having fun

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Shanda

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Rich always gets a craving for Pinkberry on Sunday afternoons…..I am SO over it….but he mentions it, and since I can’t always say “no”, this past Sunday I said, “Okay, lets go but we are taking the children to see Santa Clause.” To this he had less enthusiasm but as he would do just about anything for that tasty frozen yogurt treat, he said, “You know the line is always super long for that.” and I understood it was a “yes” from my husband.

The line was a little long, but not too terribly bad. Our son David, who is now 14, absolutely refused to see Santa, because “it would ruin his dignity”, and went away to wander the mall while Rich and I took our three youngest through a process of getting a special badge, doing a few fun North Pole activities, and then finally visiting with Santa for the all important portrait. Seth was the most reluctant and shy, Sarah was the most excited. Caleb was in the middle (perfect).

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There was one part of the event where the children were able to go into a little room of sorts to stand in a beautiful falling artificial snow. I, of course, right away thought to myself, “Perhaps we should avoid that part or they will get covered in it for their photo with Santa.” I thought it was very unwise of the elves to put the messy snow BEFORE Santa, why not AFTER? However, I am super proud to say, I put aside my own controlling tendencies and let them have all the fun they could possibly have. I pretended I didn’t care. Although we brushed it off them, you can see the snow in Sarah’s hair like dandruff and some flakes of it on the boys, too.

There was a dear mom behind us with her two PERFECTLY dressed girls in all their Christmas finery (velvet and hair bows, white tights and black patent leather) and they avoided the flakes of snow like it was the very plague. They stared in wonder at Sarah scooping it up and throwing it sky high, while I heard the mother whispering instructions to her prim and proper daughters to not get any of it on their dresses, and I could tell by their faces that they had no intentions of doing so. And I knew that could have been my mothering technique, as well. I understood perfectly how they all felt because I felt that way a little bit myself.

I don’t really have a point to this story except that it was a close call for Sarah, and a learning experience for me (again). Every day is a lesson on “control” for me….and slowly God is taking it gently from my hands so I can have a little fun, too.

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You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Ecclesiastes 11:9

super long but I promise you will enjoy it

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Shanda

On Tuesday I had to take Grace to the doctors because she was awake half the night in agony. Turns out she had a full blown ear infection. She stayed home from school for two days in a row because of it and is on antibiotics.

On Wednesday, Rich and I drove to Vermont to watch the very first wrestling event at Ethan’s college. We watched him wrestle in the exhibition matches before the main event. He lost to his opponent and then by the end of the night the varsity team ended up losing by a distant tie breaker. It was such a close competition. The gym was packed and I loved how the refs encouraged all the young kids in the stands to come down and sit right by the mat to watch. So, this was my favorite photo of the whole night, just because of this dear little boy who reminded me so much of Seth:

After the meet Ethan was about to faint from hunger (slight exaggeration) and all he could do was think about food, so we took him to the college cafe and ordered two pizzas. He wolfed down three pieces and then we got him a Ben and Jerry’s frozen yogurt to take back to his dorm room to eat in bed while watching Netflix. Rich and I drove back home and were in bed by 1:15 in the morning.

Moving on…..this post is actually about my son Caleb, who is rarely featured on my blog anymore because he is a little camera shy. My early posts were pretty much all about him because he was my baby at the time. Always a mama’s boy, always with a tender heart toward others. Of course he has his silly side, and has made a name for himself at school and at football as “the boy who can make realistic chicken sounds.” I’ll record it for you one of these days.

I LOVE KING ARTHUR FLOUR!!!!!!! Caleb is in 6th grade and King Arthur FLOUR came to his school and taught the children HOW TO BAKE BREAD!!!!! Can you even imagine? What a blessed change from assemblies about “bullying” and “whatever social issue needs to be discussed” –not that there is anything wrong with that but you know what I mean. They learned to bake bread!

Each child was given a fabric bag filled with goodies to take home. Inside, there were two little bags of flour (so cute!) a flexible plastic scraper (I never knew how convenient they were!), yeast, and an instruction booklet written on a level for children to learn and understand (amusing!)

UNFORTUNATELY for Caleb, he was bit on Wednesday night on the hand. By Thursday it had become infected and was pink and somewhat swollen. He told me it was a scratch and as I am a “oh you’ll be fine” sort of mom, we set to work baking the bread together.

After he washed his hands with powerful soap over and over under my watchful eye.

