The Baby's Birthday

I am really bad about starting a post, not finishing it, and letting it sit as a draft for ages.  I found this almost complete post about Baby Girl's birthday, which was Labor Day weekend.  What a shame.  I decided to finally finish and post it, even though it depicts a 90 degree plus day as I sit here shivering in my flannels.  Here we go...

A friend of mine asked when we're going to quit calling our youngest child "The Baby." I think she'll always be a baby in my eyes.

Well, she's 4 now and she decided she's all grown up. She asked for party themes ranging from princess castles to rainbows. Finally, she settled on Dumbo. I had no clue how I was going to pull that off. As always, I turned to google and started searching. Dumbo parties have been done, but mostly by professional cake bakers. I've done fondant before, but molding an elephant that actually resembles a famous cartoon elephant is far beyond my ability.

I finally decided to go with a circus theme, concentrating on Dumbo as much as possible.  I thought I could find some sort of toy to use as a cake top, but Dumbo is not popular enough right now to find toys in the store.  I'm sure I could have found something at Disney World, but I wasn't thinking about that right then.  Bummer.  I decided to just print out a picture of Dumbo, attach it to a dowel rod, and stick it in the cake.  With My Crazy Busy Life right now, that was all I could manage.  Here's the result:

 

 

I ended up writing her name on it too, in big blue letters.  For food, I decided that hot dogs, peanuts, and lemonade were the most related to the theme.  (Plus, it was simple and easy, another benefit!)  I paid $2 a box for animal crackers (which no one ate) and couldn't find Cracker Jacks or cotton candy locally.  I considered borrowing our church's huge popcorn machine, but quickly changed my mind when I realized how heavy it was.  I had just returned from vacation, the school year had just begun, and it was Labor Day.  The guest of honor was 4 and would never know the difference.  So we popped popcorn instead and skipped the cotton candy. 

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day:

 

 

 

 



The Girl's Birthday

As hard as I try to stop them, my kids keep growing up.  The best part about them is that they get even prettier the older they get.  (Well, the girls at least.)

Big Sis turned 8 on Monday and we had a nice party for her on Saturday.  Since she was little, she's been obsessed with flamingos.  She used to call them BABINGOS.  How cute is that?  When Build-A-Bear came out with a flamingo, she just had to have it.  While browsing the Target dollar bins last week, I saw some flamingo stuff, which gave me the idea.  Big Sis has chosen many, many birthday themes over the past twelve months.  She's already started planning for next year.  But when I asked if she wanted a flamingo party, she exuberantly agreed.

Not many people have entire parties based on flamingos.  Believe me, I've searched.  I did find a couple good ideas online but most people have luaus that feature some flamingos.  So, I had to come up with most of the ideas on my own.  I tried to take a lot of pictures, something I typically fail to do at my own children's parties.  I wanted to show you guys all the cuteness I came up with.

First of all, the food:

I  really wanted to have an all pink menu, but that didn't quite work out.  Watermelon wasn't on sale and there really aren't many other pink foods we like.  I colored the fruit dip pink and chose pink-ish apples, so that works.  Big Sis also requested salami, so that fits into the pink category.  I don't think anyone picked up on my half hearted attempt at a pink theme.

If you can't tell, I have darling little flamingo picks in the food.  They cost a fortune to have shipped here, so please enjoy them fervently.

These pink marshmallows are one of the ideas I found online.  You dip a marshmallow in water, shake off the excess, and cover them with sprinkles.  I had that colored sugar already at home, so I used that.  The kids loved them and said they tasted like Peeps!

The Drink Station

It hadn't rained here in a month and a half.  But all week, there was a high chance of rain all day on Saturday.  I was bummed all week.  The day of the party, I kept checking the radar and looking outside.  It was overcast, but just didn't want to rain.  Finally, I took a chance and started setting up things outside.  Moments later, it began sprinkling.  I grabbed everything perishable and hurried inside.  Fortunately, the raindrops only lasted a couple minutes and we didn't get rained on.  Right now, we're pretty anxious for that rain!!!

The punch in the photo above is raspberry sherbet and cherry 7-UP.  It was amazingly delicious!  I meant to float raspberries in the ice water, but forgot.  Look how horrid my grass looks!  Wowzers!  You'd think I live in the desert!

The Kids' Table

The flamingo boxes were from Target.  I filled them with junk toys like bouncy balls, little rings, and glow in the dark bracelets.  Each cup had a bendy flamingo straw, which also cost a fortune to ship.

The gift of the day was a pink iPod from my parents.  She's been anxiously awaiting her own iPod for the longest time.  I guess the next thing she'll ask for is a cell phone.  Hmmm....

We had a pink water balloon toss and a pink scavenger hunt.  The winners received a dandy little flamingo pen with feathers all over it and a little notepad.  I took a photo of each guest with the birthday girl, which I will use for thank-you notes. 

