I guess it’s time I share my masterpiece from cake class! I have to give props where props are deserved…everyone has given me a hard time, but Kroger made my cake. I made the decorations since it was DECORATING class. Andie and I felt quite silly because the other class members decorated theirs with intricate little flowers and such, but that is just not something I have time for in my life. Seriously, it took us like two hours to make four one night…that will never happen again! But, I can cut out circles and shapes, so that’s what I did! I was quite pleased with the way it turned out. Friday was Stephen’s birthday so I decorated my cake for him.

Happy Birthday, Stephen!

Puppy Tested and Approved

I have now tested the “Peanut Butter Puppy Poppers” on 5 different dogs, and they all love them! Even my mom’s picky eater, Beamer, came back begging for more. I will definitely make these again, and I definitely suggest you trying them for your canine companions!

Happy Birthday Martha!

Today Stephen’s dog, Martha, is 1 year old! So, in honor of her I decided to make her some homemade cookies (dog friendly of course). The recipe was super simple, just 4 ingredients, and they were really fun to make. I bought bone shaped cookie cutters a while back, but I haven’t gotten a chance to use them until now. I let Pixie be my taste tester, and I think they’re a winner. I wouldn’t suggest people eating them though….trust me- not very tasty!

 

“Peanut Butter Puppy Poppers”

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 cup peanut butter (I used smooth, but your choice)
1 cup milk 
    *I also added about 1 teaspoon of honey just to sweeten it a bit

-Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder, mix well. In another bowl, mix peanut butter, milk, and honey (if using). Work at the wet mixture with a whisk, it’ll come together in a about 2 minutes. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix well. Your hands will be the best method for this. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll dough to about ¼ inch thickness (mine may have been a little thicker because the dough tends to start breaking a bit while rolling) and cut into shapes. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes….the recipe says they may burn easily so I baked them for 16 minutes, then let me sit in the oven while turned off for about another 2-3 minutes. They came out perfect!

Isn't it funny?

Isn't it funny how last week I felt terrible…congested head, runny nose, the works. It went away Friday afternoon. Monday morning it's back. Strange, but thank you head cold for knowing when to go away!

Head Board

I still need something to add to the bedding, but I love my headboard!  It was very simple to make.  (Especially since my dad made it for me :) )  Sorry it took so long to get pictures up of it; he made it probably 2 months ago!  All you need is plywood cut in the shape you want, foam, spray adhesive, batting, material, and a staple gun.  Stick the foam to the board with the spray. Make sure you have spray that is suitable for foam. Pull the batting over the board and secure with a staple gun in the back, then repeat with your material. 

A Good Effort

Found something out about myself lately. I don't have an eye for flowers, nor am I meant to be a florist. I went to my third flower class last night, and I did not have a good experience! First of all, I figured out that most of the people in that class (other than the ones who actually own a flower shop and are professional florists) wait for the teacher to come to their station and make the arrangement for them. Well, I didn’t want to do that! So, I started along with my flowers. Once the teacher made her way to me, I got a “well you might as well go on with it”. Apparently there was no helping me. I told her I liked them and went on with it. Once I was done (like 10 minutes later…I don’t see why it takes some people 2 hours to make an arrangement! I don’t have that kind of time or patience!) I sat back and thought it was pretty. I mean keep in mind that I'm not trying to sell this to anyone. Anyway, at the end of the class the teacher then proceeded to go around the class holding everyone’s arrangements up to show and go on and on how perfect and pretty they are. She got to me last… I asked her not to, but she insisted. She held mine up and gave me “a good effort”. Then she told the class how it should have been done. Needless to say, I was fighting back tears this whole time! They came later of course. This taught me a very valuable lesson. It showed me how it feels to not "get" something, so I need to be more patient and understanding with other people. It also reinforced the importance of constructive criticism. I ended up giving my flowers to my mama because she was not feeling well, and she loved them! Her and my dad both told me how pretty they are! That was all I needed to hear. I don’t think I’ll be going back next week.  I don't want to be a quitter, but life is too short to continue something if it's not enjoyable. I'll just stick to my fresh cut flowers stuck in a vase!

I’ve done it again! I’ve made my schedule so completely busy, I don’t have time to breathe. I really do wish there were more hours in the day…wishful thinking… I do this to myself, so I can’t blame anyone. But, I enjoy keeping myself busy. I get bored pretty easily just sitting at home. So, I joined another class. This time I’m taking a cake decorating class at Hobby Lobby. Apparently it’s the third class in a series of three. I was supposed to start with the first one obviously, but it was on a Friday night. That was never going to happen! So, I started with fondant and gum paste. My friend, Andie, joined me, and we had so much fun! This is a 4 session class, so I only have 3 more sessions. Each session lasts 2 hours. We made a bow and started learning how to make flowers. I have to keep up with this stuff (and not let it break) for the next month. Each week we bring back what we did previously and add to it. In the end we will have a finished product. This is what mine SHOULD look like when all is said and done. We shall see!