Things are pretty crazy at The Briary these days.  All of a sudden the summer seems to be winging away.  We made plans to see our middle son and his wife in upstate New York at the end of this month, and we’re both looking forward to that.  They are almost finished with dual Library/Information Science Masters programs and we’ve been their cheerleaders.  Right now they’re living outside Albany in the tiny town where Kim grew up and it should be a lovely trip–smack in the middle of the Catskill Mtns, where they got married.  There are antique stores, a great herbal farm nearby where I always stock up on the owner’s homegrown Herbes de Province mix, and a neat farmstand that sells the best cider doughnuts around.  Always have to have the cider doughnuts.

But before we get to do that 650+ mile road trip, we need to get through this week, with Mom’s 75th on Weds.   I spent the weekend alternating manuscript revisions during the day and making gum paste flowers as I watched the Olympics each night.  We have definitely been watching too many episodes of “Ace of Cakes.”  I don’t think Chef Duff would hire either of us anytime soon, but Mom will be surprised when she sees her FOUR tier cake complete with a small cascade of roses, forget-me-nots, and star flowers.

To illustrate how crazed we’ve become: we made a SECOND test cake Saturday, and honestly, it was a good thing.  We both hated the first one, all of it, and this time we changed all the recipes and had a much better result.  So we’re psyched.  Of course I’ve had the most taste testing to do. . .we’ve changed the base icing color from blue to pale yellow as the blue was just too hard to get right, and the yellow should show off these flowers better.  See how obsessed I’ve become?

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This is kind of what we’re hoping for. . .

The good part was an excuse to sit while the Big O’s were on in the background.  The Opening was neat but can’t compare with the actual events.  The young girl who hurt her ankle on the Gymnastics team, dashing her hopes for some medals, but went on to the uneven bars. . . such grit.  And when the US relay swim team won last night I was shouting all the way on the that last lap, urging him on.  Great stuff.

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Have to go. Doc needs help with the revolving cake stand he’s just made, to make it easier to ice and decorate, and then make it transportable without moving it off its base.   Doesn’t every household need one of those?

Seriously folks, if  after all this effort:

a) the cake falls apart on the 1/2 hr trip to town

b) no one shows up to eat it, or

c) the icing melts and the roses crumble before we cut it…

you may hear the loud “ARRRRRRRGGHHHH” across the globe~