Fondant

I have firmly decided that I HATE fondant. My first class in fondant started yesterday- all I see fondant as is a messy, hard to work with, and not to mention disgusting tasting. I spent 2 hours working on ONE decoration. I think it is a waste of time- it becomes rock hard, so it makes it hard to eat when put on a cake. It also tastes terrible, so while you might get a lot of compliments on how pretty your cake is, no one will actually EAT your cake. To me, the best part of baking is watching others enjoy what I have made- I can achieve a beautiful cake that is still edible by using icing.

Also, when working with fondant, you often have to use a wonderful little confection called gum paste. For those who don't know what gum paste is, I'll shorten down the description: A block of white, sticky stuff to make your fondant more durable and to make it harden better. It comes in a plastic ziplock bag and is very tricky to break off a piece, let alone work it into the fondant. In the end, I got a really pretty bow that is currently hardening in my kitchen... but I doubt I'll ever use it on a cake for the reasons mentioned above.

If any of my readers use fondant frequently and have any tips for me, PLEASE leave them in the comments. It would be much appreciated.

Maddie

Absolute Animals Is Back!

I have not blogged on my animal blog in FOREVER, so when Dad gave me an animal to do the other day, I decided- why not get my blog back on track?! I gave it a whole new look, and there is a fresh new post up, and by the end of the day today, there will be 3 more! I hope that my readers will take a moment and click here to check out the new version of Absolute Animals! I worked hard on it and will be more often now. If you do check out my blog, please take time and contribute in the little "survey" I am running in the top right corner of the site.

Not much has really been going on other than that- me and my sister are sick again, but that isn't a big surprise- OH! Me and Dad have been playing Skyrim (an xBox game) and have discovered we like being thieves a lot. I am trying to level up my pickpocketing skills, while Dad is just starting to learn how to steal stuff (I help him a lot). For any of my readers who play Skyrim, here are some thieving tricks (if you know these and know some others, please leave them in the comments. It is highly appreciated).

Check the barrels.
In many Skyrim towns, no one cares if you rummage through barrels. Most of the time you can raid barrels in buildings like inns as well- just make sure there isn't a red 'steal' caption on it. The barrels often contain food and, if you're lucky, coins.

Close the doors.
If you want to successfully raid an inn or a convenience store, go into a room with a door and close it. Before starting your raid, make sure that the store clerk doesn't come upstairs and catch you (this happened to me in Riverwood and I had to restart my game), and make sure the store keeper doesn't open the door. A way to avoid being on the "suspicious list" is to be careful- if you knock over a pot or something, the store owner will start following you around.

This post is getting quite lengthy- so I will end it here. I hope those tips help you.

Maddie

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood: IMPOSSIBLE!

I don't know how many of my readers have ever played ACB, but for those of you who have- on Xbox at least- you probably understand my annoyance. These are the 4 main annoying things I've run into in the game- so far! (People who do not know Assassin's Creed should either look it up, or just scroll to the next post. I am not going to bother going into detail on what everything is because I would need a book to do it.)

1. The Borgia Horseman
   This guy is almost IMPOSSIBLE to defeat. He slashes at you from his horse, and being you are only given a flimsy little assassin blade with which to do your fighting, by the time you kill his horse, your health is so low that the first strike he hits you with kills or "desynchronizes" you with the Animus.
2. The Borgia Messenger
   You are expected to run after this jerk after he takes an important letter from you. You do not know HOW annoyed I got at this part of the game. It took me a few tries, but I finally got it. Then I killed him (AFTER getting the letter). I had to make sure I didn't ever have to redo that part of the game. If you get more than a few feet away from him, the game desynchronizes you and you have to start over. The only hope in getting past this is to remember the path he takes and cut across to it to tackle him BEFORE he hops up on the wall.
3. The Masked Man From The Dungeon Chase
   You encounter a masked man in one of the dungeons halfway through the game- and you have to chase him on horseback. You start out running and have to jump onto a horse halfway through to continue the chase. It is extremely hard to coordinate the controls, and me and Dad  have not yet passed this part of the game. 
4. The Beginning Game Sequence
   Yes, the tutorial gave me trouble....you can stop laughing now. You have to follow a friend to a meeting point, and fight your way through. It is pretty annoying, because when you get caught in combat he keeps going. Thankfully, my Dad played the game before me and helped me get through by telling me where to go. If you are not as privileged as I am, then just replay it- but remember where he goes so that if he gets ahead of you, you can catch up to him fast.

Well, these are the troubles I have had. Let me know down below if you have had any problems yourself!

Maddie

Promotion For My Dad's Website- Basset Hound Hideaway

The First thing you need to know is that this site is about you. Given that's the case, there are three special rules you need to know in regards to how I choose the dogs that are in my Hall of Honor and in my blog articles. I call them my every day specials...and there are three of them.

Special #1

If you volunteer at a Basset Hound Rescue or you provide foster care for Basset Hounds email me at wayne_nef@yahoo.com. Your dog or dogs will automatically be included in the Hall of Honor and I will write a short blog article introducing your pet to the community. I believe your hard work to help Basset Hounds should be recognized and I am happy to do it.

