Cupcakes

I have been obsessed with cupcakes lately!  It all started with the show "DC Cupcakes"; I couldn't stop watching it and learning new ideas about baking.  I may start a small baking business in the future, especially with kids cupcakes and birthdays.  Here are some of the recent creations I have made:

Dark chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting.  Yummy.

Banana split cupcake

Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache

One of my favorites - chocolate cupcake with wedding vanilla buttercream

The BEST cupcake I have ever tasted!  Caramel Toffee Latte Cupcakes.

Minion Cupcakes

One of the kids banana split creations

Another child's banana split cupcake

All of my helpers!

More chocolate with buttercream...

Chocolate with vanilla buttercream - with no food dye!  The color comes from blueberries.

Here I am practicing with little flowers.  I think I need more practice.

Wedding Reception

This past weekend I coordinated the food for Ben and Anna Wontrop's wedding reception in the US.  They had already gotten married the weekend before in England, but had another informal reception at Grace Covenant for friends and family who didn't make the trip :)  It was my first time coordinating food for such a large event, we planned for 250 people, there were probably closer to 175-200 who attended.  I had so much help, I didn't even have to cook anything myself!  The most fun part of the project was the cupcake stand - I had never seen one at a wedding before, but when they requested cupcakes I knew I wanted to try one.  I had volunteers actually make all of the cupcakes with a recipe I gave them, and some people helped to make the icing too.  Last Friday a friend and I made more icing and decorated 280 cupcakes with white buttercream and pearls.  It was very fun!  Here are some pictures of the finished project:

I have known Ben Wontrop since he was about 12 and it's been great to see him grow into such a godly man.  His mother, Sandy, passed away in February of this year and wasn't able to see her oldest son get married.  Before she died, we had been talking about this reception and she was saying that she didn't know where to start with the planning.  I said that I would love to help her coordinate it, and one of the last times I talked to her she said, "Great Jul.  We'll get together and talk about it!"  It was such a privilege to do this for Sandy and her family.  It was also amazing to me that I didn't freak out!  Normally I can barely have people over for dinner without being way too stressed, so you would think that coordinating such a large reception would definitely put me over the edge.  But it didn't, only with God's strength did I stay calm and He provided many people to help me.  

Natalie

Me and Natalie

Amelia's signature smile

Natalie loved the bubbles. She would try to blow them but ended up putting it in her mouth instead.

Girl cousins :)

More pictures - the Browns, Flaggs, Idlewild, Natalie, ears, Becky

Fun toenails!  Mrs. Fritz has been awesome at painting our toenails every other week. She does a great job with adding dots!

Abbey in her room

Some beautiful roses from a future piano family - she grew them herself!

Joel's form of torture for Luke

Gaeligh's birthday party at the Frog Pond.  She had it early since they moved to Kentucky shortly afterward. Yes, we had to say goodbye to ANOTHER good friend this summer.  We hope she visits a lot.  Amelia, Emma, Kayla, Ansley, and Gaeligh

Gaeligh opening her gifts. We got her a charm bracelet.

Hanging out during adult swim.  They did however, get up and dance at one point.  Everyone was looking at them and they didn't care at all.

I have no idea what transpired here. The girls had a friend over and this is how Luke ended up. He doesn't look upset about it.  Those are all tights tied into knots.

Rosemary Flagg! We were so lucky to see the Flaggs for a few hours on their way to Richmond.  I couldn't believe how much the kids had changed - Rosie didn't even remember us!

Sheena and Rosemary

James and Mary Lynn

The whole family

Carolyn, Sheena and I

Emma with her new haircut.  I cut it a little shorter than normal, I always forget that not only is her hair going to shrink when it's dry, it also has a natural wave that causes it to shrink even more!  I think she looks extra cute though :)

Amelia found my old 6th grade cheerleading outfit from Eisenhower Elementary School.  Doesn't she look cute?

She's all ready to be a cheerleader!

Amelia got her ears pierced!  Her friend got her ears pierced first, and she followed soon after. She picked gold stars for her first earrings.

When in Pennsylvania I got to visit with my best friend from junior high, Becky Turner. Here she is with her 9th (yes, that's 9 kids total) baby whose name is Annie. She is such a sweetie.

Here we are - 23 years later

Amelia and Natalie - she loved to carry her around and play with her.

Amelia, Aunt Rebecca, and Emma at Nanna and Pap-Pap's house in July

They are all ready for our trip to Idlewild - it was almost 90 degrees that day and very humid. The Soak Zone was a great place to be in the afternoon.   This was probably our most successful trip to Idlewild yet!  No one threw a fit and we got to stay longer than usual.

Joel's Graduation from Virginia Western!

On May 10th Joel graduated from Virginia Western with his Associates Degree in civil engineering!  We are so proud of him for finishing his degree, and we know he's very excited about becoming a full-time student in January.  We met his parents for dinner and ice cream before the ceremony. The highlight of the ceremony was a girl who literally spoke about herself for 20 minutes as her speech.  People even started clapping after awhile, hoping to get her to stop, but she didn't.

Amelia after her cotton candy ice cream

Emma acting crazy with Grammy

More craziness