Happy Belated 1st Blog Birthday to me.....

3.04.2007

and 36Th birthday! Wow, it's amazing how fast a year can go by. I had such a wonderful birthday morning, starting out with this...



Followed by this...



and then the giving of these...




Does it get any better than that?

Well, maybe a picture like this...



The rest of the day was not as warm and fuzzy but I did get a lovely little nap and watched a great old movie, You Can't Take It With You. My poor dear of a husband is so very sick and tried his best but I think he over did it and wiped himself out by midday.

Last year I started this blog to chronicle a year in my life and that of my family. It has been such a wonderful experience for me. I take so many more pictures of the little moments in our day. I can look back and see how much the girls have changed and I only have to click on the archives to see how much we do in the course of a year. If I had posted all the entries I wrote in my mind and never published I would probably triple my entries. When I began the blog I was at a point where I felt like a "hamster on a wheel" I still feel that way on occasion but I think this blog has made me focus on the important parts of being a parent. I worry less about the housework (sorry Dan) and spend more time creating and playing with the kids.

I was reading my first few posts and realized I had been very little crafting at the onset. Sewing, knitting and other crafting have become daily or weekly occurrences instead of monthly or yearly. I have moved into my loft and am in the process of setting up a work space. I have sold some of my goodies and given many more as gifts. Even with working evenings I have found time to create and I am more relaxed for it.

I have found many more women who blog and through those connections I have found how universal the experience of being a mother to young children is. We may all choose to parent in different ways, but, the trials and joys are really the same. Somehow the experiences of women around the world has made my own more joyful as I feel amazingly less isolated.

More than anything else I have been able to share with all of you that come and visit. Often, when I see one of my friends they will comment on one of the links or posts. It always takes me by surprise. I forget that so many of you take time out of your lives to share in a bit of ours, for that I thank you. Your comments, whether online or in person, are always appreciated. I hope you have enjoyed this past year with us. I am so excited to see what the next year holds.

I had hoped to have some blog birthday gifts for all of you, but, my days have been filled with trips to the doctor, filling prescriptions and chasing cooped up children around the house.

Fun with Sara (and Modge Podge)

3.02.2007

Sara and I originally came up with the idea of the guest blog when my camera went out, but as always life with kids foils the best laid plans of mommies. Instead we got this together right in time to fill the blogging void while I am tending to my 2 sick kids (strep throat) and very sick husband. Please enjoy this great idea from one of my dearest friends. We lost touch during the college years and reconnected just in time for her to be a wonderful mommy mentor to me. Thanks Sara for all the advice, support, naptime chats and laughs.


Hi. I’m Sara the guest blogger for Marytree. Her camera is broken right now and she’s been longing for pictures to post. I told her about a craft that I was planning to do with my kids and she asked me to take snaps and write it up for her blog. So here I go. Disclaimer: I stole this idea from Rosie O’Donnell.

I first started out with a three pack of smallcanvases from the craft store.


I let my three daughters paint them up any way they pleased.



Let it dry, then coat it with Modge Podge (found at craft stores). It applies with a milky, white coating that will dry clear. Find a photo of the artist that you think suits the work. Position it wherever you think it will look best. Use Modge Podge to adhere it to photo, then coat the whole thing with more Modge Podge.



It dries clear and looks rather impressive.


(We were snowed in on the day before Valentine’s Day, so I used this method with things around the house to make fun valentines for my husband and kids.)

Thanks, Mary, for this fun little entry into your blogging world! SB

Big Wheels

2.28.2007

I have been enjoying Kids Craft Weekly for a few months now. Each e-issue Amber puts together a theme of activities for the preschool set. Past issues have included mail, transport and food. The issues are always filled with easy, crafts that kids can really do. You should all go check it out because there are so many great ideas. Amber has a spot where you can sign-up to have your blog featured. Well I sent in my blog and I am the featured blog of the issue, Wheels. I thought maybe I should plan a related activity for the girls to post on the blog. So here are our Air-Powered Big Wheels.

Materials:
cylinders (we found out later that the smaller ones worked better)
plastic tops
paper to cover
crayons or other to decorate
hot glue gun
tape or glue for the paper

Start by choosing your cylinder..



Cover your cylinders and tops with the paper and decorate. Choose tops for your cylinder that are larger in diameter.



Mom or dad should use the hot glue gun to glue tops to the cylinders, think Star Wars Tie Fighters.



Once you have your big wheels you need something to propel them. We tried out a couple different air movers.



A folded paper fan, a paper plate, a book, a balloon pump and Annie made her own little green air mover.


Now for the real fun. Set up a track. We put down tape about 8 feet apart on our hallway floor.




Pick your big wheel and air mover.
Ready, Set, Go-Blow.......





We had a great time racing each other and trying out all the different big wheels and air movers.




Hope you have as much fun with this as we did.

Some of the things keeping us happy....