Also, if you work at a Rescue and you have a dog up for adoption that you want highlighted please let me know and I will try to put a nice introduction into the blog for the dog in question.

Special #2

I have a link on the right hand side of the page for the Mid-Atlantic Basset Hound Rescue donation page. If you make a donation to the Rescue (minimum $5) I will add your dog to the Basset Hound Hall Of Honor. To get your dog recognized in the Hall is really easy:

1. Click the link below or to the right.
2. Donate at least $5 (preferably more) via Paypal
3. Forward your PayPal receipt to: wayne_nef@yahoo.com along with a picture of your dog, your name, your dog's favorite hangout (ie your local dog park, hiking trail, etc.), and the dog's favorite treat.

Mid-Atlantic Basset Hound Rescue Donation Page

Special #3

Buy something from our store (hosted by amazon.com) or through our advertising banners and email me what you bought along with a picture of your Basset Hound and some playful facts about your dog and I will feature them in a short blog article. Each article will include a picture of your dog and a few sentences. Please send those emails towayne_nef@yahoo.com and put Basset Hound Boutique article in the title. Please note that I may email you back for more info on your dog if it is needed.

This is my Dad's ad. I just copied and pasted it to my blog. If you'd like to check out his blog and get your dog featured on the hall of fame, please click here. You have to make a donation and have a basset hound to be featured. Look for more dog hideaways on the way soon!!!

Now on to my normal blog post. Our new stove arrived yesterday, so I have been baking, baking, baking. I have made bread, chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting, roast beef, and a DELICIOUS apple pie. Yum. I will write a paragraph on each and finally rate them at the end.


Bread-
First things first, the bread was starchy from the beginning. Second, it was also hard to knead. Hmmm... wonder how it'll turn out. Me and Grandma made it and kneaded it and baked it, and from all our labor all we got was a small, rock solid, disgusting little lump that was barely worthy of the title "bread". It almost broke my teeth, and was heavy and yucky in the center. The only thing that made it taste better was about a pound of butter and a gallon of jelly.

Chocolate Cupcakes w/ buttercream frosting (homemade)
"Those are the best cupcakes I have tasted in all my 74 years!" That was a direct quote from my Grandma after she tasted one of my delicious chocolate cupcakes. I used Pilsbury Dark Chocolate Cake Mix, and a recipe for frosting that came on the back of a WalMart icing pump. It was sooooooo good.... and the cupcakes came out perfectly moist.

Roast Beef- didn't make it, but it was rare and juicy and delicious- best I have ever tasted in all of my ELEVEN years.

Apple Pie-
The apple pie was delicious. Even though I was CONSTANTLY being told I was doing it wrong while I was making it, it came out delicious anyway. I added some maple syrup to the mix and also used brown sugar instead of white sugar. What a difference in flavor- so much better. The crust, which I made at home instead of buying one, came out crisp and buttery as well.

P.S. I know I promised you guys new stuff in my store each week, sorry I haven't had the time to do it! By Saturday, I promise!!!

Maddie

Wizard101 Pet Interview with My Dad

Today, I decided to interview my Dad about his highest level Wizard101 pet, the penumbra drake. This pet is an ultra-rare get from the Knights Lore Pack, available in the Crown Shop in-game for only 399 crowns. Let's see what Dad (Valerian Stormfist) has to say about his cool new pet:

Me: Hello, I am here to talk to you about your latest pet, the ultra-rare penumbra drake. I have heard that you have been leveling it up recently, correct?
Dad: Yes, I have been playing the pet games in the Pet Pavilion. Duke Spencer is doing well, he is a teen now.
Me: What pet game do you play the most? Do you have a favorite, one that you are particularly good at?
Dad:Um, I like to play the game where you shoot your pet out of a cannon at the phony castle.
Me: Grumpy Gobblers, one of KingIsles' latest pet games?
Dad: Yes. I also like the maze game.
Me: Has it been hard to train Duke Spencer up to his current level?
Dad: It has been pretty easy, actually. Surprisingly easy. He likes his pet snacks!
Me: Haha, so you are in for it as he gets older!
Dad: Maybe.
Me: Has your pet picked up any new spells and/or talents as he progressed in training?
Dad: Yes he did. Not only does he have the death trap card, which he came with as a baby, but he ALSO now has the dragonblade spell, which he casts quite regularly on his own accord.
Me: Any new Derby talents?
Dad: Yes, he's gotten the CLEAR Derby talent. It removes one negative from self for 15 seconds.
Me: Now that Duke Spencer is a teen, I assume you have raced him in the pet derby.
Dad: Not yet, but I plan to do so soon, as soon as he is an adult.
Me: Duke Spencer.. what an interesting name. Did he come with that name as a baby, or does it have some significant meaning to you?
Dad: He came with that name, actually. I usually name my pets after my daughter Madison.
Me: AWWWW! HOW SWEET IT'S ME!
Me: Well, that's about all the time we have folks. If you have a Wizard101 topic you want me to interview my Dad about, let me know in the comments. No topics that violate KingIsles' rules please.