*#@# Martha Stewart....

OK, so I'm sure it's not Martha's fault, but EVERY time I try to bake this chocolate cake of hers, I screw it up.  It's gotta be me, I know, but it seems to only be a problem when I bake THIS cake.  When Anna was turning six, I was baking her snow princess cake in the special bowl that when inverted turns into a dress that you can stick half of a Barbie into.  Well, I overfilled the bowl and cake batter was POURING out onto the floor of my oven.  Complete mess.  That time, though, I had time to go to the store to get more cocoa powder and buttermilk and make a new one in time for the party.  This time, well, no such luck.  I only had time to make the cake ON Anna's birthday (last Sunday), couldn't find the cake testers my Aunt Joan gave me years ago, figured I'd baked the cakes the designated times so they must be done, only to check on them twenty minutes later to find they had totally fallen in.  Ever the optimist, Anna declared that it was fine, we could just fill the holes in with frosting, so I turned one over on the rack, only to have half the cake fall through, producing a huge, irreparable hole.  Worried that I was ruining Anna's birthday and the memories she would have of her big 8th birthday, I start to cry--assuring this to be a birthday memory she'll never forget.  Nice.  We ended up laughing, and putting together a new plan to go get a cheesecake from Costco. We totally didn't need to get the cheesecake, though, since we still had cupcakes I made from the extra batter, ice cream, and gingerbread cookies we made the night before.  So, we had a birthday feast.   I have vowed to never again make this cursed cake.  Too bad it is SOOO good...  

Besides that hullabaloo, Anna had a great birthday.  No party this year, because we have started an every-other-year friend's birthday party plan (which I HIGHLY recommend to all you over-achiever moms out there--I'm a recovering one, so I know how hard it is to imagine.  But trust me on this.  It's a great thing.).  So, we had a day of Anna opening presents, a blueberry pancake breakfast, Anna talking to grandparents on the phone, we went and saw "Enchanted", went on the obligatory trip to Costco to pick up the cheesecake, met Jenn, Matt, and Peter at Anna's favorite restaurant for lots of shrimp and noodles, and then came to our house for our dessert feast.  Anna had a great day and didn't seem to mind not having a party At ALL.  Whew.  

That's probably because it's been one party after another around here lately.  We had a big gingerbread and ornament making Brownie meeting on Tuesday, I helped in Anna's class yesterday making 23 gingerbread houses, and she got to bring doughnuts to class on Monday.  We also finally got our tree last Saturday and had a blast baking gingerbread, listening to John Denver and the Muppets, and putting ornaments on the tree.  

Anna also had her big violin concert on Monday--and it was GREAT.  I never thought I'd say that about 32 new violinists playing together, but they really sounded good--especially considering Anna's class of six and the other class of 25 had never played together until they were on stage in front of an audience.  And, they even playing "Are You Sleeping" in a round.  Wow.  I know it sounded much better through these mother's ears than any ol' Joe, but hearing Anna declare once we got in the car after it was all over that "that was the funnest thing I've EVER done!!" was absolute music to this mother's ears.  

With all this all this happy chaos surrounding Anna, we can't forget about poor little Grace.  She is doing better now, but has had pink eye that wouldn't go away (on the weekend I was FINALLY going to take my xmas card pictures--I've been so busy taking everyone else's.... And they're still not done!!!).  When I took her to the doctor, we found out that she has also had a throat infection and a sinus infection.  I had NO idea.  When I asked her if her throat hurt, she said "only when I swallow."  I tell you, she has been a total trooper and has been very, very good considering how awful she must have felt.  We've also recently been to the dentist to check out her two front teeth that got knocked when she fell down a few weeks ago.  They are turning grey (eie yie yie!) and an xray confirmed they are dead.  Now we just wait and see.  Hopefully, she'll lose these normally in the next year or so and her new ones come in just fine.  That's the best case scenario.  I don't even want to think of the other options.  

This afternoon, Jenn and I are taking my two girls to an overnight Girl Scout Holiday Minicamp.  It should be a lot of fun.  I'm already behind getting ready for Christmas and can't seem to catch up anyway, so we'll go make some good memories together (and hopefully I won't cry!).  :-) 

Grace, with pink eye, rolling out gingerbread cookies:

A little TOO thick...
I don't even remember what they were being so goofy about, but it was funny at the time:
The sunken cake (she doesn't look too traumatized):
The cheesecake and the cute 8 year old:

The beasts of my shame: