This year marks our 6 year wedding anniversary and my husband and I decided that since we have not had any overnight trips to celebrate our marriage, since our honeymoon, that we were going to have one this year.  Our anniversary was on a Sunday, we both had Monday off from work and I had Tuesday off, so he was trying to get Tuesday off as well.  Unfortunately, with his job, they wait till the last minute.  Since we didn’t know if we were going to be able to have one or two nights, it was difficult to plan.  We finally decided that we would find a place in Fredericksburg, TX…it was close enough to home to get there in a couple of hours yet far enough to be away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.  On Friday, he finally got word that he would not have Tuesday off, so we would only have one night away.

Then the hunt really began.  I had been looking at all the Bed and Breakfast choices in Frederiscksburg and there are a lot, but most require a minimum of two nights and are booked far in advanced.  Then it happened…I ran across Monarc Ranch Bed and Breakfast.  They accepted one night reservations and had a private cottage available on Sunday and amazingly it was priced far less than I was expecting to spend.  It was  9 miles outside of town, so we wouldnt have to worry about traffic noise, but we didn’t realize how little we would have to worry about that.  We booked it right away…and am I glad we did.  We got our confirmation email immediately with instructions on calling for keys (which turned out to be key less so we could arrive without a scheduled time) and directions to the ranch.

We spent Sunday strolling around town visiting shops and having lunch.  When we were ready to head to the ranch, we weren’t sure what to expect, and as we drove further and further down a winding dirt road, we kinda began to wonder…then we got there…it was breathtaking…

Among the Texas Stars

Among the Texas Stars is one of several accommodations available on the Ranch, it is the one that is built for two!  It a very cute, quaint, cozy one room cottage that is very welcoming and just pulls you in with all it’s peace and tranquility.  The outside patio has a private two person hot tub, there is a hammock for two, a fire pit with two chairs, and a swing nestled under the trees…also perfect for two!    There is also a picnic table and game of horseshoes if your heart desires.  We didn’t have time to explore too far, but there is apparently a nice picnic and fishing spot walking distance from the cottage as well.

From the swing, we watched the mama cat with her kittens and the horses and cows mull around for a while.  Then we decided to watch the stars rise into the ever so peaceful hill country sky from the hot tub…it was gorgeous.  We had the biggest toad frogs I have ever seen join us on the patio too.  Then we enjoyed roasting marshmallows for some late night s’mores on the fire pit!  It was fabulous.  No TV, no phone, no technology, just the peace of mother nature.  Exactly what we needed!

Cows Wondering Around (in a fence)

Fire Pit

Secluded and Private Yard

Beautiful Night View from the Hot Tub

Biggest Toad I have ever seen!

So BIG that he deserves two pictures

In case the outside views aren’t enough…now the inside of Among the Texas Stars:

Table Area, there is also a small kitchen area to the right

Queen size bed and sitting area, bathroom with jetted tub to the left

For those that cant live without….the TV with satellite

 One small note about the pictures…the dates on them are wrong…

We had some lovely baked goods and other snacks waiting when we arrived along with a celebratory bottle of champagne!  Overall, we couldn’t have been happier with our stay on the Monarc Ranch.  Anytime we need a night away and decide to go to Fredricksburg, we will be checking for Among the Texas Stars as our first choice to stay!

Be sure to check out their website and facebook page to see the other accommodations and to check if your special date is available!  We were so lucky to find such a wonderful place at the very last minute for ours.

Tags: Bed and Breakfast, Fredericksburg TX, Hill Country, Monarc Ranch, Monarch Ranch B&B, Private Cottage, Romantic Stay, Visit Fredericksburg
Filed under: Places to Visit/Stay

I decided to make a baby shower cake for a friend at work.  It was a first  child and he had surprised them by coming a bit early, before his original shower even….which means new baby would be joining us for his shower. So, a special shower for a special baby needed a special cake.  The cake was actually a pattern from the Wilton website .  The cake itself was quite simple to make, but the bed was a different story.  I finally resorted to hot glue to get the plastic rods to stay together to make the bed.  I have some flower molds that I used to make almost 100 flowers to go around the bottom of the bed, and a waffle weave fondant press to make the blanket. It turned out adorable and was worth the hassle of gluing the bed!

