Update On The Smiley Face Cookies Post

I talked to my son a couple of days ago, and his package with the cookies arrived in Vanuatu. Actually, it arrived two days after he and his wife had left for a two week stint to another island, so it was two days short of four weeks when they got back and actually opened the package. He said the cookies were still sealed up and fresh.

So I opened my cookies, the ones I had vacuum sealed and saved to open when they opened their package. They were okay, but would have been much better had they arrived before their trip! But when you're that far from home and familiar tastes, just about anything tastes good, they assured me.

The vacuum sealing made them a bit flat, so I'm going to try something else with the next cookies I send.

Piano Cake

Here's a Piano/Music themed cake I made for a friend's graduation last weekend.

The cake itself was chocolate with my dulce de leche filling in one layer and my chocolate hazelnut filling in the other. It was then covered with almond flavored buttercream, then fondant. All the decorations are fondant except the ribbon curlies on the top and the ribbon around the bottom.

For the notes and music symbols, I printed them off the Internet, cut them out and covered them with clear contact paper. I then used them as patterns to cut the shapes out of fondant.

The music ribbon was from Wal Mart! Just happened to see it when I was buying groceries and thought it would come in handy someday!!

Congratulations, John!!

Smiley Face Cookies

When we lived in CA, my children always looked forward to going to their grandma and grandpa's house about three hours away. They especially loved it when they discovered that grandma had Smith's cookies waiting! They were just a decorated sugar cookie with a smiley face.



Last August, when Nate & Jen were getting married, grandma and grandpa arrived with at least three dozen Smith's cookies. I guess my now-grown children are still kids at heart, because they were way too excited about those cookies!!

Now that Nate & Jen are living in Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu, I try to send something special from home in every package I send - something they can't get where they live. So, in the last package, I included about two dozen of my decorated cookies. They aren't Smith's, but since the only Smith's bakery I know of is located in southern CA, it's the best I could do! I made regular and chocolate, and put a smiley face on each one.



Since it takes so ridiculously long to get a package to Santo (usually about three weeks), I used a friend's food sealer and vacuum sealed the cookies. Don't know yet how that will work out, but I did keep about half a dozen here to open when they get their package. I figure Nate will lie and tell me they're fine whether they are or not, so this way I'll know!!

I'll let you know how it turns out. It will also help me decide if I want a food sealer of my own or not.

Princess Birthday Cake

I made this cake a couple weeks back for a little princess who was turning one! The cake was almost as big as the birthday girl!!

I used whipped frosting from Sam's on this cake, along with fondant add-ons. The crown is also fondant. The feathers, of course, aren't edible, but they sure make a frilly cake!!

Hope you had a happy birthday, Madelynn!!

Baby Shower Cake

Here's a pink and purple shower cake I did a few weeks back. The shower was actually on the first day of spring when we got about ten inches of snow!!

I had purchased the baby carriage ribbon a couple years back thinking I would use it someday. Well, this was the first cake where I could use some of it!

Here's a close-up of the ribbon.

This two tier cake served approximately thirty-five. It was a ten inch and six inch chocolate cake with chocolate-hazelnut filling. I used whipped frosting from Sam's.

Congratulations, Heidi! We can't wait to see little Mikayla!