Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Well I was on The Pioneer Woman's website... AGAIN.. getting some ideas for 4th of July food and ran across this recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Cake.

As I read through the recipe, I knew it was going to give me fits! I'm not great at layered cakes in general, but I'm especially horrible at them when you only make one layer and are instructed to cut that layer EVENLY in half with a serrated knife.

I don't do anything straight across. 

Look at any picture I've hung in my home.

Ever wonder why all of my bulletin boards had slanted letters at varying heights?  Because nothing I do is ever straight.

I blame my scoliosis and the fact that one leg is longer than the other.  I think I see the world slightly slanted.  Are you buying that?

Nevertheless, I decided to make the dang cake.  Why?  Because it's red and white... and the 4th of July is rapidly approaching.  I knew I could throw on a few blueberries and--- VOILA!--  a patriotic dessert.

It's a holiday after all, and holidays demand festivities.  You don't have to have fun... but you better be festive!

You don't like scooping out pumpkin guts?  Well suck it up! It's Halloween and we're carving a pumpkin!

The tedious nature of making gingerbread houses gives you anxiety?  Too bad. Take a strong shot of egg nog, slap a smile on your face, and get busy.  It's Christmas!

What do you mean you don't like pecan pie?  Be thankful and eat it! Happy Thanksgiving!

Fourth of July??

Well that's bike parades in the 100+ heat.  Illegal fireworks on the driveway that scare the children and make me worried that the neighbors might call the police.  And desserts that are red, white, and blue.

True, I could've made sugar cookies and topped them with red and blue sprinkles, but I was determined to go the extra mile.  Thankfully I had enough foresight to realize this was gonna be a disaster so I made it today...just so this cake wouldn't ruin my day on the actual 4th of July. :)

I should've taken pics all along the way for you to really understand how bad this was.

Everything went fine until I had to cut it in half.  Then the cake fell apart. 

The middle of the cake was underdone so I took a spoon and scooped out the raw batter.  It is not an exaggeration when I tell you that there is no center to my cake anymore.  I plugged the gaping hole with icing, but just understand--underneath all that goo, this cake is  actually shaped like a donut.

I made the icing in a bowl that was WAY too small for all the sifted powder sugar.  I ended up with a thick giant ring of sugar on my counter.

It was like a chalk outline of a dead bowl.

I did my best and my best was so sad.

 This picture doesn't do it justice.  As bad as this icing job is, it's covering a MULTITUDE of sins.  I'm kicking myself for not documenting all along the way.  You'd have been yelling at your screen, "Give up, Julie!  This isn't your thing!" 

But I'm stupid tenacious and persevered.

Happy [upcoming] 4th of July, everyone!  I hope your patriotic dessert turns out better than mine.

What if I stick a flag in the middle of it? Do you think it'd look better?

Super thoughtful, but...

Ya know... Receiving a nice handwritten note is a rare thing.  I love getting a card in the mail.

But this is one I could've done without...

I know you can't see it.. It says:

"Dear Julie,

It was a pleasure to serve your family.  We are honored to have been your chosen  lice removal company and appreciate your trust in our services.  If there is anything further we can do for you, please don't hesitate to give us a call.

Thank you,
Nina
The Lice Place"

Awesome.

And not at all humiliating.

BUT... should you discover bugs in your child's thick mane, I can highly recommend them.  They give you the peace of mind that every nit is gone.

And they'll send you a thank you note. :)

THERE they are!

I can never find my flip flops!!

I never realized I kick them off when I'm studying.  For the last 3 days, I've been grabbing a new pair because I can't find the old pair.   

I'm so relieved that I found them! :)

Lunch at American Girl

Yesterday I took the kids to the American Girl store.  One of Sarah's dolls had tangled hair so we took her to the Doll Hair Salon.

(You may remember that 2 yrs ago Sarah cut her doll's hair to get the tangles out.  This was a better option.)

While Lainie was having her hair done, I thought we'd have lunch.

The table had a box of questions for us to ask each other as we waited for our food.

The dolls were served small glasses of lemonade.  Our waitress was good about checking on the dolls and making sure they enjoyed the meal as well. :)

The kids had fruit, pretzel bites, burgers, and mac and cheese.  We wrapped up the meal with a banana split, and ice cream sundae, and mini cupcakes.

