Super Hero Cake Pops and Special request #1...

I am amazed at the "word of mouth" referral I am getting for my sweet little business!
I absolutely LOVE helping others out to make these what can be "time consuming" hot, wanted items for parties etc.
In the last few weeks, I have had 2 very special orders. One just got completed! And if I may say so, SUCCESS!
We stayed home for Thanksgiving and I rested after making 7 dozen turkey cake pops! Then it was a nice 4 days of family time. We also had my friend, Joy and her family over for dinner. (They had closed on their new home that Tuesday, so I insisted on feeding them and letting the boys play). And the kids ate first, then we ate while they played...it was nice!
 I must say that we stayed home for the Thanksgiving holiday and it was so nice to just enjoy the time home and relax after 7 dozen Turkey Pops were made!

(And then of course, I jumped and went shopping @11 PM till 3AM).Yup, shopped and got alot accomplished. However, I am sure I could have gotten some of the same deals on line. But, the time spent with my friends was priceless.
I had a few days break and then it was time to pass off some sweet birthday pops for a little boy @ Parker's preschool. Following that order,I had my first challenge...Super Hero Cake Pops!
They were an absolute joy to make! All the cake pops were the basic butter cream cake pops and then character colors.(Only challenge was the "blue" for Spider man successfully accomplished after working with the correct amount of oil, dye and white chocolate)...the rest of the process and coloring was easy, thanks to WILTON!
The creativity came from the client to add the "rings"! I loved how they turned out and looking forward to making more "birthday" character cake pops. ($2.00 a piece with the special rings).

The next upcoming "special" order is for a very sweet couple in our small group. They are having their third baby in April, and find out in two weeks the gender.
However, it is SO close to Christmas Day when they find out, so they have opted to wait till Christmas DAY by biting into a truffle that I will be making "PINK" or "BLUE" to find out the gender!
How excited do you think I am???
Just a little!
NO A LOT!
 I cried tears of joy that night, after my friend asked me. I remember praying that God would use me to be a blessing to the community with my talent and business. But, I never would have seen this one coming and I am HONORED!
What a joy and privilege to make these special truffles in a couple of weeks and help them celebrate this 3rd child of theirs. :)
 I will not be able to reveal till after they find out! But, I sure will be SO excited to announce to all of you shortly after the holiday with the photos of the truffles. Something extra special about this!
So, Chocolate covered cherry PINK, for (GIRL) and Butter cream BLUE, for (BOY).
I guess I can add that to my list of options now available to all of you! :)

The next few weeks,I will be busy making Cake Pop Reindeer, Snowmen, & Truffle Baskets for many friends, family and clients.

I LOVE taking the load off of others and creating a unique and sweet treat for all to enjoy. I so call this my therapy and joy! Some of my friends call me "crazy!"
 But of course with the economy today, it is nice to offer something reasonable,special and homemade.
Can't wait to see what special orders will come in 2012!
THANKS to all of you who have been so supportive and passing on my business. I am loving this and so excited for all these Christmas Baskets.
Nap time is over...off to my boys! :)

Gobble-Gobble!

                      Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey Cake Pops, $1.50 a piece.
I am taking orders for the holidays.
Why not add two of these Turkey's in one of my fall baskets for a total of $12.00? 
Or get a dozen for $18.00, and take them home to the family or have them as your little "centerpieces" for all your guests.
Great way to say "Happy Thanksgiving" to your loved ones this holiday!

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is next Thursday!
 Much to do before now and then, and happilly filling orders.
A new flavor was in the works today. And happy to report it is a success!

Any guesses?

The Three Month Mysterious Object

So MUCH adventure in our house.

Now that we have two busy boys, there is NO telling what they will come up with next.

But, I must say, that Kaden(our 22moth old  is at the age of "curiosity" and so intrigued with the beautiful porcelain thing we call the "toilet"!

In June we installed a new toilet in our master bath room and got one with a flush up on the top. Mike installed it and did a fabulous job.

 Kaden has been mesmerized by ALL toilets (public or private) he can find them anywhere we are! He gets his hands washed frequently [wink]

 He has to flush our toilet every day and now is even taking a deep interest to sit on the "potty" and go "potty" himself!

(Merry Christmas to mommy if he really is going potty by his 2nd birthday :)

Well, back up about 3 months ago when he was taking a deep liking for this "yucky" object in our home, and imagine his mind when daddy installed the NEW toilet in our home?

 He figured out after 1 month that the "flush" was at the top of the toilet!

