We’ve had my birthday dinner, and I got a new purse and wallet.  If I ever needed a 12 step program it would be for my purse addiction.

The only downside to today is that my mom and her sister are both really sick. One year they made the cakes with the Barbie dolls in them and the cake looked like a dress for me and my cousin, Robin. Her birthday is the 3rd so she was a little too early for the J4 club. I still count her most of the time though!

So, Happy Birthday to all the ones who celebrate today and those who are thinking of the ones who did.

This past week I fully intended to document my 12 days of Christmas tradition. I have created my own Rudolph 12 days! But (there is always a but) little Boo got sick. Sick sick. Her mono reactivated and her spleen enlarged and her kidneys got infected and she was really sick.

We had a few nights at various hospitals and no sleep. She shared a room with a girl that had long loud vomiting spells every hour. Of course, that didn’t stop her from eating! Each time I heard a potato chip bag crinkle or her fork hit a plate, I died a little inside because I knew what was coming. My husband would quickly make an exit, “giving her some privacy”. I had to hang around with Boo and just dry heave.

Now we are home but I’m just now catching up. I’m working on a few pinterest projects and am cursing the googly eyes that need glue. I spent 15 minutes trying to peel the back off to stick! How do people do these perfect projects and real life too? I’m never going to be the person that makes homemade marshmallows or color 5 shades of rice crispie treats and mold them into a string of Christmas lights. It’s a miracle that I can make it to the store on most days.

My compromise is cupcakes (yes from a mix) that we frost and decorate with something. Puppy chow that we call snowman soup. I am going to try to make the snowmen from powdered donuts but who knew you couldn’t but candy corn in December? I have a handful of stale ones from Halloween that will have to do.

Hopefully I will have pictures of my afternoon projects. And everyone will pin them, I’m just sure!

Lately a few of my friends have reached a milestone birthday. Anything ending in a zero is a reason to celebrate and celebrate we do. Last night we kidnapped one of our more headstrong birthday girls because she was determined to get out of turning 50. She even went to a workshop out of town on her birthday. It made it a little more difficult, but nothing stopped us.

We decided to have an Elsie the Cow themed party for her. A few years ago on a bright and sunny day on the first of April, she had a message to call a Mrs. L.C.DeCow about some udder covers that they needed embroidered. Not even when they answered BORDEN’S MILK COMPANY did she catch on. SHe was thinking of the poor cows with mastitis that might need an udder cover, and her side business of embroidery would help. But alas, it was a joke and she walked away with a few free milk coupons from the people who felt sorry for her for having such mean friends. (Of which, I had NO part in this, I swear)

So, we got our masks on.

And we got our milk and cookies ready. I wish I had a picture of the platter made like an udder filled with cookies.

We grabbed her as she hit town and drove a few hours away to a place called Santa Land. It was awesome.

Santa Land

Then, we went to eat a delightful Italian place called Oliveto’s in Tyler, Texas. Our waiter was the best I’ve ever seen. He took his life in his hands by putting a bib on the birthday girl and telling her there was extra fiber in her ravioli. I should know, she bit me on the way down there!

While I”m doing pictures, I have to throw in a recent one of the 40th birthday bash that I attended. I don’t know who gets these together, but they are fun!

This video is from our town and I think it is amazing. Please vote for it to win. You can vote here.

I will link back to the first story we did about breast cancer. One of our young cousins has fought the battle. It was shocking for us to have someone so young in our lives diagnosed with breast cancer. It’s a lesson to all of us that this disease doesn’t discriminate.

This Friday my daughter will take part in a pink out game at the Friday night football game. It doesn’t seem too long ago that we couldn’t even say the word breast. Now, we don’t let anything prevent women of all ages knowing the signs of breast cancer. My daughter will not remember a time that October wasn’t pink.

Happy Birthday!!!

Mom has never really learned how to use call waiting. If you are talking to her and she gets a beep, she hangs up. It doesn’t matter what you are talking about, she has to go RIGHT THEN. Unless, you are her sister. Then she won’t hang up and it will beep and beep and you think she isn’t answering or something tragic has happened. Has she tripped over the dog and broken a hip? Did she  pass out? My imagination goes far beyond what I can even write on here. If I can’t reach her and I know she is home, I worry.