It was a fun way to spend our afternoon. 

And Lainie's hair is tangle-free. 

Family movie afternoon

Jack's been asking for another family movie night for a while.  But when it's 100 degrees outside... family movie night becomes family movie afternoon.

We closed the blinds, popped popcorn, and the kids got comfy.

We watched "The Sandlot".

I hadn't seen it since I was a kid.  I forgot how much they said "crap" and that they said the "s" word... and I don't mean "stupid" or "shut up".  (Although those words were in there too.  Oops!)

Still-- it was a great movie, and the kids loved it!

Except Caroline.  Who lost interest.

Now it's pool time, and Jason's gonna grill burgers.  Hooray!

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for the tomatoes and onions from your garden.  They inspired tonight's meal.

Mmmm.........

(Jason's grilling burgers was also inspired by my complete lack of desire to cook tonight.)  ;)

I love weekends!

This is the way my just-purchased box of Suddenly Salad looked when I got home from Kroger.

This is an excellent visual representation of the way my shopping trip went.

Grrr...

My little runaway... run, run, run, run... runaway

While Jason and Caroline went to Target, Jack packed his suitcase, grabbed his sleeping bag, and decided to run away from home.

Sarah came in to my room to tell me that he was leaving, and I told her to make sure he grabs a bottle of water because it's hot outside!

Jack came in to my room a few minutes later (probably in disbelief that Sarah told him to grab a bottle of water before he hits the road) and said, "I really AM running away from home."

I told him I believed him, and I sure was sad about it... but I wasn't going to make him stay. I asked him to give me a hug.  He cried on my shoulder and told me that he would miss me.  Sarah started to cry and said, "You can stay if you want, Jack."

But his mind was made up.  He was leaving. 

He went upstairs to get the rest of his stuff. That's when I pulled Sarah aside and asked her why he was leaving.

I was in the middle of writing a paper for school.  I had no idea there was even a problem until he announced his plan to leave.

Apparently Sarah and he had been arguing over the computer.  He would ask to do something, and she'd tell him "No" or "In a sec". It had been an hour, and he had grown frustrated. 

I guess his solution was to go on a search for a magical land where no one tells you "no" and you never have to wait your turn.

I went to his room just as he was wheeling his SpongeBob suitcase out of his closet.  I asked him if he had a plan.

Where would he go?

He said he was going to live at Blake's house.

"So you're just gonna knock on the door and ask Blake if you can live with him?"

"Yes."

"And what happens if you live with them and you want to play on the computer and Blake tells you 'no', where will you go then?"

"I don't know."

"Alright... well  you might want to think about that and have a back up plan.   I'll miss you and I love you.  If you ever decide you want to come back home, we'll be here waiting for you."

I started to walk downstairs, and I heard him start to cry.  I made it halfway down when he said, "Wait, Mom, I wanna stay."

I went back to his room, and said, "What was that?"

He said, "I want to live here. I want to stay."

I hugged him and told him I was happy that he changed his mind.  We sorted out the computer situation, and now all is well in his world.


....................

A few things--

1. A lot happened in the 20 mins Jason was at Target. When he got home and I told him the story, he was like, "But I just ran a quick errand?!  How is it that we almost had a kid move out in the time it took me to buy Caroline a couple of nightgowns?"


2.  I was kinda proud of myself that I didn't say something like, "You're being ridiculous, so don't let the door hit ya on the way out."  I'm glad I told him that whatever he did, he could always come home and we'd welcome him back.... Because I was tempted to say the former.


3.  I'm pretty sure I've seen an episode of "Full House" where Michelle runs away and Danny Tanner has almost the exact same conversation with her.  I feel like I channeled my inner Mr. Tanner on this one.

Maybe next I'll go clean something.

Where's John Stamos?

   

Catching up (in pics)

Thank goodness last week is over!! I'm ready to get back to a normal summer pace of life.

I have a lot of catching up to do, but I thought I'd catch up via a small photo dump of phone pics.

Here we go....

Nice photo bomb, Jack.

This is a follow-up from [this post].  Just wanting to document that she wore the mittens to Sarah's softball game.  It was 95 degrees.

I couldn't convince her to leave them at home.

As soon as we sat down, she took them off and put them in my purse. 

