Potty Training, A Playhouse & Strawberry Cake

Today has been quite a successful day with Potty Training.  Cameron is what we would call a “peeing machine”.  I started putting cheerios in the potty and telling him to pee on the cheerios and that is indeed what he does.  Every single time he goes potty!  He has a chart up on the bathroom door and I must say that he filled today up with stars of every color and they were all for going pee pee.  A grand total of 20 stars and like I said he is a “Peeing Machine”.  Trust me…. he didn’t even have that much juice or milk today so we know that it isn’t due to his liquid intake (lol).  We personally just think he goes a little here and a little there, but never really drains his bladder.  He loves getting the stars and well quite frankly he also loves the little celebration that we have afterwards.  He is getting to be such a BIG BOY!

Here is little man celebrating after going pee pee.  He just gets so excited and well I can’t quite blame him.  I get excited for him too!  There are also a few pics of Daddy and I celebrating with him too.  Good Job Buddy!  Mommy & Daddy are so very proud of you!

Another fun thing around the house currently is Cameron’s new playhouse.  I have been searching high and low for one of these for sometime now and was so happy when found this one for only $50.00.  I bought this from a real nice family that was selling it on Craigslist.  Yep, I often find things on there and believe it or not there have been some great finds!  I must say that Cameron loves his new playhouse and we also kinda use that as an incentive for potty training and it is working!  Here are a couple pictures as he enjoys his new playhouse.  Can’t beat it for $50.00 when normally they are in the high 100’s or low 200’s. 

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I also decided to make a cake today and thought I would share the recipe with all of you.  Oh, this is one yummy cake!  It is probably a favorite of my husband’s and so I decided to make it for him.  It is definitely a refreshing dessert and you should give it a try.  It is called Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake.  Here is the recipe and a couple pictures.  Enjoy!

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~ Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake

  w/ Strawberry Cream  Cheese Frosting ~

• 1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix
• 1 (3-ounce) box strawberry-flavored instant gelatin
• 1 (15-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup water
• Strawberry cream cheese frosting, recipe follows
• Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
• 1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
• 7 cups confectioners' sugar
• Freshly sliced strawberries, for garnish, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

For the frosting:

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree and the vanilla extract. (The rest of the puree is leftover but can be used in smoothies or on ice cream for a delicious treat.) Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth.

Spread frosting in between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with sliced fresh strawberries, if desired

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