Treat-Street Ready

Unplug the hot glue guns and put down the exacto knives, the Dennelers are ready for Halloween! 

This year, Gus is going as a classic Lego Man. 

And Bea is a calico cat. ('Tis the year for all-things-calico at our house, of course.)

Now, let's get out there and find us some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Snickers candy bars.

How tall this fall?

2012 - Gus grew 4 inches this year... four freakin' inches!

The Dennelers (and about 15,000 other Wichitans) said "Hey..... let's go to a pumpkin patch on Saturday!" 

After I downloaded all of our photos from the unusually-hot-for-late-October, fun-filled afternoon, I took a little trip down memory lane and looked at some pictures from years past. 

My favorite is always the photo of the kids next to the "How tall this fall?" sign.

Sigh. My little punkins sure are growing up.

2007 - Bea was just learning to walk.

Bachelorette Bakery

Some friends of mine hosted a bachelorette gathering the other night and asked me to make a dessert for the bride-to-be. Knowing Amy - and how sweet, chic, and sophisticated she is - I tried to make something equally elegant, with just a "bite" of humor.

I printed out this phrase on a poster:

Before Amy says "I do," let's take her out for one more night of "Oh no you didn't!"

Then I mounted it on foam core, cut holes where all of the O's were, dropped a macaron into each hole, and lined the outside with 4 dozen more macarons.

I'm hope they were enjoyed over much laughter and a glass of wine or two, or three.... or four.

Half-Marathon High-Fives

Eric had a small-but-mighty, brightly-colored, polar-fleeced fan club cheering his every step at the Wichita Prairie Fire Half-Marathon today. (We've learned over the years - and the many, many races that Eric's been in - that we all need to wear something bright and colorful. It helps us find Eric in a pack of runners, and it helps him find us in a crowd.)

I'm proud to say that our guy finished 68th out of 2140 runners, with a time of 1:36:04.

Way to go, Daddy-O!

Saying "Hi" with Pie

I mailed 85 slices of fake pumpkin pie this week to family & friends. The annual Denneler Family letter took the form of mailable pie this year. Sometimes, when I get an idea for a project, I become completely obsessed with it until I've executed it. That would be the case here. I started on them in early August and completed them a few weeks ago. 

Carpel tunnel be damned! I was going to mail pumpkin pie if it killed me. 

I hear they've been a hit with many mail carriers. One of my friends even pranked his wife by putting their slice on a plate, covering it with Saran Wrap, and leaving it in the fridge for her to find. (Imagine her disappointment when she discovered it was made of upholstery foam, cardboard and wall caulking.)

Happy Fall y'all.... Hope you enjoy every last bite of 2012!

p.s.
Wanna make one (or 85) for yourself? Here's my simple tutorial on SheKnows.com. 

I love mailing weird stuff.

Looks real, doesn't it?

Lots of pie drying on our spare bed in the basement.

Piles of pie on my kitchen table, ready to mail.

Sticky-Sweet for Trick-or-Treat

I've been mildly obsessed with sugar my entire life. So it's not surprising that I would want to dress one of my children up like cotton candy.

I created this costume tutorial for SheKnows last weekend, and Miss Bea got to act as my sweet model. 

For all the step-by-step photos, check out my easy, no-sew, hassle-free, Halloween-how-to at SheKnows.com.

Guess what though? Bea doesn't want to wear this for Halloween. She wants to be a calico cat. Sigh. Better keep the hot glue gun plugged in, I guess. Only 26 more days 'til trick-or-treat.

Baking for Breast Cancer

Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I created a simple tutorial for SheKnows that features my Cookies & Cupcakes for the Cure. There are lots of fun suggestions for "nipple" candies, and even some PDFs you can download to make your own clever packaging and labels. 

I think I've done some version of these every year since 2008. First, it was cupcakes in pink boxes for my friend (a breast cancer survivor) who was in charge of a Dig for the Cure Volleyball Tournament. She wanted some fun desserts to sell at the concession stand. Then, one year it was Bags 'O Boobs cookies. Another year it was cupcakes again. And then two years ago, my sister in-law found out she had breast cancer and wanted to make some "thanks for all the support" treats to give to her friends and coworkers that helped her through her treatment. 

Ironically, my Aunt Maryellen was a breast cancer survivor from the 1960's (back when breast cancer wasn't so survivable.) She's pretty much the whole reason I am the crazy, creative baker that I am today. Some things come full-circle, don't they?