Happy Birthday Nick!

Two birthdays in one day?! How did that happen? Apparently, Nick thought that Grandma needed someone to share her birthday with and decided to be born the same day.


So today's your 7th birthday Nick! I remember when Robbie and Raelynn turned seven, and your dad said that seven was such a big number because it's longer than any of the other numbers you've been so far!

Nick, you're such an awesome part of our family, and I can't even tell you how happy I am that you were born. I love the head nodding game :) and the spy game. And unfortunately, as much as I love giving you wedgies, I did say that once you turned seven, I wasn't going to do it anymore. Oh well, I'll have to give you one more birthday wedgie... but then NO MORE!!!

I love you Nick!

<3 Aunt Amanda

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today, January 31st is indeed my mom's 59th birthday! That's right, you read it correctly. This beautiful woman I call my mother who HAS INDEED been mistaken for my sister! But would you blame anyone? She's gorgeous :) All I can say is that I'm super amazingly happy that I am related to her and can only hope that I hold on to the good-looking genes she passed to me. But good looks aren't the only thing she passed along *wink wink* Here's just a few other things she's passed on throughout my life that I am so happy to have from her.


1) Her amazing artistic tendencies. I feel such a strong connection to her in this way as I know that our minds are so similar when it comes to art and that we relate to life in such a similar way.

2) The songs that i learned by heart when i was little because she would play them for us on the piano as we went to sleep. Whenever I hear those songs, it instantly takes me back to those times.

3) Her ability to love others and be a "Pollyanna." She loves people beyond herself.

4) Her unfailing walk with the Lord. She is such an inspiration to me and always has been. Her walk with the Lord has helped me get myself back together at times when I felt like giving up.

5) Her serious sense of fashion. She blames this on me, but it takes a truly fashion forward person to be as daring and accepting of the criticism that I give her. She could be stuck in above the waist, navy blue and tapered slacks on a day-to-day basis... but instead, i raid her closet regularly cuz i would like to be just that cool :)

6) Her amazing listening abilities. When i vent out my entire day that sometimes takes longer to tell than the actual events took, she will just sit there and only listen. That's how i've learned that sometimes the best thing to say, isn't anything at all.

7) Her seasonal decorating tendencies. I used to think that seasonal decorating was a little "over the top" although kind of cool. She's found the perfect happy medium and is one of the best decorators i know.

8) Her parenting skills. She often tells me that she feels like she didn't do a good enough job raising my brothers and me. But i really couldn't disagree more. There are so many things i learned from her and now am able to pass along to the kids I take care of and later on kids of my own.

I love you, Mom! I am so proud to have you to call my mom and I hope that you can look back and say that each year just gets better and better!

Love,
Amanda

The Grossest Girl Ever aka Alicia

It's been a few days since my last post, and over the course of these few days I have actually come up with quite a bit to blog about. however, certain circumstances have gotten in the way of me actually following up with them. I don't really need to go into the details of these extraneous situations, i just need to dive in and begin with my first blogworthy topic.

Alicia

i only have one other friend i have known longer than her. But to qualify this, I am actually much closer with the one named Alicia. In fact, i would dare say that at this juncture in my life we are as close as it gets to being bestest friends. There are so many things that I love about her but the one thing i would like to discuss here is the many names that she has come to be known by over the years.

The first that comes to mind is "The Grossest Girl Ever." I do not in fact remember exactly where this name comes from except for a few vague details. And those are that it originated at Elim, which is where most of them come from. At any rate, it's countername (aka my own personal name) is "Your Worst Nightmare." Often times in class when things would get boring beyond compare, we would bust out our paper and begin writing eachother ridiculous notes consisting of our own made up "German" language and always beginning and ending with these names.

Anyways, I am going to move on and make a list of the rest of them, offering little to no explanation. Enjoy.

Stinky
Loser
Leash
Weesha
Habenshtag

So there it is. A list of names not worthy to be placed on anyone besides the one and only. Names that she answers to no less.

I love this girl and can't imagine what i'd do without her!!!

Happy 50th to Me!

In case you didn't figure out what the 50 is for, it's for my 50th post! And since this particular cake is one that i have actually looked at before hoping that someday i can be good enough at cake making and decorating AND it has the number 50 on it, i thought it would be completely appropriate. I actually think that it looks pretty doable. Except for the base icing that is so perfectly smooth. there has to be an explainable trick! but the other stuff i know how to do.

The only problem with this cake is that i can't eat it :( nor would i want to!

kiki

I have actually been intending to post this for about two days, and in fact it's been written for the last two days. I've basically been waiting for a good picture of her. i really wanted to take a picture during the daytime so that i didn't have to deal with horrible artificial light or use a flash. That's just my quirky thing. Well yesterday my mom pointed out that i was having such a hard time accomplishing this goal because i am in fact NEVER home while it is light outside! Just one of the hazards of winter i guess. But here is the post in it's entirety. Saturday has finally allowed me some beautiful light so that i could take a picture *smile!*



I have a little kitty cat whom we affectionately refer to as "kiki." However, her real name is Sophie. Add onto that the rest of her name, the complete pronunciation looks like this:

Sophie Stegasaurus Shape-Shifter Slakes

Please notice that there are 5 "S's" in her full name resulting in a shortened although not often used name. Quint"S"a. Pronounced - Quintessa.

