Another Tale is Added to Family Lore

Hubba Hubba's family is fond of telling stories. Especially popular are the ones where someone has done something silly. Some of these gems include my brother-in-law's early attempt at a cake, in which he added a total of 7 eggs. There's the story about Hubba Hubba and his sisters creating a game with socks (the rules of which I still do not understand). And now, there's the story of this cake:

No, there's nothing wrong with your eyes. Yes, that is a remarkably flat cake. For my college friends who remember Flat Eeyore, I give you: Flat Birthday Cake.

I'm pretty secure in my baking skills, so I'm able to see this for the hilarious cake it is. It's so flat, it's awesome! By now you're wondering how Flat Birthday Cake came to be. Well, it's very simple. My mother-in-law, for whom I created this culinary wonder, has to be very careful about her sugar intake. So I gladly volunteered to make a sugar-free cake for her birthday. I had wonderous visions of a delectable cake made with a sugar substitute, complete with fairy-like creatures dancing around it. (Maybe I've seen too many Splenda commercials.)

Once I got to the grocery store, I discovered something even easier! One of the sugar substitute companies (who shall remain nameless) makes a cake mix! Gift of the gods! There was even a sugar-free icing mix! Happily I grabbed both boxes and brought them home, along with the ingredients for dinner.

You can imagine my joy was somewhat diminished when I saw the finished product. My sister-in-law even tried adding extra layers of icing to make it taller. Not so much. Well, at least we all got a good laugh out of it. And, thanks to Rachael Ray, dinner itself rocked!

Graduation

Last night was the local high school graduation. My beloved and I were there because several of the "kids" (the salutatorian informed us they were now "adults") from our church were graduating. I enjoy things like graduations, because while I would argue that maybe they're not quite adults yet, high school graduation is definitely a huge milestone. A rite of passage towards adulthood. It's nice to be able to witness that, especially for young people we've been working with since 7th grade. And what do I know? Maybe they're more adult than I realise. Certainly many of them handled themselves with more poise than some members of the audience.

Don't get me wrong; I'm all for celebrating accomplishments like graduating. I'm all for hooting and hollering for your graduate. The louder, the better--let them know you're cheering for them! Here's my beef: air horns. Not one, but two men with air horns were sitting in our section, one right behind the other. (They were both sounding them at the same time, for the same graduates.) I was startled, but otherwise ok after the first few blasts. However, after the seventh or eighth graduate they "celebrated" thus, I seriously thought fluid was coming out of my ears. A young girl next to me started crying after a particularly loud blast.

If there are any of you reading this who are air horn aficianados, I hope you'll forgive my rant. Please, please, please: if small children are crying, and those around you are visibly starting with every blast, if people are rubbing their ears and are no longer paying attention to the ceremony because they are watching your trigger finger to see when the next blast is coming, perhaps you could consider putting the air horn away for the evening.

Anyway, rant over. Congrats to all graduates out there--we're proud of you. I'd sit next to an air horn any day for you!

Housework, Man Style

Well, lots of work is being done on the ol' homestead these days. In addition to all the "girly" jobs (laundry, dishes, floors, laundry, diapers, laundry...) we are having a new roof put on, and a new deck.

This means there's man stuff everywhere. Drills, hammers, crow bars...and a giant red dumpster in my back yard. Nice. Now, don't get me wrong. I know this stuff needs to be done, and that "this stuff" requires all THAT stuff. (The dumpster, etc.) It's accessories, for men.

I am looking forward to a clutter free...everything...and also some peace and quiet. There's banging and clanging and always someone running around my yard.

In other news, my cat has shown up. I have no idea where she's been all day, but I'm guessing she was not impressed by the neighbour's dog who found his way to our house.

More at 11. Or not. :)

Random

Well, the heat wave continues, with schools actually letting out early due to the heat. Not that this in any way affects me, but it gives you an idea of how hot it is. I think we're looking at 99 F tomorrow, or something close to it. With the heat index, that means HOT!

Yesterday I was worried I was raising "that kid." You know, the kid that ONLY eats chicken nuggets. Not that that's the worst thing in the world--my brother was "that kid" and grew up to be a fairly good eater. (It's weird to talk about a 25 year-old as a "good eater", but there it is.)

Wiggle Man would only eat yogurt. And sweet potato puffs. I saw the next 10 years of my life in two ways: nightly dinnertime showdowns, or nuggets everywhere. Thankfully, today I discovered he will eat different foods--as long as I put it on a piece of bread. Why, I have no idea. But it seems to be working. A small spoonful of whatever I'm trying to feed him on a tiny square of bread, and he eats it up. So bizarre.

Anyway, things are cooling off for the night, and I'm going to go read. I probably shouldn't complain about the heat, what with the flooding in the mid-west. For my online girls who are dealing with that--be safe!

Heat Wave

It sounds like we're in for a scorching few days here. We're going to be in the mid 90s, which is just gross. I'm just thankful for air conditioning. It's a fabulous blessing!

The Babe is still napping, which is a good thing since he hasn't slept well for the last couple of days. Now that his room finally has air conditioning, maybe he can get caught up.

What with the heat wave, barbeques with family, and softball, we were only missing one thing for it to officially be summer--a pool. Before you get too jealous, it's only a kiddie pool. But it's enough to keep The Babe cool on a hot day. I blew it up and filled it for him yesterday, but he was only happy in it when Mommy got in, too. There's an image for you. I forbade My Beloved to take any pictures that had me in them! (Not that it mattered, I would have cropped me out, anyway!)