179/366: {this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week.


A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

177/366: Two-Day Birthday

Birthdays are a lot of work!

Tonight we celebrated with Sam's friends from school at SkyZone. Very cool place, they certainly have a profitable thing going there!

Tomorrow, I'll show you the cake!

Photo: Courtesy of Big Boy Himself

Forty Years

40 Today

40 Years old


Wow.

Spending the day in the most spiritual place I know, LilyDale.

Looking Back Forward

Last year around this time, I was preparing for my first 5K...which has turned out to be my last one as well.

My knees just can't handle the pain.  They still aren't back to the way they were before I started running.  I suppose I shouldn't blame it all on the running.  It's age.

As I think to the next year of my life to come, I wonder how my body will revolt.

This summer has been great, still two more weeks until school starts.  Each summer seems to go by faster than the one before.  I guess it is good, but sometimes I wish I would slow down. 

Then the red guy on my shoulder pulls my ear "Do you really want to slow down?"  There are so many things I want to make, experience and accomplish.  The sun is only up for so long.  I want to pack the days full of busyness so that we have a summer of exploration to look back on.  Or forward to, for next year.

As I embark on the final year of Tom being a college student, I seem to be looking forward a full year, not just a day or a week.  I think about how next summer will be different from this one.  We have made so many sacrifices as a family, due mostly in part to money or time away from studies.  Tom has no control over his schedule, it controls us.  Our friends are venturing to a vacation home this week where our five favorite families will spend time at the beach.

And we will be home.  It's sad that we had to make yet another sacrifice.  I'm sure the kids would have loved playing with their friends. 

It is at this point that I skip to next year.  I gloss over all the holidays, and birthdays, and just think "will we be able to go next August?".

I think I've carried on too much.  Am I alone?  Or is it this L'Occitane shampoo that is affecting my mind?  It's such a strange smell.

Share with me.  Show me I'm not alone. 

Show me it's good to look back and forward at the same time.

Hot Hot Hot: Part 2

As I suggested yesterday, it will be hot.

It is hot.

Enjoy some pictures from the final birthday event for 2011 (no more planning for me this year!).

Oh, it's hot.  Did you know?

Birthday Boys

After a marathon day of sewing, clipping, re-sewing, I had a marathon cake baking day.

O was lucky enough to receive a Luigi costume to match his birthday cake.  I "forgot" to frost this one after the crumb coat on the face.  I was running late.  Bear with me.  What did I care?  I don't eat that gluten cake anyway!  Most folks ate the hat, plenty of frosting there.

He had a little trouble with the candles.

Moustache assistance from Dad.

And Sam.  Sweet Sam.  Sam said to me, "Mom, I'll make it easy on you.  I just want a power up star from Mario."  Oh, how I love that boy.

Happy Birthday Boys!

Turtle and Giraffe's Birthday

It can get quite dull in the bitterly cold days of January.

Big Boy told me last week that it was Turtle's birthday on Saturday.  I had not known that.

He was turning one.  Apparently Turtle's age similarly as dogs...Turtle only has a birthday every 4 years.


Coincidentally, it was also Giraffe's birthday.  Giraffe was turning 8.  He does not age like a sea turtle.

We had cake, chosen by the animals (this is Giraffe's big lump of yellow cake), hats, horns, and balloons.

But the best part...presents.

The boys thought and thought about presents and with the help of their very amazing mom, the animals, and our two friends, each got a ....wait for it...

...sleeping bag for the pets.

This was so easy and fun.  I used leftover fleece from the Snuggie project for Christmas and stitched them up, stuffed the pillow with all the random bags of half used Poly-Fil and small pieces of batting.  There is also a loop of elastic at the bottom to roll up the bag and keep it secure on the way to Grandma's house.

So easy and so loved.

TurtleCakes were supposed to be brownies, but we donated that last box of brownie mix around Christmas time and Little Man refused to go to the store for more.  So, he got Organic Chocolate Cayenne Cupcakes.  Or TurtleCakes as I will forever call them.  I enjoyed them, but you have to expect the cayenne before you bite into it.  If you are looking for a sweet chocolate cake...this isn't for you.  It was interesting, though.

I can do a tutorial on the bags if anyone needs it...but very basic, just a long fleece fabric folded and stitched.

The CakeS

Sometimes it's the food.

Sometimes it's the location.

Sometimes it's the decorations.

Sometimes it's the invitations.

But it is NEVER (well, almost never) the CAKE.

I always try to make my kids' birthday cakes. Whatever they want, I try to figure it out. In my next post, I'll add some past cake creations.

Big Boy is in a monkey phase and so he got a monkey head. I know, it kind of looks like a bear. I asked him to get a toy monkey to check where the eyes were and the one he gave me had a nose like a bear. I wish I would have changed it to two nostrils. But, the Bear-Monkey was just fine for BB.

Little Man, well, he wanted a bunny. A pink bunny. Really? Pink?

