happy birthday trevor

hi all!

how is everyone?  having a great weekend i hope!  we are still getting teased with barely there snowfalls - BOO!  a friend told me the farmer's almanac says we will get a big one in march so i am keeping my fingers crossed!  of course by big one i mean less than a foot but enough to actually PLAY in!

despite the fact that i am still not feeling very well i just HAD to get my boy's birthday celebration done - i mean that's what moms do right???  trevor just turned 19 and he is one awesome kid!  so he needed an awesome birthday meal.  we have never really done the go out to an expensive restaurant thing for birthdays - probably because i could barely afford McDonalds for most of their childhoods!  i always make them their favorite meal and make them a cake.  so that's what i did this time too.  however i get much more involved with the cake making than i used to!  he wanted a cake with "that yummy filling you make and the whole thing covered in that stuff i like and then with the decorations..."  um ok....so i had to guess a little bit on the filling but i knew he meant covered in fondant and decorated with modeling chocolate.  of course since i don't know the first thing about moderation (despite my ever so patient dad trying to explain it to me a million times when i was growing up) i went all out.  i mean if i am going to do something i might as well DO IT right????

(is that one good lookin' kid or what???)  so i will say that despite my best efforts i am no cake diva like my buddy catherine at Sugar 'n Sweets BUT trevor's exclamation of joy at seeing it is really all i needed!  the first layer is chocolate fudge cake with chocolate pudding and andes mint chips for filling.  the top layer is chocolate fudge cake with french vanilla pudding and bananas for filling.  the layers are covered in homemade buttercream and then blue fondant.  i used the duff fondant from michaels this time and i can say it actually tastes pretty good.  i wish i knew how to put the fondant on without all the wrinkles and without getting the powdered sugar/cornstarch all over it from trying to keep it from sticking to everything but no luck.  next i made modeling chocolate with white candy melts and chocolate candy melts by mixing in a little corn syrup after i melted them.  this is really yummy AND so easy to work with.  here is another pic of trev after hubby got involved:

of course pezza helped with the whole process - not kidding i spent the better part of TWO DAYS on this cake ACK!  she decided she wanted to make a bow for the top.  i was really wishing i had paid more attention and had her use the BLUE for the strings hanging down but on the other hand it seemed appropriate for trev - he was the typical fascinated with gross things kinda boy growing up so i left it as she made it:

so what else was on the menu?

living on his own trev doesn't eat nearly as well as when he was at home so i thought a good steak was in order!  as well as some vegies so we had broccoli AND spinach!  also made baked potatoes and crescent rolls with pepper jack cheese rolled up inside.  YUMMM-EEE!

i am hoping to take it easy today after all the standing and work i did.  i will be getting the info and registration page up for the workshops i have been asked to teach at a retreat in baltimore in May so keep your eyes open for that!  we would LOVE to see everyone!  there's nothing better than getting together with crafty peeps, especially ones you "know" online - i hope a bunch of you can come!