Birthdays

Two of the kids had their birthdays shortly after we arrived in Seattle.  I knew we would not have enough time to get them presents after we got here, so I bought early and sent the gifts over with our airfreight allowance.  It made a big difference not having to rush around trying to learn where shops were.  I guess we could have ordered online, but that kind of spoils the fun of hunting for the perfect gift, at least for me.  ( do wish I had wrapped them beforehand though!)

We had given the kids early birthday parties before we left.  I discovered these cute little cakes at Safeway (QFC also makes them).  Got a Barbie one as a surprise for my youngest.  Think we managed to give both kids a special day each.

PS if you want to see some of our daily adventures on Instagram, you can follow me here: http://instagram.com/whiteforge

Improvisation

It was my son’s birthday over the weekend.  With my husband away for his grandmother’s funeral, things got a little chaotic.  Especially since his flight back landed the evening of my son’s birthday.  To spoil him, we got some take-aways (his choice) and I bought a lot of doughnuts as a stand-in ‘cake’.  That evening we were to sing for him…. but I couldn’t find the box I had put the candles in.  So, sparkler it was.

It seemed to be a hit!

I am now trying to bake a chocolate cake for a small party for him tomorrow.  With the heat, I wanted to wait until the temperature cooled down a bit.  Forty degrees was a bit hot to be standing in front of a hot oven.  Tomorrow morning the cake has to be transformed into a treasure chest.  Wish me luck!