Whoosh! 5 Years! What a Ride!!!

Whoosh!  5 Years!  What a Ride!!!

     I never am sure how these calender pages can fly by at mach speed.  It seems like yesterday we had this celebration for the 90 year old sweetheart on the previous post.  But it did do just that.  And it somehow passed without any sharing of the celebrations that we've had since.  Yes, my mother in law is still up and going strong as of this post.  We have gathered every year since in her 90th birthday.  That, of course means......

2019

2020

2021

2022

we even gathered together during the COVID pandemic.  Everyone was blessed to be together, to keep some distance, to use bottles of antibacterial lotions and with most, but not all, be vacinnated. Or as the media would put it "be vaxxed".  Don't you just love all those coined phrases that came out?  Yes, special blessings! .  We came out on the other side older, a bit more fluffy, and fairly intact.  

But it did not happen without a few family changes.  We lost a brother in law

and some cousins.  

AND

We gained new "perfect" great grands. 

          There were several births in the family.

                      Here's three of them.

New family members joined us at an altar.  In the middle of the words in these sentences there were a lot of tears of all sorts. Both happy and sad.  Since I last shared part of our lives with you, we have seen some of the craziest government  shinanigans and they still continue today. 

Almost all of us stood in lines to get into stores only to find empty shelves and no toilet paper, no sanitizer, no change that no baby formula etc. etc, ... and we wore masks.

We were highly encouraged to get shots that were developed in record time.  I still don't know how I feel about that.  Churches closed,  then schools and businesses closed, and I do believe the whole world turned upside down and never fully recovered.  We are all on the other side for now and actually go out without masks although I saw about six people today move through the restaurant with some on.  My mother in law?  She tried to comply with everything and is doing well enough to still be found outside early in the morning picking up limbs and picking blueberries.  

So what does any and all of this tell me and you

    Change can happen in a nano-second, that's what screams out at me.  We travel on our merry ways and all of a sudden there are multiple angelic little people who steal our hearts. We see diplomas that we honestly weren't sure were going to happen.  We see beautiful brides walking down the aisles and more.  But we also hold the hands of those who in the blink of an eye get that dreaded diagnosis and before we know it we are selecting songs and people to carry caskets. And the whole world knows how fear and politics can mix and make everyday life a nightmare. We stand in line to look for food that might not be there.  We wear masks.  We don't wear masks.  We stand 6 feet apart.  We drive up to an outside testing site to have a swab stuck up our noses.  We say goodbye to loved ones having medical proceedures at the door and wait in our cars.  We have brand new vaccination cards.  And no one goes to work and the likes.     Life is indeed precious and truly memorable moments are all around us.  If we blink, we will miss some of them.  So, let's take inventory of them when we see them and cherish the good ones and learn from the bad ones.  And cherish the fact that as of today, we can still gather in little and big buildings with pews and chairs and sing praises to God and listen to messages taken from the Bible...all warning us of times just like we went through....except they don't get better.  Let's be grateful for the grace and mercy of the Father!  And let's love one another and be kind but be honest and truthful friends to those around us.

How to surprise a 90 year old with a birthday party

FIRST
It's practically impossible

BUT
Still worth the effort

See what I mean......

BUT SERIOUSLY

OK there is no seriously

Let me give you the short
    Weeks in advance some of the family decided this 90 year thing was a big deal....a REALLY big deal.  And so we made our feeble attempts at making plans.

However

Two brothers (that translates to two sister in laws) discuss the where's, when's, what's and so forth's.  A building venue is chosen (we're talking country so who am I fooling) it's more like a community buiding near the water tower.  We have them put us down on their books.  And....
proceed to purchase a few decorations and supplies and bake a huge cake (2 -1/2 sheet pans) and cool and wrap and freeze the layers.  Oh, did I fail to mention that we also helped to butcher a hog and make sausage?  And baked 50 sugar free cupcakes... OOPS  No more room in the freezer for sausage AND cake.  So what do ya do?  Well you load it all in an Igloo and haul it over to the birthday girl's freezer...one of four, I think.

Everyone is notified of day, place and time.  All is going well!

The week of the party, she goes in for a routine check up.  I take her.  I really don't mind. That's what family does.    When we get inside the exam room, the nurse says "I see you had a birthday...a BIG one.  So...did you have a big party?"  I sit with mouth closed.  Mother just shrugs and calmly says "No"  Nurse "oh".  Doctor comes in and says the same thing.  And asks pretty much the same questions and when Mother gave the same answer he just looked at me.  Yep....daughter in law fail.  I felt quite low...yep I did.  BUT when he examined her and said "We need to schedule a heart cath and also take a look at the arteries in you legs AND when can you come in"....I swallowed the frog.  I knew the party was in 3 days.  But a blocked artery is more important than a party...isn't it?  Now, let me cut this short.  No one hit me on the head.  She had the procedures on Thursday, she spent the night at hospital Friday.  Party?  No Party?  Party at building?  Party at house?  Reschedule altogether?  Hmm  So we did the only sane thing.  We let everyone know and moved the party to her new porch.  And you would know....she woke up Saturday morning feeling grand and wondering if her sister was still coming to get her for "lunch" (that was the plan for surprise)  But...we were committed!   Daughter came and took her in town but got wires crossed on what time to have her back.  Yep, they drove up just in time to see us close the car door to hide the cake.  And we had to wing it all the rest of the way.  Good thing she had to go to the bathroom :D  for a few minutes.