They're still in there.  My purse is a black hole of trash and kid junk... as you may remember from [this post].


..........................

Jack loves to read to Caroline.  Here he's reading her a bedtime story.  So sweet!

BUT it's also sweet that she lets him read to her.  Most of the time he's asking comprehension questions as he reads.   That's probably why she has that look of concentration on her face.

She wants to get 100 on the quiz.

..........................

My niece, Kate, turned 3 on Wednesday the 19th.  We went to my sister's house for pizza and cake on Father's Day to celebrate. 

The cousins had a great time together!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATE!

............................

Friday night we went to church to watch the Fine Arts Camp production of "Colossal Coaster World".  It was our VBS theme.  Over 200 kids performed.  They did a great job!

(Sarah's front row, yellow Tshirt, purple headband, purple skirt)

.........................

Today is Dad's 65th birthday.  The kids made him a dog at Build A Bear workshop and recorded messages for him. 

Although I have NO idea what Dad's going to do with a stuffed dog, they sure had fun making it for him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!!

..................


Ok, that pretty much gets us caught up.  We did go to a small family reunion today at my grandmother's assisted living home.  I'll upload pics of that some time soon.  I saw cousins and great aunts and uncles that I hadn't seen in a long time.

Aaaannnnd we had lunch at Luby's.  You're jealous.  You know you are.

VBS this week

I've been directing 60 Second Graders at Vacation Bible School all week.

There are MANY observations I could make and MULTIPLE posts I could write. But I'll edit myself to just a few benign comments.



1. I LOVE SECOND GRADE!! It has always been and will always be my FAVORITE age to teach!!



2. The quiet clap and "Give me 5" are the best universal discipline tools. Ever.



3. We will always need more volunteers. Adults. Not youth. Teenagers are great. But we need more adults. And I don't know what the answer is to that dilemma.



4. Vacation Bible School is about survival. Don't lose anyone. Don't kill anyone. Talk about Jesus. That's all that can really be expected of you.

There is no reason-- and you will only make yourself crazy if you try-- to think of ways to make the system run more efficiently as the week progresses. Sure, there may be a better way. But just roll with the punches. You learn from this year, and do a few things differently next year.

Ultimately, it's just a week.

If you survive it, pat yourself on the back. Because, even with the best planning and intentions, you will never totally master it. There will always be something about the week that makes it challenging. But that's part of the fun, right???

;)

A cow's opinion

Someone used the phrase "moot point" today.

Every time I hear that I think of this classic Joey moment.

three year old independence

so this is what she picked out to wear today.

 

 

 



12 hours of friends

friends.  Not "Friends".  Although I could watch 12 hours of "Friends" easily.

........

Last night we had Greer, Angie, and their kids over for pizza, ice cream, swimming, jumping on the trampoline, and stomach aches.  Greer was Jason's best man and a fraternity brother of his.  Angie and I have always gotten along well.  The kids are about the same age as Jack and Caroline.  All of them played well together.  I like when things work out like that.

It was such a fun night catching up.  We need to do that more often!

...........


Then-- (Mom, this will mean something to you)-- I got an email from Sallye this morning.  :) It was a mass email so I only got it because I happen to be in her contact list, but still!! So good to hear from her. 

Sallye and I taught together my first (and last) full year in Richardson.  She came to my wedding.  She came to my baby shower for Sarah.  I always saw her as an older sister type.  She made work a lot of fun.

We exchange Christmas cards every year but I don't think I've actually talked to her in 8 years.

Anyway, she just retired... after 22 years of teaching. It really surprises me, but I'm happy for her!

An unexpected blast from the past.

.............

The last 12 (or so) hours have been filled with fun friends!  Just the pick-me-up I needed.

Now back to studying....

Happy Flag Day

Happy Flag Day!

Speaking of flags, did you hear about the trouble HGTV got into for suggesting that you use a flag as a tablecloth??  Apparently people were very upset because it's kinda disrespectful to put potato chips and a beer on the flag.

That's my only flag story. 

And here's my flag picture.

And if it's your birthday today and you happen to read this at some point, I didn't forget about you!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
I got you this card.  It's called "It's Flag Day but I choose to celebrate you".  (I'm not kidding.  It's on Amazon. Look it up.)