***(please note)*** there is NO privacy in our home with our (Velcro child, a.k.a. "mommy's boy).

Unfortunately, if you close the door the precious blue eyed, 22month old, thinks that you have left him FOREVER! Therefore it is just easier to let him into the bathroom and be "happy!"

 So, he soon learned how to "flush" the toilet (after watching what mommy would do).

He got very curious one day with the object/toy in his hand/"his" phone (one of daddy's old phones), and "flushed" it DOWN the new installed toilet.

Fast forward...(I hear the flush) and think great, He found the flush, but I don't think much because it flushed normal and he can't talk and tell me what happened!

 I don't know that he has actually flushed a CELL phone down it...till 3 months later.

2 days later....toilet is no longer flushing and clogging up!

Yup, we are completely bummed that our NEW toilet is now "broke" and we are pretty sure we know why! We conclude that child #2 has flushed SOMETHING down the new toilet.

(Mike's response, "goodness we have 2 other toilets")

My response ("'I LOVE my master bath toilet and hate walking ALL the way down the hallway (in the middle of the night) to go potty.)

 Fast forward 2 months and we no longer have an upstairs toilet functioning at ALL-and where is Mike? In France!

Well at least I have 1 toilet working in the house, until the BUSY BOYS that God has blessed us with, are goofing around and decide to LOCK the downstairs door! 

 NOW.....NO toilet available at ALL! 

Lovely, it is 1 hour before I have a babysitter coming (to give me a "little" break) and I have NO working toilet.

(Master toilet has an unknown object down it, guest bathroom toilet has a broken chain, (but seriously have no time to open up the top and manually flush it), and now our working toilet is locked up!

Well, my sweet babysitter calms me down and gets the screw driver and takes the door knob off of the only working toilet in our home!

(At least there is no door knob to be locked any more!)

 And now we can go potty INSIDE the home.
Guess what Mike had to do, (within a night of sleep and jet leg") when he got back from Paris?

 Yup! Fix Master toilet and guest toilet.

However, the task was too great and only one toilet got fixed that weekend. 

Thankfully, we agreed NOT to invest a chunk of money with a professional plumbing company, and he found the time to "plunge" away and get the object out! 

It took 4 hours and 3 attempts and FINALLY that "object" (aka. cell phone), was pushed through and discovered!

(Uncle PHIL, "NO the phone does NOT work!")
Sorry it is not available for use to you! :(

For the future parents out there~don't let your kids play with old cell phones because they may just clog up your toilet one day!

So, the boys have been BUSY around here. Therefore, at nap time I can't sleep since I am so worried what they may do "in their sleep" (not really) They are actually FABULOUS sleepers!

I have chosen to stay busy myself making cake pops and truffles.

It is a true delight and stress reliever! :)

 Check out my "Cake Pops & Truffles Page" at the top of the blog for prices and details.

I would LOVE to make you a basket of goodies for some family and friends this holiday! :)

Until the next adventure or cake pop flavor,

Jenn :)

Now offering Riese's Piece's Cake Pops & Truffles

Here they are all wrapped! I just made these triple chocolate cake pops for my sister in law's baby shower! They were loved by all.
The joyful thing about a cake pop or truffle, is that it is just the right size for that sweet little crave! You walk away not feeling guilty for having one! They freeze well and are great to pull out when you just want something sweet.
So that's why my new business card says "enjoy some of life's sweet delights!"

I have officially started a business!
I am dipping cake pops all week for a fall festival this coming Saturday. I am loving it and hoping not to come home with any or very little.
My cake pops and truffles can be shipped 8 months out of the year too. September -April.
Current flavors are:
*Apple Cinnamon,(dipped in white and cinnamon/sugar for garnish)
Butter cream,(dipped in white and Pepridge Farm cookie crumbs for garnish)
Triple chocolate( dipped in chocolate and seasonal colored sprinkles for garnish)
Oreo Cookie( dipped in White or chocolate upon request and cookie crumbs)
Strawberry (dipped in white& red sprinkles for garnish)
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup (homemade batch of cookie mix and dipped in chocolate and peanut butter)
*Pumpkin-(Dipped in white chocolate and pumpkin almonds for garnish)
Red Velvet(dipped in white or chocolate upon request and red drizzle for garnish)
Chocolate Mint( dipped in chocolate and garnished with Andes Mint Pieces)
Smore Bites-(Marshmallow bites dipped in chocolate and garnished with graham cracker crumbs)


Let me know what flavor and colors you'd like and allow me to make a unique favor, or gift for all.
Cake Pops and Truffle =$1.00 a piece.
Custom orders that need extra detail =$2.00 a piece.
Shipping $8.00 

Take me out to the ballgame

"Take me to Oregon Park! Buy me some peanuts & cracker jacks.

