A Beautiful Cake

I have this recipe for a beautiful super moist lemon cake.  It has lemon jello in the cake mix along with four (1,2,3,4) eggs and almost a whole cup of oil (vegetable oil- so see fruit and veggies in one cake- it's like health food!).  It is so moist you could just die.

And instead of icing, it has just a light glaze of fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar, you poke holes in your cake and let is soak in when it's still warm.

yum.

For my birthday- my mom gave me the most beautiful bunt cake pan ever created.

 And I have been waiting for spring to make a lemon cake in this beautiful pan.  I just knew it would make the most gorgeous cake ever. 

Wanna see?

Keep going






and a little more

TA DA!

Yeah.  There you have it.  That is my beautiful delicious cake in all it's gloriousness.  Because it won't.come.out.of.the.pan!

Regardless- it was still delicious.  Even if we had to use a spoon and just scoop it out of the most beautiful cake pan in the world. 

And now I wonder if my mom 1.)totally had nothing to do with my disappointment and frustration because she really wanted to give me something I would enjoy and had no idea it would destroy my afternoon of baking efforts OR 2.)got me good with her cake pan from hell.

This, my friends, is just confirmation that you will NEVER have to worry about this becoming one of those cooking blogs.

A calling on Good Friday

A dear friend of mine from the air show past away this week.  He was only 52.  He was sleeping when he had a massive heart attack.  And when another dear friend of mine went in to check on him in the morning, he was already gone.  Today I will go to the familiar funeral home, stumble on my words, shed tears, pray silently inside of myself, hug her super tight and come back home. 

I am dreading it like the plaque.  For this man was young- his death was unexpected- and my friend is now all alone.

I offered to do for her what I always offer to do- prepare food.  It's all I've got.   I have not a single healing power, no professional helpful services to offer, no wisdom at all- just casseroles and prayer.  That's really all I have.  And my casseroles aren't exactly anything to speak of- mind you.  She gracefully declined, and told me to hang tight until next week when the lonelies set in.  Yeah- dang those lonelies.

So today- my heart is full of grief.  Grief not only for my friends- but also for my Lord Jesus Christ.  For it is today that we remember the gift that He gave to us with His death on the cross.  I took some time to read of His death this morning- even He was afraid.  That alone speaks to my soul this morning.    But because of His selfless and merciful gift- we will all get to be together again once our time on this earth is complete.

But as with any gift- you have to accept it.  But once you accept that Jesus Christ died on that cross for your sins- life as you know it will never be the same.

Crazy Days

When I picked the name for my blog- I didn't read any blogs really.  I now realize I could have come up with some super creative stuff instead of just taking the recommendation of blogger to hyphenate my name and my idea.

But it is what it is- and I'm here now.  And seriously- at the time my world was filled with little people and bottles and diapers and cribs and more little people.  And my days felt crazy.  Crazy like running around the yard trying to accommodate everyone's request while keeping little people from climbing to their deaths (hello sam).  Crazy like having two car seats in the car that required me to secure small beings inside of them.  Crazy like finding baby bottles under furniture and realizing how milk decomposes.

But the name is quite fitting- even though those crazy days are gone forever.  Because with kids- come new crazy days.

Case and point:  Let me share with you my day yesterday:

6am- up to awaken large child for school
7am- bathe myself and awaken two smaller version children for an upcoming dental appointment
7:30am- begin loosing patience because it is time to be in vehicle and middle child still isn't dressed
7:35am- assist smallest child in looking wacky for wacky wednesday
7:37am- realize I have neglected to pack a lunch for smallest and me- which is going to make for a hungry noon hour
7:43am- in the car, finally, with both remaining kids and their backpacks
8:00am- arrive at dentist office for emi's appointment
8:50am-emily's cavity is filled and we are back in the van, emily's face is swollen and numb and I am $74 poorer
9:06am- back home for wheezer, I forgot my coupons (dang!)
9:13am- preschool, we're late so I have to walk him in
9:21am- elementary, we're late so I have to walk her in
9:24-11:15am- Post office,CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, swing by airshow office to put all my groceries and perishables in the my freaking work refrigerator because I ran out of time to take them all home, subway to get sandwiches for lunch, pick sam up at preschool.
11:20am- back at elementary school for lunch with emily
12:20pm- still at school, only in the kindergarten wing for Kindergarten Round Up.  Spend the next hour filling out form after form after form (all the while not amusing a single person about just changing the names on my other twos forms???), explaining sam's drooping eye to the nurse, realizing that I forgot his birth certificate AND utility statement (both of which are required for registration)(but realizing that I for some reason have emily and allyson's birth certificates in my purse- but of course not sams- and not really understanding why they can't just freakin' photocopy one of theirs!), hyperventilate because I realize I have to send my highly peanut allergic child (who is also my baby) to school in like just a few months where I will be left alone at home wondering how in the heck he is doing and if anyone tried to kill him with a snickers bar, and then find out that he failed his hearing exam.  in both ears.
PAR-TAY!
1:20pm- surprise sam with a visit to the health department (conveniently at the school for round up) for four, count them four, shots.  SURPRISE!
1:28pm- cookie, sucker, and sticker in hand- take my super brave boy out to the car. He held my hand the whole way, and that made the last 7.5 hours all better.
1:37pm-8pm Sam and I go to the air show office to work.  He leaves me to hang with the guys who drive big tractors and adore him until his dad arrives at 3:30 to take him home.  I make a doctor appointment for him at 5pm to have this whole hearing thing investigated and then completely dump that on dan to take care of.  He is gracious and takes all three kids to the doctor to find out that *surprise* his hearing is fine.  This comes just one day after taking miss emily to an ortho specialist to find out that *surprise* he doesn't see a thing wrong with her wrist (I'm thankful- but soooooo tired and if I could have not had to take her out of school and to the hospital in a pouring down thunderstorm, wait for the doctor for an hour, fill out 6000 forms and pay another $65 for another wrist support thing and then take her BACK to school in the pouring down rain I would have been thankful too)(dan says sometimes I make my sentences too long and confusing in my blog, what the heck is he talking about?)
8:14pm Walk in the door to Allyson crying, emily crying and Sam needing help with the tv and an angry/upset/overwhelmed Dan who insists that he isn't.  But I know he is and we still have a whole month to go until this silly airshow will be over and I can be home all the time again.
8:30pm Cry myself silly while blow drying emily's hair.
8:45pm Kiss children goodnight and head to the kitchen to cook myself some dinner- because dude I am starving.

