30 Great Years

Today is my birthday.  I don't feel old and I haven't been dreading this day.  I have, however, spent quite a bit of time reflecting on my life and today I'm pretty happy with what I have accomplished and look forward to many more years to come.  I would like to share some of my favorite memories from past birthdays.

 

When I turned twelve my family threw me a surprise party and I was totally in the dark.  I had gone out shopping with my Mom and when we got home my friends were there and jumped out and said "surprise" and we had a fun day.

 

When I turned 16 or 18, I can't remember which, my friends kidnapped me and took me to play laser tag at Treasure Cove.  Then we played the X-Men arcade game and had cake and ice cream.  Again, I was totally in the dark that they had planned something for me.

 

On my 25th birthday I was 10 days from having a baby so my husband invited a few people from church to come over.  It was simple but he took care of everything and I was impressed that he had planned a party for me.  He gave me a space heater (I was always cold.) Someone else gave me tiger lilies which got me started loving flowers and wanting to garden.

 

On my 27th birthday I was 8 months pregnant and Matt made me a homemade cake (this has since become a tradition).  He gave me a shovel and two big bags of flower bulbs.  My mother-in-law helped me plant them and we have beautiful flowers every Spring.  That was probably my favorite gift ever.  This was also the first year my oldest got to help do the shopping for my birthday and he was so excited about it.

 

Last Saturday my husband spoiled me by watching the kids while I locked myself in my room working on a sewing project most of the day.  He took the boys to go do some birthday shopping and they were so excited.  I could hear them talking as they were wrapping my gifts and they spent the rest of the day moving them from place to place hiding them from me so they would be a surprise.

 

Life has been good so far and my goal for this next year is to spend more time counting my blessings.

Merry Un-Birthday

I got a birthday card in the mail about a month ago.  I was so excited...and confused...and excited.  My birthday is in the fall.  I wanted to take a picture of the card and put it on here but I can't find it at the moment.

Come to find out my birthday last year fell during my brother-in-law's final exams of his senior year.  Not surprisingly the card got misplaced in the chaos and was found almost six months later after they had moved half way across the country.  So I got a birthday card today and it made my day.  So the next time you miss someone's birthday, send the card late, it will still make them smile.

It's also a good idea to give un-birthday flowers or cake.  I watched a nine year old give a lady a paper flower at church a couple weeks ago and I could tell how thrillled she was that someone thought of her.  There was  a day once I took a tin of chocolate truffles to church and declared it friendship day.  I gave each friend I came across a chocolate treat that day and I was amazed at the reactions I got.  It just goes to show that a small gesture can have a large impact. 

So give it a try.  Go do something special for someone today.

Cheesecake Take 2

I love to bake but don't often venture out on a limb on a somewhat difficult recipe.  A couple years ago I had decided to attempt a homemade cheesecake for my husband's birthday.  I have a friend who worked in a bakery in high school and she gave me a recipe with excellent directions and my first attempt was a success.  It has kind of been a tradition since then to make a cheesecake for my husband's birthday every year.  This year I decided to try the marble cheesecake recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  I used the Cheesecake Supreme recipe for the chocolate swirl

 The above picture is the disasterous result of the first attempt.  I used a different recipe for the crust than the recipe and forgot to put the 1 Tbsp of sugar in the crust.  Then I realized as I was putting it in the crust that there was no way I was going to get it to swirl and I hadn't left enough of the mix without chocolate (you could do it all chocolate and it would still taste amazing).  Then I left the flour out of the cake part.  I didn't realize this until after I had put it in the oven.  I had come to terms with the fact that it was just not going to be a great cake but thought it would still work.  I stuck it in the oven and went outside to work in the yard.  BAD MOVE!  I burnt the cake.  I was super bummed when I pulled it out and it was super dark on top (it is supposed to be lightly browned).  So I headed to the store to buy more ingredients and try again.  On the bright side, I knew exactly what I did wrong so I knew it wouldn't be hard to fix.

The second cheesecake was very nearly perfect.  I did a vanilla wafer and almond crust and made sure not to overcook it.  I was shocked at how good it tasted and despite the dryness of the first one we still ate it all.

Update (9/30/12):  I meant to put the recipe up for this one and am just getting around to it today.
This is the Cheesecake Supreme recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook with a different crust.
Crust- 1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
           1 Tbsp granulated sugar
           1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds (350 degrees for 5-10 min to toast)
           3 oz (6 Tbsp) melted butter
Mix ingredients.  Press into bottom of springform pan.  Butter sides of pan "like crazy." Bake 350 degrees for 10 min.

