.alivias first year.

.spiced hot chocolate.

This is a very... unusual twist on a winter classic. It is kind of reminiscent of eggnog to me, only it tastes good. Ha, ha! Not a fan of eggnog, obviously. ^_^ This really does make your insides feel nice and toasty!

• 4 cups of hot chocolate, prepared; preferably made with milk (I used 1%).
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• Whipped cream or marshmallows (optional)

1. Stir spices into hot chocolate.

2. Let stand for a minute for flavors to "marry."

3. Preferably, you would want to strain the spices out using a couple of paper towels lining a colander (be sure to put a large bowl underneath colander to catch your yummy chocolate beverage). If you aren't able to strain out the spice "bits" in the bottom,  just be sure you don't serve the last little bit of cocoa so no one ends up with a mouthful of gritty spices. Not so yummy... trust me.

.christmas eve at the firestation.

This year on Christmas eve, my dad had to work. He is a firefighter for the great city of Salt Lake and this year his shift fell on Christmas eve. He wasn't too concerned about missing out since my brother, sister, and I are older now. When the day came, however, most of the other firefighters had family visiting them and he started to feel a little lonesome.

My step-mom, Kristin, called us and asked if we would want to make a surprise visit to the station and we jumped at the chance. I made a batch of Chocolate Crinkle cookies and hopped in the car.

We got to the firehouse just in time to eat some delicious turkey chili and a "mahvelous" fruit tart. After filling up on chili and sweets, we got to take a tour of the firestation. We saw their dorms, the engines and trucks, the entertainment room, the weight room, and even the famous pole.

We got to sit in the in engine my dad drives and see all the fire-fightin' gear. Ben even got to slide down the pole (I declined to take a turn... too high up for me).

Surprisingly, Livi was interested in every thing my dad showed us. She wasn't bored or restless for a second. Of course, we took lots of pictures. It was a great way to spend Christmas eve!

.holiday dieting: bah humbug.

Okay. It's official. I picked the worst time to start a diet. It seems like everywhere I look, there is some tasty treat just begging to be sampled. Cookies, pie, candies, molten chocolate cake (mmmm...), fudge... I could go on, but I'm starting to feel some ominous hunger pangs.

I think all in all, I have done pretty well so far. Granted, I have still "sampled" almost every Christmas treat that has wandered my way, but to my credit, I have not overindulged as is my typical tendency.

For some reason, I have become a bit of a two year old when it comes to food in the past couple of years. An odd metaphor, I know, but it's an appropriate one. I have always had some odd little... compulsions... but lately I feel like I absolutely have to scarf down enormous amounts of food when presented with anything delicious. I am like a selfish little kid who wants to eat all the candies in the candy jar to make sure no one eats them before she can get her fill... even if she is feeling a little queasy.

It's like my mind thinks it may be my very last chance to taste mashed potatoes or pink frosted sugar cookies or cheese pizza. So, better eat 'til I'm beyond full and slightly sick.

I have only just started to really notice it because now I am trying to watch what I put in this gob of mine. I often reach for food when I'm not hungry. I may be bored or stressed or "munchy," but not hungry.

So, I take pride in the fact that now I can have one piece of fudge, instead of rationalizing reasons to eat my second, third, and tenth piece, and not feel deprived. I can't guarantee, however, that come Christmas day I won't let the diet slip a little. 'Tis the season, after all!

.video tidbit: silent monks.

In the spirit of Christmas, I thought I would share this video with ya'll. It's pretty clever and it's Christmas-y!

.christmas parties: round four.

Yes. Round four. I told you we have a huge family and a huge family means lots of Christmas get-togethers. You won't hear me complaining, though. I love it!

Anyway, on to the party. Tonight we had Ben's family Christmas party. We all gathered at Ben's parents house for a delicious dinner and some family time. This year, all the siblings were assigned another sibling to get a gift for and, of course, all the grandkids got gifts from the grandparents.

Livi got a doll that blinks and sucks on its bottle, and Elmo that sings the ABCs, a play Elmo cellphone, and a stroller for her doll. She was so excited and kept saying, "Ehmo, ehmo!"