“Mom, the dough is like pancake batter.”

We kept adding the flour.

One cup at a time. No mixer, just a bowl and a spoon.

He learned at school how to use the edge of the scraper to level off the cup.

The bag of flour was too small to fit a measuring cup inside of it so we dumped each bag into a mixing bowl.

“Mom the dough is like cake batter now.”

He was very observant. And you can tell he is experienced in all kinds of batter, too. Comes from years in the kitchen with Mom. 🙂

“Mom you stir it now, my hand hurts.”

Here is the entire free download of recipes if you would like to try Caleb’s bread:

CALEB’s BREAD (King Arthur Flour booklet of recipes for kids)

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Naturally, because of *infection-hand* I did the kneading as well. (Caleb didn’t touch the dough)

The finished dough ball.

Truth be told, as I spent time with my son, I realized that his hand was worse than my original diagnosis. So, I called the doctors and took him in to get it checked while the dough was rising in the fridge.

I was sort of apologetic at first that I didn’t wait to see if it would clear up on its own but the doctor said, “No. I am so glad you didn’t wait on this. Always trust your gut. I know you and you have a good gut.”

Thanks to the mother’s gut, it was antibiotics and an excuse note to miss Football practice for Mr. C.

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For those of you who do not know yet (young moms) if you see a red streak (like what is on Caleb’s wrist) coming from the wound, you should take your child to the doctors sooner rather than later.

It was at the doctors that I learned that his “scratch” was truly a “bite”. He didn’t want to tell me that he was bitten.

Guess who bit him?

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Therefore, hours later, after the doctors, after football practice (during which Caleb sat out), we finally baked the bread.

Second rise, right before popping it into the oven (after removing plastic wrap, of course).

Half the dough was used to make a loaf, the other half to make cinnamon rolls.

This loaf was taken to school today to be donated to someone in need.

While the rolls cooled, we naturally watched a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED show full of bready goodness for all ages: Wallis and Gromit’s of A Matter of Loaf and Death. (it’s on amazon prime I believe)

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The cinnamon rolls were soooooooooo good! Oh it was a gift, to “snuggie” (that’s what I say, I say, “Seth come snuggie with me.”) on the couch with Caleb and Seth to watch a nice show and then eat cinnamon rolls together right before bed.

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tired mama, but happy mama, & precious boy o’mine

By the way, I rubbed pressed garlic on his infection twice last night and by this morning it was looking much better. Of course it could have been from the one dose of antibiotics that he had after his appointment, too. He’ll be on it for 10 days.

Aren’t you glad it’s Friday? I sure am!

homemade rolls made with love

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Shanda

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Rich’s Aunt Phyllis visited this weekend with her cousin Marie. Rich’s Dad came, too. They wanted to watch Grace in a play at her school. It was such fun to attend together but my favorite part of all was when we were home again and the ladies were snuggling up on the couch reading an old old copy of Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. Aunt Phyllis gave the book to Grace and it is special because her mom (Grace’s Great Great Grandma) used to read it to her children at bedtime. And from this very copy Aunt Phyllis and Marie each read a chapter aloud to the girls. On Sarah Joy’s lap is a quilt that was given to her Great Grandma which she kept on her lap during her last years. It was made by another relative. Aren’t relatives the best, the most inspiring of all? I love all the women in my family, both in my own family and the family I married in to. I feel very blessed by all the stories, sewing, quilting, crafting, working, mothering, beauty, books, baking, and so on……that I learned from my sisters, cousins, aunts, Mom, and grandmas. All so uniquely special and dear.

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I look into their faces and see my self, and own children, in them.

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Rich is hosting an off site meeting today for work and as always, I am making homemade rolls for our sandwiches. (they are rising as I type) I don’t divide my Grandma’s recipe anymore because I can use all the dough I can get! Last night I mixed up the dough and put half in the refrigerator for today’s rolls, and formed the rest into a big pan of cinnamon rolls. After all, it was a holiday, it was Halloween! I baked in the kitchen while Davy made clam chowder and Rich took the three youngest children out trick or treating. We had Harry Potter going on TV and there were a roomful of teen-sized kids in the basement having their own party.

I posted the photo of the completed rolls on FB and Instagram and several of my dear friends requested the recipe.

