Birthday Preparations. . .

Usually the day before a birthday party is busy and sometimes quite stressful. But, today was nice. Today was one of those days where I realize for the one millionth time that I am at such a wonderful stage of life. I used to dream of the day when I would get to be a mom and be able to spoil my kids silly with homemade treats and lots of love! And, here I am right smack dab in the middle of it all!

While the big boys worked on school and the little boys played quietly in the sunroom, I began baking. . . And, I love to bake!!

I thought my belly looked funny with my apron tied up above my uterus!! So, I tried to take a picture of it! :-)

Years ago my mom gave me Nigella's cookbook, How to Be a Domestic Goddess, and I fell in love with it! I think every recipe contains sugar, and that makes it a winner in my book! For several years now, my go-to recipe for birthday cakes has been Nigella's Buttermilk Birthday Cake from this book. The page is stiff, dogeared, and stained ~ easy to tell it is a loved recipe, a treasured page. . .

I love baking the boys' birthday cakes for them. Other cakes may be prettier or taste better, but I bake a lot of love into mine, and I think the boys appreciate it! Sweet memories for me and for them. . .

Here is the yummy batter. . .

And, this next picture, well, it just made me smile. . .

Sometime in the middle of the day I went to the mailbox and came back with a letter from Uncle Kelly. This had the boys in stitches on the floor. . .

I am telling you, I love this stage of life! For every inconvenience, for every difficulty, for every drawback, there are hundreds of blessings. . .

And, all it takes is looking into sweet eyes, holding tiny fingers, feeling little baby kicks, or hearing contagious young laughter literally fill my home. So, precious, and yet, I know it so fleeting! Embrace it, as my mama says to me all the time, "This too shall pass. . ." Good and bad, it all will eventually pass. . .

The end result. . .

Joshua was mid-sentence when he walked into the kitchen and saw me putting the finishing touches on the cake. He stopped in his tracks and went silly over it, and that makes this mama so proud and happy! A good birthday prep day, and thankfully, it was a peaceful one, too!