2.26.2007

I picked up this little record player for a few dollars at the thrift store. I forgot to check if there was a needle-nope, so after much searching online and a few more dollars we were up and running. Annie kept trying to put Cd's on it. Getting the needle made me all nostalgic for the days when we would hop on our bikes with a case of Pepsi bottles on each handle bar to return at the drugstore. We would then take the money to the Radio Shack so that we could buy a new needle and check out all the electronics.

We have been picking up albums at the thrift store for under $1.00 each and the girls love it. There are bunches of Sesame street albums and all sorts of little activity song albums that are great for interpretive dance. Check one out for yourself on eBay.



A few years ago, before Annie, I picked up a vintage Mouli Salad Shredder at an estate sale. It sat in a box in the basement until a few weeks ago. Yesterday was the perfect day to break it out and use it to shred some carrots for carrot cake. The grater worked great and the girls got a little workout turning the handle. When I pulled the box out I noticed that it was in it's original packing with all the shipping details including the C.O.D. fee- 30 cents. It even has the mailman's handwritten note that says "Notice left 11.21.55" Love it!

The carrot cake was wonderful, here is the recipe found on allrecipes.com

Best Ever Carrot Cake

INGREDIENTS
6 cups grated carrots
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup raisins
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts
DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, combine grated carrots and brown sugar. Set aside for 60 minutes, then stir in raisins.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 10 inch cake pans.
In a large bowl, beat eggs until light. Gradually beat in the white sugar, oil and vanilla. Stir in the pineapple. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, stir into the wet mixture until absorbed. Finally stir in the carrot mixture and the walnuts. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. When completely cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting.


Did ya notice the pictures in the post? Yep, a new camera for me. Yahoo. I tried to fix the broken one and ended up fixing the original problem and breaking 2 other parts. So a bit early happy birthday to me.

Hope you find something to keep you happy.

Sisters and friends.

2.25.2007

Surprises are fairly commonplace around here. Finding Maddie standing on the kitchen counter in search of a sucker or in my bedroom with a gallon of milk asking for a cup, pleaseeeee are just part of our day. The sheer speed with which toddlers and preschoolers grow and change means that each and every day is an adventure. I myself very often looking at Dan with a shocked grin and a shake of the head. All of those little surprises can be challenging yet bring so much whimsy and laughter to our lives.
What has really bowled me over as a parent are the big surprises, the moments you look at your child and discover not just something about them or being a parent but about humanity itself. My first experience with this was when I stared at Annie as a babe in my arms and felt that over powering sense of love, that knock you over wow moment you have with your first child. What came next was the realization that my parents loved and love me the exact same way. It was a pretty powerful moment to realize that I am that loved.
Recently Annie and Maddie have become more than sisters, they have become friends. They have their own relationship that exists apart from me. I hear them playing in the next room, they may be off to New York City in the Cozy Coupe or discussing how big a giraffe really is. Annie fields questions from Madison and answers with such authority, and Maddie trusts each and everything she says.
While they sit on the couch Annie reaches to hold Madison's hand. I remember doing the same thing with my little brother Nick. It has been so joyful for me to watch this relationship grow.
Family to me is always just that family, you lives are tied to each other in some inexplicable way. We don't always like each other but we do always have love for each other. In watching the girls' journey as sisters I am better able to understand my own family ties. One day I will watch the girls head in their own directions but I will always remember them being this close.

Hubby day off means sewing for me.

2.23.2007

Dan had monday off of work and I got a day off. I spent most of the day upstairs sewing. I finished off a little art portfolio for the sweet little boy next door. I used the basic layout as the one for the swap but added handles and we included a cute little checker board. I think I improved on the last version.
After that I decided it was time to work on the handmade clothes for the girls I mentioned in my Uberlist #24. I started making a skirt for Maddie using this tutorial. I picked some light corduroy and a pretty pink flower fabric. It was suprisingly easy and looked great, Maddie refused to wear it but Annie thought it was great.
Feeling so very accomplished with the skirt I moved on to a pair of pants using this tutorial. I used a cheery red corduroy and the big flower fabric found on the little red bunny

They were a bit small for Annie so I had to take out the waist and do a bit of improvising. It was a great challenge and I can't wait to get working on more, especially fun pants for the spring and summer. If you give the pants a try make sure to give plenty of room, easier to take them in then let them out.

Here are some tutorials for other easy to sew kids clothes.

Pants

Jeans into skirt

Pillowcase dress

A simple idea

2.15.2007

I didn't think I was asking for much, I just wanted to vacuum the upstairs, not even my room just the other 3. I gave up on the girls helping me pick-up so I could just get it done. I had Annie sit in her bed and play for the 5 minutes it takes to vacuum and Maddie had gotten into something so was in time-out in the chair in my room. I thought I was safe. I thought I would acutally vacuum without something being dumped out behind me. It was the last 2 strokes through the loft, Maddie comes running out of my room, "Mommy I pee-peed". I don't know why I even bother, had I just left all the crap and stray valentine's candy wrappers littered all over then I probably would not have to be washing the chair slipcover right now. Is it to much to ask for a clean house for just 5 minutes, it seems like such a simple idea.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2.14.2007

We don't usually make a big deal about Valentine's Day. Dan usually buys me some chocolates and gets me a card. What I like best is that Dan always does something special for the girls. He lays treats out on the table the night before and they come down to their goodies, the best part is that he went to 2 stores looking for construction paper to cut out paper hearts for them. Nothing like a holiday that gets the hubby in the crafty spirit. What more can a gal ask for on Valentine's Day! Hope lots of hugs and kisses find their way to you today.

