How running has changed my life...

Some of you may know that I'm an avid runner -- I kept running three-mile runs until I hit 34 weeks into my pregnancy with Kate (when everything... energy, knees, pelvis, back... gave out and up).

What you guys don't know is that, before a few years ago, I hadn't run since... oh... high school (and even then I did it grudgingly).

I read something earlier about a contest on Track Shack's blog (a local running store) about how running changed your life... and I started reflecting on it...

Way back when, in college, I tried to keep myself in decent shape. I ran stadiums and took the occasional tour around campus, but my eating habits were atrocious (as most college students are). I graduated from college, started a high stress job and met my eventual husband. Things started slowly going downhill. I met my husband at 21 and 125 (ish) pounds... married him at 23 and 130 pounds... and became pregnant with my son at 26 and 143 pounds. In five short years I had gained close to 20 pounds -- an average of 4 a year. My heart routinely rested at 95 beats per minute and tacchycardia wasn't abnormal for me. Walking up a flight of stairs was an occasion for a racing heart and heavy breathing. In addition to the weight I was carrying, I gained an *additional* 43 pounds, making my weight a whopping 186 at the time I was admitted to the hospital to give birth to my son. Keep in mind, I am only 5'4'' tall. My blood pressure was routinely in the 150/90 range and it even got to the point where my OB threatened bed rest if I couldn't lower my blood pressure on my own. My labor was complicated and ultimately resulted in a c-section -- a disappointing, but not altogether unexpected (considering my health), turn of events for me and something that has truly bothered me since my son was born. Relatively soon after my son was born I had my first abnormal EKG... at 27 years old.

My father has been on high blood pressure medication since he was 27. He has had multiple heart attacks. Diabetes runs rampant throughout both sides of my family. My grandfather died of a heart attack when he was only 50. I look at my father and wonder if he'll be there to see his first grandchild turn 10... nevermind graduate high school or get married.

I looked at my father and son and realized something -- if I wanted to see my grandchildren graduate from high school, I had to make changes. Not a diet but a significant lifestyle change.

I reduced my red meat consumption and increased the amount of fish that I ate. I switched to more lean cuts of meat (such as extra lean pork loin instead of pork shoulder). I became a dedicated label reader and outlawed anything with the words "partially hydrogenated" and "high fructose corn syrup" from our household. I switched to mostly organic foods -- especially dairy, packaged goods and eggs. I started buying fresh produce instead of canned and reduced the amount of butter in our cooking. I lowered our sodium intake by only purchasing low or no sodium canned goods and soups. I try to bake more instead of buying processed goodies. I make switches like substituting greek yogurt instead of sour cream in many recipes (unless my husband, who doesn't have the health concerns I did, pitches a fit).

But that was only a start.

I began slowly, by pushing my son in his stroller up and down the block. I increased my distance and soon we would walk a mile or more. Then, I began to jog with him in the stroller (taking frequent walking breaks at first). The first time I could jog around the block (which, in my neighborhood means 1.5 - 2 miles) without stopping to walk, I was elated. Eventually, over the course of a few years, I moved to a treadmill and routinely began running 5 - 6 miles on an almost daily basis. When my son started part-time preschool at a local Montessori, I joined a gym and started weight training and diversifying my work out routine. It helped to build muscle and increase my speed -- soon I was able to run a 24 minute 5K on the treadmill.

So, how did running change my life?

Thanks to the dietary changes, breastfeeding my son and the walking/jogging regimen, I was back down to 140 pounds in around a year and I lost even more weight after that. Before getting pregnant with Kate, I weighed between 120 and 123 pounds and my body fat percentage was excellent. I actually had close to a six-pack (which I'd *never* had before, even in high school). My blood pressure was routinely in the 105/65 range and my resting heart rate was in the upper 60s. My cholesterol was actually low the last time because the "bad" cholesterol levels were lower than normal -- a very, very good sign. My heart has no arhythmeia anymore and RUNNING up flights of stairs is no longer enough to wind me (well until lately).

But the best thing of all -- I FEEL amazing.

