count the little fingers...

That's right... 6...Ruby is the big zero six! and what a day it was.

For breakfast in bed she had the usual (well the same as last year, which is becoming the 'norm')...monkey bread, (recipe here) grapefruit, yogurt and chocolate milk! (talk about sugar overload) After overload she opened and played with presents from Gpa's and Gma's (can't wait to show off the skirt Grandma Di made) then we went to a book store, out to lunch and a baby shower!  phew! I'm tired?  Yet there is more.

 Don't judge me by this cake, it certainly wasn't my best.  Sometimes, somethings gotta give.  How come red food gel dye does NOT dye your food red.  Only PINK , I added the whole flippin tube and this is the color I got.! H-E-L-L-O. 

 LAST minute we decided to do a 'little' get together with a few of Ruby's school friends for cake and ice cream...well this shin-dig turned BIG (bigger than we'd planned) in just a few hours....so Marty and I scrambled to get some games planned and put some make-shift things together to make it seem party-ish. ahhh...crazy couple of hours prior.

In all we had THIRTEEN kiddos at our house!  Have you SEEN our house.  Not to mention it was freezing outside and we had to stay in our 4x4 living room.  I think they had a good time though.  We kept it to ONE long hour.  I had Ruby and Liam watching a movie while everyone got here then I brought them upstairs and they yelled 'SURPRISE!'  and threw  balloons at her.  It was a keepsake moment....she had no idea we had this planned and she kept begging for a party, but we told her no.

 Marty was a good sport and played as our stand-in cat in the hat.  'Pin the bow tie on Marty'  (thank goodness it was tape not pins.)

 Then a round of relay race balloon popping... 

This is most the kids after we played 'pass the present' where each kid unwraps a layer of wrapping till the music stops then they pass it.  This was what was inside at the end...new faces.

 Finally after some more silly time-wasting games...we had cake and ice cream! yeah. 

 Most the kids didn't even want cake (sniff) just ice cream, and if they did have some on their plate they were too full of treats to eat it!  boo.  poor little cat in the hat- he was ugly and distasteful.  (notice Ruby having the time of her life) (does that tell me the party was worth it?) yes indeed.  One short hour from us. A night full of memories for her.

Her presents from her family (how'd she have energy to open ALL 3. ha)... LOVE YOU SQUIRT -HAPPIEST DAY TO YOU.

Buttermilk Pound Cake.  Worth the cal's.
 (yes I had to taste-test first)(should have made this for the party)
Ingredients
1 cup shortening (i added 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup applesauce instead)
2 cups white sugar (scant cups)
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour (i added 1 cup of ww flour and 2 white)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
(i added 1 tsp of almond extract too)(makes the cake!)
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Lightly grease and flour one 10 inch tube pan.
2.Combine shortening, white sugar, eggs, buttermilk, sifted flour, baking soda, baking powder, and lemon extract and beat with an electric mixer for 3 minutes at medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3.Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for one hour. Remove cake from pan after it has cooled.
  Serve with whipping cream and some sort of fruit syrup. (I had coconut syrup to drizzle-yumm!)