Megan Homemade

Shepherd's (or Cottage) Pie

2010-11-14T20:04:00.000-06:00

After searching through lots of different recipes for Shepherd's pie, I decided to combine a couple and kinda make up my own recipe. So, I used the recipes here and here and below is what I took from them and used. Rodney doesn't really like cream of mushroom soup, so I thought the addition of ketchup and worcestershire sauce (which he LOVES) would tone the flavor of the soup down some yet still leave the meat mixture creamy.

Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 (10.5 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
dash of onion powder
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 can vegetables of choice (optional. my husband is pretty much anti-veggie, so ours will be on the side)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups mashed potatoes (I used instant because that's what Rodney likes, but if you prefer real mashed potatoes that's fine too
3 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cook ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat until beef is browned. Drain fat. Mix in cream of mushroom soup, onion powder, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, and veggies.
Put beef mixture into an 8x8 casserole dish and sprinkle cheddar cheese evenly over the top.
Spread mashed potatoes over cheese and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Bake about 30 minutes or until the mashed potatoes are golden brown.
Enjoy!

Faux Burlap Thanksgiving Printable

2010-11-14T10:22:00.000-06:00

I love burlap, so this awesome faux burlap thanksgiving printable caught my eye. I love it! Check it and all the other wonderful things out at Craftily Ever After.

Pinecone Shaped Pompom

2010-11-08T10:01:00.000-06:00

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Our tree has a woodsy/rustic theme to it, so this pinecone shaped pompom by resurrection fern would be the perfect addition to it. Plus, pompoms are just so much fun to make!

Crochet Covered Christmas Balls

2010-11-07T08:57:00.001-06:00

Credit

I'm already getting ready for Christmas, so while searching for crafty Christmas fun I found these cute Christmas ornaments! Check them out at Meet Me At Mike's.

Easy Fall Leaf Pillow

2010-11-07T08:45:00.002-06:00

When I saw this leaf pillow at Tattered and Inked, I knew I wanted to make one! So, after a trip to Wal-Mart, a strange look from my husband (he totally thought I was crazy) , and lots of stuffing, I had me one of these cuties.

It really is easy to make and comes together in no time. I only had two problems. One was deciding if I stuffed the front or back because there was a layer of interfacing inside. I stuffed the back side mostly because I always make lumpy pillows so I thought that would help (and it did). I also had problems with the silky back fabric fraying a bit, but I was able to tuck it in and sew it shut and it didn't look deformed. Definitely worth the $3 I payed for the placemat. Hopefully I can catch them on sale and stock up so I can have all of the colors!

Sock Zombie!

2010-10-27T19:14:00.000-05:00

I love how cute these are! Check out the tutorial by Becky Stern on how to make your own sock zombie at Craftzine here.

Barbie Clothes

2010-09-18T17:03:00.000-05:00

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My niece asked me to make her Barbie some clothes, and Jess at Craftiness is not optional recently posted a few different tutorials that are so super cute! Check out all the awesomeness here.

Wipe Off Weekly Menu Board

2010-08-17T19:16:00.000-05:00

Credit

I always have a weekly menu and this wipe off board by Little Birdie Secrets would be perfect! Check it out here at Make and Takes.

Squash Garlic Pickles

2010-08-02T10:14:00.000-05:00

Don't these squash garlic pickles look delicious?? I could eat a whole jar by myself! Check them out over at NewlyWoodwards.

Heat Wave Halter

2010-08-02T10:06:00.000-05:00

Check out this heat wave halter from My Gramma Said. It's super cute and would be nice and cool for these super hot days we've been having.

S'mores from Homemade Marshmallows and Graham Crakers

2010-07-20T15:29:00.000-05:00

I love s'mores. They are always a must-have for camping trips. I'll definitely have to make these homemade marshamllows and graham crackers from The Urban Baker for our next camping trip!

Coconut Cake

2010-06-25T12:26:00.002-05:00

*Gasp!* Two posts in a row! I have pretty much neglected this poor bloggy, but i'm really hoping to start getting into it.

Rodney ~~begged~~ asked me to make him a coconut cake. I've never made one before, so I scoured the internet trying to find a simple one that I thought I could do. After hours (and hours) of reading recipes, I finally found one I was brave enough to try. I went to the grocery store in search of coconut milk, but all I could find was cream of coconut. I bought it hoping I could make it work, but after thinking about it, I decided to do one more search for a recipe. I found one right off the bat! I wanted it without custard, so I just doubled the icing recipe and put icing between the layers. It was delicious!!! This is definitely something I will make again.

