Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmmm

So hell week is over. Kind of. The kids are still going through whatever it is they're going through. But it seems to be on the upswing at least. Maybe it's just the combination of being sick and the end of winter-beginning of Spring cabin fever thing? I don't know, and quite frankly, I'm tired of talking about it. LOL
We had a birthday party to go to yesterday afternoon. And by the time we came home last night, all 3 kids were passed out and placed gently into their beds(where we changed them into jammies and they totally slept through the whole process!!!). Then we each took a breath of fresh air. Ahhhhhhhhh. Quiet time. We were beyond exhausted, but were up for watching some DVR'd tv together. Oh....and I made a snack because we all know how easy it is to actually EAT when you're juggling 3 kids at a party. Not so much.
We sat on the couch...the same couch and actually had some US time where we weren't doing anything else but just sitting with each other watching tv. And you wanna know the weird part? It was awkward. Not uncomfortable by any means. And maybe awkward is the wrong word? But I realized that it had been SO long that we had any time to just concentrate on US. And last night was one of the first times I can remember in a LONG while that we did that. It was almost foreign. We've been baby making/raising machines for the past 5 years and that has been all consuming. Now that the littlest of our clan is a year old, I think it's time to step back and take care of US....the US that started all of this. We love each other. There's no doubt about that. But we certainly haven't made our relationship any sort of priority recently. We're either too tired, too busy, too occupied with something else....the list could go on I'm sure. I would imagine most young couples in "family growing" mode go through this. But when you sit back and analyze it(like I just did while doing laundry)....it's pretty scary to think that all the feelings and all the love that started this family, have been put on the back burner.
Anyway.......I'm on it! Time to resurrect the relationship that used to make other people envious.
:)
Yay....a new project!

Throwback Night?!

So I guess we were feeling a little delirious nostalgic last night and when someone(we seriously have no idea which kid was making noise) started the dreaded noise, we brought the baby into our room to sleep in the Pack N Play. After all, it's been a while since a baby slept in our room! Let me say this, whoever coined the phrase "slept like a baby" should be caned in public. If I'm not mistaken, that phrase is meant to describe a blissful, uninterrupted sleep? Not the kind that REAL babies have when they move every 3 1/2 minutes? Whatever. Even with an extra person in the room, I managed to get more sleep last night than I have in the last 4 days combined. WOOT! The dogs were even kind enough to turn their fart dials down to about 6 last night so we weren't woken up constantly gasping for breath. They DO love us!!
I did the unmentionable yesterday and kept my sweet Angel of a daughter up from her nap even though she barely slept the night before. I earned my cape yesterday, that's for sure. So at brinnertime(I served another gourmet meal of eggs, bacon, and bagels ie: Brinner-Breakfast for dinner) she actually fell asleep in her chair. If it weren't for the bacon(she's a disturbing carnivore)she probably wouldn't have lasted 5 minutes. But she couldn't resist chomping of a few slices. Once she passed out, I carried her up to her bed, changed her, and didn't hear from her again for another 13 hours. Tired much?! Well, I may have heard from her, but it wasn't anything that warranted a visit to their bedroom for attention, only to snatch the baby from his crib and bring him to our quiet, not as smelly as usual, bedroom. And right now she's happy as a clam in her Cruella Deville coat wearing no pants watching Bubble Guppies on tv. Joy to the World!
Child 1 is home from school today since he's coughing like a 2 pack a day smoker and is napping at 9 am?! And sweet little Child 3 is sitting staring at me covered in his own boogers. I'm thinking today might be a good day to clean....a LOT.
On another note.......we're having mattress issues. Our new mattress was delivered last Saturday and The Hubbs and I have a difference of opinion. Weird, I know. He seems to feel that we could bounce quarters off of our new bed and that this is a bad thing. Where I am just happy for a surface that isn't the floor or our old mattress that crippled me, to catch my 20 minutes of zzzzz's a night! According to the retailer, we have 2 weeks to decide if it's the one for us. If not, we can pay a nominal charge to switch mattresses again. So let the count down begin! I'm pretty sure that at this point in my life, I could sleep standing up. So I'm sure he'll "win" and we'll end up trying out at least one more mattress. But after reading the Twilight series along with every other tween girl(what?! It was a good read!) and um....having my daughter around for 2 1/2 years....I'm thinking becoming a vampire might actually suit me! I've always had a funny feeling about Child 2. Even when she was still in my belly, there was something different about her. She's wise beyond her years and has a frightening relationship with meat. Basically, I'd rather rip a hot meal out of a rabid mountain lion's mouth than get in between Child 2 and a slab of meat. This is why I waited until she fell asleep at the table last night! I wouldn't dare suggest she leave any bacon behind. Anyway, back to the vampire thing. It would be cool. I wouldn't have that whole tired-all-the-time thing going on and being up all night wouldn't bother me one bit! And I like meat just as much as the next guy. So it's all good. I'm not even sure anyone would even notice. I'm so pale this time of year, if you look closely enough, you can actually watch the blood flow through my veins. Sexy, I know. The Hubbs is one lucky guy ;)
On that note, I'm off to clean a bit. Good news is Child 3 is no longer covered in his own snot. Bad news: I now have to change my pants after he wiped his face on them. Guess I'll do some laundry too! Maybe I'll work on my "Muah Ha Ha" laugh....Dracula did that right? Or was that the Count Chocula? Eh....whatever...I don't want to be that scary anyway.

