Karly's Wedding Cake

I ask myself every time I make one of these, why I put myself through the stress. My Mom asks me the same question, and always adds that this cake should be the last one we do! It 's been said ever since the original cakes I made with my friend Jen. I never seem to say no those friends who've had their hearts set on me making their wedding cake since seeing pics of those original ones. I know, not surprising knowing me, but still...

Usually my blog posts of my wedding cake making involve all of the drama which accompanies the existing drama and stress already present when taking on this certain task. I don't know if it was because it was a Saturday wedding, or if it was because it was my roommate's cake, or if I'm just getting better at it (not), but this one seemed to go off without much drama. At least no major drama to report. It is a long process, and it has been a very long week, but I thought I would give you all the "in process" pics, thanks to a suggestion by Shameonyou21.

Lemon Cake, Raspberry Filling, Cream Cheese Frosting

From This

To This

Must border the edges so the filling doesn't ooze out into the frosting on the outside.

All filled, and all stacked. I usually only do two layers, but they were thin so I made another one!

I believe this is the 2nd coat of frosting, before they are all smoothed out.

TA DAH! I made Idyllic Ideas have her flower lady do the tops of the cakes. No Belnaps, or Mommy doing arrangements last minute!

My Mom asked the flower lady once we set up the cakes on their stands, how the arrangements were going to look. She freaked out and said "The arrangement are over there, and I'LL get to it in a minute. As if we were going to try and do it ourselves there! PA-LEEZE!

I monogrammed some ribbon that is along the bottom of the layers, at the request of the bride, with the words:

"Karly & Rob"

"March 6, 2010"

"Draper Utah Temple"

The cake server was a high heel, which is SO Idyllic Ideas!

There you have it. The only real drama that happened was the middles of the cakes kept sinking with under ten minutes to bake it the oven. One of the big layers got over cooked when we tried increasing the oven temperature to compensate for the sinking middles. I ended up remaking some of the layers that were too sunken, and the big layer that got over baked. In the process we decided the layers were just a bit too thin, so I made another layer of each size to go along with the re-makes.

That's pretty good drama for a wedding cake if you ask me! I think some kids poked one, and the ribbon slid down a tiny bit on a couple of layers. The whole night at the reception, I kept going over to the cakes and trying to play with the ribbon, or smooth some parts, or whatever, and my other roommate Nat Nat, had to physically grab my arm a couple of times and yell at me to just leave it alone. I can't help myself. I guess I notice the imperfections more than others might! Even though I don't claim to be, nor ever will claim to be an experienced or awesome cake decorator, I think it turned out alright.

I had made a small sample cake for Idyllic and Fiance to try since I'd never really made a lemon cake before. I didn't want to mess with cake flour as some of the recipes online suggested, and others just didn't seem to be anything more than a yellow cake with a lemon filling. I found one in my Mom's Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook that was a triple layer cake. It wasn't very lemony because of the lemon filling and lemon frosting, I am sure, so we doubled the zest for the main batch and hoped it would be enough without having to worry about having too much liquid. We sampled one of the sunken layers to make sure it was actually edible, and also to make sure it tasted a little more like lemon than before, and OH! MY! I think I've found a new favorite!!! You can find the recipe here, but remember to double the zest if you are just making the cake by itself!

Haven't Fallen Off The Bandwagon Yet!

I know what you are all thinking...I post two in a row, and then go AWOL again like usual! I promise I had some good excuses this time! My lovely Dell (bad brand, bad) decided the battery charger port thing (the place where your power cord plugs into the computer to charge the battery) decided it wanted to break off it's mother board, and then in the meantime, my work computers are going bonkers too! Nothing with which to waste time at home, and not daring to waste time on the only computer at work that doesn't seem to be freaking out at the present time. See! No bandwagon falling here!

What is it with that?! Thanks to Kristeee's husband Blue Eyes, both computers are up and running again. I feel bad, like I'm totally using him lately or something because he's fixed my dell twice (among the others who've also played with it too), and then I give him the work computer to deal with! He must think I'm the...well...I dunno...but he's probably sick of me!

