what's been going on...

A lot has been going on so far in 2010. I've been taking a big-time break from the photography business... but now I'm slowly catching up on all my editing. It's been a really nice break! Some friends and I hosted a baby shower for another friend (see cake baking disaster post below). We had the shower at my house, and it was so cool to see so many people in it. It works great for parties! We had a good turn out for the shower. Only a few minor issues with the fact that we have a long, skinny driveway and if one person needed to leave, everyone behind them had to back out onto the highway. Note to self.... we need to create a turnaround point in the yard...

Speaking of cake baking disaster. Our second attempt actually turned out pretty good for a bunch of amateurs! This time we sprayed each pan with Pam (instead of crisco shortening) and we also put some parchment paper down inside of them. We had ZERO issues with the cakes sticking. WOO HOO! We whipped up some vanilla instant pudding to use as a filler between layers. Then we iced each tier (2 layers each) with the homemade buttercream icing and then let them chill in the fridge. Then came the most difficult part... rolling out the marshmallow fondant. This junk is sticky! It didn't matter what we did, it wanted to stick to everything! Also, the only fondant that turned out pretty darn good was the orange color. We have no idea why it turned out better than the other colors. It was a little harder and less sticky. All the others were still soft like marshmallows and wanted to fall apart...

Anyway... let's cut to the chase... the cake tasted yummy! Everyone kept asking where we got it from or who made it. Yippeeeee!!!



What else has been going on.... well let's see. There was this puppy named Gumbo. Was... is... basically what I mean is that we brought her back to the breeder. I know... I'm a HORRIBLE person... but I did what was best for 1) gumbo 2) our sanity. Gumbo was a beautiful puppy and really such a sweet heart. Some family is going to be lucky to have her! While I enjoyed the fact that she wanted to be a lap dog, she just couldn't deal with being left alone. She HAD to be touching you at all times. Otherwise, she'd whine and howl like it was going out of style. And that was just during the day time. At night... it was 10x worse! We just couldn't take it any more (yes, I already said I'm an awful person). I KNOW puppies need attention. I KNOW puppies whine a lot. But this was something different. It's not like we never raised puppies before. I mean, technically, Buster is still a puppy even though he's 80 pounds!

Ok, I think I'm really just typing that out for myself as a reminder that we did the right thing. Even as cute as she was (and boy, was she cute!)... it was the right thing.... IT WAS THE RIGHT THING!

hahaha ok... on another note... HUNTER IS GRADUATING!!!!!! This is his last week of Basic Training Academy. His banquet is this Friday night, and his graduation is on Monday. For our 4 year (dating) anniversary... which is tomorrow... he is driving home in his unit! How cool is that??? I'm so stinking proud of him. Seriously... I know I couldn't do what he's been doing the past few months. And I'm even more proud at how well he did on his weekly tests. He really surprised me with that!

We are throwing a big party for him at our house on the 30th. With some assistance and guidance from dearest Jenny, I made these super cute invitations:



Hopefully I'll remember to bring my camera to all the graduation festivities so I can post them on here!

cake baking disaster....

I realized last night that I have never baked a cake before. I mean, sure, I've probably mixed the batter and put it in the oven... only for my mom to do everything else with it (take it out of the pan, icing, etc).

Last night I helped a friend (who has just as much experience as I do) bake a cake for a co-worker. We decided to try and make a marshmallow fondant, and buttercream from scratch. We succeeded at the MMF and buttercream... but failed miserably at what should be the easiest thing... baking the cake.

Now before you even ask.... Yes, we greased the pans, AND floured them! But, I think our problem was that we let them sit too long and cool off before removing them from the pans.

The images speak for themselves...

Our work area


The buttercream icing


The Marshmallow Fondant (MMF)


The disaster


We thought covering it with icing would help...


So tonight we are going to attempt to cover the cake with the fondant and decorate it. The fondant is supposed to go on a smooth surface... This should be interesting!!!

goal for the new year...

I'm one of those people that half-hazardly sets new year's resolutions each year. I'll start off strong for about a week, then before I know it another year has passed and I'm making the same "resolutions" once again. I know I'm not alone!

So this year I'm just setting a goal for myself, along with a few friends of mine. The goal is "couch to 5k." After my friend Theresa's gives birth to baby Ethan in March, we are going to seriously start training ourselves to run a 5k. I've somewhat run one before... the Dirty Diva back in October... but I walked through most of it and it took me a little over 40 minutes to run 3.1 miles! Granted, there were obstacles, and a torrential downpour... it was pathetic. So, we have set a goal of 30 minutes! We just feel like if the Biggest Loser contestants can run a 26 mile marathon... why can't we run a 5k in 30 minutes?

I've already started on my goal. Nothing hard core right now, just bumping up my cardio with Walk Away the Pounds and I will also be doing some of the p90x workouts. Last night Hunter and I did p90x Yoga. It was intense! He nearly finished the full hour, but I quit less than halfway through. It was virtually impossible since I have rods in my back. :( Tonight I will try the Ab Ripper... though I'm not sure how that will work since I'm technically not supposed to do situps!

With all of that aside... I decided what better way to make me want to pursue my goal other than posting some before pictures? Every time I will look at these pictures and remember how I don't want to be that girl any more.

So without further adue... here I am in all my out-of-shape and crooked-as-can-be glory: (PS I know I'm not fat by any means, but I am completely out of shape and would like to tone up!)





Now you have seen me in ALL my glory... or lack there of ha!

Another goal, for me and Hunter, is to eat healthier. We (or maybe it's just me) are trying to cut out carbonated drinks. I normally have one coke a day, which is totally ok to have. If anything, one coke a day does not make someone fat! I would love to completely cut out caffiene and carbonated drinks. It's just so hard to go through a work day with no caffiene LOL! I need that perk at lunch time! I am also trying to cut out fried foods. The only thing I ever really fry at home is okra. At least it's a vegetable, right?

Becoming a healthier person is not just about dieting or exercise. It's got to be a combination of both. I don't think anyone has to drastically change their diet if they are truly committing to exercising. It's ok to have "bad foods" in moderation! I could never deprive my Italian roots of all that bread and pasta ;) I'll just have to work harder in the gym to work those carbs off ;)

Well, in order to keep up with my goals... I am also going to set a goal of posting photos of myself each month. Same outfit and everything (maybe I'll work on the hairdo and makeup this time). I can't wait to see my progress throughout this year!