My last pregnancy was horrid. Every little awful thing bothered me -- I was miserable. The difference between my last pregnancy and this one is literally night and day. I actually competed in my first 10K at 20 weeks and finished at 71 minutes. I didn't even take a walk break until after I passed the three-mile-marker. I ran a 5K at 25 weeks and finished with a 29 minute time. My last 'official' 5K was at 30 weeks and my time was around 32 minutes. I kept running three miles around my neighborhood until I just got too uncomfortable running to keep going. I've been more active in this pregnancy than I was in the entire five years between graduating college and having my first child and it's solely the result of how great I feel. I was lucky to GET OFF THE COUCH during my first pregnancy nevermind actually take a walk around the block.. I was tired, miserable, hefty and uncomfortable. Do I believe that the difference in the way I feel is directly tied to my health? Absolutely. I have gained around 30 pounds this pregnancy (well within the healthy range for someone at normal weight), my resting heart rate is normal and my blood pressure is still in a terrific range. My blood work is all looking wonderful.

While changing my diet was an integral part of fixing my health before massive problems arose, I don't believe I could be in this great shape today unless I changed my exercise habits as well. Running provided me with a calming (and competitive) outlet. It helped to relax me on the days when my stress levels would rise while helping me fill some of the competitive fire I lost when I became a stay-at-home mom. Running has fulfilled me physically *and* mentally. It improved my self-confidence because I can look in the mirror and not feel ashamed of what I see. Running has also allowed my son to see that normal, healthy people make fulfilling exercise a part of their daily lives -- something I hope he will carry with him his whole life. He *loves* to come to races with me and thinks the children's runs that Track Shack puts on are ridiculously fun.

Running is cheap, easy therapy. Sun, rain, hot, cold, conditions don't matter. Bad day? Run it off. Indulged a bit too much? Run another mile or two and don't feel guilty.

Before, the idea of running made me want to cry. I'd probably put chinese water torture on my list of THINGS TO DO TODAY before I'd put running... now I can't wait to have my baby so I can get back to the treadmill and the open road. I'm planning on running my first half-marathon in early October (Disney's Wine and Run) and am looking forward to training for my first triathlon.

Honestly -- running has truly made my life better. I'm happier, more fulfilled, more energetic, more active and more satisfied. You never really realize how much poor health impacts your mental state until you totally change your lifestyle. My outlook on life wasn't good -- I wasn't really figuring I'd make it to my 70s, so I seemed to do everything I could to make sure I didn't. I suffered from bouts of insecurity and depression because I wasn't happy with the way I felt or the way I looked. I feel like I can be a better mother to my son and wife to my husband because I feel so much better around myself and my life in general.

The best part is that I'm not an anomaly. Anyone and everyone can do this, it just takes determination.

Recipe Time!

If there's one thing you should know about me it's that I *love* to bake. It must be the scientist-geek in me coming out. A lot of times I'll find recipes that I'm just not in love with, tinker with them and try them out on unsuspecting people. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't... and one of my favorite things to do is take a ridiculously unhealthy recipe and make it just a little healthier.

This is one of those times.

It all started when I couldn't decide which I'd rather eat -- oatmeal or chocolate chip cookies... so I decided to combine them. I think the results were pretty darned good -- what do you all think?

Please note: as I had to explain this to the hubby... this is much more on the side of an oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips in it than a chocolate chip cookie.

Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip Cookies

*1/2 c unbleached, all purpose flour

*1 c whole wheat flour

*1/2 t baking soda

*1/2 t salt (can even cut down to 1/4 or even omit if on a sodium restricted diet)

*1/2 c butter, softened

*1 c dark brown sugar

*1/2 c sugar

*1/2 c unsweetened, all-natural applesauce (bonus points if it's enriched with Vit. C)

*2 t vanilla extract

*2 eggs

*3 c rolled oats

*1 c chopped pecans (can omit this)

*1/2 c dark chocolate chips

*1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips (you can play with the ratio here)

#1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees

#2 Whisk together the flours, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

#3 Cream the butter and both sugars in a mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add in the applesauce and vanilla and mix to combine. Beat in eggs one at a time until just incorporated. Lower the speed to low on your stand mixer and slowly add in the dry ingredient mixture. Mix until just blended. With a wooden spoon or spatula, mix in the oats, pecans and chocolate chips by hand.

