50 Totes for 50 Patients

Curious what 50 gift totes looks like?

Huzzah!

Them's a lot of totes. ;)

{If you're just now dropping in, look to the right side bar for more information on the Christmas Comfort Totes project for chemo patients at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital or Click Here.}

Wrapped and Ready!
Stay tuned to see when the next batch of 50 is ready!

Happy Birthday to My Ben!

Today is a monumentous day and Camille says it best so I am going to let her do the talking right now. Enjoy. 

A Birthday To Remember

WE DID IT!!!

We have now officially reached our goal of making 100 totes! ONE HUNDRED! AMAZING!

We will still gladly take donations and continue making totes as long as we can. You can find the original list of items needed by clicking here.

Thank you to everyone who has helped make this possible!

Now excuse me while I shift gears.

I can't think of a better day for this goal to have happened.

You see, today (12/12/12) just so happens to be Ben's 32nd birthday.  As my sister Emily said, "He's not a newborn, but today is definitely a miracle birthday".  

My sweet, amazing, courageous brother is nearing the end of his life.  You can tell he is worn out, exhausted and ready to go on to his mission in heaven.  But his body is a strong one and is putting up a good fight against this darn cancer.  So, he got to live to see another milestone with his sweet Sara, always by his side.

I can't think of a better way to honor him, than to officially say that we will be donating 100+ "Essential Totes" to Huntsman Cancer Institute in his honor.

Ben - your name will be in every single one.  The people receiving these will know that they are made from countless people who love and care about you.  

Your name will go on doing good in this world long after you have gone.  

And although you have never been one for hoopla, fanfair, attention or being fussed over...YOU DESERVE THIS and more.  

Thank you for the example of patience, unconditional love, loyalty, endurance, courage and faith.

I love you!

Many people love you!

And I'm sure those in heaven are anxious to have you back.  But I'm glad they are waiting patiently while we spend these precious moments with you.

{Click HERE for Camille's Blog}

This is just awesome. :) Thank You.

This is my tribute to Ben on his 32nd Birthday.

12/12/12

"My Sweet Ben, Happy Birthday. We made it to another milestone. You mean more to me than life itself. I truly feel like the luckiest person in the world to have been blessed with such a wonderful best friend, handyman, husband and eternal partner. For 10 years we have walked a pretty interesting path. Sometimes it was smooth, sometimes it felt like hot coals, and sometimes it felt like we weren't walking at all but tumbling down a mountain. But through it all we were always side by side and we always got up, dusted off and continued down the path that was laid before us hand in hand. And we always will. If you can't walk, I will carry you. I love you."

I said to Ben "Look at how many people love you... and I love you more than all of them combined. How can you even handle that?! I'm surprised you haven't exploded from love!"
:)

I want to thank you personally for donating to the totes and we continue to welcome donations.

Since we have reached 100 totes already, if you would like to help Ben and contribute to things he cares about I would also ask that you consider helping out Oaklynn. This is our cousin's little girl. She was born with Rett syndrome. Rett syndrome causes symptoms of autism, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's and anxiety all in one little girl. She can't walk and she can't talk. As you can imagine, this is a huge ordeal for any family and the bills start piling up. 

A little love and help goes a long way.

Oaklynn's darling mom, Whitney, is currently selling t-shirts in which a portion of the money goes to Oaklynn's benefit fund. These t-shirts would make a great Christmas gift or stocking stuffer and it would give much more to the receiver than a simple t-shirt.

Click HERE to purchase one of these t-shirts to help Oaklynn get the care she needs. They are only $13. Whitney needs to get at least 50 shirts purchased to be able to put the order through. Right now 16 have been purchased. Let's help get those other 34 sold! We only have 10 days left!

Plus the shirt is so cute! Just look at it! Perfect for a runner too!

Please visit her website My Silent Angels Fight

Let's be Oaklynn's angels.

We love you more than anything and may God bless you in this wonderful Christmas Season.

Cake Ball Ornament Party Favors

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Everywhere you go.

Take a look in the warm oven.

Preheating once again.

With cuppy cakes and macarons a glow!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Cookies are in store.

But the prettiest sight to see

are the cake balls you will bring

to your friend's front door!

Eh? Eh? Like my song? Yeah, I made it up all by myself.

I could go on (because I just do this kind of stuff) but then thought better. 

You're welcome. ;)

Anyvays, my little song wasn't just for cutesake. It was prepping you for this next post on cake balls. So, are ya ready?! 

{ =D  I smile big every time I use the interrobang only because it is named such. haha}

I've given you the low down on how to make some pretty dang tasty and good looking cake balls. 

