Birthday Celebrations

A year of birthdays can produce a wide variety of cakes to celebrate the special occasion. The little girl's cake is a representation of the Jingle Gypsy that helped make the birthday special that year. There was twirling and dancing galore that day.
Monster Trucks played a part in the celebration this year. Using a toy monster truck to guide the creative process, the end result was this edible Monster Truck, complete with chocolate glazed crullers for giant wheels.

This birthday boy likes to plan ahead, I guess for my personal benefit providing ample time for cake design. Although he celebrates his natal day in June, usually he will announce my challenge for the cake sometime in January, preceded by the statement 'this is really hard'. He requested a castle cake for this celebration. Last year we had a life size lacrosse stick that amazed even the birthday boy.

Birthday celebrations are fun around here. Cake creations abound.

It's Contest Time ~ week 4!

Welcome to week 4 of our Herb Blog Group Contest!
For the week between Friday, March 20 and Thursday, March 26, you can enter simply by entering a comment in response to this blog entry and take a chance at winning a sampler of hand-blended herbal teas from HerbsfromtheLabyrinth.com, including one each of the following: Moontime Tea, Lover's Tea, Spring in My Step, FemininiTea, Dandy Lion Tea, Hush-A-Bye, Strong As Nails, SereniTea, SmarTea, DigestiviTea, Nursing Mother Tea, Endo-Liver Tea, Love Your Liver Tea, and Mid-Summer Tea.
(Sorry, teapot for display purproses only.)

HerbsfromtheLabyrinth.com has a wide range of herbal products to choose from.

The following blogs are also participating, so stop over to enter with them for additional chances to win AND the chance to explore some cool blogs.
Patti’s Potions
PrairieLand Herbs
Aquarian Bath
The Rosemary House
Natures Gift
Torchsong Studio
The Essential Herbal
Garden Chick
SunRose Aromatics
Herbs from the Labyrinth
Good Luck!

Thank you everyone for participating in the blog contest this week! Congratulations to our winner, Filly!

Be Good at something,

Be good at something,
it makes you valuable..
have something to bring to the table,
because that will
make you more welcome.
~Randy Pausch

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Join us for Afternoon Tea as we celebrate St. Patrick's Day today!
Emerald Isle Hot Pepper Jelly 'n Cream Shamrocks
Top o' The Morning Chicken Sandwich w/ Basil Pesto Mayonnaise
A Wee Bit o' Walnuts atop Blue Cheese Filled Spinach Cup
Lads & Lassies Cream Cheese filled Spinach Bread
Good Luck! Good Cheer! Rolled Asparagus Sandwich
Happy St. Paddy's Day Turkey Havarti Rollup in Spinach Wrap

Luck o' The Irish Cream Shamrock Scone
Irish Soda Bread
Mock Clotted Cream, Lemon Curd
Wearin' of the Green Grapes, Star Fruit, Kiwi & Pineapple

Rosemary Shortbread Shamrocks
Leprechaun's Lucky Lime Meltaways
Grannies Chocolate Brownie

May joy and peace surround you,

Contentment latch your door,

And happiness be with you now,

And bless you evermore

and the people we love

The weekend included a quick trip to Jim Thorpe for the St. Patrick's Day Parade. It also included an impromptu tea party on the porch! A chilly day, the older sister surprised us with a pot of Irish Breakfast to enjoy while we spent the afternoon viewing an incredible number of pipe and drum groups interspersed between fire and rescue trucks. The day was filled with family fun, laughter, and the unique sound of bagpipes.

May your day be touched

by a bit of Irish luck,

brightened by a song in your heart,

and warmed by the smiles

of the people you love.

This is the closest we came to finding a leprechaun.

Teapots Tucked Away

Things are quiet around here this weekend... the teapots are tucked away, the cups stowed. Nothing brewing, nothing steeping. Too chilly and damp to begin weeding so we're off to Jim Thorpe to visit Marj. She's graciously hosting us in her guest lodging for an overnight. Casual and comfortable, it's a great place to stay while visiting this charming artist community in the Lehigh Valley. While visiting, we have plans to watch the St. Patrick's Day Parade from her porch - it offers front row seating and perfect visibility. We'll be the ones dressed in green. See you Monday!

It's Contest Time! ~week 3~

This week (#3) our herbal blog contest swings over to SunRose Aromatics, where Roe whips up the most delightful of aromatherapy and pampering products. For the week between Friday, March 13 and Thursday, March 19, you can enter simply by posting a comment in response to this blog entry and take a chance at winning!!!Here's the prize:

Facial Scrub w/ Organic Liquid Soap Set::
Pamper your face with all natural ~* apricot kernel meal * organic liquid castile soap
Mix in the palm of your hand & then apply to your face.
A wonderful exfoliate!The following blogs are also participating, so stop over to enter with them for additional chances to win AND the chance to explore some cool blogs.

Herbs from the Labyrinth

Patti’s Potions

PrairieLand Herbs

Aquarian Bath

Nature's Gift

Torchsong Studio

The Essential Herbal

Garden Chick - Where the winners from week #2 will be listed :-)

SunRose Aromatics

Keep coming back and keep entering. We have some great prizes coming up, and we'll be having the contests til the middle of May!

Congratulations to Marie... our winner for this week. Thanks to everyone for participating.