#4 Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls (or small tablespoonfuls) on to ungreased cookie sheets.

#5 Bake for 12 minutes or until the tops are slightly golden. Let cookies sit for five minutes on cookie sheets, then cool on wire racks.

Makes around 48 medium-sized cookies.

These aren't necessarily "healthy" cookies, but they're not too bad on the cookie/snack scale. A good indulgence once-in-a-while that has a nice balance of nutrition (in iron and fiber) and sweetness. As approximations (going off of the nutritional labels on the back of my ingredients), you're looking at the following nutritional info for TWO cookies, assuming you made 48 total:

216 cal, 11 g fat (5 g sat. fat), 71 mg sodium, 26 g carbs (2.5 g fiber, 14 g sugar), 3.5 g protein, and 7 mg potassium...

Obviously this is going to adjust more/less based off the number of cookies you actually make. Remember, though, that a lot of baking is variable... You can cut out the salt and cut the sodium down to 32 mg per serving (or cut it down to 1/4 and you'll have 51 mg sodium)... You can cut the number of chocolate chips in half and save yourself 23 cal, 1.5 g fat (1 g sat), 3 g carbs (2.7 g sugar)... though I like the sweetness the chips add... or you can eliminate the pecans (something the husband would vote for, since he's not fond of nuts and they're not integral to the recipe) and save yourself 36 cal, 3.5 g fat (.333 sat), .67 g carb per serving.

Personally, I think these are delicious cookies... not overwhelmingly sweet (especially with half dark chocolate)... moist and chewy... plus, using whole wheat flour and rolled oats gives you a nice helping of whole grains to go with the healthy unsaturated fats that the pecans give you.

So, what do ya think?

Etsy Seller Review of the Month (or whenever)

I've decided that I'd like to help my fellow Etsy sellers out a bit and do an "Etsy Seller Review of the Month" on my blog... I do a decent amount of shopping on there (especially for Christmas) so I have ample people that I want to recommend to my friends and readers.

Now, whether it'll really be *every* month is up in the air... ;)

Anyway, February's seller is TheFigLeaf.

So... How did you find her?

Honestly, I've been eyeing her stuff for a long time (she's been on my favorite seller list since June or July, at least). I love her iPod Nano holders but I never worked up the willpower to order something pretty/non-necessary for myself. This Christmas she was brought back to my attention when she was a Featured Seller at the exact time I was shopping for presents for friends and family. I found a really cute four pocket wallet for a teenage cousin of mine and decided to make a custom order request for a cream/red iPod holder as a Christmas present to myself.

I was so impressed with her that I decided to make another order with both a single pocket wallet for my preschooler (who will start receiving an allowance very soon) and my Valentine's Day gift (thanks, honey!). I requested one of her larger, clutch-style wallets to match the iPod holder. When I'm impressed with a seller enough to go back and order *again*, you know they're quality.

Evaluation

Customer Service: I contacted her about the custom order and purchased the wallet... even with the crush of orders she received from the Featured Seller bump, she still answered my convos in a timely manner (which matters a lot to me). She is wonderfully friendly and completely willing to customize designs to suit your needs. Once the custom order was done, I purchased it on Etsy and she sent it quickly. Her items come wrapped in a sturdy, tan paper and tied with a thin rope. They're well-wrapped and shipping isn't unreasonable for the items (one of my *biggest* pet peeves).

In the two orders I've placed with TheFigLeaf, I've never been disappointed in any aspect of customer service... which is so refreshing in today's gift-purchasing market.

