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A different kind of post...

Sunday, we will have another person with a very special birthday in this house. My husband Matt gets to celebrate the big 3-0!  To make his 30th really special, we've been trying to do a little something special for him each day this week.  Monday, we made fried chicken for dinner, a rare and wonderful treat that he really loves!  You know, I've been trying to figure out how to cook fried chicken for the entire 6.5 + years we've been married and Monday, I finally made the perfect batch!  It wasn't too burnt on the outside...or over cooked on the inside!  Trust me, it's a miracle!  Tuesday we had hamburgers for dinner.  Wednesday, the boys and I made soft oatmeal cookies.  (It's a running joke...I always made hard cookies at home because Dad liked them that way, and being a scatter brained, always trying to waaaay over multitask personality, it's a good thing!  'Cause my cookies were usually pretty hard...or even a bit crispy...or even a little burnt!  Matt LOVES SOFT cookies...like super soft cookies.  Like cookies so soft they are almost not cooked.  I've also been trying to make those right for the 6.5+ years we've been married!  That's another post for another day though.)  Today we baked Matt's favorite cake!  My boys love helping in the kitchen, so here's a little glimpse into what it looks like when the three of us cook together...

 The boys got to peel the paper off the Margarine...and yes, I use margarine in this recipe.  Don't ask me why, but butter just DOES NOT WORK.  I've tried it.  The cake always comes out dry and crumbly when I used butter.  So we use Margarine...just for this recipe though. ;)

 Yep, it gets a little messy.  Timmy does not like messes.  I had to get him to refrain from washing his hands until we were completely finished.  He's so cute about that!

 Okay!  What's next, Mom?

 The goods, ready to get mixed...almost!

 Next is the sugar.

 Ethan, patiently waiting his turn.  (He really enjoyed his chocolate Shakeology this morning, can't you tell?)

 Timmy is VERY precise.  He's going to be good at details, like his sweet daddy.

 Into the goodies it goes!

 Now Ethan gets to try his hand at it!

 Timmy, waiting for his next turn.

 Mmm!!  Yummy!!  I have ALWAYS loveeed watching the grease and the sugar cream together and get fluffy, ooohhh, so fluffy!  I'd take a lick now in my younger days...when I was "straight as a stovepipe" so my dentist told me when I was about 10.  (I did not think that was very nice of him at the time, but you'd have to know our dentist then.  He was like an uncle to us.)

 This stuff makes some yummy yummy baked goods taste even yummier!

 Oooohhh, the eggs!!!  This part, always makes me nervous...especially when you're teaching 3 and 4 year old boys how to do it.

 They did a really good job though!  No eggshells in this cake!

 Now for the flour....hehe, that part got pretty messy!

 And prep the pans...

 Mr. Cutie woke up from his nap and got to watch.

 I always line just the bottoms of my pans with parchment paper.  It works like a charm every time.  NO more cakes sticking!!

 Mmmm!!  Yummy!!

 And into the oven they go!!  I'm so proud of my little bakers!

Finished and ready for the extra yummy stuff: Daddy's favorite chocolate icing. That's a post for another day too. =)

Ethan's 3rd Birthday!

I'm slightly behind in my blogging, but I did another birthday cake a couple of weeks ago.  This time it was for my second born, Ethan.  Ethan has such a cute little personality.  As a baby, I couldn't have had two different kids.  Timmy was full of personality, very smiley and bubbly.  Ethan was so even keeled.  He still didn't spend much time sleeping, but he was pretty easy going.  He was always fascinated with whatever Timmy was up to.  You could tell that he just couldn't wait to get up and follow Timmy around.  It didn't take long enough for him to be up and around after his big brother, just a few steps ahead of him in development.

Ethan enjoys life to the fullest!  He's really messy, and I think that's so cute because he just enjoys life that way!  He didn't walk until he was about 15 mon. old, but man, that boy could crawl!  I had an oooold pair of black jeans that I would put on him to go outside.  He would crawl just about as fast as Timmy would run, through leaves, mud, you name it, it wasn't going to stop Ethan.