This could very well be added to my tattoo collection!

Today's Chuckle

Well since my night didn't end up so great, and I was awoken by the shrieks of Child 2 on this lovely morning, I have made the decision to stay in my jammies all day. Not that it makes me feel better by any means. But it's kind of my "flipping off the world today" attitude. And much more conducive than walking around with my middle finger waving in the air all day. My hair is a mess, no make up. Big comfy brown slippers. Blue and green floral pj bottoms, a very old green T-shirt, and an even older....too small....green robe. I know I sound incredibly color coordinated, right?! Wrong. All the greens are off a bit. Enough to almost make you want to have a seizure when you look directly at me. At least that was the look on the face of our PSE&G guy that gently tapped on our front window this morning to read our meter. Poor guy. He's really nice too. I was kind enough to spare him the obstacle course that is my living room and basement. I ran (ok,kind of slipped) down the basement stairs to get the reading off the meter to tell it to him. When I opened the front door, he looked like he wanted to ask if everything was alright, but instead averted his eyes to his keypad thingy and mumbled "have a nice day" when he walked briskly away from the house. Funny thing is, it's usually the two very large barking dogs that scare him once a month! So I'm feeling mildly powerful right now! And thinking of hiding in the bushes for the mailman later just to make me giggle again :)
Bonus?!
I took the time this morning to put a bra on before venturing downstairs. Otherwise I'd imagine that poor meter man would be handing in his resignation this afternoon. Goes to show you a bad day for me can turn into a lucky day for someone else!
:)

When life gives you lemons.............

.......shove them in your ears so you can't hear my daughter screaming. Good Lord. She woke up(and subsequently woke ALL of us up) at 12:30am. Yep that's what time MY day started today. Jealous yet? She makes this....noise........it's very hard to describe but if it's not THE most annoying noise in the world, it's a close second. Well, she woke up at 12:30 making this noise which of course woke up her brothers(unavoidable with the whole shared room thing-----WHAT WERE WE THINKING?!?!?!) I attempted to calm her down, but when she gets in this mood, she refuses to answer questions like, "what's wrong?" or "are you hurt?". I held her. She chilled out for a bit. Long enough at least for me to calm her baby brother with a bottle and climb back into my own bed and almost fall asleep. Then she started up again. Waking the boys, again. I tried letting it go a bit, probably out of pure laziness if I'm being honest with myself, but you see the girl is more stubborn than me and my husband combined. I do wonder sometimes why we decided to procreate. We might be the two most thick headed people on the planet!? Deductive reasoning would dictate that at least ONE of our kids would be like us....or worse. Ugh. So "the noise" which escalates into screaming eventually, continued for 3 hours. Did I mention she was stubborn? Yeah. I brought her in our bed. That was fun. I was trying to give the boys a little break from the noise, but the whole 3 feet across the hall didn't offer the silence I'd hoped. She threw an all out fit here. Kicking. Screaming. Making "the noise" even louder. Oy vey. After trying about 32 different tactics, The Hubbs finally scooped her up around 3am and brought her to our spare bedroom/playroom downstairs. Where her shrieking managed to wake up the baby one more time from an entirely different level of the house. Impressive. I felt bad for The Hubbs. But, I'm pretty sure he could feel me shaking from rage and lack of sleep and even though he had to work in the morning, he sacrificed a little discomfort for an ounce(or the hope that an ounce would regrow itself during R.E.M) of sanity for me. Today is one of those days that I'd give my left arm up to go to WORK even though I'd be dead on my feet. So I don't feel too bad for him. Staying home with 3 exhausted kids, 2 that are sick(the boys......so they have man-colds like their Daddy), and one very sleep deprived Mommy does not make a wonderful combination. It's not even 10am here. Things are going alright, all things considered. But I threw a movie in to occupy the kids. The creative side of my brain needs sleep. Imagine THAT?! So I'm having trouble coming up with any other constructive ways to occupy them. This will have to do for now. Lest the screaming or "the noise" begin again.
I have planned a few things for later like, snack time and afternoon lockdown.
I personally can't wait for either!
I'm thinking during the latter, I might even snort a pot of coffee down my gullet in record time.
Call Guinness!!!

