Pink & Green Striped & Polka-Dot Cake

Here is a a sneak peak at my sister-in-laws Birthday cake I made.

The cake turned out fine, but I learned from this experience that I should have used wooden dowels or plastic tube dowels for support in this particular 2 tiered fondant cake. Homemade marshmallow fondant is very heavy. Live and learn :).

I like the look of combing various sizes of polka dots and off centering them for a whimsical look. Mixing color into homemade marshmallow fondant is simple to do but it is a real work out for the hands.

Here is the completed cake for the party!

July Blooming Flowers

All of these Perennials are grown in my yard.

Orange Summer Blooming Day lilies are so magnificent. They grow about 5 feet tall where I live. They spread like weeds but are so beautiful that they are worth it.

Hens and Chicks are one of my favorite sun loving succulents because they are so easy to grow and require virtually no maintenance. I just planted these in a concrete bowl and I can't wait to see what they look like next year when they fill in.

Here is one the the Hens and Chicks as it bursts to the sky to set seed. It doesn't happen very often but it is way cool to see it grow so tall.

Coreopsis ( tickseed)is a plan for full sun to partial shade. Great for cutting. I deadhead the plant a couple times during its bloom period to have constant blooms.

Perennial Geranium (Cranesbill). Low growing and spreads well.

There is a wide range of sizes and colors out there.

Shasta daisy great for cut flowers.

Yellow compact day lily.

Firework of Succulents!

Here is a mixture of 3 different kids of succulents. When they bloom they are a firework of color.

Oriental Lily

Little Froggie

Look what the boys found tonight in the yard! I love Frogs and so do my sons. We find tiny frogs in our sprinkler boxes in the lawn. It is a treasure to see them hopping in the grass.

The kids squealed when the frog jumped off their hands and onto the Green grass.

Frogs are one of my favorite amphibians. They beat seeing snakes any day!

Does something look odd to you in this picture? Do you notice the one legged Cricket? I don't think the frog had anything to do with it nor the kids...but I do feel bad for the poor guy.

A Perfect end to a hectic day! Seeing little Froggie made me smile!

Grass

Growing Grass is easier than it sounds. My daughter got this little guy as a birthday gift and we filled it with grass seeds and dirt and within a few weeks we had a full head of Grass!!! We even had to give the little guy a hair cut because his hair was getting too long. I will definitely grow some more grass next year. Maybe around Easter time!

Gigantic Mushrooms

My neighbor brought this Extra, Extra Large Mushroom home from a hike a few weeks ago.

Did I say EXTRA, EXTRA LARGE??? I have never seen any sort of fungus that big in my lifetime!

I bet it weighed 5 lbs or so. It was a solid mushroom. Talk about crazy Utah weather! It has been a wet spring for most of Utah. A mushroom this size had to have been grown in a wet climate!

What an amazing mushroom to say the least!

Extra Large Mushroom

My darling son found this mushroom in the field behind my house.

I was shocked to see such a big mushroom growing where I live. I have seen little mushrooms popping up in my yard where the wet spots are. But...nothing this size, thankfully!

It has been one wet Spring!