Anyway, hopefully we won't have any more major meltdowns (knocking on wood). I don't want to have to go AWOL again...really, I don't (last time maybe, this time I really don't)! No promises though, because even though Blue Eyes soldered the part back on, a couple of prongs were broken off so who knows how long that will last even tough I am basically treating it like a desktop from now on!

Sometimes It Pays To Know Someone...

To all those who either nearly or actually did fall off their chairs yesterday, by seeing the first post in over two months appear on my blog, pick your tongues up off the ground. Here I go again!

One day last week I left early from work to run around and get some miscellaneous things accomplished like renewing my drivers license and passport (even though I am not going anywhere anytime soon...it's a "just in case I want to go somewhere I'll have it" errand), actually paying car taxes to register my car before the cops pull me over in march for a three month expired registration. I also bought some flowers for my friend Jamz who just had her baby and went and saw her at the hospital.

My story though, focuses on the first activity I mentioned. The dreaded DMV-Drivers License Division. I kinda thought that since it was about 3 p.m. maybe the lines wouldn't be so long. Turns out I was sorta right, however, I didn't know that I had to bring every tiny piece of information that ever existed to prove that I was actually me, and not some imposter or something. So, I had to leave and run up to my parents house (which was luckily not far away), to locate my birth certificate.

Before I left I wanted to slap the obnoxious man behind the counter silly for being a rude SOB. He's telling me that I need to have this list of stuff, of which consisted of something he referred to as simply "letters" and that I needed two of them. When I asked him to clarify what he meant by letter, he got rude, and said,

"You know, like mail, something with your name and address on it?!"

Here's the killer though,

"Do I need to write it down for you?"

SMACK, you stupid moron!

Anyway, so I went and got what I needed (plus some in case the bozo decided to add anything else to the list), and returned only to find the line had since doubled in size! As I was standing in line to get my number, I noticed my friend was working, so I yelled out her name to say hi. She asked why I was there and told her I was renewing my D.L.. She then said to come over to where she was (basically skipped over like 6 or 7 people, she took my pic, and we went right over to her desk to get me processed. about 30-45 min later on my way out the door, I noticed a couple sitting there who were just a few people in front of me in that initial line, still waiting to even be seen!!! HA HA!!! SUCKERS!!!

I could totally tell they were trash talking me as I walked out but I totally didn't care! It pays to know someone!

BTW, while renewing my passport, I had to get new pics taken. The first picture was 10 years ago, and they told me NOT to smile. This time they told me I could smile, just not show any teeth because of the government's facial recognition software or something. Many thanks to Costco for the cheap, 5 minute pics, that do not make me look like a terrorist ready to kill the first person I see, or make me look like I am as high as a kite!

Party At My House?

Do NOT fall off your chairs, this is actually a real post! I've been a bit AWOL from the internet world for the last couple of months (if it isn't already very obvious to everyone). Rarely got on my Facebook, and definately didn't post on my blog, nor read others' blogs. I don't have any lame excuses for why I haven't. I guess I just wanted a break or I didn't feel like it, or something. Who knows. I am back (for now, but hopefully longer) so don't get too upset with if my posts suck for a bit!

I've recently just had a birthday, and I am now officially in my 30's, rather than just being 30. Still not sure I like that, but at least this year blew last year's out of the water because I did not end up with walking pneumonia like last year. Hooray for not having walking pneumonia again!!! Anyway, with my birthday being shortly after Christmas, I wasn't entirely expecting anything huge. Especially with my Christmas present this year:

I think I've had the same little RCA TV set since, well, since I got my first very own TV like forever ago! YEA FOR HD!!! When my mom was helping take the ginormous box up my stairs one day, my roommate Nat noticed our other roommate Idyllic Ideas got the new Super Mario Bros game for the Wii for her Christmas present. Nat got really excited because she loves to play that game with her nephews. That apparently started the Wii-Ball rolling with my Mom, and secretly had Nat trying to get the scoop from me on if I wanted one too. I was apparently pretty dumb about it because now looking back, it was SO obvious!

Anyway, my fam was VERY good to me this birthday:

From Ma & Pa & Sissy's & B-I-L's & Brooklynn

From Ma & Pa & Sissy's & B-I-L's & Brooklynn

From Nat (I asked her if she got a good deal on the game in light of recent events, but apparently not!)

