I should remember to always take appetite suppressants before visiting my parents — I am fed all too well! Last night we enjoyed dinner with my brother, his wife, and my sweet niece and I stuffed myself full of lasagne, salad, and cake. Oh yes — carb overload! Well, at least there was salad, right? It was nice not having to cook, too 🙂 Laura and E. were so funny together. They are a few months apart, but Laura is actually smaller than her younger cousin. I can just tell they’re going to be trouble together. And then when you factor in my cousin’s little girl, well… we’ll have quite the trio on our hands!
Category Archives: Family
bows, boats, bb guns, and bbqs
Jake has spent the week in Cub Scout camp and has been having a fantastic time. He’s learned about boating safety and gone out on the lake several times. He also had the opportunity to learn about gun safety and shoot a BB gun for the first time. He brought home his target and man — he did all right! I’m thrilled that he’s learning how to properly use a gun; we don’t have any in our home, but I think when you know what it can do that makes a big difference.
The other favorite activity this week has been archery. He first shot a bow and arrow at the Cub & Partner weekend back in June and he took to it right away. When you consider that he hasn’t had many opportunities to practice with the bow, he’s really quite good. In fact (shh!) I think we’re going to get him his own youth archery set for his birthday. Jake can be a little scattered sometimes, but he really focuses when he’s out on the range. Not to mention that it looks pretty cool!
Last night was a BBQ for the scouts and their families, and that was pretty fun. Noah loved going down the waterslide and it was fun walking around the camp and getting a sense of the thing Jake has been doing all week. As much as take issue with some of the policies of the BSA as an organization, the men and women who volunteer and put this camp together are just amazing. He’s learned so much in such a short period of time and it’s the kind of stuff you can’t learn from textbooks, which makes it valuable in a whole different way. I’m sure he’ll be a little bummed when I pick him up in a few minutes, since today is the last day of camp. But he’s made some great memories and learned new skills which he can continue to hone if he chooses. It was a good week.
lazy, hazy…
I can’t believe it’s only mid-July. Is this summer dragging for anyone else? The boys haven’t even been out of school for a full month, yet it seems like so much longer than that. I know I’ve complained about it ad nauseum, but the heat and humidity is not doing much to make things pleasant. The kids are constantly covered in sweat, and poor Noah has little pimples because he won’t let me wash it every 10 minutes like I want to. He’s not even five yet. Do I really need to check out the best acne treatments that CVS has to offer? Tomorrow they’ll get a break at the lake, and they’ve enjoyed the splash pool and our slip & slide here in the yard. But it would be nice to do some outside activities in some nicer weather.
Next week is scheduled to be outrageously hot, too. At Cub Scout Camp Jake will have time in the lake every day, but I’ll have to think of something else for Noah. They had openings for the library mini-camp, so for three afternoons he’ll do that, since he’s having such a great time this week at the week-long camp.
I’m also running out of hot-weather recipes. How many grilled chicken salads can one eat? I’m inexplicably craving foods like meatloaf and split-pea soup, but they’re not exactly summer foods. (And no, don’t even think that the cravings indicate anything besides just that — cravings, LOL! Just trust me on that one!) Maybe I’ll splurge on some shrimp this weekend. I need to get out of this cooking rut!
a nip in the air
Wow, what a change in the weather! Go figure, after about two weeks of hot and humid days, Laura got heaps of summer clothes for her birthday that she can’t wear because it’s too chilly. It reminds me so much of this time last year. I feel like I spent her first month watching the rain and wearing sweaters. It’s supposed to warm up next week, though, so she’ll be wearing those adorable dresses soon.
Her birthday party went well. It’s always hectic when you’re the hostess, no matter how much you plan, plan, plan. I think everyone enjoyed themselves. The cake was a huge hit! I made a chocolate and strawberry layer cake with chocolate-covered strawberries on top:
It was super easy and looked impressive. I want to try other flavor variations at some point (lemon and vanilla, chocolate and spice, et cetera). Laura had a mini strawberry cake with chocolate frosting and a strawberry on top. She was only interested in the fruit while the guests were here, but after dinner she was very excited about the cake itself.
I feel so relaxed now that all these parties are behind us. It had been a busy month, going back to May. Now I can relax and spend my free time on things like sewing and crochet. Meanwhile, my left ankle is such a mess. Don’t worry — it’s nothing that requires I start looking into term life insurance or anything. I have a huge hive-type thing that is a result of what I believe is a combination of a spider bite and several chigger bites. The original (spider?) bite had been annoying, but nothing to be concerned over. Then last Friday I was planting flowers in my window boxes and the next day my ankle had tons of tiny little bites. They itch so bad. I’ve tried everything: alcohol, ammonia, cider vinegar, epsom salt, Benedryl cream, hydrogen peroxide. Some methods work better than others, but I think I just have to tough it out. I’m also so insistent about putting bug spray on Drew and the kids, but do I bother to do it to myself? Of course not. Lesson learned.
