Tile is Set!

We had an long day ( and night ) of Tiling.  We got all the tile set and ready for grout this week.  I can almost taste the food!

Granite Action Photo

Action Granite Photo:

This is a picture while the sink is on the CNC machine. 







This shows the 'Dog Bone' look of bar.  You can see bar
on one side, counter top on the other.

This shows the open look of the kitchen.

Looking at the sink and dishwasher to be cutouts.

Another look at the bar, shows the elegant 2 inch curve.  Bottoms up, can't wait to have a beer on this baby!

Updates on the House

Everyone has been asking about status on the house.  We are making GREAT progress, we are having fun, and we are still married!  You wouldn't believe it if I told you we have been working on this over 6 weeks.  Between working and working on the house... it has made for some long days.  With all the effort, we are finally putting stuff back together, and we can see progress, but it was slow moving there... Naturally, there will ALWAYS be stuff to do, but man it's easier to get stuff done before you live in it..

By Room:

Completed:

• Guest bathroom.
• paint
• tile
• sink
• hardware

• Second master bedroom (his/hers .. that's mine ) 
• paint
• paint
• more paint, this is a big room
• taupe, brown? latte!

 

• Master bedroom
• Laundry Room

Close:

 Master Bath ( Just waiting on Toppers and Sinks )

 Some kind of blue color, because I am such an avid swimmer...

 New tile around the shower.. Super sick!

 New Tile on floor... Check out the diagonal pattern.. yea baby!  It's cleaned up now!












Major Milestones:

• Ceilings scraped
• ~50 wood window coverings painted
• Mantle stained
• Doors all painted
• Hardware replaced

Kitchen Remodel:

This is the 'biggy'... Everyone that is helping is doing a GREAT job, and we are thoroughly pleased.  Our plan is to paint like crazy this week, and get ready for the Toppers next week.  After next week, we will be tiling.  Based on the last room we tiled, we are looking at a LONG weekend.  Then we are putting in appliances... and doing backsplash/ finish work.







Living Room:
Once the Kitchen is tiled, we just have an ENORMOUS room to lay down some wood. 


Foyer:  This is the looking at the front door.














Rockie Dog is Soooooo Cute!  We will be 'Sporting Wood' in here!

Lonestar Beer Cake 2

STORY 
One of my friends tried making the famous LoneStar Beer cake and it came out GREAT!  So great, I thought I would share.  He was the hit of the office fo sho!  

Quite honestly, if you are a TEXAN, this is a must do...

DIRECTIONS

1. Baked a Standard 9X13 
2. Applied chocolate icing to cake  
3. Make your traditional buttercream icing
1. Split to a couple of bowls so you can mix colors
2. I used Yellow and Red 
4. Create the Lonestar Beer Logo (copy picture from 12 pack cardboard)
1. Note:  You can go to a beer store and take a picture with your cell phone.
5. Create each of the puzzle gizmos accordingly
6. Cut the Barbie Doll Legs and apply in the child birthing position
7. Put a picture of your friend

TOOLS 

• Betty Crocker Cake
  

     

Rasta Cake

Rasta Cake

STORY

It was a quiet day at the tennis courts of Bentwood. She should have known something was up when her husband asked to play tennis with her. Nevertheless... the plan was made over a week ago. Hubby was to make a fruit bouquet, and I to make the cake.

I chose a Rasta cake for a couple of reasons.

• The colors are just to damn pretty!
• After a spectacular Halloween costume, I figured there was a theme!
• Can 1 family eat a bushel of Jalapenos?

Rasta it was, and since it was an adult cake, you gotta have the dubbie!

DIRECTIONS

1. Baked a Standard 9X13
2. Applied white creamy icing to cake
3. Used butter-cream icing for colors
4. Used chocolate frosting for facial features
5. Free handed the face outline outline
6. Filled in with Star Tip
7. Border with Star/Shell Tip
8. Lips, Eyebrows, and nose Layed on extra layers for 3-d facial
9. Rasta hat using the 'native' colors
10. Hair was done with Chocalate icing
11. Funny thing about the hair, there are 2 Jalapenos in there :)

TOOLS

* Betty Crocker Cake


  

House Questions

We are buying a house.  Our first project is to remodel the kitchen.  We want the open kitchen look as in many new houses, but we need the basic functionality...






Video 1:







Video 2:

Bow Hunting Ken Barbie Cake

STORY 
My My My, how the tables have turned!  It was my birthday on June 7.  One of our friends made me a cake that was really cool.  Most of you that have been following the blog, have seen that I went through a barbie doll phase.  Most of you who know me also know that I just recently started bow hunting.  What a great idea... Bow hunting, Barbie and cake!  Pictured in this cake is Ken, the most famous hunter of all time :) ....  When I am over 35, maybe I will stop playing with Barbie!

DIRECTIONS

1. Baked 2 Standard 9X13 cakes
2. Applied white icing to cake and layer it
3. Ask Husband to get some sticks from the yard
4. Make bow/arrow and target
5. Border with a star/shell tip
6. Garnish with Ken!

TOOLS 

• Betty Crocker Cake 

 

Lonestar Beer Cake

STORY 
I moved to West Texas about 3 years ago.  Since I have always been a fan of  'cheap' beer, I absolutely LOVE Lonestar Beer!  One of our friends turned me on to Lonestar and we drink it often on the weekends.  In order to understand the cake, you have to understand the beer.  As you open each beer, there is a puzzle to figure out on the back of each bottle-cap.  The puzzles are a combination of pictures and word partials to keep any bar conversation interesting.

