Gender results

Results are in!  Baby did cooperate for the ultrasound, which means the inside of the cake pops was not yellow or green.

(It also means that I went out shopping for clothes!  And found some really cute outfits, it was so hard to just choose one...well, technically, I got two, because there was a buy one get one half off sale.  I struggled not to buy another three outfits.)

Cake pops have been dispersed.  Well, most of them were.  The Russian ate a lot of them before they could be given away.  Every time I turned around, there would be another two (or 5) empty sticks creating a pile on the counter.

I've heard back from those who received cake pops in the mail, so it's now time for the moment of truth.  If you don't know, make your guess now before you scroll down...

It's a girl!

(And I found the cutest little blue outfit with monkeys - perfect - that I wanted to buy!  But it said "Auntie's Favorite," so  I couldn't buy it.  It also happens to be the only blue girls' outfit that I've seen!)

Cake pops and ultrasounds

Bright and early this morning was 18 week ultrasound day.  Dutifully, the Russian arose early to accompany me to the doctor's office.

Among the anatomy and measurements, pictures were taken.  Baby didn't want to be bothered by us, and had it's hands up by the ears.  (Maybe to tune us out?)  Baby also chose to face away from us for most of the scan...but here's the best face picture we could get.

See the elbows sticking out?

We also chose to find out the gender.  Baby cooperated in that regard, at least.  I know I could just tell you all, but I can't resist the urge to make cake pops.  (Or go shopping*.  Do you know how hard it is not to buy everything in the baby section?)

Using the cake pop maker I received from my fantastic sister for the wedding, sadly, no frosting was required.  (Sorry all of you who like the frosting/cake mix.)

Mmmm, tasty.  I'll post results in a few days for those who are too far away to get one.  If you want to know earlier, come grab one or three from me. :)

So what's your guess as to what we're having?  Think we're having a boy?  A girl?  For the very limited number of people who know the answer, don't give it away!

*The cutest outfit at Target is a little white bag-like coat-ish contraption** with a little brown bear and the words "snow cute."  Even the Russian told me it was adorable.  Anyone know what the little slits are for that go through the front and back?  It's like the perfect size to shove your hand in...but that seems a bit awkward...

**Unfortunately, it's gender neutral, so I didn't buy it, though now I'm tempted to go back...

An irresistible urge

I woke up with an urge on Sunday.

It's been tickling my brain for the past several months.

I couldn't help myself.

There was no cake on hand, and edible luster dust has been prying it's way into my life, though not quite my kitchen. Thus, a trip to the store was in order. But while waiting for the store to open (Sunday hours, you know), the first step began: chocolate feathers.

A few hours, a cake, and some help from a friend later, and the first peacocks began to emerge.

Soon the one became a muster. (Look it up.)

Pretty cute, no? They don't taste too bad, either.

(The eyes never quite got finished, as a frantic phone call regarding honeymoon requests arrived and I ended up on my computer eyeing tropical destinations.)

Do you feel appreciated yet? (Hypothetically speaking)

It's classified appreciation week at work...aka, 'Thank you tutors' week. In honor of such, (and because I'm due to bring in snacks at today's monthly meeting anyway) its cake pop time.

I tried to make them cute but simple. I appreciate the help I get from my tutors, but frankly, there's only so much effort I can go to.

Anyway, I pose the question to you...good enough? If these were handed to you at work, would you feel appreciated?

(Not that we're not doing something each and every day for our personal tutors...)

Safari cake pops!

Another request from work... (although I wasn't too happy with how they came out).  I figured it out pretty close to the end that I wasn't getting them cold enough, even though they were in the freezer longer than recommended.  But whatever.  The lions did come out cute.

Most of the monkeys are kinda disfigured...I kinda want to redo them all.  I'm positive I can make them better next time.

Maybe I'll make mini peacocks in honor of my wedding theme?

Just cuz I can...(I'm not crazy enough to think I could make them for the wedding.)  (But that would be cute.)

Halloween (cake pop) fun

I am definitely blessed with wonderful friends...the kind of best friends who will come over and support my cake pop addiction by helping create these scrumptious concoctions.  I've been wanting to make Halloween ones for a long time now.

The wonder of friends is that they ignore my oddities while conversing normally about how an earthquake will happen while zombies go on a rampage and we'll be out trying to find my friend's cat, Nala*.  We might have known each other for too long...