Coconut Layer Cake
10 servings
Hands on time: 1 hour Total time: 2 hours

For the cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (I used salted because that's all I had.)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (extra-fine is best) (Regular worked perfectly fine.)
3/4 cup cream of coconut (I bought a 15 oz can and it was more than enough.)(Make sure you shake it before you open it. I didn't read that on the side of the can and I made a mess trying to stir it.)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs, separated, room temperature
1/2 cup full-fat buttermilk (I didn't have any buttermilk, but I did this and it turned out fine.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 8-inch cake pans, or butter and line bottoms with buttered parchment paper (I just sprayed them with cooking spray). Set aside. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the cream of coconut and beat until fluffy. Add the vanilla and then the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions. Add the flour mixture in two or three additions, alternating with the buttermilk and mixing just until combined. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form (This was so much fun!). Fold into the cake batter. Divide the batter between the pans and bake until center springs back when lightly touched and cake is just beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks, removing from the pans when they are cool enough to handle.

Half-and-Half Frosting:
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature (I used 4 oz, then doubled the whole recipe.)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (Again, used salted)
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cream of coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon coconut extract
Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter. Add the confectioners' sugar, and then beat in the cream of coconut, vanilla and coconut extracts. Set aside.
Coconut Topping:
3 cups flaked sweetened coconut
2 teaspoons cream of coconut (I used more like 4 tablespoons)
In a small bowl, toss coconut with cream of coconut and set aside.

For the custard (which I didn't make):
1 1/4 cups flaked sweetened coconut
2 tablespoons cream of coconut
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
Salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
In a small bowl, combine coconut, cream of coconut and vanilla; set aside. In a small saucepan, stir together sugar, cornstarch and a pinch of salt until no lumps remain. Add the cream and butter and stir over low heat until the butter melts. Increase heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is boiling and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut mixture.

To assemble the cake: (All I did was put one layer down, spread a thick layer of icing on top, and sprinkled it with coconut flakes. Then, I put the second layer on and iced the whole cake, sprinkled coconut flakes on top and patted them on the sides.) Slice each layer in half horizontally. Place one layer, cut side up, on a serving platter and spread with some of the warm custard. Top with another layer, cut side up, and spread with another ? of the custard. Top with another layer, cut side up, and spread with remaining custard. Top with final cake layer, cut side down. Frost top and sides with a thin layer of Half-and-Half Frosting. Gently press top and sides of frosted cake with Coconut Topping.

Chili's Chicken Cajun Pasta

2010-06-23T09:53:00.000-05:00

Please ignore the fact that I'm eating on a coffee table.

We live in a tiny apartment with no room for a real table.

I love the Cajun Chicken Pasta from Chili's. So I decided to see if anyone else had made it and had a recipe. This is what I found. It's been a long time since I've eaten it, so I can't quiet remember what it tastes like, but this is pretty darn good! I used this recipe with a few changes.

Chili's Cajun Chicken Pasta

The Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (I used 2 large breasts)
4 tsp. cajun seasoning (I love this stuff, so I'm sure I used more. A lot more....)
4 tbsp. butter or margarine
3 cups heavy cream (I used 2% milk and it turned out fine)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
8 oz. cooked penne pasta (drained) (I used whole wheat. yum!)
2 roma tomatoes, diced (and some green onions, chopped)
fresh shredded parmesan, to taste

The Process:

Slightly moisten chicken with water. (Didn't do this.)
In a large resealable plastic bag, shake chicken and cajun seasoning until chicken is thoroughly coated. (To save a plastic bag, I just sprinkled some cajun seasoning on the chicken and rubbed it in)
In large skillet, saute chicken in 2 tbsp. butter, over medium heat, turning whenever necessary.
When chicken is about half-way done, grab a second skillet and combine heavy cream, 2 tbsp. butter, and remainder of seasonings over medium heat, stirring occasionally. (I hate dishes, so I just waited 'til the chicken was done, put it on the cutting board, then used the same skillet. Also, while looking for this recipe I found another where they used butter and flour to make a roux, so I did that since I was using milk, and I was afraid it would be too thin. Then added more seasoning and the milk a half a cup at a time.)
After I added all the milk, I put the softened cream cheese in and stirred it until it was melted. Then, I added more cajun seasoning (because it wasn't enough for me).
When cream mixture begins to bubble (mine had been bubbly for a while, but it was way too thin, so I waited til it was thick), add the pasta and turn off heat. Stir well.
When chicken is cooked through, place on cutting board and slice into strips.
Spoon pasta and sauce onto large serving plates (2) and top with chicken, diced tomatoes, and parmesan.
Throw a thick, garlicky slice of Texas toast on that bad boy and enjoy!