Now- before you go 'there'- I know I am not the first mother who has a big freakin' workload and list of folks demanding her attention.  But that fact, *surprise*, gives me little comfort.  And this is MY blog- MY only place to really complain and cry and pound my fists- so deal with it, will ya.  I just really thought I was going to be better at this mom/wife thing.  And instead I am discovering that I am not qualified for what the Lord has bestowed upon me.

Thank you for taking the time to let me vent- you may now return to your regularly scheduled program.

Twofer one

I know I already posted today- but I was online looking for something new as far as clothing goes.  Something to help me conqure the overwhelming feeling I have that only moo moos and flowers will help to cover up this mess of a body I've created- and now that age isn't exactly on my side it's only worse.

So- I was looking for something trendy and hip to wear- as I said.  To go with my super cool dance moves and highly fashionable croc shoes- you know how cool I am already who am I selling it to?

And what do I find as a 'new' spring item?

Really?  When did big freaking lacy wings as sleeves become the new fashion?

The weepy one

 Every single one of the kids plays bring tears to my eyes.  They are growing and changing so fast.  And already I find that we are at the end of FIRST GRADE!  Holy wow- that doesn't even seem possible.

 Wrapping up a whole 'nother year already?  And then what- I suppose she's going to have to become a big bad second grader with sleep overs and lipgloss and music cd's?

 She is ready- I am not.  She signed up for a solo in the school play.  And when her time came- without a hesitation or voice crack at all- she just marched right up to that microphone and belted it out.  Like it was nothing.  And I stopped myself from jumping up and screaming and hopping around- but I did stomp my feet around a little.  And then I gasped for air and cried.  Because she just marched right up to that microphone and belted it out.  And I was proud, and sad and relieved all at the same time. 

Quite a kid she is growing into.

Sunday night- that growing little kid had a birthday party at the roller rink.  And on her last lap around- the one I was begged to let her take- she fell on her wrist.  Because I am a good mom- and she could still move it around- I made her go to bed as normal (but I did give her a bag of ice if that counts for anything).  Still hurting yesterday morning- we ran in for an x-ray before school and discovered she shifted her growth plate or gapped it or widened it or something in her wrist.  Not broken- but still in a brace- and still needing to be examined by an ortho doctor today.

Dang.

Here's hoping it is good news.

Shield your eyes

Why on earth I would expose myself like this is beyond me- but remember here when I said I would clean out under the entertainment center?  Well this is what I found when I rolled that big bad outdated electronic holder out. 

Holy cow.  Rest assured it is all gone now.  But this was like 4 days ago- so it's hard telling what my little dumplin's have pushed under there by now.

My Mommy Moment- the cost is not worth the reward

Tuesday was dentist day. All three children had appointments at the same time.  And you know what that means, right?  It means the dentist called like 46 times last week to make sure we were really gonna show up PLUS sent two reminder postcards. 

It also means that I got that blessed 20 minutes ALONE in a waiting room with a fabulous selection of up to date magazines.  Totally worth the $300 in my opinion.

I typically schedule these appointments for the crack of dawn dark thirty so that the kids won't miss much school, if any.  Which NEVER seems like a good idea when the actual moment arrives and I'm trying to get three sleepy children dressed, brushed, cleaned and in the car.  But when did I make their return appointments for this October?  Yup- same time. 

And of course- on this particular day- we arrive at Emily's school at 9:11.  School starts at 9:10.  Which means I have to physically take her in, get a pass and sign the late board.  Which may seem like no big deal, except there are the other two.  So this time, I did what any other responsible parent would do and I told them to wait in the van.  But I did park in the entry way to the school- and there are gobs of windows- plus it would only take like 30 seconds AT THE MOST to sign Emily in.  So it's safe.

I run her in, sign the board, kiss her head, wish the office gals a good day and run back out the door.  And in that less than one minute that has transpired since my departure, Allyson has turned the radio up way too loud, both passenger doors of the van are opened, Sam is screaming a fake cry kid of whale, and Allyson is mopping up a spilled drink.  Sweet mother of all things- are you joking me?

Here's what went down.  Allyson decided immediately upon my exiting the van to change the radio station.  Sam decided to utilize his freedom to change it back with his fancy rear of the van controllers.  Allyson shut of his controllers.  He tried to climb up to the front to turn his controllers back on.  She apparently told him to get back- but then used her big bad 11 year old self to push him back.  Which is when he fell and landed smack on top of his capri sun and it EXPLODED all over the back of the van and his car seat.  Which probably hurt- so then he began to cry. really loudly.

And this is apparently the precise moment I exited the school.

My children do not behave.  Ever.  I am always the mother with some child pulled to the side tightly holding their arm and whispering in my motherly forceful squinty eye way that their behavior needs to straighten up.  Or the one mopping up capri sun in front of the school with a crying 5 year old and teen music blaring from the radio.

I'm just cool like that.