Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Cakes, Cakes and more Cakes...





Since I was shorted a few cupcakes on my birthday last month we have been quite busy making up  for the miscalculation. We may have gone a bit overboard but thankfully I am the only summer baby in our family so cake can be a bit scarce at our house during the summer months.

Traditionally November kicks off a season of excess sweets in our home. You may be thinking "November kicks of a season of excess sweets in just about every American home so whats the big deal." 

Well, our 2nd Son and Hubby are November babies. Last year we declared the entire month of November as the "Month of Nick" and had frosted goodies in the house almost every day! Somehow hubby and I still managed to lose weight. I guess if you spin your pedals enough you can still burn off copious amounts of frosty goodness. 

Then comes Christmas and all the festivities. For years I made at least 15 varieties of treats to share with friends and neighbors. My family would call me the Cookie Nazi because I would guard them until I had made all my trays for sharing. Sorry for devolving into what looks like an ad hitlerism but it's really a Seinfeldism. You may have noticed from "The Month of Nick" that someone in our house has a slight addiction. It's the hubby. They made me stop a few years ago but I still get to make Sugar Cookies, Gingerbread  Cookies and fudge.

We usually visit extended family once or twice during the holidays and the birthdays on both sides are clustered in in that timeframe so there is always cake involved.

January is 1st Son's birth month and the celebration ends and we all go into sugar withdrawal. 

Now for the Smallcakes total:

June 27th-4.....My Birthday
July 5th-3.....We got there too late of the 4th.
July 16.....Just because it was Wednesday and Key Lime Pie is a flavor of the day. We were too late.

Grand total.....13 (only 41 to go)


Top  and bottom left-July 16th, July 5th-Just because, Bottom two on the right-my birthday
 Notice there are two boxes in the top photo. Hubby and I both tried to surprise each other on the same day! Key Lime Pie for 2nd son was our target flavor but we both missed it. You have to get in early for the special flavors.

And speaking of cake...

A few years ago I got one of those passed around emails with a topic like "World's Most Disturbing Cakes." I usually trash these but sometimes I peek. In between the pics of roadkill, shower cakes that looked like pregnant bellies and real babies (who thinks that's a good idea?) there was this rather sedate number with a caption that read something like "...or you may not find this disturbing if you happened to have met and fell in love at a nuclear plant"....


And I said aloud while sitting alone at my computer..."Well yes as a matter of fact, I did meet and fall in love at a nuclear plant!" Then I saved this beauty in iPhoto.

It was 30 years ago in July that I went to work at Diablo Canyon Power Plant during the construction phase and met my husband. If you've ever worked in this environment you know there is no such thing as a 40 hour work week. He had been working between a minimum of 5-10's to a maximum of 7-12's for two years. This is tough on a 20 something's social life. When he heard there was a new girl on site he hightailed it down to my desk to introduce himself on July 10th. 

He was such a rebel. He had 007 on his hardhat instead of his employee number and he had declined to join the union when he was hired. (I was so naive I signed on the dotted line when they told me to.) 

It took some time and effort on his part to get a date with me. As the new girl on site I was pretty popular among the single overworked engineers. By the time I said yes I was already pretty smitten. Diablo Canyon was surprisingly romantic for a nuke plant. It sits on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and we would watch the otters beat abalones on their tummies and frolic while we ate lunch. 

So in honor of the 30th anniversary of our meeting I thought I'd make a little momento for my hubby. I chose to make a small wall hanging of an Atom. It is my personal design. The front is Comma and the back is Kona Papaya. The binding is some solid scraps and I am not sure of the maker. I presented this cutie with a box of cupcakes and you can see it peeking out in the photos above.


This will grace the wall of his office. I only wish I still had our hardhats. His was baby blue and mine was gray. I kept them for years and have always regretted tossing them.

I think my Atom mini quilt is less disastrous than a cooling tower cake for a nuke plant romance...dont you?

I purchased my Comma yardage for I Don't Do Dishes on Etsy. She was wonderful to work with.

It's Wednesday again and one of the last things Hubby said on his way out the door this morning is we have to get to Smallcakes early to get that elusive Key Lime Pie!

My Sale Table Quilt top and back are spread on tables in my foyer ready to sandwich.
I have two more of my secret project in the works. Two are finished and being tested. One at my house and one at my sisters. 


3 comments:

  1. I removed your secret project from my suitcase and walked straight to it's new home where I will not divulge which room that is so I won't give any hints to what it might be. Thank you sister dear...you have no idea how special this is go me ; )
    Much love!

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  2. Congratulations to you and your husband and good luck with the Key Lime Pie! I know a few people who would love your quilt hanging in their office! My parents met over 50 years ago at the local nuclear research centre and their love is still going strong!

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  3. What a wonderful post, Gayle! It is a pleasure to read the story behind this mini quilt. And that atom is so sweet! Sweeter than the cupcakes? Well.... Maybe!

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