It Takes a Village...

...to make and frost enough cupcakes for an island wedding.

You've got to love it when an entire community comes together. Recently a local gal, Kelly, got married. She didn't want anything fancy at the reception so she opted for cupcakes instead of a big cake. About 400 cupcakes! So another friend, Wendy, organized everyone, passed out two dozen paper cupcake liners to each person, and told us all when to bring the cupcakes as well as our icing bags and tips to the Mackinac Island Community Hall for a good old-fashioned cupcake decorating party. (I'm doubtful that islanders of old held cupcake decorating parties, but who knows.)

It did not take the 15 of us long to frost the bazillion cupcakes with the giant 45 pound vat of frosting Wendy brought down. Trust me, I'm not exaggerating when I use the word "vat."

We island girls are nothing if not prepared! Wendy knew we couldn't just pop home to whip up another batch if we ran out, so she intentionally over estimated the amount of icing needed per cupcake - just to make sure we'd have enough. Believe it or not, there was more icing that just isn't in the picture.

It worked out well for me. I brought home four one-gallon size zip-lock bags of it home to use on my son's birthday cake and there was still about 25 pounds of leftover frosting, so we had to have a few samples. Nothing like a sugar buzz to get you ready for the one mile, up hill, bike ride home.

Fall

As I was driving the other day, I noticed these sunflowers growing by the side of the road near my parent's house. The light was just perfect, so of course, I had to stop and take a few pictures. My dad is going to love this one - I'm certain that's one of his bees.

A New Begining

My little guy started kindergarten this fall. He loves it, but tells his little sister, "It's much harder than pre-school." He's so excited to get up each day and always has lots of exciting news to share as the two of us walk home together. I know we're only a week into the school year, but I feel like he's off to a good start. I'll be off to a good start after I sit through his teacher's Back to School Night presentation tomorrow - it's the first time I get to sit in one of those small chairs instead of standing while I present to parents. When I taught kindergarten I use to make parents write with their feet to help them experience the motor control most five year-olds have in their hands, so I am quite curious what she has in store for us. I'm really looking forward to experiencing the other side of the table, but just to be safe, last night I painted my toenails...

On Mackinac Island we have half day kindergarten - in the afternoon only. The first graders come alone in the mornings and then the kindergartners join them for the afternoon. This year the K-1 class is BIG; there are 15 in there! I've taught on the island for 18 years and the average class (two elementary grades together) I've had is about 10.

You Gotta Love Mom

My mom spent several days at my house recently helping me make mittens, mittens and more mittens. We took over the dining room and turned it into our own little mitten making factory. Between the two of us, we got 75 pair into various stages of completeness. The only down side to the whole thing was moving all those felted sweaters back upstairs into my sewing room; moving them downstairs was so much easier! It was really nice to spend one on one time with my mom. To show my appreciation for her hours of cutting and sewing, we went out to dinner here (which was fabulous.) I am hoping I can get her to come back once a month to help me all winter. Though when she comes in February, the dining choices on Mackinac will be much more limited. (That time of year only three restaurants are usually open.
Thanks mom! I really appreciate all your help.
bribe her

From Bag to Little Boy's Shirt

When I saw this tutorial, I had to try it. And let me tell you, it was a piece of cake. Now, I just need to find some more interesting plastic bags. The one I used for my son's new shirt was from one of Mackinac Island's fudge shops. My son was thrilled to have a shirt with his name on it. Unfortunately, I have yet to find bags with all the letters in my daughter's name; much to her dismay. When S wears his shirt I am immediately asked, "When will I get my shirt Mama?" It's so hard to be patient when you're four...