An example of this happened yesterday. Mom has been sick and I called to check on her, knowing that she would be home alone. No answer. I tried again. No answer. I called her cell. Maybe she is talking to Peggy and won’t answer. I try later. No answer. I thought that maybe she was in a deep nap, as she is prone to do, and called a few hours later. Again no answer.

At this point I am in a slight panic and picture horrible things involving an ambulance and xanax. I call my Dad, who is only slightly more advanced and says that he will try to call her with his phone. As if I wasn’t doing it right and his would work but guess what? Still no answer.

He sends my brother rushing to check on her (thankfully he was just getting off work) and finds her with both phones “going crazy”. The landline would not ring and the cell phone would “only dial the number 3 and it kept talking to me. It kept telling me to say a command. I said BE QUIET but it never did.”

Today I called her on her landline and she answered. Only thirty seconds or so into the conversation I had a beep and it was Mom calling me from her cell. I told her that I was getting a call from her cell and she uttered a few words under her breath and then we resumed our conversation.

Mom is pretty bright and talented in many areas,  but the phone wins every time.

My husband was kind enough to volunteer a fish fry!

He did all the hard work.

Joy worked hard on a relish tray. It made a lovely centerpiece!

Everyone else brought side dishes and it was really the perfect meal! We had a great time visiting and sharing gifts with Dad.

My niece, Whittney, won the prize of the year when she gave Dad a framed picture of them together when she was about 2 and riding on the tractor with him. It made the rest of ours seem so commercial!

Then, we had desserts. More on that tomorrow, but a hint for now….

Mama Snooks

Her name was Emma Mae but we called her Mama Snooks. Nobody really knows why. She was a soft and gentle lady who made her own clothes and scoffed at the store bought “off the rack” items. Nothing fit her small frame like something she could make herself.

I remember once when we were little she babysat us and my brothers, who were about 3 and 5 or so, asked to practice their calf roping skills on her. She said yes and was soon tied to a chair, unable to move!

I was asked to bring something sentimental to a workshop next week. The first thing I thought of was the baby doll quilt she made for me from her dress scraps. I can still picture her wearing those dresses. Or, my wedding ring. After she passed I was given her engagement ring. It is white gold with a flawless ruby and hand carving design on the setting. Like she was, it is unique and beautiful.

Happy Birthday Mama Snooks.

Boo, meet cupcake.

Our first stop was for a diet vanilla coke and a cherry sprite.

Joy loves all beauty shops, but Peggy's is high on her list.

Rah Rah Ree!

I'm not touching it!

Somehow we ended up far away from the mall.

Our mission: Herding donkeys.

Dad and Mason, both unsure of what they were doing.

More family to celebrate Joy's birthday and herd donkeys.

The keeper of the cupcake neglected his duties, playing instead

Sadly, it was the end of cupcake.  It wasn’t the end of our fun though. We continued to celebrate Joy’s birthday with our cupcakes and a quick trip to the mall. It could have only been better if Joy had been here herself.

When my mother-in-law, Ninny, makes a cake, it is always from scratch.  She’s from the generation where homemade cake doesn’t mean homemade from a mix, it means she actually makes the entire thing herself from start to finish.   This year she was making her youngest grandson an Italian Cream Cake.  I couldn’t let it pass without pictures.

Here are the ingredients for Ninny’s Prize Winning Italian Cream Cake

• 2 C. sugar
• 1/2 C. shortening
• 1 stick margarine or butter
• 1 C. buttermilk
• 2 C. flour
• 1 C. chopped pecans
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 5 eggs (separate yellows and whites)
• 2 C. coconut

Cream together sugar, shortening, and margarine.

Add beaten egg yolks and vanilla.

Add buttermilk with dry ingredients. (flour, soda, salt) Do half at a time.

Fold in beaten egg whites and add coconuts and pecans.

Bake @ 325° for 30 to 35 minutes. She used a 9×13 pan but these are really moist and amazing when you use round pans and layer them.

Baking.

Now for the best part…the frosting. (or filling, as Ninny calls it)

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 stick margarine
• 1 lb box of powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix these together and beat until smooth. Spread over cooled cake. *Optional* Sprinkle chopped pecans, coconuts, or both on cake.

Ninny, looking at her masterpiece.

20 years young

And Many More.