Bag of Blocks

Jude received some alphabet blocks for Christmas and I've been meaning to make a drawstring bag for them since then. I finally got around to it last week. In fact, I was giving a friend of mine sewing lessons and I decided this would be her first project. So, we sewed identical bags together.

I'm finding that I love to sew with my friends by my side. It might be one of my favorite ways to spend time. In the last couple of years I've now taught four of my friends how to sew. How great is that?

I added some letters to the front of mine and I left the edges raw because I'm lazy.

Does the blue, black, white combo make anyone else think of cookie monster? It's bothering me a little.

Dirty Thirty

Last week Jesse turned the big 3 - 0!

Every year I make his favorite - homemade chocolate cake with homemade white frosting. It's a recipe from his mom or grandma - I can't remember where it originated exactly. It's not my favorite, but he loves it and that's all that matters. I made it into a 9" round double layer and took it to his mom's where we celebrated.

This cake really gave me a run for my money. It's only by the power of a praying wife that it came together in the end - seriously. Both cakes stuck to the bottom of their pans and broke in two. I had to pry them out and glue them back together. I'm tellin' ya . . . it didn't look good.

You can tell it turned out a bit lopsided, but all in all, not so bad especially considering the mess that was on my counter.

This is the very first time that I've decorated a cake - you know, like with a real pastry bag, decorating tips and such. And, surprisingly, it wasn't as hard as it seemed. I might just do it again sometime.

It was a really fun celebration that involved not only that beautiful lopsided cake, but also a surprise iPad 2. Very fun.