I know, I know. It’s spring! It’s not pumpkin season any more yadda yadda I don’t care. Moving on.

It’s Kelly’s birthday! YAY! And these are her favorite, hence the fall flavors in mid-March.

Kelly has had some pretty epic birthdays. During one of the early ones, probably 5 or 6, things almost turned fatal when the broomstick broke during pinata bashing and nearly whacked a girl in the face. When she turned 11 my mom hired a hairdresser to come to our house to give us fancy hair before a roller skating party. I distinctly remember one of her gifts included the “Baby One More Time” album. I haven’t experienced jealousy like that since. For her 13th, my parents rented a karaoke machine. All of her friends came over, plus Morgan and I and our cousin Chrissie, and we got dressed up and gave Tim and Marilyn a migraine for 3 hours. And it’s on video. We continued after the other guests left, and the riveting footage of Kelly performing “Fame,” me doing “I Will Survive,” and Chrissie and Morgan duet-ing to “Goodbye Earl” is locked up tight with the other embarrassing VHS tapes in our safe.

Ironically, Kelly also did a little karaoke for her birthday this year. I have a video, but I don’t think I’ll be alive for future blogging if I post it. Let’s just say, love certainly is a battlefield. We threw her a surprise party on Friday, and the fun continued throughout the weekend as her friends from New York and Denver showed up to surprise her. And Nell skyped in from Alaska! It was all very exciting, and very entertaining to watch Kelly cry. “You GUYSSSSS” Overall her friends are awesome and we had a great time. And I rewarded them all for their efforts with these unseasonal whoopies.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

for the cookies:

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 package spice cake mix

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup softened butter

2 eggs

for the frosting:

1 stick softened butter

1 8 oz brick softened cream cheese

1/2 of a 7 oz container of marshmallow fluff

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Beat together the pumpkin and the butter until smooth. Add the cake mix, milk, and eggs and combine.

Drop onto a greased or lined cookie sheet, preferably with a cookie scoop so they’re the same size, and bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until slightly brown around the edges.

Beat together butter and cream cheese. Add powdered sugar, the marshmallow fluff, vanilla, and spices. Beat until smooth. Refrigerate.

Once the cookies have cooled, play Patti Stanger. Throw out the burnt ones, and match up the cookies so that they’ll make a good sandwich.

Schmear one cookie with a healthy dose of that frosting, then smack the other one on top.

And what do we do if we have an odd man out? I couldn’t throw it out. I am that cookie.

Here you go, birthday girl. Love, your third wheel.