Another new cake

Banana cake with vanilla buttercream. Matt just about died waiting to eat this cake. He loves banana and was trying to steal cake since he got home from work...while it was cooling! I made him wait until it was all decorated and I took pictures. If you want to hear him whine, dangle some banana cake in front of him and don't let him touch it. HAHA!! I really like the look of this cake and it was delicious. If you like banana bread, you will LOVE this banana cake.

Here is my latest cake.
Yellow cake with blackberry filling and honey meringue buttercream covered in fondant. Everything made from scratch, of course.
Hope you like it.

On a side note, it is windy and cool here is frespit. I am looking forward to this lovely weather this week...fall is coming. Yeah! Now we have to really focus on weatherproofing our yard and getting some gutters back up. YIKES!!

First, I have added pictures to my cake website--> Cakes by Keri

Second, I am making my first two tiered cake this weekend. It will be a white cake with blackberry custard and honey buttercream. I will be making the cake for a birthday celebration my coworker is having for her grandmother's 85th birthday. The family has reserved a room at a local restaurant so it is more formal. I don't know how much she is paying me but I am going to get some prices from some bakeries around here and then talk to her about the price (less than the bakeries of course but I really don't want to spend hours on a cake and get paid just enough to cover materials).

I will post picture when I'm done.

No more butt pain!

Today was the second day I rode my bicycle to work. I did it one day last week and kind of have to plan it out to make sure I have enough time to get home so that I am not late for appointments or something like that. It only took me 37 minutes this morning...743-820am. I rode with Courtney to school Tuesday morning (about 2 1/2 miles round trip) and I will be riding to work again tomorrow. With all this riding, my butt doesn't hurt anymore! My work is about a 14 mile round trip on surface streets.

Matt and I rearranged our work out room and he built a wall mount for the TV. So, that room is a lot nicer to use and I am hope to start using our weight machine very soon.

In other news, I was going to take the cake decorating classes at Micheal's but I have to work next week on my typical day off and it happens to be the first day of class. I'm not upset though. I think I can learn most of what I need from practice and research. I'm pretty good so far but nothing compared to those food network cake people. I hope to get into gum paste in the future because I think I would really enjoy the sculptural aspect and the more realistic appearance of the decorations. I am covering my first cake in fondant for this weekend when my parents and grandma visit. Should be fun.

I only lost a pound this past week but that is better than nothing or gaining something. Everyone at work is really supportive and always asking how much more I have lost. My inlaws all noticed too. Losing weight is pretty fun when you are enjoying your food and exercise. haha.

oh and I am working on my website for my cakes. The address is http://cakesbykeri.webs.com/

It is still a work in progress so not many people know about it yet.

down down down goes the scale

Just an update for those that are following my weight loss journey.

Today was weigh-in day and I am down another 2.5 pounds. (last week was zero...but nothing gained either...stupid ice cream slips). That brings me to a total of 13 pounds lost this month (started my journey on 7/22). If I keep this going, I will be at my goal weight by Christmas! I have actually lost 24 pounds since last November when I cut my finger. Yeah!

I hate spending the money to lose the weight but it keeps me dedicated to sticking with it AND I am seeing results! It is worth the cost to regain my health and happiness!

Slow and steady wins the race.

Current Temp in Keriland

Comfortable.

Today was my weigh-in day and I lost another 2 pounds. Matt said, "I don't think that scale is very accurate" because he thinks I look like I have lost more. Yeah! 2 pounds down is better than 2 pounds up. Around week 3 is where I think I have started slacking in the past but I am determined to stick with it and alter my lifestyle to be happy and healthy.

Matt got a bike from craigslist this weekend. It was $200 dollars which was a little painful because we are so tight but it was a fantastic deal and a really smart investment in our physical health and our relationship. It is a 19 1/2 inch Trek bike (those are expensive) with an odometer, headlight, tail light, seat bag, bike pump (with the quick pump doodad), aluminum water bottle with 2 bottle holders on the bike, gloves, and a bike rack that fits on the Saturn and holds both our bikes. Holy Cow!!! That is about $600 worth of stuff! On Monday, I rode my bike to Matt's work and back (about 15 miles round trip). I wasn't pooped at all...my butt just hurt really bad! My bike needs a good cleaning and a tune up but it is great too...especially considering it is over 10 years old. We are planning to do more family bike rides in the evening with the kids (they tend to poop out much quicker...especially Courtney) and now Matt and I can run the doggies with our bikes. On weekends, when the kids aren't home, Matt and I are going to start to take little trips here and there to ride our bikes. My goal is to outlast him...I don't think it will be too hard, I have a little bit of a competitive streak in me. haha.

Also on Monday, Matt and the kids went on a bike ride after work. I decided to take the dogs for a walk because my butt still hurt (really my butt is still a little sore today!) and they need, and deserve, to get outside too. Max and Mya were awesome and we even jogged a little bit. I need to get Mya into shape with me because I am afraid she it going to fall over if we go too long. Max could easily be my jogging buddy right now. The kids are going to Pismo all next week so I am going to start to amp up my exercise routine then. That way, I can have some time to myself and get into my groove by the time they start school at the end of the month and keep on going. I am so excited to see my efforts pay off and I can tell that Matt is really proud of me too. I talked to Matt after I got back home on Monday and told me that one of the guys at his work had seen me leave (we sat at the same table with him at the company Christmas party) and he said to Matt, "wow, she's lost a lot of weight". That got me thinking and I am probably about 25 pounds lighter than I was at the party. Yea Me! I am going to make it back into my skinny clothes by this Christmas party!!

On another note, the Woodland job is closed. They didn't contact me like they said they would and that is professionally disappointing BUT I am okay that I didn't get the job. There is another job at the same campus that just posted for an Upward Bound Supervisor. I am applying for that one. The pay is less (about $8-10,000 less) but it is a less demanding job and the application process is so simple compared to the others. Oh, and it only requires a Bachelor's Degree.

Matt had his annual evaluation yesterday. It went really well (his boss loves him). Raises aren't done until Novemberish but we are hoping for/expecting about a $4/hour raise.

That's about that for now. The forecast is looking peachy with a clean breeze.

Quick note

Haven't heard anything regarding the Woodland job. My birthday was much more relaxing than my usual days (when the kids are home). They really tried to make an effort and cleaned the house (in a way they knew how) while I was at work. Courtney spent the day making me a bracelet, Jared gave me a Thomas Kincade postcard/picture (yes mom, he did remember) and Matt got tickets for the two of us to see the "So You Think You Can Dance" tour at the SaveMart Center. This was a big surprise because he already went in with my parents to get me my fantabulous kitchenaid stand mixer. When it comes to gifts for me, my husband is always very thoughtful.
Of course, I got home made cards (Matt made me decode mine because he wrote what my present was in symbols). My parents called, my grandma called and sent me a card with a gift inside (naughty grandma), and Mindy and Erin and my aunt and uncle sent me ecards. Matt's cousin even sent me a text. That was the extent of contact from his side...I wasn't really expecting anything at all.
I am currently on Nutrisystem and the only naughtiness I had yesterday was a half cup of ice cream. I feel good about that. I have lost 8 pounds so far and I am half way through week 2 and trying to stay away from the scale until my weigh in day of Wednesday. I make Matt give me a "skinny test" almost everyday. It is really my excuse for making him give me a hug. haha.
So things aren't bad and that is good and I am making progress on myself. :)