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Today, Caleb and I made a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting WITH pecans. It also happens to be my favorite cake from childhood. My mother and Grogreen (my grandmother, Betty Lou Horne Pettigrove – yes, Betty Lou not Elizabeth Louise in case you are wondering) used to make it and us kids would eat the whole thing pretty quickly. Anyway, it is a great recipe to make with a small child as 1) there are few ingredients 2) it is pretty much idiot-proof 3) it bakes in only 20 minutes 4) it is yummy.

Betty Lou’s Chocolate Sheet Cake

2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
4 T. cocoa
1 t. cinnamon
1 c. water
2 sticks butter

2 eggs
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 t. soda
1 t. vanilla

Put first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Boil water and add butter. Add to dry ingredients. Add eggs, buttermilk, soda and vanilla. Mix well. Pour into greased sheet pan. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

Icing:

1/2 c. pecans (optional – but not really)
1/2 stick butter
3 T. cocoa
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla

Mix all together and spread on slightly warm cake.

Voila! The finished product:

Someone I know told me last week that he had SMSed his 11 year-old son and the son never wrote back. When asked why, the boy said, “Dad, why would you write someone that wasn’t even there? That is SO rude.” The dad, who generally has his finger on the pulse, immediately understood why he got that reaction. Kids these days rely heavily on communication methods such as IM – where you know if someone is available at all times – rather than out-dated fashions that require you to leave a voice or written message for the person you are trying reach. Even email is for geezers. Meanwhile, I was left thinking, “Eleven year-olds have cell phones?”

We went to our local indie cinema to see “The Departed” on Wednesday. It was GOOD. Great acting. A few loose ends, like (spoiler alert) how Markie Mark figured it all out. And what was in the envelope given to the character played by Vera Farmiga. But mainly the acting was so good by all characters that they could have gotten away with even larger plot problems.

The best support roles were played by Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin – they were just all so funny and really rounded out the cast of characters.

And I came to realize, for the first time, that not only is Leonardo DiCaprio a great actor (I have thought so since seeing What’s Eating Gilbert Grape – don’t let that disaster Titanic movie lead you to think otherwise) but he is a hottie too – no wonder he can snag all those super model girlfriends (I mean, he dated Gisele – the most beautiful woman on the planet – for chrissakes.).

Today is JPs 43rd. Wishing him another year of health and happiness…

Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest. ~Larry Lorenzoni

Though I don’t know who Larry Lorenzoni is, I do know who Bob Hope was and thought this one was fitting (sorry Johnny):

Middle age is when your age starts to show around your middle. ~Bob Hope

H-A-P-P-Y B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y

ps> a big day of our lady of guadalupe happy birthday to nikki too!! – dec 12th, 2006.

When I listen to John and his friends or family speak, it amazes me how they move between Spanish and English without even knowing it. As one who began learning foreign languages as an adult, I will never know what it feels like not to have to struggle to choose the right word or verb or over-think my pronunciation. This evening we were talking about someone who had bought a race horse and Sonya described the man as a “medio gamblercito.” I laughed out loud and the Mexicans looked at me not realizing why. It sounded funny. It is obvious why my older son says “mas please” and “sientete down tu.”