Dinner time aka......please shoot me

So I just picked myself up from the dinner table and abandoned The Hubbs with all 3 minis.
Why? Child 1 pisses and moans about every bite he has to take AND has to be reminded to chew when something finally finds it's way into his mouth. Child 3 is on a screaming tear. I don't have a clue what his issue is, I can only guess that he's going to be an early talker because he seems to be screaming in frustration of not being able to communicate. Until then, he screams. My dear friend Johi will be quite familiar with this baby behavior. And while my blood pressure rises and rises and threatens to make my head actually pop right off, Child 2 hums or sings the entire time we are at the table. It. Is. Infuriating.
I hate to be THAT person. You know...the one that gives up and just holds her shaking head in her hands. But I'm only human! And tonight was ROUGH. Side note: While I was cooking dinner Child 3 sat directly under my feet the entire time screaming and slamming cabinets and Child 1 asked me 4,127 questions. Luckily I was down a child since The Hubbs took Little Miss Thang to The Depot. Woot Woot! And it was beautifully warm out this evening so I opened the door to the deck and let some fresh air in. Hubbs came home and I sicked the boys on him and ran to the grill for some SERENITY. I'm sorry........does anyone else think I sound like a man after reading this?! LOL I find peace in grilling, manual labor, fresh air combined with peace and quiet, and cold beer. Um........has anyone seen my testes?

