Saturday, cake day......

 

Two homemade lemon cakes, going in the oven....they're all baked and cooled, and buttercream frosting will be made, these will be decorated and hopefully will come out beautiful.  I've not made lemon cakes like this before, only in cupcake form.  I add a layer of lemon juice with some sugar in it, just a little tart glaze, before the frosting, to detract from the sweetness.  I decided not to do a lemon buttercream frosting, just a plain buttercream, so as to not overwhelm with lemon.  I was considering adding a tart raspberry filling, but didn't buy any raspberries, and I can't wait to frost it, because although I love procrastinating...well, I need to move it!

Tonight there's a gathering for the youth girls, I have been asked to prepare the food, as I have mentioned. There are still a few things we have to get, so I have to get this cake frosted, then go out and perhaps brave Walmart on a Saturday.   You need an extra dose of patience for Walmart on a normal day, go on a weekend, and wowza. 

Sonja was feeling lousy yesterday, so I watched a movie with her, and it felt almost sinful to be watching a movie during the day.  "Hillbilly Elegy", it was a darned good movie.  It was sad, but worth watching.

Suzanne came for a visit, and so that Jonathan could change the oil on her car for her.  She stayed for a bit and it was super nice.  We had oven roasted pork chops for dinner, with asparagus and Brussel sprouts, and applesauce, and rolls.  They're better grilled, the chops, but it was cold and rainy, so I broiled them up a bit when they were done, so they were at least brown and crispy.

Saturday mornings are rather quiet these days, except when the neighbors come home while Sunny is out in the morning, she goes over there barking her head off, and won't come until I pound down the deck steps and across the driveway in my slippers, she turns around and bounds past me, up to the deck, all happy.  rrr.

Saturday mornings way back when:  not quiet.  Paul and I never had a schedule, but there were times when I had a baby, and had been up in the night, I would keep sleeping if the baby was sleeping, and he would get up with the kids.  But sometimes if I was up already, he would sleep in for a bit, and that was fine too.  We somehow never argued about those things.  I think we each love the other enough that we WANT the other to be able to sleep.  

Anyway, we always made pancakes or waffles, French toast, a nice Saturday brekky.   When all those kids lived here, you could stand at the stove for a looooong time, stacks of French toast, they would eat.  Two pitchers of orange juice, two or three pounds of bacon...

It was always busy.  Always.  I would leave half drunk cups of coffee here and there, and in my memories, it seemed like I always had to go pee, and was too busy to take a minute.  Or if the baby was content enough, or someone was holding him or her, and you COULD go to the bathroom, you would find a million other things to do "quick" while your arms were free.   If the baby went to sleep in the swing, oh you could do so many things, but quick, hurry!  It's like a timer, and you know it!  Once the whimpering starts, well, you have to change the baby, and nurse the baby, and rock the baby...don't get me wrong, those are the things I LOVED to do, but somehow, the floors and the laundry and the dishes, and the cooking, and the hair...we had eleven girls, and when they were little, oh the hair...brushing and braiding and barrettes...

It was always busy.   

The four teenagers who still live at home are all sleeping.  The younger girls went to school FIVE days this week, for the first time since last March.  I am very thankful for their school district, for their superintendent for working so hard to make this happen.  They would rather be hybrid forever, and I would like it for them too, but it's good to be more normal.   They're tired today though.  They are the youngest, they don't know what it's like to have younger brothers and sisters wake them up and want them to play with them.  Our older kids sometimes shake their heads at the younger ones, their lives are so much different.  

Anyway, see how I'm procrastinating here?  I love decorating cakes, but there's always that niggle of worry that it'll flop...believe me, it's happened!  Ah well, the luxury of sitting here and drinking my entire cup of coffee without having to jump up and grab a toddler off a counter, or wipe a little behind, or fetch a crying newborn....but shh, I miss it!!!!