Girl Genius for Monday, June 30, 2025
Jun. 30th, 2025 04:00 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
girlgenius_main_feedSunday Sweets: 4th of July Fireworks!
Jun. 29th, 2025 01:00 pmcakewrecks_feedHappy almost July, fellow Sweets lovers!
With America's Independence Day coming up this week, you know I had to find some pretty red, white, and blue numbers:
(By Sugar Hero, who has a complete tutorial on her site)
Plus this one has a drool-worthy surprise inside!
WOWIE. Our flag has never looked more delicious.
And look how sweet this old-fashioned bunting is:
(By Wild Orchid Baking Company in New Hampshire, now closed)
Ahhh, but I have some goodies for my non-American friends, too. Check it out, rainbow fireworks!
(By Victorious Cupcakes in the UK)
So pretty! I like the abstract take on them, and the silhouettes are perfect.
I love the way Glory (yes, her name is Glory!) took these ice cream cookies:
...and stacked them to look like triple-deckers!
(By Glorious Treats, online only)
SO CUTE.
Oooh, I may have spoken too soon on that last flag cake; this one ALSO looks darn tasty:
(By For Goodness Cakes in Charlotte, NC)
I'm loving the thick textured buttercream on top; can't you just FEEL that crunching ever-so-slightly, then melting in your mouth?
Ooof, I really want some cake now.
Hang on, here comes another one that's not helping:
(By b. sweet dessert boutique, online only)
Alllll the grabby hands. Gimmie.
Of course I couldn't pass up a chance to feature another Captain America cake, right?
(By Chocomoo Cakes in Sheffield, inspired by Mighty Mugs)
Look how clean and perfect that fondant work is! So good.
Now, let's end this post with a bang:
(By Adrienne & Company Bakery in Jeffersonville, IN)
Fireworks cake! I love all those bright neon colors together.
This one looks like an oil painting:
(By Katja Seaton in the UK)
Look how the fireworks spill over the edge:
I think that's my favorite part; the way the fallout looks so shimmery near the bottom.
Big finale!
(Baker unknown; Google Image Search has failed me. Anyone recognize it?)
Simple, but wow does that pack a punch.
Happy Sunday, everyone!
*****
P.S. Need a cool gift for the person who has everything? Then how about a card that transforms into a bouquet:
Fresh Cut Paper Pop-Up Flowers
I sent this one to my Mom for her birthday last month, and it looks just like this! Even better, it ships free with Prime, so no extra postage needed.
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
(no subject)
Jun. 27th, 2025 12:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
m_of_disguise-One more wash out of the corded petticoat, a proper starching with chemical starch
-Add the grommets to the 1830s stays
-Take out the 16thC loose kirtle and see what needs fixing (I know the hem is horrendous and the armholes are unfinished, at the very least)
-Figure out what I'm doing for Baronial College in September
Baronial College may be the last event I get to this year, so I'd really like to make it. I'll also be heavily pregnant again, so the loose gown and loose kirtle will get another wearing. Huzzah!
The loose kirtle needs some fixing up, but the gown is pretty much good to go. I'm toying with the idea of making new sleeves for it. I had originally wanted hanging sleeves for it, but I was in a major time crunch when I made it, so just went with the Tudor Tailor sleeves, which pushed the style back to the first half of the 16thC. I usually do last quarter, so I'd probably get more wear out of it if I changed out the sleeves.
I'd also like to have an actual shift, as well as a new headdress. I'm leaning toward the heart-shaped bonnet with bongrace from the Tudor Tailor.
We'll see what time permits!
Sorry, Mario! Your Cake Wreck Is RIGHT HERE.
Jun. 27th, 2025 01:00 pmcakewrecks_feedWhen Allison H. sent this inspiration photo to her baker, her baker assured her she could "replicate it exactly."
As it turns out, though, Allison and her baker MAY have different definitions of "replicate" and "exactly."
o.0
And that's why you should never do 'shrooms, kids - unless you know how to cover them in fondant.
