Breaking up is never Easy

Wow!

Go Canada Go!

You have made me very proud these past two weeks. We have come together, shared our spirit and showed that WE Believe!

I am very sad that you have come and gone so fast. I was a little weary of the relationship that I was going to be entering into before you arrived, and then you came and blew my mind! I really wish that you could have stayed longer. You ignited my internal flame of Canadian pride and even though I still have hopes that you could stay longer I will forever cherish our relationship that set Golden on the skies of Vancouver this evening.

Although you may have taken the fire with you, the flame you have ignited in my heart will forever be unchanged.



Go Canada Go!

Congratulations to all athletes, volunteers, sponsors, friends and Canadians alike who helped to make this one event I will never forget!

2010 You have high expectations to live up to!
Bring it On!

I ♥ Cakes and Canada!

Let it be known...I LOVE CAKES....Just as much as I love Canada!!!

Four days off seems to fly by when you are having fun!!
And what more fun could a girl ask for when she gets to spend a weekend in her Canadian gear wandering the streets in the golden sunshine! Gold, because Canada now has their first ever 3 gold medals on Canadian soil! Pretty Cool if you ask me!

Acutally the feeling of nationalism is so thick you go downtown and it's hard not to catch our Canadian Fever. Scrap all the H1N1 talk, we Canadians have a fever that can't be cured! There have been flash mob's dancing down at Robson Square, people everywhere suddenly bursting into song and dance to O'Canada! And of course, Red Mittens, Hi 5's and Free Hugs at each street corner! I love where I live!

Last night I also got to experience my first Japadog! What is a Japadog?? Well if you have not heard its the latest and greatest hotdog! You can get a beef edamame dog, or a kobe beef dog, all topped with great toppings straight out of your local japanese restraunt. Last night I induldged in a Spicy Terimayo Cheese Japadog! The watering of my mouth after the first bite was well worth the wait,..and the chance to share some of my wassabi peas with my two new found friends also waiting in line for their first Japadog!


To finish off by busy four days off I am proud to say I completed my very first two official cake orders! I was definatley a little nervous to be making cakes for two very special occasions, but in the end they both worked out and look fantastic! I hope the birthday boy and girl will love their cakes this weekend!


So....off I go! Time to get ready to once again head on on our public transit system to go and see our first Official Olympic event of 2010. Pairs Ice Dancing! It's going to be great!!

Cheers~ to a weekend, taken during the week!

Positively Canadian

With all eyes on BC and Canada it can be difficult not to get wrapped up in some not so positive news surrounding the 2010 Olympics.
There have been protesters with posters, fatal practice runs, and technical difficulties seen upon a backdrop of mild temperate weather that still eludes us (last year we were in snow-survival mode this time wondering how we would make it up the road and out of the cul-de-sac just to get to work).



But I am taking stand! Today as a proud Canadian I am taking a stand to eat, breathe and speak only the positive aspects of the 2010 Olympics! This is a time in my life that I will never forget, so why not make it the happiest time! Protesters and negative news stories you will not get my spirits down! Keep your negativity away from my shield of roses! For these two weeks will no doubt be amazing, so let it be my duty to all my fellow Canadians, and the world to show you a truly positive Canadian Olympics!



Join me as we cheer for all past torch bearers who brought the communities surrounding us together if only for a brief moment to cheer on the flame. Feel warm and fuzzy when you see our furry mascot friends, who don't speak our language but can unite any 2010 Vancouverite with the sound of a cowbell ringing around their neck. Be polite, and offer to take a picture for your fellow photographer...because we all love pictures we can be in together. Last but not least SMILE as you smell the scent of spring in the air! It is not every year the world gets to come to your backyard to cheer on athletes, family and friends alike.




As my mom used to tell me "Smile and the World Smiles with you, Frown and you Frown alone!"

Go Canada Go!
(for Gold of course)

How Sweet it is to Be Loved

Midweek days off are not so bad I have decided.
I got up early...well early being around 8. OK, I'm lying. I opened my eyes at 8 and laid in bed for another 45 minutes. That was nice. Especially with the sun shining in my eyes, I really thought that it was Spring already.

Then off to town to visit the dentist, and run multiple other errands that you can only get done mid week when the traffic is less and shops and stores are still open. I always forget that running around to do errands is actually a full day's job, and it makes you tired. None the less I decided to come home and make some sugar cookies with my newly purchased cookie pan.

Let me retrace my steps. There is a new Thrifty's supermarket in town that I decided to stop and check out. Which was maybe not the greatest of idea's. With their parking lot in full construction mode, and maybe half of town also there to check out the new market the parking lot was less than pleasing. It's probably better to call it a puzzle lot, or a no-parking lot, or best yet the game for Ipod called Parking Lot. It was somewhat of a joke, and I am starting to wish I lived within walking distance to things like grocery stores just to avoid parking lots and the people that use them all together. But that is another story left for another day.

OK....so I walked around the grocery store, which looked great! New stores are always fully staffed with people everywhere And then Inspiration!! TaDA! ready to help, samples ready to try and they are always clean. Walking around the supermarket is where I got a great idea for cookies!!!

I know what your thinking...I had to read all that rubbish just to find out that's how you decided that tonight you would make cookies! OK! Well it was. But these cookies that inspired me were huge! They were decorated well and wrapped in little cellophane bags tied with cute Valentines day ribbons! That's when I knew I had to make some!

I love Valentines day just because I love to make the pretty decorated sugar cookies which to me is more fun than colouring outside the lines in my 3 year old nieces colouring book!

So....off to the Kitchen Store I went! OMG! I love this store! It's filled with the coolest kitchen gadgets one has ever seen. Baking supplies galore...and this one amazing cup/2 carat ring! I also found some great cookie cutters while I was there, which I will use later on my second batch of sugar hearts. But for this evening I used this cool pan that forms the cakes. It looked neat, and was supposed to emboss the picture onto the cookie. I thought it did an OK job. I would probably give it maybe 6/10 but a neat idea! Lucky for me I had noticed a dent in the pan and got it for 20% off! I really love getting a deal.

So...to all you sweet people out there reading this I will leave you with some pictures from my baking escapades tonight!

XOXOXO

le petit gâteau

The small cake was a big hit! After a long Sunday of work I came home and dove right into sin and sugar. and ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh it was good.

It all started with some unsalted butter, vanilla vodka and a kitchen aid mixer. TaDA! Vanilla Vodka buttercream was born. Next Came the espresso, the brandy, the Kahlua and finally the cream. Born, was a chocolate layered creation from here on known as the White Russian Petit Gateau. Oh! And let's not forget the silky smooth chocolate ganache.

A smooth layer of blache fondant rolled over top and then decorated by two silly girls practically high on natural, ok, refined sugar to finish the night off. Milk and a toothbrush please!

All in all a good night! Much to the appreciation of my staff at work for a sweet indulgence the next day! Unfortunately it looks like there is more creating and baking to be had before the big day!

But maybe that's not such a bad thing Martha, now is it?