Finally, we moved on to cake.  I made a 3-tier chocolate and pink cake that was decorated with clearance flamingo lawn ornaments from JoAnn's.  The bottom tier was pink, the middle tier was grass, and the top tier was a pool of water.  Big Sis helped me design it.  My mother purchased the huge flamingo balloon and Big Sis wore an adorable flamingo shirt with sequins and a pink tutu.  I had to spoil her with a pink feather boa and pink feathers for her hair.

Sisters

It turned out to be a lovely and special day!

Baby Girl's Birthday

At least she's only 3 so she won't realize how rushed and unplanned her birthday was.  We were on the train for her actual birthday.  We told her it was her birthday, taught her how to make "3" with her fingers, and sang the song.  She was content with that and didn't seem to require any more. 

But I felt guilty.  I hadn't purchased any birthday gifts, did not have a theme in mind, didn't create precious invitations with her picture on them, and didn't have a menu planned.  When Hubby suggested that we simply visit Chuck E. Cheese the night after we got home, I whole-heartily agreed.  I sent a text message to my closest family members the morning of the party.

Baby Girl loves trains and we just completed a train trip.  So that seemed to be the obvious choice for a cake.  She said she wanted her cake to be green.  Trains are typically for boys so I knew I would have to work hard to make it feminine.  By the time the cake was baked and semi-cool, I had less than an hour to decorate it.  I worked as fast as my cramped fingers would allow.  I ran out of icing and had to keep the smokestack in generic ice cream cone form.  It was sloppy, but it was done.  We were only twenty minutes late for the party.   

She had a super time and so did her siblings.  The boys hit the Jackpot on one of the games 3 times!  The staff finally unplugged it.  With 2600 tickets to spend, we left with two stuffed Angry Birds, an inflatable hammer, and a pink "fire" ball.  I've always wondered what kind of people get those big prizes on the top shelf.  (People who apparently figure out the weakness to the Jackpot game.)

I left the mess there (well, I still had quite a mess from the speedy cake decorating job) and came home mostly stress-free.  That's the way to do it!

I'll plan something a bit more organized for next year.  Who knows what she'll be into by then!

Seven

I don't know whose internet I'm connected to at the moment, but it's working. So I won't complain.  We're still down.

My little Princess Girl turned seven years old on Saturday! We celebrated with a tea party brunch. The girls wore hats, gloves, and fancy dresses. I served chicken salad sandwiches, cheese sandwiches cut into flower shapes, hashbrown casserole, broccoli and cheese quiche, mini muffins, assorted berries with pink fruit dip, decorated sugar cookies, cake, and of course tea. (Yes, I went a tad overboard.  I'm so sad I didn't get a picture of the food!)

I borrowed vintage glass party plates from my mom and flowery tea pots from my grandma. I purchased tea cups and saucers from a thrift shop. Each girl's place card was a tea cup sugar cookie with her name iced on it. The cake was a set of three purses I designed specially for my girly-girl. This was my second attempt at fondant and it went pretty well. (I still think I could have rolled it out a bit thinner though.) I did nick it with my fingernails in a few places but covered it up pretty well.

The party started at least 15 minutes late because I just couldn't get stuff done. I will never again host a brunch party...it's just too early! I planned on making giant tissue paper flowers to hand over the tea table but it just didn't happen.

Because it was 90 degrees outside, none of the adults drank tea. The kids drank it and really enjoyed dropping sugar cubes into their cups. I asked them all, "One lump or two?" They all answered, "Three!"

We didn't play any organized games since we only invited one friend, in addition to the cousins. The girls just played on their own until it was time to open gifts. She loved the DS, by the way, and was totally surprised!

It was a beautiful day and lovely party. I even had help cleaning up! I'm just glad I have a whole year until her next birthday...she's already picked the theme!

Mayonnaise Cake



It may not be a pretty sight, but it
was so delightful to eat!



Yesterday was my brother's birthday.  No, this cake was not for him.  While talking with his wife about what she was going to do for his birthday, I mentioned a mayonnaise cake with 7-minute icing.  It's always been his favorite.  She said that he had requested a Coca-Cola cake instead, which is my specialty.  I kept thinking about that mayonnaise cake.  It's been a long time since I've had one.  I breezed through my recipe binder and found that my Grandma had given me both the recipes for the cake and the icing.  I checked and happened to have all the ingredients on hand.  So it was just a no-brainer after that!  It was so delicious...writing this blog post is making me really want a piece right now!

I have an uncle who won't eat this cake simply because of its name.  He doesn't like mayonnaise so won't even try the cake.  In case you don't know, you can't taste the mayo in this cake!  Mayonnaise is simply a substitution for eggs and oil and makes the cake very moist.  So if you're feeling adventurous today, give it a try!

Mayonnaise Cake

1 C Miracle Whip

1 C Sugar

1 t Vanilla

2 C Flour

4 T Cocoa Powder

2 t Baking Soda

1 t Baking Powder

Dash Salt

1 C Warm Water

Combine mayonnaise and sugar.  Add vanilla.  Sift flour, cocoa, soda, powder, and salt together.  Add to mayonnaise mixture alternately with water.

Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes.

7-Minute Icing

2 Egg Whites

1 1/2 C Sugar

2 t Corn Syrup OR 1/4 t Cream of Tarter

1/3 C Cold Water

Dash Salt

1 t Vanilla



Bring water to a boil in the bottom of a double boiler.  In the top, combine all ingredients except vanilla.  Mix enough to combine then place over boiling water.  Beat with a hand mixer on high for 7 minutes or until thick.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Beat until blended.  *Do not scrape sides of pan.

*This recipe makes plenty of frosting...do not be stingy when filling the center of a 2-layer cake.

*The icing is a bit tricky.  If you don't cook it long enough, it will be too gooey.  If you cook it too long or scrape the sides of the pan, it will form a sugary crust over the top.

(I totally did not cook mine long enough, which is why it looks so messy in the picture.  It was still delicious though.  My recipe didn't say, but I believe that the icing should form stiff peaks when the mixer is lifted.)

*Be careful, this recipe is addictive!

Surprise!

(Picture edited to remove name)

Saturday afternoon, we had a surprise 10th birthday party for Son #2.  He thought we were just having the family over to the house that evening.  But instead, I reserved a party at a local park that had miniature golf, bumper boats, bumper cars, rock climbing, batting cages, and so on.  Therefore, I had to do very little work!  It made the $15 per head (plus pizza) easier to handle. 

A couple friends from school came.  #2 is a really shy kid, which makes him come across slightly rude sometimes.  When we all yelled "surprise," he just stood there like someone said "Today is Tuesday."  I tried to explain to the parents that he's just very shy and I apologized for his behavior.  They all seemed to understand.  I hope he eventually learns how to be a better actor and play it up for other people's satisfaction.

He requested a golf cake, which I made myself.  It featured a fairway, rough, and green, sand traps and a water hazard.  He provided Lego golfers, a flag, golf balls, and trees.

We had perfect weather and it was such a great party.  I may do destination parties from this point on!  The worst part was coming home to a messy house.  Boo!

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

This is the ugliest cake I've ever baked.  And of course, it was for a very important cause.  We have had our share of funerals lately.  This cake was one of two that I made for a large family whose grandmother passed away.  I make the best cakes in the world (I'm not bragging, this is a scientific fact) so it's always my go-to dessert whenever there's a death.  I prefer to make "funeral cakes" in bundt form...that way I can just pour the chocolate glaze over top and place the whole thing on a cardboard circle.  I have one good metal bundt pan that is at least 30 years old and a cutsie, modern, red silicone pan I bought from Crate & Barrel.  Well, to put it bluntly, the silicone pan sucks.  This is what happens when I use the silicone pan.  Believe it or not, I actually gave the cake to the grieving family, along with the picture-perfect cake that came out of the antique metal pan.  I also sent my apologies for the appearance.  But the good news is that some of the cake broke off when I tried to transfer it.  I dipped it in the extra icing and tasted it.  Oh my, it was heavenly!  So this just goes to prove that you can't judge a book by its cover.  I threw away the silicone pan and will only use metal from this point forward.

And no, I'm not sharing the recipe for my famous chocolate cake or icing.  Sorry, folks.

Cakes Throughout the Years

Here are some pictures of different birthday cakes I've made for my kids' birthdays. I'd like to take a class some day to get better. I've never had any training. I've had lots of fun though! I wish I could find all the pictures...I can think of a train, a camouflague cake, and an octopus that my kids really enjoyed. Those pics must be from the pre-digital age. :)

Baby Birthday

Baby Girl is growing up, even though I am resisting it with every fiber of my being. She turned 2 over the weekend. We had a lovely outdoor party (on our new patio furniture) with a fire in the fire pit. She wore a darling red and white polka-dot dress from Gymboree so I planned the party to match. Red and white polka-dot balloons and streamers decorated the house and patio. I made a giant polka-dot cupcake with smaller cupcakes coordinating. She got more toys than she knows what to do with, her favorite being a Dora bus that plays music. (I love how she says "Dori," she rolls her "R" like a Latina!)

It was a beautiful evening, despite the fact that my last baby won't be a baby much longer. I am trying not to be saddened by the event but instead am thinking of how much easier life will get as my kids get older. I thought I would be a mom of little babies and toddlers forever...I didn't see tweens coming. But they are here in full force and they're bringing the little ones along with them. I'll just try to enjoy each stage while I'm there.

My Week...

Day 1 of Staycation included Hubby's oral surgery and a baby shower for a sweet new baby girl. The baby shower was the more fun of the two. Pink cupcakes make any day better!

Birthday Weekend

Big Sis turned 6 yesterday. We had a few of her friends over for a Littlest Pet Shop party. We had "pet adoptions", a piñata that wouldn't break, and my first fondant cake. I was pretty pleased with the outcome of my first attempt. It's definitely something I will try again. There is nothing sweeter than seeing a slew of precious little girls all running around together. We made priceless memories.