Ah....the first week of school...
As the kids adjust to a new class, new teacher
and the return of homework,
I feel the relief of routine and earlier bedtimes...
Oh, it feels good to send them off,
strapped in new backpacks free from dirt and lunch goo,
if only for a week or so...
Many moms tearfully sent their babies off to kindergarten...
Kate ran to hug a friend, gave me a busy wave
and stepped right into the teacher's line of ducklings...
I didn't feel slighted...
My girl has had a sitter since she was teeny,
except for these last two years after I lost my job...
When she was two, she spoke spanish,
thanks to Senora Sitter, spanish that I did not,
in any way understand...
So, needless to say, when I hugged her goodbye each morning
as I left for work, she didn't miss me much...
She was having a good old time with Senora Sitter...
Okay, so maybe I felt a pang of jealousy,
but at least she wasn't clinging to my leg,
sobbing as I tried to descend the front stairs...
Bump...Bump...Bump...just kidding....
So, the first day of class was a breeze...
I'm a little worried about what kind of homework
Jack will bring home....
Forget what 5th graders know...
I don't think I can hang with the 4th grade math!
My husband, however, loves math (Thank God)
He even found some cool website that encourages kids
to learn advanced math...
Then there is the website that lampoons
everything so that Tom laughs at until he cries...
It's a little raunchy, but we are all adults, right?
How appropriate....
Jack and Kate have awesome teachers again this year,
so it's time to bake and start thanking the staff early!
The first treat of the year is a cake
shaped like a pencil,
thanks the The Food Network Magazine.
It's quick and easy, I swear...
It only takes a handful of ingredients
and NO BAKING....
Woo Hoo!
Go ahead and suck up to the teachers...
They deserve a treat now and then...
Pencil Cake
Ingredients
- 2 16-ounce frozen pound cakes, thawed
- 1 16-ounce tub vanilla frosting
- 6 drops red food coloring
- 23 drops yellow food coloring
- 2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 green sour belt candies
Directions
Cut a 2-inch piece from one cake for the
eraser; set aside. Trim 1/2 inch from the uncut ends of both cakes.
Line
up the cakes to make 1 long cake.
Using a paring knife, score 2 lines down the length of both cakes, 1 1/4 inches in from each side. With the lines as a guide, trim the cake sides at an angle, as shown.
Mix 1/2 cup vanilla frosting, the red food coloring and 3 drops yellow food coloring in a glass liquid measuring cup. Microwave the frosting about 20 seconds, stirring every 5 seconds.
Make the eraser: Put the 2-inch piece of cake on a rack set over a baking sheet. Pour the warm pink frosting evenly over the cake. Chill until set, about 20 minutes.
Microwave the chocolate chips in a resealable plastic bag (unsealed) in 5-second intervals until melted. Push the chocolate to one corner, twist the bag and secure with tape; freeze until set.
Mix the remaining 1 1/2 cups frosting and 20 drops yellow food coloring. Frost the cake with an offset spatula, following the beveled edges.
Make the tip: Cut one end of the cake into a tip, shaving it with a paring knife so the pencil looks sharpened.
Remove the chocolate cone from the bag and trim the base to make it flat. Attach the chocolate tip to the pencil with frosting; attach the eraser to the other end. Mine does not look as good as the photo, but close enough....
Lay the sour belts across the end of the pencil near the eraser, trimming as needed. Gently press into the frosting to secure.I couldn't find the belts, so I used fruit roll ups...
"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."
Henry Adams
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