#ProTips
(no subject)
Jun. 27th, 2025 08:19 amm_of_disguiseSo, I knocked off work, stopped briefly at the store to pick up waters and pedialyte to make sure she didn't get dehydrated, and then headed home.
By the time I was home, she'd been vomit-free for about an hour. She was in a great mood, not acting sick at all, and M said that he suspected that she'd eaten a big mouthful of diaper cream and that was likely what was making her sick. -_- She didn't vomit at all once I was home, guess she saved that all for her dad, who was exhausted from following her around the house all day and cleaning up messes.
She kept asking for food, so we gave her some plain cheerios and plain chex, and other things that would be easy on her stomach. The rest of the evening was uneventful, and she went to bed without fuss.
Spent the remainder of the evening cleaning dishes and trying to get the kitchen squared away. It took several hours, and there's still the utensils left soaking in the sink to finish off today, but it's much better than it was. Since we didn't have a pot free to cook dinner in, we ate a couple of canned soups. Not super satisfying, but at least it was filling.
So glad this week is nearly over, because it has been...a lot.
Girl Genius for Friday, June 27, 2025
Jun. 27th, 2025 04:00 amgirlgenius_main_feed(no subject)
Jun. 26th, 2025 09:42 amm_of_disguiseHe begged me to stay home the rest of the day, which I did, and I took over cleaning duties so he could go back to work (he had a half-dozen accounts land on his desk.) Since the vacuum was malfunctioning, I just swept everything up as best I could, then went in with Lysol and paper towels and scrubbed the floor afterward. All the big furniture pieces were moved in order to find any hidden treasures (like goldfish crackers and cheese cubes) that the baby had hidden away (there were many), and everything was scrubbed multiple times to eliminate food residue.
M managed to find our large bottle of bug spray, so he did a perimeter sweep and sprayed all the entrances into the house that the flies could be using to get in.
Baby went down for her nap, and I took a bit of break to have some lunch, then cleaning recommenced. I think the living room is probably the cleanest it's been in a while, and we've vowed to remain vigilant about crumbs and sticky messes so the flies have nothing to be attracted to. Now we just need to get the kitchen squared away, and the main part of the house will be done.
Had leftover roast and green beans for dinner, with another noodle box to supplement. Not enough roast left for dinner tonight, so I'll have to come up with something else.
Then vs Now: Wrecks Edition
Jun. 26th, 2025 01:00 pmcakewrecks_feedI love - LOVE - old cake photos. Not the pretty magazine ones, of course, but the yellowing snapshots of children's birthday cakes from 20 or 30 years ago. They're a total blast from the past, and even when they're all lopsided and misspelled and ridiculously wrecky, you just can't help but love them.
Like Sarah's here, from the 80s:
It's a one-armed Care Bear, of course. Holding a pair of lips. Stomping on something that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike grass.
Compare that with today's Care Bear cakes, and you'll find we've come a looong way, baby:
Oh, how we've grown.
Of course, the only thing better than vintage cake photos are vintage cake photos with the birthday kids in them:
That's CW reader Amanda P. with her cousin Ryan, and she tells me no one noticed his "Ghostbusters"cake was misspelled until her mom uploaded this pic to Facebook ... 22 years later. THIS IS WHY THE INTERNET EXISTS, PEOPLE. To pick apart our childhood memories. And to make me jealous of 4-year-old boys' TMNT t-shirts.
(I also like to think Amanda is dressed as a sailor as a subtle Stay Puft homage, because, c'mon, how awesome would that be?!)
If you're wondering what you get today when you order a Ghostbusters cake, though:
Kristen's husband picked up this "Ghostbusters cake," but neither of them have an explanation.
(Maybe it's supposed to be Slimer? Maybe?)
Still debating if that's worse than this one, though:
YOU. We're ready to believe... YOU. C'mon, bakers, don't you have the entire script of Ghostbusters memorized like the rest of us? I mean, REALLY.
Ok, just one more, in reverse. Here's a "modern" Barbie doll cake:
Come for the ridiculous sinking Barbie, stay for the bonus crotch photo bomb.