2010-05-03T18:03:00.000-05:00

I can't wait to pick up some blank adjustable rings so I can make me a pretty fabric flower ring. Check out the tutorial here at V and Co. She also sells kits in 3 different colors.

Scrappy Love Birds

2010-03-22T11:10:00.000-05:00

These little birds are so cute! And the whole thing cost $4. Check out how to put it together over at The Creative Maven.

Crochet Names

2010-03-10T16:07:00.000-06:00

I love these cute crochet letter pillows! Kobechina from craftster made them for her daughters. She used the alphabet pillow patterns here. I think I will make my niece some.

What the french, Toast!?

2010-02-13T16:21:00.000-06:00

I love this embroidered flour sack towel by Sayruh on Craftster! It was inspired by this Orbit gum commercial. I absolutely love that commercial. It cracks me up every time.

Valentine's Day Marshmallows

2010-01-24T14:48:00.001-06:00

These Valentine's Day marshmallows are so cute, and look delish! Find them over at RootsandWingsCo.

I love giveaways!

2010-01-19T10:02:00.002-06:00

Eep! I absolutely love Lauren's awesome design skills. Seriously. So you gotta understand how excited I am that Kim over at NewlyWoodwards is giving away a set of Lauren's custom stationary! Go check it out.

After Christmas giveaways!

2009-12-28T12:14:00.004-06:00

Check out the after christmas giveaway here at maedchenmitherz.
Win a beautiful necklace here from Jane Deaux Metals.
Here's a dichroic heart pendant from Helix element jewelry.
There's lots of goodies to win here at City of Dionne.
Win a Wendy's $5 gift card here at momstart.com.

Tomato Cage Christmas Tree

2009-12-07T10:12:00.004-06:00

I love these little trees, but they are always so expensive! Here's a tutorial by Lauren to make one for cheap.

Heavenly cute online class

2009-11-13T12:37:00.003-06:00

Over at maedchenmitherz there's going to be an online class! Check it out here!

Scrap Buster Fall Pillow

2009-10-26T09:19:00.004-05:00

I love this fall pillow from Cluck Cluck Sew. While you're over there, check out all of the other great tutorials!

Dirt Cake with Worms

2009-10-16T10:47:00.007-05:00

This is after we had already dug in!

We had a small Halloween party with Rodney's family. My mother-in-law and I put it all together. One of the desserts I made was a dirt cake with worms (I doubled it) . It was so delicious! Here's the recipe (with my changes):

Dirt Cake with Worms

Ingredients:

2 boxes of instant chocolate pudding mix
3 1/2 cups of milk (for thicker pudding use less milk)
2 tubs of Cool Whip (I used 1 big one)
1 package of oreos
1 package of gummy worms (one of the $1 ones at Wal-Mart will be plenty!)

Directions:
Mix pudding with milk for 2 minutes (I made my pudding ahead of time and let it chill for about 2 hours)
Mix 1/3 of cool whip with pudding
Crush Oreos in food processor (or in a zipper baggie like I did)
Layer pudding, cool whip, and cookies. Add gummy worms on top to finish. I put about 5 gummy worms in each layer between the cool whip and the cookies for some extra wormies.

Mario and Princess Peach Love

2009-10-10T13:36:00.005-05:00

My husband cross stitched this for me using the end of the Bitter Luigi cross stitch pattern. Find it here on spritestitch.

Check it out!

2009-10-07T07:56:00.001-05:00

Photo by Kim @ NewlyWoodwards

Check out Kim (and Ryan) at Newlywoodwards for a giveaway! While you're over there check out their awesome renovation work.

Halloween Pillow

2009-10-01T19:30:00.000-05:00

I like Halloween, but I also like to keep the decorations for it simple. That's why I love this pillow from Pleasant Home! Super cute and very festive.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Amigurumis

2009-09-17T08:49:00.000-05:00

Aren't these little Ninja Turtles by atsuko so cute?!?!? The hubby loves them, so I am going to made them for Christmas for him. Check them out on Craftster.

Fall is Coming!

2009-08-25T09:54:00.000-05:00

Yay! I love Fall. I'm really excited about Autumn coming and will probably start decorating soon. I have been looking at fall crafts and decorations. My first project will probably be a centerpiece for the table. I love this one from Better Homes & Gardens.

Watermelon Cookies

2009-06-09T11:35:00.000-05:00

I love all things watermelon. I just think they are cute. I also think decorated cookies are cute. So, combining the two are double cuteness! I may invite some friends over for a bbq just so I can make these watermelon cookies from the decorated cookie.

House number pots

2009-06-09T11:08:00.000-05:00

I love these house number pots! If my house number wasn't 5 numbers long, I would definitely do this. Check out the tutorial on this at Evangeline's Vine.

