Dearest Mom,
Happy Birthday! I know of your desire to let this birthday pass with little fanfare. I do not exaggerate when I say that you are the best mother that anyone could ever want. So I couldn’t let your birthday pass without sharing how very much you are loved and cherished with the world.
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Mom & Dad on Mom's junior prom |
In my darkest hours, it is always your words, your comforting touch that can calm my fears and give me strength and hope that a new, better day will come with the morning light. “This, too, shall pass,” is a motto I find myself saying, in your voice, when things feel overwhelming. Your strength and ability to persevere in the midsts of your own health issues, taught me to dig deep and push through those days that have me secretly wishing I could just stay in bed and not face the world.
My biggest regret in life is not having had children of my own. You are such an inspiring role model for motherhood that I always thought I’d be the same kind of mom to my own kids.
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Dad, Mom and me. |
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Mom and I |
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Mom and I on my first communion |
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Mom and I a few years ago |
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Three generations on Grandma's 75th Birthday: Mom, Grams, and the 5 Arambula girls |
So yes, I know that this birthday might be difficult, but there is also a lot of joy and memories to cherish. I hope you allow yourself to enjoy it.
I love you with all that I am and I am because of all that you are.
Happy Birthday, Mom! I look forward to our lunch and beach date this week. Until then, I made you some triple chocolate cookies because I know how much you love your chocolate …
XOXO,
your eldest
EASY TRIPLE CHOCOLATE SANDWICH CAKE BOX COOKIES
Back in 2007, the first year I started blogging, I shared a cake mix cookie recipe I made when I was kid. This version doesn’t have peanut butter because Mom doesn’t like peanut butter. What??? I know, right? Anyway these are tasty because of the addition of the frosting. Yum!
YIELD: About 18 2-inch sandwiches
INGREDIENTS
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1 box Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate Cake Mix
2 large eggs
⅓ cup vegetable oil
⅔ cups dark chocolate chips
⅔ cup pre-made creamy chocolate frosting
DIRECTIONS
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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Beat together the cake mix, eggs and oil in a large bowl with a wooden spoon (or place in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth and glossy). Batter will be very thick.
3. Mix in the chocolate chips using a wooden spoon.
4. Using a cookie scoop (or large tablespoon), drop uniformly leveled scoops of dough onto a baking sheet, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and from about 6 inches from counter, drop sheet onto countertop a few times to flatten out cookies. Allow to cool on pan for five minutes, then remove them to a cooling rack. Repeat until finished with dough.
5. Once cookies are completely cooled, spread about 1½ tablespoons of frosting in the center of the bottom side of a cookie. Take a second cookie approximately the same size and shape and sandwich them together, slightly twisting the second cookie as you settle it into place to evenly distribute the frosting. Place sandwiched cookies in an airtight container and refrigerate before serving so the frosting sets up properly.
Until next time…
xo, Ani
LOVE the story about your mom.
ReplyDeleteMoms really are special and Starbuck is so lucky you're hers!
These cookies are outrageous. Cannot wait to make them, Ani. xo
Thank you, Coco!! :)
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