The Calendar Says It's Spring

So I made this lovely cake for Huddles.



Unfortunately, it is never going to be warm here again and today it was only 52 degrees and rainy. I think the West Texas wind blew Amarillo into the Northwest. I need sunshine and 90 degree weather, but, apparently, I am never going to get it.

But it's such a pretty cake, is it not?

I can't remember what its actual name is, but in our family we call it "Carrie's Strawberry Shortcake Cake". Several years ago (when I was at ACU), my sister and I decided to make my mom dinner for some reason or another. I can't remember why, but I do know it was a secret and we had invited my parents' best friends, The Dillards. Anyway, I figured out the menu, made sure we had all the ingredients, and got everything else ready while Carrie made this cake. Guess what everybody remembered? The cake. Not that I'm bitter or anything. But I'm pretty sure Carrie has only made it once and I have made it a whole bunch of times...to rave reviews, I might add. Whatever you want to call it, this cake is spectacular! Perfect for Spring...if it ever decides to show up. Or we can just drown our sorrows in all of its heavenly whipped cream and strawberries.

Of course I'm sharing the recipe!

Carrie's Strawberry Shortcake Cake:
1 box French Vanilla cake mix
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups whipping cream, chilled
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 quart fresh strawberries, rinsed, drained, and sliced (keep one whole for the top of the cake)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans. (I also trace around the bottom of the cake pans onto the wax paper and put them in the bottom of the cake pans before greasing and flouring...lesson learned after waaayy too many messed up cakes!) Combine cake mix, eggs, water, and butter in a mixing bowl and mix according to package directions. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until done. Cool in pans 10 minutes then invert onto cooling racks. Cool completely. While cake is cooling, place another bowl and beaters into the freezer to chill. To make filling and topping, beat whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla until stiff in chilled bowl. Reserve 1/3 cup for garnish. Place one layer of the cake onto serving platter. Spread with 1/2 of the whipped cream and 1/2 of the sliced strawberries. Place other layer on top and repeat with remaining whipped cream and strawberries. Garnish with reserved whipped cream and a whole strawberry. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*Note: This is a very delicate cake! If it gets too warm, the whipped cream will ooze out the middle layer and you'll have an ugly, squashed cake. Just keep it in the fridge until the very last second if possible.


There is one (teeny-tiny) good thing about all this cold, rainy weather. It meant I got to hang out with this cute girl all day.


And maybe, just maybe, the sun'll come out tomorrow!

A Bona-Fide Trend Setter

So, of course, I took a billion pictures at Eli's first coach-pitch softball game Tuesday night. Sitting out in a dusty field watching a bunch of 5,6, and 7-year-olds in matching jerseys and hats was so much fun...despite the West Texas wind that was trying to blow us into Oklahoma. And an incredibly cranky 3-year-old who didn't take a nap at preschool and skinned her knee running to the field.

Guess who got roped into being a second and the a third-base coach?


Brad did a good job. Just look at this little before game pep talk.


It was a game full of missed balls, lots of hits, and several vacant expressions.

Have you ever seen such a long, lanky ballplayer?


Here's what Eli did at every. single. base. It was very impressive.




Dontcha know this dad is wondering what the heck Eli is doing. If he only knew we thought that almost every day.

Apparently it was so awesome-looking that all the other little boys decided that they, too, needed to slide at every base. That's Eli. A bona-fide trend setter.

Heaven help us if anybody ever hits more than a single.

I Just Can't Resist A Man In Uniform

A Monday Night Meal

You know I love to share a yummy, fast, healthy meal that everyone in my family will love.


This is not one of those recipes.

Oh, make no mistake, it's fast and it's very yummy, but it's soooo not healthy. It's just chock full of processed foods. I'd seen it in my April issue of Southern Living (and I do love me some Southern Living) but I was a little hesitant to try it. The recipe uses frozen Texas Toast (which I never ate growing up) diced tomatoes, and BBQ sauce and I just wasn't sure how those would all work together. But it was listed as a "Weeknight Meal" and we've got a doozy of a week around here so it seemed like the time to try it. I'm so glad I did!

Brittnye, you should just stop reading now. This recipe will make your arteries hurt.

I mean it. You should stop.

Everybody else should grab your grocery lists to write down these ingredients so you can make it this week because it's de-LIC-ous!

Cheesy BBQ Sloppy Joes
1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup bbq sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons pickled jalapenos, chopped (I didn't use these)
1 tablespoon juice from jalapenos (or this)
1 (11.25 oz.) package frozen garlic Texas toast
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven according to toast directions. Brown ground beef in a large skillet until done. Drain. Return to skillet. Bake toast according to package directions. I made mine "crispy" (which used my broiler toward the end) because I don't like soggy bread which means I had to put it in a little earlier than the recipe called for. Stir tomatoes, ketchup, bbq sauce, and Worcestershire sauce into ground beef. (If you're using the jalapenos, you should stir them in, too.) Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve beef mixture over toast, sprinkled with cheese.