And here's the way most of us gals remember them from our childhood:
Ok, so maybe we'll call this one a draw.
Thanks to Sarah R., Tina H., Amanda P., Kristen C., Tiffany G., Linda G., & Celeste R. for the memories.
Estonian Kissing Day
Jun. 25th, 2025 06:02 pmcakewrecks_feedAccording to The Repository Of All Knowledge And Wisdom In Our World (aka, Wikipedia) today might be a Valentines-ish type of day in some remote corner of the world or potential worlds. In fact, I'm almost 63% sure that today is, in fact, "Kissing Day" in the western region of Estonia.
Or was that on Epsilon Ceti B II?
Whichever, the point is that I can post old Valentine's cakes without fear of the "fact" police getting all up in my cakey "business."
Now, kiss me, you piece of...chocolate!
After all, you alone hold my heart:
Not to mention my bowels.
What, still not convinced? Then allow me to inscribe a few sweet nothings for you.
[wink]
[finger gun]
[double wink + finger gun combo]
[licking fingers and smoothing eyebrows]
SO...are you a puddle of oozing desire yet?
No?
Ok, time to break out the big guns:
[tongue waggle]
(You know, whether you read that as a command or an adjective, it's equally romantic.)
[tiger pose]
[duckface]
Need I say more?
Yeah. I didn't think so.
Thanks to Meagan M., Greg M., Kimberly B., Amber T., Natsk, Amy I., Rebekah K., Michael D., & Kyra, who always talk smack when they're feeling peckish, but still refuse to give me any lip.
*****
P.S. Then there's the most romantic phrase of all for my fellow gamers:
"I Paused My Game To Be Here" T-Shirt
JUST FOR YOU, BABY.
This tee comes in lots of fun colors at the link, plus classic gray and black.
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
(no subject)
Jun. 25th, 2025 09:39 amm_of_disguiseThings didn't improve upon going home. The baby wouldn't eat anything I gave her, and I tried everything - fruit, cheese, noodles, roast, green beans, you name it, she didn't want any of it. But she kept giving me the "hungry" hand sign. Bah! She needs to acquire more words, I hate the guessing game.
Little things kept going wrong all evening. Went to make mashed potatoes with dinner, discovered our brand new bag of potatoes was full on rotting and was infested with fly larvae. *gags* Had to clean that up, but I had bacon on the stove, and what's all that smoke? OH NO. So burned the bacon and had a house full of smoke, had to open the windows to clear the room, which let in all the outside heat. Burned myself on the bacon pan. -_-
Second batch of bacon started. Made a noodle box as a second side instead. Bacon worked out this time. Baby sitting in middle of kitchen crying inconsolably. M says she did not nap, so she is clearly overtired. Attempt to put baby to bed, she has a monumental meltdown. Take her back out to the living room. She says she is hungry. She still doesn't eat any food. -_-
Attempt to make gravy. Put clean pot on stove. Attempt to get jar of bouillon open, but it is welded shut. Try not to throw jar across room in frustration. Decide to skip making gravy, grab clean pot to put it away. OW THAT BURNER WAS ACTUALLY ON. Burn myself on superheated pot.
Attempt #2 to put baby to bed. Cue second cataclysmic meltdown. Hide myself in my own bedroom to escape heat and screaming. She eventually exhausts herself and goes to sleep. I eventually cool down. M has fallen asleep without eating dinner. I eat a plate of beans and noodles and go to bed.
Terrible night sleeping, so no chores before work. Got gas on the way in, got to downtown to masses of new construction that made me late for work. *sigh*
Really hoping the rest of this week is much quieter.
Girl Genius for Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Jun. 25th, 2025 04:00 amgirlgenius_main_feed
(no subject)
Jun. 24th, 2025 08:23 amm_of_disguiseThursday was mostly uneventful except that I had an ultrasound for my colon. I had scheduled it in the early afternoon because I knew that M would want to sleep in, but I didn't realize it would be a fasting appointment, so by the time the appointment was over I was ravenous. Thankfully, I had leftover pizza, which I ate as soon as I stumbled back through the door.