Filling- 3 8 oz boxes cream cheese
             1 cup sugar
             2 Tbsp flour
             1 tsp vanilla
             2 eggs
             1 egg yolk
             1/4 cup milk
             2 ounces semisweet chocolate
Mix cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla with an electric mixer. add eggs and yolk all at once, beat until combined.  Stir in milk.  Melt chocolate and combine with half of filling mix.  Spoon  mix into pan. (I put alternated a dollup of chocolate and then vanilla next to it.  That made it easier to swirl.)  Butter sides of pan again. Bake at 375 degrees. 8 inch pan 45-50 minutes. 9 inch pan 35-40 minutes. Top should be slightly brown.

A Very Happy Daddy

Our garage has been a bit cluttered since we moved here.  Every once in a while we'll clean it out and declutter but it is usually pretty full of stuff which makes it a wasted space.  My hubbie's birthday was coming up and we'd talked about how we needed to get the garage cleaned out so he could use it for a workshop (and work on projects for our home).  So Uncle Sandy helped me pick up a peg board and a few other things the day of his birthday.  He was very excited and spent the following Saturday out in the garage putting up all his tools and moving things around.  He had this goofy smile on the whole time and seeing him so excited just made me happy.

Here's the mostly finnished product.

The amazing part is that there is so much open space once we cleared out the garbage and put everything else away.  I'm looking forward to Summer projects now.

Happy Birthday!

You had a birthday!  He spent the Saturday before crawling around in our very short attic blowing in 15 bags of insulation.  This is the before picture and he commented that we really should have taken an after shot.  He spent the next couple days really sore and now our house is much warmer.

So here's a message for you for your birthday.  You have been in my life for a while now and I can't imagine life without you.  You are the best thing that's ever happened to me and many days you are my hero.  You keep me giong when I'm tired, find my sense of humor when it is long lost, and you are my best friend.  I look forward to the many adventures life will bring knowing with you by my side it will be quite a ride. I Love You! 

#3 B-Day

Boy was I excited about my Birthday! I got to help Mom make, frost, and decorate the cake.

I got two rounds of birthday spankings as Papa Ron had sent some up for me.

The next day I spent all day playing with my new toys. I like to play this one on Mom's bed because then Daniel can't reach it to pull on it and break it.

This was the next day when I was eaten by a shark!

Don't worry I climbed my way out. He couldn't beat me! We actually became friends and he moved into my bedroom where I slept inside for the next week.

More Birthdays

Hey You! Do you even know it's your birthday?

Dad blew up balloons, Mom's making your cake...
That cake's pretty good eh?

Well, you don't have to eat it all at once.

Who put that balloon in your shirt? Daddy!

Video of eating cake to come...

Mommy's One Year Wiser!

We have a tradition in our house that no one has to make their own birthday cake. This has worked out really well for me as my husband has some amazing cake making skills. This year was no exception. This is a cherry chip cake that has been frosted with tin roof sundae ice cream. It was formed in a spring form pan and then frozen. I can think of hundreds of delicious posibilities for this in the future. It was amazing!

The toddler wasn't catching onto the birthday excitement.

The cake looked even more amazing when we cut into it!

I had two very good birthday helpers.
Thanks to all for the birthday wishes. It was a good one.

We've Had a Birthday!

October was a really good month for us. We had cake and ice cream a pleanty. Thanks to all our friends and family who helped make our birthdays special. We're working on the present opening technique.

This is my first attempt at a child's cake. Jacob really just wanted to take the cars off but I told him he'd have to wait until after he blew out the candles. He made quick work of taking off the cars as soon as he'd done his part.

I tried to get a good portriat for his B-day. He was pretty cooperative for a two-year-old.

I just love this picture of my boys out in the yard. Matt had finnished mowing the lawn and they were out watching the airplanes while Matt rested.

We're training Jacob to be a good little server. Right after I snapped this picture we grabbed the plate (which was pretty heavy) before he lost his balance.

It's My Birthday!

Jacob's Birthday Lunch.

He loves his new big boy car seat.

Good Morning Party! Jacob wanted to start his birthday really early.
Mom said, "We have to go back to sleep." We compromised.

Mom's birthday was fun. (That was last week.)

Jacob had fun opening presents. Well, really he just liked the paper.
He also walked around the house carrying a birthday card most of the day.

Jacob wasn't too hungry but he still dug in.Mom! It's on fire!

Jacob had a cake to eat so we needed one too.

Hey Dad, that's my toy.

Baby's first John Deere tractor.