Maybe this brief cool snap killed some of these awful bugs. Let’s hope!
when i was one i had just begun…
In 365 days from this tiny, helpless thing in the hospital:
to this strong, loud, goofy, determined little lady in her room:
For the past year I’ve taken a photo of Laura (almost) monthly. I open the blinds in her room and sit her with her purple monkey on the big chair and snap away. I did the same thing with both Jake and Noah and really it’s just amazing how fast a baby grows in a single year.
She’s tiny, no doubt. People don’t believe me when I tell them how old she is, but man — don’t let her size fool you. She has a strong grip, pinches like a ninja, crawls all over the place, and as of this morning pulls herself to stand up. She eats like a champ. She loves roast chicken, Uncle Mike’s BBQ ribs, black bean soup, potato soup, strawberries… and naturally, french fries. She has loads of personality, loves her brothers to death, and is obsessed with our cat. (If only she’d start sleeping through the night, but… we’ll get there).
Yup, it’s been quite a year! I can only imagine what the next 12 months will bring. Happy birthday, Lulu!
nine
On a humid, misty afternoon, nine years ago today, I said “I do” to my very best friend in this whole wide crazy world. It was such a perfect day that I often wish I could do it all again. Sure there was plenty of stress involved with planning the ceremony and reception, but the whole thing came off without a hitch. The rain let up just long enough for us to take photographs at the restaurant. The food was amazing. I loved our band. (We opted for a jazz band instead of a DJ.) Everything just went as smooth as could be.
The next afternoon we boarded a plane at LaGuardia and headed for our honeymoon in France. We spent three days in Paris, then took the train to Bordeaux where we stayed at the most amazing chateau for five days. It’s insane to think about the wineries we somehow got into — Ponet-Canet, Beau–Séjour Bécot, Beychevelle, Cos d’Estournel… Years later we’d understand just how lucky we were! I can’t wait to go back someday. If we had the means it would be so easy to say YES! to dropping everything here and living a simple life in St. Julien or St. Emillion. Maybe someday.
Next year, obviously, is our big 10th anniversary and we’ve been thinking of celebrating that by taking a trip somewhere (assuming we can unload the kids on the grandparents cough, cough). It could be fun to head to Vegas for a few days. We could even stay at the Paris Hotel as a little homage to our honeymoon! It’s definitely a possibility. I can see Drew taking the opportunity to check out rvs for sale and drive cross-country, but… yeah, I don’t really see that happening. A short flight sounds much more relaxing to me.
As for how we’re celebrating today, we’ll either be going out with the kids or ordering in (depending on the temperament of a certain little lady who will be celebrating her birthday tomorrow). That’s right, a year ago I was pregnant, ready to meet my baby girl in the morning. So even though this is supposed to be an anniversary post, I’m going to leave you with two photos: one from a year ago, and one from today. Because really, in the end, it’s all about love and family isn’t it?
Life never ceases to amaze me.
how to have a perfect saturday
1. Start the day with a good breakfast, in this case triple-berry muffins that I let the boys make (just the add-water-variety of muffin mix), yogurt, fruit, and a big mug of Green Mountain Coffee’s Dark Magic.
2. Buy some dirt-cheap Bosc pears and apples at the local farm stand. Then take a blurry picture of them.
3. Hook a row on the adorable dress you are testing for the fabulous Alicia Paulson (!!!)!
4. Allow your boys to run through the sprinkler even though you think it’s too cold out. Wonder how you made such cute kids.
5. Watch them play with their new Tech Decks and the set you found for $1 (!!!) at a yard sale this morning.
6. Notice that one of the strawberry plants has a teeny tiny strawberry that is turning red and immediately yell, “Oh my goodness how cute!!!” And cause your boys to come run and see.
7. Make a baby smile 🙂
happy mother’s day!
I hope that all of you moms, grandmothers, godmothers, mothers at heart and heck — anyone who has a mom enjoyed a beautiful Mother’s Day yesterday. I know I did! Laura needs a better understanding of the day, though. Apparently she just wanted to be with me so much that she wouldn’t really sleep unless I was holding her the night before, LOL. Luckily I’ve learned to sleep in the chair in her room. Plus, I got to sleep in yesterday morning to a blissful 7:10. It was wonderful! When I came downstairs, a big mug of tea was ready for me and a bunch of cards and presents were on the kitchen table. Oh, my sweet boys!
