Friday, October 23, 2009

Stains!

I love Shout Advanced Action Gel! It has saved many outfits from horrible set in poop stains! Most moms who breastfeed know what I'm talking about... it seems impossible to get those kind of stains out... but this product is amazing! If I am at home and can soak the stain in water right after it happens it does help... but the Shout gel works great on the set in stains that I don't soak too! You just spray the gel onto the stain and then rub it in to activate the gel and cleaning agents... then you throw it in the wash and awhile later your outfit is as good as new! Whenever Bennett's clothes get stained my first thought is "this stain will never come out!" I have yet to use Shout and not get the stain out! It's amazing! I would highly recommend this product if you are in need of a good stain remover!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Conrad's Birthday Cake & Party!

Conrad's 2nd birthday party was on saturday! We had a great time celebrating with family and friends and Conrad got some pretty sweet presents! (thank you to everyone who generously gave him a gift... he has been very entertained all weekend!)
Here is a video of us singing to Conrad... he's pretty unsure of everything!
Conrad loves Cars so I decided to make him a Lightning McQueen cake! I found a lady who blogged about how she made one using fondant and I just had to try it... click here to see her blog. First I baked a cake, cooled it and then froze it for 1 hour. Then immediately after removing it from the freezer I carved it... I cut the cake in 1/2 and stacked it. Then I carved the shape of McQueen and using the extras that i cut off I built the cab and spoiler of the car. Then I frosted it... which is when you really begin to see McQueen! The frosting helps everything stick together.
Then it was time to work with the fondant. I bought a $6 already made package at Wal-Mart... so all I had to do was dye it. The Wilton concentrate colors work best, and for the red I used a whole container (they're really small jars). Before you start make sure you have gloves b/c the dye will stain your hands! So you just add the dye to the white fondant and work it in by pulling, kneading and twisting until it is the color you want. Then using powdered sugar and a rolling pin you roll it out to the size and thickness you want. You then wrap it around your rolling pin and place it over your cake.Then using your hands you smooth it around your cake. I was able to shape the spoiler a little better at that time too. Using a knife or scissors you cut the extra fondant off. The powdered sugar will absorb into the fondant. Then using a picture of the Radiator Springs Lightning McQueen I began to add all of the details. I just used a knife to cut the fondant into the shape I wanted and then wet the back with water and placed it on the cake. For the wheels I used hostess chocolate donuts and covered them in black fondant... then i cut wheel wells into the cake so the wheels didn't stick out too much. For all the lettering I dyed vanilla icing and used Wilton bags and tips... they work great and really aren't hard to use or clean (it was my first time for all of this!) The finished product! It probably took 4-5 hours to do everything, but was well worth my time! Conrad loved it and I had fun trying something new! I was nervous at first, but fondant is not too hard to work with... if I can do it then anybody can! I will definitly be using fondant again!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Happy 2nd Birthday Conrad!

It's Conrad's 2nd birthday today! My how time flies! It seems like just yesterday this bright eyed dimpled face boy came into our lives! We have made so many memories, both good and bad with Con... and I am so excited to see the little boy and someday man that God turns him into!
Some of my favorite things about Conrad are:
  • He gives the best hugs and loves to cuddle!
  • He has a great laugh... it's hard not to laugh with him!
  • His run is very funny!
  • He has some sweet dance moves
  • He is a great eater! He especially loves green beans!
  • His cute smile... how can you resist the dimples?!
  • The way he copies everything Gunnar does... he loves his big brother so much!
  • I love it when he makes Bennett laugh and smile!
We love you Con!