Quality: Wow... that's all I really have to say. When I saw the wallet and the iPod holder, I was blown away. The craftsmanship is top-notch and the leathers she uses are butter-soft -- I was really surprised at the quality of the leather. Her assembly/stitching is perfect and her creations are definitely built to last. In this age of faux-everything, it's refreshing to see someone taking the effort to create stuff out of natural materials... especially considering she's doing it in a eco-friendly manner by strictly using remnants.

Both items I received (my son's wallet and my own) are wonderful. My son's wallet is a single pocket (since he'll only be getting a few bucks a week, he doesn't need that much space) and came with an elastic band to prevent the money from falling out. It's a great size -- perfect for a driver's license and a few credit cards along with cash -- for the price. I had her make a boat on it (he's huge in to pirates right now and thought a 'pirate ship' would really excite him) and it came out perfectly! My wallet is even more impressive. I ordered it because I'm going to be switching to a large diaper bag and my tiny wallet simply won't be found in its depths... ever... but I've already started using it (and getting TONS of compliments on it wherever I go) because of how beautiful it truly is. It comes with four pockets to hold credit cards, two larger pockets to hold cash or receipts, one large zippered pocket for change, and a pen/checkbook. It closes with a sturdy snap and even comes with a small ring so you can clip it to the inside of your purse (if you have a clip) or diaper bag.

In addition, I love her designs. She does everything from stamped leaves to stitched designs (I'm partial to the birds, can you tell?). Look through her past sales to really see the range of styles and designs she has done and don't be afraid to ask for a *new* design if you don't see what you want!

Price: I'll be honest -- sometimes I see items online and am shocked at the price (yes, even on Etsy). Mass-manufactured "boutique" items go for insane amounts -- $20 for a bib? Even using organic fabrics, that's ridiculous (and I should know since I buy organic fabrics). I'm sure many items are worth the cost (not the bibs, though) but it's still way outside of my comfort zone. I'm a stay-at-home mom, pregnant with my second, and throwing money away on items just doesn't appeal to me.

That being said, TheFigLeaf is priced wonderfully, insanely well (ie: affordable luxury for everyone, with any kind of budget). Her wallets range from $10.95 for the single-pocket/no elastic design up through $55 for the larger, clutch-style wallets. Her regular, five-pocket wallets (that look more like traditional wallets) cost a very reasonable $24.95 (check out her new design here for a neat four-pocket design with an additional money slot). I do want to note this right now, though, prices are accurate as of the time/date of this blog posting. Prices may increase and may not be accurate when you look at her shop.

Value: You know the saying "you get what you pay for" ? Well, in this instance you get so much more than you pay for. You don't have to worry about shoddy customer service or sub-par craftsmanship with TheFigLeaf -- her stuff will last for years to come. Her leathers will only get more luxurious and beautiful with use (though it does pain me slightly to abuse something so pretty).

Who is this shop for? Really... anyone. Looking for a gift for a teenager? She has iPod holders in tons of different styles and designs, great for boys and girls. Looking for a hard-to-shop-for husband? Her four and five-pocket wallets are a great, functional gift. Environmentally-conscious friend? Her leathers are new remnants (leftovers) and she makes everything by hand at home -- no mass-manufactured items here! Need something for mom? Her larger wallets or beautiful brooches are great for mom, aunt, sister or grandma! Or, just buy for yourself! It's one of the few things I've actually splurged on for myself in years and it was totally worth it.

Overall?

I've made two purchases from TheFigLeaf and I *will* be back, that's a guarantee. If not for a gift, then probably for a business card holder later in the year. She is one seller I wouldn't hesitate to purchase from again and again. I really can't say enough about her. She's an A+ seller with A+ products at an A+ price. So many times I'll shop on the internet (including Etsy), pay a fair price for something and just be disappointed with the item when it arrives... though it does pain me more when it happens on Etsy itself. It's so hard, when you're dealing with handmade items, to judge the quality based on a few photos and prior feedback (especially since many people leave feedback before they bother to use the items and you cannot go back and change it later... it's happened to me). I hope this review has put those fears to rest about TheFigLeaf. There is a reason she has tons of positive feedback, she's been an Etsy Featured Seller and I've purchased from her twice (and plan on purchasing again) -- she truly combines the best of everything into the quintessential perfect seller. Higher praise is simply impossible to give. :)

So, my computer totally ate it.

