Happy Burnt V-Day

We had a lovely day yesterday - burnt offerings included.  I'll get to that in a minute though.  The best stuff first. 

John and I got this lovely thing for each other. 

We've had an orchid before, but we failed miserably at keeping it alive, so we've done some research and are hoping to implement the new techniques in keeping this baby from wilting. 

Now, onto the burnt offerings.  I wanted to try out a new homemade cake recipe for John and the girls for Valentines Day, so off I went to work in the kitchen.  The recipe assured me it was for beginners, so what could possibly go wrong, especially for me who adores baking cakes and cookies?

 

Uh, apparently, I forgot to add the 1 cup of boiling water.  If you are wondering what happens when you leave out such a vital ingredient, here you go...

 

When I first inserted the cake into an oven, I didn't realize I would need a "catch-all" pan, so,

 

 

it's now all over the wire racks and bottom of the oven, with deliciously-smelling smoke wafting out. 

 

So, I moved onto attempt #2 with Kimberly's help.

 

 MUCH better. 
 

 

On a side note, if you were wondering what messes Megan has created since my last post, here's what I've been cleaning up:

 

* Trails of toothpaste from the bathroom into her bedroom.  My carpet is now "minty-fresh."

* Handfuls of plucked plant leaves plucked in several nice, cute piles in the living room. 

* Water color paint all over her hands, arms, and the chairs.

* Shredded cheese pulled out of the fridge and lovingly distributed on the kitchen floor, which I haven't cleaned up yet. 

...and the list goes on, but I'll spare you from an even lengthier epistle.  The broom is awaiting my attention.