last night recap

A special thanks to Anne and Ally for coming over to sample breads and make "washi" eggs with me!

here are the recipes I promised:

focaccia bread from Annie's eats

and citrus pound cake (everyday food mag- may '11 issue):

(ingredients at room temp)
2 sticks of butter +more for pan
1 cup sugar
1 ts vanilla xtract
5 large eggs
zest of one orange and two lemons
1 Tb of orange juice
2 ts lemon juice
1/2 ts salt
1 1/2 cups flour +more for pan

preheat oven 350, butter and flour a loaf pan.
Beat butter and sugar for 7 minutes- scrap down bowl and beat for an additional minute- slowly add eggs, vanilla, and citrus zest and juice- beating well- scraping the bowl down when needed. gradually add the flour and salt until smooth- pour into loaf pan and bake at 350* for about an hour- cool on a wire rack for an hour and remove from pan and cool completely before glazing

Glaze:
1 c. powder sugar
1T lemon juice
1T orange juice
whisk together and drizzle over cake- letting it spill down the sides :D

Tres' party

Treson's party was a blast!
We had a great turn out and despite the forecast said we had fine weather.
Thanks to all that came and made it extra special for Treson-boy!


now on to Ellie's Party

revampin' the birthday party

My first plan for Treson's "Curious George Birthday party" was pretty amazing: duplicating the science activities that are featured after Curious George episodes. But the more and more I thought about it, the more and more it fell short. It didn't seem age appropriate and would probably leave me and other parents overwhelmed... so I found a solution....

a pretty awesome solution.

The party is still CG theme, but the activity will be taken out back-

on an inflatable bouncer!

I just got an awesome deal for a bouncer, and I'm so excited we get to use it for Tre's party. I think the kids will have a blast! all I have to worry about now is the ice cream cake :D

Found one!

spark of inspiration

I've been somewhat subconsciously planning a tea party for the past year or so, mini sandwiches, hats, the whole deal...but nothing has really given me the swift kick in the butt until now



isn't this dried pineapple flower darling?!?

So it's decided then. I'm having a "Mother's Day Tea Party."- kids welcome. The cake will be two-tiered, dressed in cream cheese frosting, trimmed with ribbon, and embellished with clusters of pineapple flowers. (the top tier will be for the kiddos, while the mommies get the bottom tier.)
I don't want to give anything else away, but it's going to be amazing. All I need to do now is figure out the invites and find an awesome hat!

best of both worlds

We just had a money matters lesson in one of our Sunday school classes yesterday. They suggested the classic envelope technique where you divvy up the months income into your expected expenditures. You are apt to spend less when you actually have to see the cash leave your hands.

That's smart and all but I would be terrified to loose my envelopes or get my purse stolen. Cash is cash and when it's gone it's gone.
I'm a partial to credit cards myself. We pretty much use our card for everything. We're still smart and pay it off every week thus avoiding interest and late payments, and it doesn't hurt that we get reward points with our visa either! If you loose your card or if someone steals your number, you can call in for a replacement or sign an affidavit for the fraudulent charges. But I must admit, it IS easy to get carried away with a credit card. (the whole "have now and pay later" mantra)

So I got to thinking... I want to actually try living by a budget (vs. just drawing one up and glancing at it from time to time) but still have the security of a credit card, and then it hit me:
Keep the envelope idea, but instead of putting cash in them, put a 3x5 card in them with the designated amount on top. Throughout the month you can subtract amounts spent from the remaining total, and still use your credit card to make the purchases.

This plan still requires more effort and will power than the cash technique, but it's a great tool to keep track of your budget better.

that's a wrap folks. I hope this suggestion helps!

talking with your mouth full

Maybe it's the freshness a new year brings, but it feels like I need to tackle my projects and get after some hefty new ones! Frankly, I feel like I've bitten off more than I can chew, but I really want to blog about my lofty ambitions to you all. :D

I just decided that I want to write a series of children's books- this cute little name popped into my head last night/morning (4 am ish... yeah..... that's morning...)along with a funny/cute idea. However- now that I'm fully awake, that funny/cute idea seems off the wall and weird :S
BUT I am keeping the name of the main character. So we'll see where it goes from here.

I really want to start painting and designing my kitchen. I've been wanting to paint over this off-white/cream that's been smothering my kitchen with a bright fresh white on top, and a nice warm ash gray on bottom. Do some chair rail, some wainscoting action in the dinning room, and have a fresh blue accent wall by my cabinets. FINALLY finish the floors and maybe/maybe not take out the existing cabinetry and start all over in that department....hehehe (AJ's really loving me right now :D)

some more sewing projects, a couple birthday parties to plan, more yard work and landscaping, and last and not least: building a toy chest for Treson's 3rd birthday. Yes, even though I thought of this idea... I really don't intend to build it.. the sneaky sly part is getting AJ to do it for me! (*snicker snicker*)
so shhh! don't hint at this while he's around! :)