This post, however, is not about the many names i have for my cat. It is about a certain affinity she has for living her life "outside the box." Although in this case, she was kind of in a box... but the terminology still works.

Tuesday night I was readying myself for a wonderful night of slumber and warmth by brushing my teeth when I heard her begin to "mew." Soph doesn't "mew" very often. She usually makes this audible purring sound. It's not unusual for her to run around waiting for me to go to bed as she likes to sleep with me. But it IS unusual for her to "mew." I didn't think a whole lot about it since she's always keeping me guessing. But when i had finished doing everything i had to do before bed and still had not seen her, i started to wonder where she could be. So i called her a few times and the only answer i consistently got was her pathetic mewing. I followed the sound back into the bathroom and searched for her (there aren't many places to hide in there *wink*) I finally realized that the sounds were coming from inside the wall.

My dad has been working on finishing our bathroom over the last year. It's been in working and running condition since about July or so, but there is one spot that has been neglected due to other more important things needing to be done. All of the plumbing for the tub and shower runs along the wall right outside the bathroom door and it has not yet been covered with drywall. Earlier that morning though, my dad had placed a huge sheet of drywall over the hole just until he could come up and finish it up. This happened at about 10am. I found the cat about about 9:30pm... in the hole...

PS: she is still going into the hole... i guess she is refusing to relinquish her favorite hiding place until the last possible minute. She's even been growling at my dad as he works on covering it up and she watches him from this vantage point. In case you can't tell what this picture actually is, it's actually right through the hole, past the pipes, and she is underneath the bath tub.

Happy Birthday Robbie and Raelynn!

Twelve years ago today the Slakes' world changed forever. We waited and waited in anticipation, and you must have known how anxious we were to meet you because you came a little too soon! I'd like to know which one of you it was that decided that would be a good idea... *wink*

With that said, I wanted to let both of you know just how much I love you and how happy I am that you were born!

Robbie -
I blame you for the fact that Grandma still calls pockets "pocks". There are numerous other abbreviations that have decided to stick since you coined them back when you were 2 or 3 such as "i sor" meaning "i'm sorry" or the classic "appoh pie" that you and your sister seemed to always be making. I love that when we play video games together, i've actually met my match! It would be easy for me to "let you win" but trust me, you've got me beat any day!

You are a sweet boy Robbie Slakes! I love you very much and couldn't imagine our family without you!



Raelynn -
Or should I say... hamster? I love the sleepovers we have, even though sometimes you end up on top of me :) I love that I get to be friends with you, and I am so looking forward to being friends as you grow up! We definitely have so much fun when we're together, and i'm so excited that you have a phone now so we can talk more!

I am so thankful to God to have you as my niece, Raelynn. You bring so much LIFE into our family!

Happy Birthday you guys! I love you both with all my heart!

Chocolate Chocolate Cake

This is it, i swear... i won't post anymore about cake... at least til next time :)



This will probably be the longest blog i've ever posted, but i think it's worth it. I decided to try my hand at cake baking as you can see in my previous posts. It turned out really well and I wanted to share it with anyone who reads this blog. I found the original recipe from another blog and since copying is the sincerest form of flattery I am not ashamed to admit that my ideas were truly inspired and not thought up on my own :) Plus, I had some amazing help from melissa. Together we make up 66% of a brain... we haven't quite figured out where the other 33% went...


I made a few of my own changes, only out of necessity... aka messing up and not being able to find certain things *smile* But I was really happy with the way it turned out. The cake was delicious. It had a very dark chocolatey taste and as I was enjoying some with alicia yesterday, we were discussing how we don't necessarily ever CRAVE chocolate... but once we start in on it, it's just sooo good. This cake did it for me!


Chocolate Lovers' Chocolate Cake

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee


Filling: Whipped Dark Chocolate Ganache (enough to fill one layer)
1 cup heavy cream
3 ounces 72% dark chocolate (about 7 squares)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar


For the ganache: (used as topping)
2/3 cup (3 oz) heavy cream
4 ounces best-quality bittersweet/dark chocolate


Decoration:
Chocolate Raspberry Milano Cookies
Raspberries
Easy white frosting
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 4 3/4 c powdered sugar
- 3 to 4 Tbsp milk, divided
- Beat shortening and vanilla at medium speed for 30 seconds.
- Gradually add about half of the powdered sugar, beating well.
- Add 2 Tbsp of milk.
- Gradually beat in the remaining powdered sugar and enough milk to make the frosting of spreading consistency.



