Here are the results from my 2012 resolution. Not bad!
I'm taking this off the sidebar and hoping to make another project resolution for 2015. Maybe slightly different - thinking finance/minimalism related. Maybe another house fix-up though!
January
Replace toilet seal in master bath
February
Buy fire extinguisher
Hang shelf rack above toilet in master bath
Re-hang exterior shutter
Reorganize both bathrooms
Fix running toilet in master bath
Reorganize guest room closet
Reorganize hallway cleaning closet
Reorganize attic
Reorganize pantry
March
Remove bird's nest and fix broken screen in attic
Update front yard landscaping
April
Paint entry hall
May
Check security light and replace bulb
Put house numbers on mailbox
Replace busted back door knob
Renovate backyard flower bed
Decorate entry hall
June
Hang pictures in entry hall
Plant rose bushes
Paint fireplace in den
July
Paint den
August
Reorganize master bedroom closet
September
Fix leaky master bathroom sink
October
Paint back hallway
November
Paint brass doors on fireplace black
December
Purchase frames for gallery wall
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Monday, March 10, 2014
Clara and Hazel's birth story
I'm sitting in the nursery, keeping an eye on our beautiful sleeping
twin girls. 6am, and I finally have a little time to jot down how they
got here.
I worked my last day on Friday, February 28. My blood pressure had been running high enough that my doctor wanted me to stop working. I was in the office until noon and finished the rest of the day at home. I took it easy, and other than a conference call, mostly rested and checked email.
We sat down to dinner, chicken breast and steamed broccoli, around 7pm. I wasn't very hungry, so I didn't eat much. I started having these gas-like cramps, but I wasn't passing a lot of gas or anything. I went to the bathroom a couple of times. After dinner, Kim took Katie and Penny to Hobby Lobby to pick out some stuff for a craft project. While she was gone, I started to suspect these cramps were actually contractions. I texted Kim and called my mom. We started making a plan for what to do with Penny in case we had to go to the hospital.
Around 11pm, I was starting to have pretty regular, timetable contractions 4-5 min apart, so I took my blood pressure. It was fairly high, so I took that as a sign that I needed to at least get checked. I was at 2-2.5 cm at my last appointment, so I figured this could possibly be the real thing. Kim stayed at our house so we could go to the hospital.
We got to the hospital just after midnight on March 1. I was actually really glad of the timing because it put us at exactly 36 weeks gestation. Every week counts! They put a bracelet on me and a nurse came and took us back to a room. She hooked me up to three monitors (one for contractions and one for each baby), and once they noticed my contractions were coming every 1-2 minutes (what??), they started me an IV of fluids to make sure I wasn't just contracting from dehydration. They took a bunch of blood to check on a bunch of things, and we settled in to wait and see if they were going to keep us or send us home.
We waited until about 3 or 4 in the morning before the nurse came back in and told us that, based on my contractions (which had slowed to every 5 min or so, but hadn't stopped or gotten any weaker) and my blood work, which showed high levels of uric acid (which can lead to seizures in the mother), I was going to have some babies today! Which was both exciting and terrifying to hear. The contractions were strong enough that, now that I knew I was staying, I went ahead and requested an epidural. I was concerned about labor moving quickly because it wasn't my first pregnancy, and I also wanted to have my epidural in place so that if they had to perform an unplanned c section, they could easily numb me up and not have to put me under in an emergency.
Around 7am, there was a shift change, and the new on call doctor, Dr. Williams, had them start me on Pitocin and break the closest bag of waters. Both babies were head down, so the plan was to try for a vaginal delivery (my preference, and also how Penny was born). Things were progressing pretty well until I got to about 6-7cm dilated. Dr. Williams performed the check and said, “I feel a face.” She frowned and said, “I'm not very comfortable with this.” Apparently, instead of trying to descend top of the head first, baby A was trying to peek out with her face. The doctor explained that this could cause neck injuries to her if she was born facing that way, or even issues like cord prolapse, where the cord comes out first and cuts off the baby's oxygen. She told me she wasn't going to rush me, but it looked like we were heading for a c section. She had the nurse turn me on my left side to see if the baby would move a little. I'll admit, once she left the room, I started freaking out a little. I called my mom and sister and let them know I might be headed for surgery. At this point, Cory was the only one at the hospital with me. They started hurrying to get there to see me just in case. I might have cried a little. I knew we would all be alright, but I just hadn't expected this little wrench. I figured I would either know I was headed for surgery in advance, or get to try pushing and have to convert to a c section. This was something different. A slight difference that changed everything.