I served this meal with green beans and fruit so it wasn't a total wash. And all this week I'm making things like baked fish and steamed broccoli and brown rice pilaf and quesadillas with whole grain tortillas. Maybe it will help flush my family's system of all the preservatives and additives in my Texas toast and ketchup and bbq sauce.

Or maybe not. But it was worth it!

Mission Impossible: A Mother's Day Card

There are two types of moms in this world.

Those that like a sweet, syrup-y Mother's Day card. And those who like a funny, tongue-in-cheek Mother's Day card.

My mom? She's the latter. It's not as if she doesn't want nice things said about her and to her, but making her laugh is waaaayy more important. Bonus points if you can do both at the same time!

It makes finding Mother's Day cards a little frustrating. I know. I tried.

It's not as if just any old card will do. There are certain standards. Take this card, for example.


Just gag me now, please.

Here's a card that just perfect for my friend, Dixie. She's a huge Elvis fan. And when I say "huge" I mean "takes-family-trips-to-Graceland-and-the-only-book-she-reads-is-about-Elvis-and-I'm-a-little-surprised-her-oldest-child-isn't-named-Elvis-huge".


But my mom is more of "Peter, Paul, and Mommy" kind of gal.

There were several cards along the lines of this one.


But they just weren't right.

Ooohhh! This one is sparkly! With vintage-inspired pictures!

Oh wait. It's dumb.


This one looks funny. Old pictures always mean funny cards.


However, anybody who thinks one meal in a restaurant makes up for everything that moms do, I'm here to tell you, this card ain't gonna cut it. I don't like this card on principle.

This is, by far, the funniest card of the bunch. It made me laugh out loud.


But I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings this Mother's Day.

So I left empty-handed. Sigh.

If I were designing a Mother's Day card, it would read "To My Mom on Mother's Day" on the front and it would have a picture of my mom from the early 80's on it. It's one of my favorite pictures of her. She was outside on some big rock in New Mexico in cut off shorts, a tank top, and Dr. Scholl's sandals (I still remember the slap-slap sound they made when she walked). She had a bandanna tied around her unruly hair and she just looked so carefree and beautiful. (I don't have a copy of this picture or I'd post it.)

The inside would read:
"Thanks, Mom, for everything. And I mean every. little. thing.

For giving me a figurative kick in the pants when I needed it and a hug when I didn't.

For sticking up for me when my 7th grade P.E. teacher thought I was stealing stuff from the girl's locker room and defending the teachers all the other times I thought they were being unfair. They weren't

For making a bed-shaped birthday cake when I had a slumber party and never putting raisins where chocolate chips should go.

For teaching me the importance of well-written thank you note and zero tolerance for misspelled words.

For showing me the beauty of old, well-loved objects and that things are beautiful if you love them.

For sewing countless dance costumes when I was in high school and now dresses for my daughter.

For reading me "The Garden of Abdul Gazazi" and "In The Night Kitchen" and "Pierre" and for keeping a home filled with books.

For teaching me how to make homemade biscuits and that pie crusts from scratch really do make a difference.

For collecting "Got Milk?" ads and stocking your pantry with oddball snacks. I'll probably throw them all away when you get Alzheimer's, but I'll always remember the quirky, fun, creative side of you that not everyone gets to see.

For teaching me how to live with strength and grace and love even when life doesn't turn out the way you think it will. Because it never does.

I hope you have a wonderful day and you get that toe-ring tattoo you've been wanting. I love you."


Have you seen a card like this? Anywhere? I didn't think so.

What would the perfect card for Mother's Day for your mom say? Did you find one at a store that would work? Because I didn't.


Happy Mother's Day, anyway, Mom.

An $8 Lesson

Last summer, Phoebe had the cutest little pair of hot pink sandals. She wore them and wore them and wore them and they seemed to be one of those pair of shoes that went with everything! (Hmmm...maybe she's wears a little too much hot pink.) So when the Spring shoes started to show up this year in all my favorite places, I started to look for another hot pink pair of sandals. I couldn't really make up my mind and in a moment of weakness, I found these little shoes at Wally-World for $8.



I hate these shoes.

Phoebe CAN NOT keep them on her feet. It's interesting to me to view my children's different personalities through the flip-flop wearing lens. When Eli was 3 and I bought him his first pair of flip-flops, I told him he had to learn how to wear them or I was going to take them back. He put those itty-bitty little flip-flops on his itty-bitty little feet, set his jaw, and learned to walk in them in about 20 minutes and they never came off when they weren't supposed to come off. I never had another problem with him wearing them. It was awesome. I told Phoebe the same thing and they were off her feet every. five. minutes. All day long. It drove me crazy!

They also make Phoebe look way too old for me. It's amazing how much different my baby girl can look just by changing her shoes. (Although, who doesn't believe in the power of a shoe to make or break an ensemble?) It's more than this mama can take. I need my baby to look like a baby just a little longer.

So I did the only logical thing a mother can do in this situation.

I bought different sandals.


