No Kissing Yes Frosting

What does my body language say in this picture? No contact! No kissing! Keep your distance with your sickness, please!

I cannot get sick. Not with my census job in full swing (AND I HOPE YOU GUYS ARE FILLING OUT YOUR FORMS AND TURNING THEM IN BY APRIL 1st!).

Stewart was sick for two days last week. John for two days this week. Saturday morning Sam joined that club. I do not want to be a member of stay-home-near-the-toilet-wretched club. Too much to do. I suppose everyone feels that way. But we are trying to avoid passing on the sickies. Lots of Lysol, hand washing, but no kissing.

I spoon-fed him yogurt in bed, but that is as close as I've gotten. I miss the kissing.

I borrowed the cardboard number on cake cutout idea from Jennifer Blaylock, clever decorator that she is. We do not have to buy those little number candles! Plus this helps identify which amazing birthday you are celebrating!

I look at this grown son of ours, and remember his dad at this age. I knew him back then! We were kissing! Sobering history.

And he has decided to give up his Drexel scholarship and go to BYU next fall. He says he feels really good about that decision.

I gave away little bags of cookies all day and told my crew my baby was 18 last Friday!

I made Stewart white cake with my homemade raspberry jam filling and his requested favorite pistachio pudding-whipping cream frosting that I learned how to make from the Bonde Sisters (they use cheesecake flavored instant pudding):

1. Pour in a pint of heavy whipping cream in mixer.

2. Turn on slow-low and slowly add a small package of pistachio instant pudding. If you have it on high, the powder flies everywhere. Ask me how I know.

3. Continue to whip until thick like frosting, but not too long or you make pistachio butter (remember what happens to whipping cream in a jar that you shook in 1st grade?).

4. Taste. If it is too thick you can add more whipping cream or a little milk to make it easier to spread. Really, really good. Who needs cake?

We've made it with chocolate pudding-not so good. White chocolate flavor was okay. We keep coming back to pistachio.

In an emergency, when you need to have the frosting done in 10 minutes and you can't find the whipping cream in the fridge because you have been working full time and not buying groceries and you are really, really in a hurry and can't ask your husband who knows where all the food is now because he is getting spiffied up in the bathroom:

1. Pour in a can of sweetened condensed milk into the mixer.

2. Quick soften a brick of cream cheese in oven that is still hot from cooking the cake, add to sweetened condensed milk and mix until creamy.

3. Add pistachio pudding slowly.

4. If too thick, add some scoops of sour cream.

5. Taste. Really, really good, and maybe you will make it this way all the time. Less fat, but more sugar--ha ha.