Our house looks pretty rough right now– as far as clutter and organization.  I’m typing from in the DINING room.  We used to have an office, but now, that’s turning into Abs’s big girl room.  As I look around the dining room, there are SIX tables/desks in here: the kitchen table, my computer desk, J’s computer desk, my sewing machine desk, Abs’s play table, and the new baby’s changing table.  Wow.

Over the weekend, J and I cleaned out the office/guest room/storage closet.  Then he tore out an intercom and patched it up with drywall, primed the room, and painted the baseboards.  Then, we tediously measured and taped off one wall.  Thank goodness my measurements I had done earlier in February were accurate!

Then, I took Abs over to my parents to take a nap so Abs and Baby wouldn’t be around all the fumes and noise.  Earlier that week, our friends offered to come help J paint the room.  Yea for good friends.

And here’s what the other walls look like:

Definitely very pink.  Oh well, Abs loves it.  So, we just have to replace the outlets and switches and covers, get new carpet, insulate the windows, figure out what I’m gonna do for window treatments (any ideas, when the windows are narrow and don’t touch the ground?), move in her furniture, and it’s all hers.

If I get any comments/emails about the block wall, I’ll try to do a tutorial of how to make it happen . . . but not this week.  I’m getting my braces off (!), buying stuff for Abs’s party, making the cake and dip and drinks, etc, and working on Abs’s video of year 1-2.  I can’t believe she’ll be TWO on Sunday.

**Oh, and by the way, since our Vday project, here’s what I had to do for J: 1) Write and perform a rap song about J, 2) Watch a Sci-Fi movie of his choosing (YUCK!).  Here’s what he drew for me to do: 1) Bring Wifey a blizzard, 2) Play wii with Wifey.  Now, who do you think got it rough?!

***Go here to see Abs’s (mostly) completed room.***

Related posts:

1. Abigail’s Big Girl Room
2. A Car Seat Tent/Cover
3. Art Work Display Options???

I made this the night before my daughter’s birthday, and I would definitely recommend preparing the cake a day in advance.

Ingredients:

• Two 3 oz boxes of Berry Blue Jello gelatin
• Two 9×13 inch cakes
• About 32 oz of frosting
• Decorators gel or writing icing
• Two large marshmallows and 14 mini marshmallows
• Toothpicks
• Rubber ducks or other bath animals

Directions:

1. Make gelatin according to the Jiggler recipe on the back of the packages.  Pour the mixture into an 8 inch square dish and chill in the fridge for about 50 minutes.  Take it out, and vigorously whisk the gelatin to create the ripples and bubbles.  Then, put back in the fridge for at least another 2 hours.
2. Before stacking the cakes, spread a thin coating of icing in between them.  Then, carve out a basin that is two inches from the edge of the cake.  Cut it about 1 inch deep using a knife with a serrated edge.  Then, you can spoon out the inside.  Or, if you want to use the inside for a smash cake– which is what I did– get someone to help you dig out the inside with spatulas.  I cut out the smash cake below from the part that was spooned out of the basin.



3. Frost the tub, including the walls, but don’t frost the floor of the basin.
4. For the faucet, stick four mini marshmallows on a toothpick.  Then, stick another 2 marshmallows on another toothpick.  Then, attach the toothpicks so the marshmallows look like an “L”.  Insert into the wall of the basin.
5. For each faucet knob, use scissors to snip 4 v-shaped notches in the top of a big marshmallow.  Then, press a mini marshmallow into each notch.  It could be sticky enough to keep the piece in place, but you might want to attach them with toothpicks, just in case. Put the knobs on either sides of the faucet.  Label them H for Hot and C for cold.
6. Cut the Jello to fit into the basin.  Spoon the Jiggler “water” into the basin.
7. Add ducks, fish, frogs, or other bath animals on top of the jello.

Check here to see the other decorations I “made”.  An fish aquarium with koolaid and fish bowls of goldfish crackers and gummy animals.

Now I need to start thinking of what to do for her second birthday.  What cakes did you make your kids?  What ideas are you looking into?

Submitted to Mmm Monday at Mommies with Cents

Related posts:

1. How to: Make a Soccer Ball Cake
2. How To: Make Gooey Marshmallow Brownies
3. How to: Make Peanut Butter Cake