San Francisco Cupcake Challenge

Damn my pre-diabetes to hell, but I'm infamous for having a gigantic sweet tooth! With that being said, I also happen to be a shameless baked goods snob. I have a sensitive palette so I only patronize the best of the best whenever I'm in need of a baker.

Enter Marie Fontela of Tiny Treats.

Marie and I met in 2009 while I was planning Niki's 1st birthday party. I was searching for the perfect treat to accompany Niki's chocolate fountain and there she was right under my nose. Marie was referred to me by a friend of a friend and I immediately fell in love with everything I saw on here website. She responded to my email inquiry quickly, and within the week, we met and she gave me some samples of her tiny treats.

I was hooked from moment on.

There has a been an internet explosion of "how-tos" on cakepops and let me tell you, not all cakepop-ers are created equal. Tiny Treats is a professional catering service that holds itself to the highest standards when it comes to quality and taste. Marie's cakepops are from scratch -- none of that greasy boxed stuff -- and she only uses the best ingredients. Her red velvet cakepop is pure art. It's moist, delectable, and the candy-to-cake ratio was perfect.

From Niki's Royal Tea Party

Oh, and don't even get me started on her mini cheesecakes. Not only is the price budget-friendly ($40 for 100 mini cheesecakes? Whhhhat!) but they're also to die for. My mouth salivates at the mere thought of them...

But her cupcakes? Her cupcakes are my favorite!  I ordered mini cupcakes for Niki's soda shoppe-themed  party and again, I fell in love. Actually, I was sad that the kids weren't old enough to truly appreciate the artistry that they were experiencing in their happy little tummies.

A Tiny Treats cupcake feels like a perfectly orchestrated symphony of flavor happening in your mouth. Yes, it's THAT serious. ;)

Over the years I've come to find out that Marie and I have quite a few things in common -- too many to list! I'm convinced we're kindred spirits. But to my dismay, as many times as we've talked about hanging out, it has never happened. She's the mother of three beautiful daughters and I've got my fourlittlelions so things can get pretty hectic for both of our schedules. BUT...I'm happy to report that she's recently signed me on to make a Wonka-style invitation for an event she has coming up. We're finally going to have a pow-wow soon!

When I found out that Tiny Treats was requested to participate in the San Francisco's Cupcake Challenge I knew that I had to support her. Tiny Treats has participated in the SF Peninsula Kids Party Expo along side my all-time fave photographer (and winner of Bay Area Parent's Favorite Photographer Award 3 years in a row!) Kim of Super Kimagery and my familia at SugaMeSweets (the most talented cake artisans I know!) And when the Giants won the World Series, this bad-ass baker made 500 cupcakes (yes 500!) and shared them with the public...for free!

So does Tiny Treats deserve your support? Hell to the yes.

Marie is battling it out with several San Francisco bakeries this SUNDAY, JANUARY 15th and the winning business will be dubbed with having the best cupcake in San Francisco. And my friends, Tiny Treats deserves the win! Much to my growling tummy's dismay, I won't be able to attend because of John's Rite of Acceptance mass at our church. But...that shouldn't stop you! Follow the link below so you can be part of this awesome event where YOU can be the judge!

http://www.drinkeatplay.com/sfcupcakechallenge/

Good luck, Marie! You know I'm rooting for you. :)

3 Years Ago...

Three years ago today. I remember it like it was yesterday. Happy Birthday, Son. I LOVE and MISS you with every fiber of my being...

"Party" All The Time

I'm back from my semi-hiatus, ya'll! You guys know I'm a stickler for keeping my entries in chronological order so unfortunately -- NO -- this post is NOT about our trip to NHF's Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

In due time my pretties, in due time....

In other news, call me silly, but I only recently discovered the "stats" tab on Blogger a few weeks ago. (When my blog died, and was reborn.) I was surprised to learn that I have quite a few daily visits from readers all over the place -- United Kingdom, Philippines, Germany, Japan, Russia, Canada, Netherlands, Sweden, Czech Republic, and the list goes on and on! Okay, the Philippines makes total sense, but the only logical explanation I have for the other countries is that you found my blog through HemAware.org. And if so, that ROCKS & I'd love to "meet" you.

With that being said -- ahem -- why not just hit the "follow" button in the Bloggy Friends area on my sidebar? I know I just put the "follow" option on my blog (when my blog was reborn -- woo hoo!), but please do follow this blog so I know you're out there. A few of you "secret readers" already came out of the woodwork, but I don't see you under my followers list. Family and friends, this includes you too! Let's get this party started!!! :)

Thank you for listening to my announcement of the day. Onto the update....

