Swimming Pool Cake and Birthday Fun

Emily turned 12 yesterday (I can't believe it!) and we celebrated with an outing to an Aquatic Centre with two cousins, which was lots of fun!

Emily & Laura swimming upstream in the whirlpool

I made a swimming pool cake for the occasion, complete with Polly Pockets.

After baking and cooling the cake I put it in the fridge for a few hours then cut a pool-shaped hole and filled it with almost-set double-strength blueberry jelly. I had to transport it, so I decorated it and carried it in a Tupperware container.

I almost left the jelly a little too long before putting it in the cake, so I was lucky it set just right - almost flat but not glass-like, just like a real pool!

After swimming we went to a new playground by the water and had the cake - yum!
My parents came over for dinner (Emily requested burritos & cheesecake).

We gave Emily a mobile phone now she will be a high school girl. Between the new DS (Christmas present) and now the phone with music, I need to plan to make time with her "unplugged". But we are all enjoying the technology so I'm not complaining, I got an identical phone myself, after all!

Because I've been busy all week tidying the house, decluttering after Christmas and moving some furniture, and I still hadn't finished yesterday, I found parts of the day quite stressful. But now I look at the photos and think it was a good day. Thank goodness for photos - already I am remembering only the happy times!