Honor, Courage, Commitment

The National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, VA, just outside of Washington, DC is a destination not only for Marines and their families, but for all interested in history. Dedicated in 2006, it is a tribute to Marines past, present, and future; and provides a valuable history lesson thru the amazing exhibits and interactive displays that represent the battles in which these brave men and women participated.The unique exterior structure of the building architecturally recreates the infamous placing of the American flag on Iwo Jima. It is a sobering thought that our Marine, a member of the 4th Division, was destined to participate in the invasion of Iwo Jima, but while working as a radio operator, he was wounded on the Island of Saipan and transported to a military facility in CA for treatment.

The museum walks you thru the Making of a Marine and then you continue your walk thru history, viewing the different military events that mark our past. The respect and admiration that was shown to our father by the Marines working at the facility was inspiring. In addition, fellow Marines visiting the museum greeted each other, sharing their training and battle history, walking back in time as they reminisced about their experiences.

Find time and take the opportunity to visit this amazing museum, a history lesson, and a look at the future. It is a museum dedicated to the men and women of the Corps and their honor, courage, and commitment to our past, present, and future.

Of particular interest to Cedar was this recreation done entirely in Legos.

Lemon Curd - Microwave Style

Traditionally, lemon curd is made on the stovetop... requiring a rather tedious amount of continuous and attentive stirring. However, the microwave style of making lemon curd makes this process somewhat easier. To make lemon curd,
gather your ingredients....
1 c. sugar, 3 lemons, 3 eggs, and 1/2 c. butter, melted.
Remove the zest from the lemons, being cautious to only zest the yellow skin, and place in a 4-cup microwave safe measuring bowl. Squeeze the lemon halves, until you have 1/2 c. fresh lemon juice. Add to the lemon zest. Whisk in eggs, melted butter and sugar until well blended. Place in the microwave, and heat for 4 minutes; whisking after each minute. Microwave times might be different depending upon your microwave. The curd will begin to thicken, and 'puff' up as it cooks.
Cover and chill in fridge; where it will keep for about a week. A dear friend tells me that she freezes her homemade curd. Thanks for that tip, M.E.!
Enjoy with oven fresh scones!
Additional uses for your lemon curd include using it as a filling in miniature pie or tart shells. I also like to use it as a topping for a lemon verbena cheesecake. Spread it evenly over top of the chilled cheesecake before cutting. Delicious! And it's always a great addition alongside a slice of gingerbread cake.
How do you use your lemon curd?

Irish Soda Bread

We love quick breads around here! So easy, so quick, so tasty, so satisfying! With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, why not surprise your family with this homemade bread. Perfect for an after school snack, or simply an evening treat, enjoy a slice of Irish Soda Bread with a tip o' the hat and a top 'o the morning to all.

Irish Soda Bread
3 c. flour
2/3 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1-1/2 c. raisins
2 beaten eggs
1-3/4 c. buttermilk
2 Tbsp. melted butter

Mix dry ingredients together. Add raisins. Combine eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter. Stir wet ingredients into dry flour/raisin mixture by hand until mixed well. Pour batter into two 9-inch greased loaf pans. Bake 350 degrees, for 30 - 40 minutes.

It's Contest Time!- week 2

Welcome to the second week of our Herb Blog Group Contest! For the week between Friday, March 6 and Thursday, March 12, you can enter simply by posting a comment in response to this blog entry and take a chance at winning a Fairyland Cookie Cutter and Recipe Card. Each cookie recipe comes with 1 "friend of the fairies" cookie cutter and fairy sprinkles. Cutters include bird, dragonfly, fairy, gnome, flower, butterfly – she’ll choose one for you!

Garden Chick has a delightful selection of products that are either created by Karen or something she found on her adventures and loves enough to share! The following blogs are also participating, so stop over to enter with them to increase your chances to win AND the chance to explore some cool blogs.

SunRose Aromatics
Herbs from the Labyrinth
Patti’s Potions
PrairieLand Herbs
Aquarian Bath
The Rosemary House
Natures Gift
Torchsong Studio
The Essential Herbal
Garden Chick

When you post your comment, be certain to include a means of contacting you if you are the winner! This contest has ended.
Congratulations to MontanaGirl, she won this weeks contest, the Fairyland Cookie Cutter and Recipe Card.

Mad Tea Party Blend

The trip to Disney provided a memory bank full of fantastic adventures, photographs of happy days, and a once-in-a-life time experience. Actual souvenirs were purchased on a limited basis as the thought of taking three kids into any of the amazing gift shops just was beyond our scope of fun. I did manage to steal a moment in a gift shop and purchased a tin of the Disney Wonderland TEA, The Official Unbirthday Tea. The tin is full of clever little quips, for example, it mentions 'you'll be simply mad about this premium...tea', and after the description of the ingredients (premium blend of Indian Black Teas, ginger peach & apricot flavor) it states (But no mustard ~ don't let's be silly!). In another spot on the tin, they ask the question 'Why is a raven like a writing desk?' The reader is then directed to the other side of the tin for the answer, and then in the next sentence you're informed that the answer isn't on the other side of the tin, but you're welcome to look. Someone had fun deciding what to put on this tin! Another side provides directions on How To Make Hot Tea (a.k.a. Uncold Tea) as instructed by The Mad Hatter. Start at the beginning (and when you come to the end...stop). Somewhere among the silliness you can actually find the directions, with the suggestion that your clock be two days slow.

Drink me! It's an absolutely perfect souvenir!

If you are looking to purchase this tea, contact the Merchandise Guest Servies at Walt Disney World at 407-363-6200. The bar code for this item is: 00137 11120
or try www.DisneyParks.com/store