Birthday Bang!!

Hey my genuinely fierce followers!  Sorry it's been so long, honestly I've been recovering from a cross between the flu & a double dosage of birthday mania.  So bear with me now & I will give you a little recap of my ultra-cool birthday.  

I'm sure I'm not the only mom who practically bypasses her birthday.  There just doesn't seem to be enough time to do anything celebratory esp when your daughter has her birthday the day after.  I'm usually busy making a cake for her anyway.  

So on my birthday of birthdays, my friendly family from the far regions of Chiba came for a visit (a rarity as it is).  I threw together a mean chilli and enjoyed the company of my fairly normal family.  I must admit that I am of a suspicous nature & can sniff out a scheme like a stanky diaper.  But I totally didn't see this one coming. 

I didn't even get it when I asked DH to run to the store for lemons so I could start on Miss#1's birthday cake.  He basically turned me down by weirdly saying, "The don't have lemons at that store, I'll get them tomorrow".  Next thing I know a crowd of happy looking friends are tearing through my geinkan bringing cakes with them.....like, ACTUAL CAKES!!  For MY birthday!  Seriously I know this is juvinille but I haven't had a cake since I don't know when. 
It was frankly one of the cutest things that ever happened to me.  I was ordered large doses of beer & shoved unceremoniously out of my kitchen where they took over decorating the cakes
This was really the funniest thing ever even DH got in on the action.

Really now, is thta not just the sweetest!  It was a darling cake, thank you Aich.  I really can't remember the last time anyone's made a cake for me.  But that's not the best of it.  The best of it is that the whirlwind that came in so suddenly, also suddenly left -- dragging my 4 oldest kids out the door with them.  They had schemed with my DH to have a sleep over with all their friends & I got to have 75% of my kids taken off my hands!  FANTASTIC PREZZIE that only a parent would think of.  Thanks Oli, Lilly, Aich & Mike!
 So the next morning I get to treat myself to indulgent breakfast & hang out time with my sistahs!  Yeah, this is the "motherload" breakfast, a grilled cheddar & camembert egg muffin with pesto mayo and french mustard!  
 DUUUUDE!  That looks good!  I am seriouly going to need to do that again.  And I actually made it just for myself!

 Cousins played in PJ's while I churned out coffees & capachinnos for the big peoples.  You have no idea how brilliant it was to have only the 2 youngest kids.  BRILLIANT! 

 Cousin Shelly occupied Mr. Ban while my dear techno-savy Daddio set up my new birthday IPod touch.   THANK YOU DADDY!! All the while grumbling all the way about how my poor ancient computer should be flushed down the nearest toilet.  


Let me just say that, after that things started getting pretty loud pretty fast.  Kids came home along with my birthday girl whose 12 now!!  (Good God!!  I'm a mother of  a preteen!)  Along with yet more friends who dropped by so, heck why not have them all over for dinner & of course throw together a cake of love!  
Vanilla Angel food cake with whipped cream & decadent caramel sauce.  And when I say VANILLA....I mean VANILLA!!  I ground 1 empty vanilla bean pod with 3/4 a c of sugar in my blender to make a vanilla sugar!  Good stuff.  As for the caramel guests were seen attempting to BE the spoon & "physically" dive right into the bowl of left overs.

 If you're thinking the cake was big...you're right.  It actually fed 12 adults & 13 kids.  I KID YOU NOT!!  

After this fun filled day I promptly collapsed into a happiness induced coma.  Could also be the fact that I was (literally) in the kitchen ALL day!  

But, it was great.  Kids, Chaos & Cake, just the way it should be!  
And, I'm I am told, also a happy birthday for Laner-bananer-fi-fi-fi-laner-baner!
So thanks everyone for a great birthday.  I've got lots of food I want to blog about & I'm gonna be having a great FOODIE give away soon.  Already told some of you what it is so stay tuned!  

Lova lova you!