Birthday!

Happy Birthday to the love of my life.

I love you David.

A Vegan Birthday

Some of you may recall last year's attempt at a vegan birthday cake. I believe the most favorable comment was that it was "interesting". Well this year was fabulous. All I heard was" this is delicious." It was too. I am very proud of it and happy that we all enjoyed a yummy birthday cake and that it was vegan! In fact, it was so good that I want to share the recipe. It is also very simple and easy with no fancy ingredients. MMM!!

Easy Chocolate Vegan Cake

· 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

· 1 tsp baking soda

· 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

· 1 cup sugar

· 1/2 cup mixed chopped nuts (optional)

· 1/2 cup vegetable oil

· 1/2 cup cold water or soy milk

· 1/2 cup orange juice

· 2 tsp vanilla extract

· 2 tbsp vinegar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sift dry ingredients into 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking pan. Mix liquids (except vinegar) and whisk into dry.

When batter is smooth, add vinegar and stir quickly, until it is evenly distributed. Put cake in the oven, don't let it stand around (because of the vinegar). Bake for 25-30 minutes, or longer until done.

Orange Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

· 1/2 cup vegan margarine, softened

· 1 8 ounce container vegan cream cheese

· 1 tsp vanilla

· juice and zest from one orange

· 4 cups powdered sugar

· dash orange food coloring (optional)

Preparation:

Mix together vegan margarine and cream cheese. Add vanilla, orange juice and orange zest and stir to combine.

Add powdered sugar until desired consistency is obtained and add a dash of food coloring, if desired.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday. It always seems to creep up on me even when I have made plans for it. I have not had a very good couple of weeks and I feel very blessed that several issues have been resolved just in time for me to have a happy birthday. The Mother Goddess has certainly been hearing a lot from me lately. She was, as always, a good listener and this time promptly sent the needed help and guidance.

I don't have any big elaborate plans this year as I did last year. No big theme parties or nights out with friends. Just me and my family and some vegan cake and ice cream. I have a new recipe to try this year after last year's was not such a big hit. And I have asked for only a few small things: hemp string, a tattoo, a new blender, "The Princess Bride" on DVD, and wisdom. My daughter joked that she would get me an old person, leaving me to realize later that she considers old people wise. That was always my goal as she grew up. I am so pleased.

The only other thing I requested was time alone with David, so we have planned to make some time for ourselves. To talk and reconnect after the last few stressful weeks. Also, on a later day this month I have invited some of the wisest women I know to come to my house and teach me something of their own choosing. This I am most excited about. More to come on that. For now, I am looking forward to enjoying this first day of the rest of my life.

Peace and Blessings.

Birthday Plans

On a delightful suggestion from Ananda over at Plant Journeys, I am planning an enriching and rewarding birthday. I am asking several of my wisest women friends and mentors to come to my home on July 30 and teach me something or share something of their choosing. I am very excited about this idea. Ananda said hers remains her favorite birthday, and she leaned so many wonderful things. Some things that I would love to learn include, but of course, are not limted to;

* crochet~ I have tried and tried to teach myself the way I did knitting, but it just won't come. I know I need hands on learning for it.

*beading techniques and hemp jewelry tying

*how to French braid my own hair

I am can't wait to find out what my "tribe" of wise women have to show me.

Birthday.......

My birthday is on the way.......I am only just beginning to think about it. Forty-three.....43......4 and 3. It just doesn't seem very celebratory. I will get back to you on it.

Birthday Memories

Sophie's sixth birthday began with her dad and I waking her with a candlelit cupcake in bed. She was so surprised that she could eat it before breakfast.

She made a wish for 2oo Zhu-Zhu Pets!! Oh my!

The castle cake that her dad and I stayed up til 1AM working on. It turned out great we think, and Sophie was thrilled with it.

Here her dad said something silly......

Listening to everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to her....

little cousin Cody decided to get into the dog's kennel.....:)

Sophie and her cousin Becca and friend, Kaitlin

Cousins, Austin and Jimmy......

Opening one of her many gifts.....

Reading a handmade card from her cousin Becca

best friend, Andrew and her other friend Liam

Sophie is always thrilled to get a book, this one is "Reindeer Moon".

Excited over the little shoes that I crocheted for her doll Jane, along with a dress, skirt, sweater, and cloak.

Zhu-Zhu Pets were the hit of the party....three in all.

Happy Birthday Sophie!!!!

Happy Birthday Sophie Jane!!!

I really cannot believe that my poppet, Sophie is six years old! It just seems like such a short time ago that I was asking the Goddess for another daughter and promising to raise her in the goddess tradition if I was granted that blessing. Well, it has been six years since we were blessed by the Great Mother. Sophie is a beautiful, intelligent and independent little girl.

She is now in kindergarten and is reading and writing and doing math. She has so many friends in the neighborhood, kids of all ages, that our home is perpetually filled with the sounds of children playing.

