Yesterday, I had a birthday party. And something like 12 toddlers came. And the theme was My Little Pony, mainly because it was as close as I could come to carousel horses and I just couldn't choose sides in the Dora/Diego vs Thomas debate. We had rainbow pony decorations--including a centerpiece that spun around to the delight of DD and DS--plus plates and napkins. There were even plastic ponies for the cake. More on that in a bit. And pony goody bags to hold the cookie cutters we gave out as favors.
Besides fruit salad, tings, and animal cookies, we had special "cake." It was a tiered confection of cocoa krispies, rice krispies, and fruity pebbles, which meant the top was rainbow colored to match the ponies! We made it the morning of the party, so we all had marshmallows and sugared cereal for breakfast. And having not had the cocoa krispies or fruity pebbles in years, I found them almost impossibly sweet. No wonder my mom wouldn't let us regularly buy cereal with sugar as the first ingredient. But it makes good candy.
I think we all had fun at my party. The food was all eaten; the house was trashed. There was no blood. This is success for a toddler get-together. Of course, with this age group, they don't care whose party it is, as long as they get to blow out the candles, which is why I lit them twice.
That was just the party; today was the celebration. I slept in, really slept in, til almost 8:30, which is quite a lot when we usually get up at 6. But I had a date with two cute kids, their Mama, and a big man in a red suit. Yep, we went to see Santa today. Santa at our mall is a wonderful man and DS jumped right up next to him, but DD hung back a bit. In the end, we were all in the picture--just like last year--no problems. At least I sorta dressed for it this time! And then we moved onto what they had really been waiting for: riding the little train around and around. DS especially liked riding in the little caboose, while DD led the way in the engine. During the last ride--they had 3--they rode together in the caboose. And it was hard to tear them away. We've promised them that Gommie and Pop will take them back to ride the train when they visit.
Then, I got the best present ever--we declared the babes wheat-allergy free! And we had their first pizza for lunch. DD preferred the rolls but DS liked the pizza, inhaling two slices. Actually, I think he liked the salad best. It made me teary to see them tearing into wheat with reckless abandon. I didn't even mind sharing my slice of real birthday cake.
The rest of the afternoon was pretty quiet--they napped in the car after lunch and then my babysitter came over and DP and I went for coffee, some nice quiet time together. I had physical therapy (don't want to miss that, even for a birthday). And then we had leftover pizza for dinner.
Once the kids were down, I made two loaves of Amish Friendship Bread (yes, I still have starter. Want some?)--this time with chocolate pudding, chocolate chunks, orange peel, and orange extract. YUMMY! While it baked, I finished tying the tassles on my woven scarf.
All in all it was a wonderful day, I spoke to friends in Dallas and in London, got email from friends and relatives, and received more yarn for weaving and my own Thomas the Train set--Birthday Thomas with engine and gift car so I can play with the kiddos. It was a special break in a chaotic time. Not that I don't like the chaos, it's just nice to see it from a distance sometimes.
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Rice Krispie Cake
6 cups Rice Krispies
6 cups Cocoa Krispies
6 cups Fruity Pebbles
9 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
3 bags marshmallows
Spray 9 x 13" pan with cooking spray.
Make first batch of candy by melting 3 tablespoons butter and adding 1 bag marshmallows. Then add 6 cups cereal, stirring to coat. Spread in pan, pressing down.
Repeat with second batch of candy, spreading it on top of the first. Repeat with final layer, pressing them all down. Note: spray hands with cooking spray to make pressing layers easier.
I did Cocoa on the bottom, plain in the middle, and fruity on the top.
Spray cutting knife with cooking spray to cut "cake." Can decorate with frosting--I meant to write "happy birthday" but didn't get to it.
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