Michaels Decorating Basics - Final Class

I had my last and final decorating class, and I can honestly say, I'm kind of sad. Kind of. But then I think about all the work that went into it, and how much I really got out of it, and I forget about being sad. LOL! Despite the good deal, to continue on in the classes, I don't like the prep required for each class and all the stuff you have to buy. And they don't tell you about that stuff until the week before each class. Okay, so you really don't have to buy it but it does make the lessons and the work much easier. Oh, well!

Our last class was kind of cumulative. We did learn a couple of things. We learned how to make rosettes and how to write. And that was about it. We each decorated our cakes anyway we wanted to, and at the end of class were each given a certificate of completion. I'm just glad I stuck it through and I didn't give up. I know I would honestly continue with the classes, but I do not care for our Michaels facility. The room is small and cramped. With amount of stuff we have to use on each project, we didn't have enough space, and the teacher was something else. She only helped when you looked at her with lost eyes. But the next teacher is supposed to be different. So, maybe one day, I will go onto level 2. Maybe...

Michaels Decorating Basics - Day 3

During this class, we learned how to make pompom flowers, leaves, and shaggy mums. We used cupcakes this time, and we learned how to frost them. My icing wasn't at the most perfect consistency for doing the above things, but I made out okay. Definitely not as good as the week before. Next week is our last week, and we're doing our final cake. We'll be putting our learned techniques together as well as learning how to write and do ribbon roses. I can't wait...for it to be over or to make a cake, I'm not sure. Let's see what I create next week! For now, here are my cupcakes...

Isabella's 11 Months!

It is true. My baby girl is 1 month away from turning the BIG O-N-E! And I know that I should be happy that I have a healthy beautiful baby girl, but I'm so sad at how fast this year has gone by. I feel like I am in total denial that my baby will no longer be a baby.

So, now that Bella is 11 months, what has she been doing? Well, she loves to mimic. She says Jacob, Hola, Hi, and Jewel (my niece's dog). She still loves to clap and play peak-a-boo. She has a total of 6 teeth, the 4 front top and 2 bottom front. She's not yet walking but is still cruising. She knows who she can manipulate and sucker in to picking her up. She blows kisses, and is still waving Hi/Bye. She gets excited when she sees the little blue car (once Jacob's), her stroller, and her car seat. She knows she's going somewhere. 

As for stats, I have no idea what she's weighing, but I assume it's around 25 pounds, although her eating habits are still the same, and she's very tall. Bella's diet includes more table foods, but a majority of it is baby food and formula. I'll be moving her to milk in  just 3 short weeks. Eek. Her sleep schedule is kind of up in the air. She'd been taking a morning nap and a late afternoon nap, but they keep getting shorter and shorter. So, I may be moving her to one nap a day. Bed time is 8 pm, and she wakes at around 7am.  And here we are, 11 months. Where did the time go...

Michaels Decorating Basics - Day 2

So, I have to say, day 2 was way better than day one. The teacher was not as frazzled, and she helped out a lot more. This week we did our first cake. And I have to say, my cake almost looks professional. LOL! I was able to relax, and get myself together and focus on what I was doing. A couple of cool tips I learned, you can take a single 8" layer of cake and make a two layer cake just by cutting it in half and filling it with pudding or preserves. I also learned that doing designs isn't as intimidating as I thought it was going to be. Seriously, before going to class, I was so wanting to quit. But my hubby said I had to go, and I wanted to be there for my niece, and I went. And I'm glad I did. I was able to relax and enjoy the class this time around. Although, the prep work was a PITA. I had made my cake the night before along with the icing. I think the icing nearly killed my mixer. It was starting to smell like something was burning. My arms were killing me from stirring, and I was just exhausted. But I made it, and I didn't give up. Next week we're doing cupcakes! Luckily, I already have them baked up and I bought a huge tub of ready made icing!

I made a chocolate cake filled with chocolate pudding.

Yum! It was as good as it looked!

Michaels Decorating Basics- Day 1

I had my first day of cake decorating at Michaels. I should say "we" since it's me, my sis and my niece. But it was...interesting. We got off to a late start since the instructor could not find booklets for us, and then we didn't have all the supplies we needed. It was really confusing. The instructor was horrible. She would come around and help some people and not others. You never knew when she was moving on to the next thing because she would only tell those she was near. So weird. I think this class would be so much more fun if we had a fun and engaging instructor, but we do not. We'll see how the next 3 classes go.

But anyway, I did learn a lot of cool tips. My favorite is that if you want to smooth out frosting on an iced cake, just use a spatula over parchment paper, and you'll get a smooth finish. Love it! We also practiced on basic stars, shells, and small flowers. But, since we were so unprepared, I felt unmotivated to even try (look at my awful cookies & they were smashed in transit). Oh well. We have our next class. Next week we'll be doing a cake. I can't wait! Funny things is, we'll be bringing home 3 cakes!

Ketchup

It's time to catch up! I've been away. I'm sure all 3 of my readers didn't even notice. Hehe. But I was on a break. A few things have happened in the last week and a half. Bella is now walking the perimeter of the playpen and the couch, and she has a top tooth coming in for a total of 3 teeth. I'm sure to be 4 even sooner. She also pretends to talk on the phone, holding it up to her ear, and plays peak-a-boo, covering her face. It's so crazy!

And I had a nasty little dental problem that I had to take care of, and it sucked. As a matter of fact, I'm still working on it. Yuck. I hate the dentist, but I'm trying to teach my kids differently. I'm trying to change.

Anywho, I have some fun things coming up that I can't wait to share like cake decorating classes at Michael's and a photography workshop. I'm looking forward to doing something for me. And I've been working on Bella's party like no other. I'm finding it fun and challenging since I'm doing everything myself as far as design. I can't wait to see it all come together.