Whoa, May.

So this month, no, this year just screamed by. I can't believe it's getting to be my birthday already - our last day of class is tomorrow! Some have asked for my annual list, so here it is. :)

As always, nothing means more to me than handwritten notes and letters from friends. There are few joys quite like receiving mail!

Moleskine Recipe Journal

Trish McEvoy #9 perfume

2G SD memory cards

Pilot Varsity pen set

Levenger Stub-nib True Writer

Ten weeks of open studio time here.

Crochet hooks and yarn - plus this book. Like I need more summer projects! ;)

Green coffee beans, and an air-popper roaster. Yeah, what I just said about projects.... :)

The newest Paul Simon album

The Civil Wars album

Great Lakes Myth Society albums

Birthday Month!

It's already nine days into my birthday month, and I'm finally now alerting everyone.

It's nice to have a birthday at the very end of the month - once the calendar page changes, I get several weeks of anticipation.

Here's my list of what I want for my birthday, for which I know you've all been waiting.

Remove Before Flight keychain

Hinge Wallet - because Jess says I need a new wallet

Stila Twinset in Demi Claret (two, please!)

OPI Polish in Underwater Fantasy

Gap dress - black; size TBD

Extension tubes so I can fake some macro shots

Wide-angle lens (hey, it's a wishlist)

Phineas; Six Stories by John Knowles

Levenger ink - Empyrean

10-lb Adjustable Ankle Weights

Bike Helmet - Size M/L, not picky on color, probably black.

A jacaranda tree

A Meyer lemon tree

Music:

Brandon Heath (both albums)

The new U2

The new Jars of Clay

Blueberry Cakes

Knowing a friend likes sour-cream-blueberry donuts from the local donut purveyor, I decided to do a variation on them for his birthday.  I modified a pound cake recipe into cupcakes, topped them with my usual buttercream, and arranged some white chocolate ribbons on top.

1 c. butter, softened

2 1/2 c. sugar

6 eggs, separated

1 c. sour cream (I use the light stuff, to maintain some pretense of healthfulness)

1/4 t. baking soda

3 c. flour

1 t. vanilla

1 t. almond extract (I omitted to make these nut-allergy-friendly, but would really like to try it next time)

2 c. blueberries (I use frozen)

Stir baking soda into sour cream in a small bowl.  In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar, add egg yolks, one at a time.  Beat until fluffy.  Add flour alternately with sour cream mixture, mix well.  Whip egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold into batter.  Add blueberries (if using frozen, keep them in the freezer until you add them or else you'll have blue batter - I mean, unless that's your thing.  In that case, blue it up!)

Heat oven to 350 degF.  Fill cupcake papers 75-80% full, and bake 35-40 minutes (yes, it's a long time).   Makes 24 full cupcakes and 2 4-inch round cakes, a huge yield.

As far as blueberry cakes go, I have another recipe I like a little better, but I wanted the effect of the sour cream in these cupcakes.  Here's that one, from a Junior League cookbook from my hometown:

1 1/2 c. butter, softened

1 1/2 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1 1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1 pint blueberries

powdered sugar

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, add vanilla.  Sift together baking powder and flour, add gradually to butter mixture.  Beat for a moment at high speed to make it fluffy.  Fold in blueberries.  Pour into greased and floured 9-inch springform pan, and bake 70 minutes.  Serve on a pool of blueberry sauce, with a dusting of powdered sugar.

My Latest Project

Ha ha - well, the latest project I've actually finished.  The scrollwork is a little shaky, but it's not bad, considering I was balanced upon crutches to do it. 

Jess's Birthday Cake!

Birthday Week!

First, to the kind and gentle reader who sent me two memory cards, the package arrived with no note - so please take this public acknowledgment of the gift until I can thank my anonymous benefactor personally.


Second, good gravy, it's been a while since I posted. But, I'm finally finished with school. No, that's so not true. I don't have to go back to school. No wait, that's not totally true, either. The school year is officially over! I still have exams to finish grading, and it escapes me why I'm not doing that and writing here instead... but anyhow, it is indeed summer. My summer to-do list is so long, I have to get cracking.

Third, I'm still recovering from birthday week. The week was capped off in a fete at the home of friends, friends good enough to (a) throw a low-food party in my honor - see also this, this and this , (b) serve meat1 in their vegetarian kitchen, and (c) eschew our typical highbrow wine for jug sangria. Kids, can we make a pact never to drink such quantities of plonk again? I'm all for integrity of theme, and I suspect the aftermath had a lot to do with my sleep deficit from the school year, but in the last 36 hours, I spent 22 of them asleep, and the better part of one trying to get back to sleep with a raging headache. We drink the J. Lohr next time with our Fritos and hummus! But, I have to say, it's fantastic to have friends willing to sacrifice good taste to make me a Poke Cake (with Cool Whip!) for my birthday. :)

1 the term "meat" used very loosely...

Hippo Birdie to Meeee!

It's May! Oh dear. I don't recall much of the last half of April. It is that time of the year that sort of accelerates away from me. And then it's August and we're back to school again, it seems. Time to make the long, overly ambitious to-do list for the summer, too.

Before all that, and since it's my birthday at the end of the month, I present my wishlist:

Hand-written letters, poetry, art, etc etc, from friends!


1G SD memory cards. I can't believe these are only $5 now! I think I spent $80 three years ago on one? At this price, I can use a few and not waste time pruning.

Nikon Flash. I can't decide between the SD-400 and the SD-600. I probably want the 600, but the compact size of the 400 is appealing...

Nikon Remote Shutter Button.


Pen Station. Dark Cherry with Raven Black ink. Or maybe Natural Cherry.

Fountain Pen Ink. Standard (not large) cartridges in Raven Black, Amethyst, Cardinal Red.


Blank books. I'm making two significant trips this summer - Europe Tour-o-Matic and Australia/New Zealand - and I want a couple travel journals for recording adventures. (hence all the photographic equipment)


Airplane Scarf. Since I can't find the US Airways flight attendant uniform scarf online anywhere, this would do.

Music: Albums from Brandon Heath, Smalltown Poets, The Sundays, Poi Dog Pondering (but not Volo Volo or Pomegranate).

A Fine Fuss

I really love birthdays. There's a lot of joy in an excuse to make a fuss over someone. And there are few things I enjoy quite like a good fuss!

Plus, there's cake involved! Here are two I made this week. One for a friend (dark chocolate cake, mocha cream filling, coffee buttercream, and fondant):

One for my mother-in-law (vanilla bean cake, black raspberry filling, vanilla buttercream, fondant, and gumpaste leaves):

It's My Birfday!

No. Corner pieces EVERYDAY!

Hippo Birdie

It's my birthday eve! I like birthdays, I don't know why. Sometimes it's just nice to have an excuse to make a fuss. Don't get me wrong, I don't need much of an excuse to make a fuss over people on an average day. But I like birthday frippery - cake, balloons, cake, party hats, cake, ribbons, cake, confetti, cake. Oh! And it's a perfect excuse to make cake! If there's one thing that I can't wait for when I have kids, it's throwing boss birthday parties.

It's finally my golden birthday. 31 on the 31st. Latest possible one.

Do kids still have birthday parties at McDonalds? I remember so many parties there, at Putt-Putt (including my Sweet 16th - ha ha!), at ice cream parlors, at roller rinks. I wonder whether the outsourced birthday party is still in vogue.