This crazy life we lead ...

Last week was a busy one. Nick is in Student Government and had many Homecoming Week activities and responsibilities. We had the senior float in our driveway, the royalty arch in our living room, flowers in the fridge and miscellaneous shtuff scattered everywhere. In the middle of it all, we also did the cake and flowers for our friends Max & Marilyn's daughter's wedding which was Friday ... the same day that Mandy and Logan's bee-u-tee-ful new house closed. They spent the weekend painting and cleaning and I went down Monday and scrubbed cabinets and tile. The Campbell clan got them mostly moved in that night. In the end we survived.

The cake ...

Jonah and the whale

Baby Jonah is due in just a few weeks. A whale themed shower for mom Hannah was held Saturday. Since Hannah loves cannolis, Vernon baked a white cake, torted it and spread cannoli cream (from Gerardo's Italian Bistro) between the layers. It was nummy. I covered it with an ocean of whipped cream frosting and a whale made of fondant and gum paste (I cheated and put an empty soda can inside.) It turned out fabulous ... if I do say so myself!

"Cool" Truck

Tomorrow is my buddy Chaz's birthday. He likes trucks. I asked him if he wanted a truck cake for his birthday. He replied, "I want a COOL truck cake". Hope this is cool enough ...

Though the detail is hard to see in this picture, my son-in-law Logan would be impressed with the rims.

p.s. I never posted a picture of the bear cake I made a few months ago for Chaz's sister Ryley.

Another Diaper Bag Cake!

This time for a boy baby ...

How did we ever survive?

Though Vernon watched TV as a youngster, the Petersen's didn't get a television until I was in High School. It was a HUGE 19" COLOR Zenith in a behemoth stereo cabinet (with turntable). It had 13 channels and we thought we were so cool! Vernon and I actually made it through high school and college without an IPod, cell phone, or labtop computer! Our kids think we were raised in the dark ages. Though I have gladly embraced the technology age, I'm proud to have made it through the "no remote" years. (However, having spent my youth filling the wood box on the back porch and splitting kindling for the fireplace, I have to say my gas fireplace with the remote that you can program the night before is mightly nice.)


Back to the subject at hand .. I have been decorating cakes for about 30 years and I have never used a turn table. My mother gave me an old wooden lazy susan that I tried a couple of times but it was almost more hassle than it was worth. This week as Vernon and I were buying supplies for a wedding cake, we impulsively went over the edge and bought a real bonafide top of the line cake decorating turn table called the "Fat Daddio". Isn't it beautiful???



I can honestly say I have no clue how I ever survived this long without one. My black and white world is now screaming technocolor. It's a amazing! And the fruits of our newly simplified labors ...

Bag It!

This evening the Young Women in our Ward are having a "Diaper Party" for one of their leaders who recently delivered a baby girl and they asked if I could make a cake. If everyone is bringing diapers, there needs to be a diaper bag ...

Yes, MAM

Both of our kids were pacifier babies. But not just any pacifier, they both perferred MAMs. Not Nuk, not orthodontic, not Playtex, not mini MAM .. just plain MAM. We had tons of them, but sometimes not enough. Like the time Vernon had to make a midnight run to ShowLow when we were visiting my parents because no stores in Snowflake sold MAM and Mandy wouldn't go to sleep without her "plug".

A couple of weeks ago my friend had a baby shower for her daughter who is expecting a son. I volunteered to bring a cake. When Vernon thinks of babies, he immediately thinks MAM pacifier. So ...

Look what Vernon did this morning!

This is a cake for Nick's babysitter when he was a baby. The Jewels are handmade with glitter on them to make them sparkle. All of it is edible. Now I just need someone to clean my kitchen!

MAY (or may not)

The month of May was a busy one at the Randall household. Here are the highlights. (Sorry, Mandy, this post might be a little "show off-ish".)

NICK turned 17 and went to his first Prom. Yep, he's a self-proclaimed stud!

MANDY graduated from Nursing School, took and passed the state boards, and is now an RN! Yep, we're proud.

VERNON and WANDA did flowers/food for one wedding, flowers/cake for another and three graduation cakes (beats Four Weddings and a Funeral.)

Vernon has this new addiction .. you see he's taken up smoking. Fortunately not cigars .. he got a meat smoker for Christmas.

He's tried brisket, salmon, and turkey legs and they were all fabulous. But he truly is the pork butt king! We smoked 24 - 8 lb. butts to serve a wedding of 300.

We did a wedding cake for a bride who didn't care what we made as long as the flavor was chocolate ... so we did CHOCOLATE! It looked and tasted fabulous.

A graduation cake for a kid that loves Dr. Pepper!

Mandy and Logan came up for Memorial Day weekend and we spent a day with Aunt Vicki & Uncle Steve on Roosevelt Lake. We rode wave runners and Steve tried unsuccessfully to drown Nick on the tube behind his boat. It was a blast. Thanks S&V! Oops - no pictures.

Some gave all ... remembering Bruce

This morning Nick and I and my sister-in-law Tammy attended the annual DPS Fallen Officer's Memorial. My brother Bruce Petersen was DPS Officer, Badge #3536 killed in the line of duty October 20, 1987. Today's ceremony was extra special for me.

My brother Paul with Bruce's oldest son Brian (who was 8 when his father died) who is a DPS officer and currently in the DPS Honor Guard. Isn't he handsome? Brian escorted Paul and I to place the rose near Bruce's plaque during the Roll Call of Heroes.