Tags: Baby Bear Cake, baby shower cake, butter cream icing, buttercream icing, fondant decorations, shower cake, smooth icing
Filed under: Cake Decorating, Kids Cakes, Party/Celebration Cakes

When I received a request for a balloon cake, I was initially stumped about what the cake should be.  Most people immediately assumed I would make a hot air balloon, but I was fairly certain the birthday boy, who was turning 4, didn’t know what that even was.  So, I came up with a different idea…a tiered cake with clouds and balloons and a large bouquet of balloons on top.  Now I needed something to hold the balloons though, and after much consideration decided to use his favorite stuffy that he doesn’t go anywhere without.  And here is what it looked like in the end…

He was very excited to have his ditty as a part of his cake.  I used pearl food spray paint to add dimension to the balloons and clouds.  I loved how it turned out!

Tags: Balloon Cake, birthday cake, butter cream icing, buttercream icing, cake, cake decorations, Fondant Clouds, fondant decorations, Fondant Frog, Frog Decoration, kids cake, party cake, Sky with Clouds Cake
Filed under: Cake Decorating, Kids Cakes, Party/Celebration Cakes

I had a cake order for a Garfield birthday cake from a soon to be 4 year old nephew.  I thought long and hard about what kind of Garfield cake to make.  I considered a tiered cake with Garfield items on it, a cake with a scene of Garfield wrecking havoc in the kitchen, and various other options, but none felt right.  When this little boy says he wants a Garfield cake, then that means he wants a Garfield cake.  So, I looked around online and found a classic stand up Garfield cake pan from Wilton.  I was very excited and knew I had to find that pan….eBay, here I come…and I did find it and with plenty of time to decide what all to do with it.

And here is what I decided…

I used my new Garfield pan and made some fondant arms for him.  I used a small bowl to make the spaghetti, the mini stand up bear pan to make Pooky, and a standard 9 x 13 for the bed.  Everything was iced in buttecream, using the standard star tip method for Garfield and Pooky.  The spaghetti was icing that was strung out over the bowl, the sauce was raspberry jam and the meatballs were cake pop dough that was made from the cake cut out to make the bed.  The blanket was fondant that was pressed with a decorative fondant press.

I was very happy with the finished cake, and honestly didn’t know the teddy bear had a name until I walked in before the party with him and an excited little boy informed me that it was Pooky in Garfield’s bed!!

Tags: birthday cake, butter cream icing, cake, garfield cake, kids cake, party cake, spaghetti cake
Filed under: Cake Decorating, Kids Cakes, Party/Celebration Cakes

This was my interpretation of a cake for a knight party.  The cake was two levels with two layers in each which worked out well since the birthday boy couldn’t decide what type of cake he wanted.  One level is strawberry and one level is chocolate,each with a cream filling between the layers.

I did cheat a little on the turrets and bought the kit that just required the plastic turrets to be covered in fondant.  However, these could have easily been achieved with other edible materials like ice cream cones.  The cake was iced with stiff butter cream and smoothed out flat.  The windows and doors are made of fondant.  I found a rock impression fondant press to add texture to the turrets, windows, and door.  To achieve the textured look on the castle, I made small dragging motions in the icing as it dried to make it look rough. When everything was dry, I used black food coloring spray paint to add the darker coloring and details.

The dragon and big Knight were made from modeling clay and painted and sealed.  The other knights an horses were a plastic set of two armies.

I was originally a bit intimidated at the idea of making a castle, but in the end, I thought it turned out well and was pleased with how it looked.  The kids all loved it and that is the most important part.

Whole castle scene

Dragon

Castle

Front of Castle

Tags: birthday cake, butter cream icing, buttercream icing, cake, cake decorations, castle cake, fondant press, kids cake, knight theme, party cake, wilton castle kit
Filed under: Cake Decorating, Kids Cakes, Party/Celebration Cakes

This is a wedding cake that I made for friend.  I have always said that I would never make wedding cakes, too much drama involved there, but a friend’s very close friend was having a small wedding that was somewhat informal and she wasn’t even planning on a cake.  So, my friend asked me if I would make a simple chocolate sheet cake with raspberry filling and some lilies on it.  It wasn’t until I baked the cake that I realized how hard it was going to be to get a chocolate cake completely white.  So, I did a little research and found a four inch icing tip that looked like it would would do the trick. Sure enough, it was a life saver and the came out without a chocolate crumb anywhere!

The surprised bride absolutely loved it. Turns out the flowers I picked exactly matched her bouquet!

Filed under: Cake Decorating, Party/Celebration Cakes