Some of the family came early to "decorate" and pretty soon she knew something was up.  Especially when she saw the "Happy Birthday" banners.  Oh well.  She thought it was just family. And then neighbors and friends came and we heard lots of laughter and chatter.  We had lots of food....went to get more food and had food left over.

Was it a surprise....maybe not like we planned.  It was for a very short time.   But she was happy and feeling very blessed.   And that's what really counts isn't it. More than 50 people came.  It was a great day.

 I had the privilege of baking and decorating the cake. The blog is entitled "Baking Journey"~  It's a 2 layer, Mexican vanilla butter half sheet cake with 4 fillings:  chocolate creme, fresh strawberry creme, Mexican vanilla buttercream and lemon tart.  The outside is cream cheese buttercream.   The flowers are a combo of fondant daisies and handmade sugar /buttercream roses.  She definitely was and is blessed beyond measure, has been known by many sweet names and is very much a Proverbs 31 woman!

 ~ Side note:  Don't forget to think about family needs.  Some may not be able to have all that sugar, so with all these new Sugar free cake mixes and frostings all you have to do to get matching flavors is add some Sugar Free Jello to SF vanilla icings like I did here for the pastry stand.  Lemon SF Jello (but you have to add a touch of color gel), Strawberry SF Jello, Chocolate SF Instant Pudding  and then good ol' vanilla just-as-it-is.  It made for tasty flavors and several made sure I knew that.  I added a touch of lavender to some of the white vanilla icing....just because.  But people who have special dietary needs deserve to have a few items offered  with them in mind.  You may have some who are lactose intolerant, or Celiac with gluten off the menu (they now make GF cake mixes---or you can try to find the perfect combination yourself....I wish you well) and of course some with other allergies.   Just make sure they have some things they can enjoy if you know they are coming and look at it as a piece of love and not a burden.

drinks

 grandchildren

 family

 long time friends

food

Just party finger food...cocktail sausages, Swedish meatballs, chips and dip, fruit, veggie trays, cheese balls, cookies and sandwiches....and fried chicken- southern people love their yard bird!   There probably was more...

All of the birthday girl's children gathered around

and

all of the birthday girls remaining brothers and sister still laughing together.

What a special surprise!

What a blessed celebration!

To God be the glory!

Happy 90th Birthday!

My 90 Year Old Girl! My Mom

Time is really a relative thing, isn't it?  When you are young it creeps along like ....forever.  Then life, then family, then retirement and you realize that time is such a very precious gift.  I have really not posted on here in a LONG while...maybe a year ago.

BUT

Here we are with my Mom still alive and precious.  And ready for her 90th birthday. (Hope you don't mind me sharing)  So just come along with me and celebrate...Life

 Mom is Princess for the day and every princess needs a crown and a septor.  She keeps asking, "So who is having a birthday?"

Mom, do you know what today is?  No, she says.  I tell her it's your BIRTHDAY!   It is? She smiles. Yes, and do you know how old you are today?  The forehead wrinkles and she is exhausted from the exercise.  I tell her, Mom...Today you are NINETY years old!  To which she responds, "I am?  Boy that's really old!"  And then she laughs.

Mom's only request this year when  we asked was to have a big cake with LOTS of candles.  It didn't matter what flavor or color or style, she just wanted the lights.

And....so....

Lights she got.  All NINETY and all Lit.  That was no small feat.  Really glad our former son in law got the longer ones, cause we needed a lot of TIME to light them.  For my cake friends...if any of you are even still coming here (I wouldn't blame you if you haven't been, since...you know I haven't posted anything new); the cake is a mexican vanilla cake with cream cheese filling and is covered with buttercream and a variety of flowers:  gumpaste, royal icing, buttercream; and one lone butterfly.  This picture was made when I was ALMOST finished.  Where oh where are those pictures when ya need 'em?  But you get the idea!  

 As everyone sang "Happy Birthday"  I thought about all the cakes that my Mom had for me growing up.  Most were homemade...nothing fancy but OH so good.  And then all the cakes I've been blessed to bake for her in the past few years.

Yep, Mom is crying and celebrating and I love her.  Do you still have your Mom?  So many of my friends do not.  Never did I realize how special it would be.  And never did I realize how much I am thankful that we got to do a few neat things together before her strokes.  You see, I thought I'd work and retire and then just go and do and visit and.....sometimes life does not turn out that way.  Enjoy your family, your friends...I mean REALLY enjoy them.  Your time spent will be more than precious one day.

