The Time I Thought I Could Decorate a Cake

It's been quite the week at the Martinez household.

First off....I'm still mourning the loss of Will Gardner.  If you haven't watched The Good Wife...I'm not sure you should catch it up now.  You can read about my obsession with it here.

I sat in bed and cried when I realized Will was killed and bawled my eyes.  Meanwhile, Martinez looked at me like I was a complete lunatic.
The look intensified when I was crying out "How will Diane move on?" ..."Alicia's heart will be broken forever!"...and when I was frantically texting The DeShazo about this devastation.

The week also resulted in the dreaded, horrid, terrible, "yearly" appointment.  For those three for sure people that have kept up with my rambling, you may remember my awful "surprise" at last year's visit.  If not, feel free to bring those memories back here.

For the record, it happened again...and I still didn't have the nerve to confront her about this.  It's so completely humiliating that I lose my speaking capabilities.

Ok, so I am planning a simple, Cinderella birthday party for LG.  She loves Cinderella.
I have my heart set on  this cake.

I also have my heart set on making it myself.

I've discovered that it's a good thing I've decided to start practicing making it 8 weeks in advance.....because the first trial run = horrid !!!

I started out super excited and pleased with how my icing turned out.  It's a fabulous buttercream...fabulous. Since I have to be in bed by 9 every night, I had to make the cake/icing one day and decorate the next.  

Phase 1 & 2 complete...

Yesterday was "decorating" day.  It was a  failed attempt.  Not only did I not have the right tip....I didn't have a clue on the "technique".  After two hours of attempts/wiping it off/starting over/watching youtube videos, I gave up for this trial run....and I was even more annoyed when I looked down and realized that apparently I didn't twist my pastry bag together good enough and icing came out of it and all down my shirt...when meant it was also all over cabinets and well....everywhere else too.

I did the honorable thing.

I shoved the biggest spoonful of icing in my mouth and savored it (Jen A., if you just read that....please exhale)....

and then I got angry because that probably will cause a pound weight gain....

so I did another honorable thing.....

I stabbed the cake with my spatula, while Martinez's eyes quickly dart to the ceiling and back to see if cake splattered on it before focusing on me as if I was a lunatic for the second time this week.

I then came to my senses and put the portion of cake that was damaged in the drain and then sent a ton of cake over to the neighbors so that I wouldn't continue to shove anymore down my throat.

First attempt resulted in a lot of lessons...most of all... I learned I can make a mean buttercream icing....

and this little one enjoyed it.....

I've also learned this week that my PIC can't eat apples without an apple slicer....and when she had to improvise....this was the result.....

Until Next Time,

Ma'dam Martinez

Randomness

It's been like three months since I've posted.


For the last few months, I've been incredibly homesick. That's never happened to me like this in the nearly 7 years I've been away.  Sure, for holidays when I know my family is grilling out or celebrating I wish I was there...but never really homesick...and the things I've been homesick for were specific. Like.....fishing, four-wheeler riding with my family, eating my mom's and sister- law's baked goods (even though the whole time I eat them now I worry about the pounds I gain - but the apple dumplings may be worth it...), and watching my kiddo and nephew interact with one another.  The love between the two of them is nothing like I've ever seen before. Literally, two peas in a pod.

Ty is the most selfless kid I know with the biggest heart for other people- and it's sad that they won't grow up together.

The wish for all of those things has somehow put me in a funk...one that even Steven Tyler can't get me out of....and I'm still climbing out of that funk. Our trip to AR a few weeks ago seemed to help the homesickness in some ways....but made it worse in others.  Not only did I come back with a craving for Vanilla Coke Zero that I can't get here, but a longing for land (which I want to be woods that needs no maintenance:)) and family closer.

And no... I'm never  hopefully never moving again.  (Every time I say never, God gives me the opposite.   True story.  I say I will never marry a military man- God deems otherwise..... I say I'll never a city man....God deems otherwise...you get the idea).  HE's always right, though:)

Anyway, my rambling leads me to this....

When Martinez and I moved this summer, this enormous, ugly, snake infested brush pile was not too much on our radar.  We couldn't see it sooooo clearly b/c there were other trees/shrubbery in front of it that have now been removed.
It's time for it to go.  There is an gigantic tree in the midst of the pile....apparently our builder decided to just push everything together and leave it...and apparently we were not smart enough to fully investigate the pile beforehand.
As usual, I have a deadline.... I need the pile gone before summer (which really means yesterday) so that LG can play outside without me going psycho over the fact that snakes are going to emerge from the pile and eat her and the sitter alive. (And yes, I've played that scenario out in my head....several times.)
Between the winds of Oklahoma sweeping through the plains and our work schedules, burning it is not exactly an option.  I don't want the Martinez family on the news for burning down an entire neighborhood.
We have some people coming out to look at the pile and give us a quote for hauling it off- so I'm hopeful someone can get rid of it...affordably. You guys might want to send some good thoughts Martinez's way.....it may be possible that I'm driving him nuts everyday about the pile.

More Randomness....

I discovered this photo while trying to get Google+ to do an update of my photos.....

It made me laugh... Oh Vic....we miss you up here! (And in case anyone is wondering.... I still can't do a push up.... and I've decided it's gonna go on the list of things I have no will to be subject to, along with camping and watching The Sound of Music.)
Our office was trashed in this photo. (Another random thought).

Since this blog was originally here to talk about my weight loss... here goes...

I was 162 before going to AR.  When I came back, I weighed 168.  Gasp.
I'm not gonna lie.... I ate 6 out of the 16 apple dumplings.  It just happened.
I also consumed about 2 lbs worth of peanut butter cake....and wanted more. (Mamaw has a super winner of a recipe with this dessert!)  Again, it just happened.

Before the trip, I was eating "real" foods.  This is totally opposite what I did to lose my 65 pounds.  I was eating high fat foods like cashews, avocados, ect., and I felt GREAT.  Jen A is a pimp, and she helped The DeShazo and I out with a new way of looking/thinking about food.

I've managed to lose only 3 pounds since being back home- so I'm at 165- and getting back to eating real foods the way I was before the trip.  It's crazy how one week of not paying attention or caring and eating whatever you want can be such a set back...and I totally lost control.

I'm working on getting that control back.  I know I'm not gonna gain back to 225lbs like I did from 2009-2012, because I freak out if I get over 164... and then try to reign in back in.  I've just got to get myself back in the head space I need to be in so I can get to 150.


I suppose I've rambled enough.




Until Next Time......






Ma'dam Martinez