Birthdays and the Like

Lovely is a lovely seven. years. old. now!  Sheesh!  Girl, you gotta stop growin'!

For her b-day, she asked for a doll that looks like her.  Me being the cheapskate that I am refused to buy an American Girl doll that only came in pjs for a mere 100 buckaroos, so I found a babysitter My Generation doll that would do.  Lovely's happy.  'Cept for the lack of other clothes, that is.  

On Lovely's b-day, we had a party in the frigid park with her classmates and other friends from school.  Yes, it was supposed to be in the 50s.  It wasn't.  Never mind.  The kids all had fun and I only got a little sick afterwards...

Here is Snugglebug sticking a tail somewhere on the donkey.  I had no idea this was a gals-only kinda game, but none of the boys at the party opted to play.  Hmmm...

We did a How to Train a Dragon kinda theme...kinda...Here is Lovely with her cousin and the cake that was amazingly the easiest cake I have ever designed--out of cupcakes!  Woot, woot!  And, it was yummy, too!

What would a party be without the gifts?  Lovely raked it in, and then took fo-eva to write the thank yous...but they did finally get done...finally.

Sisters.  What can ya say?  They love, they yell, they push, they pull, they hit, they smack.  They're great when one has to use the bathroom in a restaurant, tho, since they can travel in twos.  Here is one of those rare sister-lovin' moments. 

And this is at g'ma's house.  What could it be???

DarthLovely, of course!  Yes, my nerd of a daughter wanted a Darth Vader mask for her birthday.  What could I say?  I knew it was meant to be when I picked it up, pushed the button, and it said, "I find your lack of faith disturbing." --One of my all-time fave quotes from the dark side.

And to round out the fall and bring in the holidays, here are the girls dressed as a cowgirl and her horse, although Snugglebug looked more like a horse on top of a horse. 

Happy Holidays!

Catching Up on Birthdays: Smokin' Shrimp, Ice Cream, Frogs and Butterflies

Ok, I know my birthday and Snugglebug's birthday was a couple months ago, but remember, my computer imploded right when I was going to blog about them! 

For my birthday, Hubs (hereafter known as S) & I tried Eddie Merlot's near 4th Street Live in Louisville.  (They are also in Columbus, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Ft. Wayne.)  We arrived early, so after paying $5 for valet parking (what I considered a steal), we walked around, waiting for our reservation time.  Lesson learned:  I am too old for 4th Street Live.  I am not a fan of loud music or smoking in general, so S & I walked quickly and were still a little early for our reservation.

I scheduled our dinner for their all-you-can-eat lobster special, a special each year on Fridays that includes salad and new potatoes for $39.99 per person.  The restaurant is a little pretentious, but the wait staff is pretty friendly.  I was a little disappointed that no birthday special was offered, other than the waiter's joke about singing clowns coming out to greet me.

We ordered Eddie's Smokin' Shrimp Cocktail for an appetizer, consisting of four shrimp, each the size of half of my hand and super yummy.

Next, we ate lobster...I had 2.5 and S had 3.  I only ordered the third because S pressured me into it...shame, shame...All were good, but the first was a little overcooked.  The second lobster was the best.  The waiter said they had gone through 500 lobsters the previous Friday night.

Last, I ordered an apple and peach dessert with ice cream, which was too sweet for my taste.  I should have ordered the coffee S ordered; it came with brown sugar cubes, shaved chocolate, fresh cream, cinnamon sticks, milk, and I forget what else. 

Overall, I enjoyed the experience and our dinner, but I think I enjoy the Melting Pot even more--I'm looking forward to our anniversary in August!  Rating for this restaurant:  A- (due to price)

Below are the cupcakes I made for Snugglebug's b-day.  They were mini strawberry and chocolate cupcakes decorated like frogs and butterflies, or "blutterflies" as Snugglebug says.  Thankfully, the frogs didn't mistake the butterflies for everyday houseflies, who knows what would have happened!

Here's what I did:

Frogs: cream cheese icing, marshmallows for the eyes (cut into 4ths), M&Ms for the iris/pupils, and fruit roll-up for the tongues.

Butterflies:  Cream cheese icing for the base, purple prepared icing for the body, M&Ms for the head, licorice for the antennae, and pretzels for the wings.

Lovely, Frizzly Sixth Birthdays

There once was a fair princess named Lovely, though her loveliness was often hidden beneath the blonde frizzies of her hair.  She would frolick and play, all night and throughout the day, counting her fingers and contemplating just what it would take for her busiest of mothers to bake a birthday cake. 

Upon her 6th birthday, she wished for a fluffy white dog, and then proceeded to circle every other toy in the Toys 'R Us catalogue.  However, her wish for the dog was granted despite the dog's frequent bark, and a smile Lovely made, and her blue eyes were filled with a spark.

Yet, another gift, from Grandma, did come.  What could it be?  "Perhaps another dog?" suggested some.  Surely, they must jest!  But no--they were right, and another dog's bark was soon to fill the night!

Thank you for patiently reading through my extremely poor poetry.  I am not a poet--by any means.  I write, but as you can see, I fall very short when it comes to writing even the simplist verse!