Mini Swap makes it to Seattle

2.09.2007

Our Mini Swap package made it to Seattle! It seems everyone enjoyed their little goodies.

The little boy said He's "been wanting something like this for practically ever now."




It is a sewn art folio with spots for colored pencils and notebooks. Annie drew a picture that we scanned and turned into stationary. We added some drawing paper and a few hangman games and dots games. My favorite part was the little pouch that held pennies and dimes for the tic-tac-toe board. The inspiration for that came while playing my first game of tic-tac-toe with Annie. I am so pleased it was just what B had been wanting for so long!


This was a gift for both kids, our own version of Animal Bingo.

It is one of our favorite games at home, I found a great site with animal clipart, sorry I can't remember where, and printed them out. Annie and Maddie helped with the cutting and gluing and then we had it all laminated. Annie did all the writing and it took quite a few sit-downs for her to finish them up.



Our swap partners said that their little girl loves Jan Brett and Hedgie so I looked up the Jan Brett web site and found tons of great stuff. I decided to print up the animals from The Mitten, one of our favorite books, and make a little mitten tote for them to go into. I had been wanting to try printing on fabric after seeing these pillows all over at christams time and this over at Kiddley. It was so very easy and the little animals looked great. I just used the June Tailor stuff at Michaels. Annie did most of the embrodiary on the mitten and Maddie helped me stuff them all up, gotta put them tiny fingers of hers to work in the sweatshop, and Annie and Maddie ran them through their paces several times before we wrapped them up.

I included some Fannie May chocolates (very Chicago) and a little wrist cuff for the Mommy. It was really a great experience for all of us and it got me to look around the house and find things we already had that would make for great gifts. I am inspired to shoot for an entire year of handmade gifts......Hmmmmm.

Mini Swap is here.....

2.08.2007

Yesterday our Mini Swap package arrived in the mail. We swapped with a sweet family that lives outside of Seattle. I saw the mailperson load the package in the box and booked outside so the girls could rip into it before nap time. Jen did a fabulous job knitting up little treasures for the girls. Here is Maddie showing off her sock bunny named Mike by their little boy. He sent along the sweetest little note along with the bunny and Maddie really loved the little bunny finger puppet. She has been carrying Mike around by his ear, makes a mama's heart ache.



Annie received the cutest set of little animal finger puppets.



There is a turtle, a blue bird (my favorite), a butterly, and a rose. A perfect fit for her little fingers and big imagination. They came all packed up in a cute little knitted drawstring pouch.

The package also came with some great postcards of Seattle (where Dan and I went for our honeymoon) and some yummy chocolates for mom. I did have to share one of the bars with the girls.



Here is the whole kit and kaboodle (sans chocolate, Maddie had hidden it from Annie)



We were so fortunate to get paired up with such a talented family. We can't wait for our package to make it out west. In the meantime Jen's beautiful sock knitting and knitted treats have motivated me to knit my first pair of socks. Look for pictures soon.

We'll miss you Dasia.

1.31.2007

Last week my poor kitty passed away. He was a great cat and kept all of us company. He would hang out with us outside and always put up with the girls picking him up and making him one of thier toys. He loved beanie babies and would carry them around like kittens. We will miss him dearly. Annie was quite upset when she found out but seems to be processing things in her own way; creating pictures for him, singing songs about him and talking to her sister about him. Maddie on the other had got over it pretty quick:

Mommy- "God bless Annie and Maddie and Mommy and Daddy and Autumn and Dasia"

Maddie -"But Dasia died"

Mommy -"Yes, he died but we can still pray for him in heaven"

Maddie- "Okay, Mommy"

Still working on stuff.

1.29.2007

Sorry for the recent lack of posts. We are still plugging along over here but last week involved sick Annie, sick cat and thought he was sick hubby who is fine. The lack of digital camera is driving me crazy. We have been working on lots of fun stuff including a valentine's day mobile and the items for our first ever swap. I signed us up for the Mini Swap and we were paired up with a lovely family in Seattle with 5 year old boy and almost 2 year old little girl. We are so excited to be making things for someone so far away. Annie has been checking out the map to see where Seattle is.

If you are interested in swapping you can go to SwapBot to find something that might interest you. If you want to see some crafty inspiration head over here or here.

Here's a random photo from the box of cd's.

