Happy Birthday JORDAN!!

What, a blog, did someone say i had one? I do! OMG!  Thank god the password is saved i am not sure i would have remembered it!  Hehehe…life has been crazy, i could tell you about work, life, stress, death, friends, sailing team but NO its about JORDAN!!I have a meme to do as well. I promise i will try to do better! Life seems to swirl sometimes!! as many of you know!

Jordan turned 11 yesterday!! YUP!! I am old enough to have an 11 year old! Shocking I know!!! I remember the first day he came to me, he was 13 months old…he had a ruptured ear drum, he could not walk, crawl, or talk. Hell he could nto hear anything, his doctor explained it as if he lived underwater all the time.  That is how he heard.  He was a lost soul…being one of 10 children (at the time he is 1 of 16) he was lost.  He found me.   Here is a picture of the first few hours with us….

Who knew?  Yesterday we celbrated his 11th birthday.  It is had to think where he might have been or what might have happened to him. Now look at my birthday boy!  As my dad said, he fills many roles so well, he is a great grandson, a grandson,a nephew,  a son,  a brother and a friend.  He is my peace maker and he is stubborn.  I think he acts more and more like me every day!  Here are the pictures from our celebration last night…

Food Friday: Red Velvet cake

I make this cake twice a year, christmas and for my dad’s birthday.  It is soooo good!!!

This week i made the cake, I have a few photos to share, but the first cake i made, stuck to the bottom of the pan and crumbled.  YUCK. being a four layer cake i had to make another.  So here is the recipe for my redvelvet cake.

RED VELVET CAKE

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter
1 1/2 cup Sugar
3 Eggs
2 ounces Red food coloring
2 tablespoons Cocoa — heaping
2 1/4 cups cake  flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 cup Buttermilk
1 tablespoon Vinegar

***Frosting***
6 tablespoons Flour
2 cup Butter (Not Margarine- you can tell the difference in the flavor).
2 teaspoon Vanilla
2 cup Milk
2 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

Cream butter, sugar and eggs. Make a paste with coloring and cocoa and add to mixture. Add salt and flour with buttermilk and vanilla.  add soda and vinegar and don’t beat- just blend.

Bake in two 9-inch pans (greased and floured with cocoa powder) for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Layers may be split to make four using dental floss.

Frosting:

Cook flour and milk on low heat until thick. You must stir or whisk the whole time on the stove.  Careful not to burn!!!Then cool (I put it in the fridge for this.). Cream sugar, butter, and vanilla until fluffy.   Now i put the milk mixture in the bowl, whip.  Slowly add the butter and sugar mixture. Beat until mixture is like whipped cream. Spread on layers.
Now with all the excitment of having to bake two cakes, christmas and such i totally forgot to get a picture.  Then I thought i would take one when i took the cake to my aunts.  BUT they cut the cake before i could get a picture! so here is a picture courtesy of Betty Croker.

So there you have it!  My famous recipe!  LOVE IT!  What do you make every year?

Rule #1 Dont draw attention to yourself…Fail

Well it was a pretty successful day yesterday!  I was surprised throughout the day.  For dinner last night, the boys and i went to Outback.  They love going and who am I to deny them goign out to dinner on my birthday night.  Now if you know me well enough, you will know one of my rules in life is, “Do not draw attention to yourself” This is one rule as I am sure my instructors would agree I pound into them throughout the summer months.   Apparently this rule does not seem to apply to my children or they just have not learned it…

So we out to dinner. We sit down and before anyone comes over the boys ask if they are going to sing to me. AHH WHAT!!?? NO… i told them it was not like i was wearing a bday crown or they knew.  So the waitress comes over and jordan looked as if he were going to pop!  She greeted us and before she could ask for drinks, he erupted..”Its my Mommy’s birthday!!” Of course the whole table was telling her, Jordan was even going to sing the song he made up for my birthday,

it goes something like, “happy birthday to you happy birthday to you, you are not 32, happy birthday to you, you are 36, happy birthday to you”

Of course i put a stop to that and hoped this watiress could see the stress in my eyes of please please do not sing to me later….

