Cake Pops

Due to my incredible case of insomnia, I am awake at this hour as my husband snoozes away.  There is not much on TV at this time of the morning and no one is updating their facebook fast enough, therefor I decided to go ahead and post about the cake pops. As I mentioned before, my sweet friend Jamiee @ My Happy Life, is having a Princess Tea Party for her daughter's 5th birthday.  She has been planning this party for months now, and I am so excited to see pictures from it! I know it's going to be super cute and include all the details.  She decided to have a sweet treats table and was wanting some cake pops.  After a few hints from her, I finally volunteered to make the cake pops.  I have made quite a few cake balls before but never any cake pops.  The only difference is the fact that the cake pops are on sticks, easy enough I thought!  I made the strawberry cakes (of course everything needs to be pink!) and then crumbled the cakes and mixed pink vanilla icing so that it would be the perfect consistency.  I then formed them in to balls and put them in the freezer for a while so that it would be easier to dip them.  I put a paper stick in each cake ball.  Then I melted pink Wilton Candy Melts and dipped away.  Usually when I use milk chocolate or white chocolate the dipped cake balls end up smooth, but that was not the case with the candy melts.  At first it was bothering me pretty bad, but then I realized there was no way I could fix it.  After the cake balls dried, I decorated away! That was the fun part!! I bought colored sugars and pearl edible beads to help with the decorating.   The only design that didn't quite work out was the one I attempted to draw a crown on...I'm not sure how to describe what it looked like, but it definitely was not a crown!  Here is my picture documentation...and I'm sorry about the quality, I took the pics with my iphone.

{the strawberry cakes}

{crumbled cake}

{they totally look like meatballs and i'm sorry about the ugly pan}

{the not smoothness i told you about}

Ta da! I think they turned out pretty cute, especially for my first time actually decorating them.  I hope they work out for her sweet treats table!  Oh and they do taste pretty good I must say!  Three of them fell apart so of course I had to do a taste test!  Happy Birthday Albree! I hope your 5th birthday party is fabulous!

P.S.  I am very excited about the weekend (in case I haven't mentioned it before), but I always hate leaving my sweet kids behind...

Annabelle aka Baby Girl

Charley aka Big Man

I mean who wants to leave those sweet faces!  They are up keeping me company at this early hour of the morning! Sweet babies!

Bring on the weekend!

This week is almost over! It actually went by pretty fast, which may have been due to the fact that it was so busy!  Recap of the week...

• I did work Tuesday during the day, but I could not work that night because I had a terrible headache.  I have been having headaches often lately, and some are pretty unbearable.  I will go see a doc soon, promise! 
• My grandmother's knee surgery went well on Wednesday.  She is still in the hospital and will most likely be there through the weekend.  She said she hasn't had any problems and the pain has been minimal, but she also doesn't like to tell people if it truly is bad because she doesn't want anyone to worry.  Silly Grandmother!  
• The cake pops are done! It was so much fun making them! I took pics, so expect a post sometime next week on the process of making the "princess pops."   
• I joined the girls in watching The Help on Wednesday, and I must say it was great! I read the book back in December and really loved it.  When I heard they were making a movie I was instantly excited.  They did a wonderful job of sticking with the book and not steering away from the story. 
• I had ACLS today, and it was rough! I looked over a few things, because I knew they had changed up some things, but the test kicked my booty.  Oh well- it's over now and I passed.   
• Jon and I dyed his dress red the other night.  I admit I was a bit nervous that it wasn't going to turn out as red as we wanted.  It was a long process, but it worked!  We are so excited about the Red Dress Run this weekend.  I will be sure to take LOTS of pictures!  

I hope that everyone has a great weekend!

On the agenda this week

On the agenda for the week:

• Work all day Tuesday (that's right, I said all day-meaning I will work a few hours in the day time and then work 12 hours that night...oh the things I get myself in to!)
• My grandmother is having knee replacement surgery Wednesday- please say a prayer for her and the surgeon...we want a successful surgery and speedy recovery!!
• Make cakeball pops (I have volunteered to make "princess cake pops" for my dear friend's daughter's birthday party.  I am a little nervous because I have never made them for someone else, nor have I decorated them princess style-wish me luck!)
• Girl's lunch date on Wednesday to see The Help! 
• My husband's good friend's father will be laid to rest on Wednesday, so the hubby and I will be attending the funeral
• Look over the new ACLS garb and take the class on Thursday
• Dye a dress for my husband...yes, I did say for my husband.  

It's looking like it's going to be a busy week and I don't see much sleep involved.  I have to just keep in mind that I will be headed out of town this weekend!! Jon and I are going to NOLA for the Red Dress Run (the reason I have to dye a dress for him).  I am so excited! I love to take weekend trips, and the fact that we are going to New Orleans makes it even more fun! Also, we are participating in the Red Dress Run, which will be a first for us, but we are super pumped about it!  I hope everyone has a great week!

