Short and sweet...

...Cause I should be making signs for the wedding right now... and a bunch of other crap, er I mean stuff.

I'm wondering if I get my picture taken for my new license?  I'm down with that.  My current picture is of me with more, not less, of me to love as I currently am...  Yes that sounds vain I know.  And I don't really get carded much these days anyway, mostly becuase I don't go out that much A.C. as B.C. (before children you know).  Anywho, I'm hoping I do.  New name, new pic?

Also, a friend shared this with me, and it's so damn funny I HAD to share it with all 10's of you that will read this.

Read here, and prepary to laugh.  Even if you're not knee dip in wedding stuff, you'll find this funny!

Chocolate Covered Balls...

...are hard on your waistline - BUT oh so good. (Sorry for the blatant use of a shock factor ;)

So for Father's day I made a cheesecake then fired up the double boiler and made cheese cake balls out of them.  OH MY YUMMNESS.

If covering everything in chocolate wasn't so deadly for the waste line, I think I'd just keep a bowl of chocolate at the ready to dip stuff in.

And I'm convinced that Cake balls were conceived by some very thrifty person who had left over cake, left over frosting and happen to had some chocolate to melt. 

After I made the cheesecake balls, I made cake balls out the left over chocolate cake scraps and chocolate frosting I had from the kids party.  YUM.  Did I mention they had left over crushed Oreo in them?

Lemony Cheesecake Bars compliments of Betty Hartman at Grace Lutheran Church

*1.5 cups graham crackers
*1/3 cup sugar
*1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
*1/3 cup melted butter
*2 (8 oz) cream cheese softened
*1 (14 oz) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
*2 Eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In bowl, combine crumbs, sugar, pecans, and melted butter.  Reserve 1/3 cup crumb mixture.  Press remaining mixture into a 9x13 pan.  Bake 5 mins.  Cool.
2.  In bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy.  Gradually beat in Sweetened Condensed Milk.  Add eggs, beat till combined.  Add lemon juice, stir till combined.  Carefully spoon mixture into crust in pan.  Spoon reserved crumb mixture to cover.
3.  Bake about 30 mins or until knife comes out clean.

Store in the Refrigerator.

For my cheesecake balls, I pulsed the graham crackers and pecans only and set aside.  I made the cheesecake filling as is (making sure to put it in a glass pan so I didn't scratch the bottom when I was scooping).  I used a melon baller to scoop out a ball, then dropped it in the crumbs, using a spoon to cover and compress the cheesecake (I did mine when it was still a bit warm - I think it would have been easier to make the balls if it had been cool).  I put the balls in the freezer for 10 mins (mine were still warm remember?) then dipped half of them in chocolate, covering some of them in more crumbs.  Some I put pop sticks in before I put them in the freezer (dipped in chocolate the pushed in the ball)

Chill

OH.  MY.  YUMMNESS.

This is what is left of the chocolate covered cheesecake balls.

Hot Dog! (Photo heavy post)

As requested

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Cake

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This cake took half as long to make as the Mickey Mouse Heads, but I'm way happier with it.

This idea came from the Disney website.  I made a chocolate cake and a white cake in 9x13's and torted them both.  In all three layers I put a layer of 7 minute frosting and crushed oreos (recipe to follow).  Then I covered it in a no-fail butter cream recipe.  The Disney site has a template to print and lay on the cake so you just "color in the lines".  It was actually pretty easy.  The filling was really good!  I'll do this again.

GG's 7 Minute Frosting (Marshmallow type frosting)
2 eggs
3/4 C Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
2 tsp Water
1/3 Cup Karo Syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Combine and beat with a mixer over a double broiler for 7 minutes.  Remove from heat and use Immediately. Enough frosting to cover one bake.  Very good with chocolate cake!

Mickey Mouse "Smash Cake"

Mickey Mouse Smash Cake, #2

The Mickey Mouse head cakes were one recipe of chocolate cake mix baked in 1 nine inch round and 2 six inch round cake pans.  The six inch pans were the heads and I cut 4 circles (I used a sippy cup top for a pattern) with a crescent type shape cut out of each circle for the ears.  I drew a face on a piece of paper, layed this over the crumb coated cake and traced the face on, then frosted.

Mickey Mouse Cookie Pops

These were fun and easy to make!

These were simple.  Use Oreos, mini Oreos and sticks.  Take the covers off both the big and little oreos, using knife to scrape if necessary all the center of the Oreo onto one side.  Melt chocolate (I used chocolate Almond Bark) over a double broiler over low heat (you don't want to lose the temper of the chocolate).  Dip the sticks in the chocolate, push into the cream center of the oreo.  Dip a corner of two mini oreos and place on big Oreo for ears.  Place a dab of chocolate on the cream center for "glue" and put the cover back on.  Place in fridge (after you have a batch done) for five minutes then cover the whole thing chocolate.  Simple and really good!

There are a lot of great tips I've found from Wilton.

I survived :)

Oy, I made it.

The last week was busy, stressful, hot, full of family, music, palm trees and cakes.

I finished (almost) the set for our VBS that started today.  Myself and a friend (along with another made flowers) made a bunch of palm trees (think 2-12' palm trees), a fiery furnace (think Rack, Shack and Benny), a jail, a tomb, and a house (fridge and lawnmower box).  Oh yeah and a waterfall.  Done.  Washed my hands of that (basically) last Thursday after a stressful day of almost finishing up.  I still need to make the inside more jail like.  But that's Thursday after VBS is done that day.

I'm going to brag on myself a little bit.  I'm pretty proud of what we accomplished.

