I love my sister but..........

I really wish Ella would stop dressing me up in her clothes!

I just found this photo on my camera when I uploaded some pictures from the weekend. I have no idea when Ella did this to him. I don't think he was too happy about it.

ACE of CAKES, Jr. Edition

My girls and I all love the show Ace of Cakes on the Food Network.

So much so, that we once spent an entire school vacation day watching an Ace of Cakes Marathon. We could not pull ourselves away from the TV. We have six hours of the show recorded so we can watch it over and over again.

Duff is my Hero. He reminds me of a younger version of my own father who happens to work his skills in the kitchen creating cakes instead of in the flower shop creating floral masterpieces.

I do believe that Duff is the "Cake God.".

The god who inspired this............

WE MADE

The Cheeseburger Cake

Marley has been asking me to make this cake for three years. It is not one the Duff made on his program (his are much more creative than this), but rather one that Marley saw on the TV program Zoom on PBS when she was six. This kid has an incredible memory, she never forgets anything. When she asked again this weekend, I finally agreed to give it a try.

Much to my delight, it was far easier than I had imagined. I figured it would take us an entire day to finish. But it took far less then that. We baked the hamburger (brownie mix) on Friday night. And also made the cheese (melted Starburst), pickles and tomatoes (candy fruit slices).

Saturday morning we baked the bun (yellow cake) and created the lettuce (fruit by the foot). We put icing on each layer and assembled in no time. Marley topped it off with sesame seeds (Rice Krispies). We were finished by noon.

This allowed us to still watched the Penn State game and head out to the pool for a four hour swim.

The cake was enjoyed by our family and friends on Sunday when we returned home from the Hanover Chili Cookoff.

I am so grateful that both my daughters enjoy the culinary arts. It was a wonderful experience for me to be able to teach them and to show off my baking skills. I look forward to more time like this spent in the kitchen with my children.

"Triple Poo"

From the title of this post, I know you must be thinking that this story is going to be about Trey's latest diaper explosion. I must admit that I could tell a story or two in that area, but this will not be my subject of interest today. This is actually our first day of school blog.

Ella (age 7) is entering Mrs. Abrisch's second grade class and Marley (age 9) is entering 4th grade in Ms. Aldinger's class.

Ella was particularly excited about going back to school this year. She had picked out her outfit weeks ago but at the last minute re-thought her choice. She decided against the purple shirt/vest combo and beige denim jeans and went with the pink top and princess capris instead. After all, pink is her best color.

Marley was all set with her new rock star outfit from the Hannah Montana collection. You can't notice it here, but she used a gift certificate she received for her birthday to get a matching manicure.

Tuesday night before school started, there was so much to do. We opened all the new school supplies and packed the new backpacks and pencil cases. Prepared snacks and water bottles. Read the lunch menu. Then it was off to the bathroom for showers.

Marley was in and out fairly quickly, hurrying to get back downstairs to finish watching America's Got Talent.

Ella, however, was in the bathroom much longer. When she finally came and joined the rest of us in front of the TV, I asked her what she had been doing. She explained that she had brushed her teeth, used Smart Rinse, flossed, brushed again and then used the Smart Rinse again. I thought to myself she either wanted to have very clean teeth and fresh breathe for school or she is developing obsessive compulsive disorder.

I commented on how she was doing such a great job in getting ready for school and the extra amount of time she had been in the bathroom. She then responded with the announcement that she had also washed her entire body four times using every bottle of shower gel in the bathroom and she.....

"Triple Poo-ed".

Now we are all cracking up.
Brushing your teeth twice is one thing, excessive body washing another, but a

"triple poo!!!!"

C'mon.

How does anyone "triple poo?????"

Through our laughter, Ella explains that she "triple poo-ed and double condition-nerd" And that is why her hair was so soft and shiny!

SEE!

What else could it be?

Once we all finished laughing, I really did wonder if I should have her checked for OCD. But instead I chalked it up to first day of school excitement.

In the morning I made chocolate chip pancakes. And then we headed out for our walk to school. This is not only the first day of school but also the first day of my new exercise routine.

We made it to Ella's school first.

With Marley in a new building this year, this was the first time I was sending Ella off by herself. She doesn't have her big sister looming around the next corner to watch out for her anymore. I think she was a little bit nervous going through the door. I thought to myself that she suddenly looked very small going through that big door all alone.

Then we walked a few steps further to Marley's new school building. She admitted to being nervous and told me that she felt small. That was all soon forgotten when we quickly caught a glimpse of her good friends already waiting in the crowd.

Marley left me hanging in the street and ran off to be with her friends.

And before I headed off with Trey on my stroll around town, I stood there wondering if any of them had "triple poo-ed."