Cakes of 2012

The first cake of the year was done for my darling husband's 38th.  Everyone in our household loves the Smurfs, so it was an easy choice.  Papa seemed like the most obvious choice seeing as how the cake was for 'Daddy'.  And no other Smurf says "Birthday Party!", like Jokey.

 

The next cake came in July for my sister-in-laws birthday.  We always have a summer BBQ for her, and the kids thought that I should do an owl for her.  They knew I would agree, because I have a bit of an obsession with owls, and my collection keeps growing.  Maybe a post on that later.

 

The next one came a short month later for my now 7 year old son.  He loves Star Wars.  I completely adore R2-D2, so there was no question.  The other side of the cake says "May the Force be with You", of course, and this was my favorite cake of the year.

 

 

 

My daughter is obsessed with wolves, once again making the theme of her party obvious.  This cake was difficult for me.  On a cake this small (8 inch round), options are limited for detail.  Maybe it was the colors I chose that hit the detail of this tattoo style design, but it didn't quite 'pop' the way I was hoping.  But, my daughter loved it, and in the end, that's all that matters.

 

 

This was the big cake of the year, and the only one I was hired to do.  It was for the Grade 8 graduation in our hometown.  It was a lot of cake, and weighed a ton.  Our graduates loved it, and no one wanted to cut into it, so I had to do it.

 

 

There were a few others as well, but these were my top 5.  I wonder what I'll create this year?

 

 

 

Dreaming of Summer

I know I am supposed to be practicing living in the moment, and not constantly looking forward (or back), for what promises to be a better moment.  But, (I know, there is always a 'but') as I was walking around my yard this morning, I was remembering all the flowers that were in full bloom less than 5 months ago.  I was also planning where I will be putting new plants and making new beds.  Now is the time to be ordering seeds and evening thinking about starting a few, so I'm not completely out to lunch in my daydreamings.

These lilies are planted at the start of our driveway, in a bed surrounding a large rock.  I made this bed larger this past year, but it still seems dwarfed in comparison with the rest of the yard, so we have plans of making it even bigger this Spring.  Perhaps adding a few shrubs and maybe even more lilies.  My husband and I both love lilies, and had a nice, little collection started in our garden back in Cold Lake.  But now we have room for far more, and more space means we can try more varieties without the risk of cross-pollination.

I have big dreams of creating huge rock beds in the yard.  Lots of different gardens with varying themes.  My husband loves a Japanese style garden, while I tend to lean towards an English flavor.  Two extremely different styles that if planned carefully, could definitey co-exist in the same yard.

I didn't get into the fields in the fall before the snow to collect the amount of rocks I wanted to work with in the early Spring.  But hopefully, I can get in there before they seed the fields, so we see some major transformations this year. 

Living in the moment right now, means taking advantage of the cold weather time to just dream and plan.  Nothing can exist without their first being thought about it.



Gingerbread Monsters

This is what I got when I asked my dear husband to help me decorate the Christmas cookies.  I knew something was up when he started giggling.  Then he showed me this guy, the angry snowman.  Who knows why he's angry?  I think it all started with his lack of talent when it comes to creating something cute.

  

 

 

I knew he had come up with something worse when he moved from giggling to laughing outloud.  And here is our angry snowman's victim.  How do you like the black eye and bloody stump where his arm once was?

 

 

 

Needless to say, neither of these cookies made it to the trays of goodies I put out for friends and family.  And although our kids were pretty much in shock that their Dad could defile an innocent gingerbread cookie, they were doubled over with laughter.

I wonder what Dad would have said if it had been one of his children who created this monster and its victim?

It's Been Cold...

Home in November

I suppose it doesn't really matter that I haven't blogged since the end of September, but seeing as how I had all sorts of ideas to write about here this winter, (and I was really looking forward to it), and winter is nearly 1/2 over, I am left wondering, "What happened?".  

For the first time in my life, winter is passing by quickly for me.  It is very hard to believe that we are already half way through January and I seriously have to start thinking about ordering seeds, and making room for my grow lights.

All the plans I had for my long, dull winter seem to have fallen by the wayside.  The main difference between this and past winters, is that I go outside every, single day at least once, and often more when the weather is decent.  I have my dog, Bear, to thank for that.  He's far to large and furry to be an indoor dog, and he's great at keeping coyotes and other animals off our property.  So to give him the socializing he needs, as well to get the doggy love I need, I  have found myself experiencing everything this winter has thrown at us.

The hoar frost this year has been amazing.  The dampness in the air made it feel a lot colder than I'm used to, but it was worth it.  The farmers are saying that for as many days as we had hoar frost we will have rain in the Spring.  So if that's true, it's going to be a wet one. 

