Because you asked...

Sometimes I wonder how many people actually read this blog. My counter tells me I have a few friends interested in our little family, but even more telling is when I receive comments. Least you should think I do not read your comments, I figured it was time to follow up with a few questions about recent posts...

1. Anna's Castle Cake- Thank you for all the positive feedback about my cake decorating skills. I have a long way to go but have enjoyed making fun cakes for my kids' birthdays. I got the idea for this cake from my friend Mia a few years ago while working with the Young Women in our ward. We were teaching cake decorating and Mia brought sugar and wafer ice cream cones to turn one of the cakes into a castle. Since Anna is so into princesses right now I figured this was something different, fun, and most importantly something I could do.

Here's the story behind the cake...

I made the cake (two 9 inch rounds) Saturday night so they would be cooled and ready to decorate on Sunday. After church on Sunday I started decorating and decided to add a layer of strawberry glaze in the center. This was a big mistake. It turns out the glaze needs to be refrigerated. As I was spreading the frosting the glaze starts oozing out the sides and mixes with the frosting. The more I tried to fix it the more it would come out. Luckily, we have a chest freezer so I popped the cake in there for a few minutes to try and set the glaze back up- a few minutes in the freezer, a few minutes decorating, and so forth. After several rounds of this I had finished the cake and decided we had better snap a few pictures ASAP to capture the cake. Suffice it to say that after the twenty minute drive to Mike's parent's house the castle had slide off it's foundation. I tried to fix it up once we got there but by the time Anna blew out the candles I couldn't help but think it looked like the cake Fauna from Sleeping Beauty tried to make without magic. This castle cake in theory is very easy- just don't add a refrigerated glaze for the center.

2. Anna's New Hair Do

I've received a few questions about this post as well. This one is very simple once again in theory but does take a bit of practice. When ever I do Anna's hair I have a comb and a spray bottle of water on hand to help with her fly-away little hairs. Damp hair is so much easier to braid and style unless of course you are going for curls.

To achieve the braided headband look just part the damp hair a few inches back from the hairline and pull the extra hair back in a ponytail. Be sure to leave enough hair out to braid behind the ear and down to the nape of the neck. Start a French braid on one side of the forehead and continue around head and down to the nape of the neck. (The first few times I tried this I didn't French braid it long enough and ended up with a braid just hanging down.) Once the braid is close to the neck you can finish it off in a regular braid or just put a small rubber band to hold it in place. Remove the ponytail with the extra hairs. I like to finish it off by tying a ribbon around the head and tied off on top. Practice makes perfect here. I have been braiding Anna's hair since she barely had enough hair to style. (See old post about her first braid here.)

Thank you for all your comments. I really do enjoy them and will try to follow up with any questions.