Taco Salad Cake

Gilbert's b'day is today and this is his taco salad cake. The chocolate cake was baked in a Wilton wonder mold pan. The top was cut off and crumbled to place around the edges for ground beef. The tortilla chips are made of fondant and cookie crumbs (for that chip texture). The tomatoes and olives are fondant brushed with tinted piping gel for shine. The lettuce is tinted stale coconut that tastes like food coloring. I'm going to warn everyone about that one! For cheese, I put tinted fondant in a cheese grater. The sour cream is just a wollop of buttercream frosting and the guacamole is the same only tinted and mixed with a couple reserved tomatoes for an authentic look.

This cake was probably the most fun to make out of any that I've done so far. It took about six hours total so it wasn't the easiest, but by far the "funnest." If someone actually mistakes it for taco salad tonight, I will be sooooo complimented.

Out on the Town

With Jeremy and Julie moving to town it's nice to have a couple our age to hang out with. We enjoyed some humongous burgers at Red Robin at Bridge Street and even had a special visitor.

The onion ring tower of coolness

Thanks guys for getting a sitter and going out with us! We had so much fun. Next time we'll have to plan a kid-friendly outing and bring Noah along.

Moving Day

Dave, Jess, and I made the trek down to P'cola to help Jess get moved into her trailer. Jared and a coworker came by and they had the truck unloaded in no time!

Whoever invented wallpaper border should be shot execution-style beside the tacky person who decided to buy it. Someone actully spent hard-earned money on this crap (I'm including the god awful curtains when I say "crap") then took the time to install in in her home. If the firing squad scene is a bit extreme, can we all at least agree that she should be sterilized so a future generation does not have to edure this horror?

Living Room

The bathroom
Master Bedroom
Hallway

More living roomAnd now for the piece de resistance

Are you ready?

You may think so, but trust me, you aren't

This is your last chance to back out!

I give you...

The living room/kitchen transition

Do you see the little blue and red country border UNDERNEATH the transition poking through?

There is no excuse for this. Be glad it's revealed to you merely through photographs because I think beholding this much vulgarity in person causes cancer - atypical cells at least.

Dave's parents were kind enough to come over and help us dispose of the putrid excuse for decor.

I love to see a man doing housework. Heck yes it's going into a scrapbook if you were wondering.

It took HOURS to undo the wretched borders. When Jess and I grew tired of cursing the tasteless mess, we made up our own songs to curse it more effectively. Snow White has nothing on us.

Fortunatley by nightfall, the offending wallpaper was destroyed and replaced by good taste. Ahhhh. It "doeth good like a medicine" to behold this sight. Hopefully enough to undo those carcinogens. I can hardly wait to see what Jess does with the place.

Growing up

Today was the little peepers first day out of the nest.

Riding on mom's back

oooooo. What's in the cup?
Heck, we'll just get in there!




Petunia and one of the twins have decided that since Buttercup was so successful they'll give setting a whirl too. Katy brought over more fertilized eggs for them to sit on, but Dad will have to separate them soon so they don't fight over the chicks when they hatch! I don't know why they insist on setting together when Dad made them a perfectly good nest right next to this one!

Happy Father's Day!

Dad got a goody bad filled with all kinds of chicken-themed items. Best of all, he had some grandchickens hatch!

Look at those babies! Awwww!
There are 5 of them total
Peek-a-boo!

Still Missing my "son"

I still cry over him every day (as does my mom), but the pain is going away a little. Mom picked up some marigolds (orange and yellow of course!) to plant on Apricot's grave and his stone marker also came in. Dad has plans to make the entire area look more like a rock/flower garden than a grave so that will be nice.

Apricot 1992-2008

We had to have Apricot put to sleep last night at the Emergency Clinic. He would have been 16 years old in November and had a long, happy life. Still this doesn't make it any easier for me particularly since I had to make the decision to put him down and was with him as he died. Thanks Dad, Mom, and Dave for being there with me at such a sorrowful time. I'm choosing to ignore my Independent Baptist upbringing for now and believe that I'll see Apricot again one day in heaven. Why not. :)

Apricot's catster page so that we can remember the good times.

http://www.catster.com/cats/65927

Pensacola

We came home from Destin by way of Pensacola so we could visit with Dave's parents and see Jared during his visiting hour. I think we're going to be in the market for a new camera soon. Argh.

We were able to squeeze in some tee time.

Mom getting a tutorial for her first time out.
Look at that form! :p



My first time with a driver instead of an iron and practice balls!

Sandestin

This is becoming an annual SCS trip tradition for us it seems! The Village of Baytown Wharf is such a great place to stay when

1. You aren't paying for it
2. You don't have a car
3. You're with your sweetie!

We ate some incredible food including a return visit to the pizza place from last year. It was still just as good!

A little 50's style hamburger joint complete with working personal jukebox.

Chilaxing
We got lots of beach time in and have the burns to prove it. Not sure what's going on with the camera here!
Our hotel room. We stayed at the Bayside Inn.

View from the room

Living statue!