Today it is -25*C and -31*C with the wind.  Very cold indeed.  But by tomorrow afternoon it's is supposed to be 3 above.  I really wonder how they figure that out?  One thing you can say about Canadian weather, it sure does keep you on your toes.

 

Headed Home

A view of our home from the 'backyard' - Sept. 2011

It seems like moments ago I was journalling about how much I was looking forward to our road trip, and now we're on our way home. Sometimes I wonder if it was ever worth leaving home at all. Thinking back over the last couple of days, the scenery, our first real road trip with our children, feeling nostalgic because this how we started our marriage, (roadtrips), it wasn't only worth it, it was necessary. Giving the kids the experince of travel is a source of education you just cannot replicate in the classroom. Enjoying my husband's company without all the demands of work and home has been so refreshing. Giving myself a different perspective, and taking a break from the everyday routine of being a housewife has been very nourishing. My own bed, my creative space, my pets and time to myself are all good reasons to go home and get resettled. Not to mention all the wonderful photos I now have of the Jasper scenery and of my family with gorgeous backdrops and beautiful, big smiles. This scrapbook is going to be fun to do.

An Autumn Adventure

As we are leaving Edson, AB. this afternoon on our way to Jasper, the landscape takes on a different look and my little guy says, "Wow, I can see mountains! I have an awesome feeling.". I do love the honesty of young children. Before they learn to stop and think if what they are about to say is cool or not. Not that this is always a good thing. There are many situations we have been in where my child's honesty was not appreciated. But I digress. We have taken the children out of school for half the week in order to enjoy the fall weather. Why go camping in the much cooler weather you ask? Well for one thing, the campfire is that much more practical and enjoyable. The stars come out far earlier and are way brighter this time of year. And of course, nothing beats Mother Nature's autumn display, making the drive a "nothing but a good feeling" time. We left Theodore yesterday, and drove to Lloydminster, where we set up our tent trailer at a friends place and then enjoyed our first campfire of the trip. We will stop there again on our way back, and I hope the sky is as clear as it was last night, because I believe the moon should be full by then. It has been so big and bright lately. It is so nice to have good friends to visit along the way. The kids are getting very excited as they have never been to the mountains before. Well, actually my oldest was only 9 months old the last time we visited, but she has no memory of it. We took the camper my dear Husband built, got lots of interesting looks from fellow travelers and almost suffocated overnight. But that is a whole other story. We are in the foothills now, and the kids have put their headphones and games away, trading up for the unusual, spectacular views. Their excitement reminds me of the first time I traveled here and reveled in the feelings that such fabulous scenery gives. Then, it was my Husbands turn to give me the gift of travel. Now we share in giving it to our children, and I'm reminded of a quote I recently read - "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." St. Augustine

Imagination

When you look around, what do you see?  Things as they are?  Or things as they could be?  If you would like to see change, do you think of ways you could do it yourself, or do you hope someone else will do it eventually?  Does uncertainty keep you from starting?  And if so, how does that make you feel?  Can you recall a time when you were not sure where to start, but started anyway, and eventually found yourself very impressed with the results?  Do we need to know the outcome before we start something?  If we constantly let fear stop us where we stand, can we live happily in stagnation?  What scares us anyway?  The fear of rejection, or worse, perhaps no reaction at all from our fellow creators?  Do we need constant reassurance from the people in our lives in order to go ahead with things?  If that is the case, won't it become nearly impossible to get out of bed in the morning?  When we do accomplish something and receive positive feedback, is it then finished?  Does this lead you to happiness?  Or just searching for the next big thing? 

 Imagination is to blame for it all.  We imagine there is something scary out there to stop us or hurt us.  We imagine we are not strong or smart enough to do things by ourself.  We imagine there is something we have to do in order to be satisfied.  We let our imaginations run away with us, leaving our body helpess while it indulges  itself in all kinds of fantasies.  When we are not busy blaming our imagination, we are giving it credit for all the wonderful ideas it comes up with.  There are countless ways in which to both love and hate our imaginations.  As much as we are gifted, so we are cursed. 

 

Spending too much time in our imaginations is dangerous and unhealthy.  We have to remember to pull out every now and again and allow ourselves to experience life as it is without allowing input from that (very loud) voice in our head.  

 

Never forget that your imagination is responsible for everything in your life.  From the beautiful piece of work you still feel so proud of, to that so called ugly body you carry around with you.  Even when it seems to be doing wonderful things don't put too much weight into it, or you risk going quite crazy.  Take it from one who is constantly accused of having a fabulous imagination.