My Grandma (her name was Mary) used to bake these rolls by the hundreds…she was well known for them in our church and in her home for the holidays. She in turn passed the bread baking art down to her daughters–my mom Cindy makes amazing bread on a weekly basis and I’ve shared several of her recipes here on my blog already. She is a most amazing baker and I’m thankful she is just a phone call or text away to answer my questions and eventually answer questions for my girls, as well. The Mama/Grandma hotline! So blessed.

Isn’t family wonderful? I know yours is, too!

ROLLS

3-4 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 T. salt
1/2 cup butter
3 cups water-divided
2 T yeast or 2 packages
2 eggs
close to 5 lb bag of flour

Mix 1 cup of warm water with the yeast and set aside. Heat milk, sugar, salt, and butter until dissolved–let cool. Add 2 cups cold water to mixture. Add the 2 cold eggs to the milk mixture. Combine the yeast mixture with the milk mixture. Add enough flour till the right consistency. (Approximately 5 lbs).
Knead dough till smooth on a flour surface. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let rise for about 2 hours (until doubled in size). Punch down dough-knead-then shape rolls or roll out for sweet rolls.
Place rolls in a greased pan and cover and let rise till doubled– about half an hour.
Bake at 350 for 24-25 minutes, till golden brown and rolls sound hollow when tapped.
Makes about 3-4 dozen dinner rolls and a 9 by 13 plan of sweet rolls.

(note: children LOVE to watch the process!! Sarah Joy eats a bit of the dough raw–she loves it!)

SWEET ROLL ADDITIONS

Cinnamon Sugar Mixture: 2 cups sugar 3 T cinnamon 1 stick melted butter

Roll dough to about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface. Pour on melted butter and spread to edges. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll up and slice about inch thick with a sharp knife. Place in well greased pan or into pan with caramel nut topping mixture spread in the bottom. Let rise for 1/2 to 1 hour and bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes

(note: raw cinnamon roll dough is even better! you can rub it around in the butter left behind on the counter! My dad loves to do this.)

CARAMEL Nut TOPPING 1/2 cup melted butter 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Thank you to my Aunt Colleen for sharing this recipe and making sure it is in the recipe files of all our families! You are wonderful.

NOTE-I use my kitchen aid mixture to knead the dough and then finish it off on the counter because I do like to get my hands on it during part of the process. It’s so soft and warm….good to work with.

*****

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THIS IS MY HUSBAND’S GRANDMOTHER! Her name was Sarah Lillian but everyone called her Lillian. Aunt Phyllis shared this 1980’s newspaper clipping with us. It is from when Grandma was working in a school cafeteria (the very same school Rich and I and all our relatives attended) These were the days when children actually ate some HOMEMADE foods, like these big homemade peanut butter cookies (800 of them baked at once). I love the details in this picture and I know these ladies loved working together. They made biscuits, apple crisp, and so many other delicious foods for the children.

*****

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My kitchen, where I think of all the women in my family as I work.

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Dedicated to mamas, grandmas, and aunts everywhere.

You make a difference wherever you are, even long after you’re gone.

You are loved.

She keeps an eye on everyone in her household,
and keeps them all busy and productive.
Her children respect and bless her;
her husband joins in with words of praise:
“Many women have done wonderful things,
but you’ve outclassed them all!”
Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.
The woman to be admired and praised
is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.
Give her everything she deserves!
Festoon her life with praises!

yee haa

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Shanda

A delightful story came home in Sarah’s backpack on Monday. Picture me reading this in the kitchen after baking two batches of two different kinds of homemade cookies, for my children.

It was a fascinating eye opener for me, as I tend to live in dreamland where children don’t care about video games as much as smiling parents with big hugs, warm cookies, friendly kitty cats, a big front yard outside in the country, lot of siblings, and clean bedrooms full of a magical assortment of good wholesome toys, puzzles, and books.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

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It’s the “evre day” that gets me. If it said “sometimes” or “occasionally”…..sure. But “evre day”? really?

So, without Further Delay….

Evre Day Aftr Scwol, by Sarah, six years old, & perhaps a genius

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I went don stars. too play viteo gams. I like to play viteo game. I like playing mincraft. Sarah said, “I like playing mincraft.”

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I saw a Zombe it was abowt to esplod my howse. Me and my dogs ar going to cil the Zombe. Sarah said, “cil it dogs.”

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I dfetid the Zombe. And I was hape. And my dogs wr hape to. I went bac to my howse to feed my dogs. Sarah said “I love my dogs.”