My 100th Post and 100 Things about Me

1.22.2007

It's my 100th post so I thought I would try to share 100 things about me. Here goes

1. I am 4'11"
2. My eyes are green or blue or gray...
3. I have never been my "ideal weight" for more than 10 minutes.
4. I'm a t-shirt and jeans kinda gal.
5. I am the mother of 2 entirely too smart little girls.
6. I have been married for 7 years.
7. I lived with my hubby for 6 years before we got married.
8. I can cook a mean pizza thanks to Martha Stewart and Clara.
9. I majored in University Studies in college with an emphasis in Environmental Education.
10. My first job was as a prep cook and waitress and am currently working as a waitress.
11. I have been a Lab R.A.T. at a children's museum.
12. I hawked cheese during college at the Swiss Colony Foods in the mall.
13. I worked for the zoo.
14. My favorite job was as an exhibit developer for the children's museum.
15. I worked at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
16. I am a hippie.
17. I love to travel.
18. I had my first real kiss with a boy from California while in Sweden to play soccer.
19. I love to grow vegetables but it creeps me out to eat them.
20. My favorite ice cream is Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby.
21. I can eat almost any leftover cold from the fridge.
22. My go to binge food is powdered sugar donuts.
23. I can always eat pizza, pasta, salad and banana cake.
24. I was married outside at a park.
25. Go Bears!
26. I love walking outside in the cold and snow.
27. I have been backpacking in Colorado and loved it.
28. I have stood and smooched on the most Northwesterly point in the Continental United States.
29. I have been to England, Wales, Sweden, Canada and Denmark.
30. The one place I want to go more than many other is Africa.
31. I wish I had joined the Peace Corps.
32. I celebrated my 21st. birthday in Atlanta at a Grateful Dead Concert.
33. I celebrated my 35th Birthday at work.
34. I don't have a favorite color.
35. I don't have a favorite movie but I do love Rear Window.
36. My favorite actors are Jimmy Stewart and John Cusack.
37. I went to Catholic schools for 13 years.
38. I don't go to church but really want to start going.
39. I can sew.
40. I can knit, okay I can knit hats.
41. I spend way too much time on the computer.
42. I still watch General Hospital.
43. I love to cook and I think I am pretty good.
44. I love to throw parties.
45. I usually drink beer, Bass ale is my favorite.
46. I think I need to drink more red wine.
47. My favorite cheese is Fontinella.
48. I read the Chicago Tribune everyday.
49. I get the rest of my news from the Daily Show, because Jon Stewart is so darn cute, and funny.
50. Go Bears!
51. I am terrible about returning phone calls.
52. I procrastinate.
53. My house is usually a mess.
54. My favorite plant is Prairie Drop Seed. (yep no favorite, movie song or color but a favorite plant.
55. I have a dog named Autumn that has spoiled me from ever wanting another dog.
56. My first dog was Casey.
57. I had a cat with no tail named Petey.
58. I have a cat named "Dasia" as in deja vu but Dan didn't know how to spell it when he took him to the vet.
59. My husband is a little slow sometimes.
60. I am a visual learner.
61. My first favorite band was U2, I stopped listening to them after Rattle and Hum.
62. I don't have a favorite album or song.
63. I do have a favorite radio show-This American Life.
64. I listen to talk radio.
65. I rarely make my bed.
66. I drink 3 cups of coffee every morning, black.
67. I use cream in my coffee after 3:00 p.m.
68. I have done things I can't write about here.
69. Gin makes me crazy-wild crazy.
70. I want to learn to crochet.
71. I wish I was a better mother.
72. I have had surgery 1 time, on my toe.
73. I broke my collar bone.
74. I have had stitches 6 times.
75. Go Bears!
76. I am a bit clumsy.
77. I drive a minivan.
78. I can drive stick shift.
79. I hate going to the doctor.
80. I once had a job as a stripper
81. I have been riding horses since I was 8.
82. I still play soccer.
83. #80 is not true I wanted to see if anyone was still reading this
84. In Spanish my name is Maria Margarita (that would be my stripper stage name)
85. I would love to be reincarnated as a very overweight blues singer who wears sparkly dress and shakes her ass while belting out songs about the one who done her wrong.
86. I am never too embarrassed to dance.
87. I knew I would marry my husband 5 months before we started dating.
88. The only state other than Illinois I have lived in was Ohio.
89. I am a farm girl at heart and will some day own a farm.
90. My best friend is my sister.
91. I also have 4 brothers . They are OK.
92. I am blessed to have 5 sister-in-laws that I love and 16 nieces and nephews.
93. I want to learn to paint.
94. I was once dumped by a guy by the a message on his answering machine.
95. I am a great Scrabble player.
96. I am a terrible room mate.
97. I have never lived in an apartment. (as an adult-my folks lived in one when I was born)
98. I have been in 4 car accidents.
99. I would love to be a photographer.
100. Go Bears!

1.18.2007

Politics is not usually the topic of events around here. I do keep up with the goings on, reading the paper daily, watching the news shows, etc, but a few recent events in the political world have moved me to share a bit here.