Headband

2009-06-09T11:00:00.000-05:00

I love this DIY headband. I can't wait to try one!

Cute Ideas

2009-03-18T09:25:00.000-05:00

So, I haven't been doing anything new lately. No new recipes. No new projects. So, I thought I would link to others that I love.

I am also going to make a denim picnic quilt with Little Birdie Secrets.

Salisbury Steaks

2009-01-18T18:25:00.000-06:00

So, Rodney LOVES Salisbury steaks. I am quiet fond of them myself. So, since we both liked them, I decided to make some for supper the other night, and I am so glad I did! They were so delicious. I found this recipe.

Salisbury Steaks

Ingredients:

1 (10.5 ounce) can French onion soup
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder (I just used regular mustard)

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together 1/3 cup French onion soup with ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, salt and black pepper. Shape into 6 oval patties.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown both sides of patties. Pour off excess fat.
In a small bowl, blend flour and remaining soup until smooth. Mix in ketchup, water, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Pour over meat in skillet. Cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Notes: Next time I will cook the meat in a cast iron skillet and when I pour the soup mixture over the meat, pop the skillet into the oven to cook.

It turned out excellent and the gravy it made was good over the mashed potatoes.

I am bad

2009-01-12T20:12:00.000-06:00

I haven't been posting much. To tell you the truth, I really haven't felt like it. But, 2009 is a new year, and I am feeling cheery and good. So, I will definitely start posting again. I have a lot of new things planned to make and bake and I'm really excited about it. This is going to be a good year.

Another cake

2008-11-24T10:50:00.000-06:00

So, for some unknown reason, I volunteered myself to make the cake for my sister-in-law's baby shower. I've only ever decorated one cake, and it wasn't that pretty...I have no idea what I was thinking. So, I searched the internet for baby shower cakes (with SIL's help) and finally came across one we liked. We happened to find it the day of the shower, while the cake was cooling (I'm such a procrastinator). Realizing I could not do it with just icing because my cake decorating skills are just not that great, I decided to make homemade fondant. I wish I had gotten a picture. Anyway, here it is in all its mediocre glory.

I guess it's not too bad for cake #2.

A closer look.

The baby's head is made from fondant...kind of orange fondant.

And here's the beautiful mommy!

She was very pleased with the cake, and it sure was tasty!

Another Giveaway!

2008-10-10T10:30:00.000-05:00

So, I haven't posted in a while. Mostly because my camera batteries are dead and I can't seem to find the charger, but lots of other things are going on as well. My sink broke, ran out of butane (which pretty much everything in this house runs off of), ER visits, moving Rodney's mom, trying to find somewhere new to live, and the list goes on. Well, I decided to make a new post that has some giveaways! Who doesn't like a good giveaway? Anyway, without further adieu...

Make and Takes has a list of giveaways and other neat links.
Natalie over at natalie's sentiments is hosting a fall giveaway, so check there often!
Others to come!

Giveaway!

2008-09-29T11:19:00.001-05:00

Make and Takes if having a giveaway!

I will try to find more giveaways to post.

Very sad news

2008-09-18T08:59:00.000-05:00

During my wedding planning I found my way to a message board and have gotten to know the great group of girls on there. Even after the wedding we have continued to post about many things like houses, pets, and even babies. We have grown so close even though a lot of us have never met. One of the girls, Jill, passed yesterday. She was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer last October at the age of 24. She stayed positive and brave through the whole thing. She fought a strong battle, but the cancer won. She is such an inspiration to many of us and we will miss her.

So Cute!

2008-08-12T17:14:00.001-05:00

Jess from How About Orange made these adorable ribbons recently. She made a cute checkbook cover using one of them and this tutorial. Definitely on my to-do list.

Caroline from J Caroline Creative made these adorable fobs with this tutorial. These are also on my to-do list.

Cheesecake Brownies

2008-08-08T20:19:00.000-05:00

I love cheesecake! Rodney love brownies (I like them too, just not as much as he does, and not as much as cheesecake.). So, the two together are perfect for us! I used a cheesecake brownie recipe from Allrecipes. They were so good! Extremely rich, but good. Oh, and sorry about the funky pan, the nicer looking one was dirty. (Also ignore the little piece taken out of it. I couldn't resist!)

Cheesecake Brownies

Ingredients:

1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix
Ingredients called for in brownie mix recipe (eggs, oil, and water were mine)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup white sugar

Directions:

Prepare the brownie mix as directed by manufacturer. Preheat oven to temperature indicated on box. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
Spread the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan. Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, egg and sugar until smooth. Dollop the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie batter. Swirl together using a knife or skewer.
Bake according to manufacturer's instructions. Brownies will be done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in the pan, then cut into bars and enjoy.

