Blog a la Cart

Monkey Cake Balls

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY, SUNNY!

Yes, it’s Sunny’s birthday, and as promised, we’re monkeying around to celebrate.

To kick off the celebrations, we spent yesterday evening constructing Monkey Cake Balls. I had never heard of a cake ball until a friend turned me on to the magic. What a brilliant idea. Cake, in a ball, on a stick. Perfection!

Cake balls themselves are quite easy to make, so we took it one step further and pulled together monkey faces using sugary treats for the facial features. More fun, and certainly delicious, than a barrel of monkeys!

Ingredients:
1 box cake mix
1 tub frosting
1 bag of chocolate chips
Hershey’s drops candy (We used the Cookies n’Creme version)
Red decorating gel
Chocolate covered pretzel circles (We used Nabisco 100 cal MisterSalty Milk Chocolate Pretzels)
Baking dots or pearls
Lollipop sticks or skewers
Styrofoam block

Directions:

1. Bake the cake per the box’s instructions.

2. While the cake is still warm, crumble it up in a bowl and dump the tub of frosting in. Mix well. Create 1-2″ balls of the cake/frosting mix and refrigerate on wax paper until cool.

3. Insert lollipop sticks into the balls, and suspend the sticks upright in a block of styrofoam. Lucky for us, we’d just finished an epic kitchen assembly project for Sunny’s birthday surprise and had plenty of styrofoam packaging lying around. Chill the balls again for another hour.

4. While the balls are chilling, prepare the monkey facial features. Cut the circular chocolate covered pretzels in half for ears.

5. Use the red food gel to draw a mouth on the Hershey’s melts.

6. Once all of the facial features are prepared, carefully melt the chocolate chips in a glass bowl. Remember, chocolate burns easily! Dip a chilled cake ball in the melted chocolate and use a spatula to evenly cover the ball in chocolate.

\

7. Since the ball is chilled, the chocolate will harden quickly, thus you’ll need to apply the facial features ASAP. Apply the chocolate covered pretzel ears to either side of the ball. Then attach the face. And use baking dots or pearls for the eyes.

8. And look at that! A monkey cake ball you have. Now repeat until you have a troop of monkeys (yes, the proper word for a group of monkeys is TROOP!). Refrigerate until serving.

9. Let your little monkey enjoy! (Obviously, watch her/him closely with the sticks).

Photo: Ashley Weeks Cart

My 2 Year Old.

We have some work to do in showing the world that we are two fingers old. We’ll get there.

24 Months.

Dearest Addison Weeks,

Today you are two full fingers.

I have to pause a moment when I write that. How can you possibly be so grown up? How can I have possibly had the honor of being your mommy for a full two years? I’m filled with nostalgia looking at pictures of you on your birth day 24 months ago, and yet simultaneously taken and filled with pride by the incredible toddler you’ve become.

Regardless of my conflicted feelings on your age, the fact remains that you are a growing and brilliant little girl. One who daily amazes her parents with her laughter and story-telling, her kisses and make believe. This past month, the house has been transformed by your burgeoning imagination. Daddy and I watch in awe as you make up fantastical tales stacking your blocks, or pushing your stuffed animals in your rocking horse, or sitting contentedly with your books, page after page relaying stories based on the images you see within. It is truly remarkable that you are capable of such dreams, and word on the street is that these fantasies will only become more fantastic and awe-inspiring as you get older.

I can’t wait.

Just don’t get there too quickly. It makes my heart ache.

Ever since your transition to your big girl bed, we’ve established a routine of Mommy and Daddy sandwiching you each evening in its covers and reading you your bed time stories. While it’s apparent that you enjoy this new ritual, I think it is your Daddy and I that love it most. We are cherishing this time when it is just the three of us. Clinging to it. While we are so excited to welcome your baby sister into the world, we know that we will never again have the opportunity to direct all of our attention and love to just one child. The past two years have been remarkable. And irreplaceable. You’ve taught us how to be parents. You started our family. And we are squeezing out the final drops of this time before we begin another amazing stage in our lives.

Just yesterday afternoon, the three of us sat in a circle on the floor orchestrating choreographed dance moves to your music class CD. We giggled. And danced. And smothered you in snuggles and kisses. You kept demanding, “Mommy Daddy kiss Sunny” which is your command for the two of us to sandwich your cheeks in our kisses. Needless to say, we always comply.

I’m sorry that you won’t remember this time, little one, because your Mommy and Daddy will treasure it forever.

Earlier this year, your Momar told me that the best year’s of your life are the one’s that you’ll spend raising your children.

I don’t think she’s ever been more right. And that’s saying a lot coming from one first born to another. You’re sure to understand that sentiment when you’re older, my fellow first born.

Thank you for helping this family find true love.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Sunny.

143 Mama