Here it is...

My favorite part is how June 14th appears to be written on a Post It and stuck to the card. Why would anyone pay for a card like this? 

I hope you have a relaxing Flag Day birthday!!! :) 

Isn't a blog shout-out more fun than all of the "happy birthday"s you're going to get on facebook today?  ;)

Random things

Sorry about my rant earlier.  It's probably good this class is online; otherwise I'd be the jerk raising my hand in every class, arguing with the professor about the text, and most likely failing the class because of it.


So... random things...

My favorite vacuum in the WHOLE world is this one---

It was my grandmother's and I took it when she moved from her condo to assisted living. 

It's my upstairs vac.

Check out how thin it is....

 

 

And it weighs-- maybe-- 5 lbs. 

 

The cord is ridiculously long too.  I'm not kidding you when I say I can plug into one outlet and vacuum the entire upstairs... bathroom floors and all. 

 

I [heart] the Oreck!

 

 

.........

 

 

My other random...

 

We (and by "we" I mean "I") tie dyed T-shirts on Tuesday.  I hadn't done that since I was a kid.  Sarah documented with pictures.

 

 

 

 I dyed one for each of the kids according to the technique they chose on the instruction sheet.  Apparently Sarah only cared about documenting the making of her shirt. 

I can't blame her really.

 

 

Oh and if you can't tell that it's 98 degrees by looking at this photo, let me assure you-- it was.

 

2 of the finished projects... I won't quit my day job.  Don't worry. 

When I told the kids I wanted to take a pic of their shirts for the blog, they stood on the stairs. LOL
Poor kids... they think that's the only place we take pics in this house...



REALLY?!

Chapter 8 of my Cultural Diversity book--- This class is gonna be the DEATH of me....

The section is on nonverbal communication and how it sometimes contradicts verbal communication.

The example Dr. Sue uses is a man who pounds his fists on the table while shouting, "G--damn it, I'm not angry!!"

Except he spelled out that word.

REALLY??!!!!! You've made me read page after page of your culturally sensitive nonsense-- ("Don't help someone on a bus."  "Don't use words like 'mankind'.")-- and then you're going to turn around and use such a blasphemous word??!!!!!!

What about the people THAT offends?

He could have used "Damn" or even the F word to make his point and that wouldn't have been nearly as offensive to me.  You don't say GD.  Especially not in print.

What a hypocrite!!! And he had editors read his book and say, "Yep, let's put that in there." 

He expects us to be so culturally sensitive that we monitor the unedited words that come out of our mouths in a therapy session, but he can write profanity like that, have it edited by multiple people, and leave it in his textbook.

Well, this hypocrisy is going in my journal...

Have I mentioned I don't like this class?? :)

So...

I have work to do but I'm having a glass of wine and watching the kids swim. 

Because it's summer!

And that's what you're supposed to do... :)

(I'm sure most lifeguards drink while they're watching the kids, right??  It's probably totally safe.)



Caroline says, "mmm... good smoothie..." 

Laura came to Sarah's softball game...

YAY!!!!

 

We've  missed her!!!!! I hate when these kids go off to college.  Now she's an A&M grad and leaving again.  :(   This time to do mission work in Asia for a year.  I'm proud of her for going, but I HATE that she's leaving. 

 

The kids love her so much. :)

 

She showed up early enough to warm up with Sarah and stayed late enough to play catch with Caroline and Jack after the game.  

 

 

Then we had to get a few pics of the 2 softball girls together.

And one with Coach Ledsome-- Sarah's softball coach this year.  And Laura's softball coach for 4 years in high school.

Then Caroline's softball buddy, Kayla, asked to be in a picture.  How could I say no to these sweet girls?

It was a great night!! And a HOT night!! Sheesh... How did it go from being in the 80s to 98 in a day?????  I was dying.  And I was wearing a light pink shirt that showed the sweat that was pooling all over my body.  Disgusting.

We have 5 more games. 
I am officially counting down to the end of softball. It's been fun!! But we can start again next spring.. when it's cooler.  ;)

A great start to summer

I slept until 9:30!!!!

Unheard of.

I feel like a new woman. :)
A lazy woman, but a new one just the same.

Who wants to read my textbook on "Counseling the Culturally Diverse Client" for me?  I can't stomach it anymore.