Ben got a game (Uncharted 2) from his brother, Nick, and I got a gift card from my sister-in-law, Jaige. We also got a very nice, framed family picture from our trip to the Tillotson cabin in Oakley this summer and a framed picture of Ben's mom and step-dad from... Ben's mom and step-dad. ^_^

After presents were opened, Ben's mom served molten chocolate cakes. So yummy (don't they look delicious?)!

To finish up the night, we all headed to Rogers Memorial Theater, a small community theater, to see the musical Scrooge. Our group was so big we took up almost an entire side of the theater. The play was great! The singing and acting was quite good, and though it may have been a little campy at parts, it was so fun!

.christmas parties: round three.

One of my fondest Christmas memories as a child is the Riddle family Christmas party. It was held in the basement of a small drugstore and the whole family would come, prepared for food, fun, family time, and a visit from Santa himself. We sang Christmas songs and opened our presents from old Saint Nick.

We haven't had a Riddle family Christmas party in years, at least not one with more than a handful of family members in attendance. This year, 'the Grandmootie' (my cute grandma) took it upon herself to organize a Christmas party.

She and my grandpa arranged to have a chili buffet at the clubhouse in their condo community and everyone was there! All the aunts and uncles, all the cousins, all the grandbabies. We had such a great time catching up with each other.

Santa didn't make a physical appearance, but my grandparents got a gift for each of the great-grandchildren and did a white elephant game for the adults. My takeaway from the gift distribution? A large quantity of onion soup mix, of course!

One of the highlights of the night was family pictures. Since everyone was present (forgive my holiday pun), we did our first family pictures in as long as I can remember. More than one of us got a little misty eyed over all the holiday family togetherness.

This party could not have gone better, in my opinion. It is a party I will remember fondly for many years to come.

.christmas parties: round two.

On days like today, I realize we are lucky to have such wonderful friends and family. Tonight, our good friends, Zach and Dawni, threw a Christmas party and were kind enough to invite us. Also, my fabulous sister-in-law, Jenny, was kind enough to watch our little Livi while Ben and I enjoyed a night out.

We had a such a great time at the Haugen's Christmas shindig! They provided pizza, homemade cookies (soooo delicious), games, and good company. Ben and I didn't know anyone at the party except our fabulous hosts and had a great time getting to know everyone.

We played a game of Scene It (which our team won, by the way) and did a white elephant gift exchange. Some coveted white elephant items? A sombrero, some kind of foreign candy, a fuzzy Christmas blanket, and perhaps the best white elephant of them all: a dozen or more Red Dwarf VHS tapes wrapped in a duffel bag. ^_^

By the end of the night, both of us had made some new friends and plans for another get together were put in motion. A big thanks to Zach and Dawni (and Jenny, too)! We really had a great time.

.family christmas card.

I had to share a personal holiday triumph. I have an account on SeeHere.com, which for those of you who don't know, is a fabulous free photo sharing/storage site. It's free to upload your photos and store them there, but you can also order prints, photobooks, photo mugs, a stalker pillowcase with a photo of your very favorite person on it...

Anyway, a friend on Facebook posted one of their promotional codes on her profile a couple of weeks ago: order 50 holiday cards and pay only the shipping. It was the last day to use the promo code for this outrageous deal, so I hopped on, created a card, and ordered fifty.

On the site they have oodles of free templates you can use, but of course I had to do thinks the hard way and designed my very own from scratch (perfectionism can be such a curse... good thing I love doing stuff like this).

Now, the moment you have been waiting for! The total for 50 Christmas cards and envelopes to send them in? Over $35.00. The price I paid with said promo code? $3.19. Not bad if I do say so myself. Not bad at all!

.maker of silly christmas shopping mistakes, thy name is brittney.

Tonight, I set out about the arduous task of finishing up my Christmas shopping for my sweetie. This year, we have set a strict limit on what we can spend for each other since money is tighter right now. I had no problem at facing the challenge of sticking to the budget, even though I tend to get a bit carried away with Christmas shopping (I get the biggest rush from giving gifts).

Ben had specifically requested a certain video game for our PS3. Perhaps you've heard of it? Modern Warfare II? It only sold 4.7 million copies in the first 24 hours after it came out. Ha, ha! Only...