{If you missed it, check out Making Cake Balls and Dipping Cake Balls}

I am going to give you a few more tips here and show you how to make cake ball ornaments... not real ornaments... more like real cake balls. :)

Like these.

Awww. Aren't they cute? {Rhetorical question}
Well you're in luck.... they're as easy as they look.
These make fabulous Christmas gifts or you could even make these for a cookie exchange and impress the ugly sweaters off of everyone (...overachiever). These happen to be gorgeous party favors for a Ladies Christmas Luncheon.



I also did red ornaments but didn't get a chance to take nice pictures of them. You'll see them later. These pictures don't really show you what they really look like, unfortunately. I gave the outside of the ornaments a metallic sheen to it.

Here are the supplies you'll need.
Undipped cake balls
Candy melts/ chocolate in your preferred colors
Reese's minis (NOT wrapped miniatures- see pic below)
Edible Gold Spray
Luster/Pearl Dust to match your melt colors
A soft brush
2 x 3" clear boxes
Shredded paper (I used Ivory colored)
Baker's twine in your preferred color
Candy cups



First, I want to chat with you about packaging.
THE best place to get your packaging online is from Paper Mart. They have the cheapest prices I have seen even compared to local stores around me. Their orders ship the same day and the whole company is just impressive. This is the only place I buy my packaging from. They have a HUGE selection too.

I bought these clear boxes and didn't realize they opened on the small end and not along the long edge {if that makes sense}. That made things a little more difficult to package so just keep that in mind when buying your boxes! The shredded paper comes in a huge box and will last you forever! {So you may want to buy a color that can be used in lots of different ways} I'm excited to use it!

The baker's twine is a good deal too. $10 for 240 yards, Cheaper than anywhere else I have seen it.

Ok! So. Step 1
Get your mini Reese's and edible gold spray out.
I used Chefmaster edible gold spray but I'm not sure I will use this product again. It did not really cover a lot of area and I ran out before I got the effect I wanted. Plus this can was $9. Not worth it in my opinion so I think I will try something different next time.
{If you know of any awesome options, let me know!}




I lined a baking sheet with parchment but I probably didn't need it at all. I wouldn't waste it next time.
Cram as many of the mini Reese's as you can onto the baking sheet allowing some space in between so the spray can get to it. Put the big side down.



I then took it outside so the overspray wouldn't get on anything, spray back and forth staying about 6 inches away from the mini. Spray all the sides so you get fairly even coverage and you get the desired affect.



Don't get too close. It will use too much and it doesn't look the best in my opinion.
See here below, on the left I sprayed too close and it didn't really look gold anymore, it was more yellow weird looking. Just lightly spray over and over until you get your desired shade of gold. 



Below: heavy spray. It kind of took away the shiny gold look.
It looks ok but not what I was going for.



Let them dry and set them aside for when it is time for dipping.
{When you wash your pans (and your clothes), the spray will come right off. It is water soluble.}

Ok. It's time for dipping.
Dip away. It's a normal cake ball.
A piece of trouble shooting advice though...
Have you ever gotten that sad rhino skin look on your cake balls?
Like thus.





Or thus.

It's annoying.
It's because of the chocolate melt. The melt that is touching the cake ball (that has been refrigerated) cools and hardens faster than the melt on the surface. This causes the melt to harden unevenly and part to start sliding off the cake ball causing ugliness. Boo.

Solution!
"Bounce" off the excess melt faster than you are probably doing it. Don't just let it drain off on it's own. I bounce the dipping tool against the edge of the bowl.
This does not allow the melt a chance to harden before the excess drips off.
The result?
Voila.




... and Voila (respectively).

 

See how pretty! These are the same 2 cake balls in the previous ugly pictures. Yes! You can save them. Yes! It's a technique thing. Just redip them and shake the excess off faster. That's it. Yep, nothing to fret about.
... just make sure your melt is not too hot and your cake ball is not too cold as well. This will exacerbate the rhino skin complication. :) Also, thicker candy melts seem more apt to having this problem. ie: Wiltons.

I use a double pronged dipping tool. It's me favorite. This is how I do it. Not too shabby.



SO! Once you dip the cake balls, allow them to harden ever so slightly before topping it with a gold reese's mini. If you put it on right away, it may slide off the side or smoosh down in the melt too much and look weird.

After much love you should get thus.





Yay! Now for the fun part. Don't allow them to loose their tackiness before doing this next step. It works best if they are slightly tacky....like sticky... not like shoddy. That reminds me of a funny story.
So get out your luster dust and brush now.