They merely accept my mandatory sound effects while dipping cake pops.  "First you go dloop, then it's pffffht, and voila!  It's ready!"  (Trust me, they understand.)  Sometimes, they even create their own... "Like this?  Ka-chink!" "Perfect!"

They also let me do this:

Happy pumpkin!

Scared pumpkin!
(Ignore the circles under my eyes - maybe that's why I keep being told I look tired)

Bye bye pumpkin!

They nonchalantly pat me on the head, continue dipping the candy corn cake pops and attaching ears on black cats.

"So, how are your parents?" asks one friend to the other.  This is what typical looks like in my life.

To make up for stealing my best friends away from their families, I sent goodies home.  One was specially personalized just for the friend's husband.  (Unfortunately, I did not take a picture, and he's long been eaten by now.)  Someone carved "eat me Joe!" into the pumpkin.  Wonder who that could have been?

*What, you mean this isn't typical conversation between you and your people?

Clowning around

The latest and greatest in the cake pop series:  Clowns!

Made specially for a birthday party for my coworker's son.

They came out rather cute in the end...but I had my doubts.  The first ones seemed not-so-cute...maybe a tad on the scary side*.  My coworker didn't like the party hats she saw on clowns in my Cake Pop book, so I skipped that part.

I had a bit of difficulty with them...as you can tell, a lot of them fell off the stick.  Oh well!  We have stick-less clowns!  (Does that make them clown balls?)

A bit of advice for anyone who attempts to make these:  use tightly twisted fruit roll ups for the mouth, or Twizzlers.  Do not be like me and use Rips Whips, which does not conform to a smile shape very easily.

* It's the eyes.  I didn't like** the eyes...

**Hint for others:  Do NOT use mini m&ms for eyes and add dots.  I unfortunately decided to on one that was already doomed with a stick through it's head...it really lends itself to the psycho murderous clown image.

Do my eyes deceive me?

As I mentioned previously, one of my coworkers requested my cupcake creations for her daughter's birthday.  The catch was her daughter is allergic to chocolate (and chocolate flavoring).  However, candy melts still work.

I agreed to make something cute for the party and showed her my cake pop book.  Ice cream was immediately chosen as the favorite.

So, without further ado, I present the cupcake version of ice cream:

They're so cute I almost don't want to eat them...yet on the other hand, I want to devour them as fast as I can.  How many do you think I can shove in my mouth at one time?  I'm willing to find out... I didn't think about snapping a picture of some of the "fallen" cones, but they might be my favorites.

Because of the chocolate problem, we have strawberry cake inside the pink candy coating, and it really tastes like ice cream...just without the coldness.

Next, it's clown cake pops, for another birthday party.  After that, I'm dying to make some for Halloween...suggestions?  I want to try spiders, spider webs with mini spiders, pumpkins, candy corn, ghosts, black cats, mummies, eye balls, witches, and maybe a monster or two.  That's a few too many, though (unfortunately).

To cater or not to cater

Some of you know of my addiction to sweet little morsels of cake mashed up with frosting and dipped in chocolate.  Said goodness is then decorated to be the most sickeningly scrumptious treat you can imagine.

Cake pops.

I do not claim to be a master, but I can't stop making them.  By making them I mean eating them.

Recently, I made cake pops, partially because I wanted to, and partially because it was around my birthday.

Each time I make cake pops, I want to make something new and cuter.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Birthday/thank you butterflies with flowers.

"Fancy" glitter snowballs.

Reindeer.

And my personal all-time favorite:  Snowmen.

The recent ones earned me the not-uncommon* "Can you make these for me?"  One of my coworkers wants me to make some for her daughter's soon-to-be birthday.  She's offering to pay the cost of materials...and labor.  Now, I can't justify asking her to cover my time and effort (yet), but it is tempting.  All through grad school people have told me how I could cater part time around my career in speech therapy.

I'm starting to think it might be a good idea.

*People have asked me to make cake pops for their weddings**.  It hasn't worked out with anyone, yet, but I'm hopeful to be able to make some for my own wedding someday.

**It's not limited to cake pops, or to weddings.  Everything from truffles to rye bread to Spinach and Cheese Cigars has been requested...