I don't care if I ever go back!
For it's root,root,root,root for the GIANTS,if they don't win it's a shame!
For it's 1,2,3, strikes you're out at the old ball game!"
Parker is off to a great start of Tee-ball! His team is "San Fransisco Giants!" And he LOVES being on a team with his buddy, Tucker. :)
Tonight, he earned one of the game balls, for hitting his first pitches in both at bats.
We are very,very proud of P!
He has taken a love for daddy's favorite sport!:)
And there may just be some deep down talent~practice and time will tell.
Hope you enjoy seeing a few photos of P in action!

Parker in action just before he hit the ball!

He got to play "catcher" tonight and loved it!

"Can I play Base-ball too?" K Loves watching his brother, "Par-par!"

We will miss you, Abbey Girl!

This is by far a post I thought I would be writing a few years from now! It's a post that I don't want to blog about but it is a chapter of our lives that has ended. Things have changed in our home. I am moved how the chapter ended, and must share about our goodbye with our sweet dog Abbey!
Last Friday, we lost our West Highland Terrier of 8 years. Abbey was the joy and spark of our lives 4 years before we became official parents to our boys. She had spunk, personality and she had unconditional love for us all! I will never forget the day we got her, Mother's Day, 2003. It was just one month before we celebrated our 1st Wedding Anniversary and we were SO excited to go and pick her up. After searching and searching for a "Westie" we finally found her! We fell in love with her the moment we walked in!
 I will admit there was some frustration and sleepless nights in her "puppy days!" Mike would come home during his lunch shifts to let her out and by summer she was ALL mine.  I was off during the summers since I was a teacher.  Abbey was the sweet puppy, that only ate the left shoes, and always ate the bottom of my long flow skirts. She loved to get into the trash and shred it ALL over the kitchen!!! And she was the puppy that loved to go for car rides! If we just took her on 1 -2 car rides a week, she was a well behaved dog. If we didn't give her that attention she would act up or take it out on us in other ways... :)  And she was that "puppy" that went on every trip with us and she was "that puppy that was secretly snuck into hotels" cause she was SO little and was so easy to handle :)  Abbey and I made a couple special visits to see Mike the year he was auditing a client about 2 hours from us! Those were some LONG weeks for Mike. And HE loved having her and I come and visit (at the hotel...that of course we snuck her into.)  We boarded her 1x and we never did it again. No comment needed. So, thank you to ALL our close friends & family, especially Mom & Dad Riese, The Hoeyes & Yvette for being our "dog sitters!"  As you can tell, she was our first "baby" and we made sure to make that clear to all. However, we welcomed Parker into our home when she was almost 5 and she accepted him...but fell in LOVE with him when he had leftover dinner for her! :) He was her best friend during meals! One of her ALL time favorite snacks was Peanut butter and Tuna. She was my "assistant" in the kitchen and was always more then happy to try anything out :) I couldn't cook in the kitchen at all last weekend. It was SO sad not having her around. She was my assistant-waiting to try anything that "fell" or mommy happily shared. :}  I know that time will heal, but not sure that I will ever be completely healed from her loss. However, I have had to learn to accept that the 8 years we had with her. She made our home special with her unconditional love. She was the perfect greeter to all who entered.
She didn't give us much notice that she would be gone by Friday, but I think in our hearts we knew it was soon. However, I don't think I could have ever been prepared for how I found her. But after I processed the WHOLE day, my goodness my heart smiled and realized she knew Friday was her day!
She woke up Labor Day puking. It was uncontrollable at times. She ended up being tied up all day to our kitchen. I saw her weakening before our eyes on Monday, so I got her into the vet on Tuesday. They gave her a shot for nausea and vomiting and we were all being conservative on NOT doing ALL this blood work, and X-rays. She had just been in the end of Aug. for a swollen Anal glad. She had  just had had blood work for parasites etc. So, her Dr. really had an inkling that her symptoms were related to taking her prescriptions on an empty stomach! We had a follow up on Sat. and she never made it! She wouldn't eat and would only drink a little bit. I have moments where I kick myself for not rushing her in sooner!!! But I can't change what has happened. I need to cherish the time we had with her and know that our God is Sovereign! But I do have a gut feeling that she may have had H.G.E. virus! You can read about it below. The days to follow she just stayed the same. She never barked or whined.
On Friday, I closely watched her. She moved from room to room ALL day. She started her day out in Parker's room, then she made her way to our master bedroom, and laid on my side of the bed and then within 30 min. she had moved to Mike's side of the bed. I went in to get her by 2:30 and took her down to our family room. She had been laying on one of Kaden's blankets! :( My heart sank AFTER a friend pointed this all out to me). Abbey was spending one last moment with each of us.
Parker and I took her to the family room around 3:00 and I left the room around 4:00 to go chat with a friend and "nap". I found her at 5:45 "asleep forever" on our couch! (OK!!!! I am still suffering from this moment!) My mom calls it "Post Traumatic Dog Death Disorder!" I keep walking into the room and I keep seeing her and unfortunately Parker found her with me. "Mom, she is in here ASLEEP-but her eye is open!"
My mind instantly says-she is dead! Get the boys out of here! Then I think,(CRAP! How do you explain a dead dog to a 4 year old) and I instantly FROZE!!!! And then my mind and my body FREAKED!!!
 NO! She is gone!!!
*But I have completely forgotten that I am a mother to 2 small boys who are in the room.
I don't care, I just start wailing and bawling and I have now completely turned into a state of shock. I dial Mike and it was NOT a nice phone call!
Mike answers and hears; "BAAAAHHHHA"~ "SHE IS GONE" I don't care about your job-you have to leave, NOW!" Don't make me take care of a dead dog!!!" "I beg you, please leave now!"
Mike responds-"ok! I will leave now and be right home!"
 (He was suppose to work till 10 that night for GE quarter closing= basically a really crazy time at work for him!)
All during this phone call I am motioning the boys to go out and play! And I finally get them in the back yard. Parker has some idea, and Kaden has no clue! He just heard the word "outside" and ran to the door!
I have to tell you, I have no idea what my phone call was like to my mom except complete shock and screaming! (Sorry Mom! I know you were preparing to go help another Daughter, I really didn't plan to be so needy the night before your international flight! EEK) I love my MOM! She is awesome, when I am in a complete state of shock.
  I am so grateful for our neighbors. I took the boys immediately down to the Hoeyes and waited for Mike to get home!  I was a mess running down that sidewalk with the boys in the wagon and me running! I don't want to relive that day again.

