Are you hungry?

This is going to be a me-bragging-about-food-I've-made type of post.

This month I've been taking a cake decorating class through our local university's community education program. For those who know me well, you know I L-O-V-E baking. Well, a few years ago my best buddy from high school took a cake decorating class in Hawaii and made this awesome cake. Of course I was horribly jealous and wanted to learn how to do something that awesome too. Well, I finally did it. During February I've been taking a cake decorating class. We didn't learn as much as my friend (her cake included gum paste flowers, and we only did butter cream stuff), but I did learn a lot. Here are some pictures to document my progress.

Week 1: we didn't bring any cakes or anything to decorate, so we just practiced with some icing. I didn't save any of my practices, as it was pretty basic and stuff I had mainly done before.

Week 2: We learned how to make round balls of icing. It's a lot more difficult than you think, because icing wants to act like Hershey Kisses and have a tail on the top! Here's my practice cake:

Week 3: We learned how to make some basic flowers and leaves. Loved 'em! The flowers were a lot harder than I expected. After lots of extra practice at the end of class, I finally got a few decent ones to decorate my cupcakes.

Week 4: Tonight was the last day of class. Our assignment was to come up with a cake design and implement it. We also learned how to do roses, though I just barely realized I didn't take any pictures of my completed roses before I threw them away. However, I am super, super excited about my cake. I took my inspiration from the nursery set that J and H picked out for their new baby. The colors didn't turn out quite right (mine is more of a violet than a plum), and the flowers on the outside of the cake were too tall, but otherwise I'm really thrilled with how it looked. It tasted pretty good too--strawberry cake with chocolate pudding, and a thin layer of icing. Yum!

Okay, cake decorating class done. For Valentine's Day, I made my hubby the following:

It's chocolate mousse (homemade) in a dark chocolate mini dessert cup (bought from a store) with red X and pink O sprinkles (a gift from my visiting teacher). I used my cake decorating tips to swirl them in the cup. Let me tell you--uh-maz-ing!!

Okay, boast-fest is done. Thanks for letting me brag.

Funny things B2 says

I told B2 that we were hosting play group tomorrow. After giving it some thought, Jr said, "Mom, E and N [two of his friends] are going to see 'jab cross' and they're going to LOVE IT!"

Don't know what jab cross means? Check out this video (go 22 seconds in).

I love P90X

Okay, not every day, but today I'm loving it! This morning I decided to measure again to see if P90X has had an effect. I'm still battling with these last 5 pounds--this morning I weighed in just over 140 again. Though, to be truthful, I wouldn't be battling these pounds if I stopped buying Doritos and making cookies and s'more treats and all kinds of other goodies. I guess I'm battling less with the 5 pounds than I am with my own self-control, or lack thereof. But back to my brag moment. When I measured this morning, I found that I have lost 5/8" on my arms, 1/2" in my "love handles", and 1/2" in my thighs. Sweet!!!

OK, Tony, I'll stop cursing your name now...

Funny things B2 says

After running an errand, I had to pee really badly (TMI??). Luckily, there was a gas station right next door to the store we were in (which unfortunately did not have a bathroom). B2 has associated gas stations with "treats," thanks to my parents who usually buy him some type of juice or candy whenever they take him to the gas station. So, as soon as B2 found out we were going to the gas station, he immediately asked if I would buy him a treat. I told him no, and his response?

"Please Mom, just let me have my moment!"

Another round of Funny Things B2 Says

Scene: Mommy, B2, and D are in the car, driving to Walmart. Mommy grabs a piece of gum.

B2: "Mommy, can I have a piece of gum?"
Mommy: "Sure." (Hands B2 a piece of gum.)
B2 (in a quiet, almost singsong voice): "Hehe...this is gonna be awesome."

This is one of the greatest parts of being at home--I don't miss stories like this!

Funny things B2 says

Recently B2 has become a HUGE fan of Phineas and Ferb. For those who are not so blessed to know all about them, the basic idea behind the show is that Phineas and Ferb are two kids on summer vacation and trying to make the most of it. Every episode is one day of their vacation and what they do. One day, after watching the show, B2 said to B1, "Dad, I'm going to go on a vacation. I'll be back at 11:30." Umm..that's a pretty short vacation kiddo. :)

Last Sunday after church, I asked B2 how Primary went. He said, "It was really, really, really awesome." I had to laugh at the intensity of this comment, and I made sure to tell the gal who subbed in his class that B2 enjoyed it so much.

Two Sundays ago, I made everyone breakfast before church. It was probably nothing more than fresh pancakes (as opposed to leftover pancakes that were frozen and then reheated, which is what B2 and D get most mornings). B1 had to leave early for some meetings, and B2 asked me, "Did Daddy enjoy his super breakfast?" I sure hope so!

