Happy Feet . . .

Mom:  Oh, wow, you have stamps on your feet.

Livia: Yeah, they're happy feet!

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Trying to tie 2010 . . .

Let me know if you figure that out!

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Did someone say . . .

Double Rainbow Happiness Cake

Tutorial???

(No, oh well...my blog...haha)

(-:

Here's the link to the recipe first of all (Ladies Home Journal)

First of all, You only need TWO BOXES of white cake mix, not three as listed in the recipe.

Two other commenters said the same thing. The cake takes 7 cups of batter, you get that from two boxes of mix (plus a little extra).  Pic above shows the bowls of heaping 1 cups of batter ready to be colored.

I couldn't find two 9x5 straight sided loaf pans (didn't plan ahead and order online).  You really do need straight sided I think to get a good straight rectangular shape to the cake.  

A real deal baking shop in the area directed me to this cake batter separator and said it'll really work.  I got home, saw the small print (luckily, almost missed it!!) saying "take out of batter before baking." I almost fell over right there, crying.  I didn't think there was any way I could take that plastic divide out and have those colors not run together...No.Way!

Oh my gosh...It worked!!!

My layers were slightly thicker and thinner than if I'd had the right pans, but still worked just fine.  The only problem is a mental one for me in that it didn't look Ex.Act.Tly. like the magazine picture!

I got over it!

Since it worked, my mood lifted and I started the tunes.

I have a little list that I'm trying to compile music that I like from our iTunes library, onto.

Why?

Well, because I only have three songs on my iPhone and slowly but surely I'm getting a wee bit tired of playing the same three over and over again (and...I really do that, sometimes four times in a row).  so, someday, I'll transfer these, plus more over there...some day.

All the layers baked, then wrapped and hid in the garage so the teenager wouldn't see them.

Sent her and SP to a movie that night for the put together.

Report..."Lincoln" is a little slow.

Can you even believe I found that absolute perfect platter in my cupboard?

I was on a role, NO disasters!!

Time to pull out Grandma's old Kitchen Aid and get busy with the best frosting I think I've ever made.  Truthfully, I haven't made loads of frosting, but this was just so perfect I thought.

You know, my Grandma had this mixer on her counter a long, long time. She was amazing in the kitchen.  One time I asked about it and she said it didn't work.  After she passed I happened upon the mixer when we were cleaning and organizing and it worked as soon as I plugged it in.  Been using it now for fourteen years.  It has made my life in the kitchen a lot easier too, love it!

 The frosting is OUTSTANDING, do not scrimp on store bought.  If you're making the effort to make this cake, go all the way.  Plus, I really think the consistency of this frosting helps keep the layers together and hold it upright (it is TALL!).

Time to get serious here . . . 

Building time!

My layers were nice and cold from spending time in the garage.

Frosting was nice and thick, no layers slipping and sliding.

I didn't do the direction that said to slice off the top of each layer to be sure they're flat and even.

That may have made icing it easier, not sure.

I had to fill in those corner cracks with frosting, but it wasn't a huge pain.

Made a BIG difference to have a real frosting spreader instead of just a knife.

I couldn't believe what a great difference that made.

Ta-da!

(Uncut cake picture a post or two back)

L and I both looked at each other while eating it on it's third day and thought it tasted even better than at the party (I completed it Friday night, party Saturday, still eating on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday...).

This cake feeds WAY more than 14 people!

Had 17 at the party and still half the cake left after.

After the party I discovered that it is more reasonable to slice the large, seven layer slice and then cut that in half for two people.  No one was able to eat all seven layers and it's really, really hard to cut it super thin.

So that's it.  Recipe says there's 1 hr 30 minute of work and 2 hr 40 min total (with baking I guess).  I started about 1:30p.m. and finished about 9:00p.m. Did stop to feed the family around 5:30p.m. and wait for the movie goers to leave the house again at 6:30p.m., other than that it was an all cake day. I absolutely loved the cake though and I would still do it again...when the 3 year old has her 14 birthday maybe??? (-:

And see now...this post took a bit over an hour to post...that's why you get pictures of my dirty tables, fridge art, funny kids in funny glasses and soon to come, maybe squirrels playing light sabers, ha!

Our "dining room" table . . .

Quite often looks like some variation of this!