Saturday, November 6, 2010

You may remember that I mentioned in my last post that I was battling cold and allergy symptoms shortly after Halloween. I didn't have a cough or asthma symptoms, but I was dealing with watery eyes, a nose that ran like it was trying to win a friggin' marathon, and sneezing like I was allergic life AND air itself.

I. Was. Miserable.

Nevertheless, I continued to work and push myself like I always do -- gotta save my sick/vacation time/FMLA hours for emergencies with Niki -- and I *thought* I was doing better by Saturday morning. I'm very limited on what I medications I can take because of Noie, but my allergist started me on a Prednisone taper on Thursday 11/4/10 so I could keep my asthma in check. I'm breathing for two, ya know. My doctors and I get nervous whenever I'm sick because my history of asthma and anaphylaxis. The good news is all was fine and dandy asthma-wise. My lungs were clear and I had no signs any infection brewing. My doctor even gave me the go-ahead to use Benadryl for my allergies. Meanwhile, I was still reporting to work every day, and comforted myself (and my patients) in knowing that I was NOT contagious.

There is no rest for the weary. ;-)

I was feeling slightly better on Saturday. Actually, we had a wonderful time attending my godson and nephew's joint birthday party. I don't recall appearing alarmingly sick to the rest of the party-goers, but I'm sure I looked like something the cat dragged in. But -- hell -- that's practically a daily occurence anyway! I'm far from being one of those radiant pregnant women. I don't glow, I sweat!

The cubbies had a blast. We got there a little late which means I didn't have a chance to take  pictures of decor while it was still relatively untouched, but it was an adorable party. I really appreciated the concept of theme. I went to a Cowboys & Indians party once, but I really liked the idea of Buzz & Spidey battling. My CIL-to-be put the party together and I must say she did a really good job. (You guys know I'm a sucker for all things crafty!)  Frankly, I'm a lazy ass so I always make the boys pick ONE theme even though they've begged me do TWO themes before. I still haven't got the slightest idea how I could've put together a "Hot Wheels and Diary of a Wimpy Kid" party. But, it's okay because I'm done with boy parties for a while anyway. ;-)

Here are a few pictures from that day. Most were taken by John, but some by me too. Random note: John has taken this photography hobby of mine to a whole other level! He keeps making trips to the camera store to buy contraptions for the Canon! This was the first time that he shot with his precious Gary Fong diffuser, but I really like how much warmer the pictures are. And to think , I had to break my point-and-shoot camera, convince him to upgrade to a step-up camera, and then practically beg him to drop the cash on the T2i once I got sick of the step-up! Now I have to wrestle the damn thing away from him at home because, sometimes, he fiddles with it more than he fiddles with me. ;-)

The Cake

 My Godson JT

 And his brother AC

 These are my favorite

 Red Velvet

 More Yumminess

 Okay, I didn't get approval to post this partial face shot, but I hope you don't mind. I really gotta start asking people while I'm at fam parties to see if it's okay to post pics. I don't like doing it without permission , and I have so many shots that I wish I could post!

 AC is barely 2 yrs old, but he already has a great imagination. :)

 My Cubbies

 The Next Generation of "C-Boys"

Boo's Schnozzle

 Niki hugging the adorable LL

We were pooped when we got home. The boy cubbies practically collapsed when we walked through the door, but Niki was still up and at 'em. She was coasting on a sugar high so I just laid in bed and watched her play with her Daddy. I started to feel weak as I drifted off to sleep, but I just figured I prematurely pushed myself like I always do. I must have only slept for about 45 minutes or so, but then I woke up and it happened again....

I had another anaphylactic reaction.

I've been dealing with this for YEARS now and it's idiopathic -- which basically means the doctors don't know what causes it.  I've had tons of work-up -- octreotide scans, nuclear medicine scans, CTs, xrays, flexible sig, endoscopy, specialty lab draws, multiple 24-hour urine collection tests (yes I know the concept is gross) but multiple specialists haven't been able to figure out what's causing it. But what they do know is it's definitely caused by a delayed reaction to something I eat. I've tried to keep a dietary diary to correlate what it is that I'm allergic to, but nothing adds up. And, unfortunately, my food allergy tests have all come back negative. So, I'm pretty much tiptoe-ing around this anaphylaxis crap.

