Happy Birthday Cakes

(Disclaimer: Rebecca made the cake above)

Soon are the birthdays of my Dynamic Duo---Rachel and Leah. In their honor, I decided to do a blog on birthday cakes I've made for Rachel, Leah, Rebecca and one for Dave that I believe I got help with!

My daughter Rebecca loves this blog Cakewrecks. I was relieved that they only accept photos of professionally made cakes because I was afraid she'd submit some of my Birthday cakes.

So, starting with the first birthday of the year---Leah. . .
This was a Care Bear birthday party so the cake was heart shaped---lucky Patrick Noonan--future soccer star---at a Care Bear birthday party!
This was the hardest cake I ever made---it was for Leah's Shira Princess of Power Party. I made it out of an assortment of cakes carved into a castle shape---but the various layers kept slipping. I had them all propped up with tooth picks. I was soooo frustrated and the last thing I needed was Leah's friend Catana (with the suspenders) saying, "That birthday cake isn't very big."
This was a SMALL birthday party---Rachel, Becky with Michele and Kim Delaney (my cousin's daughters) invited. I'm not sure if they were able to come. . .we traditionally had snow storms for Rachel and Leah's birthdays.
This cake was a Cabbage Patch cake with the little plastic figures plunked into the cake with the candles. (Leah looks nervous for some reason, Rachel looks disappointed, but Becky looks ready to party)
This was a Pac-man party for Rachel and some of her Hope Montessori friends---we had mostly round things for lunch---carrot coins is all I can recall in addition to the M&M's. Note the marshmallow ghosts.
This was for Rachel's Beach Party (no easy task in February). We "jammed" to the Beach Boys, played volleyball with balloons and went swimming at Parkway Central. I worked hard on the beach scene---notice the waves in the frosting and take particular note of the brown sugar which I dyed myself. I got all done, looked at it and thought, "Did I really dye white sugar brown when all I would have had to do is sprinkle brown sugar?"
Dave's birthday is also in February and I'm pretty sure I got help decorating that cake.
This was one cake I was afraid would be on Cakewrecks. Our daughter Rebecca and her cousin Todd have birthdays one day apart so this was a birthday cake for both of them. Dave's family really relish puns so way above the heads of Becky and Todd, I added the "to". . . E.T. to. . . .get it Et tu. . .google it if you aren't a Shakespeare, Latin, or Julius Ceasar scholar.
This was one of Rebecca's birthday cakes which Rachel helped me with---note that the Teddy Grahams all have swim suits, features---that's Rachel's touch!

Mediterranean Cruise--Crete, Rome and home

I can't resist photos of dolphins, either.
The "Throne Room"---note the stone "throne" to the right.
Ever since I was in college studying the Minoan civilization, it's been my dream to go to Crete---home of the Minotaur, Bull Dancers and the Labyrinth. My brother Jim and I went to the Palace of Knossos which is truly a magnificent ruin to climb around. They no longer let tourists explore the underground rooms because of the earthquakes they have almost daily. We had an excellent guide who took us to the popular places first before the crowds arrived so we could get good photos.

Afterwards, we went back to Herkilion, sat in a cafe for some capuccino and a local cheese pie. Dave and my sister-in-law Debbie took a tour of the Lasshti Plateau and went to an abbey. Jim and I arrived back at the ship before the masses. Debbie and Dave weren't so lucky. Dave is in the back of the line with the black short-sleeve shirt and a cane. We were supposed to be back at the ship at 12:30 which most of us made.

Originally we needed to be back by 2:30, but that had been changed. There were about 12 people that didn't make it back by 12:30. We watched a motorcycle take off and then, a cab zooming to the ship letting people off and the motorcycle would take off again to find someone else. Finally, around 1:15, the ship was told they HAD to pull away because another ship needed the dock. Soon, though, the Crete Coast Guard pulled up with the 4 women who'd missed the boat. They were mortified! As you can see half the ship was hanging off the balcony cheering them on. They actually had to walk across a plank to get on the ship which many thought was appropriate.

The next day we were "at sea"---so, we had lunch at Johnny Rocket's which looked like a diner on the side of the ship.

Mediterranean Cruise-Ephesus

Port of Kusadasi

Turkey was our favorite place on the cruise and as Dave said,"And, I never really wanted to go to Turkey." From the moment we stepped off the ship, it was an amazing place to visit---we'd love to go back and see more.
Our first stop was at a site with four separate ruins---including the remains of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (the pillar with storks on top) The Temple of Artemis, a medieval fortress, a mosque and the church of St. John.

There were many places sacred to Christians. The Virgin Mary lived in Ephesus---there are several sites dedicated to her.
This amphitheater was the site of gladiator contests and was also where St. Paul preached.

We then visited a museum which was interesting. I liked how they showed where various artifacts were found.