The first is the mid-term elections and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi becoming Speaker of the House. As I watched the mid-term election results come in I was pleased to see a "regime change" in both the House and the Senate. As the talk came to the Speaker of the House I was thrilled to hear that Nancy Pelosi was the apparent choice. It was not until I watched her stand at the podium with the gavel that I realized how much this event really meant to me. As I become a woman and mother of two girls it strikes me how little representation we woman have in the political spectrum. I don't know if a woman will govern differently than a man but having the opportunity to see is really inspiring to me. So to Nancy Pelosi I say congratulations and thank you, for opening the door or "breaking the marble ceiling" for all the girls out there who aspire to lead our nation.

The second issue is the upcoming Presidential elections. I have always said that if there was a woman candidate for President she would get my vote, regardless of their political party. I figure the longest they could screw things up for is 8 years and I survived President Bush for that long. Hillary Clinton is not my favorite candidate, but she is a Democrat, a woman and could really have a shot at getting elected so you would think I would be signing up to help her campaign, wearing t-shirts, etc.. Well I have this problem, I love Barak Obama. The first time I heard of Obama was while listening to my local public radio coverage of the Democratic Primary for Illinois Senate. I sat in my car listening to this politician who seemed different than any politician I had heard. It was the radio so I had no idea how he looked, I just knew that I was taken by what he said. I came in the house and googled him. I voted for him with gusto, usually I cringe a bit while voting for my democratic candidate. I have now watched him rise to potential candidate for President and I am still taken with him.
The two things that have always bristled me about President Bush have been his lack of honesty and seeming lack of intelligence. The two things that Senator Obama has seem to be honesty and intelligence. So here I sit a woman who wants nothing more than a woman to be President with the first viable woman candidate in my lifetime and I feel like -eh, take her or leave her and then there is Obama, I'd volunteer, I'd walk door to door I would even try to convert my oh so Republican dad to vote for him. Ah, what's a voter to do?
What do you all think of this and if you are a woman how do you feel about electing a woman president?

Want to learn more? Check out...

Woman as President
Here
Here
Here

Barak Obama
Here
Here

Hillary Clinton
Here
Here

and check out this site because I'm a mom, I play soccer and I vote...

Favorite things.....

1.16.2007

I am just back from the grocery store and picked up one of my favorite magazines, Wondertime. It's the best parenting magazine I have found. There are usually a few recipes, crafting acitivites and advice areas but it really is more about understanding your child and why children do what they do and how you can nurture and encourage them to be themselves.

It is from the same publisher as Family Fun. The photography is great and readers submit many of the articles and ideas. I also checked out the web site to get the link and they have some nice little games and articles there.

Hope you enjoy it too.

Feeling Blue.....

1.14.2007

I think my new look on the blog has a bit to do with my overall feeling right now, a bit blue. I have always called it "getting the sads". I am usually pretty bubbly and fun, (alright sometimes a bit irritable and cross) but usually quite cheery, every so often I get the sads. I almost feel as if I just need to let my smile rest for a little while. Usually a good long walk in the woods fixes it for me or it just goes away in a day. I think I have been a bit nature deprived of late, it's not snowy enough to draw me out yet to cold and dreary to want to go out either. Tomorrow we are headed down to the Field Museum and maybe a side trip to Shedd Aquarium. If you are from in town than take note that all the Museums downtown are free this week and many of them have free days on Monday and Tuesday throughout January and February. If you are from out of town then make a trip to the Chicago to see these gems. They are wonderful and the setting on the lakefront can't be missed, even when it's 20 degrees outside.
Maybe I'll get some nice, (film pictures) to show of our outing.

Until then enjoy this picture chosen from a random CD-ROM in my collection. (Look for more of these random pics until the camera comes back)

Gotta love the Bundt Cake....

1.13.2007

Picture from here

Well, it's 1:00 a.m. and I thought I should get a post up. It's been busy around here and the lack of a camera really puts a damper on posts.

I think in the future I should avoid redoing my banner so late. Not so purty. Oh well, I can fix it tomorrow.

What is really pretty, and gone and, there is no picture to show it is this awesome Orange Bundt Cake I made for my neighbor lady friends today. It was so very yummy and easy, and what with only 4 eggs, a packet of pudding and a cake mix very easy on the waist. I found at allrecipes.com and if you haven't been there you need to go. They have recipes for everything and they are not slick magazine recipes that don't taste good or never come out right. These are the recipes you get from your girlfriends, the "I just ate an entire bowl of that dip you brought could I please have the recipe?" recipes. The best part is that you can read reviews of the recipes. The Orange Cake had 300 reviews and 5 out of 5 stars...safe bet. I have tried a few where the reviewers say add vanilla or cut down on sugar, like getting grandma's cookbook and it having notes in the margin. So go, get lots of recipes that you are supposed to cut down to 4x6, never cut them down and stick them all in you cabinet to drive your hubby crazy, until that is you make him some yummy snacks.

This all brings me to my love of the bundt cake. When I was a preteen I loved to bake. We always had cake mixes and cookies mixes on hand and I was the family baker. The grocery store shelves held many diffferent flavors of bundt cakes. I remember there being many more box cakes to choose from back then. My favorite cake to bake was the chocolate bundt cake that had the chocolate fudge filling. There was something about that filling that really did it for me.