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Aftr I dufetid the Zombe I went to my hose. In my hose I gave my dog’s mett. Sarah said, “I love my dog’s”.

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Aftre I gave my dog’s mett I went to go hunting with my dog’s. Sarah said, “yee haa”.

The End.

don’t cry, kids

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Shanda

I agree, it was a wonderful long dreamy dream of a summer; the summer of ’16. But it’s over now and you must go back to school today.

I love how Grace started High School with two brothers by her side and is ending High School with two different ones.

She’s rather full of herself. David said, “Will you please get off me?” And I said, “Uh oh, Grace, I bet Caleb will be taller than you are by the end of the year.” and she lifted her head to try to gain a few more inches. Then she ruffled his hair and said, “Caleb you have nice hair.” “He has the best hair of the family,” I say. “No, Ethan does,” she replied. “What about my hair?” said Dave. “And Seth has the nicest eyes,” Grace continued.

There was wet stuff coming from the sky but it was only a gentle light rain.

They go to two different schools this year so they ride separate buses.

For the 7th year running, the winner of the “best eyes” in the family contest!

They melt me.

Seth got on his bus and then it was just the two of us….”Let’s sit on the bench together and wait.” she said. So we did.

“I’m going to make lots of new friends this year.” she decided.

Of five little children, off to school

Only one of them cried,

Can you guess who?

how quickly they grow

Posted on August 24, 2016 by Shanda

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He arrived on a Thursday.

He gave me happy baby kisses on a Friday.

We went for walks in the woods on a Saturday.

And took him to church on a Sunday.

He started school on a Monday.

We baked brownies and pancakes and mashed potatoes on a Tuesday.

He brought home a sweetheart named Tessa on Wednesday.

And left for college on a Thursday.

~for my son Ethan, on the day before we leave for Vermont.

a little bit of this a little bit of that

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Shanda

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I made my way to the kitchen in order to make that first cup of coffee. Sarah was on the couch in the living room and the boys were still asleep.

Our nineteen year old son Jacob had left in the wee hours of the morning to go on a road trip and as I poured Sarah’s drink of milk I was touched to see that he had left me a note. It was on the other side of the counter so I had to reach across to pull it toward me, turning it right-side-up in order to read it.

What was it going to say? Perhaps; “I’ll miss you, dearest mother”?, or, “Don’t worry, I will drive safely, God is with me.”? how about, “Give my siblings a hug and kiss for me when they wake up, I’ll miss them!” ? or “I did the laundry before I left” ?

I was so surprised when I read it that I just had to laugh!

What sort of 19 year old leaves notes of remorse about finishing up FOOD?

And that “I love you” tacked on the end. Even his name made me smile! “Jake” not Jacob, but “Jake”. My little Jake, not so little…..but still as sweet as ever.

Does he not know, has he not heard? Mothers want the children to eat ALL the ham salad! Mothers eat lots of ham salad only if they have a sneaking suspicion that the children don’t like it and it will go to waste!

His mother would gladly give him ALLLLLLLL the ham salad!!!!!!!!

The note should have said, “I’m sorry I left the empty ham salad container and little bits of it on the counter for YOU to clean up instead of throwing it away myself!” Am I right? No, maybe not. I saw more of his priceless self and heart in his own quickly written, 3 o’clock in the morning, sincere, paper-towel written love letter than anything else he could have written.

(((my heart))) just never knows what God will give it each day…that little unexpected boost to brighten the moments. So many each day that I lose track. My heart gives grateful praise. A ham salad note. I can’t even……what next? I can’t wait to see.

****

A song for Friday:

****

truths to make your heart sing:

“So, we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:16, The Message translation

****

Strength for today is mine all the way,
And all I need for tomorrow.
My Lord knows the way through the wilderness,
All I have to do, is follow.
~Sidney E. Cox, 1950, (from the baptist hymnal)

**Have a very blessed Friday, you are loved!**

weekending

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Shanda

“This is my commandment,
that you love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus’ words in John 15:12

We had a house FULL from Friday night to Saturday morning. We had our own seven, plus seven extra teenagers. They were staying the night in order to be at the church bright and early.

This is camp week for our teens and Rich is also there as a team leader.

I’m spending the week here at home with Caleb, Seth, and Sarah. My oldest son, Jacob, is also home because he is now too old for camp. He’s driving up on Friday to see everyone, though, and keeping himself busy with work, music, friends, and helping his mama at home.

