Max got the first (huge) piece of cake, topped with a beaver.
Luckily he didn't eat it all.
A few months later for Jack's birthday I made a robot that matched the sheets to his new big boy bed. Again, I went with fondant, and again I wondered why I'm into self abuse. Here's a photo of that one:
The next year Max had a space party and wanted a Saturn cake. This was the last time I did the fondant, and I actually was pretty happy with how it turned out, but the rings almost pushed me over the edge. All in all it was not my favorite, but not from lack of trying:
When Jack's birthday finally came around I had finally learned my lesson and ditched the fondant and made a teddy bear cake to go along with the Build-A-Bear Workshop party:
Because of my overachieving, I ask Max months in advance what he wants for his birthday cake each year so I have time to research it on the Internet and come up with a plan. This year when I asked him he said, as if it should be obvious, "A beaver dam and lodge." I said "What?" and he said, "You know, a beaver dam and lodge." At first I thought he was kidding, and as the weeks went by I kept asking him, hoping he would change his mind to something easy like Batman or the Transformers, but he wouldn't budge; it was a beaver dam and lodge or nothing.
I let Max choose the blue for the lake and the green for the trees, which is why they look like they are out of a Technicolor film from the fifties, but he was happy, which is always the point. At first we were going to dip the pretzels in chocolate to make the dam and lodge, but in the end we liked the way they looked on their own, and we thought the broken ends made them look like they had been gnawed on by beavers. Steve had the idea of putting the pretzels around the edge, which I think looks cool.
I went to my book group last night, and can I just say, I love my book group. I love them so much, in fact, that even though I had an insanely busy day yesterday, I took the time to make one of my new favorite things to share with them at our meeting. I had this amazing Kalamata & Garlic Tapenade at my sister Liz's house at Christmas, but since it was made by her neighbors, she had no idea how to make it. Steve loved it even more than I did, so I got online and tried to find a recipe. The first one I found was just okay, but I found a second one, and combined the two, and hit it right on. I had many of my beloved book group members ask me for the recipe last night, so here it is. I like making the crostini from whole grain bread toasted on a grill pan brushed with olive oil so it doesn't get too greasy. Enjoy.
He's six, and he woke up at six. He dragged himself out of bed to open presents, and he actually hadn't even opened his eyes up yet when he started on the first one.
Max was a little more awake once he opened his Rubik's Cube. Yes, that's right, he actually wanted a Rubik's Cube. I think everyone else in the free world is trying to get rid of the one they bought in the 80's.
Max's Birthday Breakfast Menu: Crepes with Nutella and Bananas, Scrambled Eggs, Strawberry Yogurt, and Milk.
Max's favorite exclamation these days is "Yes!" He says it whenever he's excited about something, and it's what he said when I asked him how it feels to be six.
Last weekend Max had strep throat, and now this weekend Jack has a viral infection, complete with white spots on the back of his throat and a fever of 103 (he's "Hot blooded, Hot Blooded"). We decided to all take the day off and hang out at home, so it is now 2:07 PM and we are all in our pajamas, sitting in bed, watching Curious George (but only Jack is sporting the wet washcloth on his head). Good times.
Maybe I'm materialistic, but sometimes a great clothing purchase can really make my day.
At 3 1/2 + years, Jack has finally started to use the big boy potty on his own. Do you know what this means? This means I will never have to buy another one of those humongous boxes of diapers at Costco. Ever.
Well, today it happened. Steve's first CD, Mild Violence, is available to be purchased on iTunes (to check it out, open iTunes and put Steve Ricks Mild Violence into the search field). Pretty soon he'll be on his European Tour, partying with groupies, and going through rehab. A small price to pay for success.
I forgot that yesterday was my friend Janell's birthday, and I blame it on the fact that she is out of town on a fabulous cruise with her husband (and no kids). But, better late then never, here's some of the things that make Janell one of my favorite people:
I blame my American Idol addiction on Max. I think he has only ever watched one episode, but I got totally hooked on the show when I was pregnant with him. My friend Alison had told me about Pop Idol in the UK and how popular it had become when we were on a trip in New York City a month or so before American Idol's first season. I thought it seemed a bit silly and a little too much like Star Search, and then didn't give it a second thought. Then, a few months later, stricken with incredibly bad morning sickness that lasted late into the night, I caught an episode. It just happened to be the episode where Kelly Clarkson sang Aretha Franklin's "Respect" for the first time, and I remembered thinking through the extreme nausea "Man, that girl can sing." Here's a little video to jog your memory:
I think we'll go for a less intense blue, but I still love the look; not too busy, very linear, minimal, and modern. If we decide we can't do this, we'll probably go for the Brio in a similar color. One way or another, I will have great tile.
Believe you me, even if it's the last thing I do, I'm gonna get that apron. And those melamine plates. And that tiered serving dish. And the place mats. Some restraint may be in order. But why?