Reflecting

No one understands death.  Why do we have to lose our loved ones?  Why would God want to take away our babies that still have so much life ahead of them?  Why did that person have to die when they were such a good person and were doing such wonderful things on Earth?  Death only brings many questions that will go unanswered.  We will never fully understand why God decides to take those close to us at the time in which he chooses.  We are told in Ecclesiastes 9:12 that "Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come. As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so people are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them."  One answer that we do have is "That everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." (John 3:15)  It brings comfort knowing that our loved ones are sitting with our Lord, and that if we live our life right our time too will come in which we will meet our loved ones again and too, will sit with our Lord.  
During my lifetime I have had several loved ones pass away.  When I was younger it was more difficult to fully understand death.  It was just an understood thing that I wouldn't see Mammaw or Pappaw here on Earth anymore, and that I would once again see them when I went to heaven.   When I was a teenager I knew quite a few people that died, and at that point in my life there had to always be a reason for everything.  So it was easier to cope with the death of those by "blaming" it on things such as drugs, alcohol, or reckless driving.  Now that I am older, and I have a deeper relationship with God, I know that God decides when it is our time.  I take comfort in knowing that I will again meet my loved ones in heaven.
One of the hardest deaths I've dealt with, and still find myself struggling with, is that of one of my patients.  I knew going in to nursing I would have patients that would perish.  And before this particular patient, I had others that had gone to be with the Lord. Working in pediatrics makes things a little more difficult, because you feel as though these children have so much life ahead of them and so much potential to be great and do great things on this Earth.  "E" was a patient that I became very close to, and started to love as though he was my own.  I do not have children of my own, so I technically do not know what it feels like to love your own child, but this is what I would imagine it will feel like.  I took care of "E" for over 6 months of his short life.  I loved all his sweet smiles and my heart would ache when he wasn't feeling well enough to show off his beautiful smile.  When he passed away a little over a year ago, I went through all of the defined stages of grief.  When I first heard of his death I was in denial.  Even when I saw him and helped to give him his last bath, I was still in denial.  I felt as though it was a dream that I could not wake from.  My denial then turned in to anger.  Fortunately I never felt anger towards God, but more towards the doctors responsible for his care.  I went back to my teenage years in which I wanted to blame someone for his death, and the doctors were the easiest people to blame.  The anger then turned in to bargaining.  God I promise to love all of my patients as though they were "E" if you will just take this pain away.  God I will do whatever it is that you want if you will just take this loss away.  The bargaining then turned in to depression.  I felt as though a piece of my heart was missing.  I felt like there was a huge scar that caused my heart to never again be the same.  I didn't want to necessarily take care of infants at work and especially not in his room because it only flooded my mind with his sweet smile.  After lots of praying, my depression turned in to acceptance.   Although "E" is no longer here on Earth with us,  the impact he made on Earth in his short life is phenomenal.  I am so very thankful to have had the opportunity to take care of him.  I am so thankful to have met his parents and to have developed a lifetime friendship with them.  "E" changed a lot of things in my life for the better and for that I am so very thankful!
A week ago a dear friend passed away suddenly in a car accident.  She was the sweetest, most genuine, innocent, and beautiful person I have met.  She always had a big smile on her face and an encouraging word to say.  Of course when I heard of her death I didn't understand how this could happen.  I thought of the way things could have been different for this terrible outcome not to have happened.  I also realized that when God decides when our time is over, there is no chance in changing that outcome.  I know that because of my sweet friend's great personality and loving spirit she has touched so many people in her lifetime and that there will be people that will be forever changed for the better because of her death.
The father of a close friend of my husband's just passed away.  I can only imagine the pain that the family is experiencing at this time.  I pray that he and his family will find comfort in knowing that their loved one is no longer suffering and that one day again they will see him.
All I know to do is to pray for those who have lost a loved one.  There is definitely power in prayer.   I can attest to that.  I always have faith that God knows what he is doing and just how to do it.  Although it may never be understood by us, we must all have faith.

You and I will meet again
When we're least expecting it
One day in some far off place
I will recognize your face
I won't say goodbye my friend
For you and I will meet again
~Tom Petty

Tailgate Bunco

I hosted Bunco this month, which I'm sure you already knew since I talked about it here.  It turned out really well.  All the food I made, I had never made before, which was pretty risky, but everyone seemed to like it. Here are a few picture to recap the night...

sliders

mini hot dogs

jalapeno popper dip

fruit in the football bowl

cake footballs

most of the "regulars"

the prizes..they were spa themed

the favors...flavored beer with a bottle opener

another favor

drinks

Shannon and Gina

Me and Micaela

Mary and Jamiee

Me and Shannon

Jessica and Kay

Mary and Shannon

the prize winners

The August crew

It's always fun to get together with all the girls! I can't wait until Bunco in September!

Blondes have more fun...

because dyeing your hair every color possible in one day is fun right? WRONG!

