Star Spangled Berry Cake

A couple days ago I still wasn't sure what I was going to take to the annual 4th of July party we attend each year. The sweet hostess, who had just arrived home after spending the school year on the opposite side of the country, asked me to just bring "one of your FABULOUS dessert items."   I somehow missed reading the "one," looked back at what we brought last year, and had a panic attack.  Yes, my archives stress me out sometimes and I occasionally think "How does she do it?"  I can't compete with THAT!!! ;)  

Thankfully my husband was able to pick up some berries at Costco on his way home from choir practice Wednesday night and after a quick google image search I had a plan.  The girls and I ended up only having enough time Thursday afternoon to make four (of the six) items I had chosen, but it ended up being a smaller party this year and was plenty.  This "Star Spangled Berry Cake" (inspired by this picture) was my favorite!  It was so easy to decorate and turned out beautifully! 

Ingredients:

• 2 - 9" Round Cakes (I used a Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Mix)
• White Frosting (I used Betty Crocker Fluffy White)
• Sliced Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Optional: Large Star Cookie Cutter  (I used the 6 1/2" Star Cookie Cutter from this set)

Directions:

Bake and cool cakes according to directions.  Trim the tops off of each cake.  Place one cake bottom side down on cake platter.  Spread 1/2 cup frosting over cake and layer with strawberries.  Place second cake, top side down, on top of the strawberries.  Spread a thin layer of frosting over the whole cake. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes to seal in any crumbs.  Spread the remaining frosting over the cake.  Using a large star shape cookie cutter as a guide, arrange blueberries on the top of the cake in the shape of a star.  Fill in the rest of the top of the cake with raspberries.  Place blueberries in around the base of the cake. 

 

I took this last picture to post to Instagram/Facebook while I was balancing the cake on my lap during the 45 minute drive to the party,  but thankfully it arrived safely and was definitely a hit.  I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July!  I'll be back with a few more pictures from our celebration soon!

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life. ~

{pretty}

Yesterday we spent the day at my parents home and Rose enjoyed picking flowers with Grandma.

{happy}

Sean had to work last Saturday, but the kids and I spent the morning with my two youngest brothers watching our hometown parade and then the afternoon swimming at my brother Brian's house!

The kids loved watching the parade, and they were all very happy when the employees from the local building supply store handed out full size candy bars to each of them!

 

7 kids + sitting where the parade begins = enough candy to fill a piñata! 

{funny}

 

Bud was so cute playing peek-a-boo with himself at the doctor's office on Sunday, 

 as we waited for the doctor to remove his stitches! 

{real}

Bud's injury wasn't to be the last of the "excitement" for the month of June...  On Friday this poor little baby deer was stumbling around our yard... We gave him water and called both the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and the Department of Fish & Wildlife and basically neither of them do anything to help save injured deer.   I was told that if they came to pick him up "he would just be Euthanized and his best chance for survival is to hope that the mother isn't dead already (from trying to save her baby from whatever attacked him) and that she will try and find him during the night once it is safer and has cooled down.  Otherwise this baby will just become food for some other animal (i.e. cougar)."  Ugh!  It was really hard to tell the children that we had to just let him go... 

Right after that I was sitting on the porch and Rose was playing with Snuggles on the swings when she did a face dive resulting in yet another mouth injury.  She had torn the frenulum on the top and had put a few of her bottom teeth nearly all the way through her bottom lip. Thankfully, she didn't have any loose or broken teeth, since it was on the inside of her mouth she didn't need stitched, it has healed amazingly fast, and we haven't had any injuries yet this week!   

Visit Like Mother, Like Daughter for more pictures of contentment.

Happy 4th of July! 

A Virtual Baby Shower for Sarah and her TWINS!

You are invited to another Virtual Baby Shower! I've hosted one here before and was so happy to see that Mary is hosting a shower for Sarah at Amongst Lovely Things and her TWIN boys! 

Click on over to Better than Eden to join the fun and get a chance to win some great prizes (including one of Charlotte's awesome quilties or one of Barbara's beautiful handmade scapulars or tenners!) after signing up to offer prayers for Sarah and her family, donating to a diaper fund, or just by helping spread the word!

The 2014 Saints Calendar & 16-Month Planner

The Saints Calendar and Planner from Tan has always been one of my favorite planning tools for Celebrating the Liturgical Year. This calendar sold out quickly last year and many of you were not able to purchase a copy.

The new 2014 Saints Calendar & 16-Month Planner begins September 1st of this year, so be sure to pre-order a copy soon!

The ever-popular 2014 Saints Calendar and Daily Planner is a 16 month calendar ready to use in September. Our spiral-bound design allows plenty of space for daily appointments in a lay-flat format.

This Calendar has become a favorite for home or office with professionals, students, and busy homeschool families.

TAN calendars contain special feasts and fascinating Catholic traditions. They are marked with days of Fasting, special Saints Days, and the Sundays of the Liturgical Year for both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Calendar.

You can see sample pages from my 2013 Saints Calendar here.

The beautiful wall calendars published by Tan for 2014 will include: The Life of Our Lord, Mary and the Saints and The Angels.

  

The planner and calendars are available to pre-order from Amazon or directly from Tan.

I hope you all have a blessed Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul! 

Tidepooling

Monday morning we woke up to the sound of waves crashing on the beach and the lowest tide of the year! 

It was a negative tide (-2.21 at 7:10 AM) and absolutely incredible!

(Additional pictures from our trip can be found here and here.)