*sigh*

Gotta love computers... first, my NTFS partition gets corrupted... I fix it and now my RAM has gone completely bad. I want to evaluate some Etsy sellers soon... Hopefully I can :)

Take care!

Jen

Seriously need to get caught up here!

Well I'm done with 99.9% of my sewing and let me tell you... the items came out really great -- especially the nursing covers. I'm going to take pictures of them tomorrow and post, along with pics of all my other completions!

Come back and check them out... who knows, maybe you'll find a hot deal ! :)

Jen

Projects, Projects, Projects...

Ok, I'll admit it... I'm being totally selfish right now. I'm sewing a bunch of new projects for the baby and I'll be posting how they turn out soon... What's coming up?

A bunch of new burp cloths, bibs and blankets for Kate (and a friend of mine who is having a girl a few weeks after me)... bamboo cloth wipes... and a nursing cover! I can't wait to post pictures :). Oh! And I'm going to try my hand at felting old wool sweaters and turning them into skirts for both the kiddies and adults, along with blankets, pillows and whatnot. Currently I'm ransacking the thrift stores for cheapie wool sweaters (where is the wool tackiness when I need it?!), so those will be up eventually as well !!

Also, I'll be redesigning my blog... I need something funkier!

Jen

Pirate Ship Cake with Instructions!

My now four-year-old son is seriously into pirates. Besides various Berenstein Bear books, pirate-themed books are the only ones I'm allowed to read to him... so needless to say, we have many in our house. Naturally, he requested a pirate-themed birthday party and, naturally, I was insane enough to offer to make him a pirate ship birthday cake.

Nevermind that I've only made one other cake before -- Rocket (from Disney's Little Einsteins) -- and I had guidance on making that one from a helpful website (that I've since lost the link for)... nevermind that I've never taken a cake decorating class in my life... Nevermind all that. My son wants a pirate-themed birthday party and gosh darn it, I was going to be the one to make him his cake.

Ha.

Of course, it being me... I couldn't take the easy way out by simply buying a mold and frosting it... oh no, I had to be elaborate. I searched high and low for instructions on putting together a cool cake but detailed instructions were few and far between... in fact, I was kind of dissatisfied with a lot of the instructions online. So, I looked up recipes, watched a ton of Ace of Cakes (lol) and winged it... praying to high heaven that it resembled a pirate ship more so than a massive blob. I must say, it didn't come out half bad. Anyway, on to the instructions!! Warning: These instructions are llooooonnnggggg.... if you just want to see pictures of the completed cake, skip down to the end :)

First things first, what will I need?

Well, it really depends on how elaborate you want your cake to be. I used:

*The largest Wilton Oval pan (16.5" x 12 3/8")
*An 11 x 15" sheet pan

**NOTE: This yielded a massive amount of cake, so only use these sizes if you're expecting a large turnout... I'd wager you could go with the 13" x 9 7/8" oval pan and a 9 x 13" sheet pan, honestly.

*A large cookie sheet that you can use as a base for the ship (make sure it's big enough to fit the cake and an island!!)
*Melting chocolate and molds -- gems, gold bars, pirate coins, a treasure chest mold, etc -- plus food dust to color your finished chocolate products
*Piping tips and bags (a lot, unless you like to clean often!) -- you'll need at least a flat tip for the planks and a small round tip for the detailing/royal icing work
*All the ingredients for your various recipes, especially food coloring!
*Decorations for the ship: Whoppers, Tootsie Rolls, Pirates, Sails, Pretzels, etc

Make the chocolate!

Chocolate lends itself well to cool applications and since there are a variety of inexpensive molds out there, it's much easier than dealing with fondant or gum paste (not edible!).... plus it's better tasting ;). Just go out and buy some melting chocolate and some molds... melt the chocolate (either in the microwave or a double boiler) and pour into the molds. Stick in the freezer to harden, then pop out when done. If you're making a treasure chest, using royal icing to make the box fit together.