Hello again

So I've been M.I.A. for a while now. Sorry folks. Aside from my entire life hanging in limbo with a possible move totally up in the air, I've been suffering(ok not "suffering" per say) with a case of the winter blues. By this of course I mean eating everything in sight, not venturing far from the couch(unless it's to the fridge), and generally just looking out the window cursing at Mother Nature. I was over winter the day after Christmas. I was doing my best as a parent to suit the minis up in their 18 layers of clothes daily to send them out in the lovely white stuff to thoroughly enjoy their childhood. And then even THEY got sick of it. Our outgrown house has a severe lack of closet space on the first floor. So there are snow boots and mittens and hats and snow pants and jackets strewn about that I try to tuck into various inconspicuous places throughout the house so unexpected company wouldn't think I held up the driver of the local Good Will truck! I refuse to pack them up for good because the second I do, the minis will unanimously decide they are now snow bunnies. So I'll probably leave them down here until Memorial Day-ish. Just in case. To make myself feel better, I've been throwing things out again. :) Random "just in case" items that I've now decided(after having 3 kids and no where to store all the crap that comes along with them) that the "just in case" moment will never come. And I'm okay with that. I cleared out the kids playroom AGAIN. Boxing up toys that they barely touch except to throw on the floor for the sole purpose of stepping on. I strategically did this during Child 1's naptime. I just about had everything exactly where I wanted it.....a box full of stuff they don't touch, that takes up WAY too much room, all ready to go in the basement for storage......when he walked in and said "I STILL PLAY WITH THOSE". Sure you do kiddo. While he was picking through my stash, explaining in ridiculous detail for a 4 year old why I shouldn't pack these up, I nodded and hastily threw a bunch of other crapola into the box just to accomplish my goal. Sort of.
Then, off to Home Depot we went! You see......the weather this past weekend was Springlike. Temperatures in the high 40's maybe even low 50's. Snow was melting at a pace rapid enough to empty into our basement. The sun was shining. The kids were in heavy hoodies playing on the deck. It was bliss. Then The Hubbs opened his big mouth........"I really feel like this might be the end of winter". COME ON! You know we'll have at least one more blizzard just because Mother Nature thinks she's funny!!!! Way to jinx the weather Dude.
But, we were both feeling Springy and decided to drag the minis to "The Depot" for some much needed home improvement stuff and to search for our Spring Projects. We both get into clean out mode when the weather gets nice. We spend days at a time outside cleaning out the garage, throwing down fresh mulch, shoveling snow from the yard into the driveway so it melts faster(I kid you not), and one year just moving bushes around the yard just to create yard work for ourselves. It makes us feel good. The kids join in too! Last year the 2 older kids moved garden rocks from one "garden" area to another, and then back again a few days later. It took them HOURS! And they loved every second of it. We didn't even ask them to do it. As a matter of fact we were kind of pissed when we looked over and half the rocks were gone?! But they had a blast. And I'm a firm believer that hard work molds a person. I made sure to bring out a large pitcher of lemonade for them and plenty of snacks! Secretly I was thinking I had to make it look good for when DYFS showed up I guess. But either way, they love working outdoors just like we do and it's very memorable family time for all of us. Heaven actually.....with lots and lots of dirt!
So while perusing the garden/patio furniture area of The Depot the kids were getting  antsy so I yelled out "whoever finds a gnome first gets a treat" and watched the older two spring into action! I turned slowly to capture the priceless look The Hubbs was giving me.....a strange humored look with a "I could smack the crap out of you right now" grimace. Fun times!! You see, my dear Uncle that shares my sense of humor calls my husband a gnome because of his....stature. To clarify, my Uncle cracks himself up! Okay and most of the people in a 20' radius as well, but usually at someone else's expense. Whatever, it's funny. I would never call my husband short and he certainly isn't round like a garden gnome. I would describe him and always have, as stocky! It's the build I've always preferred in men, and wouldn't have it any other way. But where The Hubbs has the perfect build for my taste....my tall, skinny(kind of) Uncle thinks he looks like a gnome. And this has been the running joke in my family, now the Hubbs' family and all our friends too for YEARS. Our kids are gnomies and gnomettes. And life is good. Not to mention quite hysterical at times when passing through a garden department of a hardware store especially with The Hubbs in tow. HA!
Anyway, it ended up that both kids got a treat after finding quite possibly the best lawn decor EVER! It was a  statue of a black bear lifting it's foot to see the squished gnome it had stepped on. BLAH HAHAHA! We all got a good chuckle and ended up having a pretty nice weekend.
I plan to write more now that I'm kind of, sort of, maybe sneaking some sleep here and there. We bought a new mattress this weekend because our old one was trying to kill us. And now if only the kids will stop waking me up in the middle of the night, I might actually get out of the bed in the morning without feeling like a 90 year old cripple. I can't WAIT!
Off to change a stinky then pick up Child 1 from preschool!
Have a great day and be on the look out for gnomes :)

:)

Ok so yesterday sucked. I apologize for my bi-polar posts. But I guess that's how I feel most of the time?! I'm thinking quite a few Mom's do. "they love me, they love me not. they appreciate me, they appreciate me not." That's pretty much what goes through my head all day long. Ugh. Why do our brains insist on torturing us like that?
Anyway,  The Hubbs is WAY more receptive than I give him credit for!! He came home last night and could just see the exasperated look on my face. I was half curled up on the couch, holding a squirming giant one year old and sitting next to Child 2 while she watched Little Bear(their nightly pre-bedtime ritual). Child 1 had been SO ornery and overtired that he was sent to bed shortly after dinner and fell asleep within 3 minutes of being put in there. Two late nights in a row over the weekend didn't agree with him. The little kids finished up their show and were escorted to bed. I could hardly muster up a welcoming smile or anything. The wind had totally been taken out of my sails. Boo hoo....I know....this is such a "poor me" week? What the hell?!?!?!?! Surprisingly, especially to me because I didn't think ANYTHING would drag me out of my funk, a few sweet questions made me cheer up instantly. "Can I get you anything at all babe?" "I'm sorry you had such a bad day." <complete with cute little pouty face and all. "Do you want me to run to the store and get you some cake?" This just made me outright laugh!!! And there you have it.
How to fix a woman.........1)care 2)SHOW that you care 3)offer to do something for her 4)be sweet and understanding 5)just add water(or wine....or beer......or shots) and
TA DA!!!!!!!!!! Instant human :)
Now today hasn't been perfect. Not even close. Our oldest is on a mission to make me scream at him all day. And I haven't yet. Yet. But The Hubbs is home. And I'm enjoying him being here with all of us. Even if I'm in the kitchen baking for Saturday and he's running errands. One of which is getting a new battery for the truck! HAPPY DANCE! At least he's here, and we can team up together. We always did that so perfectly. :)
I'm looking forward to tonight. After finishing the 472 chores on my list today, I can't wait to sit on the couch and snuggle up next to my love.

