In case you have any twinkly tongues tomorrow

As you give your family The Gift of Whatever tomorrow, remember that it’s usually the things we don’t plan that make the most special memories.  Or, most often, the mishaps.  I’m sure we all have our own holiday-mishap stories, but this one takes the cake (and renders it inedible):

I found a recipe for “Dutch Cake”, which I was so excited to make for Dutch’s 4th birthday, right before Christmas.  I whipped up the recipe only to realize there was no way on earth that kids would actually eat it–it was hard and dry and only sweetened with molasses. I could just see the kids at Dutch’s birthday party staring down at the hard little rock cupcake and wondering what they’d done wrong to deserve that. No, I would not be the dud mommy, so at the last minute I used the Funfetti cake mix, forced myself not to think about the hydrogenated soybean oil contained therein, and whipped up a batch of cupcakes and homemade frosting.

So far so good.  It would be a hit.

But then I thought it’d be fun to make something special for the family party we were having in the evening. I knew Dutch’s little cousins loved Cake Pops, so I found the directions and went for it. Mush cake and frosting, form into balls, easy. But then you’re supposed to dip them in melting chocolate, of which I had none, so I thought it’d be super fun to instead dip them in powdered sugar and serve them as “snowballs”–perfect for a December birthday!

Yes, snowballs! Perfect.

Now, did I have powdered sugar? Hm…wasn’t sure.  I dug around and found a clear Winco baggie (I buy everything in bulk), squeezed it with my fingers (it squeaks and has a distinct feel if it is cornstarch), and it didn’t squeak so I knew immediately that it was indeed powdered sugar.  I happily powdered up my special snowballs and we were all set.

After dinner the kids gathered around excitedly for their treats. I served the kids then got busy cutting cheesecake for the adults.  I overheard my neice exclaim, “This doesn’t taste good!” but was quickly chided by her mom for being rude, so she hushed up and picked at the rest of her snowball. I was vaguely aware that the other kids just sort of picked at theirs as well, but I was busy doing other things.  Soon they were off playing again and I thought nothing of it.

Later, doing dishes, apparently my sister-in-law nibbled on one and knew immediately what I had done. My brother came into the dining room, grinning:

“So you coat your snowballs in baking soda, huh?”  

My jaw dropped. Of course! I had just for the first time bought baking soda at Winco in the bulk section and forgotten about it.

“No wonder,” My mom said laughing, “Dutch kept saying, ‘This snowball makes my tongue all twinkly.’”

Yes, twinkly tongues for sure!  Poor kids, they were awful and made your mouth fizz something terrible.

Thankfully we had no reactions, and no fizzy bubbles came out their noses. It makes for a fun memory.   So just in case you have any memorable mishaps tomorrow, I pray you can laugh and remember twinkly tongues. Thanks for reading.  And thank You, God, got for the sprinkles of humor you give us each day!

*Plenty:31 sips of joy for moms everywhere is still available for $.99 today and tomorrow! If you haven’t gotten your copy yet, head here and check it out. (Even if you don’t have an e-reader of any sort, you can just download it on your computer to read.) You can also borrow it for FREE on your kindle with Amazon Prime membership.  Thanks!