Eight years of walking on eggshells ain't fun, but I'm just going to keep doing what I do and hope for the best.

I felt an instant overwhelming sense of fear wash over me when the episode happened. I was barely moving air in less than 5 minutes. Luckily I didn't lose consciousness this time, but I was close to it. I vaguely remember feeling dizzy and staring at my SIL holding Niki. Poor Niki looked confused, and I hated that she saw me that way. I hate when the boys see me that way! My rescue inhalers didn't work and John called 9-1-1 immediately. He's seen me almost die from this on multiple occasions -- he's even shot me with my Epi-pen before-- but I shook my head when he frantically offered to administer it to me.

Epinephrine can save a life during an anaphylactic reaction, but its also a vasoconstrictor. Vasoconstrictors are NOT good for the placenta, and the use of Epinephrine has been known to cause fetal death. In laymen's terms, this means that poor little Noie wouldn't have been able to breathe because of the negative effect the Epi-pen could've had on the oxygen-rich blood flowing to my placenta.

Do you remember when I wrote this post? The last time I had a very bad episode and lost consciousness was when I was in my 1st trimester of pregnancy with Niki -- my 26th  birthday. And that's why it was such a miracle that Niki survived that ordeal because the paramedics gave me epinephrine when they arrived! Really, my doctors and the ED were absolutely amazed because I was barely 8 weeks pregnant. She really is a miracle cub, ya'll! So, given that experience, I didn't want to give myself epinephrine at all. I didn't want to put Noie at risk, anaphylaxis or not. I'd rather move very, very, very minimal air than instantly have no air to the baby at all.
I would rather die than lose another cub.

DCFD made it to the house in a matter of minutes. (They're right down the street.) The rest is a blur. I was panicked, and didn't feel like I was sucking in any air. John says my oxygen saturation was 79-80% by the time the firefighters got there!!!! I started having back spasms (similar to what it feels like when I go into labor) so I was sure that something bad was happening to the baby. They took me to the emergency room in SSF and I was given copious amounts of oxygen, several breathing treatments, IV benadryl, and magnesium. I was already on a prednisone taper, and I just took some about 4 hours before the attack.

The ER doctor told me that if I wasn't already on Prednisone, the episode could have been a lot worse. Luckily, I didn't have to be admitted, and I got to go home early that morning. I lost track of time thanks to daylight savings, but I think we were there for at least 6 hours or so. My oxygen saturation was 95% when I was discharged, but I didn't desaturate when I walked/exerted myself. And, that's always a good sign.

Before I left, the nurse checked the baby's heartrate and it was normal. But....I was very worried about Noie. I spent all day in bed on Sunday -- drifting in and out of sleep -- but Noie barely moved when I was awake. Even when I tried to drink apple juice and lay on my left side, she still didn't move. Her movement was sluggish that day and it worried me. I was thisclose to going to labor and delivery so they could do a stress test, but John and I decided to wait it out.

Luckily by Monday morning things were looking good. Noie was moving a little bit more and I had follow up appointments with my allergist. She ran some tests and I practically spent all day at Kaiser because she was searching PubMed (a medical library) for cases like mine so she could formulate a different treatment plan.  Wouldn't you know it, there are none. What happened to me on Saturday shouldn't have happened -- I was on prednisone & numerous inhalers -- but it happened and she couldn't understand why. Wouldn't you know it, she couldn't find any case reports meeting my criteria. She's the Chief of Allergy so I have complete trust that she's doing the best she could to help me. She hestiated to give me clearance to continue on with my trip to New Orleans, but she lived there for 3 years and she knew asthma-wise I wouldn't have to worry about the weather too much. She even recommended which hospital I should go to should I have a reaction while I was out there.

We've formulated a new plan of action for when I think a reaction is coming on. I can't do anything to prevent it from happening, but I'm hoping this new plan will help me from getting so bad so quickly. And, I just had a follow up with my Ob/Gyn earlier today so he could check on Noie, and she's doing fine too. I'm officially 30 weeks pregnant. Only 10 more weeks to go!!!

It's a "party all the time" here in the my neck of the woods, but I'm still cracking my whip and going strong.

The Day Before Halloween...

Here are a few pictures from my nephew J's 13th birthday/costume party. I wish I could post ALL of the that pictures we took that day. As always, I've neglected to get permission from the party's patrons to post their pictures for all the Internet to see.

