Cake tops are my weakness.

You know, when you bake a cake, and then trim the top so it’s level when you stack and frost it, and then you have that top just sitting there? Oh man, I can’t resist that moist deliciousness. (Remember how I used to work in bakeries where those were just sitting around all day? It was bad. I did a lot of gum chewing and teeth brushing in an effort to resist them.) Anyway, there were a lot of tops left when I made my latest cake with all the different shades of pink I made for it. Mmmm.

This cake was fun project I made for a good friend’s baby shower a few weeks ago. It wasn’t too difficult, it just took a little extra planning, having only two 10” cake pans, only a 4 1/2 qt. mixer, and trying to get the colors just right (the kids enjoyed a hot pink layer that didn’t get used). But, I planned ahead enough that it never added any stress, and was actually really fun. Elise and I thought up the cute banner decoration, and she designed it right up! Such a clever girl! I am a fan of minimal decoration, and more of a rustic approach, and this cake was just my style.

If this cake is screaming pinterest to you, than you are right.  There are a few versions of this cake there, but I referred  to this post the most. People are just so clever.

It ended up almost exactly how I had pictured it. I made some sugar cookies and swirled some of the extra frosting on them as an extension of the décor. And all the pink toned gift bags made such a cute back drop for it. This was a surprise shower, so I really wanted it to add to the big reveal. It wasn’t anything too fancy, (and definitely not perfect), but my friend was happy, and that’s all that matters. The rest of the food made by my friends was beautiful and delicious. I ate a lot.

The very much surprised guest of honor.

I should also mention it was a lemon Greek yogurt cake (I tweaked my vanilla cake recipe to come up with it), with raspberry buttercream filling, and I gotta say, it’s on the top of my favorite flavors.

Well, it was fun to take a break from writing about the craziness of my triplet-mommy life to delve into something I love but don’t get to do very often. I needed a distraction right now, with the added stress of  potty-training. It’s been one of those weeks, let me tell you.

Oh, Alex is calling from his bed that he needs to go to the potty! Back to reality! Good thing I love my life with those kiddos.

It’s Happening

Mr. Alex is up first, and doing great!

Of course there is much more to this story, but potty training is enough of a task without writing all about it. So I’m not going to. The important thing is it’s getting done. Finally. One almost down, two to go…

Drop and Give Me Twenty!

Remember when I signed up for Boot Camp for a month? Well, the thought of stopping made me really sad, so KC and I decided it was alright to let me splurge a little and sign a three-month contract. The money has been very well spent, I’d say.  I still look forward to it every morning, I’m seeing real results, and I’m feeling so great. And I’ve made a lot of friends. I think, for me, this boot camp has been a little bit of an addiction. I really hate missing class (darn wisdom teeth), and love that me-time I have every morning. It’s just been awesome.

So, I have been mentally preparing  for my contract to come to and end at the beginning of October. I didn’t want to quit, but I just kept telling myself it was for the best, since I have some race training to do that will keep me plenty busy. Then yesterday, my instructor took me aside to chat. Next thing I know, I am officially the substitute/co-instructor of Boot Camp! I am so flattered and excited to be the one chosen for this. I not only get to attend class absolutely FREE (as opposed to 99/month!), but I also get paid when I have to occasionally take over the class if the instructor is out! I’m so glad I was able to join for a few months so that when this opportunity presented itself, I was there to be considered for it. I’m just so grateful. 

And, it just so happens that there is another deal going on for this class right now! Any locals that want to come break a good sweat in the morning, join up! It’s definitely a good, hard work-out, but it is the best decision I have made for myself in a long time. We’ll have a blast!

I almost burned our dinner because I heard this happening in the dining room, and had to take a video immediately.

 

And to think, just 15 minutes before this I was ready to give up on life entirely. What would we do without these moments?

(And yes, I know Ruby’s a bit immodest with her ketchup-covered, white t-shirt collar is around her waist. I couldn’t interrupt the cuteness to fix it before the video was taken.)

So many good books, so little time.

I think I went a little overboard at the library the other day. I just got in a serious mood to make a dent in my to-read list, and this was the result. And this stack doesn’t include the two audiobooks I currently have on my iPod (The Lightening Thief, and Daddy-Long-Legs), and the three other books I have on my kindle app (Ethan Frome, Jude the Obscure, and The Picture of Dorian Gray), though I’d like to get the audio versions of those as well. And to think, just several years ago I was one of those that just thought reading wasn’t for me. Now I’m hooked. Without a good book readily available, I get a little panicky. I don’t think I’ll have that feeling for a while, with this great variety of material waiting for me. I’m sure I’ll burn through a lot of it as I train for some big races coming up.

And why is it that I prefer audiobooks? Who has time to sit and read when their life looks like this for nearly every waking moment? (And who can stay awake when they actually have a quiet moment to themselves to sit a read? Not me.)

(Okay, sometimes they give me a break and do things like this. Although I’m sure it lasted all of two minutes.)

Multitasking is key in my life if I want to get anything recreational accomplished, and I can plow through a lot of books while I clean the endless messes around here. I actually (kind of) look forward to tackling the neglected playroom when I have a good book at the ready. Even weeding the front yard got me through a good portion of A Thousand Splendid Suns (there were a lot of weeds…)  I’ve also found that I prefer them over the radio when I’m driving anywhere alone. I can always count on my drive to and from boot camp every morning to get me through a couple of chapters. I don’t mind a real book now and then, but if I want to get as much read as I would like, I find audiobooks to be the answer at this point in my life. I am absolutely loving this new obsession of mine.

(Cami, most of these choices are a result of me scanning your favorites on your Shelfari. Thanks!)