Now, Ethan is full of personality!  He laughs and giggles very easily.  Everything is funny to him, especially at bedtime, ha ha!  He's also very tender and loves hugs and snuggles.  When Matt and I took him out for dinner on his birthday, he asked to sit by Daddy.  He kept giving Matt hugs and sitting right up against him the whole dinner.  He likes back scratches.  He LOVES his big brother Timmy.  I love sitting and talking with him.  He's very exact about what he wants to tell me, but he's never in a hurry. And I think has the most adorable blue eyes ever! (Well, really, all my boys do. ;))

Ethan couldn't decide what he wanted for his birthday cake.  First it was Buzz Lightyear.  Then it was a Pirate Ship.  Then he saw Timmy's Mack cake and wanted that.  Then for a few weeks, he went back and forth between the whole lot of them. Finally, he very firmly decided that he wanted Mack, just like his big brother!  So here's Ethan, with his very own Mack.  Happy Birthday Big Boy!  I love you!

Timmy's 4th Birthday

Last weekend was my oldest son, Timmy's 4th birthday.  I can hardly believe he's already 4!!!  It seems like just yesterday, he was my little sidekick, always tagging along with mommy to do most everything.  As a baby, he didn't like to sleep too much, but he was a pretty happy kid when he was awake and so pretty much from day one, we did most everything together.  He liked to go grocery shopping.  As a baby, when other mom's would be pushing sleeping infants around the grocery store, he would sit in his little car seat in the buggy and just look around at everything while I shopped.  He was such a smiley, happy baby!  He would laugh at just about anything and since he was the first grandchild and nephew on both sides of the family, he had plenty of opportunities to smile and laugh for people. He charmed everyone.

When he was 13 1/2 mon. old, his little brother Ethan joined the family.  Timmy didn't know what to think at first, of me or his little brother, but it wasn't long before the little infant became mobile and they learned to play together.

Timmy is really thoughtful.  He checks outside to make sure that all the toys are in after they play.  He wants to make sure that the cover is on the sandbox.  He does his best to make sure that Ethan stays in line, whether that's when we're at home or when we're out places.  He likes it when I give him responsibility.  I can really see him growing up and changing.  I have to remind myself to hang on to every moment because he's growing up really fast.  He really craves one on one time.  I've started saving a special time in the afternoon when my other boys are down for a nap just to spend some time with him.  We usually read books.  That's something we've done together since he was about 2 weeks old.  I like talking with him during this time too.  He can ask some pretty serious questions.  Timmy also loves gifts.  He can remember who gave him what for what birthday and Christmas time.  Even when I or someone else gives him a tiny little trinket, it means the world to him.  It makes him feel very loved that the person thought of him and gave him a gift.

This year he requested Mack, the truck from Cars.  He's actually had this cake picked out since his birthday last year.  I'm not kidding.  He has talked about his Mack ever since.  He was so sweet and kept thanking me for making his Mack Cake.  He loved it and that's what makes it worth it.  I love you, Tim!!

~Southern Bride~

Tonight, a beautiful wedding took place at the historic Decatur Courthouse.  What a beautiful venue!  Sunset was streaming through the huge vintage windows of the ballroom when I arrived with the cakes.  Hurricane lamps sat on the spacious window sills and created a soft glow for a very romantic wedding.  Congratulations, Ellen!  What a gorgeous wedding!!

Baseball Coach Birthday

Today's cake was a birthday cake for a long time baseball coach.  From what I was told, the man has dedicated his life to children and their baseball experience.  They specifically asked that I include the logo for the baseball team on the cake.

I also like the challenge to branch out with sheet-like cakes.   I have always dreaded making single layer, square or rectangular type cakes because, well, they just tend to remind me of run-of-the-mill grocery store sheet cakes. YUCK!  (Now, if you buy these kinds of cakes, that's totally fine!  I think it just irks the creative side of me!)  So, that being said, I'm always looking for ways to make sheet cakes, look special, and not like a typical sheet cake.

ENJOY!

A little closer shot of the logo.

Whimsical Daisies

This week, I got to make a whimsical daisy cake!  This was for another returning customer.  I just love it when my clients return for more cakes!  Don't you just love the pink and green colors she chose?