Turns out it's a company called Interstyle Ceramic & Glass. Of course, they're in Canada. There was a local place listed that sold it, but I called them and talked to some tile installation guy that didn't know what I was talking about, but he said he would have someone get back to me. I'm not holding my breath. I also called Interstyle directly, but got put on indefinite hold waiting for a sales rep, so I haven't confirmed this for sure, but I think I may have found my tile. Now I'm just hoping it isn't $75 a sq. ft. like the stuff I love from Heath Ceramics. Call me a dreamer.
No matter how many Google searches I try, I still come up with nothing. I got the picture from the Cesarstone website, and I am just about to give them a call and see if they know where it came from. If anyone else has ideas, let me know.
One of the best gifts I ever received was The Best Recipe Cookbook from my friend Janell for Christmas oh, so many years ago. If you don't know it, you should; it was compiled by Cooks Illustrated Magazine and they came up with what they think is the best recipe for just about everything. There are also a whole slew of other editions, but the first is still my favorite.
The other night I was watching PBS and happened upon the show Spain On The Road Again with Gwenyth Paltrow, Mario Batali, actress Claudia Bassols, and food writer Mark Bittman. I tuned in while Mario Batali was chipping golf balls into a swimming pool in the hills of Majorca and Gwenyth was sitting sipping tea poolside, mocking him. It was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. I had no idea that GP, as Batali calls her, could be so hilarious, and watching these two banter could be so entertaining. Needless to say, I was hooked, and now I must see the rest of the series. If you love food and travel as much as I do, you'll want to take the trip along with us.
I've always admired this poster hanging in her kitchen, and I finally asked her what the story behind it was. She told me that is a poster that was plastered all over England during World War II, and I thought that was genius, that amidst of the chaos of war, someone had the brilliant idea to tell people not to worry and live their lives.
If you ever want to feel like your head is going to explode (which I'm sure you long for constantly) go to a humongus tile warhouse and look at displays and samples. I did today, and my head is still spinning.
...and all of a sudden you think you've always wanted a claw foot tub encrusted with silver tile paired with ornate mosaic floors...
...and a backsplash of exotic birds.
In early December every year there is a local artist's bazaar that I have heard about but hadn't been to before. I have always wanted to go because I had heard that there is a lot of original art for sale by local artists, and I love having one of a kind art all over my house. This year Steve and I went to check things out, and I saw a lot I wanted to buy, but there was this painting in particular by an artist named Molly Call that I really, really, really wanted. I have seen her paintings before, and I love her look, it feels like a modern interpretation of Toulouse-Lautrec's poster art. This particular painting had a woman with long, dark hair holding a fork with the word "worry" on it, and then in the pit of her stomach there were other words like "spite", "uncertainty", "fret", and "woe," all emotions I unfortunately give into way too often. The thing that was really great and somewhat haunting about the piece was the look on the woman's face; a look I could totally relate to, the look of how I feel when I stuff myself full with these negative emotions to the point where I feel sick. Here is a couple of photos:
Because it wasn't cheap and Christmas was coming with all it's expenses, I decided not to go for it. We've met the artist and her husband through mutual friends, so I thought I could possibly get it later if by some chance it didn't sell.
The other day, while listening to a Magic Tree House audiobook about Hawaii, Jack asked me how they make coconut milk in the story. I told him it came from inside a coconut, and he asked if we could get one. I told him I would look for one next time I was at the store. A couple of days later at Sunflower Farmer's Market I saw one, and they were less than two bucks, so I brought one home.
I love it when the boys remind me of the amazing things that I don't take the time to notice in my everyday life, and I just hope I'm teaching them as much as they're teaching me.
I know it looks like he's still reading, but he was totally asleep, so much so that when I pulled the book out of his hands, they lowered like they were on hydraulics and then he rolled over and we didn't hear from him until (early in) the morning. If only I could bottle that kind of sleep and sell it on the open market, I'd be a billionaire.
Max and Jack both got these Little Tikes Digital Cameras for Christmas from my parents. Actually, I suggested them to my parents because they were over 50% off at Target the day after Thanksgiving, so I called my parents and told them they should get them, and so I actually bought them, wrapped them, gave them to my parents who directly handed them to Max and Jack, so really, they were from me, just financed by my parents.
Cousin Rachel. I think this is a beautiful shot of her, and nice to see a candid photo that captures her softer side.
Some one's dancing feet.
A close-up of Uncle Doug.
Shadows of the pergola over Liz's deck. It's cool to see that Max thought this was interesting enough to take a picture of. Actually, he took about five pictures of it from different angles.
A close up of my smiling face. I think this is the most natural smile I've ever had in a photo.
Getting all arty with a moving picture of the TV.
And, of course, we need to remember Max is five, so a photo of the candy that I kept telling him he couldn't eat any more of. Taking a picture of it is the next best thing to eating.