I am sending you to a link to unravel the mystery behind all the different types of food dusts out there. I found it highly educational and useful. Take a quick look before buying your dust please.
To get a metallic shiny sheen like quality to your candy melts or fondant, you can dust it with luster dust or pearl dust, same type of product. You can dust your cake ball with the powder as I did or you can mix your powder with a high alcohol liquid like vodka or lemon extract to make it more like a paint and get a richer more substantial metallic look.
So just dip your soft brush in the powder and go to town brushing it on the cake balls right on the pan they are sitting on. It goes a long way so be liberal with it and put on as much as you can. You can even go over it a second time if you want.
I used ruby red, yellow and leaf green luster dusts. You can even slightly change the end result on the color of your cake ball by using a different color of luster dust.... ie: brush red dust onto the yellow cake ball and you'll get an orangey sheen to your ball. :) Fun! Get out your color wheel and have fun!


You can sort of see the sheen of the cake ball in the picture below, more with the yellow. These pictures really don't do it justice. I'm really sorry. I didn't have time to play around with my camera to see if I could get better shots. Next time. :)



Allow the cake balls to completely harden. During this whole process you will want to handle the cake ball and reeses the least amount as possible so you don't rub off the powder and sheen. There's really no need to pick them up until you are ready to package them.

So now place all the cake balls in little candy cups. These are not cupcake liners. They are smaller. They are made for candy. They fit better for smaller cake balls like mine. I make my cake balls rather small because I find they have a more pleasing chocolate to cake ratio. I would say mine are about a tablespoons worth.

Finish your party favors or Christmas gifts by putting some shredded paper in the bottom of a box, delicately place in your ornaments and tie it off with some baker's twine. You'll see I tripled the amount of twine I use. I like to either double or triple it because it adds more character I think. :)

And there you have it. Christmas ornaments fit for your favorite peeps.
 TTFN.
{ That's "Ta Ta For Now" for all of you hermits that have never seen Winnie the Pooh}

Chemotherapy Side Effects

I had a really great question about why the cotton gloves were in the Christmas gift totes and decided to share with you the reasons behind why some of these specific items are included. This list comes from experience. Over the last 2 years (exactly tomorrow actually) Ben (and I with him) have been in and out of hospitals many many times during surgeries, chemotherapy and emergencies. I got to the point where I just kept an emergency hospital bag pretty much packed. I packed most of the following items every time and would highly recommend them (and the rest of the items in the totes) to anyone going for chemotherapy whether it is just for a day infusion, for an inpatient stay or even for someone going to visit a chemotherapy patient.

Hand Sanitizer

When Ben was receiving chemotherapy his immune function was decreased (just like everyone else on chemotherapy) so he wasn't able to fight off the sickness and bugs that most of us can. This can be life threatening in these patients. It was a very common occurrence for Ben to get sick after visiting with people even if they were not sick. Everyone can carry bugs on them or even be infected themselves without even knowing because they have a functional immune system that is preventing them from feeling the effects of an illness. This is why hand sanitizer is so important. Not only for the chemo patient but for every single person that comes to visit and might be touching the patient or even just things in the patient's room. Bacteria and viruses can live on the surface of objects for hours so they have the potential to infect the next person who picks up that item or another person that touches them. Hand washing is the standard but hand sanitizer is a close second in preventing the spread of bugs by killing them on the spot plus it is very fast and convenient. Alcohol-based sanitizers kill most bugs you encounter on a daily basis. That's pretty good odds! You need to make sure you use enough and rub it in until it's dry. If you do that, you greatly decrease the odds of spreading germs around to others.
Did You Know...Not All Hand Sanitizer Is Equal?
 There are cheaper versions out there (often sold at discount stores) that do not reduce the bacteria on your skin and even help spread the germs around evenly! They do not contain the minimum concentration of alcohol needed to kill bacteria (and may not even have alcohol at all!) So when you are buying hand sanitizer, make sure the ingredient list says it has at least 60% alcohol.
{Check out the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website for lots of information about decreasing the spread of infection and other infectious disease related information. If you didn't already know, I am a pharmacist at a hospital and will sometimes interject shameless plugs to educate the gen pop because I'm a dork. ;) }

