Kit Kat Cake with Smarties

Happy 1st Day of School!!!

School started today, on a Wednesday, so I thought I should bring back our Widney Wednesday tradition with this back-to-school trait.

I have been wanting to make this cake for months! Tonight, all things combined to make it a reality. The kids were ecstatic when they saw the cake. It made it so worth it!!!

Smarties
These Smarties are like M&Ms but better. They are from my homeland, Canada. My BFF, Usher, brought a bunch back for me after his last business trip up there. (Thanks, Usher!) No BFF? Use M&Ms. 8 King-sized boxes.

Kit Kat
I used King-sized bars. The bars automatically break at the 4-piece mark which is handy. 5 King-sized bars.

Cake and Icing
Normally I make cakes from scratch. I asked J to bring home a cake mix and icing last week. (Thanks, Babe!) I don't like chocolate cake or icing so I used vanilla. But do what makes you happy.

I used two round cake pans (square would be easier), let them cool, cut the tops off to get a smooth top. I put the bottom cake on a vintage white Ikea plate (that just means I've had the plate set for 21+ years). Icing. Flip the top cake so the bottom becomes the top of the cake. Icing the top and sides.

Layer Smarties on top. I didn't do this but wish I had - put Smarties on the sides of the cake. Warning! Don't overload the top with Smarties. They will fall everywhere when you cut in to it!!!

Put Kit Kat bars on the sides. Might need a second person if you put Smarties on the sides.

Get your incredibly creative and artistically gifted husband to tie the ribbon around it all to hold it together.

Remove ribbon before cutting.

Enjoy!!!

Truth Time
As I sat down to eat my dessert while watching a documentary with J, I accidentally hit J's knee with the hand holding my cake. It went flying everywhere!!!!

Widney Wednesday - Pumpkins!

It's been a looooooooong time since I've done a Widney Wednesday. While this does not meet up with my usual all out event night, it was a fun time.

J made a Jack-o-Lantern

While I gutted the pumpkins and roasted pumpkin seeds

Carving pumpkins and roasting pumpkin seeds is a very 'Canadian' thing to do. The word 'Canadian' here actually means 'white'. As in, white people do this kind of thing.

It was my first time gutting a pumpkin and roasting seeds.

I researched pumpkin seed recipes on the Internet.

You know what I learned?

Pretty much, do whatever the Hell you want with them:

Dry over night, don't dry them over night. 

Use olive oil, or butter, or vegetable oil, or canola oil. 

Add table salt, rock salt, sea salt.

Add the salt before you dry them, while you dry them, 

before you roast them, or while you roast them.

Fry 'em up in a pan or roast them in an oven.

Bake 'em for 45 min, 60 min, or more.

My husband and kids LOVED them!!

That's all that mattered to me.

Widney Wednesday - Chicago Cubs

Today, we went to a Chicago Cubs game with a bunch of staff from J's office. 

Took the kids out of school.

It was sooooooo much fun!!!

I got to chat with Rosie, Rachel, Kimberly, Tim, and Kevin. 

And, I have scheduled times to get together with Rosie and with Rachel. 

Oh, wait!! We were there to see the game...

The Cubs won!!!!!!!

Widney Wednesday - St. Patrick's Day 2009

Greening of the Chicago River!!

Greening of Motor Mouth

Green Mini Me

Green Original Mini Me

Green Eggs

Green Shamrock Pancakes

Green Cupcakes

Shepherd's Pie - Not green but oh so good!

Family Fun Night - Kid Style

It seems my kids really miss our Family Fun Nights. Motor Mouth and Mini Me set this display up on Motor Mouth's bed and put Wall-e on his TV. Then they called me to come watch because it was Family Fun Night!!!

Okay. Okay. I get the hint. 

We'll start back soon.

Promise.

Family Fun Night - History

We watched history being made as a family.

In years to come, when we are asked where we were, our response will be: "We were in church, as a family, watching the Inauguration on the big screens, holding hands."

Family Fun Night - Ice Skating

We went ice skating at Millenium Park

with our dear friends

Everyone had a great time and no one got seriously hurt. Sounds like success to me!

It was nice to be on the ice again after so long. I'm from Canada where our first shoes are actually ice skates.

Just hold on and everything will be alright

(Notice J CARRYING Mini Me in background)

"I done, Mommy!"

Oopsy!!

Ow! I hurt

Help! I've fallen and can't get up!!

Ice Princesses

Hot Momma's

iPhone Daddy's

Zamboni - This one was built in Canada, eh!

Watching/waiting as the ice is resurfaced...

Sound asleep. Ahhhh...A good day, indeed.

I will say, I was RUSTY. But considering it has been a decade or two since I last ice skated, I thought I did aiight!!

Family Fun Night - Grandparent Style

The Kids' Grandparents came to town!!

Grandma & Grandpa and a T-Rex

Mini Me loves her 'MawMaw'

Isn't my MIL cute?!

I can't believe I cried when they left. I teared up and could barely talk. When I told J, he said, "You did what??" I laughed and told him it must be that time of month! Raging hormones!!

Christmas decorations and

about 9 stories in Neiman Marcus

I think this picture is upside down...Shouldn't the decorations be on the bottom floors?

Neiman Marcus Building

This ceiling is above the cosmetics counter.

At 1.6 million pieces of glass, 

it is the largest Tiffany mosaic in the world. 

It's beyond beautiful. It's breath-taking. 

Pigeons keeping warm by fire at Daley Plaza

I thought this looked so odd and funny.

We had a great time. 

J's parents were our best friends for so many years. 

We do miss them. 

Thank you iChat for shortening the distance.

Family Fun Night - Pumpkin Patch '08

Pumpkin Patch '08

Every year, the Widney Clan meets for Savastano's Chicago Style Pizza in Tulsa for lunch, then on to the Pumpkin Patch in Jenks for pictures, pony rides, petting zoo, and pumpkins.

On Sunday, our family went without us. But that's okay because Motor Mouth's school went on a field trip to Goebbert's Pumpkin Patch in South Barrington, IL, a Chicago suburb. We didn't do the pizza 'cause, well, we live in Chicago now so we can get the real thing anytime we want.

We made our own memory on this day.

It was so wonderful!!

We waited for everyone to arrive

They had a chalkboard for the kids to mess up

Mini Me and Daddy

Mini Me was so wonderful

It was FA-reeeeeeZZZing Cold

What a big pumpkin

Goebberts is a real, working farm

In the background, you can see the field

We went on a Hay Ride through the 'spooky' forest

Petting Zoo

There were 3 petting zoo tents and 1 outdoors

Zebra!!

Momma Pig and her Piglets

The kids named the 1st one 'Wilbur'

Hello!!

Momma Kangaroo and her Baby (Joey)

What the heck is that?! 

Cross between a zebra and a horse???

There was a tall, pumpkin eating Dinosaur/Dragon 

Picking up a pumpkin

Holding the pumpkin high in the sky

Crushing the pumpkin with its massive jaws

Pumpkin debris crashing to the ground