Happy Birthday to Me!

Tuesday was my 41st birthday.  How that is possible is hard to be believe!  It seems like I just got out of college!  Although the aches and pains I have beg to differ!  

Tuesdays are one of Dan's days off, so he and I went out for lunch and a movie.  I think the last time we went out for a movie was for Dan's birthday in May.  The movie theater is across the street from Hobby Lobby, so I made him take me (hehe!) I browsed through the yarn and then picked out some tatting threads.  They also had the new kind of tatting shuttle.  I told Dan that he could buy them for my birthday (he isn't very big on gifts).

Barbie Cake Tutorial (Take Two)

I made a Barbie cake for my younger daughter 3 years ago and made a tutorial then, but I had several problems that I alleviated this time around, so I thought I'd do another one!

Pans greased and floured

I made 2 cake mixes

I didn't want the batter to overflow the top of the batter bowl, so I used 2 round pans, also

I think I could have gotten the amount of one of the round cake pans to fit in the batter bowl

cooling

I had a lot of orange frosting in cans, so I used that between the layers.

I angled the edge of the top round cake to match the diameter of the top part

Add top

wrap Barbie's legs in Saran Wrap

I used already colored frosting, but I didn't use the fish shaped sprinkles!

The cake looked really tall, but it was just right!

Push Barbie into cake (this smooshes the cake some)

Barbie got an "updo" while I decorated the cake

All finished

The "reveal"

  

At the party

My 1st Barbie cake.
Interstingly, my younger daughter loves pink, but I could only find a blue dressed doll and my older daughter loves blue, but I could only find a pink dressed doll!

Alphabet Scavenger Hunt

I had found an Alphabet Scavenger Hunt printout online and planned on doing it with my kids.  I decided it would be fun for the cousins to do it during our family reunion get together.  Then I added the requirement of taking a picture of the things they found.  My oldest niece, Marissa, was happy to oblige (She likes to take pictures).

The list

ant

bug bites

clipboard

driveway

elbows

flowers

grasshopper

hat

inside

jar

kids

leaves

mushroom

needles

oak 

pine cones

quilt

rock

swing

trumpet

upside down

violet

woods

"x"

yellow

zipper

2013 Family Reunion Weekend

My sister and her family were here for their annual visit from Arizona and we had activities most of the weekend and beginning of the week.

It started on Saturday, June 29th

Andy used his Uncle Matt as a shelf while he slept!

My niece Clara really liked Sarah's monkey

We had the "official" get together on Sunday, June 30th

My dessert for the meal

The cousins, minus David who was unable to get away from work 

The extended family picture

William found an albino ladybug ♥

My brother found this dead damsel fly.  It was really iridescent and pretty

The guys helped cut down some dead branches

This was Amy's tricycle when we were little

 We went to Camp Concordia on Monday, July 1st to hang out with my sister's family

First time fishing!

Dan dropped the hook in the water and Will had a bite right away!

William with his first fish ☺

Andy's turn (he didn't catch anything, but he didn't stay with it long)

The girls swimming

Amy with Will's last fish he caught

Trying to warm up

Checking out a game

Getting lunch ready

More people 

And even more people!

Lunch

Dan retrieving a bober 

More swimming

It was a little chilly and the wind was blowing!

Joshua found a clam

Last year, Sarah had a broken arm!

William went out in the boat with Dan and Matt

Having never been in a boat, this was a BIG step for Will!

Chips and salsa

Emi fell asleep

Back at Grandpa and Grandma's everyone was worn out!

We camped in my parents' backyard.  William kept worming his way over into the "girls' room" during the night.  (July 2nd)

 July 3rd

My mom found this snake skin by the fire pit

July 4th