A few years ago my mom gave me her old bundt pan. It has sat amid all my pans just waiting for me to put it to use. I was watching Martha one day and she had asked the audience to bring in Bundt Cake pans in honor of the bundts 60th anniversary. Well, yesterday was the day and what fun. I felt so nostalgic, although I did miss making the cake from the mix. I decided to dust with powdered sugar instead of glaze but I might try that next time. It was really quite good and easy. As nostalgic as it was using my mom's pan it wasn't as pretty as I remember, the pan is it bit wonky and probably did a few too many rounds with the wooden spoon. Maybe I'll invest in a fancy new one or one of the ones with 4 mini Bundts....mmmm. Until then check out all this Bundt goodness.

Looking for some new and fancy Bundt Cake Pans.....
Williams Sonoma
Target
ChefsResource
Ebay

Have a Bundt pan but want a great new recipe.....
Southern Angel
Recipe Goldmine
All Recipes
Recipe Land
Those 4 alone should keep you in tunnel of fudge heaven.


Not really the make it from scratch type.....Bundt cake Mixes...
Williams Sonoma
Target
Nordicware

Random NPR article on Bundt cake

and if you haven't gotten enough Bundt yet you can check out the flickr group here.
(I was going to start a group but it appears someone else feels the Bunt love too.)

Mama Says Om: The Uberlist

1.04.2007

So the theme for mama says om this week is to make a big list, Uberlist, of all the things you would like to accomplish this year. The original list had 107 things, not sure I will hit that but here goes.

1. Fix my digital camera and take better care of it.
2. Lose 30 lbs.
3. Decide if there will be a baby #3.
4. Go camping more than 3 times.
5. Have a weekend alone with Dan.
6. Go back to school.
7. Pursue opening a business.
8. Go to the city once a month.
9. See a play or 2.
10. Spend time with my Grandma talking about her past.
11. Spend more time with my mom.
12. Make to do lists and do the things on them.
13. Horseback ride with my aunt.
14. Feel less guilt.
15. Make an effort to be more tolerant.
16. Be more politically active.
17. Exercise more, okay exercise period.
18. Have more date nights, even if they are on the couch with a movie.
19. Organize the loft as a craft/computer/project room.
20. Play more with the girls.
21. Visit forest preserves more often.
22. Read a book a month.
23. Sew a garment for myself that I will actually wear.
24. Sew skirts, pants, and pajamas for the girls.
25. Knit a sweater and a pair of socks.
26. Knit more often, always have a project on needles.
27. Set a budget up with Dan.
28. Make sure Dan has Dan time.
29. Plant a new garden in the back yard.
30. Paint my room.
31. Do something in the laundry room.
32. Purge, purge, purge.
33. Find a new income source.
34. Visit the zoo, children's museum, and arboretum more.
35. Organize my pictures and get into albums.
36. Frame pictures in family room
37. Back up my pictures regularly.
38. Stress less about the state of my home.
39. Read 1 book a month.
40. Spend less time on the computer.
41. Go to bed earlier, get up earlier.
42. Learn to say no and not feel bad about it.
43. Write a book with Annie.
44. Bake more bread.
45. Make pasta with the girls.
46. Take a bike ride on the lake.
47. Go to Pegs in Madison.
48. Shampoo my carpets.
49. Strength train.
50. Work on my punctuation. You know I need it.
51. Write more in the blog...not just list what we did.
52. Write in my family journal.
53. Make a growth chart for the girls before they stop growing.
54. Spend time alone with each of the girls.
55. Go ice skating.
56. Go rollerskating.
57. Have my nieces over more often.
58. Go to Appleton.
59. Start Christmas projects earlier.
60. Have a drink with Dave and Marcia.
61. Entertain our friends.
62. Videotape the girls more.
63. Play outside more.

Kinda a random list, but it's a start. My camera is out so look for some more creative posts. Not just pictures with a bit of explanation. What's on your Uberlist?

Happy 2007!

1.01.2007

Happy New Year to everyone. I hope everyone had as lovely a day as I had.

When Dan and I were first dating we always reserved New Year's Day for ourselves. We would usually go to Best Buy on New Year's eve, search through all the open box items, and buy ourselves a treat. Sometimes it was a VCR or a video game I think one year it was a computer. We would spend all of New Year's Day lounging in our jammies and playing games, watching movies, napping etc. It has become our tradition and it sometimes ruffles family feathers that we don't go to the family get-togethers but I always hold firm that it is our day together.

After the very busy holiday season and the addition of me going back to work and working extra during December I was looking forward to today for weeks. It was my do nothing day. I gave myself one day to just relax, no obligations and no guilt for not doing anything. I think I need more of these days.

