Boys and their Toys

I always thought when my kids grew up they'd box up their old toys and put away childish things.

Not so.

The boys might have grown up but their toys just got bigger.

And I'm not talking about boats and cars, nope I'm talking about helicopters. No. Not real - pilot driven - helicopters. I'm talking remote control beauties.

My son went out the other day and bought three of them...yes that is a "boat"load of money that went into those toys. But he's saying he's going to use them to create a little art...filming with them.

And if he does, I'll think it's pretty cool but until then it's just boys with their toys.

How 'bout you - do you have any childhood toys that have moved with you into adulthood?

Cake-n-Bake Challenge

It was so much fun. Having family and friends over with some really great food.

We do this once a month. Have a cooking challenge where we all get together to eat, talk and vote on the "best" for the month.

We even have a little trophy and ribbons :D What better way to spend a day - than food, family and friends.

This month it was CAKE. And I love cake. But then I love ice cream and candy and...well I love sweets.

Anyway, here are the entries:

This photo really doesn't do them justice. I am going to need to take a photography class. I just never capture the "full" impact. Like the winning entry on the left, it was a cascading tower of flowers. Each flower so intricate and delicate...unbelievable. And the cake with the strawberry gelee in the front, it was surrounded with pretty pink flowers. Yeah, it seems that the theme was strawberries but that was just great minds thinking alike...I guess.

Or Steve's chocolate ganache, filled with banana pudding...there just aren't words to describe them all . . . other than yumilicious!

I guess I didn't get the strawberry theme memo tho' - I went for Memorial Day Theme with Lady Liberty.

My son was a little - maybe a lot - disappointed that I used fondant. It never tastes as good as whipped cream and fruit...it's true. But it's like being a kid again and playing with PlayDoh, it's so much fun I just can't resist.

Here's how I did her:

I made a Barbie cake - yeah kind of cheating - the doll part wasn't edible. But it's for fun. I had to spray paint her green...and she's rubber-at least her arms and face (the body's plastic) and paint doesn't stick very well to rubber. So I had to sand her a little to make her (more) tacky ;D and then I stepped outside and sprayed away. I stuck her in a styrofoam cup so the paint wouldn't get on anything. Then I put her on a paper plate, because she was dripping.

I glued a little crown on her head and even did two just to see how they'd turn out.

I went with the dark green girl. Kind of looking like Elphaba :D

After I had the doll done, I started frosting the cake base for the fondant to adhere to.

 Then all that was left was the fondant, which I rolled out and tried to fit to the form. For the base, I stamped bricks into some marzipan (to add a good taste and a different texture) then I stamped water into blue fondant (because we all know Lady Liberty stands in on an island in the middle of water...right?)
and I made some little blue balls to cover the bottom. I had to pipe a bit around Lady Liberty and the base because they didn't fit perfectly. I also added a couple of fondant flowers to fill in some gaps and Wah-Lah, I was done.

I put a sparkler in her scepter and lit the little firework to send showers of sparks all over the table.

But the best part of the day wasn't even the cake...it was seeing family and friends.

I really tried to get a picture of Caroline and Sasha curled up kissing but (like I said) I'm not the best photographer in the world, maybe I'm even the worst. But here they are together. :D

Movie Review Monday - The Great Gatsby

F. SCOTT FITZGERALD wrote The Great Gatsby in 1925. The setting is the fictional town of West Egg during the summer of 1922, on Long Island.

It's a story about Jay Gatsby and his opulent lifestyle and love of Daisy Buchanan.

Fitzgerald was inspired by parties where he saw extravagance and decadence. It took him two years to write the story and the first year the book was out, it was considered a flop. It only sold 20,000 copies (not really a flop) but Fitzgerald considered himself a failure.

It wasn't until the book became a standard in school curriculum that there was a resurgence with his writing. Today the book is a contender for "The Great American Novel" and a classic that is redone in plays and movies. 

Woofing

My son and I were talking about a friend of his who went to Sweden and then to Turkey to work on a farm...he called it "woofing".

I'd never heard the expression before. At first I thought he was saying roofing. But he sneered at me, in that way that sons sneer at you when they think you're one of those daft old folks. Then he explained it to me.

The program initially started as as "Working Weekends on Organic Farms" but grew and grew. Today Woofing is a world wide movement to help organic farms grow and prosper and the name now means World wide Opportunities on Organic Farms.

Thought for Thursday - Queries

Query Letters are difficult to deal with. They are beasts actually. Scary, intimidating creatures that can take the wind out of a rhinoceros' snort. Yeah, that frightening to some writers. And why?

It's just a short little paragraph or three. Where you can tell someone about your story. I try to think of it as a chance to sit down and blab with a good friend (okay I wish) but that's the way I approach queries. I think of what I'd say to a friend to get them to read the story. I don't even have to think of the story as mine.

I think back to the last time I told a friend she just HAD to read a book. Then I think about the things I thought were memorable or what made the story worth reading. That's what I share in a query. And maybe a little bit about me and a little bit about my friend (the agent I'm trying to entice into reading more).

Yeah, I never blab just about me, that wouldn't be polite. Okay, well almost never. Sometimes I get carried away and just jump right into my story. But isn't that what you might do with a friend, if you're talking about an exciting story that she just HAS to read?

When you share enthusiasm, it catches on...or at least that's what I'm hoping for.

So happy querying...and don't be so bothered by the beast.

Word for Wednesday

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then scroll down to find the answer...

WORD: EVINCE

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Meaning

To demonstrate clearly 

The Unbreakable Rules of Marketing

Cathey Armillas was one of the guest speakers at the conference this past weekend. And she was fantastic.

I really enjoyed her energy, excitement and tips, hints and tricks for branding. I think anyone would gain more than a morsel of information by hearing her speak.

I don't know if it's because she's also a soccer player but I'd say she kicked this presentation into the outfield.

And the energy was more than contagious.

She's an awe...mazing marketing specialist.

So, if you ever get a chance to see her speak...or even simply listen to her speak, I'd recommend it.