We invited a couple of our closet California friends to come celebrate Greta with us. Greta was initially a little wary of her cake, but soon dug in. And then she dumped what was left on her plate onto her tray so she coud put it back on her plate again. The kid's a sorter! It was a lovely evening. Perfectly happy, which I think definitely has a lot to do with the fact that I didn't get overwhelmed at all preparing for the party - a definite miracle! Thanks to the Lee's and Christensen's for celebrating with us and letting us feed sugary cake and ice cream to their children.
Birthday's are the best!
I loved making Greta's birthday dress. I used a simple pattern that I've used so many times - the only difference is the strips of ruffling on the bodice. I love this dress. It's the fabric that makes it! And if you look close, there are little bunnies floating away with the balloons, which makes this fabric all the more appropriate for Greta.
For Greta's birthday party, I made a chocolate cake with swiss meringue buttercream. Here I'll express some disapointment. The chocolate cake didn't contrast enough with the buttercream. Both had medium intensities and sweetnesses, and therefore, the cake was lacking. I've since ordered gourmet cocao. But, the cake looks beautiful and the icing is a gorgeous color! (Inspiration for the ruffle cake found here)
My first attempt at macarons was a big fail. I was almost certain that they were a fail before I put them in the oven because the egg whites lost all of their volume when I added the cocoa. The second try, I decided the give plain a shot, and voila, it worked! Well, that's not entirely true. I paid more attention to my egg whites and folded ever so gently. I didn't take the time to trace 1-inch circles on my parchment because I didn't want to invest too much in them, just in case. Next time, I'm hoping that a little sifting and a couple other tricks will make them even better. But, if they don't get any better, that's okay with me. Because these were pretty dang good!
Recipe can be found in the Miette cookbook. Thanks Kim!
I'm doing well with my resolution to take better care of myself. My hair's been cut! I bought some new make up the other day. Kind of a big deal because I'm such a cheapie when it comes to cosmetics. Pink lip gloss was on the bill! It's super fun to wear. And some neutral eyeshadow. I haven't purchased eye shadow since right before I became a married woman, and if I remember correctly, my Mom bought that compact for me! Yikes! I also added myself to the birchbox waitlist. I think it'll be a fun little way to glam up my life!
Any make up tips or recommendations you'd like to share? What's your beauty secret?