I slept until 1o a.m. and I didn't even go out last night, in bed by 11:30 and fast asleep. I drank lots of coffee, read the paper and watched the Rose Parade. (I can't believe what people can do with dried flowers). My lovely friend Megan stopped by to bring me a gift and the kids played in the theatre while we chatted and ate velveeta cheese dip-big guilty pleasure, made guilt free on a my no guilt day- and ignored the kids while Dan watched Lord of the Rings for the 600th time (his version of doing nothing). I took a nap and got up with a very eager Annie wanting to make Be Bim Bop. For Christmas Annie and Maddie got the book Be Bim Bop. It's the story of a little girl helping her mom make the Korean dish Be Bim Bop. Annie has been dying to make it since the first reading. It came out great and Dan made Crab Rangoon to boot. YUM!
We finished off the night laying on the floor playing games and cards and watching Anthony Bordain's No Reservations while working on some knitting. Dan and I were struck by how much Annie has changed in the last year, with the "I know how to crack eggs, DADDY" to playing a full game of Go Fish and War, she is not our baby anymore.

It was a perfect New Year's Day. I am off to bed to start my New Year of taking better care of me, eating better, exercising taking care of some school stuff and working on some business ideas. Look for the Uberlist soon.
May you find as much peace all year as I found today.

Almost forgot my wonderful friend Sara also called to invite me on a shopping trip to Ikea. Cheap and funky stuff, Swedish meatballs, Marabau Chocoloate and free child care.....That's how to start the year of taking care of me. The eating right might have to wait until Wednesday.

Why Mrs. Clause fell asleep at 8:00 on Christmas....

12.27.2006

I hope everyone is recovered from all the christmas festivities. I still feel wiped out, working until midnight last night did not help.

We had a wonderful christmas. There was plenty of eating, yummy crab legs and clam sauce; prime rib and roasted veggies and lots and lots of cookies and candy. We are blessed to have family near and visits from those not so close. Maddie had so much fun at her Papa and Gia Gia's that she wanted to stay there on Charistmas eve.
Santa delieverd on the princess calendar and vacuum and Baby Joey was under the tree. They have been enjoying doing puzzles, playing Cranium games-Hullabaloo and Cariboo. I love these games. My favorite part of christmas was watching how excited Annie was to give gifts and not just to receive. She stopped her gift opening to give me my gifts and was thrilled to give the grandma's their handmade goodies. Which I have no picture of, sorry.

It appears that the girls were very good this year because Santa left this in our playroom.



Click here to see more.

They have definitly been enjoying the Two Sisters Theatre. We have been treated to many shows already. Annie goes right into character when she puts on her dresses and her cousin Ty even joined in on Christmas night.



Santa also brought a nice little handmade stable and fence set.



Nice job Santa.

I need to get back to organizing toys and catching up on laundry... See ya in the new year.

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas....

12.19.2006

Lots of holiday activity around here, including my christmas cold.
We've been

BAKING


Here's a yummy recipe:

Kolacky Dambrowski

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature 2 teaspoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 sticks (2 cups) butter, room temperature 3 cups flour Confectioners' sugar Preparation time: 45 minutes Chilling time: 4 hours Baking time: 10 minutes per batch Yield: 5 dozen Antonette Clark, who won first prize for these traditional favorites from her grandmother Veronica Dambrowski, says she enjoys keeping a variety of fillings on hand during the holiday season. (The recipe below calls for cream cheese filling.) Other kolacky fillings can be found in the baking aisle at major supermarkets, but any type of preserves also will work well. 1. For cream cheese filling, stir together 1/2 package (4 ounces) of the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract in a small bowl; set aside. 2. Beat together butter and remaining cream cheese in bowl of electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, until well combined. Divide dough into thirds; wrap each third in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. 3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove 1 dough packet from refrigerator; roll to 1/8-inch thickness on a floured work surface. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares with a pizza cutter or knife. Fill each with about 1/2 teaspoon of the filling; fold two opposite corners of the dough over filling to almost meet in center. Place on greased cookie sheets. 4. Bake until golden, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer to flattened brown paper bags, which will absorb excess fat; cool completely. Repeat with remaining refrigerated dough in 2 more batches. Sprinkle cookies with confectioners' sugar.

SEWING



Gifts for all my nieces. Little bags filled with peg doll pal kits and goodie bags. They were handed out on Sunday and quite loved.

SHARING




Gift of the music and stories we love for all our friends.

WRAPPING



Always good to get the foot in there for help.

MAKING CANDY



I tried to replicate my favorite Choxie Bar- Milk Chocolate with caramel and pretzel... not quite the same.


TRYING TO GET A CHRISTMAS PICTURE



Not getting very far on that one. The light was all wrong and the girls were not into it.

TASTING



What's Christmas without a taste or two from the wooden spoon? I hope you all get a few tastes of something yummy and lots of tastes of things that make the holiday season the delightful time it is.

I'm off for more crafting and some resting.....

Advent Garland

12.13.2006

We always had advent calendars as kids. I remember picking them up at Alton's Drug Store in the card aisle. They never had candy or treats just a little paper door that opened to reveal a picture or quote. Opening those doors always seemed to make the wait for christmas more tolerable.
Last year someone told me about making an advent garland. We cut 24 pieces of paper and write a special treat for each day on the inside. Annie and Maddie helped me write out the treats. Some say "read a christmas story" or "have hot cocoa by the fire" special days are for a trip to Starbucks, the library or baking cookies. My favorite are the ones Annie chose, "help a friend" and "yodel" and "act like a butterfly" not sure what yodelling and acting like a butterfly have to do with christmas but I'm game.
The best part of this is that the girls can't read yet so I get to mix them up at will. Gotta love being the parent.
Here are some other nifty little advent ideas.

