CONSTRUCTION BIRTHDAY CAKE

I was home sick from work on Thursday and Friday. Thursday consisted of about ten hours of Netflix on the couch. Figuring I would go coo-coo with boredom with another day like that, I forced myself to be somewhat productive despite my miserable state. 

This was the result. I have not decorated many cakes, so it was a fun experiment. I saw a similar cake here and wanted to build one for Andrew ever since. 

I baked a 9x13 chocolate cake, cut it in half, and layered the pieces on top of each other. After spreading chocolate peanut butter frosting, I went to work decorating it to look like a construction site. 

I dug an actual hole in the top of the cake and scooped the innards (eww...that word makes it sound gross) around the top to look like dirt piles. Oreo's, Nestle Buncha Crunch, and chocolate rocks from a local candy shop finished the layered dirt look. 

I personalized it with Andrew's construction company's logo printed on a "sign" from the computer and stuck to the top with a toothpick.

Graham crackers were cut into pieces for lumber, and I sprinkled a few areas with green sugar sprinkles to look like grass or weeds.

The construction vehicles are sold in a 5-pack at Wal-Mart.

Andrew loved the cake, but when I asked him to stand by it for a picture, this is what I got. 

Great, Babe. Now smile.

Very funny. Try again.

Not quite what I had in mind either, hon. 

"Andrew Ashmore!!! Behave your age!"

Eventually, I got what I wanted. Though part of me hates that he looks so innocent in this picture. 

It's all a lie.

But anyway...hooray for Andrew's birthday #28. And hooray for my awesome cake decoratin' skillz. It was a fun way to survive a sick day.

FYI: I got the wooden guy from my dad who has a hobby of making and selling sets of families and historical figures as  kids' toys. This is one I used to play with when I was little that I thought matched the theme. 

We celebrated that evening by stuffing our pockets with Kleenex (we are both sick), and heading over the theater to watch the BYU game (we don't pay for cable channels). 

After coming home and eating a piece of cake, we both sat back from our plates in kind of sugar-induced catatonic stupor. This cake's sugar level is though the roof. Any neighbors are welcome to come by (please come!) and take a few pieces off our hands. Holy heck this cake is rich.

HOUSE TOUR {Laundry Room}

Well, here it is. Behold, the laundry room.

Only days old. 

This picture lets you see one of my favorite window views: Teton Mountains behind a farmer's pivot. It feels so country. 

Sheeting and wiring.

  

Drywall. 

Cabinets. 

And the doors. 

Yep, my man built 'em all.

Ceramic tiles on the floor and Sherwin William's Repose Gray on the walls. 

We totally scored the tile for about a dollar a square foot. We know a guy. 

Trim and baseboards, hanging rod, and our old beater washer and dryer. 

A little tip: Install cabinets AFTER you paint the walls. 

We still need to pour the black concrete counter top and attach the drawer fronts for this room. 

This corner was left unfinished because the plan is to build floor to ceiling cabinets against the wall to match the ones above the washer. 

We'll get there one day. 

In the meantime, my brooms, mops, and vacuum don't have homes. I didn't realize how important a broom closet was until I was without one. 

Here are the freshly painted mudroom lockers. 

...And what it looks like today.

In hindsight, I'm thinking I probably should have straightened up our crap to give the illusion of perfection. Oh well. You get the real deal.

I got the baskets at Michael's here. I love them and the way they keep our gloves, scarves, and snow hats organized and out of sight. 

I bought super cheap silver hooks and spray painted them with oil rubbed bronze spray paint before Andrew attached them. 

After transferring all of our coats from  the master closet to the hooks, I got thinking that maybe Andrew and I should get rid of a coat or two?

Back to BEFORE.

And AFTER.

It's huge and beautiful and makes me very happy...especially after 4 years with my washer and dryer in the kitchen next to the dishwasher! Bleh.

As far as decorating this room...I haven't gotten there. Too many other things on my mind! Let me know if you have any ideas.

Stay tuned for the next room in our new house tour!

What you may have missed:

1. exterior
2. entry way/ sitting room
3. great room
4. dining area