I bake.

I bake.
Did you know that?
My favorite thing to bake is cake.
Decorating the deliciousness that is cake may well be on my top ten list of favorite things to do.

A pretty & delicious cake is such a wonderful thing in my book. Lucky for me, I've had many opportunities to share my love with others.

Most recently...

Red Velvet Cake with a fluffy cream cheese butter-cream.  

Red Velvet cake via Bakarella

Classic American buttercream via Glorious Treats

 

 Me with the birthday girl.  Love this girl like a sister. So lucky to have found her.(my sisters live too far away:)

 

Moose Crunch Cake 

via Our Best Bites

Birthday Girls!

 Home made apple pie with my very first lattice crust.

Recipe via Our Best Bites(again! I love their cookbook)

 

 My Russell turned 4 this month. He requested an Angry Birds cake.

 I made everything from scratch. 

Except for some of the accessories for the birds. 

The bodies of the birds and pigs are cake balls, dipped in dipping chocolate(white) I colored myself. 

Their eyes are candy eyes you can purchase inexpensively from Wilton. (they carried them at the Walmart here)  I molded the beaks, feathers, crown & mouths(for the pigs) from laffy taffy candies(then dipped them in chocolate if needed) 

The pig noses are the delicious mint M&M's you can buy in a pouch(so good) and I used a food marker to draw on the black dots for the nose.

The white bellies on the red and yellow birds and the tiny eggs in the nest is the only fondant I used.  

The nest is made of crispy Chinese noodles covered in chocolate and molded into a nest before letting harden.

To attach all of the parts to the bodies I used dipping chocolate in the same color as the bird(or pig) it was going on. 

The "wooden" sling shot and structure the pigs sit on is made from kit-kats I welded together with melted chocolate and then let harden.

For the angry eyebrows I tinted a small amount of dipping chocolate black and piped it on.

The cake itself is yummy classic vanilla(at Russell's request)

recipe via Sweetapolita

I used my favorite cream cheese butter-cream frosting to frost the layers and crumb coat and then I tinted it grass green for decorating.

 I always decorate the night before a birthday. It's tradition to wake up to balloons. My favorite moment of Russell's big day--When he came running into my room first thing in the morning to announce, 

"MOM, it's raining balloons!"

Yes, yes it is Russell. Just for you.

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There are so many reasons why I haven't been seen much around this neck of the woods.

Some of those reasons are heart melting.
Some of them are heart wrenching.

Life is so beautiful.
A kaleidoscope of  colors and shapes, experiences and emotions.
I am constantly reminded of change and growth as the wheel of time turns round and round.
It's not always easy, or simple, but it's always, beautiful.

It's so hard to know what I should write.
I've thought about the words I'd like to use, and want to be careful to share only what I desire to remember. Holding in my heart the things I could never forget.

Before I go on I should first say that I no longer have an accessible camera. So I use my phone to record most events and thoughts now.  It's different and not so nice but for now, the positive side is that it's so portable and convenient. Plus, I love me some Instagram! Most of the photos here are taken from there. Want to follow me? look up Galsmiles. I'd love to see your photos too!

Way back when, I went with some lovely ladies to see a musical. It was a lovely night out.

 

Snow on the coast! What a rarity. (yes, that's the bay and the ocean you see in there)

Good friends visit occasionally and it's always a fun time. Miss you Camber!

Combing the low tides for sea creatures is a favorite past time.

 

Sometimes snack time is holiday fun time too.(st. patrick's day)

 

Bedtime snack. A little bread and butter. 

Occasionally Sam desires to paint his own face. The results are always fascinating.

  

The wild life around here are fearless.

We like to venture out to the city in search of adventure, good shopping and yummy pretzels.

 

Portland Zoo

Wooded walks in Portland




We welcome summer in all its glory. Long Days, sunny beaches, and popsicles all day long.

 

A new nephew. Oh so sweet. Oh so loved.

 

My view every night. Sunset over the ocean.

This newest addition to our home. My mother loves me so.

I could keep going. But I think I'll categorize my other photos into individual posts.

It's so hard to catch up when one gets so behind!  I'm sure you might have started wondering just where we were! But worry not.  I may have needed a short break from, well, everything, but I've started missing my journaling. We'll be seeing you more now.

XOXO
Jess

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