Today, and the rest of this week, I'm "security".  I have the best job this year.  It's so cake.  I need a cake job during VBS this year.  'Cause mama's tired.

Friday, I made three cakes, two Mickey Mouse heads - one each for Thing 1&2, and I made the Clubhouse (it had marshmellow frosting and crushed oreo between the tiers-yum!).  Oh and these really cute and yummy Mickey Mouse cookie pops out of oreos (double and mini's - mine were plain, dipped completely)  Idea from pinterest of course!

Saturday, I took the kiddos to a family music festival that happens to be a few miles away from us called "Joyful Noise."  It was hot and humid, but I think at least Thing 1 had fun.  It had like 10 bouncy things, a few rides and live music (Christian bands) all day.  I'm really glad I didn't have to pay for Thing 2 - she was only interested in the train and sand tables (funny how we have those things at home, NOT the bouncies that we don't have)  Oh well.  Thing one had fun at his first concert.  We stayed for 7 hours (DD came and got Thing 2 for a nap at 1:00 and brought us lunch).  We saw 2 of the three acts I had wanted to see (We saw Jason Gray and Go Fish, missed Matt Maher :( )Thing 1 got tired of sitting, and wanted another train ride).  We had cotton candy.  It was fun.  Really hot, but fun.  Did I mention the high was 92? 

After Thing 1 and I got home, I was so hot, and tired, and tired of people I swore I wasn't going back to see the last act like I had planned (wrist band - you could re-enter).  I rinsed off and made a cocktail. It was great to sit, and be cool in my house.  I really didn't think I was going back.  Then we put the kids to bed, and I kept thinking about how much I wanted to go back.  So I did.  And I'm so glad I did.

I got there to see part of the second to last act, Peter Furler.  He was awesome.  I wish I had seen the whole thing.  (I looked for a good youtube video of him - none of them come close to how "awesomer" he is in concert.  He cranks it to 11, let me just say)  I first found a seat further back in the stands.  It had a semi obstructed view and decided, you know what?  I thought, I have no kids.  I don't even have my purse (shoved the bare essentials in my pockets).  I'm going up front to the pit.  So I did.  It was loud and crowded and awesome.  I helped throw a beach ball around.  And the sunset was beautiful.

I was on the left side of the "pit".  Do you see my pink shirt (JK - I can't see me either - but I'm there!)

After Peter Furler, a few people left and I got a middle spot for Toby Mac.  And oh my, what a great show.  Here is one of the many songs I love of his.  I can't begin to describe how much fun it was.  And, more importantly, how absolutely I felt God's love pouring down on me that night.  My Father loved on me totally and completely that night.  It was an amazing night.

It took me an hour to get home.  Did I mention I live three miles away?  Yeah, the Blaine Sports Center is not prepared for mass exodus.  I'll plan better next time. 

I didn't get anything done for the party that day.  Oh well.  I'd rather make memories than a clean house 8)

Late night, early morning getting ready for the kiddos birthday party.  My sisters came early to help.  We were actually kind of on time, even a little early by the time the guests arrived.  The new recipes tried were good, the kids had fun, I had a good time with friends and family, it didn't RAIN or STORM.  It was a great day.

We got the kids to bed early (Thing 2 fell asleep in about 2 seconds).  I went and poured a glass of wine and sat down and fell asleep on the couch 30 mins later.  I was one tired mama. 

But it was all worth it.

I should be folding laundry

Literally.  And I have about 8 thousand things I should/could be doing.  And here I sit, on the couch, laptop on top of my lap, glass of wine at my side and bag of chips and top the tator who I showed who's boss.  Sigh...it's one of the those nights.  I'm tired, itchy (took a Claritan, not helping so far), and a bit pms-y (yep sorry any guys who happen to reading and hence the chips and dip), and I have a blister on my thumb which is really annoying me.

I have SO much on my plate, I'm feeling a bit like crawling into the fetal position at the moment (could I still drink my wine???).  I've got the kids birthday party on Sunday and I've done bub kiss for that besides the planning of the food/cakes etc.  I got "promoted" from worker bee of decorations for VBS to in charge of VBS decorations.  And the blister is from cutting palm leaves, of which I still have about 3/4 to cut still.  Did I mention VBS starts the day after my kids party?  And set up is the day of the party? (Good thing, a VERY competent person is taking charge that day or my OCD, Type A self would be having the shakes even more).  Oh yeah, and I'm getting married in 6 weeks.

Crap.

And my house, well, parts of it are basically clean, some rooms, one of which I have to clean and ORGANIZE before Sunday looks like an F5 went through it.

Crap.

And here I sit. 

On the plus side, going back to some of last posts, the gym thing is going well.  The other day I noticed my chin has more of  clef in it than before.  Yes, I've actually lost fat in my chin.  And I have to say, I really like how strong I feel.  I feel it incidentally throughout the day.  I'm pretty strong and I like it.  I like that I can binge a bit and my extra muscles can compensate.  (Mind you, this doesn't help in the weight loss, but at least it's not a weight gain).  I like that I've actually have weights on my bar when I bench.  It makes me feel slightly less like a girl when I'm doing it.  And my cardio side is definitely improving as well.  I kicked some serious but on both ends this morning at the gym.

Anyway, I should finish this glass and go to bed so I can get up and run off some of these potato chips and dip in the morning.  Oh and bake a couple cakes, fold a few dozen baskets of laundry and attempt to tackle the scary room.

Sigh.  Thanks for listening 10's of people who might read this.