This morning I am taking the kids to the one dollar movie and then to get the boys’ their football cleats because tonight Football practice starts for Caleb and Seth….and I am so glad because they need activity at this point. No more lazy-daisy summer evenings for them!

On Saturday morning I drove the campers to the church to get on the bus and then Seth and I went to the bakeshop nearby. The gardens on the property were stunning! I wish my front beds looked like this! Dreams for next year…….

full and luscious flowers beds.

Seth chose a cupcake and we took home a blueberry pie.

For whatever reason, I am determined to keep moving and stay extra busy & active this week while Rich and the kids are away…perhaps to keep those “I’m missing you” feelings at bay? And to get so tired I have no trouble sleeping in the big bed all alone? So on Saturday I took the kids on two walks. It was pretty warm outside so we kept them on the shorter side, but we still saw some pretty sights, the kids climbed big rocks, and the boys found sticks to sword fight with.

Aren’t pond lilies pretty?

That photo which Caleb took that made me realize just how tall and how big my youngest is getting!

When I was a little girl, a happy time for me was going for adventure walks “up to the big rocks” in Grandma and Grandpa’s woods. We would all go, Grandma, the aunts, mom, and the cousins. We had the best time exploring the rocks and daring ourselves to jump over the crack between two tall rocks.

The rocks we discovered on Saturday reminded me of those days. My own children loved the experience just as much as we did years ago.

Soft, dappled sunlight over moss and leaves.

Caleb helped keep Seth from getting lost because our boy Seth runs ahead and OFF the trail just from the joy of being free…….

Sarah Joy took this photo of me….it’s the best, out of focus!

She always has to be holding my hand. It makes her feel stronger and safer.

This is Seth making a “tough guy” face when I asked to take his picture. He is nothing but muscle and bone….he’s the one who gets cold first when they go swimming…has boundless energy and his Dad calls him “Scrapper”. Our very own state wrestling champ!

Yesterday I spent the day with my brother and his wife. We went out shopping, had drinks from Sonic, bought chocolates, ate donuts, and generally ate more sugar than usual. Back at home, we played a game, drank coffee, ate pie (!), sandwiches, and watched a movie with the kids.

Before they left we took a couple of photos outside in the sun.

The kids were flopped on the couch, tired out, while I walked down to our stream to see the Cardinal flowers.

They are a yearly event for me (perhaps I’ll start throwing a party) because they are such a GORGEOUS wild flower, as red as can be.

They liked the wetness of the earth by the stream and at this time of year the stream is low and it is easy to get down the bank and stand on the rocks to take photos.

The wild day lilies are almost done.

Queen Anne’s lace and goldenrod is everywhere. I like to stop and study them because they are almost always entertaining bugs, which if you stop to see them, can be very interesting indeed.

**Queen Anne’s lace remind me of Great Grandma’s crocheted doilies.

Each season, each month of the growing months has its own flower-time. Starting with the tiny spring flowers up until the sturdy flowers of fall. I love to welcome them each year and watch them come and go and come again…… year after year.

God’s creation is always exciting, but also solidly dependable, too.

Swallowtail off in the distance, tiptoeing all over this tall, wild “Joe-Pye weed“.

My house, my gardens, my rock wall, my ferns = I love it here. We’ve been at this place for ten years now and my heart is home. I thank God constantly for our life here.

I don’t care if Anne (of Green Gables) thought zinnias were stiff and horrible….I LOVE THEM!

“Look at that wave of poppies breaking against the garden well, Miss Cornelia. Susan and I are very proud of our poppies this year, though we hadn’t a single thing to do with them. Walter spilt a packet of seed there by accident in the spring and this is the result. Every year we have some delightful surprise like that.”
“I’m partial to poppies,” said Miss Cornelia, “though they don’t last long.”
“They have only a day to live,’ admitted Anne, “but how imperially, how gorgeous they live it! Isn’t that better than being a stiff horrible zinnia that lasts practically for ever? We have no zinnias at Ingleside. They’re the only flowers we are not friends with. Susan won’t even speak to them.” ~Anne of Ingleside, chapter 15

I love them because they last practically forever. So there, dear Anne. (I’ll always love you)

Back in the house, I admire my own dear sturdy boy, snuggling with a very loved and spoiled Gentleman Gray kitty.

