Viva Las Vegas

WOO HOO!!

Mom and I got back from Vegas on Wednesday. It was fun, I really enjoyed the Bakers' Expo--totally fun, plus they were doing a frozen food one too, so there were vendors there for that as well. Although I must say I am not too fond of gelato--it leaves an icky after taste in your mouth, don't know why, but it does.

We had chocolate (love Callebaut!!!), saw demonstrations (learned cool things to do--and finally had some oomph behind my wanting an airbrush to convince mom we needed one), saw the competition (Pillsbury sponsored a decorating competition--they were okay, I have pictures, but some of them were I don't know, I've done better...), AND met people who've been on Food Network Challenges, as well as the emcee for those challenges--I got my pic taken with him too!! That's right, Keegan Gerhard!!!

So there's me at 5 foot three with Keegan!!! He is so nice and so is his new wife Lisa! She took the picture! I also got Keegan's autograph on one of my show programs too!

If you want to read more about Keegan, follow this link http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_cc/article/0,2495,FOOD_20077_4700230,00.html.

I'll add more info about what we saw and did later, but I to brag about Keegan!!

Until next time...

If I Were Yellow and Only Had Four Fingers

This is apparently what I would look like... I must admit though, after I uploaded my photo, put in my info and awaited my turn to be Simposonized, I was not what you would call "thrilled" with what was spit out... But you are given the option of "tweaking" your character, which is what I did. I definitely made myself more attractive (the other picture tended to look a little like Moe, with fewer wrinkles and long brown hair--shudder!!). Of course I had to have green clothes, H-E-L-L-O... But aren't I cute as a Simpsons character? Even James said my character was "hot." Go figure... If you want to be Simpsonized, go to http://www.simpsonsizeme.com have a photo you can upload that is a head and shoulders type shot, with you facing the camera. Follow the directions from there. I don't know how long they are going to do this for, but hey, it's a fun thing to do when there are far more important things you should be doing! Oh, and if you get the chance, go to a 7-11 (Seven-Eleven) store and try a Squishee, a Buzz Cola, or a Forbidden Donut.... (insert drool here). Those are only at 7-Eleven stores for a limited time, and if you are lucky enough to live near one of the actual 7-Eleven stores they turned into a Kwik-E-Mart, well, by all means get on in there!!! And go at least once for me.

In other strange things you can do to yourself on the web, Mom made herself into an M&M, but when she tried to send it to me, it didn't come through correctly, so she has yet to show me.


I may try to make me into an M&M, what color do you think I'll pick? Maybe I won't pick B-Jo green just to throw you off... We'll see...

Until next time...

I Learned something NEW (two syllables--sing-song voice)

Yup, I did... If you go to the bottom of this very blog, there is a place where you can put in YOUR email and you can get an update about MY blog, every time I update it. Plus it tracks things for me too.

I learned about it from that really funny lady, whose kids sneaked Pokemon cards in her shopping cart and she auctioned them off on eBay... Well I'm reading her blog (she's hilarious) and she had this little doodad on hers... Since I wanted to be all cool like her, I had to have it too!

If you want to read her blog, here's the address http://mom2my6pack.blogspot.com Now because she has had so much traffic from her recent hilarious auction, it's a little slow loading (she's had oodles of people reading her blog--if you read through a few posts, you will be able to see the numbers). Anyway, I'm hoping some of her funny will rub off on me... In the meantime, I want to add the link thingy to me and mom's blog too, where the cakes are... Plus I need to post Cheryl and Ben's wedding cake. We did it yesterday and it turned out very pretty, but I still think Tim and Christy's is my favorite...

Until next time...

Snails working for the USPS

YES, it's true, I believe there must be something either through the testing process, or through their after-hire training, that causes those individuals who work for the United States Postal Service, to move slower than Gary in Bikini Bottom!

I went to the post office today to buy some stamps, now I had to buy them from the post office, because I have a large number of out-dated stamps (believe it or not, I still have some of the 34¢ variety). So I was buying 2¢, 4¢, and 7¢ (although they came as 5¢ and 2¢) so I can use up my postage stamps. Next time I am buying forever stamps, so when the rates go up, I can use the forever ones...

