Pictures, Cake and Presents

 We have a tradition of looking through photo albums on birthdays and anniversaries.  It is a good tradition.  We made it from Claire's birth to Lily's birth last night.  So many good memories!

 Claire requested a peanut butter cake for her birthday cake.  I used the cake recipe from here and the frosting recipe from here, and together the cake was amazingly good.  I whipped up a half recipe of both to make a 6-inch two layer cake, instead of an 8-inch or 9-inch two layer cake.  The baby cake is so cute and the perfect size for a party.

Kyle and Grace called just as we were lighting the candles.  So they sang Happy Birthday with us.

 Presents were opened after cake.  Claire received a package of Smencils per recommendation.  An impromptu smell test started.

 Fail!

 Pass!

Happy Birthday Mom!  Happy Birthday Claire!

Happy Birthday Claire

On the evening before her birthday Claire is always a jumble of emotions.  She is very excited for the festivities, having anticipated the day by creating possible menus and lists of gifts for weeks.  On the other hand, she is usually sad, mourning the loss of another year of her childhood.

She told me a few weeks ago that she would like to stay eight forever.  I smiled, kissed her, and told her that sometimes I think the exact same thing.

Here's to being nine Claire!  May your year be full of laughter and adventure!

Vacation

We got back from our annual camping trip with my husband's family last Saturday.  It was good to get away, but even better to sleep on my own mattress again.  :)

Garlic Dill Pickles

My neighbor Andy, who is a Renaissance Man if I ever knew one, gave me his recipe for pickles last summer.  Because all his recipes are golden I made a batch.  The pickles turned out great--crunchy, garlicky goodness!

Garlic Dill Pickles

2 quarts water
1 pint vinegar
1/2 c salt
2 T sugar
garlic cloves, peeled - 2 or 3 per quart jar
dill* - 1 or 2 heads per quart jar
pickling cucumbers

Bring brine to boil and pour over packed jars.  Place into hot water bath (already hot) and return to boil.  Turn off heat and let stand to cool overnight.  Remove jars.  Check lids.  Let cucumbers pickle for at least six weeks before opening.

*Andy freezes his dill.  As soon as his dill is ready, he cuts off the heads and puts them in the freezer.  He then takes them out as needed.  I have not tried this yet, but because it is Andy's advice I'm sure it works.

County Fair

We go to the County Fair every year and volunteer to staff the Lutherans for Life booth for a few hours.  My husband's family has always been actively involved with Life groups and causes.  I'm proud that my husband is continuing the tradition.

We had to pry the fetal models out of Isabel's arms.  She would have cradled that baby all day if we would have let her.

 A local non-denom church had a raffle for an ipod and was passing out cotton candy.  That'll pack in the pews padded chairs!

 Some guy had a remote control talking cow.  He casually stood off to the side speaking into a microphone messing with all the kids.  My children loved it and had no idea how it worked.  Magical, corny, farm-style fun!

 Dairy barn, my favorite!

 Pygmy goats!

 Ugly, featherless, long-necked chickens!

 Corn dogs!

 Kubotas!

 Severely over-priced rides!

A really fun evening.  It always is.

Home Tour: Porch

This winter when I did the home tour, I did not photograph the porch.  It was snowed in!  Every summer our porch becomes an additional room of the house.  We eat every meal outdoors and the kids like to play out here with their toys and board games.  New homes have decks, and those are very nice, but I can't say how much I love the old fashioned charm of our porch.  It is a feature of the parsonage I will miss if (when) we move away.

Cousins