We're having a Cake!

In class this week we made a baby shower cake. I have been wanting to make this cake for a while; you can see how the occasion for a baby shower cake may be a bit more frequent than a Bart Simpson cake. This cake was a bit labor intense but I think it turned out pretty cute. I decided to make my cake blue for a boy for my sister Holly and my sis in law Heidi who are both expecting boys. I know neither of you are close enough to partake of this goodness so I guess I will sacrifice and have a piece for each of you myself. Yeah for more boys in the Allen family.

A Root Beer Birthday

On Saturday we celebrated Morris's 28th Birthday! For my husband--the lover of root beer I thought a root beer tasting party would be perfect. We sampled 12 different flavors of brew and rated each on flavor, aroma and bite. We had a great time and thanks to everyone who came and made Morris's birthday a great day.

January Dive

This last Friday we had our almost monthly "Dive of the Month" with our friends from church. This Friday's selection was Taqueria Chihuahua--Morris was in heaven and I would go back again for another enchilada. Thanks to Marissa for always finding new local hot spots for us to check out.

Return of the Cakes

My friend Marissa and I started our cake class again this week. We have now moved from beginner to intermediate. I can't believe it has almost been almost a year since our last class. Our first assignment was a bit strange but I am glad to know the technique. I never thought I would ever make a Bart Simpson cake but stranger things have happened. Here is the first cake from our 8 week course.

Christmas Holiday

I know Christmas is now a distant memory for many of you but I am just now finding time to post about our wonderful vacation spent with family over the holiday. Now that we are home in California it seems very weird to be posting pictures of us all bundled up in snow gear when it is a warm 75 degrees outside. We were able to spend time with both my family as well as Morris's family on our Christmas break. We spent the first part of our vacation with the Poole's and had a great time visiting with family, puzzling, and eating crepes and other delicious treats. We spent a week there and I managed to not take any pictures the whole time.

Next we were off to Idaho to spend some time with my family. With my family growing at such a rapid rate it is difficult for us to all get together anymore. All of my siblings were able to make it to Idaho for a quick visit with the exception of two--6 out of 8 is not bad. We had so much fun with my family. First activity on the agenda was some sledding at Bogus Basin Ski Resort. Group shot of all of the sledders.
Addie was such a good sport in these frigid temps. She had a grin on her face the whole time. I love this little Addie Cakes.
Morris and I waiting to get on the lift for another run.
After everyone arrived in Boise we headed to the mountains and more SNOW! We had a cabin with a beautiful lake view and plenty of activities to keep the kids entertained. Isaac was a master of the ping pong defeating all of his opponents while Reagan kept the Air Hockey table warm. The men spent most of their time watching movies in the theatre and way too much football and the ladies worked together to complete newborn baby kits for charity. I also face planted into the ice while attempting to show my nieces and nephews how to take the hill, it didn't work out quite like I planned--sorry no picture of the damage done. I was so happy finally got to meet baby Claire, she is a treat and to see Heidi's baby bump.

We had so much fun with our families, we wish every visit could be longer. Can't wait until our next trip.

Happy Reunion

Over the Christmas holiday my good friend Bridget, from high school got married. I am still very close to my friends from high school so it was fun to see all of them and to spend some time catching up on each others lives. We had lunch at our favorite restaurant--The Beanery, the day before the wedding and then got together that evening at my parents house and chatted and laughed until way to early in the morning. This was the first time in a very long time that all of us were able to get together. We are all living in various parts of the country and between school, kids and careers we don't get to see each other as often as we would like.
Bridget was a beautiful bride and the day was perfect. I am so happy for her and Casey. I hope that it is not so long until we can all get together again. We missed you Talane, it was not the same without your cute face.