But when I went in, there was a line, that WAS NOT MOVING. There were TWO people behind the counter, and a third eventually found her way out to help, but they move so slow (I am sure it doesn't help that the customers they were assisting were likely to have needed signs of the Engvall variety as well, but I digress).

I just had to get that off of my chest. In the meantime, I'm going to have a PB&J, hibernate Sunny, and head to mom's to plan a wedding cake (for a friend who did the right thing and finally waited until NOW to get married). I told James if I had it to do over, I wouldn't get married at 20, 31 even seems young... I also told him, next time I'm marrying for money, I've already married for love...LOL

Until next time...

Another "Non"-Recommendation

Isn't it nice that I experience these things so then in turn you don't have to...?

Okay here's the deal, Friday, I started getting geared up to work on my cake entry for the Salt Lake County Fair contest sponsored by Wilton. (Yes, I know I live in Utah county, but I was invited, mostly so they would have applicants, so I did it). Anyway, I kept putting it off a little and putting it off a little, and didn't really get started until late. So I then ended up staying up ALL NIGHT so I could get this done. That's what I am recommending against, don't procrastinate, don't stay up all night, IT'S PURE CRAZINESS!!!

But I did receive a second place ribbon, it may have been a first place had my silly fondant not been so obnoxious! (There were judges comments on my score card about my seams showing and my fondant looking dry--stupid marshmallow fondant anyway--looking dry and making me crazy!). I was generally okay with it, until my mom said one of the cakes that won, used pre-printed fondant. W-H-A-T!?!?!?! Yup, that's right, it's already got stamped images on it and mom said she thought it might even be pre-gathered and then the roses, who knows, maybe even those were pre-made!

Okay, I know they weren't tasting it, but I went to all the trouble of making cakes, and I made the filling for the top and bottom layers, homemade coconut pecan for German Chocolate, ya know? And my middle layer was coconut cake with coconut filling. Homemade fondant, etc. So I am a little put out. It's also a Topsy-turvey cake (AKA Whimsical). It looks like it is stacked all screwy, but you prepare it in such a way that you cannot tell it's like that...

The downfall, the hall it was in at the fairgrounds did not have good A/C so it got a little warm and started to sag and slip. Today it's over a little more, but I have got to find someone to eat this dang thing, what else am I going to do with it?

I know, there's a dozen or so of you out there right now saying, send some to me, send some to me... Well, I would, except I am afraid by the time you got it, it wouldn't be any good.

Anyway, there's my two cents about something not-to-do... please accept the advice I garnered from the experience. I ended up sleeping for a very, very, very long time! Those of you with kids, it just wouldn't work for you...

Until next time...

A Happy Ending...

And here after I said no more crying, and I made it through the book without crying when certain characters died, I still cried at the end, IT WAS A HAPPY ENDING, and I still cried.

SEE, that's why mom quit letting me watch Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman.

So now, Harry's story is over, but there are really so many parallels to the fight of good versus evil (read:Gospel). I think that is partly why I like the stories so much. And see, the good guys win, they always win. So if you are a good guy you are likely to win, despite the challenges and trials, there is hope. Now if you're the bad guy... Well, you either need to have a change of heart like Alma the Younger or Saul/Paul, or your chances are not going to be so great.

James still has to read it, so I cannot talk about it too much. I am glad Becky told me that none of the main three die, if she hadn't told me that, I may have cried at certain parts, but I had the hope, so it worked out okay.

On another note... It seemed like I wanted to write something else here, but I cannot remember what... I was going to post on my other blog though. I just need to decide if I am riled up enough to post, or if I want to wait until I am already mad about something to post. Seems like I want to get it all out and vent so I am all determined to post, no holds barred, but something stops me and then when I think about it again, I feel all bad and guilty for having angry thoughts and such about posting all my vents...

So maybe I'll think about it some more and in the meantime I'll go do something else for a while.

Until next time...

Okay, no more crying...

I really didn't mean to make you cry, so sorry... On to happier things...

Anyone...? Anyone...?

Well, if you come up with something, let me know...