Okay...enough with the serious.  Have you ever seen someone with the ability to laugh and cry at the same time?  Well meet my Mom.  She's always had this ability.  And I have the same skill.  We're sappy that way.  Are you?  Come on be honest.  Okay maybe we are the only two people on earth that tear up

 and laugh at the same time

 See?

Now ya can't expect a 90 year young princess to blow out ALL NINETY of her candles; but I bet she can blow out at least ONE!

And she did!  Believe me when I say it took every bit of energy and breath she could muster.

 See...the part about celebration cakes is really not all about the cake.  It's about family and stories and laughter...even when you can't remember why you're in the room.  Because those around you are giving you the most precious of gifts...the gift of time.

You may be thinking...that's a long way off for me or my Mom or Granny.  And it may be.  That should just give you more time to remember them in little and big ways.  To make a moment in their lives special because we love them...even when they don't always remember our names or they don't have a memory to share.  We can.  You can.

While I didn't want to post all my pictures.....Well maybe I did WANT to, but I did spare you some.  I want to post a few of some of the family.  And remind you one last time that family is more beautiful than any cake you can create.

The candles have long since been put out, cake has been eaten and some shared, the memory of having Happy Birthday sung by a room full of family and residents is gone.  And we have celebrated NINETY years of life this day!  So I leave you with my memories and encourage you to go and make your own.  You know, my Mom loves every cake I bake and thinks they are the most gorgeous things, cause, you know, that's what Mom's do.  They look past the present and into the hearts of their children and they love them just like our Heavenly Father does with the things we offer Him.  That's pretty cool I think.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LAVERNE LEBLANC....90 YEARS YOUNG  

Three Generations of Celebration!

Hi!  I have no idea if anyone out there ever reads these things.  So the pressure is off.  I think I'll just type and if you are there you can roll your eyes.  It's okay.  Another 12 calendar pages have been turned and here I am looking back one page to our January month of birthdays and celebrations!

First Happy birthday to my MOM, 88 years young!

Vanilla butter cakes with homemade lemon curd filling in the top tier and coconut cream filling in the bottom tier.  Covered in Mexican vanilla buttercream.  Embellished with fondant petals painted with orange/gold luster dust.  Topped with painted fondant numbers and surrounded by gumpaste flowers. The satin ribbon and bow completed Mom's cake this year.  Her response?  "What are we celebrating?"  Gotta love her!  Full celebration with her favorite foods (catfish, french fries, coleslaw and hushpuppies/cheese)  for lunch before the important stuff....cake, icecream and coffee for sure!  

Most of the family came and even though it makes me sad to not be able to have her at the house, or take her to her favorite restaurant,  my very, very loving family made the day special.  And in the end? Mom enjoyed each moment as the celebration rolled on,  only to forget that we were even there just moments after rolling her back to her room.  Sigh!  no, big SIGH!!!  Our Lord tells us over and over to go forward...to look forward and not to look back so much.  And to "number our days..." for the important things:  God and family, are the only things we can hold on to when life gets a little bit messy.  Maybe you've been here...maybe you are here now...maybe you understand.

~

OK....more generation celebrations! Before I start that looking back thing...(of course I'm posting for a month past)  just pray for me, ok?

~

Celebration #2

A certain someone, I won't mention who, turned a whole 39 last month and had a yummy, delish, succulant, fresh, home-made, bad-to-the-bone strawberry cake for her birthday.  

No, not from my kitchen, but none-the-less a dessert plate of awesomeness! And from her sister!  Happy Birthday to our Jenn!

~

Celebration #3

If you have looked through very many of my posts, you may remember a certain John-Deere  lovin' grandson.  If not, well, you will see the request this year has finally changed...to a truck.  "MiMi, can you make me a pick up truck?  And one that went mud riding?  And maybe got bogged down?"  Ummmmmm...... "I'll certainly try!"

What can I say?  (A MiMi's gotta do what a MiMi's gotta do :)

One chocolate butter cake with loads of chocolate buttercreamy-ness and good ol' R.C. bars covered in fondant for the truck body.  Oreo tires and gumdrop lights.  Add a little edible silver "paint" for the chrome and of course we have to be hauling Oreo "dirt".  There are so many places you would be fully justified in criticism, but as I've said before...It's just cake.  And the birthday boy thought it was waaaay cool.  So happy 12th birthday to our Jack!   The toy years are quickly coming to an end.  I'll be sad to see them go.   I love the fact that real keys are not even in the picture...yet....

Celebrating 3 out of 4 Generations in one month... yep, I'd say that's pretty special.  Capture those precious moments.  They are always changing!  

Partial family photo taken almost 10 years ago today.  Mom (not pictured) 78,   Birthday  Daughter 29 and her son only 2.  My...my...my how we need to enjoy the gifts that our Father has so generously given to us.!

NOW on to another baking holiday!  Coming soon!