40

Today's the day I join the big kids - I'm officially 40 years old. 4-0. Forty. Four decades. Four times ten. You get the idea. When you're a kid, you think 40 is old. I mean, OLD ... gray, wrinkled, incontinent. Now I realize that 40 is NOT old. I don't feel old and I don't look all too old, either. I mean, on a good day I look like this (a really good day):

But this is what I look like usually, so I might be getting older than I think:

Ah well, someone has to scare the kids into getting off to school in the morning, right? At least this year I'm celebrating at home and not off at a hospital visiting my husband. Happy Birthday, ME!

Happy Birthday!

To America, and to Cooking with Anne! This is the 3-year anniversary of the start of Cooking with Anne and I can't wait to roll on to the 4th year. This is what Cooking with Anne looked like in November, 2006. I love the Internet Archive.

Thanks, to all of my loyal readers and to everyone stopping by. Comments today are very much appreciated! If you've been lurking, pop in and say, "hello"!

A "Sweet" 16!

My second daughter turned 16 a couple days ago and this was another another "Bad Cake by Anne" for her - a little play on words:



Now, I know I'm probably scarring my children for life by continuing to make badly decorated cakes for their birthdays, but I can't help it. It's like a compulsion - you know, like rubber-necking for a car wreck.

Think they'll live through it?

Of birthdays and cookies and cakes

Today is my Erin Maureen's birthday--she's 11!

I made cookies for her to take to school based on the monogrammed cuties I posted about at Family.com. I thought cookies would be a nice change from the usual cupcakes that everyone sends for birthdays.

I used royal icing for the cookies and colored them with a packet of unsweetened drink mix. I did this accidentally when I made the batch for Cookies to Caviar. I needed a really red color for the cookies and was completely out of red food coloring; way to plan ahead. I searched the cupboards and found a tropical punch flavored packet of drink mix and it was the PERFECT color. Not only was the color great, my kids told me the cookies tasted like SweeTarts.

So, knowing I would be making these cookies for Erin, I decided to go with the SweeTart flavor and used cherry and orange to color and flavor the cookies. It's a decidedly delicious difference that you really should try.



Here are her cookies and the cake I made with cheated store-bought letters.

Baby Girl is One

Lara's first birthday was yesteray--here's my girly eating her cake!

Happy Birthday

To my husband, Marty.
He is 40 years old today, and it's a birthday very worth celebrating this year.

This was made for him for Father's Day this year:

Happy Birthday To Me

I've been thinking about 39 for a while now. There are several ways to think of this age--I could be pouty and say this is my "last" birthday, never adding another number to 39 each year after this. I'm not so narcissistic as to be that way.

I could also say that I've been three years old 13 times. Not sure that's much fun, though.

I could be thirteen 3 times. Nope--teen years, *shudder*--I don't want to relive those.

I'm one less than forty. I'm exactly the same age as my husband for the next two months. I'm one day younger than Rachael Ray. I'm now older than my sister-in-law (and she will most certainly stop by my blog to remind me!)

I was born in a year that was hugely pivotal for this country, 1968. I'm hoping I've had the same force of impact on someone else's life, in a good way.

Doing nothing today at all--same stuff, different day--it's all different when you get older, isn't it?

Happy Birthday, Number One Son!

Declan is 8 today! Happy Birthday, sweetheart.

Another "Birthday"

It's my Blogging Birthday! I've been blogging here at Cooking with Anne for TWO wonderful years! My first post was on July 4th, 2005 and I've come through so much in those two short years. Life, death, love, friends, family, and FOOD--covered it all.

Thanks, blogging buddies, for reading and being a part of my life-love you all!

Happy Birthday, Loverboy!

My littlest man, Ian Oliver, is 3 today! He shares his birthday with my grandma, who would have been 99 today-whew! Happy Birthday to you, too, Poopsie.

Daddy with Ian, shortly after birth.

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Ian and big sister Katie (6).

Happy...

Birthday to my oldest brother, Bob!
Have a great day, guy.
Just think ... one year closer to AARP!