Partridge and Purple and Pancakes - Oh MY!

What a busy weekend!!  My first activity was Partridge watching!! lol  Ok - Partridge waiting to be more specific. :)  My bird feeders have been super busy over the last week.  We are definately keeping the Grackle population very well fed.  Most days, it's like a Hitchcock movie - watching them storm in and out - scaring all the desirabel birds away.  I thought that Grackles were supposed to be territorial and that we'd only get stuck with about 20 - but nope!!  Not my yard - we're well over 100 I'm sure!  In the middle of all of this, though, Hubby has seen a few Partridge at the feeders.  They're too big and too dumb to figure out what to do with them, though, and I imagine it's kinda like the seagulls from Finding Nemo with the "MINE-MINE-MINE" IQ.  They flutter and bounce about with zombie intelligence and then fluster off in a flurry of feathers.  Hubby promised to try and get me some pics so my fingers are crossed.

Pancakes - We have learned that we don't like Costco pancake mix - it's pretty gross!!  But - we have a ton of it (as most costco items go) and have to use it up.  So far this week, we've had Berry, strawberry, apple and orange pancakes and have discovered that with enough maple syrup and brown sugar - it's not half bad! lol  I really do miss Aunt Jemima though. :(

Now for the Purple part of my weekend...I had a little bit of cake and frosting left over, so I was thrilled to make a smash cake for my friend Pam.  She asked for a cupcake smash cake in purple but let me have creative freedom.  Because it's for a photo-shoot, though, it had to be rainbow inside so rainbows they got!!  :D  I LOVE rainbow cake!!!

I had to slice the top off of the half round - but this is what's inside (I love peeking anyway so I didn' mind. :) )  I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. :)  Here's the final product. :)

When I was done, though, it still needed somthing.  a little "pop" of color.  It needed a cherry!  Trouble is...it's a smash cake for a 1 year old...and for a photo shoot - so - getting a pic of a choking baby is not the goal or purpose of this cake.  I had to find a way to make a cherry out of buttercream frosting and dang-flabbit - I did!!!  Aint it cute!!!? :D  I made a little glob of red buttercream frosting and put it in the freezer.  After a few minutes - I rolled it into a ball with my hands (and made a heckuva mess too) but it still wasn't smooth.  So - back in the freezer it went to harden up a little more.  Then I took it out - put a little mound of plain white sugar in my hand - and rolled it again with the sugar and voila!!  a perfect little cherry!  I couldn't think of a way to make a stand up stem with buttercream (and it was pretty late by the time I thought of the cherry) so I added a tiny leave and voila!  I can be pretty creative when I put my mind to it.  And now - the suspense is killing me cuz I'm DYING to see what Pam comes up with for pics!! :D