Birthday x 3

In my previous post I might have made a brief mention of how much I was NOT looking forward to having a birthday this week (OK, OK,... so it wasn't just a mention, it was a full-on RANT, but hey!, it was a brief rant...)

Since I share a birthday with my Mother (see last year's post) I've never been allowed to just let the day go by un-noticed, no matter how much I might want to. And #2 Granddaughter was almost born on our birthday, too, but at the last minute she decided she wanted her own special day, so she came the next day instead. We have since forgiven her for that, however, and try to have a triple birthday any year we can work it out.

This year we had a triple-birthday-swimming-party at my sister's house. Cousins that only get to see each other once a year (twice if we're lucky) spent the whole day in the pool together.

We cooked a spaghetti dinner for 24 people.

There was Caramel Apple Cheesecake and Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes for dessert.

and another triple birthday is over for another year.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGAN!

(and happy birthday to me......)

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STRAWBERRY LEMONADE CAKE

1 box lemon cake mix

1 3 oz. box strawberry jello

4 eggs

3/4 cup oil

3/4 cup water

GLAZE:

2 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cup lemon juice

GLAZE: (make glaze first so sugar can be dissolving) stir together lemon juice and powdered sugar. Set aside while preparing cake.

Add dry jello to dry cake mix in large bowl. Prepare and bake cake according to directions on box using eggs, oil, and water.

While cake is still warm, poke holes over the whole cake with a fork. Pour glaze over cake. Serve with cool whip or vanilla ice cream. (I think this cake tastes best stored in the refrigerator)

variations: use lemon jello for Lemonade cake

use lime jello for lemon-lime cake (makes a neon-green cake that kids love!)

it's my birthday...again?!!

Okay. Now wait a minute....how could it possibly be my birthday next week already?!! Didn't I just have a birthday?!! I'm not even finished being traumatized by turning 50 and now I'm already going to be 52?!! What is going on here? With all the technology these days can't someone figure out a way to stop this? I was just 30 for heaven's sake! I still feel 30(ish).....(but I guess that would be weird since my kids are 35,33 and 28......don't know how that would work). I keep repeating to myself "you're only as old as you feel, you're only as old as you feel", which was working until I recently started having......HOT FLASHES!! What the heck! I mean, my Grandma had hot flashes and she was OLD! How could this be happening to me? I know I have 5 grandkids, but I also was a mother at 16, so once again....WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?

I actually never really feel my age and always think of myself as 50 years YOUNG, until something rudely comes along to remind me, like a birthday, or needing to carry around a battery-powered fan in my purse!

Some other recent rude age reminders:

** Oldest Grandaughter is starting HIGH SCHOOL in September.....AAAUGHHH!!
** Daughter recently refered to 70's music as "oldies" (?????)
** Son observed the fact that in less than 2 years all of my children will be in their 30's (WHAT?!)
** I'm getting junk mail about cemetery plots, hearing aids, and incontinence supplies!!!
** I found a box of LP records that my kids used to listen to and when I asked the grandkids if they wanted to listen to a record with me, the answer was "what's a record?"
** I was reading a book to 4 yr. old grandson and he asked me to "press pause" while he went to the bathroom.

on a positive note.....

on a recent visit to the grocery store with 4 yr. old grandson, the Checker thought I was his mother!....YESSS!! That woman has no idea how much she made my day! ......but now that I think about it, she was about my age, so she probably recognized how I was feeling and was just being kind.....whatever.....I"LL TAKE THAT COMPLIMENT ANYWAY!!

THANK YOU GROCERY STORE WOMAN....I FEEL BETTER NOW!
BRING ON THE BIRTHDAY......

It's National Wear Your Apron Day!

"National Wear Your Apron Day" is always the day after Mother's Day.

I actually got brave today and decided what the heck, it's only an apron....so I wore an apron all day today at the office:

I even wore it to the Dentist! I got several compliments and even handed out a few ETSY business cards that just happened to be in my pocket.....

This wasn't even one of my own aprons! I decided to wear my new favorite apron made for me for the Hot Mama's Fiesta Apron Swap by Kellie Cotton. It's so colorful and I knew it would attract some attention, which is weird since I NEVER want to draw attention to myself! I guess I just feel different in an apron, sort of a "Domestic Diva SuperWoman!"

Hmmmm.....maybe I could wear an apron every day, a different one to match every outfit?

On second thought,I know some people who would start questioning my sanity...... so never mind!

new shoes

4 yr. old Grandson is a very sweet boy. He's very complimentary, always notices things, and tries very hard not to hurt feelings. For a 4 yr. old he's quite tactful.

Apparantly, he doesn't think my new Land's End sandals are feminine enough......

E: "Mimi....WHY are you wearing those shoes?!"