Week 2 of SAHM

This past week was my first full week of being a stay-at-home mom. Life is starting to settle into a routine, which is nice. So, instead of a play-by-play of each day, here are some of the highlights from last week:

Monday - spent the first half of the day with my hubby before he went to work, and spent the second half with my parents before they went back to CA.

Tuesday - went to my first play group!! Woohoo! B2 had so much fun playing with the other kiddos, and I loved hanging with and getting to know some women in our neighborhood. That night, I had my first cake decorating class! Many of the topics were review (I already knew how to make a star), but there were a lot of tips and pointers that were new. This class meets every Tuesday in February, so I have three more classes. I'm really excited to learn how to make small flowers and roses!

Wednesday - spent most of the day recovering from the awful night sleep I had the night before, due to whatever I ate on Monday that made me sick.

Thursday - had a double workout--P90X in the morning, and Relief Society basketball at night. We only had 5 girls show up, so everyone played the whole time. I was dying by the end, but really had fun--even if the other team seemed to think that it was okay to slap, elbow, scratch, and run you over. Oh, and the refs thought that was okay too. *Sigh* I miss the days of high school basketball sometimes...

Friday - signed up to work a cannery shift in March to make beef chunks (yum!). B2 didn't have preschool (Miss A was sick) so we went down to CP to say hi to everyone. B1 got some great news--he got the new job!! He has been in the process of applying and interviewing for a teaching position at his company. He would be part of the team that trains all new pilots, as well as first officers who are upgrading to captain. It's a three-year commitment. He will still be flying a bit, as he'll need to keep up his currency, but mostly he'll be working days and off nights, weekends, and holidays. So, somehow in the last two weeks, we went from the "abnormal" family of me working full-time with B1 on call, working nights, holidays, and other random times, to me being at home full-time and B1 working a "normal" schedule. On the bright side, I get to see my husband a lot more and play the dutiful housewife in making him dinner every day. On the down side, now I have to keep the house clean daily instead of just cleaning it in the few hours before he comes home from a trip. :) So, Friday night we went to Cafe Rio to celebrate B1's new position. Yum!!

Saturday - B1 was off yesterday, so we both did the Yoga P90X workout in the morning, and then went to the temple. Between my cold, the workout, and just life, I was so exhausted when we got back from the temple that I crashed and slept for about 4 hours.

I can't believe I didn't post about our new hotness! When we first moved to EM, we didn't have a table (our previous apartment was too small for a table). B1's aunt donated her old table to us, which worked well for the last 5 years. Well, we had outgrown the table. B1 found a new table on KSL. It's solid oak, came with 6 chairs, and we only paid $100! We (and by "we" I mean mainly B1) sanded off the top, re-stained it, sealed it, cleaned the chairs, and bought chair pads. It has two leaves for when company comes over. It's awesome!

Here's an update on some of my goals:

Goal 1: P90X
I started P90X this week. I completed workouts on 4 of the 6 days. One day I didn't work out because I got really sick off something I ate, so I'm sure you can imagine why I wouldn't want to be doing an ab workout that day (I hope I don't need to spell out all the gross details). Once I got over my food sickness, I started coming down with an actual cold, which is why I didn't work out that other day. But, I'm working it. Let me tell you, I am S-O-R-E! I'm even modifying many of the exercises because I don't want to kill myself trying to do really advanced workouts. But, it's nice to be active again. Even though I hurt, I feel like I already have more energy and am (mostly) sleeping better at night. Today my cold is still mounting its attack, so I feel even worse today than I did yesterday. I'm hoping that by tomorrow I will be able to take on the next workout.

Goal 2: Get to 135 lbs
Man, I got so close to this... This past week, I weighed in at my new low of 136.1. Unfortunately, it didn't stay there long. This morning I'm back up to 139.3. I've already lost count of the number of times I've lost the weight between 140 and 137. I think P90X is affecting my calorie counting. Either my body is freaking out that I've actually started exercising ("She must be dying! Hoard those calories!!!") or I'm seriously underestimating my caloric intake and overestimating my usage. Before I started P90X, I took a series of measurements. I'm not going to post those, because I'm sure no one cares, but I'm going to also be watching those in addition to my weight, as I'm hoping P90X will build up some muscles. So, at this point, if I don't get all the way down to 135 but I manage to drop some inches, I'll still be satisfied with my progress (though I am still going to try to hit 135).

As for the other 3 goals, still no progress there. I'm surprised at how little time, or desire, I have to read now that I'm a SAHM. I definitely need to work on that area more.

As a reminder, this blog doesn't show any pictures of my family. There are some pictures on the private blog version of this post. If you'd like an invite to the private blog, email me.