Make the cake:

- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line them with parchment paper; butter the paper.
- Dust the pans with flour, tapping out any excess.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix the flour with the sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt at low speed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the oil, eggs and vanilla.
- Slowly beat the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients until just incorporated, then slowly beat in the hot coffee until fully incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans. I didn't get an exact time for this because I tend to go by instinct rather than the timer. But as a guideline, I would say leave them in the oven for about 15 minutes and then check them every 4 to 5 minutes after that. It shouldn't take longer than 25 minutes I would suppose.
- When the center no longer looks liquid, insert a toothpick in the center of each cake and if it comes out clean, they are done.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then invert the cakes onto a rack to cool completely.
- Peel off the parchment paper.
- After the cakes are completely cooled, use a cake leveler to make all 3 cakes the same thickness.


Make the whipped gananche (filling):

- Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a small *metal* bowl.
- Prepare some HOT water in another larger bowl.
- Heat the heavy cream and sugar in a small saucepan until it bubbles on the edges and immediately pour it over the chocolate.
- After you pour the cream onto the chocolate, place the smaller bowl into the larger bowl.
- This allows the heat from the cream to melt the chocolate and the hot water will keep the heat in so that the chocolate can melt completely.
- Stir slowly after a minute or two to make sure all the chocolate is getting melted.
- Let stand for 10-15 minutes.
- Slowly stir to make sure that the chocolate has completely melted.
- Cover bowl with foil and chill at least 6 hours or overnight.
- When ready to use the ganache, use an electric mixer to whip it until it is a fluffy but thick consistency. It only take a minute or so with the mixer before it is ready.


Make the gananche (icing):
(do this after you have already assembled the three layers with the whipped ganache)

- Bring 2/3 cup of heavy cream to a near boil in a small saucepan.
- When it is steaming well, remove it from heat and pour over the chopped chocolate.
- Stir or whisk until the chocolate is completely melted.
- The mixture should be smooth and should spread over the cake easily.



Assemble the cake:

- Spread some icing on the cake plate to keep the cake from moving around
- Set a cake layer on the plate with its flat side facing up.
- Evenly spread the whipped ganache over the cake. Top with the second cake layer, and repeat with the third.
- Once the cake is assembled, use the dark chocolate ganache icing to spread evenly on the top and the sides of the cake.
- Immediately place the Milano Cookies around the outside.
- Then you can use your imagination with the top. I used the easy white frosting and squeezed it out of an icing bag into a blob in the center and topped with some raspberries.


- Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

more cake... and other yummy food too

I really like photographing food. even if i didn't make it. in fact, i really am finding that it is an itch that i must start scratching. I love to see beautiful pictures of food, no matter who took them. So i thought I would share these that I took today at Beka's shower.

cake and cadre

Last night I put together a practice cake to make sure i knew what i was doing when I go to make the cake for the shower this weekend. It turned out well I thought. it's going to be completely different next time i make it because i just used a plain cake mix and some buttercream frosting that i mixed up and dyed black. The ingredients for the actual cake cost me an arm and a leg so i decided that i would take the time to do a dry run first!




Anyways, I had this beautiful cake and i knew that my family couldn't eat it before it would be gross. So i took it to cadre. They were all so polite as we ate our one piece each. There was exactly half of the cake left. Well, after we got our tea, someone very politely asked if they could have some more. I was like "go for it." and that is EXACTLY what happened. The cake was no more than a slice shortly thereafter... and that slice promptly got eaten with multiple forks slicing into it.



We had so much fun tonight, we totally lost track of time. It was 8:30 before any of us knew it... I love when that happens. I especially love that I was not cannibalized.

winter favorites

i've read a few blogs lately that are a list of "favorites." at first, i really didn't want to do it, since it'd been done, and redone... but i have been thinking lately about the things I love about the different seasons. So i decided to list out the things that i actually DO like about winter.

There are just so many days when the sun doesn't shine here that it is hard for me to think of the things that i love. But when i think about the things that make me feel warm, i start to remember what they are...



my kitty cat sleeping next to my face because it's warmer there :)

going to sleep in a nest of blankets and pillows (honestly, I would do this year round, however, it is just too warm in the summer to make that comfortable)

putting on my slippers in the morning (it helps make getting out of bed a little more bearable)

hot chocolate with coffee flavor (notice this is not coffee with chocolate flavor... i'm talking mocha EXTREME)

getting into a hott shower in the morning and finally shaking off all the cold from getting up

sitting in front of the fireplace doing varying activities... such as reading, watching tv or scrapbooking

Notice, most of these have to do with sleep, bed, resting or waking up. Winter is truly a time to hibernate for me. I am extremely reflective year round, but i hold a certain fondness for the season of winter... it seems like I have to try harder to be happy so it helps me to see the beauty all around me. I love when it snows new and all the dirty snow gets covered up and all you can see is white... yah I like that too :)