Dust the chocolate pieces with some sort of non-toxic sparkle dust or glaze (gold, silver, emerald, sapphire and ruby).

I'd definitely do this a few days before I make the cake!

Make the cake!

Honestly, the world's BEST CAKE RECIPE is one I found on Cooking For Engineers . The directions are clear and concise, it's super simple to make and ABSOLUTELY delicious. I do make *one tiny* alteration to it, and that's to substitute COFFEE for most of the water. You can substitute coffee for water in any baking recipe in a 1:1 ratio... the coffee will deepen the chocolate flavor and make it very intense. *Delicious*

Anyway, this yields about 5.5 c of batter -- follow the instructions on your baking pans to determine how many batches of batter you'll need. I needed four to make the super-sized oval and rectangle.

While the cake is baking, start the poured sugar base!

Sugar work can be an exceptionally long and tedious process that can be messed up easily if you try to rush it. Again, it was my first time making poured sugar, so I wasn't sure how much I'd really need. I ended up making a lot (of course) and using an entire 5 lb bag of sugar -- it yielded a HUGE base that was about 1/3" thick. Too big! I definitely think you could cut it down by a half and still make enough (especially if you're using a smaller base pan than I was). Anyway, here is what I did:

Ingredients:

Cold Water
Sugar -- 2 x H2O
Glucose (OR Light Corn Syrup... which is what I used because I couldn't find Glucose) -- 1/2 x H2O or a little less
A small amount of Cream of Tartar (though this isn't, strictly, necessary as I COMPLETELY forgot it and the sugar turned out awesome)

Anyway, it's a pretty easy process... If you use 8 oz of Water, use 16 oz Sugar and 4 oz Glucose.

1. Combine Water and sugar in a medium/large pot depending on how large your recipe is
2. Heat over LOW, stirring often, until sugar is completely dissolved
3. Wash down the sides with a pastry brush dipped in water, several times now and often during the cooking process
4. As the syrup comes to a simmer, skim off any top scum that you see. Do not rush this process. It could take an hour or even more to reach a simmer stage. Be patient.
5. Put in a good candy thermometer (make sure it has a "HARD CRACK" indicator)
6. Increase heat to HIGH and add glucose/corn syrup and tartar (ha!)... skim again and wash down sides
7. Cook until the thermometer reaches 280 degrees, then add your coloring
8. Cook until you reach the hard crack stage (around 310 degrees F), lowering the heat as you get close

9. Spray the sheet pan with Pam (or oil it up) and pour the molten sugar into the pan --

CAUTION!!!!! Molten sugar will stick to EVERYTHING, so be VERY, VERY, VERY careful! This WILL give you horrendous burns!

10. If you want to mold the sugar into waves (as I did), give it a few minutes to rest (not too long, though, because once the sugar hardens you will not be able to mold it)... then use your fingers to carefully make a rolling wave shape by molding it up and around your finger.

While the cakes are still resting, make the royal icing!

Royal icing is baker's edible glue. Note: This recipes includes UNCOOKED, RAW egg whites!!! If you are UNCOMFORTABLE with using raw egg whites, buy pre-pasteurized eggs or heat them gently yourself.... or, just don't let anyone eat the royal icing.

Ingredients:

3 egg whites (separate them from the yolks using your hands or the two egg shell halves as strainers... save the yolks for another purpose!)
1 t vanilla
4 c sifted powdered sugar (confectioners)
1 t lemon extract (you can OMIT this if you'd like... I like the vanilla/lemon combination... you can also OMIT the vanilla if you'd like a stronger lemon flavor)

1. Mix the egg whites and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer (stand mixers are your saving grace) on HIGH until they are frothy.
2. Add the 4 c sugar and 1 t lemon extract slowly, mixing together on low/medium low
3. Beat on HIGH until stiff peaks form (around 5-ish minutes? I never pay attention)
4. Separate the royal icing depending on the number of colors you're using (I had three -- brown, green and white) and blend in the food coloring either by hand or in the mixer.

