A fondant flower...

A fondant flower!

~tutorial coming soon~

Sneak peek...

What is it you may ask, to which I would reply...

...then again, I guess I wouldn't reply.

Come back on Monday and I will show you what it actually is.

You may guess until then and let me know if you figure it out.


HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

My favorite thing about snow...

Baking!

I love to bake when there is snow on the ground,

OK, I love to bake

when there isn't snow on the ground, too.

Add caption

These little guys are my favorite snowmen!

Don't you just want to kiss their pink, little cheeks?

Happy Snow day to you all!

The year flew by...

...and now it is time to

CELEBRATE!

Rye is ONE!

Marble cake with fudge filling and vanilla buttercream and fondant.

He had a big party and needed a BIG cake!

The size of a football field

should be enough for all his friends!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY, RYE!!!

Smash cake for little Rye.

Girl ~or~ Boy

Big miracles come in small packages!

It was the theme of the baby shower,

and if it is a boy, he is a miracle and will be loved so much,

and if it is a girl, a miracle as well and a beautiful gift!



peace.

peace.

it does not mean to be in a place

where there is no noise, trouble

or hard work. it means to be in the

midst of those things and still

be calm in your heart.

(unknown)

Happy Monday, my friends,

may peace calm your heart today.

Its just that kind of day...

Something sweet and yummy...

...and a good cup of coffee.

What could be better than that?

.......

Someone to share it with!!

.......

Anyone?!?!

(looks kinda like a balanced diet to me)

SWEET TREATS

I love doughnuts!

And let me just tell you that if you have never had

a Krispy Kream doughnut that is still warm

it is worth driving a distance to try one.

Recently we were on our way to TN

and had some icy roads and traffic jams

and so on one of our "pit stops"

we pulled into a service station and the

Krispy Kremes were calling

me, softly at first, but then it was all

I could here and ...it was just what

I needed wanted for the remaining

distance of our trip.

After passing them little doughnut holes

around to my family

the box had a perfect resting

spot on my lap,

(you just never know when your blood sugar levels will drop dangerously low)

and so I was ready for it.

Wouldn't you know it,

the next time I looked

there were only 2 doughnuts holes left

and you know they looked so lonely and

and...well the rest is history.

So if by chance on one of these wintery

mornings, you happen upon

a Krispy Kreme restaurant,

stop by and treat yourself to a delightful

SWEET TREAT!

Need something to do?

Most of my cake decorating was learned from online tips and tutorials. 

That and trial and error.

So here is one for you to try...

What you will need:

Roll out the fondant.  It should be fairly thin.  Cut out 1 flower and 8 circles.  Make sure to sprinkle 10x sugar on your work surface before you roll out the fondant.





Take the ball tool and thin the edges of the flower and circles on the foam.

When on the thick foam pull, with the ball tool, and make the circle into a more oval shape for your flower petal.

Place the petals in the NEW paint trays and let dry for a little while.

You want them to hold their shape but still be pliable to fit into the flower.

Leave one circle flat - this will be the base to build your flower.

This is how it started looking but I did end up separating the flower petals to add them to the

flower center.

Layer the petals in a circle, pressing lightly in the center after adding a tiny bit of water

to the bottom edge of the petal.

The water acts as glue.

There should be 7 petals in the first circle and then 5 in the center.

Take a small piece of black fondant and using the ball tool

"smoosh" down in the center of the fondant.

Then using a toothpick, poke holes around the center.

Then add the stamen.  Add a little water to the bottom of the

black fondant and place in the center of the white flower.

And when you are done, you will have my version of an

Anemone.

One day this will rest on top of a cake but for today...

...its just me playing with fondant!

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somewhatsimple.com



Double Digits

Paul turns 10 today!

For his cake he wanted a snowmobile cake.

It's chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting,

YUMMY!

Go ahead have a big piece, Paul

and enjoy your day!

While I was making this birthday cake for Paul,

I received a package in the mail.

Hmmm...what did I order?

Surprise!

It was a birthday gift for me!

from my sister!

Thanks, Marilyn!

I love these!

SWEET TREATS

"It isn't the great big pleasures that count the most;

it is making a great deal out of the little ones."

~Jean Webster

This is another of my sweet treats that make me smile!

So many. many colors and

so many ways to use them.

Go out and enjoy the snow today and don't

forget your scarves!

He adores me!

This morning as I sat down at my computer there was an

envelope that said "To My Dear Wife"

I quickly opened it and read the most

beautiful letter.

I am blessed to be loved by him.

I see his heart each day and

his love for Jesus and

he is my best friend!