Anyone, anyone????

Most recently I read that offering to help someone with a disability board a bus is seen as a micro-invalidation.  Basically it sends the message that I feel like a person with a disability needs my help and is not capable of getting on a bus by himself, which is apparently highly offensive.

Look-- if you're offended by my offer to help you-- that's your issue, not mine. I'm being polite; you're being ridiculous.

I have to keep a journal of my opinions on the things I read in each chapter; I'll submit it at the end of the summer session as part of my final grade.  The things I wrote about this chapter should probably be edited before I submit them.  ;)

Oh---

Also it's sexist to refer to humans as "mankind". 

I'm going to poke my eyeballs out.

It was like an uncomfortable episode of "Seinfeld"

Monday night I went to a Cancer Encouragement Group meeting at Stonebriar Community Church.

The plan was to attend as an observer... but I got lost on the way there.  I couldn't quite remember where Stonebriar was.  I knew it was one of two exits off the Tollway.  I guessed wrong and ended up being 3 minutes late to the meeting.

Three minutes late wouldn't ordinarily be a big deal, but since I was trying to OBSERVE, I wanted a chance to tell the leader why I was there and get permission to sit quietly in the back.

 I missed that opportunity because I was late.  The meeting had already begun.

So the leader said we would go around the room and tell about our experiences with cancer.  I should've said right then, "I'm just here to observe!" But I thought-- "Ya know, I can share my perspective on Jim's battle with cancer.  I'm much further removed from the situation than the other people in the room, but I can share something."

................................

Important side note--- I've felt the need to cry... I mean, really sob... for the past week or so.  I've teared up every now and then for the past several days.  But something's been up with me lately where I've been on the verge of breaking down for a little while now.

.................................

As I listened to the cancer patients and their caregivers share their stories, I was fighting back tears.  They weren't.  They were strong, but I was weepy.

Then it was my turn to talk.

I simply said, "Well, my name is Julie.  I'm feeling a little ridiculous because I'm much further removed from cancer than any of you are.  My father-in-law had cancer.  My story would just be that I struggled with knowing my role in all of that.  I didn't know how to be supportive of my husband, Jason.  He would come home and be very disengaged and quiet.  It was a really hard time... blah blah blah."

That would have been fine, I guess, but that's not how I said it.

It was more like--
Me: Well, my name is Julie.  I'm feeling a little ridiculous because I'm much further removed from cancer than any of you are.  My father-in-law had cancer.  My story would just be that I struggled with knowing my role in all of that.

[tears started to roll down my face]

Me:   Oh my gosh, I don't know why I'm crying.

[And I meant that!! I really didn't know why I was crying. But like every good therapy group does.. the response from my group was--]

Group:  Because you're human, Julie.  It's ok.  Let it out.

Me:   I didn't know how to be supportive of my husband, Jason. [cry, cry, cry]  He would come home and be very disengaged and quiet.  It was a really hard time... [cry some more]

.......................

Y'all... this was the WORST possible time for me to melt down....  At a cancer support group where cancer patients weren't even crying. But I couldn't stop myself. And I tried hard to take a deep breath and stop the tears.  I don't know if I'm hormonally imbalanced.  I'm not sure what was up!! But it was ridiculously awful!!!

I spoke in the past tense about all of this, but I never said that Jim has passed away because this was a cancer ENCOURAGEMENT group, and I didn't know if I should say that.  In my head, it was very clear that this situation was no longer my CURRENT situation, but my tears said that I was obviously having a very hard time with all of this.

What happened next? 

They hugged me.  THEY hugged ME.

I said, "Y'all are so sweet."  [I meant that too!!  They were super sweet to me.] But I'm really ok!"

Which they, of course, saw as denial.

Then-- to make matters worse-- they asked if they could pray for me. 

Ugh, the guilt.  They're ministering to me... and I'm just there to observe (which they don't know because I was late)... and I'm bawling for no reason.

I wasn't putting on an act.  The things I shared were the truth.  I shared my perspective of Jim's battle with cancer.  The tears were not for dramatic effect.  They just came out for some who-knows-why reason.

But everything just snowballed.

Then sweet Anita, sitting to my left, shared.  She lost her husband at Christmastime and had apparently just visited his graveside for the first time the day before our meeting. 