We play games at the table waiting for our food.  It was a nice dinner, the boys were well behaved and then i could feel it….the clapping, the crowd of wait staff…walking towards me…OMG…I know I said a little “OH SHIT” under my breathe…the look of terror was on my face….but phew they went to the table next to us. I was off the hook or so i thought…NOPE… They sang at the table next to me and then promptly turned to our table to sing.  I could have crawled under the table. I think my children were singing the loudest…

But you know what, they loved it.  They thought that was the best thing since sliced bread.  It was not so bad, and I am so glad birthdays come once a year!!  Just wait until their birthday!!  muwhahaha

Thanks Mom and Dad

I know I know today is my birthday but you know what after having children of my own i feel as though i should be celebrating my mom and dad.  My parents are awesome.  just thinking what i have put them through, preteen years, teenager, college, marriage, kids, divorce and now!! phew!  I asked my mom if she ever thought 30 some odd years later she would be here….she said no. she was happy to have three great kids and three grandchildren!

Here is the cake we had for dinner the other night! Jordan is getting so big!!  I just wonder where i will be next year or even 5 years from now….hummmm i will let you know.

Happy Birthday Jordan!

Dear Jordan,

Yesterday was your 10th birthday! WOW! Ten years ago i would never have thought you would be in my life! Ten years ago you were born into this turbulent world, your mother and father “carnies” following the caravel around. You were your mothers tenth child out of 16 children. You only lived with her a year and then you came into my life.

I will never forget the day you came. I tell you the story all the time. I got a phone call in May 1999 from, Star, and she asked if I would take in a foster child who was 13 months. OF COURSE! She told me you were not up for adoption but you would be temporary. That was fine, this is why I was doing foster care, to help out where needed. You came in a blue car. You wore a shirt that was a size 6. You had the worst ear infection I had ever seen. You were malnourished, and so small. You did not crawl or say a word. You had a full head of hair and full set of teeth. You were so dirty but you smiled.

Life went on as usual. You were strong and independent. You loved to dance. You loved when someone would read to you. You loved your dog, Frank. I watched as you were growing and learning. I kissed all your “boo boos”. I smiled at all the pictures you drew. I rocked you every time you had an ear infection. You called me mommy.

I got pregnant with the twins in Jan. and then in Feb. I got the phone call. The phone i dreaded. They were terminating your parents rights and you were going to be up for adoption. I loved you as my own. Now temporary was not so temporary anymore. All of your other siblings were being adopted by family or family friends. There were so many siblings. Your mother had already had one child after you and another on the way. You were mine. I was your mom. And so the fight began.

Your cousins wanted you. They did not know you. They already had two of your siblings. They said I was not family, and I could not care for you like they did. They were wrong! I could! I went to bat. I stood my ground. I shed tears. They told me I was being greedy that i was pregnant with twins, why would i want to have you?

They were wrong. Finally your mothers sister and your mothers father took a stand they agreed you should stay with me. You were happy, healthy and loved. We went through all the paper work. The twins arrived two months early. But in September, we went to the judge and made it official!

You were already my son. But now on paper it was official! You have seen 18 foster children come and go. You have seen your twin brothers come home. You have seen me go through some tough times, and you may not know it yet. You have been a great big brother, even though sometimes you think you would be better off an only child. If only you knew! you are not the oldest biological child in your family and i am not sure how you would ever have made it.

Little buddy, I hope you know how much I love you. How much you mean to me. How much i have done to keep you safe. I am sorry your dad is not here, but someday you will understand it is for the best right now, even if you dad does not understand or is able to admit it. I may not be the best mom in the world but I will do my best!

Happy Birthday! I love you! Now lets see if you can make it to 11 in one piece!

Love,

Mom