Karen's Magic Cake

Finally I am posting this for all of you at the FRG Meeting that asked for the recipe. It's truly not excact due to the fact that I was purely making a concoction for random ingredients I found in my cupboard. Even better, I'm not sure where much of the ingredients came from indicating I never purchased the items!! I decided to make a cake, didn't have all the ingredients, but found a cake mix, so I made it my own... A couple people asked if I made that "Magic Cake," hence the name of my concoction.

Ingredients:
1 White Cake Mix
1 Can Whole Cranberry Sauce
3 Whole Eggs
1/3cup Oil
about 1/2 cup Cold Water
3oz Bitter Sweet Chocolate

Heat oven to 350F. Grate the chocolate (I put the chocolate in the freezer while I prepared the rest of the mix to ensure it would not clump.) Mix cranberry sauce, eggs, oil and 1/4 cup water. Add cake mix and stir until well combined, add water until a normal cake batter consistency is reached. Stir in chocolate until just combined and pour into greased cake pan. I used a 10 inch spring form pan because I really wanted to use my vintage cake tin and didn't want layers.

I am not going to post the frosting because I didn't like it and think it actually took away from all the flavor of the super moist cake. Next time I might just dust it with powdered sugar or chocolate powder. Let me know if you make the cake and how it turns out!!

Farron turned two, I still can't beleive it! However, if you ask her what her name is she says baby and that's just fine with me. I made the Birthday banner out of ribbon and magazine pages I did have her age as a fourth banner, but she turned two not three... 'nuff said.  The kids decorated Easter Eggs (Lucky made a beautiful egg and dye soup) and they all got to bring home a little Easter Basket I made from fabric scraps and a couple pairs of jeans I don't wear anymore.  In this picture are two of our master egg decorators Ethan and Sue in the background.

Then, yummy Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes with Chocolate and Strawberry Whipped Cream Frosting!

Who knows how many cupcakes Farron ate, but we do know she generously shared them all with Satchel.  Tonight, the day after her Birthday, she had two plus the frosting off of a third, then went back to eating a bag of fresh veggies.  

Because I am desperately in need of a good camera, I didn't get any good pictures of the gift opening, but did get one of the card made by Farron and Lucky's new friends Sue and Joo Young Park.

It's Easter! Hurray for Chocolate, Eggs and people dressed in Pink Bunny costumes!! Yesterday was Farron's #2 Birthday and Party so we didn't do a whole lot for Easter. I made fabric Easter Baskets as favors for the Party. Luckily, the Easter Bunny found a couple left from the party and filled them up with Sugary snacks!!  After we cleaned up the house we packed the girls up in their new Spring skirts and shirts from Grandma Jean and drove to Post for an Easter Egg Hunt.  It wasn't much of a hunt, just plastic eggs strewn onto the field, but the girls had fun and got to turn in the plastic eggs for yet more candy. 

 

Lucky and Farron with Santa

On our way to the Christmas Party Lucky said, "I am SO happy I'm not afraid of Santa this year!" Last year she was terrified of him, but after many encounters at the mall receiving candy she finally decided it was OK to sit on his lap. This year she was excited to tell him what she wants for Christmas, a pink guitar, and what she wants her sister to get for Christmas, a pink piano. Then she saw him and the fear from last year came back. After watching her friends and some time she was ready. Farron was a bit less sure of the idea, but followed her sister's lead and agreed to sit on Santa's lap as long as she needed to get a candy cane.

Our Bathroom/Children's Art Studio

Yes, the toilet bowl lid makes an excellent paint pallet!

It is so sweet to see them actually work together peacefully no matter how brief.

Of course, Lucky prefers to paint herself and her sister.  Art is art right?  Sadly,  these will be the last pictures taken by this camera.  After months of being unsure of itself, it has died.  Now to shop for a new camera and QUICK!!!  Suggestions are appreciated!!

No Question; She is One of Ours!

Lucille was fortunate to find the camera in time to catch some pictures of her sister having fun on the beautiful rocking scooter Grandpa Bill made for them.

I just hope she doesn't leave us to join the circus!

The Girls Room!

Here we are! Finally got the girlie room done! And, more importantly finally posted something on our BLOG!!!