I love getting my hair done!  I love when it's freshly highlighted.  I love having my hair washed.  I love the way the hairdresser styles my hair.   My hair appointment was Wednesday at 3PM and I was looking forward to it all week!  I had decided that I wanted to dye my hair so that it would be a strawberry blonde.  I am naturally blonde, so I figured it was a doable task.  This is what I had in mind...

This is what my hairdresser had in mind...

Which I must say is very pretty!

So she started and first applied a color that looked about like this but with a hint of pink.  She washed that out and then put a color called "copper" that was about like this.  I will admit that I was a little bit nervous, but I had faith in her.  She is really good and I always love my hair when I leave her place. Well...she washed my hair and then dried it and I looked about like this...

OMG! I was in SHOCK! I was at a loss for words, and I could tell she was too! Neither of us expected it to turn out like that!  So she decided to put a chemical wash in it to lighten it.  She concocted something and applied it to my head/hair...it then started to "tingle,"  so she immediately had to wash it out.  I was so afraid my hair was about to fall out!  So after she dried it again, it was still a HOT MESS! Next, she added highlights and after it sat for a while, she washed it out and dried it.  It then looked like this...

And actually in this picture my hair looks somewhat decent, but I must tell you it was not! My hairdresser then gave me three options...

1-add more highlights, like tons of blonde highlights to lighten it up

2-"strip it" (in translation that means strip my hair of all it's color with some awful chemical and then add a color to it)

3-dye it a dark brown in attempt to cover the Ronald McDonald look I currently was rocking

I figured the 1st option would only turn my hair pink/orange.  I was afraid the 2nd option would cause all of my hair to fall out.  So, I went with the 3rd option. 

This is now what I look like...

I forgot to mention that I got 3 1/2- 4 inches cut off.  I am still getting used to the new do.  I have shocked everyone that I have seen, including my husband, who said "Holy Cow!" when I walked in to the house.  I will not be coloring my hair for a while!  I think it needs a break.  It is so dry now that I feel like it is going to break off, and the fact that I have to straighten it for it to look decent doesn't help matters. 

I know you must be thinking, "Why in the world would you go back to that hairdresser?"  My answer is because I truly love her work.  Besides this mishap and the one other time that she turned my hair gray.  She always does a wonderful job on my highlights and my haircut is always cute.  I have also known her since we were in 2nd grade.  I am totally not blaming her.  I know that everyone's hair is different and takes color different.  Apparently my hair is made to be naturally blonde with the occasional highlight. 

So although I feel blondes do have more fun...I'm going to have to do my best at being a brunette for a little while!

The next Paula Deen...

Ha! I wish! I sure do love cooking though!  Maybe since I am starting to cook more and experimenting with my cooking, I might be half as good as Paula Deen when I have great grandchildren (yes, I said great grand).  Since the lifestyle change I have been trying to cook more, although they may not be the healthiest meals, they sure are delicious!  Two of the meals I made last week I felt were "bloggable."

One night I decided I wanted to cook something with the okra that we picked up from the farmer's market.  After looking through our collection of cookbooks, I came up with my own idea on how to cook okra and tomatoes.  Then I had to decide what I could cook to go with the okra and tomatoes...I settled on baked chicken.  It turned out pretty darn good! 

The start of the okra and tomatoes...bacon always makes everything taste better!

The yummy okra from the local farmer's market

add in the tomatoes and few other key ingredients

then add the okra and voila...okra and tomatoes!

Dinner is served- baked chicken with okra and tomatoes served over rice! Delish!

The next "bloggable" meal started when I decided to cook some pork chops.  I usually smother pork chops in some sort of gravy, but this time I didn't want to.  So I turned to one of my favorite food blogs, Annie's Eats, and found a recipe for parmesan crusted pork chops.  The recipe was very simple and the chops turned out great!  My next decision was choosing sides...so I went with what we had...sweet corn and asparagus.  I remembered another recipe that I had flagged on Annie's Eats, where you topped asparagus with tomatoes and feta, so I tried it out.  I love tomatoes and feta cheese so I knew I couldn't go wrong!

seasoned pork chops (I took it upon myself to add the seasoning I prefer)

dip chops in parmesan cheese, then egg, then bread crumbs

then drop them in the skillet (P.S. I LOVE cooking in a cast iron skillet!)

asparagus with tomatoes and feta

Another yummy dinner!
(Please excuse the poor picture quality...1 I am not a photographer and 2 they were taken with my iphone.) 

Since the lifestyle change that I previously mentioned, the hubby and I have completed week 1 of Couch to 5K! Woohoo!  We were supposed to start week 2 yesterday, but my crazy sleeping habits/schedule didn't allow me to get out of the bed until after lunch.  We don't like going to the gym after lunch because it's a mad house.  So week 2 of Couch to 5K will start on Wednesday.  

Hope you have a great first week of AUGUST!