Congrats Big Brother!

My big brother is a daddy. That makes me an AUNT! FINALLY!!!! I have been waiting for this day for years. Here he is world, Graham:

I am so proud of you Brother and Molly. He is a handsome little guy.

Homemade fondant

If you are ever interested in making a cake with fondant you must try this recipe. It is super easy and 1 million times better than store bought. I dare you!

(this is not my hand)

Marshmallow Fondant Recipe Ingredients

• 8-ounce bag of marshmallows
• 2 pounds of powdered sugar (also called confectioner's sugar or icing sugar; you won't quite use all of it for this recipe)
• 2 tablespoons of water
• vegetable shortening (Crisco) for greasing hands and tools

How To Make Marshmallow Fondant Put the marshmallows and water in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for about two minutes. The marshmallows should be puffy but will still hold their shape. Stir thoroughly until smooth.

Next, add about 1 1/2 pounds of the powdered sugar and stir with a spoon well greased with the Crisco. The homemade fondant at this point should be a very sticky dough.

Thoroughly grease your hands and work surface with the shortening and knead the fondant, adding a little bit of powdered sugar at a time until the mixture isn't sticky anymore. If it's sticky, add more sugar. If it's dry and tearing, add a teaspoon or two of water and knead it in. The homemade fondant recipe is finished when the dough is pliable and stretchy without tearing.

If you won't be using the marshmallow fondant recipe right away, cover it with a little bit more Crisco and wrap it well with plastic wrap. Seal it in a bag and keep it in the refrigerator, where it will last for several weeks.

Adding Colors & Flavors To The Homemade Fondant Recipe

For color and flavor in your fondant, it's best to use icing colors and candy oils. These are highly concentrated, so you'll only need a few drops, and the results will be much better than if you used other food coloring or flavor extracts, which you'll find suggested in some homemade fondant recipes.

Wait until you're ready to use the fondant on your cake before coloring and flavoring the recipe. If the fondant has been in the refrigerator, let it warm up a little in a warm bowl or for a few seconds in the microwave. Separate the fondant into sections if you'll be using more than one color and flavor combination, and keep the separated fondant wrapped in plastic wrap while you're working.

Knead the fondant until it's soft and pliable, and form it into a ball. Apply only a few drops of your color or flavor in a few spots on top of the ball. Wear gloves to keep your hands from staining as you knead the marshmallow fondant recipe until it's well blended. Repeat the process with a few more drops and plenty of kneading until you get the results you want. It's important to work slowly in this way, since you can always add more color or flavor, but you can't take some away if you go too far.

A belly dancer a snake charmer a belly dancer a snake charmer awhatchica...

I have been to dying to post this for weeks! I haven't posted it because I am still waiting on the video of my performance in September. Since I have been belly dancing again Savannah has been having a lot of fun doing her own kind of belly dancing.

(Two weeks after this picture Savannah was potty trained. She looks cuter doing this in princess panties.)

I gotta start somewhere

I am going to make a wedding cake. Sounds really ambitious for an amateur. Here is my practice cake for my co-workers bridal shower. I think it turned out really good. I don't think doing cakes is so much hard as it is time consuming. It is hard, however, doing it with a two year old who wants to help with everything. (And who sticks their finger in the top layer after it is finished! AHHHH!)

I have learned a few things to make the wedding cake better. I have more confidence in my ability now. I will show you the wedding cake when it is done on November 7.

For Molly's Eyes ONLY

My classes are going well. The semester is half over and I have an A in French and B in Geography. I feel like a real person again. Not that I was never a person before. I just got caught up in being a mother and a wife that I forgot about taking care of me. I think that happens a lot with people. With all the time je travaille mon classe de francais, traville les devoirs, et vais mon classe de danse little bits of me that faded away have now remerged. I think I am more fun now and less serious.

I love my french class. It is a lot of work but so much fun! I am really working hard to do well. My geography class is fine. I don't spend much time on it because I focus so much on french. That is okay because not a whole lot is expected. I think I am only really going to have to work hard towards the final.

I know it sounds soooo fun!