Cupcakes and Stubborn Ear Infection

Here are the cupcakes I made for our ward Harvest Party Cakewalk. I got the idea from Foodnetwork.com. The frosting is a super yummy peanut butter cream cheese. Pretty good for a powdered sugar icing!


Well, Zander is on his third round of antibiotics for one ear infection. He wasn't even sick or pulling on his ears that I noticed. The only thing was he didn't have a large appetite. So at his 15 month check up they discovered his ear drums were red and not moving at all (they are supposed to flutter like leaves in the wind). So he got a prescription and we went back three weeks later and there was no change. He got a different antibiotic and we went back today (another three weeks later). Well, they are still red and they are moving, but not much. So we have one more try with antibiotics and a decongestant to get them cleared up, otherwise he is going to need tubes to get them drained. If we don't get him better it could lead to permanent hearing loss, and we all know we can't have that! Little toddlers don't listen at all and if he couldn't hear; well, that would be disastrous! But we also really don't want to do tubes, so pray the antibiotic works this time!

Halloween Preview

Fall is here and that means cold weather, corn mazes and costume time! I got out the Halloween box and the kids have been dressing up all day today. We went to the CSI corn maze last night with Bryan and Emily and their girls for FHE. It was really fun and we were actually lost for a little while! It was quite a chore to find hats and mittens and coats for everyone! I also started on our family Halloween costumes today. I am really excited about this.....Our ward has a Harvest Party every year and this year we are doing a family theme for our costumes. Below is a preview. Can you guess what we are going to be?

Kiara
Kegan
Payton
Zander

Still to come....Paul's and mine!

School's Out!

School was out this Thursday and Friday for State Inservice. So Tresh brought her kids to play for the day! It was really fun having them here. After we played for a while we went out to Mom and Dad's and the kids picked their pumpkins from the garden. That has been a tradition for the last few years and the kids love it! I took a few pictures of the kids and thought I'd share.

She is such a sweetie
Jumping around!
Getting another perspective on life....
My little climber - he'll climb ANYTHING!!!
I think these two kept climbing the fence for two reasons....One, to hide from the "boys," and then two, to eat the little plums in these trees!

$200!!!!!

Yep, that's the official word. Now if only people would pay that in real life......

Auction Cake

You know, it rare when a cake actually turns out the way I picture it in my brain. But it has happened. This cake is for a friends church that is having a dessert auction. As soon as she asked me to donate a cake, this is what instantly popped into my head. My friend Amelia (Cake Expectation on my blog list) had reminded me of my oreo version of Italian Meringue, so I knew I wanted to do that again. And she did a gorgeous polka dot chocolate wrap on one of her cakes that I wanted to try. I also wanted a taller cake piled with striped chocolate curls. Mission accomplished! The chocolate wrap is not perfect. It wasn't quite hard enough when I pulled off the clear vinyl (I am sooo impatient!) so its not as smooth as it should be, but otherwise it is what I saw in my brain!
I am excited to see how much it goes for. I've been told the desserts go for $30 to $800. I just hope it isn't the lowest one! I'll update when I find out.

Busy Family Life

Well, nothing is new here, we're just busy, busy, busy! I am starting Christmas projects. Early I know, but I have the tendency to over-do it, so I have to start now! For one project I got to play with decorative thread on my serger. I was nervous that I'd mess it up, but it went really well and looks great. I'd post a picture, but the recipient reads my blog, so I guess I better not. I also get to do a cake for an auction this week, so look for pictures of that coming up.

Oh, I do have a new niece today, little Emersyn (Emery for short). I watched her older brothers today and let me tell you, 5 boys five and under (4 are 3 and under) can make a mess! My house looks like a tornado ran through it! But its all good, they had fun together and thats all that matters. So I must go tidy up. In two days I am watching my neighbor's boys so she can have her baby! Its better if they have a "clean slate" to mess up, more fun for them that way! Right!? That and I don't want to step on train tracks and blocks all day.

Two Cakes

Well, here is the wedding cake to go with the roses...... It is white chocolate cake with white chocolate cream cheese frosting. The frosting was sooooo good! It tastes like cheese cake! I have made it a few times before, but have never added the optional lemon oil. Well I did this time, and wow, it made a great frosting spectacular! This cake has about 70 roses....I don't really like making roses, but it was fun doing a two tone rose and they turned out pretty good.
This next cake was for a good friend's 30th birthday. She is our choir director and we always have treats after choir, so I took this to surprise her. She and I are the same age, I turn the big 3-0 in January. She has been saying we should throw a party...but I don't really like parties in my honor.... So I thought it would be more fun to let everyone in choir know her age...ha ha!
Any way, it was chocolate cake with peanut butter Italian meringue filling and milk chocolate butter cream frosting. I must say that the milk chocolate frosting is pure heaven! Or pure evil, however you look at it.... It is so soft and silky and the fragrance.....oh man, it makes the whole house smell like chocolate....Only make this if you are planning on sharing, it is way to much temptation to have laying around the house!

I am going to share the recipe...It is found in Rose Levy Beranbaum's Cake Bible.....

16 oz milk chocolate, broken in small pieces
8 oz dark chocolate, broken in small pieces (I actually use chips of both chocolates, easier that way)
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened

Melt chocolate in a double boiler, or very slowly in the microwave. Let cool until about room temperature. (I had to get a new microwave because a certain toddler cooked a piece of bread in mine...for 15 or so minutes....nice fire; it was rather exciting.... but anyway, it has a melt button and a soften button, it melts chocolate perfectly and even softens butter and cream cheese beautifully. Which is great since I am horrible at planning ahead and taking butter out of the fridge....) Beat the butter until creamy in mixer. Slowly add the melted chocolate until incorporated. Best if used immediately. You don't really want to refrigerate this one, it is kind of temperature sensitive......it hardens quickly in the fridge and then takes forever to soften again. Also, don't leave it the hot sun, it will melt!