Please notice the bright yellow paint on one of her toes. If you're my facebook friend, then you might have seen this same paint all over two of my carpeted stairs. And I mean bright yellow paint all over the stair! After trying to Resolve it out myself, I called CARPET TECH and they worked some kind of miracle! The paint is gone! Carpet Tech saved Phoebe's rear end.

I'm aware that I flushed $8 down the toilet when I bought the new shoes, but I feel that $8 is a small price to pay to keep my baby little just one more summer.

It is worth every penny.

A Pillowcase Dress With Fabric Flowers

A few weeks ago I went into one of the quilt stores here in town and spied a very cute fabric flower made out of some bright "spring-y" fabrics. I went back to visit this little fabric flower(that was attached to a bag) several times and I kept thinking, "I love that fabric! I love that flower! But I have soooo many projects to get finished!"

But since I have no willpower whatsoever when it comes to fabric, I bought it.

And I made this:


Just a little pillowcase dress with some capris. After I had it all put together, I decided I should have put the black fabric on top of the pink in the ruffle in the pants. Lesson learned: small repeating prints should always layer under larger, darker prints. But since I really don't enjoy making or attaching ruffles, I'm not re-doing them.

Here are a couple of photos of the flowers. I think they are a little big, especially after I put the felt buttons on top, and I decided (after I had sewn them on, of course) that they would have had better placement if I had used the other side of the shirt. Oh well.




But, seriously, anything under this face is pretty darn cute!

Just What Have We Got Ourselves Into Now?

I'll give you a few hints...





Is anyone detecting a THEME here?


I think Spring just might have arrived in the Panhandle and we are so excited!

Some Assembly Required

Remember when I posted THIS on Saturday and I said that Brad really wasn't the DIY kind of guy?

Well, I take it back.

On a quick run to Sam's on Saturday after Eli's soccer game to look at TV's, Brad decided to buy the kids one of those big wooden play structures. You know the ones with a fort and swings and a rock-climbing wall? I had been pushing for one for about a year now...ever since we moved to this house. Our backyard in town was teeny-tiny and we didn't have the room. Our backyard now is way bigger and we have all the room in the world. Brad's hesitation stemmed from the fact that they usually come unassembled in four big boxes with 1,438 pieces, 25 pages of instructions, and a big warning on the front that it takes two moderately skilled adults to put these things together. Rather daunting, I suppose. But Brad bit the bullet and bought one.

Then came the fun part: assembly. For the first two hours, he was the "adult" and I was the "adult helper". After an hour and half, we had completed step one. It was not looking good. Then our good friend, Casey, and one of our Huddle kids, Vance, came to the rescue and helped accomplish much more. They were life-savers!



That's right, dear readers, it has four levels! And it's as tall as our house! It's a broken arm waiting to happen. In our defense, when we looked at it at Sam's, it was in a big warehouse, on those platforms they use for display in the middle of the store. It didn't look that big. But the kids are going to love it!

Phoebe was a big help. She was keeping the slide from blowing away.


It wasn't finished on Saturday and Casey and Brad worked on it again on Sunday. It's still not finished. I think Brad can knock it out next weekend...or the next...or maybe by the time Eli starts first grade. :)

How To Waste Two Hours

Friday night is Family Movie Night around the Taj McCall. Last night we decided to introduce the kiddos to "The Swiss Family Robinson" , an oldie, but a goodie. My dad once told me it was his favorite movie as a boy. I just want to know why Jack, Kate, and Sawyer couldn't build a treehouse mansion and defend themselves against pirates and wild animals like the Robinsons. I'm just sayin'...

But I digress. While we were watching this riveting movie (one I've seen probably 385 times in my life), I did a little blog hopping and stumbled across THIS blog. Holy Houses, Batman! It was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.! There are some ridiculously creative and crafty people out there. I am in awe and just a teeny tiny bit envious. These gals have the vision and the ideas and the talent and the drive to do wonderful, homey things to their houses...oh, and husbands who can build things. Brad is a great husband and father and friend, but he doesn't really do the whole "carpenter" thing.

Here are just a few of the ideas I've decided I need to steal for my house. (Did I mention that I'm on a "nesting" kick these days?)

* I think Phoebe needs one of the silhouette prints like the one HERE. Wouldn't it be cute above her bed? You can purchase them HERE.

* THIS backyard is to die for. I think I'd have to move to Kentucky to get one, though. :(

* The numbered stairs and side doors in THIS house are great! And, oh my heavens, I must make a ruffled pillow for my bed!

* That Dr. Suess is one smart fellow and I love the way THIS gal used him in her playroom.

* Loving THIS gal's use of blue and homemade antiques sign.

* Even MORE blue and red!

* The black card catalogue seen HERE is very, very cool.

* It was THIS blog that got me peeking into all these other homes. I just love this house and how they tried to make a brand-spanking new house look old and loved. Inspiration around every corner, I tell ya!

By the time I was finished with the tour, the pirates had been defeated, Ernst had gone to college, and we found it strange that old movies just end because the credits were all at the beginning.

And now I feel the need to do something with my house!