Birthdays on the Brain

I am a planner. I like to plan things. I spend a lot of time planning things. Too much time, to be honest. But I am also a perfectionist, which is how I justify thinking about it all, so far in advance. That being said, my son's Birthday is in June and I have been planning his Birthday party since about December.
This year we are having a Super Hero theme, and in fairness, it was pretty much impossible not to at least come up with the theme early, because Chase is OBSESSED with Super Heroes. He thinks they are absolutely the coolest thing on the planet. We got him a handful of costumes for Christmas, and he had a few before that. So he is pretty much always wearing one. Which is why I decided to ask the kids to come in Super Hero costumes, and for those who don't have one already, we will have a basket full of them.

Blah blah blah. Anyway, what I think is absolutely adorable is that Chase knows he is having a Super Hero Birthday party, and it is literally all he talks about! He sits and tells people about it; Grandparents, Friends, etc. When he gets mad at someone he tells them they better be nice or they're not going to his Super Hero Birthday party. Hilarious! And he talks about his cake constantly. As I mentioned in a prior blog, he takes my cake sketch book, and carries it around, staring at the drawing. So this makes me, as a mommy, feel like a huge success! Kind of like when you watch your child opens a gift that they wanted badly, or that you just know they will love. You feel so good about yourself, for making them so happy. :)
Back to the party talk, I think I am going to make a lot of stuff for it. I mean I always make a poster board with pictures, and things like that. But this year I am thinking about making other things; other little details. I am pretty good at stuff like that, and the only thing that stops me from doing it, is feeling all of that hard work gets wasted. But, I enjoy making things, creating things, so why not! Even if they get tossed away. They are enjoyed for a little bit, and that's good enough for me! That's why I love flowers; they are beautiful, they smell wonderful, light up a room, and your mood, and after a week, they are done. You don't have to find some place to stick them forever. I love that! I'm going to make a ball toss game, with a board made of different Super Heros. Not sure what craft I'll have the kids do yet. I am also planning on having a pinata, because those are always a hit! I will be buying that!
Part of my dilemma for the Birthday party is, I was considering having his party at a Chuck E Cheese, or a giant maze, etc. If I do that there is really no point in crafts or games. So hmmm to that. I guess we will see what happens.
Throwing parties is so much work! But I love it. It's pretty much my favorite thing to do. I actually have Olivia's next birthday party all mapped out too. And I am so beyond excited for it! I am so, so, so grateful I have a little girl. Because I am such a girly person, and as much as I love throwing my little boy parties, throwing little girl parties, with pink and purple, flowers, and butterflies, and everything else... that is right up my alley.
Chase is playing with his cars right now, and listing off all of the people that are coming to his party. Hilarious.

Boys like Cake too

My Second Cake of 2011!

This was a cake for my Father In Law, who is a huge Guiness fan! It was actually nothing like I planned. And I have a general rule with my cakes that I never, ever write on them myself. I use cookie cutters, or stencils, or even laminated letters.

Well I went against my own rule, because when I got home, expecing to frost and decorate my cake, I realized that my 3 and a half year old had gotten into it... badly! We had 3 hours until we were due at the In-Laws. And if you think that is plenty of time to make a cake, well than you and I make cakes very differently. I had to think fast!

I decided to turn them into cake balls. I knew that the basic recipe was taking a cooked cake, and mingling it with frosting. I stirred them together, and then let them set for as long as possible (some recipes call for as long as keeping them overnight!), before having to move on to the next step. When I took it out, and realized it's potential, I started thinking that I could probably mold that cake mush into just about any form. Hence the glass. And so on, and so on.

It was so moist! It tasted like some kind of brownie cake. It's definitely not my neatest cake ever, but I got to try some new ideas, which is exactly what I wanted out of this "make more cakes" resolution. So sweet to that!

We Time

Wednesday night is Date Night in our house. For this week's Mommy/Daddy adventure, we decided to stay in and lay low. There we are cuddling at ten after 6:00, when Hubby's phone rings. It's my Mother In Law reminding us we have dinner reservations at 6:30pm. News to me! We rush to get ready, and I wonder why we have a reservation at all, being we are going to eat at a local restaurant; one we eat at all the time, never with a reservation. I think this out loud, and am informed that my MIL *won* a free dinner for four. Hence the reservation.

We arrive at the restaurant and search high and low, seemingly in vain, for my In-Laws. Hubby calls MIL's cell, and she directs us to the very back of the restaurant. We walk back into a private room with a sign on the door that reads, "No Alcohol." Confusion sets in, as I ask, "What did she win this dinner FOR?"