 Our living room/dining room is (are?) one looonnnnggg room with no divider.  Though this table works better to eat on for our size family than our kitchen table, for some reason we don't walk the 15 steps south from the stove to this table, but we choose to walk 15 steps north to the smaller round table in the kitchen for family meals.  Well, I suppose the above could be one reason we don't eat on it.  But, really, since it's separated by a wall from the kitchen we see it less as an eating area, even though it is literally the same distance from the kitchen/food prep area.  Now that I really think about it though, through my fingers, on a blog, in front of everyone...I do think it's because we use this table as a craft/ping-pong/homework/drawing/you name it table and it's usually covered in all of the above.  Look closely, you'll see a ping pong paddle in the mix!

Don't you wish I would've had energy for my fifteen picture cake making tutorial???

But, from that table we got a couple of sweet pieces of fridge art.

Well, fridge slash floor art...those bits were falling off for weeks!

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Too tired for cake tutorials . . .

Let's just end the weekend with a little somethin'.

And, here she is now, our little somethin'.

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The dress is circa 1970's and used to reside on the child-sized mannequin I had as a kid.

Um...yes, I had a child-sized mannequin with straw-like short hair and eventually missing a limb, didn't you?

If you did, did it scare you at night because it looked 

LIKE A REAL CHILD STARING AT YOU IN YOUR BEDROOM???

Oh...just curious...

Anyhoo...our sweet Liv wore this to the Y a few weeks ago.

No, I'm not kidding actually.

Wishing you a tastefully attired week with a little splash of pizzaz!

Blowing out the candles . . .

For her 14th year!

Had a nice family dinner tonight with her requested homemade baked mac-n-cheese and my requested green salad with thinly sliced red onions, orange slices and avocado made by G-ma Kat and layered jello made by G-ma P. The layered jello and the striped candles above went with my quasi-theme for the party.  I hope to report more on that tomorrow...or soon...

I'm pretty sure she's the best big sister ever!

This pic is from our Christmas break stay at the Potawatomi Inn in Indiana.  I LOVE this picture!

(yes, I downloaded photos, can you believe it???)

This trip is a must do for us after New Years from now on.  It's the one with the frozen toboggan run and the buy one night get one night free deal!

While this cake was nicknamed "The Toaster" tonight, I was thrilled to make and surprise L with it.  I took pics along the way because it really was quite an adventure to make so I might just post a tutorial. Pretty sure I haven't finished posting our Grand Western Adventure yet though...pretty sure that's not even what I was calling it, but it's been so long that I can't remember, ha!

Well, we'll just have to see what pops up next!

Quick . . .

Only 12 minutes left of the day she turned 14!

Isn't she a beauty?

I was trying to amuse her into a picture during her quick breakfast before school.

Having family over tomorrow for some birthday dinner.

And, my surprise cake!

Usually I ask the kids to give me their order for their desired birthday cake.

This time, for my in house baker, I came across one I just had to make for her.

Soooo, tempted to throw a sneak peak up now, but, just in case she checks in here before dinner tomorrow I'm not going to do it.

Can't wait for her to see it, I think she would've gotten a kick out of making it.

O.K., that's all, nine minutes left of the day!

This kid and I . . . 

Were off watching this kid . . . 

Play hockey four-plus hours away in Indiana with his non-travel hockey team all weekend (Fri-Mon)!

I would have had a way cooler update than two pictures taken by SP during an open-skate time over Christmas break, and an end of game video, if I'd ever download my phone or camera!

The end of this game though did get the boys into the semi-finals.

I have to say, the games were AWESOME to watch, such fun!

But . . . 

You see, we are new to being on a hockey team, been doing clinics and classes for years.  So, being new and all, silly us thought that being on a "non-travel" (house) team meant you Do.Not.Travel...ESPECIALLY across state lines...and ESPECIALLY, ESPECIALLY do NOT have to pay for three nights in a hotel (in a fancy, schmancy hotel with NO FREE BREAKFAST and NO FREE INTERNET unless of course you and the other non-honor-club-members would like to sit in the lobby!). Silly us!

Behind our house . . .

And through the woods . . . 

Is the freeway!

So, five years or so ago (probably been nine, but time's busy flying so I really have no idea), I decided to plant a wall of trees between our woods and the road.

How'm I doin'?

Hahaha, for real, this is all I've got.

One, sad blue spruce that I had to dig out from beneath a fallen tree a month or so ago (again, was it December? September?...no idea!) and had to prop up with a wedge type stick from the ground.

We do have about four acres of woods between our house and the freeway, but in the winter there is a definite uptick in traffic volume as the leaves fall off the trees.  I don't like that.  I like to feel like I'm out in nature here on our dirt road with tree-filled yards.  I have taken to pretending the constant whir is a rushing waterfall if I'm out walking in the yard...haha, just kidding...o.k...no I'm not...(-:

(I'm developing a sneaking suspicion I've blogged about this before...hmmmm...well, if so, at least we're getting an update on the size of the tree...THANK GOODNESS, eh?)