Turning me on one side and then the other didn't help. The doctor gave me a little extra time to wait, which allowed my mom and sister to make it to see me. I really appreciate how kind Dr. Williams was in this situation; she did her best to allow me some control when I really didn't have any. She came back to check on me, and I told her I was ready. At that point, everyone sprang into action. They briefed me on how it would go and started giving me anti nausea meds and upping my epidural for the surgery. I said goodbye to my mom and Kim, and they wheeled me away, Cory following behind.
They had Cory put on scrubs outside the OR while they prepped me. I was totally naked and could see my reflection in the lights above me, which creeped me out a little. I remember being relieved when they put the sheet up; they angled it so I couldn't see them or anything else past my chest. Then they let Cory back in and he stood by my face and they began. I didn't feel any pain, thank God. That was one of my worries, that the pain medication wouldn't take fast enough or something. I do remember being so tired that my eyelids felt heavy. I was trying not to fall asleep while they worked.
I didn't have to wait long. After some vague pulling and tugging sensations, baby A, Clara Rhea, was born at 11:20am. Baby B, Hazel Marie, followed right after at 11:21am. Cory got to hold both of them and bring them to me. He was the one who thought A looked like a Clara, and B looked like a Hazel. I agreed immediately and that was it for names! Clara cried right away, and Hazel made softer noises but did okay. They were concerned about Hazel's breathing at first, but then she started screaming and they worried a lot less about it, haha. The decision was made that they didn't need to go to the NICU, so after they closed me up, we all headed to my recovery room together.
My twins' birth was so different from Penny's birth I can hardly compare them. Pretty much everything that could have been different, was. I can't imagine only having one of them, though. We're adjusting to being a family of five and it's pretty great. After I had Penny, I knew our family still wasn't complete. I wanted to experience pregnancy again, and I felt like someone was missing from our family. Now, I feel like we're all here. Cory and I and our three girls. It was a little more than we bargained for, but it feels wonderful and exactly right.
I worked my last day on Friday, February 28. My blood pressure had been running high enough that my doctor wanted me to stop working. I was in the office until noon and finished the rest of the day at home. I took it easy, and other than a conference call, mostly rested and checked email.
We sat down to dinner, chicken breast and steamed broccoli, around 7pm. I wasn't very hungry, so I didn't eat much. I started having these gas-like cramps, but I wasn't passing a lot of gas or anything. I went to the bathroom a couple of times. After dinner, Kim took Katie and Penny to Hobby Lobby to pick out some stuff for a craft project. While she was gone, I started to suspect these cramps were actually contractions. I texted Kim and called my mom. We started making a plan for what to do with Penny in case we had to go to the hospital.
Around 11pm, I was starting to have pretty regular, timetable contractions 4-5 min apart, so I took my blood pressure. It was fairly high, so I took that as a sign that I needed to at least get checked. I was at 2-2.5 cm at my last appointment, so I figured this could possibly be the real thing. Kim stayed at our house so we could go to the hospital.
We got to the hospital just after midnight on March 1. I was actually really glad of the timing because it put us at exactly 36 weeks gestation. Every week counts! They put a bracelet on me and a nurse came and took us back to a room. She hooked me up to three monitors (one for contractions and one for each baby), and once they noticed my contractions were coming every 1-2 minutes (what??), they started me an IV of fluids to make sure I wasn't just contracting from dehydration. They took a bunch of blood to check on a bunch of things, and we settled in to wait and see if they were going to keep us or send us home.