Fast forward! We are sad and I miss her the most. She was with me the most. But we are making it! Miss her a ton in the mornings, meal time and when we go to bed! Here are some sweet photos of our Abbey girl :)
Thanks for letting us share the latest and I covet your prayers for this sadness to get better. (So silly...but she was NOT just a dog she was a part of OUR family!)
And many have said she knew her "daddy" well! She knew how frugal he was and it was only best to die "FREE" in her favorite spot called home! :) Seriously, glad all in all that we didn't have to pay the bucks and make the choice to end her time with us. It was her time to go. You don't have to agree, but I do believe we will see our fluffy white little,Abbey one day again. Or as the famous poem talks about it on "Rainbow  Bridge!"
RIP Abbey Girl! You will be missed :)

Here is information on the virus that dogs can get. We are still not sure if this is what she had, but allot of these symptoms were similar.

What is Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis?

It is a possibly fatal disease which can strike any dog at any time. There is no known cause for it other than some speculation that it could be a virus, or parasite. It could also be caused by allergies, a change in diet, stress and many other reasons.
How do I know if my dog has it?
The signs are blood in the dog's vomit and bloody diarrhea. However, in Abbey's case, she showed no clear signs of blood  in her vomit till the end, but she was puking allot.  So watch closely. If you suspect that there is even the smallest amount of blood, rush your dog to the vet.
Is it curable?
Most of the cases of HGE have been cured. The most important thing is to recognize the signs early and act quickly. There is only about a 10-15% chance of fatality with treatment. That's WITH treatment. Without treatment, fatality is almost guaranteed. There is also a 10-15% chance of HGE recurring in your dog once they've had it. So again, it takes dedication and diligence to spot it and get your dog to the vet.
What's the treatment?
Hospitalization is a must. The vet will administer an IV with fluids, antibiotics and sometimes potassium. There is also a possibility of a blood transfusion in cases that need it.

Happy 4th Birthday, BIG BOY, Parker!