To end with the glass half full however, I DO like that I don't have to wait for "traffic on the fives" to determine if I should jump on the freeway or take the back roads into town.  I just look out my back door!

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Bulbs in a bowl and a Cheese Making Nun . . .

 Got some paperwhite bulbs on a great after-Christmas sale.

Stuffed them in an old, china bowl.

Should be pretty in about six weeks (maybe a bit less since they were already sprouting in the box).

What's this, you ask?

Heehee...

This is the kind of stuff I check out from the library...no kidding.

I started it last night but I...fell asleep...hey now, that's not a commentary on the movie, I had a long day.

(Started the day by swimming in a meet at 8a.m., bolted over to a dress rehearsal with the DSO, came home and cleaned and bolted back to sing a concert at 4:00p.m...loooooong day)

So, I'm watching the rest while checking my email, blogging and whatever.

Again, no commentary on the film, I'm enjoying it...(-:

Right now she's in France trying to earn the trust of local cheese makers.  Intense, right? (-:

FYI, you might just have a fungi growing on your land that could make an outstanding cheese that will taste like your land, just build a cheese cave first to store it in!

Oh, well that's a fine how-do-ya-do, some French women that have centuries of cheese-making lineage in their families are having to shut down their shops due to...NEW REGULATIONS!!  Oy Vey!!

Still haven't downloaded photos, I'm still a little bent out of shape by the process of hooking up to an external hard drive to store my photos on.  That extra step stops me every time I contemplate getting my photos off cameras/iPhones. Ugh!

Who's coming for dinner ? . . .

Liv and I stumbled upon a new addition in the seafood counter today!

Lot more meat on those things than I thought, Hmmmm....

Fried Frog Legs?

Caramelized Frog Legs?

Sauteed Frog Legs?

What d'ya think?

Just sitting here thinking . . .

"I've got nuthin'."

I mean, I've got tons of cool photos from our trip HERE this week but I haven't downloaded any of them yet.  So, I scanned the miscellaneous photos on my desktop and wasn't really inspired...then...upper left corner of the screen . . . 

This!

Come on now, everyone with me...

"Awwwwww..."

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First I dragged it out of iPhoto because I can't believe we're just about a year from when this was taken!!  Look how YOUNG SHE LOOKS!! Not sure I'm going to be able to handle this folks...although I have to admit, there was some little thing I was doing for her today and I remember thinking, "thank goodness, I'm almost done doing this for kids."

Anyway, and I know this is a stretch, but the reason this pic caught my eye tonight as I stared at my blog's last entry trying to think of something to put up, is how the overall gist of Liv kinda comes right off of my Grandma's sketch below.  Hair tied back, wisps flowing around, the folds on their clothes, roundness of the races, similar mouth...yeah I know...but there's a little something to it wouldn't you say?

All for now,

Blessings on YOUR week!

Hey, what d'ya know . . .

 Zip . . . and we're at another

"Happy New Year!"

And, can you even imagine, a year as distant sounding as 2013???

For some reason that sounds to me even that much farther in time (from "my time" back in the day) than 2012.

Not sure why.

 Part of today was spent looking at old photos of my paternal Grandparent's family (on down through my sibs and me) and some recently discovered sketches/yearbooks of my Grandma's, (Thanks again for the great time, Uncle D and Aunt S!). I've had three of the sketches hanging out on my desktop having been sent digitally a couple weeks ago. The one above triggered a thought of Clabber Girl, so, tonight I spent time poking around Clabber Girl history.  Yeah...I know...(-:  

 So, I think my minds eye had me remembering the wave of the hair, but look at the similarity in the eyes too. I don't think my grandma was emulating her, but I think there's reason Clabber Girl popped to mind with the sketch.

If you're looking for a fun trip to take this coming summer, they do have a museum you could stop by!

In case you don't make it: The Clabber Girl name brand 

comes from the word clabber which means clabbered 

milk (sour milk). Back in the early 1800s, people 

mixed clabber with pearl ash, soda, cream of tarter 

and a few other ingredients to make what we know 

today as baking powder. 

The 1st baking powder brand by hulman and 

company was the "Milk Brand". In 1899 it was 

changed to the "Clabber Brand". In 1923 the company 

had to change the name to "Clabber Girl". 

Sincerely, Abby AKA clabber girl museum tour guide