Me: "They're new. I just got them today. Don't you like them?"

E: "Well...they're um...they're um.....well, they're not very pretty!"

Me: "Oh No! Really? Are they ugly?"

E: (making a yucky face) "Well, I think Uncle Chad has some just like that...."

feeling crafty........

For Mother's Day tomorrow, we're having a family Wiffle Ball Tournament at the nearby Dog Park and then coming back to our house for BBQ hamburgers and all the fixings. There will be at least six MOM's here and I wanted to make a little something for them:

I dug through my photo archives and with a little help from Daughter and her scrapbooking and photo expertise, I turned these notebooks from the 99cent store

into these special journals for each person.

I found just the right photos for my Mother, Sister, Daughter, Daughter-in-Law and her Mother.







I'm really pleased with how these turned out! Just a few little notebooks, photos, pretty paper, and spray adhesive! I'm already thinking of future possiblities for these simple little gifts (co-workers, grandkids teachers?).....Crafty... simple and crafty, don't you think?

And speaking of crafts, I've created my own version of a craft/sewing apron. I know there are many, many versions already out there, but all the ones I've seen are half-aprons that tie around the waist, and that is not comfortable OR flattering on me! I like full aprons, so I made a shorter version of my usual pattern and added several specific pockets. I designed it just the way I'd like it and then made a few more for the ETSY shop.

There's a small pocket up high for my Ipod:

And 3 different sized pockets across the bottom: one sized for a cell phone, one I use for my tape measure and thread snips, and another for whatever else you might like to have close at hand.

So, if you been wishing for a craft apron that doesn't tie around the waist, I'll be posting these in my ETSY shop in the next few days (and I could make YOU one out of any type of fabric you choose...)

Busy Little Chefs

Since the Grandkids are into all the cooking that goes on around here just as much as everyone else, I thought I'd let them do their own tutorials today.......

5 yr. old Grace made "Cinnamon Sticks" this morning...........

Sometimes if I get up early enough on Saturday I can help Mimi make a special breakfast for my Dad, Mom and little Brother. Today my brother was being a lazy bones so I got help Mimi all by myself! First I put on my horse apron and washed my hands real good. Then I made "Cinnamon Sticks" like this:

Mimi turned on the oven to 450*. Then she put a stick of butter in a pan and put it in the oven for a few minutes to get melty. I opened two cans of biscuits ( I love to pop those things open!) and rolled them all into little logs.

When the butter was all melty I dipped the biscuit logs in it and put them in rows in the pan. Be careful! The pan is hot from the oven and you can burn yourself! That can make you have an injury!

Then I mixed together some sugar and cinnamon. Today we tried brown sugar instead of white sugar and it was really good! I sprinkled it all over the top of the logs.

Then Mimi put them in the oven for about 10 minutes until they got kind of brownish and good.

Then my Mom and Dad ate some and I ate some and we had to save some for my brother, too. When Mr. Lazy Bones finally woke up I let him have the ones that were left in the pan. He was very happy to have all the rest that we didn't eat.

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After lunch, 4 yr. old Ethan made some "Ranch Snack Mix".........

I got to make snack mix with Mimi all by myself today since Sissy got to make something by herself this morning. This is how you make it:

First wash your hands really good, and you're supposed to use warm water, not cold. Then I couldn't decide which apron to wear. I have a lot of aprons 'cause Mimi likes to make aprons all the time for everybody. I picked the red and blue bandana one.

Mimi got some good stuff to put in our snack mix this time. Sometimes we try different things. Mimi found some new stuff to use at Winco in the bulk food. We got pretzel balls, corn nuts, and corn chips with seeds in them (flax). We always like to have cheese crackers and Chex, too.

I needed to use our really huge bowl to mix it up.

Then I stirred up some oil and ranch powder and poured it on the snacks and mixed it up real good, but you have to stir gentle so you don't make crumbs. Mimi poured it into 2 bowls and cooked it in the microwave. It was too hot so we had to wait a while to eat some.

Then I put some in a bucket to take to The Cousins house and saved a lot for our family to eat.

I really like to help Mimi do the cooking...........

RANCH SNACK MIX

10 cups of your favorite snacks: cereal, nuts, pretzels, crackers, croutons

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 envelope ranch dressing powder

Gently combine snacks in very large bowl. Stir together oil and ranch powder til blended. Pour over snacks and stir gently until well coated. Pour 1/2 of mixture at a time into large plastic bowl that will fit into your microwave.

Microwave for 5 minutes like this: 2 min -stir-1 1/2 min- stir-1 1/2 min- stir

Let cool. Can be frozen in zip lock bags.

THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS TOO MANY COOKS IN OUR KITCHEN!!