Still looking for employment.....

Well, it has been almost 5 months since I was laid off from my job and it appears to me that this is the longest and hardest job search I have ever had to undertake. It used to be fairly easy for me to find a job. I would get calls even when I was working, they were waiting for me to become available. Now, well now I can't even get a call back much less an interview. I am constantly talking to my recruiters (4) and seeing what is out there and what the heck people are looking for. I haven't given up, but I have become very discouraged. I have even applied for retail positions and no luck there either.

I guess I will continue my search and pray that something comes up soon. Being down to a 1 income family is difficult at best and with all the things going on during this very important year of high school for Madi, things are proving tighter than even I imagined.

UGH!

Hellooooooooo

Again, I must apologize for the time that has gone by since I last posted. Lets see...What has been going on??? Lots! Madi had a birthday celebration at the ice skating rink with about 18-20 of her closest friends, she really stretched this birthday out.
We went on a Leadership Retreat to Sequim, WA with the youth group from Eastside and it was beautiful. On Saturday, we had some free time and Madi and I and two of her friends went to the Olympic Game farm and saw some awesome animals. Buffalo, Bison, Llama, Deer, Elk, Peacocks, Bears, Lions, Tigers and then the usual farm animals, goats,sheep, chicken and a crazy looking rooster that looked like he imploded. It was great. We fed most of them bread through the car window and screamed our heads off when they would come through the window. It was fantastic.
I haven't done a lot of baking, however I did make these amazing cupcakes that I added some color to them so they were the color of pumpkins, they were yummy. I used cream cheese frosting to top them off.
Still on the hunt for a job, I was hoping that I would be able to find something fun to do, bakery, Target, Michaels something fun but no such luck...
Well, lots coming up in the next few weeks and then the holidays will be here before you know it. I am looking forward to them though. The winter season always makes me happy, I like the cold and the snow. To be bundled up and drinking coffee or cocoa, makes it all that much better.
Talk to you soon. Here are a couple of the sights from the Olympic Game Farm...Enjoy!

It's been awhile...

Since I posted to this blog, I guess I was a little preoccupied with my life. So, I have made a couple of cakes since I last posted and I will put those pics up in a moment, although I do have a seperate cake blog now as well.

Madilyn has started her senior year of high school and gone to her first football game and had her senior pictures taken (fabulous!). She has also weathered boy drama and BFF drama and we seem to be on the upswing...Today is Madilyn's 17th birthday and I made a cake and took it to her at school so she could share with her friends. Tonight her dad and I will take her to dinner at Teddy's in Woodinville and then back home for cake! Yay for cake! We (dad paid, I shopped) took Madi on a shopping spree for clothes for her birthday and she got some really cute stuff. Very girlie stuff I might add. I feel as though she is really embracing her femininity lately and she looks just beautiful.

Alex will be taking a trip to California the weekend of September 25th to visit his brother for the first time since their dad passed away in July. They will be scattering some of his ashes near a place they used to go as children. I know this will be a hard trip for him to make, but I am praying that once he is able to say goodbye in this way, he will have some peace knowing his father is no longer suffering. He will also be visiting his dad's wife and her son and taking ownership/possession of some precious momentos from his childhood (pictures, fishing poles etc...).

I am still looking for employment but have been getting many requests for my cakes. Which really makes me extremely happy. I have 4 cakes I will be making & getting paid for in the next few months. A couple of people I have known for a while and a new lady I met who did Madilyn's senior pictures. Her son's birthday is in January and she has already commissioned a cake from me. YAY! Also in January, my friend Vanessa's twins will be turning 2 and I will be making a cake for their party. My next door neighbor Adrian, will have a birthday in November and she has asked that I make her cake as well. So, maybe this could turn into something.

Well, here are a couple of recent photos from things we have been doing...

My first tiered fondant cake! Wilton Course 3 Finale

I am so proud, I don't know what else to say. It's a two tiered white cake with chocolate filling in the bottom and vanilla filling in the top. I modified the original idea, but with temperatures being what they have been, I needed to get out of my kitchen.

Thank you for all of your encouragement and kind words on all my cakes.

Enjoy!

More firsts on the cake decorating front...

In the past couple of weeks I have learned a couple of new things and also made my first "CUPCAKE CAKE" (see photo)

In my last cake decorating class on Monday night we learned 4 royal icing flowers and I think for a first time, I did pretty well. However, they are time consuming. I wasn't crazy about the Pointsettias, those are well, difficult at best to even get it to look like a Pointsettia. The Easter Lily wasn't bad, but with practice I think I could make it look better. The Petunia (yellow flower) was good and even looked better with the Stamens on it. But the Morning Glory for me (blue flower) was my favorite. The Morning Glory has the most steps and uses four different colors and tips, but it looked the best when finished.

I also used three of my royal icing flowers on a mini-cake I made for my husband (although kind of girlie), he will enjoy it I'm sure.

The cupcake cake I did for an RC Heli event at the Cascade Model Heli Club in Snohomish this weekend (July 24-26). I mostly did it because the guys love baked goods and it was fun for me to try. It looks alright, however I will try again in the future to make something else with a more defined design.

Thanks for stopping by. Next week is my final for my fondant class, so I will have pictures of my TIERED CAKE on Tuesday...

Bye

My First Fondant Cake...

So, working with fondant is pretty easy I found out. I was nervous at first because I have seen all the cake shows and sometimes it tears and gets bubbles, but mine didn't. It worked perfect the first time.

In looking over the web, I have seen several of these "package" cakes, all of which I am almost 100% sure are from the Wilton Method Classes that I am taking. My cake is round instead of square and I opted to not use the curls, although it might have made it a little more festive, I ran out of time. But here it is, my finished project and I am very proud.

Oh and by the way, it's filled with Strawberry Preserves at my hubby's request. So, this present is for him.

No cake next week for class, we will be making flowers with Royal Icing (fun). If I make any that are worthy of a spot on my blog, I will post them when I get home.

4th of July - Cupcakes & scared dogs

So, Happy 4th of July America. Today is a hot day in Seattle and the suburbs...(Bothell)

I decided to go out on a whim and make some cupcakes (patriot style) for a fun dessert. Yes, I have been baking alot for a woman married to a diabetic, but he really appreciates all the cakes and stuff...Really! Most of the time I end up tossing 1/2 a cake or taking it to his buddies at the flying field, let them have it so it is not laying around the house. I am posting a photo since I am pretty proud of how they turned out, No they don't have sparklers or fireworks shooting out of them, that would be dangerous to eat. But they are red, white & blue (with a hint of yellow) and will be eaten over the course of a few days...

As for the scared dogs (dog, being Dakota). Well, she will find the farthest corner of the house where she feels there is no noise and curl up in as tiny a ball as she can and shiver like crazy. I feel so bad for her. 4th of July is NOT appreciated by all, especially in the canine family. I thought we could get her a sedative for just today and she could sleep through the fireworks, but the vet says it doesn't work that way. My poor baby will just have to suffer.

Have a safe and happy 4th ALL! Enjoy the fireworks shows in your areas and be SAFE!