I got the cutest black cardigan and silver necklace from Brady & Lauren & Boston, and Mitch and Tavi and the kids got me an Old Navy gift card!

I think I am set for a bit, what do you think??? Anyone wanna be my friend again!!!

p.s. Lauren took some pics of the kids helping me blow out candles, so I'll post those when I get them!

Plus 2 in Hotness Points

After a lot of $$$, and some family hookups, I've been told I gained two points on the hotness scale! I got my hair (re)done the other night while Shameonyou21 got her eyelash extensions done, and then the next night, I got mine done. My sissy works at this spa as an aesthetician, (or esthetician depending on how you want to spell it) and she helped in this effort of mine.

My Mammy was the first guinea pig in helping Megs get certified to do the eyelash extensions. She looked so fabulous, and I hate my eyelashes, so I thought I would give it a try too. The girls at the spa pretty much just said it as a generalization, that all girls who get the eyelash extensions gain two hotness points, but I took it as I, personally, gained the two hotness points. Cause why not? DUH!

Sorry for the creepy pics of me, but I had to demonstrate my point. Let me know if you agree with my hotness points! You don't have to lie, I just rather you not burst my little bubble right right now by telling me the truth!

BEFORE

AFTER

HOTNESS POINTS GAINED!!!

Cake Anyone?

About a month ago a friend asked me to make her wedding cake. I didn't even know she was dating anyone, not to mention engaged! I couldn't really lie to her and say I didn't know how to make cakes, since she was good friends with the two girls for whom I made those first cakes. CRAP!

There's been nothing but drama surrounding this particular cake. All during the cooking process, the stupid cakes were having issues coming out of the pans. Even though I sprayed the crap outta them with pam, greased the snot outta them on the remakes with crisco, and then both greased AND sprayed on the re-remakes. Stupid 6 inchers hated my guts all week!!!

Day of the wedding, things are finally going pretty smooth. I decide to pull out the cake stand provided me by the bride, to make sure I knew how the thing actually worked. That's when things went downhill very quickly! Assembly was really easy. Almost self explanatory. I pull out the clear plastic "glass" looking plates the cake layers are supposed to sit on while on the stand. The freaking 8" piece is MISSING!!!

After my assistant, ran all over town looking for another stand to buy, we settled on some round mirrors, which actually worked out great, cause I think they look better and they aren't cheap plastic!

My floral arrangements were courtesy of my Mammy, Sissy, and B-I-L Tay Tay! Tay Tay and EK would make FABULOUS florists doncha think???!!! Belnap Bundles of Flowers or something dumb like that!!!

I was under the impression that Shelly ordered arrangements from the local grocery store, not just individually bundled flowers. The Bride was not having any flowers of any kind at her reception, so Shelly offered to buy these for the tops cause the Bride also couldn't decide on what she wanted on top besides NOTHING! Specialty orders have to be at least two weeks in advance, so this is what the florist had in stock. The blue flowers are actually just painted baby's breath, not little cute unknown name flowers!

Anyway, here are the pics. Don't adjust your screen, the bride's colors are actually the primary colors of red, yellow, blue. Turned out better than the image I had in my head. Maybe it's the Mammy/Belnap magical floral arrangements that did the trick!

MMM Cake!

For Idyllic Ideas' birthday, I ordered her something that she'd been drooling over for a while, but never actually ordered. I was struggling with an idea, and also running out of time (even though I had tons of notice) so I came up with a brilliant plan...

Introducing one of the coolest new toys to enter my household since...well...ever! Is it a cookie? Is it cake? It's both! It is the Cookie Cake Pan!!!

According to the recipe on the box, this is what you will look like when it is all done:

It will work with any type of cake though. We made a lemon pound cake with raspberry cream cheese frosting on the inside. Idyllic did a great job while I was half sprawled out on the couch with ice on my head, and face due to my concussion and sore jaw. Next time I decide it would be fun to see what it would be like to be a brick wall, and get bull dozed over, will someone remind me it WASN'T that much fun!

I will have to get Idyllic Ideas to email me the finished product, but this is what it looks like coming right out of the pan.

Hooray for cookies. cakes, and now best of all, COOKIE CAKES!!! I think this little movie could also apply for my new friends the cookie cakes. Don't you?!