Anyway, enjoy!

My Flapper Girl

 Yes, there was a stripper pole there. And yes, Niki took a picture with it. She wouldn't let go and this concerns me a little. Lol!

 My SIL trying out the pole...

 The Giants were playing that day...

 Boo took this picture...

 The family watching the game...

 L <3's Baseball. :)

 More Niki...

 Kevie

Boo & Niki

The liquor came out...

And then the DJ came...

 Then Boys Danced the Night Away...

Maybe he was dancing too. :)

"Be Prepared to Sweat"

When the boys finally got old enough,  Kev and Boo's Ninangs (M & E) would take them out for a day of shopping and junk food indulgence. (BTW - If you guys have any pics, please send 'em my way so I can add them to their scrapbooks.) Anyway, M & E would pick up their excited godchildren so they could celebrate their birthdays. They would take them to Target, place each godchild in their own shopping cart, and spoil them rotten. Then M & E would stuff the boys with Icees, burgers, and of course, good times! Every year, before they would pick up the boys, I always warned reminded  M & E to, "Be prepared to sweat." Even when my best friend K and her soon-to-be hubby Jay offered to take the boys to the carnival this past June, I warned them to "be prepared to sweat" too!

Why do I do this?  Well, it's simple really. There is seriously something about taking care of children that makes you more aware of your sweat glands. I've never been a sweaty person, but during times of stress of parental embarrassment, I suddenly feel hot. Very hot. Parenting is tough stuff. Quick would-be-10-minute-trips to the grocery store turn into a huge ordeal. It takes tons of planning and preparation when you have three kids to lug around. Or even one kid for that matter! What takes a "normal person" 15 minutes to accomplish, takes 45 minutes for a parent to complete.

Kids. Make. You. Sweat!

Last weekend  (10/1/10) John went to Pismo Beach for his "bachelor party."  (It wasn't cancelled despite our wedding being postponed.) This is the 3rd time he has left me to lion tame on my own for a weekend, and ...HOT DAMN....I did a hell of a lot of sweating this weekend!!! My SILs and MIL were a huge help, but I must say this "pseudo-single-parent thing" is tough for me. It definitely doesn't help that I'm pregnant, exhausted all the time, and have terrible sciatica. (I can barely carry Niki anymore.) I wasn't exactly the thrilled about the idea of John's celebration --who has a bachelor party when they're not getting married?--but it was a wonderful opportunity for the kids and I to have some alone time. I had a blast hanging out with my cubbies for the the weekend. :)
 
(BTW - My hat's off to all you single parents out there. I have three very good friends who do the "single parent thing" on a daily basis. And like to take a moment to share that I really admire them for being able to keep it together. I could barely hang for a weekend!)

John left at around 7pm on Friday 10/1/10. After dinner was served, the kids were bathed, medication was administered, and cleaning was done, I let the kids paint up a storm. They drew all sorts of goodies, and I plastered them all over the place. They were very proud of their art gallery, and I experienced the "Art of Lion Taming" on a literal level. ;-)

Boo's Artwork...

This yellow picture is supposed to be Boo riding on Epin Lion Lion. "And he has wheels!"

 Another lion by Boo..

LOL... I have no idea why Boo wrote out "BAD"

 Boo's "October Calendar"

Kev's Artwork...

His rendition of an "October Calendar"

 Kev's 1st Lion...

 I think we have a budding obsession with lions!

 Kev's Racecar...

Niki's Artwork...

 Niki saw the boys painting and said, "Eye-n daw." Which translates to "I want draw." :)

Her Ninong P and Auntie T got her this art pad when she was in the hospital for the Serratia infection.

Niki still LOVES using it!!! And yes, she's a lefty.

Saturday, 10/2/10 was a little more hectic. Kevin had CCD in the morning, I had baking to do, and it was my nephew/godson's 2nd birthday party in Hercules. Boo injured his foot that morning (it got sliced open after it got caught under a door) so he was NOT a happy little boy. If you know Boo, then you probably know all about how "all is not right with the universe" when Boo needs his attention. He cried for close to 30 minutes! I tried my best to shower him with kisses and  juggle Niki's needs at the same time. I felt hot --very hot-- during that 30 minute time period! I bandaged his foot and wrapped an icepack around it, and it still wasn't enough to satisfy him.

