Let There Be Cupcakes!

The fruit of our labors! Katie announced that she wanted a golfing cake. However, the store-bought cakes were just not going to do it. We decided that we could get more bang for our buck with cupcakes.

 We began with pound cake cupcakes and butter-cream frosting, tinted green. The golf balls were made of mini marshmallows, which I rolled into balls and dipped  into powdered sugar. The flags, made with wide ribbon, toothpicks, and hot glue, are the cupcakes' only non-edible feature.

We are rather proud of the golf clubs. Small pieces of chocolate licorice are slid onto a straight pretzel. The head of the club is made of a Jolly Rancher chewy candy. With the paper removed, the candy goes into the microwave for 8 seconds. Then it can be quickly sliced into three small pieces, with each one molded onto the end of a pretzel.

After we frosted them, we rolled the edges in chocolate sprinkles to give them a polished look. The "holes" are chocolate chips stuck into the cupcake upside down. They are not exactly quick and easy, but they make for thoroughly cute golf cupcakes.

Keep Off the Dirigible Plums

A quick report on what I've been up to lately:

  This is the starter piece for our coming Gnome Garden (see Gnomeo and Juliet). It was not as easy as it looks, however. Drawing on my experience in woods class senior year (another great story, to be sure) I visited my former woods teacher, who readily consented to help. The stencilling and wood-burning was slow work, but passed without mishap until I reached that final "S." You know, the one that pluralized "plum." In short, at that point, the nib came off of the wood burner. So, I hea ded out onto my high school campus in search of another wood burner, surprising many of the current students. To the "Hey, Lucy, didn't you graduate?" I responded with a sophistocated,  "Oh yes, I'm home for the summer...BYU doesn't have a spring break...I'm just here working on a project."
   When I finally finished the lettering and sanding of the hardy oak sign, I moved to the table saw--where I almost cut off one or more fingers because I forgot to check the height of the blade. My longsuffering teacher came over to ask patiently, "What are you doing now?"
   I sorted out that with all my fingers on, cut a nice crooked arrow onto the bottom post (wizards are kind of a scruffy lot---they do their shopping covered in soot, right?) and prepared to finish things up. Having located the nail gun and lined everything up without mishap, I quickly shot three nails into the back of the sign to hold the post in place. In short, everything was going well--until I tried to pick up my finished project. It wouldn't budge. I had nailed it neatly to the table.
   With the aid of a hammer, mallet, pliers, the janitor, a random woods student, my former teacher, the curious stares of high school freshmen, and some back-country elbow grease, the sign was removed from the table. My teacher sent me for some screws (now why didn't I think of that?) and quickly attached the post. I plan to send him a plate of chocolate chips cookies tomorrow.
    The moral to this story? Keep off the dirigible plums.