REMEMBER!! Royal icing *is* like glue and it will dry like a ROCK quickly. If you are not going to use it right away, stash it in sealed plastic bags until ready to use.

What to do with your royal icing? Make stuff!!!

Get wax paper and lay it out in a sheet. Take decorator's bags fitted with a round tip and make various shapes -- the anchor, wheel, webbing, posts for the railing, white rope that goes around the posts (make little, wide u shapes). Making an island? Don't forget little stalks of green that you can sink into the island for grass. ALSO, make extras! If you're like me, you WILL break some of the pieces as they can be quite fragile consider they are fairly thin. I broke three anchors! Hint! Save some white royal icing for attaching the ropes to the rail posts after you sink the rail posts into the cake.

Set the icing pieces aside on a safe table while you work on the rest of the cake.

ALSO NOTE: This can be accomplished a few days before it's needed, so don't feel compelled to make it the day before (when you're also making the sugar base and the cake!)

Make the Buttercream Frosing!!

My son is a PEANUT BUTTER FANATIC, so we knew what we'd be making for the frosting... a Peanut Butter Buttercream! I followed this recipe on RecipeZaar and I could hardly stop eating it. It was heavenly! Remember to color it with food coloring! I needed brown, black and yellow!

Do you want filling? Make it!

Remember what I said about elaborate? Yeah, my cake was filled with a rich chocolate ganache. I used this recipe from AllRecipes and it came out flawless.

Carve it and Decorate!!!

Here are some suggestions for the carving and decorating...

**Use a pirate ship toy as a guide for your carving. You don't need any specialty tools, just a few serrated knives in varying sizes (from large to small). I used the Imaginext Pirate Ship toy and a Pirates of the Caribbean toy as my carving/decorating guides. Here's what I did:

**I put the oval cake on a piece of cardboard and cut out the bottom of the ship... it tapered to a sharper point in the front, was slim through the middle and had a squared off back end. **I used the rectangle cake as height... I used one layer of the cake on the front (carving it to the same dimensions as the oval below it) and two layers of cake on the back (each layer hanging slightly off the one below it)... if you are using a filling with your cake, don't forget to use it between the cake layers!

**After you're done carving (SAVE THE SCRAPS), apply a thin coat of buttercream to the entire ship... this is your crumb coat and will ensure no chocolate carving crumbs end up on the final piece.

**Refrigerate your cake a little bit to let the buttercream harden up.... while you're doing that, make an island out of some of the leftover carving scraps on the cooled sugar base. Frost it with buttercream and cover it with crushed graham crackers (to simulate sand). Vacuum up the random crumbs before they can stick to the sugar! Top with the chocolate treasure chest and a variety of the colored chocolate 'gems' and the green royal icing grass.

**After your cake has refrigerated for a while, bust out your flat piping tip and pipe "wooden planks" all over your ship with the brown buttercream. Decorate it some more by adding windows along the back (outlined in black, filled in with yellow), black portholes for the cannons, or other decorations along the ship.

**Take the tootsie rolls and mold them into a cannon shape, stick three in along each side... use the black frosting to accentuate the cannon's center.

**Let the cake's frosting harden overnight in the fridge.

**In the morning, move the cake to its base .... should be easy with the cardboard (I didn't use cardboard and it definitely made my life harder)... and finish decorating it. Add the rails and rope (piping little dots of white to attach the ropes to the rails).. use pretzels as both the prow and the masts. Set whoppers on the deck as cannonballs... adhere the anchor and the wheel into their places with royal icing. Set the sails on the masts (I just found some free pirate pictures and fonts and made the sails out of paper) and add the webbing, pirates, etc.

**Fix any issues you had with moving it (notice I used some really quickly whipped up whipped cream icing to fix the cracks in the base!).... and move the cake to its final location!!

Viola.

It's a *lot* of work (I'm not going to lie), but it yields some pretty cool results... not the least of which is the ego-boo you receive when people realize that yes, Virginia, you really did make this all by yourself!

So, what do you guys think?