Friday was quiet, with M working only a little and me and the baby just relaxing at home.
Saturday and Sunday were filled with chores for M, mostly getting the taxes done for his business, celebrating a friend's birthday, and doing some car repairs. My big accomplishment for the weekend was finally getting M to hang the bedroom curtains, achieved by just finally get fed up and starting to do it myself, which he then intervened in and said he would do it himself. Hehe. Now the baby no longer fights her naps in there because it's dark enough for her to sleep, and M has stopped complaining about the morning light waking him up. Only took a damned year to get them up.
Monday was busy, and I had to be up early for a telehealth appointment with the genetic councilor. It went quickly and smoothly, and then we were off at 11 to the hospital for the in-person appointment. We had hoped that we could do the amniocentesis that day, but some membranes were not fully closed that needed to be for the procedure to be successful, so we scheduled another appointment for two weeks from now. The baby started crying the minute I laid down on the ultrasound table and didn't stop until I was off of it and could comfort her again. Her dad's cuddles were just not doing it, she was too worried that they were hurting mommy.
She passed out for a nap as soon as we were home, and so did M. Both of them woke up a couple of hours later, after which M got ready for his job interview. He does not handle big stress gracefully, so he tore through the house like a bull, which upset the baby again. I suggested that I take her out of the house during the interview since she was having such a rough day, so when it was time, I loaded her up and took her to the library for an hour, where she charmed everyone and made friends with whoever she met.
When we came home, M was in much better spirits, saying the interview had gone well and that the guy seemed to like him (confirmed later by his friend who is currently on the team that he'd be assigned to if he got the job.) The next interview will be a panel interview, and we're waiting to hear about scheduling. A good bit of news was that there are two openings on the team, and the guy basically said that if M wasn't a fit for one role, he'd be good for the other, so he has a really solid shot of landing a job either way.
Waking up this morning to the alarm was not fun, but I got up early enough to get a roast going in the crock pot and to make the baby's breakfast. I didn't clean a dish the entire long weekend, so the kitchen is once again a disaster, which means I'll be having some early mornings this week to catch up.
Our yearly Jail Inspection was announced for next Wednesday, so I came back to work today to everyone losing their damned minds. It's going to be a long week.
A Publix Service Announcement
Jun. 24th, 2025 01:00 pmcakewrecks_feedDear Publix Bakery,
My name is john, and we need to talk.
See, I like you. I really do. Your icing? Awesome. Your cheesecake pies? Beyond nummy. And every time I cruise your aisles at my local store there's nary a wreck to be found.
UNTIL NOW.
Exhibit A: A few weeks ago, I received a picture of your new "Cinnamon Candy Creme Cake":
AKA, "The Sticky Pustule Bundt of DOOOOM! Now with more Herpes!"
Now don't get me wrong, PB. (Can I call you PB? 'Cuz I'm gonna call you PB.) Every bakery has an off day. But then I got a few more of these Pustule Poppin' pastries, and I started wondering: is this going to be a "thing?"
A nasty, nasty "thing?"
Just to be sure, I went to my local Publix - my own flesh and blood, so to speak - and imagine my horror, PB, when I found this on the featured end cap:
NooOOoooOOoo!
So here's what I propose, PB: You stop making the polyp'ed wonder here, and I'll stop thinking how much it reminds me of my dermatologist's office posters.
Deal?
Thanks to Marlissa D. and Amanda G. for reminding to wear sunscreen today. And to always use protection. And to maybe have a salad for lunch.
*****
P.S. Never in my wildest fever dreams would I think my goofy little cake blog would educate me this thoroughly on "pimple patches." Have y'all heard of these?
The Original Mighty Patch
I thought these were basically camouflage stickers, ha, but apparently they're much better than that. Click on the customer photos at your own risk, but dang, fascinating stuff!
*****
And from my other blog, Epbot:
