Top Notch Cake & Candy Supply Store

I have lots and lots of hobbies and have found many resources to contribute to those hobbies.  There are some places I like to wander through just to get inspiration for a new project.  One of those places is Lynn's Cake & Candy Store in the Holly Center in Fridley, MN (University & Mississippi).

(I apologize in advance for the quality of these pictures......they look awesome on my phone!)  Even if you aren't a baker, you could come here and get a fancy sugar flower/football/music note/etc. or plastic "do-dad" to decorate a plainly frosted box cupcake

that you baked in fun cupcake paper. 

If you're in need of a specialty flavor, I'm sure you'll find it here.

Does your child want a birthday cake made in the shape of their favorite super hero?  At Lynn's, you can rent cake pans.  I rented many a cake pan when my children were little.

Or maybe you want to purchase a particular size round, square or rectangle pan......I'm sure Lynn has what you're looking for!

One of the things I come here for the most is specialty containers.  They have bags and plastic/cardboard boxes that will fit anything!

In need of a cookie cutter in the shape of a leaf, a baby bootie, a truck, a reindeer.........?  I bet it's here.

And of course there are sprinkles....lots and lots of sprinkles.

The staff is fabulous and they are very knowledgeable in the art of baking.  Lynn herself is there most  weekdays.  In fact, I spoke with her today about ordering more pie pops.  Evidently, after people read my blog, there was a run on pie pops at her store!  Here is a link to their website:  lynnscakeandcandy.com  Please visit their website to see all of the other products I didn't include like molds, candy melt, classes, fondant.....the list is endless!!!

"The measuring and mixing always smoothed out her thinking processes - nothing was as calming as creaming butter - and when the kitchen was warm from the oven overheating and the smell of baking chocolate, she took final stock of where she'd been and where she was going.  Everything was fine."  -Jennifer Crusie

A Flyer With Just The Words I Needed To Hear Tonight

I rode the train to work today.  I parked at my local "Park & Ride" Station and then rode the 35 miles to my office by train.  After work, I rode the train home and was in a hurry to get to my car and get to my daughter's school to pick her up from play practice.  I didn't notice the flyer on my windshield until I came to a stoplight.  I jumped out of my car, grabbed the flyer and hopped back in.

I glanced at the heading on the flyer and it said IN HANDS.  I stuffed it my bag and didn't give it a second thought until I was cleaning out my bag before bed tonight.  I try to stay away from political or religious thoughts on my blog, not because I'm not religious or political but because I want to end the day on a good note, not one that may cause controversy.  I'm making an exception to that rule tonight.

Here is what the flyer said.  I will let you make your own judgements and assumptions.  For me, it was just what I needed to hear/read right before bedtime.

IN HANDS

A basketball in my hands is about $19

A basketball in Michael Jordan's hands is about $33 million

It all depends on whose hands it's in

A baseball in my hands is about $7

A baseball in Roger Clemens hands is worth about $4.75 million

It all depends on whose hands it's in

A tennis racket in my hands is useless

A tennis racket in Andre Agassi's hands is worth millions

It all depends whose hands it's in

A rod in my hands will keep an angry dog away

A rod in Moses hands will part a mighty sea

A slingshot in my hands is a toy....

A slingshot in David's hands is a mighty weapon

Two fish and five loaves of bread in my hands are a few fish sandwiches

Two fish and five loaves in Jesus' hands will feed thousands

It all depends whose hands it's in

Nails in my hands may produce a bird house

Nails in Jesus' hands will produce salvation for the entire world

It all depends whose hands it's in

As you can see now, it all depends whose hands it's in.  

So read the Bible, put your worries, your fears, your hopes, your dreams,

Your family and your relationships in God's hands because....

It all depends whose hands it's in!!

This message is now in your hands

WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH IT!!

It all depends whose hands it's in....

Game Piece Necklaces

My daughter has two new favorite necklaces.  Guess what they're made out of?

The robot is made from a domino (here's the backside of the necklace)......

and the "Keep Calm Dance On" necklace is made from a Scrabble tile.

The domino necklace is made using ink and a robot stamp.  The Scrabble tile necklace is made with a scrap of paper and a bit of modge podge to adhere it to the tile.  The necklace hangers are simple too.  The domino has a small hole drilled in the top with a jump ring threaded through.

The Scrabble tile has a hanger glued to the back.

I'm sure you can find the game pieces at a thrift store or a garage sale and the rest of the supplies can be found at any craft store.  These would be great little projects for a birthday party (pre-drilling the holes of course unless you have a daughter like mine who has been exposed to power tools before she could hold a pencil).  We may make these as Christmas gifts for all of my daughter's little friends.  She is already thinking about how she can personalize each one to make it special for each one of her friends!

"I wear a necklace 'cause I want to know when I'm upside down."  -Mitch Hedberg  

Finnish Star

For those of you who read my blog everyday, you'll remember this picture.

I found out today that this beautiful star was made by my mom's friend Marilyn Hanson.  She made it for the Scandinavian Food Fair at First English Lutheran Church in Ortonville, MN.  I was so intrigued by how it was made that after I saw it, I started to "google" Finnish Star to see if I could find the directions.  There is a great You Tube video with step by step instructions.  www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_ofEJL23TA 

Tonight after work, I went to Hancock Fabrics and Michael's for supplies to make these stars.  Marilyn told my mom that she made her stars with fabric attached to cardboard with "wonder under".  So at Hancock Fabrics, I purchased fabric and some "wonder under".

At Michael's I got some fun paper (one sided) and some double sided paper.

Tonight I started with the double sided paper.  I cut 6 strips of paper a little less than 1/2" in width and 11" in length.

The fist step is to take two strips and find the center of each.

Glue these two strips together, matching them in the center.

Next, glue two strips vertically on each side of the first vertical strip.  Placement is your own preference but make sure it is equal on both sides.

Pull up the middle piece on the top and slide in a strip and glue in place.  Repeat this step on the bottom.

Turn the strips in front of you as an "X".

Turn the top pieces toward each other and glue the ends.

Repeat this step for all center strips.

Make another of these "stars".

Place these stars on top of each other.

Glue the straight ends to each point.  Strips on top....glue on top.  Strips on the bottom....glue on the bottom.

Here is what it looks like with all of the single strips glued.

Trim the edges.

Here's the finished product.

I knew my daughter would love it so I hung it on her bedroom door as a morning surprise!

"I like the dark.  Without the dark, we'd never see the stars."  -Stephanie Meyer

Cute Movie for a Sunday Evening

After a long weekend and long day of travel today, I hurried up and got all of my unpacking done and the laundry started.  I had promised my daughter that I would watch "Monsters University" with her before bedtime.

What a great way to end the weekend.  This movie was fantastic.  It had messages about being persistent, being a friend, being yourself, working as a team, finding strengths in others, looking for the positive in a difficult situation, cooperation, and standing up for yourself and your friends.  It was funny, heartwarming, suspenseful and up lifting.  My daughter has already watched it 4 times since she got it yesterday afternoon.  I know that I will definitely watch it again too!  The messages in this movie are ones adults need too!

"No good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough."  -Roger Ebert  

Uncle Ernie and his Great-Niece

It has been a long day today.  We traveled from my parents' home to Aberdeen, SD for my Uncle Ernie's funeral.  While I was sad for my mom (he was her brother), I was especially sad for my tender hearted daughter.  She was very close to her Uncle Ernie.

A few years ago so worked on a project about World War II.  My Uncle Ernie had fought in the war but didn't speak of it to anyone.....until my daughter asked him about it.  He opened up to her when he wouldn't with anyone else.  After that interview, she continued to stay in touch with him by drawing him pictures, making him special crafts, and writing him letters.  Anytime we were in the area, we stopped to see him.  The picture below was taken at his 90th Birthday party this past summer.  My daughter insisted that she give him a gift and picked out the dolphin especially for him.  He took it with him when he went into hospice.

We were all blessed to have this wonderful man in our lives and I think my daughter has a new special guardian angel!

When we get home tomorrow, I will be making caramels in Uncle Ernie's honor with his special recipe!

"Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness.  They are a sign of a pure heart."  -Jose N. Harris

Preview to the Scandinavian Food Fair

The first weekend in November, my daughter and I always stay at my parents' house and on Saturday, we attend the Scandinavian Food Fair at First English Church in Ortonville, MN.  We will be missing the Food Fair tomorrow but my mom took my daughter, my aunt and me down to the church to see all of the goodies and the bulletin board she designed for the occasion.  Here's my mom's creation that will greet guests as they head down the stairs for lunch.

I love this little gnome.  He is perched on one of the church window sills, watching over the craft room.

My daughter and I each picked out our favorite craft.  She liked the wall of aprons and decided that maybe she'd try to learn how to sew so she could make one of her own.

These unique ornaments caught my eye.  My mom said that she has the pattern for them so guess what a future blog will feature?!

This little gnome will welcome guests as they come for a light lunch in the dining room.

The dining room has simply elegant centerpieces on each table.  These wine glasses have beautiful rosemaling painted on them.  They are filled with blue glass beads with a delicate garland trailing out of the glass and onto the table.  Instead of a real candle, little battery powered tea lights were added.

They were centered on a blue Scandinavian cloth napkin with real greens and a berry garland.  So simple but so lovely.

We enjoyed the preview and will have to look forward to visiting next year!

"Norway or Switzerland are two marvelous countries, I very much admire, the most advanced countries in the world in fact with great qualities of life."  -Jose Manuel Barroso