DROUGHT!

I haven't baked in weeks It hasn't rained in weeks.  Sweet Moses, it's a drought of epic proportions! Combine this with scorchingly high temperatures in addition to the sudden onset of my flaming, raging hot flashes and you'll know why I have taken a little "blogger" vacation. My once beautiful expanse of green grass has been reduced to something from the Dust Bowl, while most days you can find me with my head in the freezer (literally). For those that have never experienced a "hot flash".............let me set up a visual for you.  Imagine that it's wintertime. You are bundled up in a nice thick, warm coat.  You're comfortable and life is good. Then you enter a crowded department store. You're wedged shoulder to shoulder with other people. It's getting hot. You suddenly have a tremendous feeling of claustrophobia and heat starting to creep up your back. You know you need to remove your coat as fast as possible to cool down. But you can't.  Back to reality now......YOU CAN'T REMOVE YOUR COAT BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT WEARING ONE....THAT'S A HOT FLASH, BABY! Now, imagine this scenerio occuring about 15 - 22 times a day. While I'm working. While I'm baking. While I'm sitting still.

         I think you get the picture.

The business of moving is time consuming........ athough it's almost three months later and I know I still have six boxes left to unpack. Although, it's a little like Christmas when I open them up, and all the while I wonder, "How have I managed to live all these months without all of this CRAP?" It's amazing what we think "we need", isn't it? But other than that, my new house is F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S! My family is now only a four minute car ride away. Or 14 minutes on my bicycle. Or a 32 minute walk. Anyway, as a result, I get to see Kathy, John and the kids ALOT. Like everyday.

Sometimes three times a    twice a day.

My nephew Cameron is going to be fifteen this week. Gulp. Fifteen?? Didn't I just make that kid a cake? What? It was a year ago? This is such a freaky age for boys, isn't it? They struggle to act like adults, but somehow don't quite pull it off. It's all about being cool.....and I don't mean in temperature. It's hard to get a reaction out of him, at least the type of reaction that I want to see. You know, like when he was little, I'd pull up to his house in the car, he would immediately run and jump and hop and clap his hands.

I just don't get that reaction anymore.  It's a little depressing. Now, if I'm lucky, I may get a small smile and a head nod. But I get it. It's just not "cool" to jump and hop  and clap when you're fifteen.

So I roll my eyes and ignore the reaction. At least I try to. Because he's fifteen. Compared to what alot of kids are doing at fifteen (insert rolling of the eyes here), this kid's pretty boring. Um....moving right along...

Anyway, Cameron loves sushi, which I find unusual for a kid his age. In any case, even though I've done it before, I incorporated the idea into a birthday cake.

He loved it.

                                                                                 

                                                                  I think.