We waited until about 3 or 4 in the morning before the nurse came back in and told us that, based on my contractions (which had slowed to every 5 min or so, but hadn't stopped or gotten any weaker) and my blood work, which showed high levels of uric acid (which can lead to seizures in the mother), I was going to have some babies today! Which was both exciting and terrifying to hear. The contractions were strong enough that, now that I knew I was staying, I went ahead and requested an epidural. I was concerned about labor moving quickly because it wasn't my first pregnancy, and I also wanted to have my epidural in place so that if they had to perform an unplanned c section, they could easily numb me up and not have to put me under in an emergency.
Around 7am, there was a shift change, and the new on call doctor, Dr. Williams, had them start me on Pitocin and break the closest bag of waters. Both babies were head down, so the plan was to try for a vaginal delivery (my preference, and also how Penny was born). Things were progressing pretty well until I got to about 6-7cm dilated. Dr. Williams performed the check and said, “I feel a face.” She frowned and said, “I'm not very comfortable with this.” Apparently, instead of trying to descend top of the head first, baby A was trying to peek out with her face. The doctor explained that this could cause neck injuries to her if she was born facing that way, or even issues like cord prolapse, where the cord comes out first and cuts off the baby's oxygen. She told me she wasn't going to rush me, but it looked like we were heading for a c section. She had the nurse turn me on my left side to see if the baby would move a little. I'll admit, once she left the room, I started freaking out a little. I called my mom and sister and let them know I might be headed for surgery. At this point, Cory was the only one at the hospital with me. They started hurrying to get there to see me just in case. I might have cried a little. I knew we would all be alright, but I just hadn't expected this little wrench. I figured I would either know I was headed for surgery in advance, or get to try pushing and have to convert to a c section. This was something different. A slight difference that changed everything.
Turning me on one side and then the other didn't help. The doctor gave me a little extra time to wait, which allowed my mom and sister to make it to see me. I really appreciate how kind Dr. Williams was in this situation; she did her best to allow me some control when I really didn't have any. She came back to check on me, and I told her I was ready. At that point, everyone sprang into action. They briefed me on how it would go and started giving me anti nausea meds and upping my epidural for the surgery. I said goodbye to my mom and Kim, and they wheeled me away, Cory following behind.
They had Cory put on scrubs outside the OR while they prepped me. I was totally naked and could see my reflection in the lights above me, which creeped me out a little. I remember being relieved when they put the sheet up; they angled it so I couldn't see them or anything else past my chest. Then they let Cory back in and he stood by my face and they began. I didn't feel any pain, thank God. That was one of my worries, that the pain medication wouldn't take fast enough or something. I do remember being so tired that my eyelids felt heavy. I was trying not to fall asleep while they worked.
I didn't have to wait long. After some vague pulling and tugging sensations, baby A, Clara Rhea, was born at 11:20am. Baby B, Hazel Marie, followed right after at 11:21am. Cory got to hold both of them and bring them to me. He was the one who thought A looked like a Clara, and B looked like a Hazel. I agreed immediately and that was it for names! Clara cried right away, and Hazel made softer noises but did okay. They were concerned about Hazel's breathing at first, but then she started screaming and they worried a lot less about it, haha. The decision was made that they didn't need to go to the NICU, so after they closed me up, we all headed to my recovery room together.
My twins' birth was so different from Penny's birth I can hardly compare them. Pretty much everything that could have been different, was. I can't imagine only having one of them, though. We're adjusting to being a family of five and it's pretty great. After I had Penny, I knew our family still wasn't complete. I wanted to experience pregnancy again, and I felt like someone was missing from our family. Now, I feel like we're all here. Cory and I and our three girls. It was a little more than we bargained for, but it feels wonderful and exactly right.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
June, July, August fixes!
I got a few things done in June that I had been meaning to do. I finally put the finishing touches on the front hallway by hanging some art and pictures:
I planted rose bushes! Five different colors: Drop Dead Red, Queen Mary 2 (white), Pink Traviata, Ch-Ching (yellow), and Just Joey (peach). They are budding like crazy right now and I'm so glad I put something I love in that flower bed!
I also have been wanting to redo our den a little bit. I'm picturing painting the room a lighter color so the room will appear bigger and lighter. To start, I painted our fireplace white. I've been looking at so many pictures of white fireplaces online, and I love how clean and bright they look. It also reinforces it as a focal point in the room. Our fireplace was already painted, so I just got some semi-gloss white paint and went to town on it. I painted it all in one night! Two coats was about right for this job. I love it!
