Tag: birthday

Grayson’s Cake Smash (better late than never)

Last night I was going through my pictures, seeing which ones still needed editing, and I realized that I never finished editing Grayson’s 1st birthday cake smash photos!  Which means that no one got to see them!  Well, I just finished editing them, and it was so fun to go back and reminisce about my little boy’s first birthday.

He wasn’t really into eating the cake (I think he took maybe two bites max), but he sure had fun digging in and making a mess!

I made his cake and decided to use the same colors and flags that we were going to use at his birthday party.  That flag banner was actually the same one (of many) used at my baby shower for him!  I was so glad for a reason to be able to use them again!

I ended up having to put a little frosting on his lips so he would realize the cake was for eating, and not just for squishing between his fingers.

“Oh!  I can actually eat this big, blue thing!”

Haha!  I’m not sure what he made this face for, but it was too hilarious not to include in this post.

Finally starting to really dig in!

They don’t call it a cake SMASH for nothing!

 

Dad’s 70th Birthday!

Martin (Butch) Pentland is the best man I know, and last Thursday (April 21) he turned 70!  My dad was born in 1941, the year that Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese.  He was a teenager during the 1950s, and to this day, one of his favorite cars is the ’57 Chevy Bel Air.  He actually had a black one up until a few years ago.  He used to drive it in my high school parade on homecoming day.

Here we are together on Easter Sunday 1992.  I was 6 years old in this photo.  And I’m loving my big bow!

Here we are a few years later getting ready to leave for the Father/Daughter Banquet my school held every year.  And as you can see, another big bow.  Thanks, Mom!

This was before the Father/Daughter Banquet when I was in 6th grade (1997).  My dad battled colorectal cancer this year and couldn’t take me to the banquet, so my good friend’s dad, Jeff Brown, took me with them.  That was a scary year for us.  My dad was in the hospital for several weeks, and I had to stay with different friends for months at a time.  But thank the Lord, he pulled through, and his cancer has been in remission for 14 years.

And he was there to take me to the banquet the next year. 🙂

My dad became a contractor at the age of 16, and I don’t think there is anything about construction that he doesn’t know.  He has been very helpful whenever Steve and I have questions about our rental rehab.  He built the house that I grew up in, and still does some jobs for friends.  Construction is what he knows and what he loves, and I’ve never met someone that was better at it than him.

Here he is with my mom, wearing the sweatshirts I bought them when I visited last year.

My dad had helped build a beach house for some friends, and we went to see it that day, but it was SUPER windy, and sand was blowing everywhere.  I braved the elements for this picture but most of the time we all looked like my dad.

See?

I love you, Daddy!  And I hope you had a wonderful birthday!  You’re an amazing man, and I’m so proud to have you as a father.  I can’t wait to have you walk me down the aisle in less than 3 months!

Love your daughter,

Joanna   XOXO

My First Time Decorating Sugar Cookies

I’ve been enjoying looking at several baking blogs lately, and many of them display beautifully decorated sugar cookies.  I’m planning on incorporating pretty sugar cookies into my wedding design, so I thought I’d practice on my Dad and my friend, Katie.  Their birthdays are this month, and what better way to celebrate than by eating cookies made by yours truly?!

Sugar cookies are not my favorite cookie.  I’m a chocolate chip girl all the way; and I also appreciate a good peanut butter cookie now and then, but since sugar cookies are the traditional cookies for decorating, I decided to go with them.

I didn’t document the process since it was my first time making these from scratch, and I didn’t want you all to follow my instructions in case they didn’t turn out that good.  The batter was VERY crumbly, and I had to knead it together as I scooped it out of the bowl.  I had a hard time keeping it together as I was rolling it out.  Next time I think I’ll add a little more liquid.

I went to a bakery supply store and Joann’s and picked up some cookie cutters, squeeze bottles, and a few other supplies.

Here are the cookies I made my dad.  Since it was my first time making them, I wasn’t very organized with the frosting, and so I wasn’t able to do as many colors or details as I wanted, so I finished decorating with an edible marker.

He is turning 70 this year.  70!!!  I can’t believe it!  He’ll always be young to me.  When I look at him, and I look at other 70 year olds, he still looks WAY younger!  Maybe it’s because he still has brown hair, and doesn’t even color it!

These hammers are my favorite.  He has been a contractor since he was about 16, so a hammer seemed pretty fitting for him. 🙂  I know hammers don’t usually have white handles, but I didn’t have any brown….so you’ll just have to deal with it.

The butterflies I made for Katie turned out pretty good.  Although, when the icing dried, it left a couple craters.  Hopefully she won’t notice. 🙂

I know I’ll get better with practice, so if anyone would like me to practice on them, feel free to let me know!  I certainly can’t eat a bunch of cookies, especially before my wedding!

Here are the rest of the butterfly cookies.  I made several different sizes so she won’t feel too guilty if she wants to eat more than one at a time.  I hope they don’t break during shipping!  Thanks for sharing my first sugar cookie decorating adventure with me!