Sunflower B&B Moab, UT

The Sunflower Bed & Breakfast sits back a few blocks off Main St. providing a quite cozy refuge from the constant excitement and motion of life downtown. It is a beautiful place with old fashioned charm. They have a pool and gorgeous grounds. A great breakfast is served in the morning, restaurant style.We try to stay at B&B's when we travel, they are usually a little more expensive than hotels, but  if you can afford it, they are worth it.

  

Wedding center piece

My daughter is getting married! She got engaged the middle of Nov. and they are getting married 2 days after Christmas. He is in the Air Force, this is why the rushed wedding. It has been a crazy year. Earlier this year, my husband had emergency open heart surgery, moments away from a fatal heart attack. So paying for a wedding this year, at Christmas time, seems somewhat impossible.
Because of this, I get to use my creative side, which I love to do. Everyone thinks I am crazy to do all the work, but what choice do I have. I am making the center pieces, the cake (which will be a cupcake tree) and the food, with lots of help from my daughters, mother, and the grooms mother.
So here is my first creation, the center pieces. Thanks to the grooms sister getting married last year, they have a lot of vases, that was quite a savings, Then I bought everything a Hobby Lobby while it was half off, flowers, marbles, a string of battery operated lights and ribbon.

Italian Lemon Cream Cake

I found a Lemon Cream Cake in a magazine and really wanted to try to make one. This is the recipe I used ( Lemon Cake Link ). It was a huge hit and fairly easy to make. SOOOOO YUMMY! I doubled the recipe and made 2 so I could give one to a friend. Her family loved it too. I highly recommend this cake, especially if you are a lemon cake fan like me. The cream in the middle is light and not as sugary as frosting. It is very refreshing. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

Italian Lemon Cream Cake

Rated: Submitted By: CindyAnn Photo By: carmvw Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Ready In: 4 Hours 50 Minutes Servings: 12

"Homemade Italian lemon cream cake filled with lemon cream and topped with vanilla crumbs is just like the one at a famous Italian restaurant chain."

INGREDIENTS:

cooking spray Cake: 1 (16.25 ounce) package white cake mix 3/4 cup milk 1 tablespoon milk 2 eggs 3 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil Crumb Topping:

2 tablespoons butter, melted 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Filling: 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, divided, plus more for dusting 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 2 cups heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
2.	Measure 1 cup cake mix; set aside for crumb topping. Place the remaining cake mix in a large bowl; add 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk, eggs, and oil. Beat cake mix mixture using an electric mixer until batter is thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3.	Mix melted butter and vanilla extract together in a bowl; stir in reserved 1 cup cake mix until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle crumbs over top of cake batter.
4.	Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool cake to room temperature in the pan.
5.	Beat cream cheese, 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest together in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Beat cream and remaining 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar together in a separate bowl using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold cream cheese mixture into whipped cream.
6.	Remove cake from springform pan. Cut cake horizontally into 2 layers using a serrated knife; remove top layer. Spread filling onto the bottom cake layer; place top cake over filling. Refrigerate cake for at least 4 hours. Dust cake with more confectioners' sugar before serving.