So thankful for these children o’ mine. Can you imagine if we stopped at four?

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**Queen Anne’s lace reminds me of Great Grandma’s crocheted doilies.

YOU ARE LOVED, dear friends.
A very happy August 1st to you!

life is a continual feast

Posted on July 18, 2016 by Shanda

This morning I was in my pajama pants and tank top, my hair was pulled up in a very messy pony tail. I was making the children color pictures at the island while they waited for their breakfast. I was feeling rather full of myself as I expertly cut up their french toast and dribbled Trader Joe’s cherry pie filling over the top. “I have to admit,” I said happily, “I’m pretty awesome.” And guess what? Little ears were listening……..

“I’m pretty awesome, too.” said Sarah, promptly and agreeably.

amen.

These nature photos are from last week. We were searching for more monarch caterpillars. The first photo was of milkweed bugs and then this one is of a flowering bush which I have not identified. It has small, bell shaped baby pink blossoms.

very very very interesting brown moth. look at it’s eyes.

It was Sarah Joy’s first long walk after her surgery. She got tired, and dear Amy gave her a piggy back ride all the way back home.

We found wild black berries. They tasted sour and Seth loved them.

These baby birds are living in a nest on the gable of the chicken coop.

When I stare at this picture I can’t help but squeal from the cuteness. There is something about that pouting bird face and the other bird that doesn’t even know I’m there but I can see it’s little bottom and heels.

Last week was very very very very long. Rich was on a business trip from Monday to Thursday night, and then from Friday morning to Saturday night he was gone with Ethan to college registration. Come Saturday I just wanted to go someplace where I could sit and look at magazines without having the kids need me. So off we went to the playground, stopping for a big iced coffee on the way. (it was hot and muggy.)

As is typical, as soon as I got out of the house with my camera I still couldn’t focus on the magazines because the kids were all of a sudden adorable instead of exhausting.

Sometimes you just need a change of scenery and a little fun to brighten up a long week.

This is a big deal for Sarah, she has conquered her fears at the playground. There were years when she wouldn’t ever take risks like this.

Seth, on the other hand, has been climbing before he could walk. (some of the pictures won’t show unless you click on them)…

Happy Monday, friends!

youareloved

PS, here is my current favorite photo:

A friend of mine took it at an antique store because she thought of me!

the dishes *swoon*

For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.
Proverbs 15:15

we ate a snake

Posted on July 9, 2016 by Shanda

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2005 was an eventful year for our family because that was the year I gave birth to offspring number five; a beautiful little son whom we named Caleb James. Oh how we loved having babies and those sweet days of holding a newborn in our arms.

Caleb been so excited about his birthday (for months) and we were very pleased//relieved that we were able to celebrate it the way he wished; with some of his favorite friends. They had a nerf gun fight, went for a walk, played football, went swimming, and played video games.

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Caleb has the best mother in the world, if I do say so myself, because I made him a homemade snake cake today even though I was exhausted, worried and grumpy (de-stressing from Sarah’s surgery).

Or, even more likely, this is God’s perfect timing because He knew that nothing would cheer me up more than making a snake cake for one of the best boys I know. It turned out so well I just had to smile………smile at a cute snake.

It’s body was made out of a sour cream chocolate cake, baked it in a bundt pan. After it cooled, I cut it in half and turned one half to the edge of the other half to make an “S”.

Then I gave it a skin of homemade butter cream frosting, dyed green.

The yellow spots are m-n-ms and skittles, which was a nice surprise for the kids as they never knew which one they would eat next.

The eyes were made with one marshmallow, cut in half and striped with a toothpick dipped in black food coloring (the book said to buy a tube of black frosting but this worked).

Mr. Snake’s tongue was made with a fruit-by-the-foot, trimmed at the end to be forked.

We had to call the boys up out of the pond in order to have the cake, which is why Caleb has a towel around his waist. (summertime birthdays are the best.)

As an ode to the good ol’ days, I scattered some of Caleb’s beloved Thomas the tank Engine trains down the table as decoration. All the boys had fun picking them up with their forks attaching to the trains’ magnetic ends.

I served out the cake and Rich served out the ice cream.

Happy Birthday, Caleb!

*****

PS, Sarah is continuing to do very well, although I had some cause for worry this morning. After I talked to the doctor, had a good cry, and baked a cake I felt better. (She was never worried in the least). She’s happy.