In July, I put another big paint change into place. I finally painted the den. No more purple! I loved the purple so much, but I really wanted to incorporate more colors (specifically blues and greens), and the purple kept me from adding too much color in accessories, and didn't really match the furniture we already had. So I brought the paint color in the hallway forward into the den. It's so much brighter; it feels like we have more lights on at night!
In August, I didn't have much time for major fixes, but I got on a smaller project I've been meaning to do. Our master closet has been a mess for a while, with things thrown up haphazardly on shelves, and wasted space at the bottom. While I'd love for us to be able to afford a new closet shelving system, I found some things around the house and did this little fixup for free! Not to mention it was a great excuse to throw away and donate some stuff and get rid of some clutter. I organized purses and scarves into bins at the top, and added a second hanger rack on the right side so I could double the number of short items hung. So much more space! I also removed the sliding doors from the front (not pictured) because they kept getting in the way. Now I don't mind looking at the closet, and it's easier to find everything, too.
I planted rose bushes! Five different colors: Drop Dead Red, Queen Mary 2 (white), Pink Traviata, Ch-Ching (yellow), and Just Joey (peach). They are budding like crazy right now and I'm so glad I put something I love in that flower bed!
I also have been wanting to redo our den a little bit. I'm picturing painting the room a lighter color so the room will appear bigger and lighter. To start, I painted our fireplace white. I've been looking at so many pictures of white fireplaces online, and I love how clean and bright they look. It also reinforces it as a focal point in the room. Our fireplace was already painted, so I just got some semi-gloss white paint and went to town on it. I painted it all in one night! Two coats was about right for this job. I love it!
In July, I put another big paint change into place. I finally painted the den. No more purple! I loved the purple so much, but I really wanted to incorporate more colors (specifically blues and greens), and the purple kept me from adding too much color in accessories, and didn't really match the furniture we already had. So I brought the paint color in the hallway forward into the den. It's so much brighter; it feels like we have more lights on at night!
In August, I didn't have much time for major fixes, but I got on a smaller project I've been meaning to do. Our master closet has been a mess for a while, with things thrown up haphazardly on shelves, and wasted space at the bottom. While I'd love for us to be able to afford a new closet shelving system, I found some things around the house and did this little fixup for free! Not to mention it was a great excuse to throw away and donate some stuff and get rid of some clutter. I organized purses and scarves into bins at the top, and added a second hanger rack on the right side so I could double the number of short items hung. So much more space! I also removed the sliding doors from the front (not pictured) because they kept getting in the way. Now I don't mind looking at the closet, and it's easier to find everything, too.
Monday, June 04, 2012
May Fixes
It's June already! How did that happen? Well, I'm ready to show you what got done in May. I think I was subconsciously trying to make up for what didn't get done in April.
We hung a shelf in the newly painted hallway, and I hung a mirror and changed out the light fixture! Surprisingly not that hard. I did have to spackle the ceiling where the hole was just a little too big.
Before and after:
And the piece de resistance: I spent the entire three-day Memorial Day weekend removing unwanted plants, shrubs, trees, and weeds from the flower bed that runs along the back of the house, and replanting some brand-new hydrangeas (and transplanting one old one). Day and night, people. Day and night difference, here.
We hung a shelf in the newly painted hallway, and I hung a mirror and changed out the light fixture! Surprisingly not that hard. I did have to spackle the ceiling where the hole was just a little too big.
Before and after:
I got a new doorknob for the back door (the old one kept falling out)!
And the piece de resistance: I spent the entire three-day Memorial Day weekend removing unwanted plants, shrubs, trees, and weeds from the flower bed that runs along the back of the house, and replanting some brand-new hydrangeas (and transplanting one old one). Day and night, people. Day and night difference, here.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
March and April fixes
In March, I tackled the gross job of removing a bird's best from the vent in our attic and stapling up new screens. No pictures of that, but I do have a before-and-after of the other March project - updating some of the front landscaping! I moved the puny azaleas to make way for a little sitting area (we don't have a porch).
