Keala goes to 'Apple Preschool". These are some of the photos her teacher has on the school blog. I hope she doesn't mind me copying them. Keala just loves her school time!
Here are the kids in their Halloween costumes. Where did Keala's personality go!
The kids took a field trip to the Firehouse. I came along but forgot my camera. I only have photos on my phone, I just don't know how to get them onto my computer. Help me Bre!
Yes, I thought I would show instructions on how I built these only because I think I did them a little wrong, but I am learning while I go... so we can all help each other. Yes, I gave up when it came to Big Bird. (My kids don't care! Why should you!) Ok, here we go....
I baked half the brownies in paper cups, and the other half straight in the pan because you have to throw away the paper anyways. So that just skips that step of having to take the paper off. You need two cupcakes to assemble the characters together, one on top of the other.
So I frosted the top of the cupcake in the paper cup and stuck a toothpick in for added 'stability' and then put the other cupcake upside down on top of this one. (This is the part where I wasn't sure if it went on upside down or right side up.) Mom will have to correct me on this!
Then I took my sharpest, thin knife (Cutco peanut-butter knife) and cut out the mouths. The bigger the cut, the happier the smile!
Since they all have big gaps in between, I gave them all a collar of icing that a piped through a big piping tip so it went fast. Then I added a little more on the side and blended it all smooth. (Somewhat smooth!)
You don't have to add more to the side, but I did so that the hair would stick onto the cupcake better once I started to pipe it on.
Here it is smoothed up the sides. It also helped form the body better.
I added a big drop to the top to give it a more round shape to the head, but seriously, who are we kidding? If its made of sugar, and cute, the kids love it. (I'm just anal -no need to tell me!)
Then with piping tip #233 I piped all the hair on. I will be honest, it takes forever. Also, I don't know the best frosting to use yet, and making red is a pain in the butt - and stains everything! So I have used regular vanilla icing, whipped icing, and cream cheese icing from the store, all of which are too soft. Then I made my own royal icing, and bought 'decorators' icing from the craft store, both of which were freaking too hard! 
I used a normal round piping tip to make the white of the eyes, and mini-chocolate chips for the pupil. I also bought a tube of black icing and put a round tip on the end, screwed it on, and the kids loved piping their own eyeballs. The nose here is an awful orange, but I didn't want to buy one from the store, now I wish that I had! (Anal - I know!)
But my kids loved it, and after giving up control (to some degree), I let them make their own. No, I cannot bring myself to share pictures of those, besides, I forgot to take them! But we delivered all of them to the neighbors because it seems everybody, except for the kids are on a diet here! But the kids loved sharing them and the neighbors loved eating them!
I loved Cookie Monster - no nose - no uni-brown - no tongue. Quick and easy! But I used a star piping tip, and the frosting was way to soft and creamy, (this is the cream cheese one) so this just looks gooey. But I think Cookie Monster was still stinkin' cute, and I think my favorite! My kids want to make more so we may have updates soon! Fun & Yum!
Remember these guys? I thought I would help Austin with his dessert last night for his annual "Duty to God" Dinner. The one in the upper left corner is his favorite. It got worse from there.
The first box of frosting I used was too runny (the 'whipped' frosting). The second box I bought was specifically from the craft store labeled, "decorative frosting". It was so hard, it took me 2 hours to finish piping these 'bad boys'. My hands still hurt while typing this blog!
The back row were the only double deckers. We skimped to singles after the carple-tunnel set in. I did the 'hair' while Austin did the rest. It was good teamwork. I'm off to make Elmo today for restitution. I bought new frosting - we'll see how it goes! 
Doesn't this face look sweet and innocent!
Well, heres the damage she did to my friend, Marcy's shoes last week.
Marcy was only there for an hour and Maggie was sitting next to me most the time, so I have no idea when she got to these shoes. But Marcy took them home and snapped pictures of them for herself. We are still laughing about this. (Although I'm still mortified!)
Maggie loves playing outside - even in the snow, but she's tricky about it! She's kind of demanding about how much time she goes out and stays in and whether we're home or not makes a big difference. She does NOT like to be left alone!
She wants to go in and out, in and out, about 50 times an hour. And if we leave her out? ... She jumps the fence! Both Brent and our neighbor have watched her jump our 7 foot fence.
So now we leave her barking in her kennel when we leave anywhere, because she chews our house to pieces if we don't. (Separation anxiety?) But, yes, she drives us nuts!
