Hey 30...3

Today is my 33rd birthday, which by all accounts really isn't special in any way. I, however, am just getting around to reflecting on being in my 30's.

In 2010, when I turned 30, we got some terrible news, my MIL's cancer had metastasized. As you can imagine, that over shadowed my thoughts as we went through the rest of that year with her.

In 2011, I was still in shock over the news that I was pregnant with my 3rd and 4th children. My mind was in overdrive thinking about how I was going to care for 4 children, so there went 31.

In 2012, I was too tired from caring for the 4 children to even realize it was my 32nd birthday.
For some reason, 33 has been my year that I finally get around to reflecting. Maybe it is because of the history of this particular 21st of January?

In my lifetime, there have only been a few times that Martin Luther King Jr. Day actually fell on my birthday. In 1980, my birth year, the 21st occurred on a Monday, but MLK day wasn't a nationally recognized holiday until 1986, which means it didn't fall on my birthday again until 1991, my 11th birthday.

I remember that day well, we lived in Alexandria, VA at the time. I was in 4th grade, so we were out of school. My dad was in the Air Force, so he was off of work too. I went to my dance class (Jazz) and it was a snowy day, so bonus! Imagine my disappointment to learn that was the one and only time MLK day would be shared with my special day during my childhood. Not again until 2002, as I was probably writing my community health nursing paper for nursing school (good times :), then 2008 when I was very pregnant with B2, and then of course today.

Another bit of significance to January 21, 2013 is that it is the only Presidential Inauguration to occur on my birthday in my lifetime so far. Being that the official Inauguration date is January 20th, but yesterday was a Sunday, so I get the honors. It doesn't matter to me that I am not a particular fan of this President, I am a history geek and very patriotic, so I am excited about it.

So how are the 30's going so far? I think I kind of like this decade of life. I've had a few years of it under my belt to realize high school was not the best years of my life. College was great, but I worked way too hard! My 20's were fun, but I would trade all of that in for where I find myself right now. I have never been more self-assured and have never cared less about what others think of me. That is pretty liberating!

Sorry for the history lesson, if you have managed to read this far, but it's my party (and blog) and I'll be a nerd if I want to!

Enjoy a sampling of my artistic creation (pic below)

I should have...

I should have gotten that shower this morning. My mistake was putting it off thinking there would be time later when the twins were napping. It is not the act itself, but yet another example of how I don't make myself priority.

You see, it all started this morning when we slept later than usual, which meant a mad rush to get B1 to the bus on time. In my sleepy haze, I was trying to figure out what day it was... do I have to get B2 to school today? Do I have some morning appointment? It's Thursday, so no to preschool and we had every appointment you can imagine last week, so no to that too. With that, my fate was sealed, my shower was not going to happen.

By mid morning I was regretting that decision. I just felt blah and thought how that shower would have woken me up and started my day off better.

I should have eaten breakfast when I had the chance because after I cleaned up everyone else's mess, B2 went number 2 and stopped up the potty with toilet paper. So then I had a smelly mess all over the bathroom floor, the twins were trying to get past my legs to get into it, and B2 was running around the house not wiped. My decision was made for me, throw some old towels down to soak up the water, turn on the fan and shut the door. I got the twins quarantined to their high chairs, hunted down B2 and got him cleaned up. Still feeling blah, I donned my HAZMAT suit and got to work cleaning up the disaster zone. By the time I was done with that mess, I had to turn my attention to the mess the twins made with their food. They are now in the stage where food is art. It isn't lack of skill with the spoon, it is a deliberate game they are playing. Being that there is two of them, they feed off each other, literally, and food fight with one another.

I couldn't believe I had already fed the kids 2 meals and a snack, all I had was a cup of coffee. I finally got them cleaned up and their diapers changed, and went to put them in their cribs for a nap. I was putting clean clothes on them, when I turned around and realized E was playing in the vomit he just expelled into his crib. So then I had to clean him up, change his bed and his clothes again. By that time, F had pooped his fresh diaper, so I cleaned him up as well.

Finally, time for that shower! While I was letting the warm water rain down on me, the stress melted away and the time alone gave me clarity to think. Why has this day been so hard? Is it lack of sleep catching up with me? Am I getting sick? Is it Seasonal Affect Disorder from all of the overcast days we have experienced lately? Are the kids conspiring against me? I contemplate this and my mind turns to prayer. "Heavenly Father, my day isn't going well, can you help me find the strength and the way to get through it?

After my shower and finally some lunch, I sit down to play puzzles with B2. He has been waiting for one-on-one time with me since he opened his eyes this morning. Every request he made was met with the same response, "after I get the babies down for their nap." It suddenly occurred to me that something was absent, that blah feeling that I had all morning was miraculously gone. I was restored to my normal self, though haggard it may be.

I am sitting at the bus stop, typing this entry while drinking an energy drink that I hope will get me through the rest of the day. I am thankful that my prayer has pulled me out of my "funk" and hope others can relate. You may be reading this and thinking that the shower did the trick, or eating lunch, and I am sure those contributed to my better mood; but if you know the God that I do, you know that He provides us with peace, which is something that bathing and a meal cannot provide. It is now occurring to me, I should have prayed earlier.

Daisy cakes by Beth

For those readers that may not know, I am pretty passionate about baked goods, in particular, cakes. In my opinion, the whole reason to have a reception at a wedding, or to have a birthday party is to indulge in cake. It is the centerpiece, it can express the preferences and personalities for those who choose it.

In the past decade, cake decorating has taken on a life of it's own. Reality TV probably had a lot to do with it, TLC in particular with shows like "The Cake Boss," Cupcake Wars," and "DC Cupcakes," to name a few. I don't get that detailed, and really don't prefer the taste of fondant. My main goal is flavor, then appearance.

Long before things got out of hand, I was a little girl that wanted real cooking gadgets and appliances for birthday and Christmas gifts. I remember being excited to receive my first rolling pin, hand held mixer, and set of mixing bowls. I think I have a little of my Memaw in me, she was always cooking in the kitchen, and from scratch too! Things just taste better when someone takes the time and care to put their love into their dough or batter.

I started to learn the craft around the time of my wedding, my roommate's sister, Jen was very talented (she made our wedding cakes) and taught Wilton classes. Jamie and I got a crash course, then I took it from there.
The main reason I do it, is to have a special tradition of custom designing cakes for my kids' birthdays, but I have been getting some orders lately, and branching out.

December was a busy time for my little confections hobby, I will include some pictures below if you want to see. I enjoy creatively coming up with ideas that reflect someone's taste, it is a great outlet for me.

I first did a cake for a friend whose daughter graduated from Auburn. Then it was B1's turn, his 6th birthday Indiana Jones cake, then a 40th birthday cake that was Alabama-themed, although you cannot see the "A" very well in the picture.
Who knows what 2013 holds for "Daisy cakes by Beth," my boys are already putting in their orders.