Angry Birds Birthday Cake

Posted on July 30th, 2011 by Jean

The girls and I wanted to do something special for hubby’s birthday, so when I saw these adorable Angry Bird cake pops, I knew we had to (attempt to) make them. Tom is a huge Angry Birds fan.

A few days before his birthday, we went to JoAnne’s Fabric & Crafts to buy lollipop sticks and meltable candies. We also found candy eyes, reasonably priced, and overpriced beaks which we nixed. At the check-out, the friendly cashier recommended a cake-pop tray. Sounded ultra-easy to use, so we bought it too.

Birthday eve we began baking. We whipped the chocolate cake mix, poured it into the mold, and popped it into the oven. Ten minutes later, we inserted the lollipop sticks, and returned the pops to the oven to finish baking.

Baked and cooled, it was time to pop the pops out of the mold.

Mistake – the cake balls slid down the lollipop sticks. Speared birds wasn’t the effect we wanted.

We baked another batch of birds, and began melting the colorful candies to coat the cooled ones. We stuck eyes on while the candy-coating was gooey, then sat the birds in the freezer to harden. We frosted orange beaks on upon removing the birds from the freezer.

There was enough cake batter left over to bake a single-layer round, and we frosted it green to represent a grassy hill. We were ready to surprise Tom, and surprised he was!

I’m not a baker by any means, but it sure was fun attempting these.

• What themed cake would you make?
• Do you have any cake ball tips?
• Play much Angry Birds?

Tags: 50, angry birds, baking, Birthday, cake, cake balls, fun, games, hubby, recipe

Sea World San Diego

Posted on July 15th, 2011 by Jean

On the second day of our San Diego vacation, we visited Sea World. Sweet ticket deals are available on their website.

We entered the park at 9am and made our way to the Dolphin Encounter. The trainers were whistling, making arm movements, and sending the dolphins from one side of the tank to the other. We enjoyed watching the dolphins, and felt such joy just being in the park.

As we left the dolphins, we ran into some Sea World mascots. It took a lot of coaxing before our youngest agreed to stand near the penguin with the creepy eyes. Too bad we didn’t see the super-cuddly & cute Shamu mascot.

Making our way to the park’s Sesame Street Play Zone, and we rode all three kiddie rides.

Now we were ready for a thrill, and headed to Atlantis, the water roller coaster. It turned out to be a little too intense for our oldest daughter. There’s an elevator that the roller coaster cars enter to be brought up the tower for another drop. It was very loud and dark in there, which sent our daughter into a panic. With tears streaming, she finished the ride, only to find out the ride broke down. We were stuck in our seats for about ten minutes until employees made their way to us and released the seat-bars holding us in.

Finally free, we sat on a nearby bench. Hubby and youngest went in search of cotton candy to bring the smile back to our oldest’s face. We sat, enjoyed the candy, and people-watched before entering the Arctic Zone. We passed the ride & movie portion, and went directly to the animals. The belugas had a baby one year ago, and it was just darling! The walrus now had 2 short tusks (3 years ago it had one long & one short).

Just found out some facts about the baby beluga. Her name is Pearl! Her adoptive mother is Allua.

Next stop, the Calypso Smoke House for lunch! The kids had chicken & fries on commemorative Shamu plates, while hubby and I split a sampler plate. It was all delicious and worth every penny.

Now you’d think we’d be refreshed and energized after stopping for lunch, but quite the opposite happened. The kids started complaining that their feet hurt. Not wanting to leave the park just yet, we noticed a show was underway, and climbed the stairs to available seats. The show was called Blue Horizons, combining “sea & sky”. We watched as costumed performers bounced like yo-yo’s on wires. Tropical birds flew across the stadium, pilot whales and dolphins swam and leapt.

Trying to fit in one more experience prior to leaving, hubby took youngest on the Rip Tide ride while oldest daughter and I shopped for last minute souvenirs.

As we made our way to the exit, we heard barking – sea lions and seals. You can buy fish to feed to them. Some lay around, some swam, and others begged (barked) for food.

We were really dragging now, after just 3.5 hours in the park. We got our hands stamped just in case we wanted to return that evening, but for now we wanted to relax in our hotel room.

To be continued.

• How long do you typically last at a theme park?
• Have you ever been stuck on a ride?
• What is your favorite animal at Sea World?

Tags: animals, holiday, mammals, penguins, rides, San Diego, sea lions, Sea World, seals, Shamu, vacation, whales, zoo

San Diego Vacation – Day 1

Posted on July 4th, 2011 by Jean

We just returned from a quick trip to San Diego. From the minute we pulled up to the harbor and saw this incredible ship, we knew our vacation had begun.

The Maritime Museum of San Diego currently has three ships and two submarines on display. Tour tickets range from $8-$14, but it costs nothing to view the ships from land.

Personally, you wouldn’t catch me inside a submarine. Nothing against subs. I just wouldn’t want to be in a confined space anywhere let alone submerged in the ocean.

A short walk from the museum and also on the harbor is Anthony’s Fish Grotto. Looking at their website, I see they were voted Best Seafood 14 years in a row. The girls and I grabbed a table, and Tom ordered us clam chowder, fried clams, chicken & fries, beer, wine and soda. Everything was delicious!

Hopping back into our vehicle, we went a short distance down the road to Seaport Village. We loved going through the shops, seeing the beautifully manicured landscaping, the twinkling lights wrapped around the trees, other tourists milling about, riding on the 100+ year old carousel, and choosing delicious treats at the Candy Shack.

We settled back into our hotel room wanting to get plenty of sleep for the next day’s excursion to Sea World.

To be continued.

• Do you have any summer vacations planned?
• Have you been to San Diego?
• Seafood – yeah or nay?