Having My Cake!

My birthday was tuesday and my family had a little party for me....

 Only 2 candles, I didnt want to set the house on fire!

The official cakebaker and her cute sidekick aka the babysitter!

I cant even begin to tell you how good this is. Three layers of chocolate cake with chocolate granache over the top with more whipped ganache between the layers. Pure heaven on a plate.

I got lots of goodies for my coffeebar. I'll post pictures of that as soon as its done.

Then my husband took me to "Blue Bayou" inside the Pirates of the Carribean ride at Disneyland!

Yes, its really dark in there, LOL! This is what it looks like from the boats while on the ride.

This is the only picture we took inside the restaurant that came out. It really is dark inside but the atmosphere is amazing and the food is over the top. Maybe this getting older business is worth it?

The Great Cat Rescue

Here's a glimpse of a typical day at the cottage, castle,
my house!

First off heres a disclaimer: no animals, children or cottage was harmed in the following:

We have a cat......she is shy yet has a sense of humor
(most days)...

We have a boy with a sense of adventure and always up for

 "a man's job".......

The cat likes to hide away so she would jump up on top of a ledge in the kitchen and sleep. We realised she was going in the wall. And she was really aggravating me because she was bringing dirt down with her and leaving it on the counter.

Cats are NOT allowed on the kitchen counter ever! Would you like a side of cat hair with your sandwich?

She got caught on a wire from our very strange lighting fixtures from 1968. oh yeah its an original, baby!

I got up on a ladder and saw she was half in the hole but couldnt go either way because this wire had hooked her fur. So I got wire cutters and clipped the wire, she was free. But instead of coming out and having a kitty treat she went in the hole........for 24 hours! So my husband cut a hole in the wall. Yep.

But he couldnt see her...too dark.

So we sent a small child in the dark abyss......

This isnt where the hole was cut. This is in the butler's pantry 15 feet away, mmm hmm. Up a ladder and pull down the plexiglass from the dropped ceiling and you find a secret passageway!

What kid isn't game for that? Notice the headlamp! We properly outfitted the man for the job!

Here's the hero in action and one rescued cat, safe and sound!

 Can you tell the cat is not very happy? She was quite content in the hole! And needless to say the original hole was sealed up! No more cathair sandwhiches.

The End!

Visitors & Update on Ella

Thank you for all the kind wishes & prayers for Ella. She is doing really well. The best news is that she may not have had a stroke after all. The doctors have decided the test is inconclusive! Oh and it gets even better, she is not on a ventilator she is breathing on her own. She is eating really well and the NICU nurse says she is the most active baby on the floor! Please continue to pray for her as she will be in the hospital about 10 more weeks.

On a different note........

Here is one of the visitors I had today. A pigeon? Yep. We don't have pigeons around here. We have lots of Redtail Hawks, Owls, a few Turkey Vultures(yuck) and a very wide assortment of song birds(which I adore). anyway this poor thing was sitting on the deck this morning and look at who was just dying to get outside....

STAY PUT!!

I picked up the poor little thing. She was so scared. She had a band on her leg and the other leg was broken. My girlfriend said it was a homing pigeon? Should I give her a note?

I decided to make her comfortable as she was going nowhere fast. A dish of water, some old bread and birdseed just in case.

Dont ask me why I have birdseed. I have cats! She sat here all day long and when I went to check on herfor the zillionth time, she stretched her wings and flew away.

I was releaved.

Here is my other little visitor.....

I love this little guy. He is shy. We have quite a few "regulars" stopping by to see what they can rummage from the trash cans. I think racoons are just the cutest things ever!

Well, it has been a busy day. Wishing all of you a great week.

I will post the "great cat rescue" in a few days!

We need your prayers

Please pray for baby Ella

Baby Ella was born on April 8th and came into this world weighing only 1 lb. 13 oz. and 13" long. She was born to our dear friends Greg & Amy. She wasn't due untill July so she is very premature.  She has suffered a stroke and has long road ahead of  her.  Please pray for her tiny body to be strengthened. My heart is so heavy as I write this but I do believe in the power of prayer and that the Lord is in control. But as a mom, I dont know if I could walk the road my dear friends are on. Please pray for their strength also as they just don't know what to expect and they are emotionally and physically exhausted.

With gratitude,

Got Ham?

If the "Reheat Queen" can do it, you can do it!

Hello my blogland friends! Thank you for all your get well wishes. I really appreciate every single comment and email that you sent. Boy it feels like I have been gone forever and I missed seeing all of your beautiful holiday posts. Well, I hope you had a wonderful Easter and here is a great recipe to use up your left over ham. So get your leftovers out of the freezer and whip this up for brunch or dinner.

Brunch Casserole 

4 slices bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

4 C. diced ham

4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

3 green onions, sliced

12 eggs

1 C. sour cream

1C. milk

1. Heat oven to 350* Spray bottom of 13x9 pan with nonstick spray. Layer bread, ham and cheese across bottom of pan.

2. Beat eggs, sour cream and milk untill smooth. Pour over ham mixture. Bake for 35-45 minute or untill a knife inserted comes out clean (my oven needed the whole 45) Let set 10 minutes before serving.

We didn't finish it all so I reheated it the next day and it was great the second time around. I was surprised because reheated eggs just don't sound right. It was a hit!

Sunshine Sent

As you know I've been MIA for a while with sick kids and it was such a beautiful treat to find this "Sunshine Award" waiting for me from the lovely Rebecca of Simply Stated Aesthetics . If you don't know her please stop by for a visit. She is a lovely, talented lady and I am very blessed to know her.

In following with the Sunshine award tradition I would like to recognise these lovely talented ladies also.

Please share in the sunshine and visit them.

1.52 Flea

2. Anything Goes Here

3. Bluebird Notes
4.Bunny Cottage

5. Castle and Cottage signs
6. Cottage Flair
7.Enchanted Rose Studio
8. Ticking and Toile
9. Girls at Heart
10. Mary's Meanderings
11. The Tattered Cottage
12. Rose Garden Romantic

Have a beautiful weekend.
xo