 Cotton Gloves and Lip Balm

Washing your hands, as said before, is the standard. This removes the most bacteria and viruses from your skin. Ben washed his hands a lot and this made his hands very dry. Dry hands that are being washed a lot for a normal person may not be a big deal. We can just put some lotion on and then we are better. For someone on chemotherapy it is a different story. Chemotherapy itself can cause dry flaky skin so the combination can cause the skin, especially on their hands, to actually start breaking down or flaking off and it can create large splotchy red patches on the back of the hands (this happened to Ben). It is important to keep the skin as hydrated as possible so a good healing lotion will definitely help. The hands usually suffer the most so putting on cotton gloves after lotion helps keep the moisture in for some added benefit. This is most convenient to do right before bed. Also, you can imagine your lips will also be dry. This increases dramatically if you are on oxygen like Ben was often. A good non-petrolatum based healing lip balm is essential and let me give you a tip... don't have the hospital supply it if it is not absolutely necessary. It is expensive coming from the hospital due to processing fees and stuff.
{Why non-petrolatum/petroleum based? It has a very low melting point so it melts around body temperature and gives off fumes that can easily ignite (highly flammable). It essentially puts your face at high risk of combustion... oxygen + petroleum + small spark = fire face}

SPRY Mints and Biotene Mouthwash

So, Why SPRY? They work! These mints help produce saliva and are made of Xylitol, a tooth-friendly sugar alcohol. Chemotherapy does a real number on mucous membranes (anything that produces body fluids or has rapid turnover/growth of cells) so it can create really bad mouth sores and dry out your mouth. Dry mouth can lead to more dental problems like cavities. Up until recently Ben was still fixing the dental complications from his first round of chemotherapy 10 years ago! This is why producing saliva and preventing dental problems is so important. (Also, Biotene mouthwash)

Blankets, Hats (NEW!) and Socks

While in the hospital, Ben's internal thermostat went on strike. It was impossible for him to stay warm at times. He said that including a warm blanket would be a great benefit to anyone receiving chemotherapy. And let's just say we won't be ordering any hospital socks for Christmas. They aren't the best. The best thing they have going for them are those grippy little rubber pieces on the bottom. So, the best socks for chemo patients would be warm, non-slip socks. This also helps you to hold in your heat... in addition to hats!

And since this completely slipped my mind until just right now, BEANIE HATS are now on the list!! Please help!! Wow. Haha! o_O
Yeah, sometimes your hair falls out.  Aaaaand your head gets cold.
ADDENDUM: We have already had such a great response and all the hats have been donated!
 

Starbursts and Lifesavers

You may not have thought about this before but have you ever had an IV infusion? Have you been able to taste it? It may seem weird but when you are being infused with saline (a salt water solution), some people can actually taste the salt! Ben is one of those blessed people. He also was fortunate enough to taste the chemotherapy, which is nasty might I add. It is not a taste you care to remember but probably will the rest of your life as Ben has since his first round 10 years ago. Lifesavers and Starbursts (in addition to making you salivate) help get rid of the horrible chemo taste in your mouth.

Puzzle Books and other Books

Chemotherapy infusions can last ALL DAY. I am NOT exaggerating. We had days where we were at Huntsman from 8 in the morning to 7 at night. And not just that.... We had to wait at doctor's offices for hours sometimes. Throw in the wait for the lab to draw your blood, for you to check in at the hospital, waiting for the MRI machine (oh.my.goodness.) You learn VERY fast to bring something to do. Most days that we had appointments we were there for at least 3 hours... and you aren't talking to someone the whole time. That's a lot of waiting. Puzzle books (or any types of books or activities) are wonderful and make the time go by faster.

Notebook and Pen

I felt it was a very important thing to record my thoughts and what was going on with Ben. Writing is a very good outlet. Underestimated in my opinion. I wrote in my journal a lot but most of what I wrote down was what exactly was going on. They give you a lot of information. There is no way you can remember everything you need to know without writing it down including your own questions. If you can remember to ask your 2 questions for the doctor after you have been poked and prodded by 1 medical student, 2 residents, a nurse and an attending before they go over every body system and the results of your latest MRI, well you're amazing. Write stuff down. This proved very very useful and I highly recommend it to anyone.

Nail Files
During chemotherapy, the nail growth slows way down and they become extremely brittle so it is important to ensure they stay neat and trimmed. When the nails start growing out after chemotherapy, there is a very weak section between the old growth before chemo and the new growth after chemo. This weak section can cause your nails to actually break off as they grow out a little longer or get snags. Clipping the nails can produce large breaks in the nails so filing is best.

Well, hopefully this helps explain the necessity for some of the items in the gift totes as well as give you an idea of what some of the chemo patient's have to endure.
Thanks for helping them get through this!

8 Fun Kitchens {Guest Post from Arcadian Home}

Over the past month or so I have been looking at what seems like thousands of pictures of kitchens to get inspiration for when I redo my kitchen. One of my must-haves is white cabinets. The rest is still kind of up in the air. There are so many options!
So, when Arcadian Home said they wanted to do their guest post on 'Fun Kitchens', I thought "Perfect!"... and they definitely delivered! 