Anita said, "You know-- now that my husband's gone, I didn't know if there was any reason for me to keep coming to this group.  But, Julie, I don't think it's any accident that we're sitting beside each other.  I think God put me here tonight so I could encourage you."

This is such a big misunderstanding!!  What you have witnessed is a meltdown that is likely a result of the stress of school and work. I've been crying watching commercials lately.

Two other women told me how much they could relate to my story of not knowing their role in their loved one's battle with cancer.  Somehow my meltdown made me the most relatable girl in the room, and people kept referencing me and encouraging me as they shared their own stories.

But then-- as if it couldn't be any more guilt-inducing-- at the end of the session, this sweet old man who is dying of cancer of the esophagus shuffled his little frail body over to my chair and handed me an AMC gift card.

He said, "People have blessed me throughout my illness, and I never feel like I have a chance to bless others.  You take this card and go to the movies and recharge your batteries."

Oh. My. Gosh.  Could this get any worse???

Seriously.  I'm there to observe a session so I can write a paper.  But because I missed my opportunity to communicate that to the leader-- I end up having to share.  Which then made me cry for some reason.  Which then resulted in a prayer time over me.  And then a sweet man WHO HAS CANCER gave ME a gift card to recharge MY batteries.

What was I supposed to do at that point??? I couldn't think of the best reaction.  I refused his gift, but he insisted.  So I thanked him and hugged him.

But, y'all, I'm NOT using that card.  Don't you worry!! I will find someone who really needs it and pay it forward.

And... The group wants me to come back next month.... and I'm now on their e-mail list. :/

I've learned many lessons but mainly I've learned... Don't crash a therapy session!!!!!!!  Especially if you're in an emotional state of mind.

And if your class requires you to crash a therapy session, BE ON TIME so that you can sit down and shut up!!! 

Softball update

With the exception of Sarah's very first game, she has scored a run every game she's played!!

Not bad for a sports newbie. 

In fact her coach said she's the most improved on the team. :) 

Last Day of School 2013

Going to school until June 7th is RIDICULOUS!!!!!  But we're finally at the last day of second grade and kindergarten.

YIPPEE!!

Our traditional last day of school Baskin Robbins stop...



Boys... [shaking my head]

I have nothing to write about so I'm pulling something out of the archives of my brain....
WARNING: Potty talk ahead.  If that sort of thing bothers you, read no further.



A few weeks ago, Jack was playing in the front yard with Sarah and Caroline.  He came inside, very upset.  He told me he was embarrassed because one of his friends and his friend's mom walked by while he was TT'ing (as we call it over here) in the front yard and saw him.

I looked at him and said, "Jack... I have a lot of questions.  What do you think the first one is?"

"Why was I TT'ing in the front yard?"

"Yep.  That's my first question."

"Well, I really had to go and couldn't hold it."

"But you know we have bathrooms inside, right? Even if you had to hold yourself and run, you could've come inside.  What do you think my next question is?"

"I don't know."

"Where were  you?  Behind a bush?  Facing the house?"

"Just in the yard, facing the street."

[sigh]

"How far did you pull your pants down?"

"To my knees."

"Oh, Jack."

Then through his tears, he said, "I'm really worried that he's going to go to school tomorrow and tell everyone what he saw."

So then I sent a text I never thought I'd have to send.   I asked Heather (the mom) to please ask Gavin (the friend) to not say anything to anyone about Jack whipping it out in the front yard.

I told Jack that, even though we let him do that sort of thing in the backyard if we've been swimming, he should come inside to "go".  And then I explained to him the importance of privacy... hiding behind a bush, facing the house not the street, etc.

..............

Flash forward to a week later...

I asked Jack to get the mail.  He went outside and came back about 3 minutes later. 

He said, "Mom, you'd be proud of me!  I needed to go and couldn't hold it on my way to get the mail.  So I ran in between our house and Mason's house and went facing our fence!"

He needed to go and couldn't hold it on the way to get our mail???!  Our mailbox is at the end of our sidewalk!! 

I don't understand!

I started to ask him, "Jack, why didn't you just come back inside?"  But sometimes following his reasoning is like chasing a squirrel. 

So instead, I said, "Good job, buddy."