From the fun site Kiddley:

This and This

From Soulemama

From Family Fun:

This and This

From Martha Stewart

More Here and Here

Not sure where I found this but would make a nice advent calendar too.

I also thought you could make a nice one with a board some nails and the metal framed hanging tags. Other ideas are little gifts each day or a box of envelopes that have notes or treats. Last one is for the adults in your life HERE.

Only 12 days to go.

boots and tutu's

12.11.2006

This is a picture of Annie on her way to ballet class. I love the contrast of the boots and the tutu. Annie really struggles at being a little girl who often enjoys not so little girl things. She didn't know who a princess was until starting preschool.
I try to avoid too many characters in their clothing, books, etc. but at the same time they love the Cinderella movie and want what their friends have. And as Annie pointed out to me during a discussion about how mommy would prefer that we don't do characters for Halloween (hoping to avoid a Cinderella dress) "but mommy Alice from our book Alice in Wonderland is a character, right?" Um, yep you are right dear.
It appears peer pressure and my daughter being smarter than me is coming much sooner than the teen years. I have decided that if I let the girls wear whatever they want (taking weather into consideration) than they will feel confident in their own fashion choices and less apt to fall victim to the pressure that is put on girls.
Who knows if it will work, but it's worth a shot and I rather enjoy seeing Maddie in flower girl dress and jeans and tutus definitely look better with motorcycle boots.

Snow in/Snow Out and Walnut Head

12.07.2006

Last week we got our first snow. It is still blanketing everything and has been much fun. My very kind neighbors came and helped me shovel the driveway and the girls have been having lots of snowy fun, both outside and inside.





Nothing like bringing in a big bowl of snow to keep the girls entertained for a long while and make a big mess. I gave them spray bottles full of colored water, cups, muffin tins etc. As you can rain boots are a must.

We also spent Sunday putting up our tree. Each year Dan has given me an ornament for Christmas and we always bought one on vacation. Now the girls each get one from Santa and we make one for Dan so the tree is finally starting to fill up. I love taking each one out and remembering where we bought it or the Christmas that I received it.

The first Christmas Dan and I set up a tree we had no ornaments and even less money, so I made all the ornaments and decorations for the tree. The garland was grapevine from the back yard, I hiked through the woods and cut sumac, found bark and milkweed pods and turned all of these into ornaments. We still have some of them, Styrofoam balls covered in pine cones, bark with sumac berries. It was really very lovely and it always makes me smile to think about that Christmas. We were also without an angel for the top (must be an angel). I saw this lovely little folk art angel in a magazine that was made from vintage lac scraps, felt and a walnut for the head. It was $150.00 so way out of the budget. Off I went to Joann's for felt and some lace. I sewed her up, and added the walnut head. I was so proud of her. This was one of my first sewing adventures. I think Dan was a bit worried about what he'd gotten himself into with me. Well, walnut head (as she is affectionately know) is still around(13 years later), her milkweed fluff halo is gone and she could use a bit of fixing but every year she goes up on the tree.



At some point I am sure the girls will beg me for something new, and maybe we will make one together but for now she always represents Christmas to me. Each year one of the girls will finish off the tree by placing her on top and I will remember that first Christmas and how I made her out of love. The simplicity of her materials always reminds me of the true meaning of Christmas. She was the start of our Christmases together and is tucked away each year with anticipation for the Christmases to come.

Happy 10Th Birthday to Teresa my god daughter who has grown to be such an extraordinary young lady.

shopping shopping shopping

12.03.2006

I get a wee bit crazy during the holiday season. I spend hours oogling all the lovely toys online that I would love to buy for the girls only to decide that it's too much money and leave all the goodies abandoned in the cyber cart. Well last night I did order a few nice little things from Amazon.com and did a bit more oogling.
The christmas lists are a bit thin and that is making things hard:

Annie
1. a Princess calendar
2. a Princess vacuum cleaner


Madison
1. a Horse calendar
2. a baby Joey aka Baby Huggums
3. a Zoe doll from Sesame street


That's it and mmm there is no such thing as a princess vacuum cleaner (and Annie hates to clean so I have no idea what prompted this). Problem 2 is that I really try to avoid the whole character thing in general and the princesses and barbie are my two least favorite. So what's a mommy to do? Here I am drooling over the likes of
THIS and THIS
THIS
THIS
THIS
THIS and THIS
AND OH YES THIS

and my child wants
THIS and THIS.

When I suggested we ask for books or puzzles or games Annie said we could ask for those next year. Ya gotta love that she is not greedy.
When I suggested that maybe one of these would be nice she said "We can make one of those mommy!" It appears all our little projects are starting to have an effect.



Happy shopping.