Well, at most stores, the video games are locked away, seeing as they are pretty expensive to buy and have a pretty powerful draw with potential shoplifters. I went to the electronics department to get the aforementioned game. Of course, I had to pay for the game there as I am a shifty character and would likely smuggle it out the first chance I got.

That task done, I wandered about the store, selecting various items that would surprise and delight come Christmas morning. I kept a careful mental tally of my spending. Remember the budget!

Before heading to the check out line, I grabbed some household items we were in need of: diaper wipes, bananas, etc. 

When it came time to check out, I was about $15 dollars over our spending limit. I sent Ben a quick text asking if it was okay if I was over budget a little bit. He said it was fine and I celebrated quietly in my head.

It wasn't until I was in the car, when I began another mental checklist of my purchases, that I realized my mistake. To my horror, I had not included the cost of the game in my total as I shopped. I was almost $100 over budget!

Ack! So, come tomorrow, I have to return something(s) to make up for the extra money I spent. I just get so carried away at Christmastime!

.christmas parties: round one.

One of my very favorite aspects of the Christmas season is spending time with family. Both Ben and I come from large families; he is one of eleven (yes, you read that right, eleven) kids and I am the oldest of six. Thankfully, most of our family members live within a short driving distance, so we get to see lots of those we love.

With all this family, of course, comes lots of parties this time of year. Yesterday, we had the first of several parties to attend. My family was getting together for dinner, cookie decorating, and some renditions of Christmas carols done entirely with colored bells.

Thought I would share pictures of the creative cookie process in action and the... uh... unconventional Christmas treats that resulted (I'll apologize in advance for some of the poor quality... these were taken with my phone's camera, which, obviously, doesn't always take the best pictures).

This was Lucy's "Bloody Face Angel:"

These are the cookies Ben and I made. Going clockwise we have: a bloody spearhead (bet you can't guess who did that one), a yellow smiling star, a pink smiling star, some kind of scary evil angel thing in what Ben called "a disco dress" made of spinkles, two Christmas trees made by yours truly, and in the center, a zombie angel with blue hair, also made by me. On the separate plate is a Rudolph I made from an angel shaped cookie.

Here are a few of the cookies decorated by the kiddies:

.the replacements.

Since the passing of Tut earlier this week, his tank has stood empty and lonely. That is, until today, when Ben surprised Livi (and me) with four little goldfish from Walmart. 

Each cost a whopping 28 cents and, though not as frilly as Tut, who was a fan tail goldfish, Livi thinks they are wonderful. She even pretends to feed them, something that is made cuter by the fact that she picked it up all on her own from watching us feed the fish.

You make be thinking that it is too soon to get replacement fish, but I think Tut would want us to move on and be happy with these little fish... as long as 28 cent fish will last.

.ya can't hide talent.

Just thought this was funny! My hubby is definitely an artist. He can create beautiful works of art out of just about any medium. Last year, I gave him a little Magna Doodle in his stocking for Christmas. From time to time we'll each doodle on it for fun.

I tell ya, even Ben's "doodles" on a kids Magna Doodle are amazing! Seriously, just take a look...
This is my doodle. Cute, happy, and simple, right?

Now, take a gander at my hubby's "doodle:"

He even shaded the iris! Shaded! On a Magna Doodle! I didn't even know that was possible... Honey, you've got some serious skills!

.poor tut: we hardly knew ye.

Today, Alivia's first "pet," her fish, Tut (yes, she picked that name) passed away. He lasted a whole 2 and half months, not bad for a wee goldfish. In memory of Tut, I would like to offer a few words...

Tut the fish: we found Tut at PetCo. one chill autumn evening and knew he was the fish for Livi. Small, cute, and only $2.95. He was a good fish, quiet and pleasant to watch as he ambled around his fluorescent pink tank. He was a happy and lively little guy.

Tut loved fish flakes and could often be found hanging around the glittery, purple tiara he was so fond of. So, we bid thee farewell, sweet Tut. You will be missed.

.happy thanksgiving.

 

Who doesn't love Thanksgiving? Good food, the company of loved ones, more good food... Really, though, Thanksgiving is really a time to think about all you have to be grateful for. Most of us take for granted so many little blessings everyday, I know I do. Even when times are hard, there is always something to be thankful for.

So, happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the season with a grateful heart, and if you need one more thing to be thankful for, try this recipe for sweet potatoes that will have you feeling much obliged!

.video tidbit: give me the guns.

My mom and little brother kindly shared this video with me. This sketch cracks me up! Sometimes, WKUK (a.k.a. The Whitest Kids U Know) is hit or miss, but this is definitely a hit! Enjoy!

.the joys of dog ownership.

There are many wonderful surprises to wake up to: breakfast in bed, newly fallen snow outside your window, a hug and kiss from the one you love. There are, however, some particularly nasty things to wake up to. See exhibit A: one extremely poop covered dog.

Yes, that is what I got to start my morning off with today. Oakley apparently had either not been able to hold it or had felt sick during the night because he was covered from nose to tail with... well, you know. Not to mention his kennel, all of his toys, his food and water dish, and the living room wall had a nice coating as well.

So, I had the wonderful privilege of cleaning up his puppy mess for the better part of an hour and a half this morning. First, I had to lug everything, dog, kennel, and all, out into the very cold, snowy backyard. This was, in theory a good idea, except Oakley kept finding what I can only describe as "poop tidbits" to either sit in or lick up; the former causing more mess and the latter inspiring a shockingly strong gag reflex.

After much scrubbing, most of a can of lysol, and carrying a squirming 50 pound dog wrapped in a towel to the tub for a thorough "de-poop-ification," the job was finally done. Unfortunately, I was unable to salvage Oakleys toys and his food and water dishes. Other causalities included our outdoor rug which Oakley decided to stake out during our outside cleanup effort, causing irreversible poop-damage.

I know what you are thinking: "Gross! Why are you sharing this?!" Well, I will tell you why. I figure if I had to clean up the horror that was my living room all by my lonesome this morning, someone else should at least have to read about it. It's only fair. Really. It's only fair.

UPDATE: Just thought you would all want to know: Oakley had another accident this afternoon that had be cleaned up by yours truly. Pity me and my poor sick doggie!

.fellow women, i implore you: know your birth options.

This is a fabulous example of why I am so passionate about women knowing their options when it comes to their birth experiences. My fabulous Bradley teacher posted this on Facebook and I had to share it. The sign below is from a Utah Obstetrician's office. It reads as follows: "Because the Physicians at Aspen Women's Center care about the quality of their patient's deliveries and are very concerned about the welfare and health of your unborn child, we will not participate in: a "Birth Contract," a Doulah Assisted, or a Bradley Method delivery. For those patients who are interested in such methods, please notify the nurse so we may arrange transfer of your care."

This sign has become a bit of a viral phenomenon among birth activists and such. Most are outraged that a doctors office can blatantly turn away women seeking natural birth methods. "This is discrimination!" they cry.

For me, the issue is quite a different one. I believe that this practice can and should be able to run their business how they see fit. In a way, I think it's a good thing that they state right up front, in plastic signage, that they will not accommodate certain types of natural birth.

When I was pregnant, I came to the conclusion that I wanted not only a medication-free, natural birth, but that I wanted to use the Bradley method during my delivery. When I was about 20 weeks along, I mentioned this desire to my midwife. She acted as if I was a little "touched." She repeated my request for a natural birth back to me, with skepticism in her voice and asked if I was sure. I said I was. She shrugged and said, "Well, if that's what you really want. Don't be surprised if you ask for an epidural when it comes right down to it, though."

I was a little shocked to find her attitude to be a little prickly at the mention of an unmedicated birth. So, after much thought, I started looking for another midwife. I wanted a midwife that would support my choice, not roll her eyes and tolerate my "naivet'e."

I won't delve much into the rest of my pregnancy/birth experience now, but I will say I found a wonderful, supportive midwife and had a lovely, natural birth.

Back to the matter at hand! The problem I have with this sign is that it makes natural birth sound downright dangerous and harmful to mother and baby. This is the NATURAL birth process we're talking about here not sword swallowing or chainsaw juggling! Our bodies are made for this and can handle birth just fine in most situations.

