute Cake

2008-02-13T21:12:00.001-08:00

This was for a baby shower this past weekend. I thought it turned out cute!
I love the colors together.

She should be the new Gerber Baby!

2008-02-10T10:47:00.001-08:00

Grandma

2008-01-31T21:59:00.000-08:00

My grandma is a very special person in my life. I have been extremely close with her my whole life. She has taught me by her own example how to care for others and show everyone and extreme amount of love. She is completely selfless and she loves her family more than anyone I have ever known. I only hope I can be half as loving in my lifetime that she has been in all of her years. Grandma babysits Reagan at least three or four times a week, lives alone, and walks the dog every day. She is so independent and full of life. She is not just any other "old lady", she is healthy and lives a vibrant life. Last weekend Grandma fell in her driveway, slipped in the rain while moving a pot and broke her hip. She layed in the driveway in the rain for 15 minutes before she had to drag herself in the house to call for help. She suffered in the hospital for 2 days before she was able to have surgery. Now she has been taken to a rehab center for 2 weeks to recover and learn to walk and take care of herself all over again. She will miss volunteering, playing with Teddy the dog, going to church, and most of all, holding Reagan. She has been blessed to live a healthy life so far, and has not been in the hospital since she had her children 55 years ago. She is even more blessed to have the potential of making a full recovery. Please keep Grandma in your prayers. We want her to be able to go home as soon as possible.

Raspberry Brownie Cheesecake

2008-01-25T20:48:00.001-08:00

These are so great! Very easy to make!

Here's the recipe:

BROWNIES:

4 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup flour

CHEESECAKE TOPPING:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

2/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups raspberries

1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 350ºF, and butter and flour a 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Make brownie batter: In a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water melt chocolate with butter stirring, and cool. Whisk in sugar and eggs, 1 at a time, and whisk in vanilla and salt. Whisk in flour until just combined and spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Make cheesecake topping: In a bowl with an electric mixer cream together cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy and beat in lemon juice, egg, vanilla, and salt. Beat in flour and spread mixture in an even layer over batter. Scatter raspberries over topping and sprinkle with sugar. Bake brownies in middle of oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until top is puffed and pale golden and a tester comes out with crumbs adhering to it. Cool brownies completely in pan on a rack and chill, covered, at least 6 hours or overnight. Cut brownies into bars and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Serve brownies cold or at room temperature. 24 brownies

Bouquet!

2008-01-23T08:58:00.000-08:00

Baby Girl Cookie Bouquet!

Cakes

2008-01-20T20:52:00.000-08:00

Music Notes

Baby Bassinet

Ultimate Comfort Food

2008-01-20T20:40:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows I am a total Food Network Junkie! There are days that I could watch it for hours and hours on end. One of my favorite chefs is Bobby Flay and he recently had a show about comfort food. There is nothing better than a great meatloaf. This is a twist on the old version of meatloaf. He adds a yummy balsamic glaze and tons of veggies. For a great side dish, he adds Chipolte Sweet Potato Au Gratin. Not only is it sooo good, but it was so easy to make! Give these recipes a try if you want something hearty, simple, and totally comforting.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_gl/episode/0,,FOOD_10231_44597,00.html

I'm Back!

2008-01-16T07:23:00.000-08:00

I am so pleased to annouce that I will be going back to doing hair for one day a week! I will be renting a studio salon for Saturday's, beginning this week! I am looking forward to seeing all of my old clients again and hopefully meeting some new ones.

New Year's Resolutions!

2008-01-16T06:33:00.000-08:00

I have noticed quite a few people have made New Year's Resolutions this year to start running, or train for a marathon or half marathon. This is my goal also! (I was supposed to do a half marathon last weekend until I was injured during training - ahhhhhhh!) So, I am trying to decide which race I want to participate in next! There are so many great races going on this time of year in Arizona because the weather is so great. I have included links to all of the races that I have been looking at. Many of these also have options for 5K races, just over 3 miles. If you aren't up to the whole 13.1 mile half marathon, why not set a goal to do a 5K!! It is a very reachable goal with just a little bit of training and mental preparation, you can do it!!!

London's Run

http://www.londonsrun.org/

Duathalon and Triathalon for the Cure

http://www.triforthecureaz.com/registration.php

Lost Dutchman Marathon

http://www.lostdutchmanmarathon.org/

Valley of the Sun Marathon

http://www.valleyofthesunmarathon.com/

Sedona Marathon

http://www.sedonamarathon.com/

And a great one for the whole family . . . .

this one has an option for 100 yard dash, fun for the kids!

Run For the Islands

http://www.arizonarunningeventsco.com/runfortheislandsinfo.htm

Cheesecake Stuffed Chocolate Covered Strawberries

2008-01-15T07:12:00.000-08:00

These are sooo great and sooo easy to make! I could eat 20 of them! Here's the recipe:

24 Large Strawberries

4 ounces cream cheese

2 T powdered sugar

1/2 t vanilla extract

melted semi-sweet chocolate for dipping

Combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a small bowl.
Fill each strawberry with the mixture. (I usually use a decorating bag with a tip on it, insert the tip in the bottom of the strawberry to fill.) Dip each strawberry into the chocolate and let it set.

Enjoy!

Recent Cakes!

2008-01-10T21:54:00.000-08:00

Reagan!

2008-01-10T20:39:00.000-08:00

Reagan opening her Christmas presents! Look at this beautiful face!
Snuggling up with Daddy : )

What a cute Christmas dress!
The best Christmas gift ever - highchair from Great-Grandma!
Just hanging out with my measuring cup . . . .
Merry Christmas!
She climbed up the stairs all by herself!
Cute little snowbunny outfit.

Lauren's birthday party at Way 2 Play!

Favorite little blue sweatsuit!

Happy girl!

Cakes!

2007-11-07T22:18:00.000-08:00

2007-11-07T22:12:00.000-08:00

And More Cakes!

2007-11-07T22:02:00.000-08:00

More Cakes!

2007-11-07T21:48:00.001-08:00

Past Cakes

2007-11-07T21:44:00.000-08:00

These Sweet Days

2007-11-07T20:40:00.000-08:00

I have started this blog to showcase all of the cakes that I bake and decorate! But, since I do have the most beautiful daughter, I decided to include pictures and information about her and my everyday life also! Reagan was a baby bumblebee for Halloween. I wasn't thrilled with the costume at first, but it turned out to be really cute!

This is a picture of Reagan with Daddy. I think she is looking a lot like him!

Reagan is also starting to eat baby food. Well . . . . I take that back; she is starting to eat baby butternut squash because that's all she likes!

Reagan and Uncle Logan. Isn't she just perfect!?