The puzzle on the top is 'Happy Birthday'.  The 'birth' part of the puzzle resembles 'giving birth' to a picture of our friend!

DIRECTIONS

1. Baked a Standard 9X13 
2. Applied chocolate icing to cake  
3. Make your traditional buttercream icing
1. Split to a couple of bowls so you can mix colors
2. I used Yellow, Blue, and white 
4. Create the Lonestar Beer Logo (copy picture from 12 pack cardboard)
1. Note:  You can go to a beer store and take a picture with your cell phone.
5. Filled in with Star Tip
6. Border with Star/Shell Tip 
7. Create each of the puzzle gizmos accordingly
8. Cut the Barbie Doll Legs and apply in the child birthing position
9. Put a picture of your friend

TOOLS 

• Betty Crocker Cake
  

     

Pirate Cake

STORY 

One of the hottest drinks to hit the night clubs in my life time is Captain Morgan.  Morgan and Coke, may I have another!  This one, is a free hand Jolly Roger... Arrrggghhh!  Got a little Captain in you?  My wife teaches a group of ladies tennis, and as they were all at Outback celebrating, I marched in with a desert!  Right on Queue!  I did the Pirate mark free hand.

DIRECTIONS

1. Baked a Standard 9X13 
2. Applied chocolate icing to cake 
3. Used  butter-cream icing (white) 
4. Free handed the Jolly Roger (Pirate) outline
5. Filled in with Star Tip
6. Border with Star/Shell Tip

TOOLS 

• Betty Crocker Cake

     

 

Halloween Cake

STORY
We went to a tennis mixer at Bentwood Country Club.  I got volunteered to make a cake.  Since it was for Halloween, there were no shortages of Candy Corn.  That's a coffin if you can't tell.  I lined it with marshmallows for pillows.

DIRECTIONS
This is a BIG cake.

1. Used 2 Standard 9 X 13 cake pans  
2. Took one of the cakes and cut the middle out of it
3. Stacked the cakes
4. Applied Chocolate Icing to everything (the more the better)
5. Bordered with Candy Corn.
6. Top with a cool skeleton from the Halloween store

TOOLS

• Betty Crocker and/or Red Velvet Cake ( for the 'coffin' look )

        

Mud Wrestling Barbie Cake

STORY 
Barbie dolls were on special!  I made this for one of my wife's friends, Kristi.  This was one of the first cakes I made when I moved to San Angelo.  This came out as more of a 'dare' than anything.  My goal was to make a cake, be the coolest dude ever, and still be on-time for the party!  This cake was fast and funny!

DIRECTIONS 
Short and sweet!  This is a basic chocolate cake, with chocolate icing.  I used birthday candles and dental floss to make the ring.  Finished with 2 barbies.  The legs were cut for animation.  You can cut the clothes, and put icing all over them.  If anyone has played mud volleyball... you know there isn't a piece of skin that isn't covered!


TOOLS

• Betty Crocker Cake Mix

            

Bath Tub Barbie Cake

STORY
Everyone knows about the "Honey Do List".  My wife constantly tells me that she wants a Jacuzzi bath tub.  So, for her birthday, I got her the jacuzzi bathtub of her dreams!  I really don't know why, but for a few months, I was on a Barbie Doll kick.    

DIRECTIONS 
This is a really big cake.  Because I am using the Standard 9 X 13 Cake Pan, the only way I could do this was by making 2 cakes.

1. Baked Both Cakes
2. Cut the Center out of one of the cakes
3. Applied blue icing layer to the top of the whole cake
4. Put the piece with the center cut out on top
5. Applied Icing to the whole thing (white)
6. Put the faucet fixtures in

Faucets:
I used a combination of big and small marshmallows.  I tooth-picked everything together, then used a 'Sharpie' to put Hot and Cold (H & C).  Probably don't want to eat the marshmallows :) .

TOOLS

• Betty Crocker Cake

      

4L Cake

STORY
My wife's grandfather was turning 80.  If you met him, you might think he was much younger.  He is an old time West Texas cattle rancher and  anyone who has met Wade has had the pleasure of hearing one of his great stories.  He is sure to make you laugh and keep you entertained.  He wrote a book Swapping Cattle, just for fun.  I call it Wade's Greatest Hits.  If you ever have the pleasure of meeting him, he is sure to give you a signed copy.  What inspired me to me a bake cake for Wade, is 1) he eats everything, and 2) he thought I was good enough for his granddaughter.  My cakes are no competition for Martha's Rum Cake, but it's not a competition.  I modeled the cake after 4L, which IS West Texas.

DIRECTIONS
This can be done with a standard 9 X 13 cake pan.  As this was one of my first cakes, I broke my cardinal rule, try to use all the cake.  As you can tell, I had to cut out the shape.  This was not hard to do, but icing the base layer get's a little crumby.  You may want to put a crumb coat to make the icing come out a little prettier.

TOOLS

• Betty Crocker Cake

       

Cake Pans

Get started with a couple of simple shapes.  I do all of mine from standard shapes.

     

Cheap Cake Decorating Tip Set

When selecting a cake decorating tip set, you can spend a lot of money.  I wouldn't overdo it, especially if this is your first set.