When Sophie was born in a lovely water birth, on December 4, 2004, we could tell right away that she was an old soul. You could just see such wisdom in her eyes then, and even now sometimes, we will feel as if we are talking to a wise old grandmother when talking to her. When she was two years old, she began telling us about when she was a mother. Remembering a past life? We believe that she was, though she doesn't seem to now, but that is the way of the world. Humans seem only able to deal with one lifetime at a time.

It has been a wonderful, wild ride these pat six years with her in our lives. A most delightful joy she has brought to us. I am thankful to the Goddess everyday for giving me my little earth baby. She is truly Goddess given and Goddess blessed and has greatly blessed our lives.

Happy Birthday my poppet. I love you.

Art, A Birthday, and My Beautiful Friend

Since I signed up to be in this month's Art Walk, I have been working on a few new pieces to put up for sale. The first one is of Mary Magdalene. She has always been fascinating to me because of the Gnostic text's indication that she was the wife of Jesus. I love that story and that is why I chose to paint her. The egg is a symbol of rebirth and new life, it is also traditionally a symbol of the boulder in front of the tomb of Jesus. In more recent times it has become the symbol of Mary Magdalene carrying the "seed" or egg of Jesus's lineage. I really like this painting.

The next one is of a goddess or female figure in the style of the old neolithic cave paintings. The spirals are symbols of the cycles of life and the seasons. The triple spiral is a symbol of the Triple or Three-fold Goddess, the Maiden, Mother, and Crone. I am really happy with the colors in this one.

I hope they are well received at the Art Walk. :)

Saturday was David's birthday, his mom and step father came up from Atlanta to visit. It was good for Sophie to get to see her grandparents.

And this is my beautiful friend, Mari. We had a fun day at the lake last week and I snapped this shot of her relaxing. Just lovely.

Happy Birthday Baby!!!

I am such a lucky woman....and I know I am blessed to have a husband who looks like this at 49, and who loves me the way he does...truly, madly,deeply, and completely. Through all these years together, we have had our share and then some, of rough times and trials and stress. But our love, which we believe has always been between our two souls, endures and grows stronger each day.

I love you, David. Happy Birthday baby, I wish for you all the things that bring you the sweetness in life.

~ Jennifer

Birthday Weekend Celebration~Part 3

Saturday night was part three of my birthday weekend celebration. My friend Mare and I met up with Laura at the Carousel club for the drag show. Oh what fun! I was brought on stage to dance with the host, because Mare announced that it was my birthday. What a lot of fun! I can't believe I danced on stage at a drag show! Woo! I only wish we had gotten photos. These are some that David took of us before we left.

Happy Birthday to me!

Birthday Weekend Celebration~Part 2

On Friday night we had a belly dance birthday party at my house. As my regular readers know I have been belly dancing for many years, but haven't done a lot since having Sophie. My friends have been asking me to show them some dancing and they all wanted to dance too, so we put together a Middle Eastern themed belly dance party!

What a lot of fun. We had costumes and veils for everyone to try and lots of jingly things. One friend applied Egyptian style eye makeup to everyone.


My lovely daughter Laura, brought some great Arabic music and had everyone's name written in Arabic as a party favor.

We had many photo ops and every one really got into the spirit of performing.

I really have such lovely friends.

Even my poppet, Sophie got into the belly dance act, she has been dancing since she could walk.

Friends are the best, they are what make life worth it all.

We had lovely henna, a gift from Laura, and applied by Mare. This is my foot design...love it.

Laura also brought a hookah, this is a Middle Eastern flavored tobacco, that is sweet and quite tasty even if you are a non smoker like me.

Yummy Middle Eastern food, fattoush and fried pita.

Baked pita chips

Tabbouleh and Hummus

Birthday Weekend Celebration~Part 1

Family party on Friday afternoon, just David, me and the kids. All five of them were here. They all sang "Happy Birthday" to me and I got all teary-eyed just because they were all with me.












Cake and the family birthday chair that we've been using since Sophie was born.



Cake and gifts, yes that is sponge bob wrap.

Blowing out those candles, there were not 42 on there so it wasn't too hard. :)

Cutting the vegan cake.

Oh wow! A new computer for school. It is so light, it won't affect my hands.

David gave me this gold peace symbol. On one side he engraved, in tiny letters so small I had to use a jeweler's loop to read it, "I love you~Imagine~2010~David". That man never ceases to amaze me in new and original ways all the time.

My lovely little net book, I love the bubbles screen saver, they float across the screen over top of whatever is onscreen.

Sophie gave me this lovely little jewel of a necklace/purse. It is only about 2 x 3 inches. So sweet!

She also had her dad wrap this beautiful quartz crystal for me. What a sweet poppet she is. So thoughtful at five years old.

I had a lovely birthday with my family and they showed me a lot of love.

To be continued........