lovely lemonade cake

my birthday has come and gone already.
{gosh they really do seem to come faster the older i get}

i came across this lovely in an older issue of
bhg a few weeks ago and ripped out the recipe.

via

2 days before my birthday, i dug it out so i could make it.
{my opportunities for making a pink cake are rare}
i had no dreams of it looking like the picture above,

and good thing, because it didn't.

it was kind of of cute and it tasted good so that counts for somethin'.
since i didn't need a large cake, i made a petite cake using my 4" round pans.
with the leftover mix, i made a few 'girly' cupcakes as scout called them.

i was hoping to take my actual b-day off work, but a deadline came up.
i wasn't too thrilled about it, but the sweet cards the boys left out
on the kitchen counter before work made me smile.

when i arrived at work, i found all types of goodies on my desk from
my coworkers and my sister jen. the girls spoiled me with lots of sweets,
and bath stuff, and they always pick the BEST cards
{i LOVED the embellishments}

jen even baked cupcakes covered in sprinkles!!






by 4pm, i was almost in a sugar-induced coma,
so it was good c picked up thai food from my favorite
neighborhood restaurant that evening. i needed real food!

the boys and i had a small celebration at home,
which brought a few more surprises.
one being my favorite musical of all time.
i also received something that will get used all summer long
{thanks to the bennett family}

my birthday has mostly been a reminder for me to reflect.
and most importantly for me to remember how grateful i am.

and my birthday wish?  it's no secret this year.
i wish to celebrate many many more birthdays.