"Nailed It"

Netflix has a baking show called "nailed It'. Mary and Bryan watch it and told me about it. I thought it was silly and rather watch a real baking show. Turns out the twins love it.
They really wanted to try it and asked me and Sharen if we wanted to join them. I was so excited. First, I thought that both would want to be with Grandma and there would be some arguing. Nope - the twins wanted Older twins - me and Kendell against the younger twins - Sharen and Kallie.
Carrie, the twins Mother, picked out our theme.
The girls love unicorns so that part was a no brainer.
Mine and Sharen's first plan was to get the girls something to remember the day. I made them unicorn aprons and Sharen just had to make the golden baking hats - that's part of the show. A trip was taken to JoAnnes.

rockin the aprons and hats

We spent one day strategizing on color, flavor, size, decorations and shopping. Kendell and I headed first to Hobby Lobby while Sharen and Kallie hit up Wal-mart. We stayed in touch by texts so we don't run into each other. Our next stop was Meijer while they hit Hobby Lobby.
It was finally baking day.
We all decorated Sharen's dining room table for the judging.

Unicorn mobile

Kendell and I head down to my house. We had 5 hours to bake our cakes.
We decided on a 3 layer vanilla cake with buttercream frosting.
Kendell really wanted to use fondant so we tried that too.

playing with fondant

Kendell was so knowledgeable with just what she wanted and how to go about it. My only problem with her was curbing her enthusiasm. She wanted to do it all - at the same time.
She mixed the cakes and the frosting.

mixing frosting

Sharen had the same thing going in her kitchen only Kallie has just a little bit more patience and I heard did things in order.

mixing the cake

These girls were rocking this.This was my first time baking a cake from scratch and ours was way over baked. We knew it. We decided to concentrate on the frosting. I knew we would be better at that. I have made buttercream frosting for 40 years - Sharen not so much.


We colored our frosting the same as our layers in our cake and striped it into our bags.
Kendell had a great time using my cake decorating tips and did the whole cake.

practice make perfect

We also used some modeling chocolate and made some unicorns to put around the cake. The unicorns and the fondant stars never made the cake. we were running out of time and couldn't make them stick where we wanted them. I told Kendell my favorite phrase in decorating anything. "When in doubt, leave it out."


Time for judging.
We carefully get the cake in the car and head down to Sharens house.
Kallie was standing in the window waiting for us. She ran out of the house and into Kendell arms and they hugged. My eyes teared up. That right there is some twin love.


We were all so excited to see each others cakes.
Their cake was decorated so good. I thought we were in trouble.

Cake B - Young twins

Cake A - Older twins

We head downstairs so the judges could talk about our cakes. Kendell and Kallie did not stop talking and all Sharen and I did was look at each other and smile.


On upstairs for the tasting.

Our Rainbow cake

Their surprise cake

.
Final results:
Kendell and I win on Originality - just what we were hoping for with leaving some of our hard work off the cake.

Kallie and Sharen win for Creativity - They did go all out with decorating and the surprise chocolate balls in the center really took them over the top.

Now the taste test.
Just what we thought - TIE
I knew we would win the frosting, but I'm pretty sure their cake was better. I really have to take the judges say so on this I don't eat cake.


Thanks to our judges.
Carrie (Dave and Matthew were in St. Louis for a baseball tourney). uncle Mike, Grandpa Z and Grandma Vicki, Papa, and "The Cake Baker" Steve.

I had so much fun doing this.
I'm really not sure who this meant the most too. Carrie and I have always had a special connection and I am so glad that she wants me to be a part of her twins lives. I love that Sharen will share her grandma time with the girls, with me. Sharen and I will always have each other backs and do things together and I can see that for these twins too.
These girls are something else. I love to watch them together, their special language, their sharing, their bond. I sometimes wonder if that's what people saw in me and Sharen.


We are planning something for Christmas break, but don't be surprise if something comes up at Halloween.