embrace it, good tries and all

We had a 1st birthday bash for Charity this last weekend......and I (sillily) made the theme cherries. 
You know, cause we call her Cherry and Cherry Beary, and all that good stuff. 
Smart idea, right?  Well, I should've headed myself over to the party stores to check out the goods first.  Because.  Because they have NOTHING cherry.  It's just not the in thing, people! 

Someone should've informed me I can be so 2008 sometimes.  Where's Fergie when you need her?  Ok.

So for the par-tay we dined on shredded chicken sandwiches and stuff and lovingly crammed 11 adults and 7 kids into our home for the evening. 
Charity had quite the crowd gathered when she went to try her cupcake.  She mostly just squeeled and pumped her hands like she does when she's excited.  I think she was just admiring the fancy frosting her mama used.
Usually I just open a can and spread it.

 
But the Barefoot Contessa, (ahh....I want to be her sweet self when I grow up)  well--she showed me how cool it was to make ganache frosting for your cupcakes because all you do is dip the cupcakes upside down in the ganache to frost. 

I was intrigued.  I googled ganache recipes. 
NINE dollars later and completely bitter frosting and I was ready to yell defeat and pop open a can of Betty Crocker.  No fear, I just kept adding sugar until it tasted right.  And boy did I get it to taste right....
Later my sister-in-law and I had a discussion about "bittersweet" chocolate (like the recipe called for) 
Yeah-it's definitely NOT the same thing as unsweetened chocolate. 
But thankfully I'm a frosting taster and realized the nastyness of my conncoction before it was too late.
Whew.

So for embrace the camera this week I'm sharing this one of me, Justin and the birthday girl.  We always take a pic of us with ONLY the birthday kiddo. 
It's one of those things we do to make sure our kiddos know they are unique and special in this fam. 
You know.....not just one of four kids in the pack.  It's kinda like when Justin and I do this.

If you have time......try this out to bring home the "empty tomb" surprise of Easter. 
I say try.....because we did. and failed.  But we had a great time trying!  Recipe found here. 
Tasted delish but the whole idea about Jesus being gone from the tomb kinda lost it's effect when the marshmellow just shrunk.  Maybe next year.  If I can get over all the health code violations I observed in this great try of 2011.  mercy.

Have a SUPER Thursday!