We take our seats at a long table, where there is a blank name tag for us, as well as forms for us to fill out, name and address included. There is a giant TV with a video waiting to be played, and a table full of merchandise waiting to be passed around. The merchandise silently informs me that we are not there for time shares. Relief. My next thought is Pyramid Scam. Wonderful.

The pieces fall together, awareness of the obvious... all of which I have just described. Along with the knowledge that my MIL would sign pretty much anything if it came with a free (insert noun here). So the dinner she *won* was actually a free dinner that came with whatever it was she had signed us up for. Sigh. At this point, I can barely contain my laughter, because of how blind sided we were by this.

The man, who is in fact there to sell us something, inform us we will watch the video while we eat our free dinner. The best part of the evening however, was when we got our dinner salads. Hubby declined his, as always. The man asks him if he'd like something else, and Hubby again declines. After we've finished our salads, he leans in and asks me if that was all we were being served. Seeing a golden opportunity, I respond, "Yes. Honey, he asked you if you wanted something else." It took everything in me to not burst out in laughter. I knew he was starving, and he knew we had almost two hours before we would be released. Not only were we tricked into attending some scam show, but the free dinner he was promised, was nowhere to be found. Oh laugh out loud, indeed.

Fifteen minutes later the main dish was served and we both had a good laugh. He spent the rest of our evening trying to repay me for my little joke... Putting garnish in my water, mixing squash into my mashed potatoes, splashing me with the droplets from his straw. It actually turned out to be a decent evening. We entertained each other with inside jokes, and got a free meal which was very fancy, delicious, and definitely topped anything we would have thrown together at home. Afterwards, we left the room and went into the bar, where my FIL, a self proclaimed cynic, and general nay-sayer, spent the next hour talking in great detail about what a huge scam it all was. He was tricked into it too. Which to us, made it all worth it. Haha.

It was far from a typical date night, but sometimes that's the best kind!

Wordless Wednesday :)

Tick Tock Tick Tock

I have been pursuing this resolution, the biggie, the lose weight/eat right/work out thing for 24 days. And I have to say I am doing pretty decent at it. I've been working out at least 4 days a week, which is not bad considering I wasn't working out at all way back yonder, in 2010. ;) I want to work out everyday, and that's my goal, but 4 days out of 7 isn't bad. Although now that I say it out loud, write it down, etc... 4 out of 7 is only 60% or so. That's a D. Shoot. Ok, I'm distracting myself. Lol.

Anyway, I feel semi-successful thus far. And on top of that, I am down 8lbs, which is wonderful. Looking at the scale and seeing that is wonderful. However, I still feel like I want more than that. I want to see 20lbs fall off, which I know is ridiculous in 24 days. I probably feel discouraged because I don't actually SEE the weight coming off. I want to show off how good I have been, and how much better I feel, but I have nothing to show. I know I just have to be patient. Thank God for this wedding I am in because it is amazing motivation! I will be in my step aerobics class, dying, and I will think, "I want to look beautiful, I want to look beautiful," and it will kick me right into gear, and I will suddenly be giving a 100% and feeling great!

So I just have to stay focused, stay motivated, and not give up on myself! Wish me good thoughts, send me some prayers, whatever you've got, I'll take it! Thanks friends! =)

So Proud

Chase is my puzzle pro! He rocks them! He did this one by himself today. Usually puzzles are something we do together, but I looked over at him today and noticed he was putting the pieces together so fast, so I sat and let him do the whole thing. And he finished quicker than ever!

When I was a kid you couldn't have paid me to do a puzzle. They just seemed so difficult to me! And that makes me even prouder that he enjoys them so much. They are one of the few things that get my monkey to stop bouncing off the walls!

This is Olivia's little bear. It sings the ABCs. She got it for Christmas and ever since, she walks around the house with it, singing along and swaying her head side to side with the music. She sings, "ABCDE" and then makes up her own letters after that, but I am just blown away that she knows any of the letters. Chase was far from singing his ABC's at 16 months! She is our little music lover. Any time music plays she just lights up! She will instantly start dancing, and sing along. It's the cutest thing ever. And she has different little dances she does for different music. So funny! I just wanted to post this blog, because today, between the two of them, I just felt so proud of both of them, and so proud to be their Mommy! Sometimes I think I'm not where I want to be in life, or I don't have the things I wanted to have, but I know that if I wasn't exactly where I am, they wouldn't be exactly who they are. And I wouldn't trade them for the world! They are the best thing that ever happened to me, and my greatest accomplishment in life. They are my two little miracles, and I hope to always be the Mommy they deserve! I'm trying! :)

Everything's better with Sprinkles

I bought a new book for sketching my cakes. It's adorable, and very fitting as you can see.

