We celebrated Penny and Paul's birthdays together, as scheduled on November 3. The guest list had changed a bit - we advised Dad not to drive out because of the gas rationing and various logistical challenges of heading into the mess that was New Jersey at the time. Our block was pretty ok, but there were still impassible streets in places, no power to stoplights (which snared traffic), other things we just couldn't predict. Everyone who came (except Dan's brother from New Jersey) had their power restored by party time. Our original caterer, a local pizzeria, was still closed because they didn't have power, so we had to go with a different place. The ice cream cake we purchased showed some evidence of melting and refreezing, though the store swore they'd only been without power for a couple of hours. I had tried the big grocery store nearby for a salad, but they were running on generator power, so their produce section was darkened and blockaded, which just reeked "Eat at your own risk." Thankfully, our teeny grocery was powered and doing brisk business in perishables, so we were able to get fresh greens and dairy there. The guy who delivers the grocery circulars in the neighborhood had even been by immediately after the storm, so we were able to plan our shopping and take advantage of sales where possible to restock the fridge and freezer for the party. It was weird what came back online first after the storm!
So we enjoyed some good company - Penny had been looking forward to her cousins coming to visit for WEEKS! Penny had the pink cake with pink icing, a butterfly, flower and ladybug, as requested. The request was odd because she doesn't eat cake, only icing. She far prefers ice cream. So...she consumed a fair amount of Paul's ice cream cake, while leaving close to half of her cake to me to finish. Rather than unleash the Paul eating machine on a giant cake or plate of ice cream, I made him a corn muffin and decorated it like a lion. He really enjoys roaring at a lion statue that we pass on the way to Penny's school, so it seemed an appropriate cake theme. I even made two so he could enjoy another one on his actual birthday (depicted here). Unlike Penny, he made sure some of his cupcake ended up in his mouth. I think he got a fair amount of icing into him and he seemed to relish corn muffin as well. Ultimately, though, the majority of the muffin found its way to the floor. Alas, perhaps just what happens at one year old. Where does the time go?!
So we enjoyed some good company - Penny had been looking forward to her cousins coming to visit for WEEKS! Penny had the pink cake with pink icing, a butterfly, flower and ladybug, as requested. The request was odd because she doesn't eat cake, only icing. She far prefers ice cream. So...she consumed a fair amount of Paul's ice cream cake, while leaving close to half of her cake to me to finish. Rather than unleash the Paul eating machine on a giant cake or plate of ice cream, I made him a corn muffin and decorated it like a lion. He really enjoys roaring at a lion statue that we pass on the way to Penny's school, so it seemed an appropriate cake theme. I even made two so he could enjoy another one on his actual birthday (depicted here). Unlike Penny, he made sure some of his cupcake ended up in his mouth. I think he got a fair amount of icing into him and he seemed to relish corn muffin as well. Ultimately, though, the majority of the muffin found its way to the floor. Alas, perhaps just what happens at one year old. Where does the time go?!
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