RANDOMNESS #1 - Tommy, my brother-in-law with the new hip, will turn 50 this week, so we gathered at Bev's yesterday after church for a 50th Birthday Celebration.
And I was in charge of the cake.
And because my new friend, Suzann, had made this cake for our Sunday School Social and it was so cute, I decided to make it for Tommy's birthday.
And I called it "The Old as Dirt" Cake.
And it was good.
Suzann's cake was really pretty, and the sunflower she used was realistic looking. My sunflowers were short, dumpy and plastic.
And when I put all the ingredients into the flower pot, it was so low the flowers didn't show at all.
And I had to figure out two more layers to add to the cake.
And I did.
Look below for the recipe (plus my two added layers).
Photo bombing is my pet peeve, and Zac and Mike KNOW it.
And Katie and Tim know it, too.
Please feel free to ignore Zac. I know I did!
Mike and Tommy have always gotten along, but this was a little ridiculous.
There... Much better.
RANDOMNESS #2 - Okay. The Faulkner Five and The Lovely Melia saw Iron Man 3 Friday night... and it was SO good.
Keep in mind, my kids are 22, 21, 19 and 16. I wouldn't necessarily take a much younger crowd to this particular movie.
It was intense.
Robert Downey, Jr. was smart and witty, and now I'm ready for The Avengers 2. I've been told by Austin and Josh I have to wait until 2015. That seems like a very long time to have to wait.
I'm not getting any younger, you know.
I mean, I look like I am, but in real life... not so much.
Oh, well. Something to look forward to in 2015!
Dirt Cake
You will need the following:
1 package (15 1/2 ounces) Oreo cookies
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups milk
2 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping (thawed)
1. Crush cookies until they resemble potting soil.
2. Divide half of the crumbs between the flower pots. Set pots and divided crumbs aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.
4. In another bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes (mixture will be thick).
5. Fold in whipped topping.
6. Gently fold into cream cheese mixture until blended.
7. Line inside of pots with aluminum foil.
8. Add filling to pots.
9. Top with crumbs.
10. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
11. If desired, wrap silk flower stems in foil. Add to flower pots. Decorate with gummy worms and display with gardening tools.
NOTE - Since I used one BIG pot instead of two smaller pots, I needed two more layers of "stuff."
I bought an "already prepared" angel food cake from the grocery store and tore it into two inch chunks. I added the chunks to the top of the filling.
I made a box of instant chocolate fudge pudding (per instructions on box), and smoothed it over the chunks of angel food cake.
I then added the crumbs and the decorations.
And it was GOOD!
Lemon Butter Shrimp
You will need the following:
1 stick butter
1 lemon
1 pound shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1 package of Italian seasoning
1. Melt a stick of butter in a 9" x 13" pan.
2. Slice one lemon and layer it on top of the butter.
3. Add fresh shrimp.
4. Sprinkle one pack of dried Italian seasoning over the shrimp.
5. Put in oven and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
Except for Josh (who doesn't eat shrimp), EVERYONE loved this!
Easy, breezy.
Crazy Days
Last week, at the Faithful Moms group, Beth Hill (who hosts the meetings) told me about something she does with her three little men and her niece every summer.
She calls them Crazy Days. Basically, it is a fun Summer day with a little structure thrown in for good measure.
Beth says, "I adapted the idea from our high school homecoming week. Each day of homecoming week was a silly theme day (Farm Day, Camo Day, School Colors Day, etc). We dressed up according to the theme.
"I adapted it to fit my kids.
"We had Animal Day and we painted faces like animals, played animal-themed games and had animal crackers for snack.
"We've had Spy Day a few years in a row. The kids get 'Missions' in a black file folder labeled 'Top Secret.' It's as simple as hiding the 'missing jewels' and saying that they have to hop a plane to Russia and defeat the bad guys and recover the jewelry. So much fun.
"We've had Farm Day, Angry Birds Day, Super Hero Day, etc. I try to make our lunch time a devotion time. I use a Bible story or verse to accompany our theme for the day."
What a great tradition! Every Summer, your kids would be looking forward to five or six days scattered throughout the hot, sticky, summer months with a fun theme attached to them.
June 8 wouldn't just be June 8. It could be I LOVE GREEN DAY!
Don't forget... games, clothing, crafts, movies and snacks would revolve around the THEME for the day.
It's brilliant, I tell you. Brilliant.
I'm going to post an oldie in case you want to have some Crazy Days this summer, also.
Water Day
Plan a backyard Water Day for YOUR family. Put hot dogs in the crock pot for three to four hours on low for dinner. At the end of Water Dayn, you'll have a quick, simple meal ready and waiting for a picnic on the back deck. Here are a few easy games you can play (year after year) with your family:
Water Balloon Batting Practice - You'll need lots of water balloons, a baseball bat and at least two players. Have one player pitch the water balloons to the batter, who takes his or her best swing. There are no home runs, but smack the balloon and you'll be rewarded with a nice, cool blast of water.
Water Balloon Toss - You'll need water balloons, some water and at least two players for this old favorite. Fill and tie lots of balloons. You'll go through them quickly. Stand a few feet apart and gently toss the balloon back and forth. If it doesn't pop, everyone gets to take a step back. Keep playing until everyone is drenched.
Pinaqua - You'll need some plastic grocery or trash bags, water, rope, a bandanna or scarf, a broom or baseball bat and a tree limb or some other sturdy spot. Fill the bag with water and tie a knot at the top. Tie one end of the rope just below the knot and have a parent throw the other end of the rope over the tree limb. Tie the rope securely around the limb. Each child gets a turn to be blindfolded and spun around three times before taking three swings at the pinaqua with the bat or broom. (NOTE - We've done this a couple of times. It is a lot of fun. Especially for the kid who finally knocks a hole in the garbage bag. It is like a river of water falling on top of them.)
Splat - You'll need more water balloons, markers, a bed sheet and several players. Have each player write his or her name on a water balloon. Put the balloons in the middle of the sheet and have everyone grab an edge. The object of the game is to shake the sheet and bounce the other players' balloons off. If the balloon falls off, but doesn't break, toss it back on the sheet. Once your balloon goes splat, you're out!
Water Day ideas from The Birmingham News, Saturday, July 15, 2000.
Have a successful, productive day... or take a nap. Either one sounds good to me.
I'll be back Friday with Weekend Happenings, Mother's Day "stuff" and hopefully, another recipe or two.
Take care, and I'll talk to you in a few days.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
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