In April, I didn't get much house stuff done, but to keep the resolution I knocked one out: painting the entry hall. It had a dingy yellowy cream color, and the ceiling was painted to match. I chose a lighter cream, and painted the ceiling and trim a bright white. Let in the light!
In April, I didn't get much house stuff done, but to keep the resolution I knocked one out: painting the entry hall. It had a dingy yellowy cream color, and the ceiling was painted to match. I chose a lighter cream, and painted the ceiling and trim a bright white. Let in the light!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
February Fixes
I really got on a roll in February with house fix-its. I kind of went on an organizational streak!
My main goal for the month was to re-hang the shutter that had fallen off the house. It had been sitting propped against the house for months! I was starting to feel like we were "that house" on the block. I am trying to pick my goal project to be something that I've been putting off, or that isn't fun to do, so if I do want to do other projects it's just a bonus!
We (and by we I mean mostly Cory) spent a good part of a couple of afternoons trying to drill the holes in the mortar for the shutter screws. That is, until our drill bit broke! Oops. So it turns out, you can buy a masonry drill bit that is mean to drill into that kind of stuff. Once we got the right kind of bit, it took about 30 seconds to drill the last hole (whereas the wrong bit was costing us about 20-30 minutes per hole). I hammered in the shutter screws, and project done!
I also reorganized the closets in our guest room/craft room and in our hallway (where we keep all the cleaning stuff). It's crazy how doing something small can make such a big difference! It also keeps me motivated to keep going more things around the house.
I don't have a picture of the shutter, but it looks like all the other ones now, really. Here's a picture of the redone guest room closet, and a before/after of the hallway:
My main goal for the month was to re-hang the shutter that had fallen off the house. It had been sitting propped against the house for months! I was starting to feel like we were "that house" on the block. I am trying to pick my goal project to be something that I've been putting off, or that isn't fun to do, so if I do want to do other projects it's just a bonus!
We (and by we I mean mostly Cory) spent a good part of a couple of afternoons trying to drill the holes in the mortar for the shutter screws. That is, until our drill bit broke! Oops. So it turns out, you can buy a masonry drill bit that is mean to drill into that kind of stuff. Once we got the right kind of bit, it took about 30 seconds to drill the last hole (whereas the wrong bit was costing us about 20-30 minutes per hole). I hammered in the shutter screws, and project done!
I also reorganized the closets in our guest room/craft room and in our hallway (where we keep all the cleaning stuff). It's crazy how doing something small can make such a big difference! It also keeps me motivated to keep going more things around the house.
I don't have a picture of the shutter, but it looks like all the other ones now, really. Here's a picture of the redone guest room closet, and a before/after of the hallway:
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Ten months
Penny's tenth month included Christmas and New Year's. A busy month! We took Christmas pictures with Katie:
Had lots of fun in the bath!
Chewed on everything possible:
Went to visit our Louisiana family:
Smiled! A lot!
Woke up Christmas morning with a new lovey in her stocking!
Took lots of snuggly naps. :-)
All in all, a great month! She didn't even freak out too much when Daddy chopped off all his hair. :-)
Had lots of fun in the bath!
Chewed on everything possible:
Went to visit our Louisiana family:
Smiled! A lot!
Woke up Christmas morning with a new lovey in her stocking!
Took lots of snuggly naps. :-)
All in all, a great month! She didn't even freak out too much when Daddy chopped off all his hair. :-)
Monday, March 19, 2012
Nine months
Penny's ninth month was a lot of fun. Lots of smiles every day!
She went to her first concert with me, Aunt Kim and Katie - Yo Gabba Gabba! During which she may have taken a nap. :-)
Still standing up and crawling at every opportunity.
She loves looking out the window, especially when Daddy's raking the leaves!
I know I'm totally biased, but I think she's the prettiest baby ever. Look at those doe eyes!
She's still sucking her thumb at night and loves her lovey.
Happy nine month old girl! Sixteen pounds, ten ounces of sweetness!
She went to her first concert with me, Aunt Kim and Katie - Yo Gabba Gabba! During which she may have taken a nap. :-)
Still standing up and crawling at every opportunity.
