Cake Decorating

I've always enjoyed making and decorating cakes, but have never spent much time on it.  It'd be fun sometime to take a decorating class and learn professional techniques.  For now I'll just stick to special occasions.  Today I made one for my mom's birthday.  It wasn't anything special, but I think it turned out cute and I had fun! I recently discovered some tricks that make it a lot easier.  1. Baking the cake the day before frosting it so it has PLENTY of time to cool and there won't be any crumbling.  2. If coloring the frosting, mix it and let it sit in the fridge so it's not too mushy and will hold the shape of whatever decoration you're making.  I'm pretty proud of myself for discovering those things and making a cute cake!

Junior Achievement

One of my biggest pet peeves working at the bank is people - ADULTS - who have no idea how to use their bank accout, have never been taught how to fill out a check or balance a check book.  So I've been trying to find ways to volunteer in the community.  Granted, I'm still learning myself, but I believe if you're going to have a bank account, you need to know how to use it.  So last month I got in contact with one of the other branch managers at my bank who started teaching Junior Achievement classes last year to elementary school students.  It's not just focused on banking, but being a productive member of your community and understanding how the community works.  Yesterday I went with her to a 2nd grade class in Aberdeen and really enjoyed it.  This class is five sessions long, so I'll go to those with her as her teaching assistant.  I was talking to my branch manager about wanting to get more involved with it, so she's going to see what she can find out about doing the same class at the elementary school right behind our branch.  I never wanted to be a teacher, but I enjoy helping out in classes and I feel better knowing I'm doing SOMETHING to help educate the public.
So, my lecture for the day - make sure you understand how your bank account works and start early teaching your kids how to use bank accounts!

Chris' Birthday

I was doubly happy about my bank opening late on Thursday because it was Chris' birthday and I had a chance to make him his favorite muffins for breakfast.

We did our normal birthday dinner at Sakura.

I got him a Wii game he's been wanting

I baked him a cake, with his favorite icing on half and icing I liked on the other half.  We did a video chat with his parents so they could also sing to him.  It was a little interesting trying to sing together with the time delay.  I think over all he had a good birthday.

Snow Snow Snow and MORE Snow!

Along with everyone else in Maryland, here is my snow post! The first storm we got I was on my own  - Chris' grandmother passed away and he went out to Utah for the funeral.  He left on Friday right before they shut down the airport and flew back on Tuesday just before they shut it down again!  My neighbors helped me out a little bit, but not as much as I would have expected.  I managed to get our sidewalk shoveled and my car dug out, mostly on my own.  I was very very sore by Monday, but I made it work that day, so I was happy!  My bank was closed on Wednesday and opened late on Thursday and then I had taken a vacation day on Friday, so I've had lots of chances to relax and enjoy the snow! 

This made me feel like I was in a cave.

This is our back deck after the first storm.

Chris wouldn't let me shovel at all after the second storm, he said I did plenty while he was gone. I didn't argue with him too much! We also had our "joint custody" dog this time, he had fun playing outside while Chris shoveled.

I love this picture! We dog Peanut a "toilet" out back, which he won't use, but he kept looking out at the rest of the yard, probably wishing he could go play.

This is our deck after the second storm, we left it along, wanting to see how much of it would disappear!

Congratulate Me!

For those of you who don't know, or don't remember, I have worked at a local bank as a teller for almost a year and a half.  The branch I started at was in Cecil County, so I had a fairly good commute, but I enjoyed my job and the people I worked with.  Two months ago I was offered a promotion to head teller/back-up customer service rep, at a branch that was about 15 minutes closer to home.  I had a lot of reservations about taking the job, but I felt like if I turned it down I wouldn't get another offer for a long time, if ever.  So I took it and I've been there about a month now.  It's been a lot of learning and getting used to a new environment - almost like starting a whole new job!  I miss my old branch and the customers there, but I think I'll like this new branch too.  It's so nice to be closer to home and not have to drive to Cecil County and I'm not working as many Saturdays, so that's really nice!  It's kinda scary to be in charge of the other tellers and have so much more responsibility, but all in all it's been a good change! 

Utah trip

We had a great time visiting family and friends in Utah, it had been two years since I'd been out there!  We had a relaxing time with Chris' parents, got to do some Christmas shopping, and got to visit with Chris' grandmother.

Playing in the snow trying to get a cute Christmas card picture

Our niece and nephew's puppy Noel looking so cute for a treat!

Having lunch with one of my college roommates, Heidi

Look at me, posting two days in a row!  And this one just happened yesterday, even more impressive!  Someone told Thomas, my youngest brother, that star fruit was sweet and he should try some.  He's spending the weekend at our house, so Chris bought some star fruit for us to try.  By the looks on our faces I'm sure you can tell it was NOT sweet.