three ring birthday mayhem

In this Ring: Cake Mayhem

You know, I really have done a lot of work on calming my life and myself down quite a bit since I was in college, and those of you who knew me then can probably attest to my rather spastic hyperreactive nature back then…

But I think I truly just have to face the fact, that the calmer I try to make it all, the more chaotic it gets.

Take for instance, this whole baking thing. I love to bake. I bake multiple batches of cookies, I bake multiple cakes for my kids’ birthdays, etc. It’s something you’d think I had a good handle on by now, but lately I just can’t seem to measure out the ingredients and mix them properly to save my life.

Friday my cakes went volcanic in the oven after a run to my neighbor’s for more sugar, which turned out to be too much sugar because I just flubbed the doubling.

So after my mil came home and declared, first, oh dear, then just bake a little longer and they should be fine, more like a sponge cake, then my next fb status looked like this:

could anymore mayhem happen today? why yes of course. our minister arrived to give toots a birthday card, captain comic came to the door and stated 'i think the british are still angry over, you know that revolution thing back in the 1700s (rev. andrew has a lovely accent) and the barky dog got out at the same time, which was also when i was attempting to get the cakes, such as they are out of the oven...


evidence:

After it was determined there was no salvaging them, or two of the pans, I abandoned the fancy Kitchenaid mixer and hand mixed - by spatula - the new batter, in single batches. Family celebration cake was moved to a bundt pan. It turned out beautifully.

I added homemade blue (by special request since Christmas) pomegranate frosting. Everyone loved it.

 At the Kid party on Saturday, the special request was for orange frosting. I flavored that tangerine, but apparently my volume was a bit slim, hence the bare spots...However, even the parents were oooing and aahing. One dad, who had stayed with his kids, prodded his wife and mother-in-law to have a piece when they arrived after their dog's vet appointment. Rave reviews of fluffy and moist. 

I may not make the prettiest baked goods, but they sure taste good when I get it right.

Speaking of getting it right, a while back, I think I spoke of completely messing up cookie dough by miscounting too much flour into the doubling batch. I need more sleep and less family members speaking to me while I try to add ingredients to batters and doughs. So the cookie dough I finally fixed finally became butterfly cookies for Toots to celebrate in preschool.  This past week was crazy with dental appointments, etc so in the end, Grandma and Toots  rolled out, cut baked and decorated the cookies. The kids loved them! so did our family. Yum!  

In the Center Ring: Celebration

Family Friday night

booty

 "Silly Daddy!"

Silly Daddy and his young cousin E.

\

 Argh!

Surprise!

Um, I just liked my hair in this shot. More cousins.

 Friends, Saturday: Theme: Princess Baseball, baseball got rained out as I demo'd the game in the sun shower afternoon. Most of the party was had inside, Her new Princess Car was the hit of the party.

We played pin the tail on the unicorn, we painted it. 

How many little kids can we fit on an old trampoline? 

The alternate game when baseball was rained out became freeze dance, and was only a little successful.

Then we opened presents and Toots thanked all her friends with big hugs.

This is my friend Amilicious's son. He's a big flirt like his dad who shares a name with an astronaut.

So, when my friend Amilicious walked in the door with her kid, I thought great and crazy minds think alike. I drafted Honey to take a shot of the couple of Witchypoos (anyone old enough to remember HR Puffnstuff?).  I just wish he warned me of the angle for my belly's sake. Time to start working out again! She and I are quite nutty, especially when we're together.

And in the final Ring: Circus!

After Toots's party, she had a good nap, and then we headed to Picadilly Circus at Hampton University.

They had a few acrobatic acts that were impressive.

 Captain Comic was a very serious audience member. I forgot to bring earplugs for him. His favorite was the Boxing Kangaroo. He cracked up at the clowns, especially when one appeared to be farting smoke around the ring.

 Toots and I got up close and personal with the elephant at intermission.

It was a bit tough to get pictures during the circus, but we had fun and the animal handlers seemed to treat their friends with kindness and love. I have mixed feelings about circuses because of the wild animals in acts business. But they really seemed alright. All in all, from Thursday at preschool with the cookies, all through family and friends and circus fun, Toots had a stupendous birthday celebration!