A few years ago, DPS started naming their K9 dogs after fallen officers. Today three new K9s were introduced including "Pete" who was named in Bruce's honor.

Brian's daughter Hailee with a muzzled "Pete" and his handler Officer McMains who lives in Taylor and works I40 out of Holbrook. "Pete" is trained to sniff out drugs and bad guys.

Nick in front of Bruce's plaque and with "Pete".

Not about me today

Mandy says (and I quote), "So this is basically your own personal show-off site, eh?". So today I'm not going to show-off. In fact, I'm not even going to mention "me". Today's post is about someone else.

Though this writer only gave birth to one son who lives here on a permanent basis, there are several teenage boys who call yours truly "mom". We have a great relationship ... Vernon feeds them lunch nearly every day & on many other occassions; Vernon's wife (not about me, remember?) makes their prom flowers, mends their clothes, and spoils them; and they taxi Nick around town and keep him from being beat up. They've only failed in this mission once but that's a whole different story for another day (or not).

Tomorrow adopted son Jay turns 18. He graduates this year and our home will be boring without him. Jay is a pretty darned good kid. He is so kind and patient with Nick and makes us all laugh too. No one is perfect and Jay has his flaws too ... he is a diehard UofA Wildcats fan. I know, I know ... it's too painful to even type. But I guess it isn't entirely his fault, as he inherits it from his father Dane. In honor of Jay's big day, the cake decorator of the house (again, not about me) made him a Wildcat bikini cake (with the preapproval of his mother Michelle).

I so wanted to give her a Sparky "tramp stamp" but I resisted the urge.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAY!!!

Things my mother taught me ..

One of the fun perks of growing up in a flower shop is being able to offer your services when others need it -- especially when someone loses a family member. Most people don't know what to say and do besides take in food. Vernon and I offer flowers.

This past week, Marty McDaniel, a Payson old timer and faithful Longhorn fan passed away. Since Marty collected eagle statues and plates, the family requested an eagle made of flowers.

The lettering reads, "I have carried you on eagles' wings, and brought you back to me. Exodus 19:4"

I thought it turned out pretty good despite the fact that it's springtime and I was unable to get bronze and fall colored flowers. Thank goodness for flower paint!

Marty's daughter also wanted something with little yellow roses like her mom used to grow in her yard. The ribbon on the heart wreath says "Mother" and "Grandmother".

Catching up ...

I'm not real good (in fact I'm pretty bad) at this blogging thing. Actually, I'm very good at stalking my favorite blogs (almost daily), it's just posting on my own blog that I'm a slacker. I'm trying to even remember why Mandy thought I needed a blog in the first place! Anyway, here are the high (or low) lights of the past few months.

December ... (Yes I know it's already March)

Vernon and I flew to New Hampshire in mid-December for my company Christmas party. We arrived during the hugest ice storm in a century (2 million people in 5 states were without power for days.) Fortunately, our hotel had power .. but the house where we held the party did not. We had the most delicious feast and festive time courtesy of candlelight and a honkin' big generator! Usually they serve Maine Lobster but one of the bosses' sons is a pilot that flies in and out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. He brought fresh king crab of the "Deadliest Catch" variety. It was delish!

Christmas Eve we went to Mesa and attended the Christmas Lights Concert at the temple. Vernon stalks Jordan Bluth and friends, so we went to hear Jordan sing. It was fabulous and a great way to spend the eve of our Saviour's birth. We (Vernon, Nick and I) spent the night with Mandy and Logan in their teeny tiny honeymoon apartment. I was a big time slacker this year and didn't decorate our home - inside or out - lame, I know. But I did crawl up in the attic and find a little table top Christmas tree to take with us. It was smaller than the bulk of the presents, but any bigger and there wouldn't have been room. We were stacked in like sardines and it's was wonderful! It was one of the funnest holidays ever!! Thanks M&L

January ...

Vernon had the opportunity to fly to Utah to spend time with his friend Jim Ruesch during his final days and hours. Jim has valiantly battled brain cancer for 8 years. We met Jim's brother Gary in 1984 and Jim shortly thereafter. I believe Vernon, Jim and Gary must have been best friends in the pre-existence! Though we haven't been able to see them too many times over the years, we have kept in close touch. It was a very tender moment for Vernon to be with Gary and Jim's wife & children as Jim passed through the veil. Nick and I spent 8 days alone and managed to both survive!

At the end of the month, I finally admitted to Vernon that I'd been having chest pains. Long story short .. ER visit .. ambulance ride to Banner Heart Hospital in Mesa ... 3 days (including Super Bowl Sunday) in hospital undergoing every test known to mankind ... heart fine (except triglycerides) ... YUCKY gallbladder ... back home ... schedule surgery ... laprascopic surgery to remove gallbladder ... good drugs ... heal fine ... good to go!

February ...

We finally got a snow storm in Payson.

The ladies at bank (that I made the "toilet" cake for) ordered a cookie bouquet. It turned out so cute, I made another one a couple of weeks later. (Yes, I know the pictures are sideways -- but it'll be much easier for you to cock your head than for me to figure out how to rotate them!!)

In January of '08 our black lab "Roxy" went to the big doggie heaven in the sky. Being the romantic that I am, I decided Vernon needed a new mutt for Valentine's Day. Meet "Pepper" a Catahoula (Louisiana swamp dog) / Lab mix:

March ...

Vernon and I celebrated our 24th (is that ALL?) wedding anniversity on the 1st. I got a new broom and some roses ... life does NOT get any better than that! Love ya, sweets!