Well the irony is I actually bought a regular notebook for sketching them yesterday, and then today I was at the craftstore and saw this one. Lol. Oh well.

I typically will sketch a cake on any scrap paper I have near me, so I like that I'll have a little more organization with it now. Yay! :)

The funny thing is since I got it I've been sketching cakes like crazy... all kinds of different ideas. Hoping the ambition will stay strong through out the year, in my journey to make it a frosting filled year. Lol. I sketched the Super hero cake I'm planning on making for Chase's Birthday, and he saw it and has been obsessed with it. He's been carrying the book around and randomly turning to the page and looking it over. Very cute. Glad he's excited. He loves my cakes! He always wants to watch and help, and of course lick the spoons. I love being a Mom. It allows you to have dorky hobbies, like cake making. Chase is seriously my number one fan. He is always telling me my cakes are "the best cakes ever", and asking me to make him different kinds. Although he also tells me I'm the best mom ever, at least once a day, lol, so he might just like the phrase. Either way, he is such a sweetheart; so kind. And very generous too. If he has only one of something left, he'll break it in half, and give half away. I think being a kind person is possibly the best thing a person can be.

I can't wait until both Chase and Olivia are old enough where we can make cakes together. I can't wait to pop the naked cakes in front of them and let them go to town! How fun to be a kid and get to frost your own cake, all by yourself. I've got a list a mile long of all the things I can't wait to do! BUT I WILL WAIT! lol.

Speaking of things I can't wait for, I can't wait until next week, when I get to make another cake. :)

My New Nativity Scene

It is absolutely perfect! I have wanted one for such a long time, but they seemed to all be rickity, with a million little pieces. This is two solid pieces, and I am so glad I waited until I found the perfect one! It looks like it could be sitting in a Cathedral, which is very much the look I like. I found it at this little consignment shop. They had all Christmas decorations at 50% off so I decided to take a look!

I grew up seeing Nativity Scenes at Christmas, in the homes of my Parents and Grandparents. As silly as it sounds, I feel like a grown up now, having my own! And decorating for Christmas is something I look forward to all year long. But my decorations consists of Santa Claus, snowmen, and all of the corporate Christmas images. And I know in my heart that is not what Christmas is about. It feels really good to finally own my very own, beautiful Nativity Scene. It completely made my day, and I am so glad my kids will grow up seeing this at Christmas. I'm only sad I have to wait until next year to display it!

Cake-tastic-ness...

My first cake of 2011. :)

This is another one of my new goals for the New year, to make more cakes!

They are so much fun to make, even if they are a ton and a half of work. Still it totally tunes me into my creative side, and that is always a good thing! There are few things I enjoy as much as 'creating'.

This one is a Birthday cake for my Stepmom. :)

One thing that had stopped me from making cakes as often is that I am very, very hard on myself. A complete perfectionist when it comes to any form of Art that I am working on. I decided to let that go and just have fun. No need to stress, people don't expect perfection. That being said, my plan is to just try all kinds of different looks for the cakes I make. Before I would stick mostly with fondant, because in all honesty it is a lot prettier, BUT I think frosting can be pretty also. Just not as precise and neat. Creative minds are rarely tidy. :)

Either way, I had a blast making this, and look forward to making more in the upcoming year. :)

Resolutions in Pursuit

Exactly two weeks into 2011...
My resolutions, thus far have not been an epic failure.
My upcoming year is going to be a very busy, and very exciting one! Not only is my best friend getting married, therefore making me A Maid of Honor. Which means not only will I be hosting a Bridal Shower, as well as a Bachelorette Party, but I will also be standing up in front of 200 guests. Yikes. This being said, on to my very first, and most important resolution: To get in shape. To be more specific, the resolution was to eat healthier, and to workout every day. I am not going to lie, I have not been working out everyday. Much easier said than done! However I have been working out about 4 times a week, which is still a huge improvement. And I have been eating a lot healthier. Still snacking a little, but not too much.
On top of being in a wedding, Our 5th Wedding Anniversary is this March. For it, we are planning on taking a vacation, in which there will be hundreds of pictures taken. For this, I would also like to be in shape. So wish me well on this journey, please!
As for my other resolutions, currently, they have slipped my mind. Uh oh. While writing this blog, I have been mentally preparing myself to go and work out. So now that is all I can think about. I guess that's a good thing...
Farewell, and we'll get back to this! :)