Strawberry Cake and summertime

We had a birthday around here....and I baked Mac a cake..a strawberry cake....that is what he asked for so he got it....of course...grin.....that's what grandmothers do....

Mac's birthday cake

I have really been busy with the garden and other summertime things.....really, I don't know where the time goes..

 Picking tomatoes is a daily thing.....so glad to have them...

nasturtiums planted beneath a garden bench are doing beautifully..

picking dahlias and zinnias ...

I am in love with the red crepe myrtles.  so far I have three..

and rose geranium smells so good...

pecans

Ahhhhhhhh...the promise of fall and cooler temperatures....the pecans are starting to get bigger and the trees are full this year......time to start fighting the squirrels off...

So, not much happening out of the ordinary but still a lot going on around here....

glad you stopped by today and hope to see you again soon...

Mona

Anniversaries, cakes and boys

Two years ago I began a journey...with one small step...and one click of a mouse, I became a published author.....

338 posts later I am still enjoying my blog...and I hope you are too...I was trying to think of some wise sayings for today's anniversary but with this time change and all...well, I might be sitting here for about a week until my sleep deprivation gets caught up..with reality.....so, I will share a little bit of my life with you.....

My grandsons just spent a few days with us..along with their Mama...but Mama needed some rest because she is growing our eagerly awaited number FOUR grandbaby.....I thought it would be a good idea if we made a cake..and guess what!!  Will and Mac thought it was a grand idea too...so that is what we did...

patiently waiting

closer is better

It is hard to remember to take a lot of pictures when there are little boy helpers...but we got a few....and lots of help..they really were excellent in the kitchen and enjoyed every minute of it.....so did I...

our strawberry cake

Mac loves, loves aw---ba-- rees..so this was right up his alley...

yum yum

and then we ATE cake......the whole thing in less than 24 hours...  but that is what grandmothers are for, right?

next time we probably need to focus on locally grown garden food..but for this visit..oh, well.....

Then we had to dig in the dirt......

making a landscape

Mac's river

I love Marshall's expression

Will loves to talk

I think I enjoyed digging and playing in the dirt as much as they did..Will even helped me to remove a LOT of the rocks from this area...we have a LOT of rocks in the dirt....

Well, this is what I chose to be my anniversary issue.  two of the things I love most and enjoy writing about...my grandsons and my garden..with a little bit of cake thrown in for good measure..so you will know it is a party.

If there is something you want to do with your life, just START!!!  if you never start, you will never do it...it only takes one small step...that is what I did...and now it has been 2 years and it is part of my life..part of what I do..and I love doing it..

I appreciate each and every one of you..I would love to get a comment or two from you..they are always great encouragement....and then I can visit your blog too...

Thank you for reading along today and I hope to see you again soon...

Happy Anniversary to my blog......

Bert's Rum Cake

 

rum cake

 

Here is the recipe for a cake I have been making for several years at Christmastime.....it had become a tradition and I know Christmas is really close when I put this cake in the oven..I am not much of a baker but this cake is one I bake every year and it is always a BIG hit...

 

 

 

 

Bert's Rum Cake

 

(Makes 1 large Bundt cake or 12 Bundtlette cakes )

 

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 box yellow cake mix

1 box (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding mix

1/2 cup light rum

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

4 eggs

 

GLAZE

1 cup sugar

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 - 3/4 cup light rum

1/4 cup water

 

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 12 cup bundt pan or 2 - 6 bundtlette pans with cooking oil spray with flour.  Sprinkle chopped pecans over bottom.  Stir cake mix and pudding together in large mixing bowl.  Add rum,  water, oil and eggs.  Beat for 2 minutes with an electric mixer.  Pour cake batter over nuts and bake for 45-50 minutes.  If you are making the smaller cakes, spoon batter evenly into each mold (about 2/3 cup each) and bake for 20 minutes.

 

5 minutes before cake is done, prepare the glaze.  Place sugar, butter,  rum and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan and boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

 

Remove cake(s) from oven and with a fork poke holes in cake and slowly drizzle the glaze over the top while cake is still hot.  It will take several applications to use all the glaze.  Cool cake in pan for 30 minutes before unmolding.  Finish cooling on a wire rack

ENJOY!!   this cake is delicious.....  I just wish I had cooked this cake for my Mama before she died....she loved rum cake....so I got this honest....

Random thoughts

Here is our official birthday picture for 2011...Bryan, Me, Mike...we have now all celebrated our birthdays with an awesome cake...and a fun get together...lots of children running around and eating many, many cupcakes.

Bryan, me, Mike

Spanish Lemon cake

After the planning from last week and the putting away of all the party things and cleaning up..I was a little tired but I love doing it and will do it again as soon as there is an occasion....or just a random day to get together....

That is like my mind this morning...just so very random that I can hardly keep up with myself....it is 10 a.m. and I have walked the yard with the dogs, planned a new bed for irises, checked on the garden, taken something from the freezer for supper..decided to pick the garden..lettuce and broccoli and have that for supper with grilled chicken....gone to the barn and counted the bags of potting soil...decided this is the day for planting seeds...checked to see if Roundup worked where I sprayed last week. found a box in the barn filled with pink melmac dishes that I bought several years ago for Bryan's daughter to play with..got the bowls..24 of them and little plates and brought them inside to wash and have a little tea party with them....random, I tell you....complete randomness today....then decided to just sit down and write a blog...about all of this running through my mind..maybe I will get my camera and take some new pictures and then get out the potting soil and pots and seeds and finally start them..then go to Thyme After Thyme and buy a tomato plant or two and plant them in the garden..there...how is that for a totally random day?? maybe tomorrow will be more organized, but I seriously doubt it...it is spring and there are a million things to do...and I will think about the farmers and their contribution to us all the while that I am doing this..
thank you for reading my ramblings this morning...

Let them eat cake

Truly it is the little things in life that make it pleasurable....My favorite cake in the world is Spanish Lemon cake baked by Cecelia Villaveces bakery in Athens..  when my birthday nears I start thinking about it..LOL  it is also the cake we had for our wedding cake after we got home from eloping...

Just wanted to share my excitement and anticipation because I just ordered my annual cake for a get together this weekend....cannot wait....

One of the finer things in life.....I discovered these cakes when I was going through my divorce and really needed a sweet spot in my life......I lived on salads and desserts...LOL  but now I limit it to once or twice a year.

thank you for reading this silly little blog today..