I know that if walked into this office as a first-time pregnant mother who didn't know the Bradley method from Lamaze, I would think to myself, "I'm concerned about my baby's well-being, too! I love my baby! If the doctors here say they are dangerous, I will NEVER use the Bradley Method or a doula! I would NEVER endanger my child!"

Don't even get me started on the fact that they don't allow mothers to make birth plans/contracts. Having a birth plan, in my humble opinion, should be a requirement and privilege for all expecting mothers. Every woman should have as much say in her birth as she cares to have, whether she is having a natural birth or a C-section. C'mon, ladies! This is your birth! Get informed!

To sum up this soapbox moment: if this practice doesn't want to deliver babies were doulas assist or the parents are following the Bradley method, fine, but don't make it sound like anyone who chooses this type of birth experience is reckless and endangering their baby. Give me a break!

.in it to lose it.

Alright. That's it. I'm done. Done with this "baby weight." Done with not fitting any of my old jeans. Done with feeling awkward about my body and uncomfortable with the way I look. Done with feeling unhealthy. The weight is coming off starting NOW!

My husband's family is planning a family reunion for May in... Pirates Cove! Pirates Cove! If you don't know what Pirates Cove is, view this video. Anyway, I must, must, must be able to wear a swimming suit. In my current state, swimwear ain't happenin,' my friends. Swimwear ain't happenin.'

So, here's the plan:

• Watch my caloric intake
• Exercise
  
• Drink loads of water

And finally...

• Stick to the plan! 

I'm hoping that documenting my quest for skinny jeans and bathing suits here will give me motivation to press on... if not to brag about my uber successful endeavor, then to avoid total web humiliation.

And so, it begins... wish me luck! 

P.S. Don't worry, I will still be posting oodles of yummy recipes here and on my "official" recipe blog, The Queen of Cuisine. I'm a foodie! I can't help myself!

.the dora/robot/strawberry shortcake... er... cake.

My sister-in-law asked if I would make a cake for my cute little niece, Milli's, third birthday. Of course, being the self-taught cake student I am, I jumped at the chance to "practice" some more. Milli wanted a Dora/Robot/Strawberry Shortcake cake so I made this quirky little creation:

It was quite delectable (chocolate cake with cherry filling) and was super fun to make!

.flip-flopped chocolate chip cookies.

C'mon! You know you wanna try these...

Makes: Approx. 5 doz cookies

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups white chocolate chip pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl and set aside.

3. In large bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar with electric beaters until uniform in consistency.

4. Add eggs to sugar mixture one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition.

5. Stir vanilla into sugar mixture.

6. Slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture, using electric mixer to blend everything together well.

7. Stir in white chocolate chips with a spoon.

8. Drop onto cookie sheet by rounded teaspoons (cookies will be on the small side) and bake in
preheated oven for 9-11 minutes. NOTE: All ovens are different so baking times are approximate. My oven bakes these cookies in 9 minutes, for example.

9. Let cookies sit on cookie sheet for two minutes after removing them from the oven, then let them cool on a cooling rack.

10. Enjoy!

Be sure to check out this and other recipes on my recipe blog, The Queen of Cuisine!

.button, button; who's got the button.

Want to let the whole wide web know you are a fan of this humble little blog? Just copy and paste this HTML code to your blog , myspace page, or website to help others find their way here!

 Copy the highlighted code below:

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target="_blank" the tales from trenches!="" href="http://truetalesfromthetrenches.blogspot.com/" title="Enter the trenches...">
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alt="Tales From The Trenches"/></a>

How to install this button on your Blogger blog:

Step One: Go to the 'Layout' tab in for your blog. Select 'Page Elements' from the top menu bar. Click 'Add a Gadget.'




   Step Two: From the list of Blogger gadgets, choose 'HTML/Java Script.'

Step Three: Enter a title for your gadget, then paste the button code into the big empty content box. Click the 'Save' button.

Step Four: Drag your button to where you want it, preview, and then save!

Step Five: Sit back, relax, and enjoy your brand new button!

.firefighter birthday cake.

For my dad's 46th birthday, I decided to make him a "3-D" firefighter helmet cake since he's, you guessed it, a firefighter! This one posed some interesting challenges, but it turned out pretty well. At any rate, it was tasty which is the most important thing when it comes to cakes, right?

.video tidbit: wait for it.

