Surprise Bridal Shower!

On Sunday Alex and I had plans to meet with his extended family at his parents’ house for our first reunion in awhile.  This was the first time I’d seen most of the people I’d met in the last 2 and a half years all in one room together.  In preparation for this reunion I wanted to make some of my favorite recipes from my maternal Grandmother.  These do not comply with my raw food diet, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from sharing the goodies with the family.

Grandma’s Lemon Cake

1 box lemon cake mix

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup Wesson oil

4 eggs

1 cup apricot nectar (juice)

Mix in bowl, grease bundt pan, pour in pan, and bake for 1 hour at 350.

Icing

juice of two lemons

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

Mix and drizzle on cake

MMM!

I also made another favorite of mine from Grandma:

Strawberry Candy

(updated version)

2 large boxes strawberry JELLO, dry

1 bag of Baker’s angel flake coconut, 7 oz

3 drops red food coloring

1 can Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk

1 cup crushed nuts (I used walnuts)

Mix together, place in fridge for 1 hour, shape into strawberries.

I put a little thumb hole in the tops to make it look like their stems had been removed.

I love how simple these recipes are- easy to follow and quick to whip up.

Grandma & Grandpa

I’ve never seen a couple anymore in love than these two, maybe that was what inspired me to make some of her recipes.  With 25 days to the wedding~ love is in the air.

And now for the surprise!

The family reunion turned out to be a surprise Bridal Shower for me and Alex.  It was wonderful to have everyone together, but even better to make it a party.

My mother-in-law to be, Cissie, put it all together and got us this beautiful and delicious cake.

Thanks to all that joined us and for all the wonderful gifts, we look forward to using them in our new home!  Closing date is coming up!

~ Lauren

Lauren Lear

About Lauren Lear

Virginian to Mainiac, I moved to Maine for a photo internship with Aurora Photos and stayed because I met the man I would marry after winking at him on Match.com. My photo business, Lola Studios, is where I pursue my love of fantasy photography using makeup and props to create alternate realities for my clients. I started this blog a little over a year ago to share the wedding prep, diy, food, and family experiences that I had. To bring you up to speed, my husband Alex and I bought a home, got married, went on our honeymoon, hosted Thanksgiving and Christmas back to back (never again ;) ), I turned 30 (never again :( ), we went to London to celebrate our first married year, and we got a puppy, Walter! That’s about it! I hope you’ll join me to see what unfolds next. Enjoy!