Friday Night Swim - A Birthday Celebration!



Friday night we celebrated Paige's birthday with a swim at a famous indoor water park and hotel.  She had a wonderful time.  We went for the cheapo package and ended up with an upgraded room which was fabulous.  I should have taken more pictures of the room itself but after a few minutes in the room with several girls, it never looked the same as when we checked in  Here are the pictures:

                                         

The best part was that the weather was nice enough today that they opened the outdoor pool area in addition to the indoor pool so we got to enjoy both.  I hope everyone also has a great weekend! 

Happy Wedding Day!!!

Here is a look at our morning (very early) in pictures:



BBC on TV



His Highness Tigger



Brooke



Paige



Tea and Scones with Cream



Ally's UK outfit for school

Have a wonderful day!  And if we are all lucky, a late afternoon nap. 

Three Sparkly Crowns and a Royal Wedding Watch Party





Ally's Crown



Brooke's Crown





My Crown





Paige's Hairpiece


With the Royal Wedding only hours away, it is time to get things together for a Royal Wedding Watching party.  The girls and I have our crowns at the ready (Paige decided on a royal hairpiece).  The decorations are set and I have a menu planned.  Here are my links and photos for a party fit for a princess!

What's a party without a cake?  Here is a very simple and easy fruit pizza from Betty Crocker.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/union-jack-fruit-pizza/bdabbb3c-792d-46cc-8c3a-0bd9062d2324





And because every princess needs a tiara.......

http://family.go.com/disney/pkg-disney-printables/article-1002003-princess-kate-rose-tiara-t/

                                               

Anyone for a game of royal bingo?  http://cerosdata.bigkidlondon.com/web-assets/boden/wedding/USAdownloads/usboden_bingo.pdf

Hosting a Royal Sleepover?  Here is the perfect site for all your party needs.  http://www.brides.com/celebrity-wedding/royal-wedding/royal-sleepover

                   



You can even follow the official timeline for the wedding and keep track of all of the momentous events of the day here:  http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/blog/2011/April/15/The-Wedding-of-HRH-Prince-William-of-Wales-and-Miss-Catherine-Middleton--An-update

The Queen's official recipe for scones (and who can argue with that?):

And some free printables for the ultimate party from http://designeditor.typepad.com/design_editor/2011/04/free-royal-wedding-party-printables.html

I also loved these printable coloring pages and Union Jacks:  http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/the_royal_wedding.htm

And what would a Royal Wedding party in London be without a little subway art or should I say, Tube art?  This can be found here:  http://www.periwinklepapillon.com/2011/04/12/free-royal-wedding-subway-art/

Now that you  have everything necessary for a party of one or a party of one hundred, make a cup of tea and enjoy!  Congratulations William and Kate!

Clay Figurines by Ally

Today I am featuring some of the recent art work that Ally made on her own. I bought her some colored clay for a science project and it wasn't needed. She came up with these figurines by herself and you can tell from the picture with the dime that they are very small. She definitely has an artistic side.

Lizard and a Dime

Bluebonnets

Birds Nest

Schnauzers

Have a Happy Wednesday!  Tomorrow I will be posting Royal Wedding links and watching party ideas.

A Book: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot



From Purdue.edu

 
 I heard about this book about two weeks ago and I was instantly interested.  After learning a little more about the subject of the book, I talked to my family about the story during dinner one night.  I couldn't get this book out of my head.  I put a hold on the book at the library and this Friday night Don picked it up for me.  By early Sunday morning, I had finished it.  It is a compelling narrative of the life, death and the immortal life of Henrietta Lacks.  But it is also so much more.  No one remembers Henrietta Lacks the person, it is her cells, more specifically HeLa cells.  The intial cells were taken from her and scientists were able to recreate and duplicate them.  These cells have helped to find the cure to countless diseases, been tested in space, and have been destroyed by nuclear bombs. I couldn't put the book down and I still cannot get the words of her daughter out of my head.  It is moving, sad, inspiring, and it is one of the best books I have read in years.

This is a link to the authors webpage: 

http://rebeccaskloot.com/the-immortal-life/

College Tours: Texas Tech University

On Friday, Brooke and I travelled to Lubbock to visit Texas Tech University. It is one of several schools she is looking at attending in the Fall 2012 after she graduates from high school. This is only her second college tour so far but she says it is now number one on her list of schools. Here are some pictures of the campus.

Easter in Pictures

A Birthday and an Anniversary - Let's Celebrate with Cake!!

Although I live too far away to actually make a cake that my sister and parents can enjoy today, I still would like them all to know that I am thinking of them and enjoying a slice of cake in their honor.  The cake is one that my Mom often made while we were growing up and it has very fond memories for me when I make it.  To make the recipe extra special, after I had gone away to college, my sister, Becky, who was ten years old at the time, wrote me a letter and included a recipe for how to make the cake, Chocolate Swirl Surprise.  I still have a copy of that letter today and used it in making the recipe. 

So I hope everyone enjoys a Slice of Life today and a Happy Easter tomorrow! Love, Sarah

Chocolate Swirl Surprise

1 package of Super Moist Devil's Food Cake mix

1 package of 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup of sugar

1/8 tablespoon of salt

1 egg

1 package (6 oz) of semi-sweet chocolate chips (I only had 10 oz of chocolate chip packages so I used that)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 13 X 9 X 2 inch pan.  Prepare the cake mix as directed on the package and then pour the batter into the pan.  Mix the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and salt in a small mixer bowl until well blended.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Drop by teaspoons onto the batter.  Cut through the batter for a marbled effect.  Bake until the top springs back (about 40 minutes).  Cool completely before serving.  This cake is moist and perfect with a side of ice cream.  Enjoy!