I'm having a darker day

Let's start by saying I'm PMSing....(TMI?!) but to be completely fair, I'm coming off a weekend by myself. The Hubbs was away for a service meeting from Friday till Sunday. Not a long stint alone at all, but one none the less. So I am completely exhausted! And less than thrilled with things around here anyway. I'm feeling.....stalled in any plans to move, sell the house, blah blah blah. I'm feeling bummed that The Hubbs was away for my lil man's first Birthday Saturday. I know he had nothing to do at all with the planning of this meeting. But I guess I would have liked to see him put a little fight into it. I hear from him that a bunch of other guys didn't show for one reason or another. Anyway, the fight is what makes everything worth it, right!? I like that in a person. To know that they go for what they want. Even if they don't get it. At least they tried and put their heart into it. I feel like I'm the only one who fights anymore. This bothers me. Maybe it's just the winter blues? I don't know.
What I do know is that the minis and I got to spend Saturday morning with my Mother-In-Law. She always knows how to make things special for everyone. I love that in a person. I love her. Just that she even thinks "It's Child 3's Birthday today, I must see him even if it's just for a few minutes". That's admirable, no two ways about it. And it was for more than a few minutes :) We shopped, we ate, we chatted and the minis were on exceptional behavior! It was a lovely morning. Followed by naps at home(for the minis of course) while I decorated cupcakes for a friend's party that night. By Brother-In-Law accompanied me to the bowling alley where the party was held and thank GOD....because there's no way I would have survived/been able to keep an eye on all 3 minis/or actually enjoyed myself without him there! The friends are great, don't get me wrong, but I just wouldn't have been able to even talk to them without his help watching at least one of the kids. He totally rocks by the way :)
But aside from all that we did do Saturday, we didn't do anything special just for Child 3. We go apple picking every year for Child 2 and pumpkin picking for Child 1. I can't help but feel I short-changed my youngest mini.
To add insult to injury, the trucks battery died Saturday night. I found this tidbit out AFTER loading all 3 kids, the Birthday Girl's gifts, and the cupcakes to be served at the party into the truck. I had to call that wonderful Brother-In-Law of mine up to jump the truck(he was supposed to meet us there). And then the next day,(in order to get to the airport to pick up The Hubbs from sunny Florida......WHAT?! I'm not bitter) I jumped the truck after finding a second set of jumper cables in our garage. I hooked them up to our van....which stalls if it goes up a hill or over 40mph. but DOES have a good battery. Apparently it's too much to ask to have a reliable vehicle lying around. My next door neighbor who I LOVE dearly, came and hung out with the minis who were once again all buckled up in their carseats, while Mommy jumped the dead battery. Ugh.
So.....I have a full week ahead of me. It started this morning. The Hubbs was gone by 6am for work. I proceeded to dress, feed, and get all 3 kids ready to drive the eldest to school. I have 14 thousand(maybe a little exaggeration) of laundry awaiting my attention in the basement and a house to get clean for Saturday! Not to mention, I totally feel pressured to out-do myself when it comes to the Birthday Boy's cake this year. I actually have to start baking for Saturday...today. I'm lacking motivation for all of this because I feel like I'm the only one excited about it. Yeah yeah the kids are. But they're kids. They get excited if I yell a color out!
Something just isn't right. And my fingers not quite on it. But I do feel (aside from my friggin unbelievably awesome in laws) that I walk alone most of the time. That's sucky. I want to plan and get excited about stuff with someone. Not just feel like I'm informing them of what's going to happen. Ugh.
And here's the kicker. A card was sent to Child 3 for his Birthday from my parents. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned our relationship in prior posts. There was the obligatory check from them, a very sweet card, and then a note for me in a tiny separate envelope. This is what it read(in my Mother's writing) "I fully intended on being there for Child 3's 1st Birthday as long as someone could have picked me up and taken me to the airport. It just wasn't meant to be."
I never received a phone call nor an email which is their preferred method of communication when there is any. So I'm a teeny bit confused here? Did I fail you somehow by not OFFERING this pick up/drop off service? Did you pretend in your head that we had some sort of conversation about this?
I wish I could say that I'm surprised by this. But here's the simple, harsh truth. I'm not even a little surprised. I'm ashamed to be from a family where talk is just that. Talk. You see.........my Mother prides herself on attending every single one of her grandchildren's First Birthdays. She boasts to her friends and family alike that she has never missed one.
But, they didn't come up when he was born. Or when I spent the week after he was born in the hospital by his side because he was hooked up to tubes and monitors and oxygen. It was a long week. I had the support of the people I love around me. Including a Dr that cared so much, that he put me on iron supplements and told the insurance companies I was anemic and needed to be there, JUST so I could stay with my newborn son.
And a year later, this guy is UNBELIEVABLY strong. You'd never know he was such a "wimp" when he was born.
This first birthday means a lot to me.
I'm going to shake off this pity party......I have to blame it on PMS and a loooooooong winter........and celebrate this amazing little boy! He deserves every ounce of my attention and the attention of 50 of our closest family members and friends this Saturday. I'm not kidding. I couldn't tailor this guest list even a little bit. All my in-laws will be there and are actually excited for the "event"! And only our closest friends that make a point to be in our lives, no matter how difficult we are to get in touch with sometimes!
Live. Love. Laugh.
Even if it goes against everything you were raised to believe
xo