My favorites have to be this first picture and the fourth picture. Which is yours?

Hello, everyone! It's Mari from Arcadian Home blog, a wonderful place to find beautiful and interesting home decor inspirations. I'm so happy to be visiting here at Share Dessert today. While exploring Sara's lovely posts, I've learned what a caring person she is and what a knack she has for picking the yummiest desserts to share with us. Since Sara writes about desserts and I write about decorating and interior design, it seems we have at least one thing in common—the kitchen. So, my guest post today is about beautiful and functional kitchens created for bakers, cooks and most of all fun. Here are eight of my favorites. Please enjoy!

This lofty white kitchen is made for entertainment and family togetherness. With lots of space for multiple chefs and bakers, the fun will start long before mealtime at the nearby dining area.

Open both living and dining spaces, this vintage kitchen has the best of indoor and outdoor worlds. The white on white dimensional wall art above the fireplace is an ingenious idea.

For some, a fun kitchen might come in one tiny perfect package. This traditional kitchen is small, beautiful and extremely functional.

How much fun awaits in this amazing country kitchen? With more than ample counter space, storage and a massive center work island it offers everything a baker could need and more.

With an entire wall of glass-fronted cabinets and open shelves over the sink, everything here seems ready for effortless cooking and serving. In-cabinet lighting fixtures make china and serving pieces seem like art.

For those who love the look of rustic elements pulled into sleek spaces, this lovely black and white kitchen should fit their idea of a fun design and eclectic perfection.

The seamless integration of a table and chairs into an open white and gray kitchen makes for a very welcoming dining and cooking environment.

It looks like someone thinks this vintage kitchen is made for baking. What could be more fun than that? With plenty of room for doing prep and adding the finishing touches to luscious desserts, this just may be a baker's dream come true.
Images 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
What do you think of these fun kitchen designs? Leave us your thoughts below and explore our site for more home decor, lighting, and interior inspirations!

Thank you, Mari, for sharing these beautiful kitchens with us at Share Dessert. I know I have been inspired by them! Everyone take a moment to check out Arcadian Home Blog and their website. They have a lot of beautiful ideas and products! Just the kind I like to look at for hours. :)

Goal Reached!

 I can't begin to tell all of you how touched I am that so many of you are so willing to help out. Not even just willing but you are spreading the word and collecting donations from everyone you know, people that don't even know Ben. Some of YOU don't even know Ben yourselves but maybe you will be able to feel his spirit after all is said and done. You are taking on this project with great vigor and for that I thank you.

ANNOUNCEMENT:

We have reached our goal of 50 totes!

{And are actually close to 70}

PLUS, we have extended the deadline and will be collecting donations as long as they keep coming in.

Our new goal is 100 totes!

So, let's make it happen!

I have created a simple single page flyer that you may use to distribute to your work, family, friends, church and school, etc that explains the project.

You can find the document HERE. 

If you would like an editable version, please email me at sara@sharedessertcompany.com.

So many people have been affected by cancer, whether it is yourself or a loved one, that I believe this project likely hits home for many of you. We all share a little piece of ourselves with those of whom we serve.

Matthew Chapter 25:35-40

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

 Every act of service brings us a little closer to Christ.

Merry Christmas.  

Thank You For Your Kindness

Thank you to everyone for being so generous in helping create these comfort totes for the Huntsman chemo patients.

We have had such a great response that we will very likely surpass our 50 tote goal!

 THANK YOU for making this happen.

Here is the story about this project.

I have running totals of what items are still needed at the right side of the blog and a donate button if you would prefer to donate money that we will use to buy the remaining items for the totes. Either method is fine. It's all the same to us! Many have wanted to have a hands-on approach with their children to teach them the spirit of giving.

Item donations may be dropped off at a few different locations: 2 locations in Centerville, 1 location in Holladay and 1 location in Taylorsville. Let me know which location you would prefer to drop items off at and I will send you the address.

Thank you so very much for supporting a project I care so much about.

As Ben's days wind down, I can't help but reflect on how much support we had throughout the last 10 years of Ben's cancer struggles.

Not everyone is as fortunate as we are to have such amazing family, friends, neighbors, jobs, insurance, co-workers, healthcare and so much more. The least I can do is try to help someone at least be a little more comfortable this Christmas and show them they are loved and cared about.

This picture was taken on our 10th Anniversary, Nov 27, 2012!

We made it!