Give a Dog a Bone

2008-08-03T19:26:00.000-05:00

My poor little Ziggy. I can't buy him stuffed puppy toys because all of them have squeakys, and Rodney's dog, Star, tears squeakys out of them and then there's stuffing everywhere. So, I decided to make him one sans squeak.

I pinned it all togeter so it wouldn't move.

I was having so much fun, I decided to put his name on it before sewing it up. Then I stitched the edges so it was good and sturdy because I had to hand sew it and I didn't do a very good job.

And here's the final product!

And my little pup enjoying his new toy!

I think once I have a sewing machine, and I don't freehand the bone drawing, It will look much better. I think i'm going to make a fish-shaped one next with a bell inside for a friend's cat.

Oh, The Days of Summer

2008-07-17T15:22:00.000-05:00

I love summer. I also love ice cream sandwiches! And cute shapes are awesome. Like these western themed molds. They are so totally adorable!

Although, I don't know if I would spend $10 on them. I saw some at Wal-Mart one time that were $4, but didn't have the money at the time and now I can't find them. :(

Another lovely summer treat is snow cones! I love them too! I love extra syrup!

Worst thing about summer: Mowing the lawn! Yuck! Which is what I off to do!

Fig Sugar Cookies

2008-06-23T16:13:00.000-05:00

I had picked some figs a few days ago and they were starting to get too soft, so I decided to make Fig Sugar Cookies. I didn't have a lot of figs, so I halved the recipe. I also didn't have the baking powder, but they turned out pretty good! I really need to add more figs next time though.

Fig Sugar Cookies

1 cup chopped figs
1/3 cup water
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder (I didn't use this)
1/2 teaspoon salt (or this)

1. Cook figs with water, stirring frequently, until thickened (about 5 minutes). Set aside to cool.

2. Beat butter with sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Blend well. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix into the creamed mixture. Stir in the cooled figs. Drop by teaspoons onto lightly greased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 375 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove cookies and cool on wire racks.

Very simple recipe. Just watch your cookies because they cook fast! (Notice my browned edges. I forgot about them!)

I think I am going to reconstruct the recipe into a healthier version.

Guacamole

2008-06-20T20:32:00.000-05:00

I have been craving Guacamole lately, so I asked my step-mom how she made hers and picked up the stuff for it. Mine was ok. I've had better. I accidentally added to much peppers to it and it was super spicy so, (and I know this will sound gross, but I didn't have any sour cream!) I added Miracle Whip to it. I liked that taste in it though.

Guacamole

2 Medium Sized Ripe Avocados
1 Roma Tomato
1 or 2 slices of Jalapeño

1/4 Bell Pepper Diced
1 Teaspoon Lemon or Lime Juice
1/2 small onion Diced (I used onion powder instead because I don't like chunks of onion)
1 Teaspoon Garlic powder (depending on how much garlic you like)
Pinch or Two of Pepper

1. Cut the avocado in half and take out the pit. Scoop the insides out of the avocado skin.
2. Mix avocado pulp with all other ingredients.
3. Serve with chips and enjoy!
4. Refrigerate.

Room Makeover

2008-06-18T11:00:00.000-05:00

My friend found some pillows she loved at
Target that matched her newly made over room, but didn't want to spend $15 a piece on them.
So, I decided that if I could find the right material, we could make them. And we did!

They are a little crooked because we had to sew them by hand (no sewing maching), but they turned out pretty good. We couldn't find pink ribbon we liked, so we used black, which we both liked better.

To make them, we just used half a yard of silky fabric and a spool of ribbon that we found in the craft section at Wal-Mart. The edges were already sewn in so they were smooth. I think it's for decorating. It ended up costing about $6 for both of the pillows.

We also made some candles to match. We used some rub-ons to make the scroll pattern.

My first cake EVER to decorate.

2008-06-12T22:25:00.000-05:00

Well, it's pretty sucky. I was at my DH's grandma's and she was baking a cake. She asked me if I wanted to decorate the cake when she got done baking it because I had never done one before. Our friend, John, had come with us and it was his birthday, so I decorated it for the occasion.

I tried to use cream cheese icing. That stuff sinks right into itself. I was also using a book that showed you how to make little animals. I made an elephant and what is supposed to be a hippo. Actually, they were both supposed to be hippos, but i did something and made the nose long on one, so it is an elephant. I messed the elephants knee up, so I had to put a band-aid on it.

P.S. I can't figure out why it is turning my elephant sideways. I also can't figure out how to change it!