She loves looking out the window, especially when Daddy's raking the leaves!
I know I'm totally biased, but I think she's the prettiest baby ever. Look at those doe eyes!
She's still sucking her thumb at night and loves her lovey.
Happy nine month old girl! Sixteen pounds, ten ounces of sweetness!
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Eight months
Penny is moving right along!
We made a trip to Louisiana for her cousin Steve's birthday, and she even snuck in one time standing up without help! She's so close to trying to walk - we think it will be soon. At the birthday party, she got to try playing in an inflatable bounce house - less fun when you're crawling, but she seemed to enjoy it enough. (It was just her and mommy in there.) We also had our first trip to the zoo!
She and her daddy are best friends. I love them so much!
She's really mastered pulling up, and stands up (holding on) whenever she gets the chance. She loves to explore and get into things.
She's eating well, and we're trying to give her gradually chunkier foods and work more with picking up things to eat, like puffs. She likes them now! We're also letting her practice with a sippy cup.
This month was Penny's first Halloween! She was a strawberry. We went to our church's Halloween party and also visited our friend Shanna for her neighborhood block party!
We love you Penny! Happy eight months!
We made a trip to Louisiana for her cousin Steve's birthday, and she even snuck in one time standing up without help! She's so close to trying to walk - we think it will be soon. At the birthday party, she got to try playing in an inflatable bounce house - less fun when you're crawling, but she seemed to enjoy it enough. (It was just her and mommy in there.) We also had our first trip to the zoo!
She and her daddy are best friends. I love them so much!
She's really mastered pulling up, and stands up (holding on) whenever she gets the chance. She loves to explore and get into things.
She's eating well, and we're trying to give her gradually chunkier foods and work more with picking up things to eat, like puffs. She likes them now! We're also letting her practice with a sippy cup.
This month was Penny's first Halloween! She was a strawberry. We went to our church's Halloween party and also visited our friend Shanna for her neighborhood block party!
We love you Penny! Happy eight months!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Seven months
Penny has been up to so much in the past month! It's official: she can't be stopped. She's crawling all over the place, even out of the room! Whenever she gets a chance, she stops to try to chew on something (the rug, Buster, our feet, a TV tray) or pull up on something. She can pull herself to a standing position now. Look out!
Eating continues to go well, and she's trying a few new foods every time we make a batch of food for her. I've even started giving her tiny mushed up bites of other foods we eat that I don't make just for her (like chicken or potatoes).
She's right at the end of 6 month clothing, and ready to start getting into some 9 month sizes! She's still happy all the time, and her little two-tooth grin always makes us smile.
She's now closer to a year than her birth day! Big girl!
Eating continues to go well, and she's trying a few new foods every time we make a batch of food for her. I've even started giving her tiny mushed up bites of other foods we eat that I don't make just for her (like chicken or potatoes).
She's right at the end of 6 month clothing, and ready to start getting into some 9 month sizes! She's still happy all the time, and her little two-tooth grin always makes us smile.
She's now closer to a year than her birth day! Big girl!
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
Fixin' it up
So, I never posted anything about New Year's, but I did make a resolution: to do one new house project a month. It doesn't have to be anything major, but I have to do or fix at least one thing about the the house during each month in 2012.
So far, I've kept it! Last month, Cory and I replaced the wax seal under our toilet in the master bathroom, a process that involves removing the toilet and putting it back (side note: toilets are HEAVY). That fixed our poor wobbly toilet!
This month, my personal goal is to rehang a shutter that has fallen off the front of the house. In our case, that means drilling holes and hanging it properly (as opposed to using the velcro the previous homeowners used). I'm going to keep a list in the sidebar of things I've done this year to the house; I hope to add more and more!
So far, I've kept it! Last month, Cory and I replaced the wax seal under our toilet in the master bathroom, a process that involves removing the toilet and putting it back (side note: toilets are HEAVY). That fixed our poor wobbly toilet!