Noah had given me his card and an impatien plant after nursery school on Friday. Jake made me a wonderful card in computer class at school. The kids must have been instructed to write about something they love about their mom on the inside of the card. He declared that he loves when I make my homemade pizza 🙂 He also gave me a little coupon book to cash in for chores (and kisses). From all the kiddos I got a planter they’d made they day before at Lowe’s, a copycat restaurant recipe cookbook (with so many amazing-sounding recipes in it — stay tuned for these!) and a Phish CD I don’t have (that D. found at Dollar Tree of all places)! Drew also gave me a beautiful card and the boys picked out another one together.
But the really shocker was this big box everything else had been sitting on top of, or in front of: a Keurig!!! I’d mentioned that I was saving up my Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks for one. D. found an amazing deal last week and wanted to surprise me. Well, surprise me he did! And yes, the coffee is totally amazing. So much better than anything I’ve made in quite some time.
After a yummy breakfast of eggs, toast, and delicious coffee, we got ready and went to opening day of the Rhinebeck Farmer’s Market. We picked up a sourdough baguette, garlic-rosemary goat cheese, dill pickles, and pickled eggs. Moms also got free seedlings, so each of the boys chose a snapdragon for me. It was very cold yesterday, so we didn’t stay long.
We came back home and D.’s mom, aunt, and brother came up for a visit. We enjoyed a yummy lunch of grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, cole slaw, pinot noir and cheesecake.
The power went out halfway through the time needed for the potatoes to bake, so I threw them on the grill for the rest of the time and they came out so much better! I know how I’ll be cooking them for the rest of the summer.
My brother-in-law brought me some of my favorite cupcakes that his girlfriend had sent for me. Oh, Crumbs… so delicious!
All in all it was just a wonderful day with my family. The only way it could have been better is if I’d seen my mom too (though I talked to her first thing in the morning). I wish I’d remember to take more photos. Sometimes I see people put slide shows on their blogs to show their pictures. But a few is better than none, right?
Anyway, now it’s back to the daily grind. I have to say that my week is off to a pretty great start, though!
jake’s first communion
Oh, hi! Yeah, I just remembered that I have a blog I haven’t updated in quite a while 😉 Actually, I’ve just not had the time to get around to it. I am sure you can understand. May is a busy month at Chez Carol. It started out with a beautiful Saturday and Jake’s First Communion! Even though it was just family attending the party afterward, I still had invitations made up (oh VistaPrint, how I love thee)!
The children were all adorable, but naturally I think that Jake was the handsomest of all. I still can’t believe how grown-up he looked.
The Mass was nice (though a little long, in my opinion). Also, the choir was a little weird — and it’s not just me who thought that. It was very… um… operatic I guess one might say? I think simpler would have been better, but that’s just how I am. Here’s a photo of D., Jake, and myself:
Jake had been so excited for his big day, and we had a great party at home after. Drew’s aunt made sausage and peppers and I made baked mac & cheese, meatballs, and salad. Mom brought a fruit platter. For dessert we had cream puffs and mini eclairs. I should have taken a photo of the spread! It was all so good. Everyone really seemed to have a great time and we were worn out by day’s end. Although it was a stressful year dealing with all the requirements, everything went so smoothly. I could not have asked for anything more!
let her eat cake!
My little pixie’s first birthday is less than two months away! I planned big parties for both Jake and Noah, but I’m not doing that this time. I’m only inviting the usual cast of immediate relatives. It will make things easier for me, and less overwhelming for Lulu. But I still want to do something special, and lately I’ve been fixated on cakes. I found inspiration in the latest issue of Ladies’ Home Journal (of all places!). I don’t usually read it because it was a substitution subscription when Country Home (sniff…) folded last year and not something I find particularly interesting. But when I thumbed through the recipe section, a couple things caught my eye. First, these simple little cake squares:
Wouldn’t they be just perfect for those tiny, chubby hands to pick up? They make me think of baby blocks. I’d make some lemon flavored and some strawberry flavored, I think. Another bonus: incredibly simple to make.
But then I saw these tiny cakes, too and… goodness, how irresistible are they?
You actually bake the cakes in tin cans (for example, a soup can or an evaporated milk can). They’re a little more elegant than cupcakes. Of course, they’d require more work, too. I can’t decide! What do you think?