After I got back from picking up Kevin at CCD, Boo helped me bake cookies for my nephews party. Thank goodness a little bit of sugar was all he needed to turn his frown upside down. Oh, and my frown too, of course! Beating the shit out of eggs that morning helped me get rid of some residual annoyance I had with John for leaving me for the weekend. ;)

Sifting...

Beating...

 Incorporating...

 Boo beating out some of his anger...

 More Boo-Boo...

 Done...

  Chocolate Chip Cookies.....

 I know you're not supposed to, but I can never resist opening up the stove to take a peek. And a whiff!

 We also made what John likes to call "Churro Cookies." 

Rolling in cinnamon sugar...

 They smell like Christmas when they bake. :)

 The finished product...

 Cooooookies!!!

Boo enjoying the fruits of his labor...

I did too. :)

  

Once all the baking was done, I got the kids ready so we could make it to my nephew/godson Enzo's 2nd birthday party/house warming in Hercules. My SIL KC came along to help since I had to take the smaller (less comfortable car) on the long drive there. The cubs love their Daddy's "monster truck" because they can watch movies during long car rides. The cubs were cranky (they were"bored") so the car ride to Hercules SUCKED despite my SIL being there to help. Nevertheless, we made it to Hercules no more than 2 hours after the party started. And this was with traffic and getting a little lost! (John took the GPS with him to Pismo.) Enzo's party was super fun, adorable, and his cake was perfect for the occasion. It's a replica of my sister's house. :)

I had an awesome time catching up with my sisters (I've missed them terribly), my neice D, and hanging out the bathroom with my Stepmama & Dad. We even helped my little brother K work on some Philosophy homework in the process! I was "sweating up a storm" keeping up with the cubs, but my SIL KC was a tremendous help! The best part of the night was seeing my Grandma. I hadn't seen her for a few months, and it feels always makes me feel so good to be in her presence. My Nanay's strength always fills me with so much hope even when I'm feeling at my lowest. I can only hope to evolve into half the person she is as I travel my life's journey.

Here are a few pictures of the party...

The boys waiting for their phallic balloon animals...

Niki's doing the hokey-pokey! (See the phallic balloon sculpture?)

My sister S got this keepsake for Ethan in Greece. (She even brought back t-shirts for the boys and N&N's first matching dress set!) But...it was this souvenir that blew me away. It didn't make me sad, but I felt my eyes water because I was so touched and overjoyed that she thought of him. Thanks, S. I know Ethan appreciates it too. :)

We got back from Hercules pretty late. My SIL and I were exhausted --totally "sweated out"-- and the kids were knocked out by the time we for back to DC. The only upside to our crazy day was the fact that the kids slept the entire night. They had a LOT of fun! And I got some much needed sleep.

I woke up the next day and felt like baking again. Boo and I made some cheesecake and more "churro cookies" so they would be ready by the time John got home. Can you tell that I'm having fun with my rekindled love affair with baking? I know I've said it before, but I feel like a kid again.  :)

Finely crushed by hand. (Boo is helping me fill the measuring cup.)

 Mixed in the pie plate to save on dishes. ;-)

 Packing the crust...

 Whipped by hand...

 More whipping...

 Pouring...

Now it's set...

The finished product....

The recipe was a little sweet for my taste so I'm going to cut out some of the sugar next time -- I like my cheesecake a little more "cheesier." (John loved it, but one slice was too much sweetness for me so I guess different strokes for different folks.) Also, the recipe called for a 2 hour set time, but I think overnight is a little better. The cheesecake pie tasted even better the next day.

All in all, this weekend was a blast. (Even though John wasn't around to help.) John claims that he won't be having a bachelor party anymore when we actually DO get married because of this weekend getaway. We'll see about that! The kids missed their Daddy desperately and I was still mildly annoyed when he got home, but deep down inside I missed him too. And...even though I wasn't totally "prepared to sweat" for the weekend, having some one-on-one time with my cubs was totally worth it.

(Random Note: Niki's MRSA came back. She developed a new bite-like lesion on her left hip/groin area on Wednesday 9/29. Dr. Sweetheart had Niki get back on Septra on Thursday, 9/30. The good news is Niki's lesion is smaller than the first one, and Dr. Sweetheart thinks this second round of Septra will fully eradicate the problem. She's officially off the Septra this Sunday. It just sucks to have to follow the MRSA de-colonization protocol...again. And to be back on a crazy medication schedule...again! Niki doesn't like swallowing meds so we have to mix it (the Septra & Iron) with some Pediasure.)