Our 15th Wedding Anniversary

He believes in me

and helps me believe in me.

He works hard and gives

so much!

I love him and my heart

is happy because he

adores me!

Eighty-five ~4~ Five Hundred

 

With the snowflakes falling we headed off to the fair with a chocolate cake for judging.

My dear husband dropped me and my daughters off at the door with my cake in hand.

after finding where we needed to take the cake

we headed off in that direction and "signed-in" my cake.

Much to my surprise I got a goodie bag just for entering in the State Fair,

I was so excited.

An unexpected gift - what a treat!

An apron, Hershey's cocoa,

chocolate chips,

a spatula,

and measuring spoons!

After entering the cake we had some time till the judging so off we went to watch the Rodeo.

So fun for us to take our kids to something that was

a highlight to us when we were growing up.

Time for the judging:

There were five judges and they each judged 17 cakes and picked their top two favorite cakes.

Judge #3 was the one that judged my cake.

With each judge picking their top two cakes,

they then announced those cakes as the top 10 cakes.

This is where the competition ended for 75 people who did not make it to the top 10.

At this point the competition was over for me.

The top 10 then were judged on appearance and presentation.

And wow, some of them cakes were decadent looking.

By this time my family was ready to go see some of the other sites and so we did.

We came back just as they were getting some final pictures of the winners

and I quick snapped this one.

The winner received a check for $500.00

I learned so much!

And what a fun experience it was for me.

Out of 85 cakes

only one got the $500,

but we were all winners to be there with our chocolate cakes.

Yee-haw and chocolate cake!

The smell of chocolate cake coming from the oven means that it is close to finish. The house smells delightful and several people have tried to bottle this smell in the form of a candle

but a chocolate cake smell means that a delicious dessert is about to happen.

One that can be enjoyed by all the senses (unlike a candle. )   =)

So today my house smells like chocolate cake.  But this one is for a competition and since I am not

on the judging panel I won't get to taste this one.

This summer I ventured out and did something I never did before.  I entered my chocolate cake in two of the local fairs, in hopes of winning a blue ribbon.  No blue ribbon this time, but I took 2nd place both times.

My cake is the one with the pink flower.

About 2 months ago I got a phone call from a lady who told me that the 1st place winner was unable to go to the state fair and therefore the opportunity was mine.  Of course I said yes, I would love to take my chocolate cake to the state fair.

So today is the day I am hoping to win a Brown and White Hershey's Ribbon.  But for me it is not always about winning but it is about taking a risk.  Getting out of my comfort zone.

So much to see at the state fair.  Animals of all kinds and food that is...

the best tasting.

Probably because I only have it once a year!

People to watch, yep, I am a people watcher!  And so many expensive/cheap souvenirs.

And lots of free stuff, too.

And the big event today is the High School Rodeo!

The only problem I see with the rodeo is my son thinking that

bull riding might be fun.

Gotta go put the finishing touches on my cake and we are off
to a day filled with....
so much excitement (especially for the kids.)
And hopefully a Brown ribbon!

~a lesson learned~

I started this blog to document my new found love for decorating cakes.  And it has been basically cake related ever since, but as I look into the new year and what it may bring my way I think that maybe it is time to spread my wings a little as I blog not only about cakes but also about who I am when I am not decorating cakes.

I have always loved baking, even as a little girl.  If there was a choice between helping with cleaning or baking, you could find me in the kitchen.  Of course that is where I learned a very important lesson about learning from your mistakes.

I was mixing up a batch of bars and when I read the recipe and it called for 3/4 cup brown sugar
and 3/4 cup white sugar, somehow my brain switched it up a little bit.
And what I added was 3 and 3/4 cup of both sugars.
Another thing about me is that I hate strongly dislike math and maybe that goes back to that day
because I then had to figure out how much of the rest of the ingredients I would need to make these
bars like they are intended to be.
With the help of my mom, we got it figured out and I have learned to read my recipes a little more carefully.

And the recipe that I was making is still one that sits in my recipe box as a go to for a quick recipe.

Toll House Pan Cookies

1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp.soda
1 tsp. salt
Chocolate chips
nuts

Cream butter and sugars together, add vanilla and beat in eggs.  Combine flour soda and salt and add to mixture.  Mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.  Spread in greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350.  ( my recipe don't say how long) maybe 20-30 mins.

A lesson learned, for that recipe at least.  And I still love baking!

Its snowing outside and the kids are off to school, maybe I should make some of the above mentioned bars.
They would go perfect with my cup of coffee that just happens to be some of the best coffee in the world.
Costa Rica coffee is my new favorite.

A good day to all of you!