Barb's In Mourning

I go to a stamp club on Mondays, lovely ladies go there, I will miss them from the bottom of my heart when I leave on June 18th, they are very talented with their card making as you will see and for me it's better than therapy going on Mondays. The group is called MSG (not the edible type) which stands for Monday Stamping Group. Most of us look forward to Fridays because of the weekend but I look forward to Mondays to be with my gorgeous crafting ladies. 

Anyway there is a wonderful lady there that comes who keeps us in stitches with her humor and crude comments, I hope when I grow up that I can be like her. She is turning 80 (I think) on April 5th and she told us she is in mourning because of that number. She truly is young at heart. So we are going to wear black and make her black birthday cards to go with her mood. I hope someone is making her a black cake, I must remember to take my camera so I can record this momentos occasion.

So here is the story in pictures of our morning celebrating with Barb and all the cards she got, love ya lots Barb. 

p.s. I found out after I wrote the above that Barb is only 75 sorry Barb, I just aged you.

Apologies to those who do not appear in any of the photos but my battery did'nt last the morning.

Barb just arrived and we started singing Happy Birthday (photo above), I think she blushed

Barb greeted by Nola (photo above)

Barb held up by Lana (photo above)

Barb surrounded by her black balloons (photo above)

Barb reading the group card which was lovely and humourous (photo above)

Barb on her soap box (again)...love ya Barb (I thought she was going to cry, she was actually crawling, saying how good we were and this was the best group of gals she knew yada yada yada (photo above)

Barb reading her group card (photo above)

Barb (front), Wendy, Ellen (only one not in black-other than birthday girl who didnt know), Joan (photo above)

Barb cutting her Lumberjack cake made by Wendy (photo above), recipe at the end of this post THANK YOU WENDY it was lovely, I could have eaten more but I was very restrained ( had to wipe up the drool on the floor around me.)

Card 1 to the right (photo above)

Lana's purse card to the left, card 3 pull out card to the right (photo above)

Michelle's card (photo above)

Card 5 (photo above)

Card 6 (photo above)

Dell's blue card (photo above)

Mary's card (photo above)

Card 9 (photo above)

Card 10 (photo above)

Bridget's card to the right, card 13 to the left (photo above)

Ellen's card (photo above)

Joan's card inside (photo above)

Joan's card (outside)  to the right, card 12 left (photo above)

Nola's card to the left, card 11 (photo above)

Shirley's card outside(photo above)

Shirley's card inside (photo above)

Tanya's card (photo above)

Barb-Shirley

Moi (Bridget) and the birthday girl (photo above)

Jan-Joan (photo above) in their quiet little corner

Pru-Shirley (photo above)

Jan-Joan-Tanya-Dell (photo above)

Karen-Mary (photo above)

Deidre-Margaret, another gorgeous photo catching Deidre unawares (photo above)

Michelle inking up Deidre's uncooperative inkpad (photo above)

Nola-Michelle-Dell-Jan (photo above) this is a gorgeous photo of Dell caught mid exclamation!!

Shirley-Barb-Lana-Joan (photo above)

Tanya and Dell strategizing about the next surprise party!!

LUMBERJACK CAKE

2 large granny smith apples (400g) sliced

1 cup dates sliced (200g)

1 tsp bicarb soda

1 cup boiling water

STEP 1: Put all the above into a bowl, cover and leave aside

125g butter

1 cup castor sugar

1`tsp vanilla essence

1 egg

STEP 2:  Cream butter and sugar, add vanilla essence and egg, if the egg curdles 

add abit of flour

STEP 3 :  1 1/2 cup plain flour add in bit by bit alternating with fruit mixture, pour into a 19cm round or square baking tin that has been coated with butter and lined with paper. Bake in moderately hot oven for 50mins 

60g butter 

1/2 cup brown sugar firmly packed

1/2 cup milk

2/3 cup bush shredded coconut

STEP 4:  Melt all the above in saucepan and spoon onto cake mixture and return to oven for another 40mins or until golden brown. Cool in tin, remove by edging knife around sides. 

Best eaten warm lathered with cream.

Mixture can be made a week ahead and refrigerated. Do not microwave.

BON APETITE