Fourth Festivities

Yesterday, we spent the day at our friends' neighborhood pool all day. The husbands played everything from four square to water volleyball to the watermelon relay while we sat at the edge of the pool to cheer them on. After that, we headed back to their house for a cookout and some hang out time. Later, we were determined to find some fireworks so we ended up catching some a couple miles from their house in a beautiful park on a picnic blanket the gas station parking lot. It was such a fun day and we are so blessed to have such good friends live so close by (If only we could get Chris, Meagan and E to move here!)

 

My Pinterest-inspired flag cake (recipe below).

We are eagerly waiting on the arrival of baby Teagan any day now and baby girl Joiner in October!

I think the husbands enjoy our cameras almost as much as we do...

We missed you, Chris!

4th of July 2009...

 

...4th of July 2012

Festive Flag Cake

2 boxes of regular white cake mix

2 containers of white cake icing

Food coloring

*Eggs, water and oil as called for on the boxed mix you choose

Directions

1. Combine both cake mixes together as instructed on the box.

2. Divide the batter into three bowls evenly distributed. Color one red, one blue and leave the last one un-colored. Pour the batters into three 9" round cake pans (greased and floured). Bake according to directions.

3. I actually baked mine the night before, wrapped them in saran wrap and placed in the fridge over night so they would be easier to work with. 

4. Place each cake on a separate plate and slice the red and white cakes horizontally with a serrated knife to form two layers from each cake.

5. Remove the bottom two layers of the white and red cakes and stack on a separate plate with icing in the middle and on top.

6. Now you're left with the whole blue cake and the thin top layers of the red and white cakes. Stack the thin red layer on top of the thin white layer.  Using a bowl as your guide, cut a circle in the middle of both your blue and red/white cakes.

7. Remove your blue outer ring and place on top of your iced layers.

8. Ice the inside of the blue ring. Remove your inner ring of the red/white cake and place inside the blue ring.

9. Ice the cake like your normally would and voila! 

You will have the outer ring of the red/white cake and the inner circle of the blue cake left over. These would be great to save and make cake pops or slice and make a layered trefoil. I was short on time, so mine ended up getting thrown out. This recipe was originally from here.