Mom is 80 today! I think she's not exactly thrilled at the 80 part but she's very happy to be alive, well, and still able to get out and about on her own. 

I baked the traditional birthday cake for tonight… yellow cake, chocolate frosting.

This frosting recipe is amazingly tasty and pretty. I got the recipe from an episode of America's Test Kitchen. I'll copy it below in case you, too, need to make a cake! (I will weigh more tomorrow…)

Mom's arm is beginning to heal. She'll have 4 weeks of wound care and hyperbaric treatments. She has to be in a tube for 90 minutes a session, five times a week. The tube is like one you might see in a sci fi movie when a character is in a deep sleep for many years…

Mom is claustrophobic but she says that this is OK since it's clear and she can see out. There's TV and a it's comfortable. 

Now for a cake-related photo. Remember 'glitter pants Martha'? She's back in a new ad. I call this one 'Cake Stand Martha.'

I wonder if she was photoshopped onto the cake stand because it's subtly wrong. If she's really sitting on it, shouldn't she be a little bit higher? It's as if her bottom is part of the cake stand. From the waist up it looks like she is standing, holding the small cake and cake stand. The skirt and legs look a bit like they are from a different photo.

Maybe it's just me, but this photo makes me focus not on the cake stands that they are trying to sell, but rather on trying to figure out where her bottom and thighs are. 

That's the news from my house. I'm leaving tomorrow to teach in Virginia the Virginia Quilt Consortium Celebration 2012. I hope there's enough cake left to take one piece with me :-).

Foolproof Chocolate Frosting

from the Episode: Everyone's Favorite Cake 

This frosting may be made with milk, semisweet, or bittersweet chocolate. For our Fluffy Yellow Layer Cake (see related recipe), we prefer a frosting made with milk chocolate. Cool the chocolate to between 85 and 100 degrees before adding it to the butter mixture. The frosting can be made 3 hours in advance. For longer storage, refrigerate the frosting, covered, and let it stand at room temperature for 1 hour before using.

Makes 3 cups to frost one 9-inch 2-layer cake

20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter , softened (60 to 65 degrees)

1 cup confectioners' sugar (4 ounces)

3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa 

Pinch table salt 

3/4 cup light corn syrup 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

8 ounces milk chocolate , melted and cooled slightly (see note)

 (about 29 Dove Bites)

In food processor, process butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add corn syrup and vanilla and process until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Scrape sides of bowl, then add chocolate and pulse until smooth and creamy, 10 to 15 seconds. Frosting can be used immediately or held (see note).

You know, the iPhone 4G takes a mighty fine photo. These were taken on my morning walk. I love the water drops on the petals.

The evergreen below was in Mereleen's yard and I took the photo with my Cannon point and shoot camera. I love the way these pine cones break apart – sort of like leaves breaking away from the main cone. The spikes in the lower left corner of the photo used to be full cones. The seeds have broken away, scattered by the wind.

I worked with a room full of quilters yesterday and today on a block from Passion Flowers. In a 2-day class, we get to spend one day on color and one day on applique stitching techniques. At the end of the second day, most were wishing we had a 3rd day! I know how hard it is for people to find 2 days to spend in a class but I can attest to the fact that more is better.

I love seeing the different color combintations in this sort of class. No one block is like another. the blocks I'm showing below are far enough along for you to get an idea of how the final block will look:

This is interesting. Merrie has two different colorways going. One works better on the gold background. The other will look good on a different background.

Pretty cool!

I really should check the map before I leave home. As it turns out, the San Francisco quilt guild meets in San Francisco! As Carol drove me past Golden Gate park I realized that I was in the city, not out in the suburbs – if the cities around San Francisco are even called suburbs. I am teaching for two different guilds on this trip so right now am in San Mateo, but this morning I walked on the Coastal Walk and saw the Golden Gate bridge.

I stayed at the Seal Rock Inn and I think this is the 'seal rock' of the same name…

I walked up and down stairs…

I took pictures of some cool plants. Many I recognized, but can't grow at home. This looked like a dandelion on serious steroids and I don't think I'd want to see it in my yard – but it was eye-catching.

I hope to post again tomorrow. Now it's off to dinner and then to the Penninsula Quilters guild meeting.

I'm leaving (on a jet plane) tomorrow (Tuesday) morning to teach in San Francisco for a few days. When you read this I may already be in California. But before leaving home have I managed to get some fabric cut (finally!) for the quilt I'm making for the AAQI auction. 

There are a lot more pieces to cut and I'm looking forward to seeing it grow on the wall. That said, I have to have something to sew while I'm gone and I'm sure enough that these fabrics will work for the grasses that I'm going to sew them down.

I'm going to cut fabric for the sidewalk and the pickets for the fence this evening. Surely this will keep me busy between classes and lectures while I'm gone.

I'll try to post from the road but if I don't, know that I'll at least wish I was posting! I keep telling myself that it's good to be busy but I don't always love being quite this busy. I have, however, compared notes with other women my age and it's the same for most of us so I am not going to complain. I may eat a little Fannie May chocolate while I'm in California in lieu of smelling roses :-).

I am death on irons. I treat them well… I didn't even drop the Reliable! Sad to say, it was not reliable for me. It wimpered and died a few days ago.

I borrowed Mom's old Sunbeam and so far it's working well. I bought her a new iron and I am going to use her old one until it, too, goes to iron heaven. Heat and steam, that's all I ask for.

In other news, Mom's arm is better-ish. The swelling is down and she's moving around about like normal but the wound itself is infected and she's going to have to have wound care for it. Thank goodness we have a good facility for that here in Sherman!

Taz (the dog that bit her) is coming home on Thursday. Mom misses him. I would happily find a new home for him (or try to) but she wants him back so there you go.

The little snert likes to hide under the bed and that's a real problem for Mom, so we came up with a solution. Steve built a sort of box out of 1×6 pine boards that now sits under her bed. It's a bit recessed so that Mom doesn't whack her toes on it but it will prevent Taz from being able to get out of reach.

He built a taller one for Christy's old bed too!

Simple, inexpensive and it should work. If only I could find an iron that I could say the same thing about.