I never can resist a Tri-Delta reference:

The museum had a wonderful exhibit on gladiators

Mediterranean Cruise: Sicily and Athens

On July 14, we arrived in Messina where Dave and I took a "City Tour"---not so good. Deb and Jim went on an excellent wine-tasting tour with the St. Charles group and a couple from Branson---11 on their bus were from Missouri!

Each night we had our towels in a different animal arrangement---this one was one of my favorites. The next day, we were "at sea"---Deb and I tried a Pilates class and we played Bingo but didn't win anything. That night was one of the Formal nights.
On July 16, we went to Athens where we again had a so-so tour of Athens. We got to see all of the sites, but . . .
Sometimes I just like sitting on the balcony watching the sunset as we went by some Greek islands.

Mediterranean Cruise: Rome

July 11, 2008, we left on the trip I'd dreamed of for years---a Mediterranean Cruise. We met my brother Jim and his wife Debbie in New York City Kennedy Airport and left for Rome around 4:00 PM. We arrived in Rome at 7:00 AM where Marco with Romecab met us for a tour of Rome.

We saw the Colosseum, Pantheon, Vatican, Castell, Trevi Fountain (abover) Circus Maximus with Marco getting us as close as possible so Dave didn't have to navigate the uneven walking surface too much. He was an excellent guide and I highly recommend them (Debbie found them on the internet). We arrived at our hotel---Cavalieri Hilton around 12:15. It was a beautiful hotel eventhough the restaurant was a little pricey (my club sandwich at noon was 28 Euros or $42).

The next morning we ate breakfast poolside. Jim opted for the buffet (38 Euro or $60). I walked around the park-like grounds and discovered all of the young "American" couples with young children were with the National Hockey League Players Association.

Marco of Romecab drove us to the cruiseship---Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas. As I was exploring (before we set sail), I got on an elevator and heard, "Jackie Morgan, what are you doing here." It was Diane Bear a teacher in Francis Howell School District along with 4 other couples from St. Charles, Missouri.

After lunch and dinner on the ship, we went to the Welcome Show where we learned that there were 3000 on bloard, 600 children, 1300 Americans, 54 countries and 2/3 were English-speaking. (We did meet Welsh, English, South Africans, Australians, Canadians)

Our room was 9338---Jim and Deb's was 9346---we could see each other off our balconies!

Trip to Shiloh. . .UMC, that is

We got this lovely invitation to Mom's (Louise Long) church on Jan. 25. I hesitated to call because I'd been sick and the weather is always iffy, this time of year.

But, the weather forecast was "snow flurries" "13% chance of precipitation" so I headed out at 9 AM to get gas. As I was driving along I-64, I thought OK, not too bad, but when I headed on to I-70 and my ABS light was going off, I thought, "wonder what the country road to Shiloh will be like?" So, I got off the next exit to see what the secondary roads were like.
Dang! I think I'd better head back home---my wheels were spinning heading back up the ramp.
By the time I got back to Chesterfield Valley, it was not a pretty sight.
Even Clayton and Schoettler roads were covered---"snow flurries" my A$$. I called the pastor, told him I wouldn't be there and please send out some bulletins. I'll try to get back out there later to take photos, but it wasn't going to happen today.

My 2009 Resolutions

(drum roll) My resolutions, this year, are not about my weight or health so much as being green and saving money.

-Shop more at Aldis. I have to be careful here because so much is foreign made. But, I can not believe how much cheaper they are than my local supermarket.

-Gift cards and $$$. Use the ones I have, give them out for gifts. I started this last year, but it wasn’t a resolution. Rather than give a talking thermometer that no one who can see really needs, we’ll give token gifts (under $5) for grandchildren but $$ and gift cards for all, so people can buy what they need or want rather than getting something that will go in the next garage sale.

-Buy used, borrow it, sell it. Go to Goodwill, garage sales, the library at least once a month. Have a Garage Sale to sell what I don’t need.

-Use it up until May. This is a tough one. I tend to “stock up”---part of my parents’ Depression era thinking, but it’s also something I started when we lived in Pittsburgh living through inflation and far from a supermarket.

So, instead of buying my favorite butter-blend, we need to eat the stick butter left over from Christmas. Instead of eating my oatmeal, eat up the cereal left over from Christmas. Instead of buying bisquits, eat the rolls in my freezer.

I won’t be buying any greeting cards---I’ll use my stock pile or make my own---I have plenty of scrapbook paper and stickers!

January ---magazines thrown out last week

-Set up a schedule for cleaning out. This will help me get ready for a garage sale and clean out paper clutter.
January—get rid of magazines
February---clean out 1st floor cabinets
March---clean out drawers
April---clean out the garage
May---clean out closets and clothes
June---clean out a basement storage area
July---clean out file cabinets
August---clean out books
September---clean out bathrooms and medicines
October---“help” Dave with his desk area
November---clean up garden and yard
December---cull Christmas ornaments and decorations.