Leftovers from the Bday Weekend

The lovely weekend of celebrating continued with shopping at the local tourist traps and a party!

First, the shopping. Right after a stop for tea.

Striking a dorky pose in front of a hidden herb garden in Duncans Mills.

Hours later, I stare down this, with a candle celebrating each lovely Aquarian present. Yep, February's a busy, busy month.

One day I will have to make a princess cake on my own- I think we skipped that in pastry school.

This is my preferred way to sweeten my coffee. Judge all you want, but you can do what you like on your birthday.

I love gifts I can drink and smell. My wine cellar and windowsill garden continue to grow.

Getting the doe eyes from the puppy, Mazzy.

She must have wanted cake, too.

Bearss Limes

I thought all limes were pretty much alike, until I met the Bearss lime. A woman at a party brought them over from the tree in her backyard, but the surprise is that they turn yellow as they ripen and look just like lemons. 

Move over, meyers, someone's trying to show you up!

The lemon frosting intended for this cake turned into lime, which wasn't at all a bad thing.

Because that's closer to a kiwi, isn't it?

Before the Fall

Before my crazy fall on Sunday, I actually had a pretty rockin' weekend. It started with a craft super sale to stock up on sewing machine essentials, then an efficient Target run to stock up on everything else. (Who else loooves that place?!)

And then, a party! Proceeded by this sunset:

My friend, Kitty, had a send off before her 4-month voyage to New Zealand, where she'll be bicycling and racing her way around the country. I would sneak into her luggage if she could spare 120 pounds of dead weight.

Dishes accumulated as guests arrived.

More food appeared, including beautiful homemade tortillas. I brought Caesar salad, my official potluck dish (as in, don't bring Caesar salad if we're going to the same party).

A highlight of the party was the opportunity to use the infamous creepy van cake mold, a treasure discovered at Goodwill. Aside from Scooby-Doo, we couldn't come up with any other appropriate theme to make a cake shaped like a creepy van. Until now.

I especially like the lightning bolt. The cake was gluten free, from a Bob's Red Mill mix. It was surprisingly delicious! (But I've never been disappointed from a Bob product.) Is it also ironic that I ate the piece that said "or bust" the night before my climbing snafu? Shoot!

The frosting was a glaze made by a sneaky lemon impostor and unfamiliar citrus. To find out who did it, stay tuned!

Bon voyage, Kitty!