Confectioning

A very good friend of mine is getting married in September. As a bridesmaid I helped in putting together her bridal shower, which happened today. I have been following some different baking and confection blogs and found some cute ideas that I had to try out for her shower.

My first idea came from Bakerella. These are the Cupcake Pops I created for the shower.

Me wondering what I have gotten myself into...

The finished product turned out good enough for a first-timers try.

And guess what... they were a HIT!

The second treat is an idea I got from a show on TLC called DC Cupcakes.

Aren't they cute!

Mine of course have a twist on the ice cream cone theme, and I chose to make decorative chocolate pieces to top them off.

Nothing like a "sweet" display for a Saturday afternoon.

13!

It is official... the last of the Moncur kids is finally a teenager. Cole turned the big ONE THREE on May 27. Birthday parties have become very informal in our family, but it turned out to be a nice get together.

I just want Cole to know how much he is loved and appreciated, and that even though he is getting older, he will always be my baby brother.

Bus Trips, More Birthdays, and a Day for Mothers

The last few weeks have been a little wild, and I am not sure were to begin. The end of April took me on a clinical trip to SLC. I got to spend a night shift in one of the University Hospital's ICUs. All 39 of the nursing students in my class came along, and it made for one loooooong bus ride. Not because of the group, but because of the antique bus we were given! The seats were broken and we couldn't count how many times the transmision slipped! After 10 hours there we made it and the rest of the week was full of fun adventures wandering the "big city" on our off time. This trip made me appreciate my chosen proffession even more, and brought me one step closer to graduation.



I highly recoment spending a day on Temple Square.... the spirit is calming and it is total stress relief.

The day I came home from the trip, Peter and Kenneth turned 18. I can't believe my little twin brothers are growing up on me! All the more reason to cherish the time we can spend with our families... which brings me to

MOTHERS DAY!

This is one of my favorite Holidays, because like christmas; it honors someone very special in all of our lives.



I found this cute mug at Wal-Mart, and thought....that's just what my mother deserves to be... treated like a Queen!



I took the mug to the local flowershop and asked them to match some springy flowers to the colors of the mug....



The finised product was just what I hoped!

Thank you Mom for all you do, flowers aren't much but I hope you know how much you are loved and appreciated!

My mother is not the only one that needs some recognition here. There is a new added mother to my life, and she is also a very special woman. Sam's mother has raised a wonderful family and blessed my life because of it.

Happy Birthday Dad

He held me in his arms of strength, so gentle and secure

As I grew he stood by, so steady and so sure

He watched me stumble, watched me fall, he knew it had to be

He taught me courage, taught me strength, brushed the dust from my knees

In prayer he showed me faith, in kindness taught me love

The man I call my Father is a blessing from above.

~Lauren Olsen

My Dad is having a birthday coming up next week. With hectic family schedules it is hard to get everyone in one place at the same time. This past Sunday we had everyone home, with the exception of Sam who was in Idaho with his brother, and held a surprise "early birthday" for my Pops. We did hamburgers for lunch, chicken cordon bleu for dinner, and (after some interesting cake acrobatics on my part) served a checkerboard cake. My Father is a well loved man, and I pray that we always remember to show him how much he is appreciated.

Happy Birthday Dad!

New Camera and Some Easter Ambition...

As mentioned before, I have been struggling with my Cannon, and finally is gave up the ghost. I never seem to have anything to take pictures of until I don't have a camera... funny how that seems to work out. Sam and I decided a new camera is just something we had to have, and I purchased a Nikon Coolpix. I am not sure yet if I like it as much as I did my Cannon, but I am still playing with the settings.

Needless to say; now that I have a new toy I had to play with it. Camera plus Easter meant I had to do something creative. While reading through various crafty blogs I stumbled across the perfect project. I am not going to take credit for the idea, and if you visit the link you will see I am no where near a professional... but I sure had fun!

It all began by boiling some eggs.... rolling them around on paper towels to crunch the shells (don't let them fall off though)

The next step was to dissolve gel food coloring into cups of water. When I say dissolve, I mean it... make sure your watter is a strong bold color, or you will have a pale outcome.

Let your eggs soak in their baths for... well 7 hours is what the instructions read... Some of my lighter colors could have gone longer.

*If you are going to eat them (yes they are edible) make sure the soaking happens in the fridge.

*As you can see below, some eggs are a little pale, I am attributing this to low intensity dye solution and not making sure the cracks went through the shell and the little membrane attached to it.

Peel and enjoy the Color!

You can display your fun creations as they are, or turn them in to festive Easter treats...

Ooolalah! Can't wait to tak e them to dinner


HAPPY EASTER!!