HUGE NEWS!

No....I'm not pregnant.
And I guess it's not necessarily "huge" news, but I'm friggin excited. The founding editor of Cupcakes Take The Cake, which has been featured in the New York Times and is officially the largest cupcake blog ever, is a fan of my cupcake page on Facebook!!!!!!!  I had sent them a link to my page with a flattering email a while back in the hopes that they'd even look at it and apparently they DID. I'm in awe and kind of freaked out all at the same time. Little ol' me? Getting some real attention for the little cupcakes I make in my home? Wowza. This happened yesterday, so it still fresh in my brain and I'm just not too sure how to react.
In other me news...........I somehow pulled off the hugest order I've taken to date. It was for my sister-in-law's friends kids. They had a big party for their son(4) and daughter(6) with 80 something guests. I made two cupcake cakes, each comprised of approximately 50 cupcakes. The daughter had requested a Beach Barbie(it feels wrong to not capitalize that when I type it and I don't know why?) theme. She loves pink, purple, surfing, dolphins, and everything beachy. The son wanted a Toy Story theme which I took it upon myself to suggest the Andy's Room theme for that. I'll always be my toughest critic, and while the Barbie cake came out really nice, it couldn't stand up to the ridiculous detail on the Toy Story cake. To date, it's my most favorite project yet that I am most excited about. Before you view the picture below, here are a few things you should know : Buzz and Woody are the ONLY things not edible on this entire cake. I tried to make them, but with time constraints and two cakes to make, I cut my losses and sent The Hubbs to the party store where he found these little keychain guys to throw on there. There are no toothpicks holding anything in place or any other supports other than the cardboard platform covered in foil that it sits on. I made the headboard and footboard out of chocolate that I melted and put into a pastry bag. I then used a small decorators tip to follow the design I drew out and went over it a few times so it was thick enough to make the dreaded delivery drive! The base cake is made up of 45 cupcakes and the bed is 12 cupcakes(2 rows of 6 stacked on each other). All the characters, the floor, the bedspread, and the rug were all hand molded out of fondant by me :) The Birthday Boy's name is chocolate.

The only unfortunate thing about this is that the pictures didn't come out so great. The venue was pitch black. And I assembled parts of this once I got there so they didn't fall during delivery and ruin the cake. ie the headboard and stuff. So I couldn't really see what I was taking pictures of.

sneak peak of the inside of the bed

The dinosaur above is "Rex". He's leaning on the signature Pixar ball. And of course he's standing next to Mr. Potato Head.

^Slinky Dog^

detail of the bed before the characters were added. check out the "hardwood" floors!! (fondant)

Now the Beach Barbie cake did come out nice so I'll show you that too I suppose. I just feel that it came up short next to this one. 

The Birthday Girl's name is written in chocolate, and I used the Barbie "B"for an added little touch.

There were some fun little details in this cake. The sand is made of crushed Nilla wafers and makes it smell AMAZING!!!!!! Pretzyl rod dock. Beach towel, hat and flip flops under the palm tree. It was very cute!

even some little seashells by the "water"

So there you have it! I'm beaming with excitement and nerves. This might actually turn into something?!

DEEP BREATHS.