This month, my personal goal is to rehang a shutter that has fallen off the front of the house. In our case, that means drilling holes and hanging it properly (as opposed to using the velcro the previous homeowners used). I'm going to keep a list in the sidebar of things I've done this year to the house; I hope to add more and more!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
brain dump
- It's been way too long since I've blogged. Penny is almost ten months old now, and it's almost 2012! I could make a lot of excuses, but really I've just let a lot of other things get in the way. I really do want to keep these memories of Penny's first year though, so I'll probably be putting up some catch-up posts soon.
- I just got back to work after having almost two weeks off. Ouch! It's so great to have the time off, but it's hard to get back into the swing of things. Thank goodness for having a long weekend coming up!
- Penny is super close to walking. I see her take a step or two pretty much every day now! I'm excited for her, but I'll miss her little one-leg scoot.
- Cory and I got each other Kindles for Christmas. I'm so excited about reading more! I just finished Tina Fey's Bossypants and I just started reading Chelsea Handler's first book. I made a new feature on the sidebar to show what I'm reading, just in case you're interested.
- I also got the new Legend of Zelda game for the Wii. It's a lot of fun so far - exactly what you expect out of a Zelda game, plus flying and a little more action because the remote is the sword (aka a lot of swinging around and jabbing things). It came with the 25th anniversary CD of orchestral versions of the game songs and I can't wait to listen to it.
- Work has been busy and interesting lately. I'm starting to work on mobile apps (think Android or iPhone apps). Let me know if you need an app for something and can't find it; I might be able to make it for you!
- That's a good start for now. Just trying to stretch my blogging muscles and get back into it!
- I just got back to work after having almost two weeks off. Ouch! It's so great to have the time off, but it's hard to get back into the swing of things. Thank goodness for having a long weekend coming up!
- Penny is super close to walking. I see her take a step or two pretty much every day now! I'm excited for her, but I'll miss her little one-leg scoot.
- Cory and I got each other Kindles for Christmas. I'm so excited about reading more! I just finished Tina Fey's Bossypants and I just started reading Chelsea Handler's first book. I made a new feature on the sidebar to show what I'm reading, just in case you're interested.
- I also got the new Legend of Zelda game for the Wii. It's a lot of fun so far - exactly what you expect out of a Zelda game, plus flying and a little more action because the remote is the sword (aka a lot of swinging around and jabbing things). It came with the 25th anniversary CD of orchestral versions of the game songs and I can't wait to listen to it.
- Work has been busy and interesting lately. I'm starting to work on mobile apps (think Android or iPhone apps). Let me know if you need an app for something and can't find it; I might be able to make it for you!
- That's a good start for now. Just trying to stretch my blogging muscles and get back into it!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Cake week part two
Well, Tuesday was pretty busy, so I just baked the last layer of the groom's cake. Then, last night I got started on building and icing the bride's cake. I started out by making the filling - strawberry cream cheese filling. Yum!
Then, I set that in the fridge and made a batch of buttercream icing. The cake is supposed to be a tan color, so I tinted the icing.
I always start by putting a smear of icing on the cake board, to keep it from slipping.
Then I take the layers out of the fridge, and one by one put them on the cake board, pipe an icing border...
and fill in with the filling...
and repeat...
until you have a filled and stacked cake!
Then I do what's called the "crumb coat," where I put a thin layer of icing on the cake to trap in loose crumbs. It makes it so much easier to go back a put a smooth, pretty coat on later! I learned my lesson with this, though: make your crumb coat the same color as the final coat, because you don't want a different color peeking out!
Two more tiers the same way, and you have one refrigerator full of cake!
Then, I set that in the fridge and made a batch of buttercream icing. The cake is supposed to be a tan color, so I tinted the icing.
I always start by putting a smear of icing on the cake board, to keep it from slipping.
Then I take the layers out of the fridge, and one by one put them on the cake board, pipe an icing border...
and fill in with the filling...
and repeat...
until you have a filled and stacked cake!
Then I do what's called the "crumb coat," where I put a thin layer of icing on the cake to trap in loose crumbs. It makes it so much easier to go back a put a smooth, pretty coat on later! I learned my lesson with this, though: make your crumb coat the same color as the final coat, because you don't want a different color peeking out!
Two more tiers the same way, and you have one refrigerator full of cake!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)