Sat.8/20,Parker officially turned 4! Where did our baby boy go?  I still remember the day we saw him for the first time,and we were filled w an overflowing bucket of love for him!
 He has been the best boy for us to work on as parents(and we are so thankful for his patience w us.)We are thrilled to announce that two days before his birthday,he told us that he had to go poop in the potty!!!!!!!!WHAT!??? "He said the words, I need to go poop!?"
It was like a birthday present for us,from Him! A whole week has passed since his birthday, and it has been a daily routine for him to go potty &"poopy" ALL on his OWN! We are so proud of him! We have had quite the "poopy"dances around here w our BIG 4year old!We are so proud of our Parkeroo,and looking forward to a new year of adventures, lessons&blessings from the Lord!
Happy 4th Birthday,Parker!We love you.
(His 4th birthday video isn't done yet, but,I will post when it is:)

 Ice-cream cake for the REAL birthday :)

 Grinning away on the morning of his first day of 4yr old pre-school!~

 Walking in with Ne-Ne....

 Parker and his teacher, Mrs. Sandy

Kaden & NeNe enjoying breakfast @ Whistlestop

We have been a busy family the last 3 weeks! Preparing for the big 4thd birthday (party, WESTERN STYLE), his first day of school *(8/22), Parker's first season playing Tee-Ball- officially began on the 20th. And to top all of this~we just ended a two week visit with NeNe. We have had a house full of adventure and I have been absolutely spoiled with her assistance. She is like my second mom and somewhat of a let down, when we have to take her back to the Air-port :( BUT, I am grateful to God for the two precious weeks we have had with her. Here are some sweet photos of Parker's birthday. We had a special guest come to the party this year! His Name is "Woody" from Toy Story! Have you heard of him? We LOVE Woody in our house and I think MOST of the guests enjoyed his visit too. Some were thrilled,some were mesmerized, and some were absolutely petrified! (You will see below).
More photos to come and enjoy the video at the end of Parker in action on his scooter :)

 He was greeting our guests till the "real" Woody arrived!

 He came and handed out the kids goody bags :)

 Parker having a "you've got a friend in me" chat with Woody!

Woody with the Jesse girl :)

Weigh In Wed Update & White Water memories

I am down another 2. 4 pounds...so almost 13 pounds! I have officially averaged about 2 pounds a week. I didn't lose anything last week, but was down almost 2 pounds today! I am finally starting to get into a great workout habit (and of course a few bumps that keep me off my goal);Kaden had a small virus last week, and I was SO bummed I had to miss Spin class on Monday. I really have been trying HARD not to eat anything after 8 PM but sometimes it is difficult. Which is more the reason, I need to get my body in bed by 10 or 10:30 at the latest,so I am not hungry and tempted to eat any more.Hopefully next week I will be down 3 pounds! :) 17 more to go for that 30lb goal.

This summer has been a memorable adventure~White Water!  I was SO nervous about purchasing season passes.I was dreading going there on a weekly basis (with out Mike's assistance) since K is my "menace" and BUSY, and then keeping up with Parker's interest, and of course, all the prep to get there etc.... But it has been a perfect investment of entertainment for the boys! (And a great time to socialize for me with other moms!) It became a weekly routine and a great way to wear the boys out for some good needed down time for me in the afternoons {wink}We went about 7 times and we could have gone a ton more. However, I was good for 1 or maybe 2 trips a week :) Just about every week we met up with other friends (who also had passes), or took guests in with our vouchers. We are looking forward to going a couple more times this summer. This is the last week that the park is open during the week. It will only be open on the weekends now through the middle of Sept. If you live in GA and are looking for a great activity to do with your family, get a Season Pass! If you go 2x it is totally paid for!

Here is Parker at White Water, with little Ava.

We have loved getting to know her from Church and she is one precious girl!

Parker saying his "good-bye" and going in for the "kiss" on Ava's forehead!

It was a moment to be captured...but I missed the kiss! LOL

Beach Bum Baby!! How cute is he!!? This is our neighbor and buddy Kai! We were so happy he finally got to come and join us. I LOVE this photo for him :) He is the most lovable boy with all his rolls. I just want to kiss him in this photo.

And aside from White Water....here are two recent photos of Kaden. He just turned 19 months and I am so smitten with his curls, he is getting cuter by the minute. He rode his first pony last week! (We were at the grand opening of a frozen yogurt place) and they were giving pony rides! He was so confident and begging to ride it! :) So, we finally gave in and put him on it.

And here is our most recent shot of him! 19 months old! :)

I better get busy and work on Parker's 4 year old video. I can't believe he will be 4 in 10 days! WOW!!! Time has flown by as we have been having a blast all summer at White Water :)