I bought a strawberry flavored frosting that was pink and used it for the filling. I then added some blue to make the outer frosting purple. Purple is a bit more manly than pink. I'm sure when he gets older, Little Man will tell me I was crazy to allow for a pink/purple bunny. Your wish, baby, your wish.

So, for both cakes, I started with a casserole pan for the large upper piece, using a pound cake mix. A simple round cake was the bottom with a layer of frosting in between. Although I should have cut the casserole size in half for more frosting, it probably held up in the heat better without it. I then chopped two sides (hang onto for later) and cut off more cake to create a rabbit shape.

The sides of the round cake were used for the ears, tail and the head came from the casserole cut. All pieces held on with toothpicks. I was pretty jazzed at the shape at this point.

And the boy? He LOVED it.

Next year, I'm working on my frosting abilities.

Happy Birthday, Twins

This is one of my favorite photographs. I love how my mom and aunt are sitting with their twin dolls and what I believe is a baby carriage behind my aunt. I love my mom's little crossed feet and their sweet dresses.

But one of my favorite things about this photo is on the back in my grandmother's handwriting, depicting 'Kay - Left, Claire - Right'

I can always tell you apart, Happy Birthday Mom and Aunt Kay.

Poncherello

It's Birthday time again! Knowing I have an extra-credit project at work taking up my evenings, I had every intention of getting a handful of books for this sweet little two year old. The sound of the cash register dinging and adding and asking for all that cash was a little daunting and 'panic attack' like. Ever since the December show, I've been feeling that way and it is starting to scare me a bit. I can always justify and control myself out of it. I need to follow Polka Dot Cottage's lead and re-think my schedule.
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Back to the little girlie. I was out with Gretchen and after talking about how much she spent on books for the same little girl, I jumped to 'I'll make...' A poncho was the first thought and I knew it couldn't be pink (I don't do pink very well). Green was the obvious next choice for me. I am gravitating to greens and blues lately. This is the Martha's Coming Home pattern from Lion Brand's website (I won't divulge the pattern name to the mother!). This is one of the fastest projects ever! I got the yarn on Saturday, finished it Sunday night. The trim on the pattern is strange, as others have commented. I tried it, thinking I could figure it out, but the second round was frustrating. I did a simple shell and it looks adorable, at least I think so. I might need a little something...flower? bumble bee? strawberry (thanks tom)?


Either way, I am sure Poncherello and John would approve.
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Well, not really, they wouldn't give a rat's ass, but it is a nice title, right?

Happy Birthday, Mr. Sam

He doesn't really know why I call him Mister. I guess because I can't believe how big he has grown, becoming a little man. Happy Birthday, buddy!

A Rest

I wish I were there.

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Instead, getting ready for a busy weekend chock full of a birth day, a birthday party with 11 five year olds (I know, I am crazy), a wedding and hopefully a visit to see precious Baby Julia.

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You may have wondered what I was up to, but I finally (mostly) finished the two blankets. One for the wedding on Saturday (completely finished, yet to be wrapped) and this one above for the shop (just needs short hand stitching). I ordered some labels from a gal on etsy and hoped they would be in before the wedding (thinking not) so that I could attach one. About the blankets. Big. Really big. They would make perfect - and I mean perfect - picnic blankets for the couple that has everything. The inspiration - the two person blanket (I need a catchy name, anyone?) to share with another and never see your toes.

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I have also been working on a Sam inspired blanket. Sam is often making our blankets into dresses (I know, I know) or capes. So, I designed (am continually designing and changing) a blanket with a hood, straps to wear as a cape, straps to roll the blanket up (like a sleeping bag) and most especially a secret pocket! They are cute, definitely need some editing and I will need to hide them from Sam, he thinks he is keeping them both. I will show you those as they get more complete.

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And most importantly, we are planning a 'Robot - Paint Your Own Shirt' party for Friday. I am desperately coming up with games and activities (not to mention preparing t-shirts and fabric paint) to fill a two hour period at our house. Please, everyone, pray for sun. I am not sure what I would do with that many kids (with paint) in my house. And while you are praying, just think of Tom and how much he would appreciate all the kids being OUTside for the party! I think he is secretly excited for this. He even thought he should make Jiffy Pop on our camping stove for the kids. Cute! I am sure I will have some pics from that day to come as well.

There are some more ideas swirling in my head and getting mixed up with thoughts of my new position/clients at work and making for a thick head. My neighbor laughed at me for not being able to finish a thought on multiple occasions. Guess I am in overload.

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Maybe because I am 'pulling a Carrie' as my mom says. That wedding on Saturday - yeah, I have NOTHING to wear. So, I bought a pattern and found an "unidentified content" fabric at WalMart for $1 a yard in steel grey. It is stretchy like those kids pillows that were big a couple years ago, real squishy and silky. Anyway...add that completion to your sun prayer - if you don't mind.

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You would think with all the stuff I need to get done, I would be working. Ahhh. That is probably a good idea...