You know, I feel bad for this girl, but this is too funny not to share. I have watched this video way too many times and still die laughing!

.pirates cove... here we come.

Seriously... how cool is this? Can't wait for May!

.thanksgiving spaghetti and meatballs.

This is one of my favorite recipes, and considering I'm not a huge fan of meat in general and meatballs in specific, that is really saying something! 

I found the original recipe for this on the Food Network's website and made a few tweaks to it to suit our tastes. For example, my honey hates mushrooms, so the savory mushroom gravy the original called for was out of the question!

Rachel Ray calls her recipe for this "Thanksgiving Tonight," and though my version is a bit different , but I still call it delicious! I serve this over whole wheat spaghetti with turkey gravy and plenty of real, grated Parmesan cheese (I think the cheese adds some much needed "saltiness"). As I mentioned when I posted this on my recipe blog, these are so good, I always make a double batch and freeze the leftover meatballs. Click here to see Rachel Ray's original recipe!

• 1 1/2 cups dry stuffing (I use a turkey flavored variety)
  
• 1 1/2 cups turkey or chicken stock
• 1 pound ground turkey
• Black pepper
• Salt
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
  
• 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
• 1 small onion or 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium Golden Delicious or Ganny Smith apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 - 3 tsp seasoning salt
• 1 egg
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. If serving with pasta (recommended), bring water to a boil in large pot for pasta. (Note: When the water boils, wait until meatballs go into oven before adding pasta. When meatballs have been in oven 4 to 5 minutes, season water with salt, add spaghetti and cook according to package directions. Drain pasta and keep warm.)

3. In small pan, saute onion and celery in olive oil over medium heat until onion is clear (usually 3-5 minutes). Remove from heat.

4. Soak stuffing with turkey stock in small bowl until moistened (usually takes a couple of minutes).

5. In a large mixing bowl, season turkey with salt and pepper.

6. Add apple, lemon juice, cooled celery, cooled onion, poultry seasoning, egg and stuffing to turkey and mix until just combined.

7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil (shiny side down).

8. Loosely form meat mixture into 1.5 inch balls, drizzle with some olive oil (I use a brush for this).

9. Roast in oven until cooked through, firm and browned, about 12-15 minutes, depending on your oven and how brown you like your meatballs (I usually opt for the 15 minute cooking time as I like my meatballs quite brown). Note: I also recommend that you slice one of your meatballs in half to make sure it is cooked through. There should be no pink! Turkey should never be served unless fully cooked!

10. While meatballs cook, prepare your gravy. You can make yours from scratch, but I just use a mix from the store in a quick pinch.

11. Serve over pasta and top with generous portions of gravy and Parmesan cheese.

Be sure to check out this and other recipes on my recipe blog, The Queen of Cuisine!

.video tidbit: why?! why?!?!?!.

kay, this is probably the funniest/scariest/dumbest thing I have ever seen. This, ladies and gentlemen, is my nightmare...

(I should also note that the person who posted this video includes this simple disclaimer on YouTube: WARNING: DO NOT TRY THIS YOURSELF. I could not agree more...)

.itty bitty candy bars.

Not too much to say on this one. Just wanted to show off some cute personalized candy bars I made as favors for Livi's birthday party.  So... here they are! These have to be some of the cutest chocolates I've seen! ^_^

.ladybug cakes.

For Livi's first birthday party, I planned a "Ladybug Luncheon." Of course I had to have a ladybug cake and I thought, "Why buy when I can create?" So, I set about my planning to make not one, but two ladybug cakes: one to share and one for Livi to destroy, of course.

I ended up making a 12 inch, triple layer, hand-carved, fondant covered cake for all of our birthday guests and a little ladybug cake with non-dairy frosting for Livi. It took a long time (especially coloring and kneading the fondant), but it was so worth it! Check 'em out!

 

(Notice the alternating chocolate and red velvet layers. Yummy!)

.happy birthday, livi.

Wow! I can't believe my little one is... one! This is the cake I made for Livi's first birthday. Her party isn't for another week, so of course I had to make a cake for the big day in addition to the cake for her party. So, here it is! This is the first cake I've made with fondant and I think it looks quite cute. It tasted pretty good, too!