Sunday, January 31, 2010

wow

Check out this cake my friend Laura made for Parker's tea party birthday celebration.

She made ALL OF IT including the tea party scene pieces by hand out of fondant. Pretty incredible, right?
And, of course Lady Katie pulled together an appropriate get-up for the tea party.

Friday, January 29, 2010

if I were a

superhero I'd wear fabulous shoes too.Even her sidekick "shadow" dons them.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

coveting

pretty aprons from Anthropologie. Can't decide which one I like the best. What do you think?

Monday, January 25, 2010

drowning in artwork

This is a sampling of what Katie brings home from school daily. This is Friday's "score."

There is always an inevitable "surprise gift" for one of us in the random utility/credit card company envelope. Sometimes it's a drawing, other times its just pieces of paper she has shredded to confetti with scissors.

I try to recycle her artwork into something useful since she brings home so much. I make a lot -- and, I mean a lot of cards...

But, there is only so much correspondence a 4-year old needs to do.

What do you do with all the artwork piling up around your house?

Ideas please...

Friday, January 22, 2010

to sunnier times

I just found this picture of Katie on my cell phone. It's from last June. Those are bloomers (yes, the kind that are supposed to go under your dress).

She insisted they were shorts. I remember the argument quite clearly.

In the end I just gave up -- which is pretty much on par with how I handle things when it comes to her clothes these days.

Happy Friday everyone...

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

note to self: kids don't like orange butter cream frosting

Today we had some friends over to decorate sugar cookies.

I decided to experiment and made orange butter cream frosting flavored with orange zest and pureed pulp.

While not as good as the strawberry butter cream frosting, I thought it was pretty good -- not as brightly flavored as I would have liked, but not too bad.

The kids however did not like it at all. I ended up whipping up white icing for them at the last minute.

Oh well.

Monday, January 18, 2010

up in the air

Maddie, 17 months


Katie, 22 months

This probably means crazy fair rides are in Maddie's future too.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

lovin' these

gotta love the $1 bin at Target.

Monday, January 11, 2010

a few of my favorite things

One of my favorite gifts this holiday season were these two beautiful books my friend Carrie gave me.

Jane Austen may very well be the original chick lit author, but I don't care. I never tire of her works.

In addition to reading the novels fairly regularly I have been wasting all too much time on YouTube watching this, this and this -- three of my other favorite Austen novels.

What can I say, I love the BBC.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

magnificently fantastic

We have met so many creative and talented friends in recent years. From sewing to photography, I feel inanely inept sometimes as I boast such talents as "buying things" (which I suppose I am terribly good at.)

One of our favorite families just put out their second album of children's music. A double album nonetheless.

Katie was so excited about the CDs. She loved Magnificent Fantastic's first album. The other day she was singing a made up song to the tune of Trash Truck, one of her favorite tracks.

She was beyond excited when she saw track #18 on CD 1.

Our friend Will/Scott asked me to write some lyrics awhile back. I'm a writer which is not to be confused with a songwriter. And, while I played the piano for seven years my repertoire includes the first couple of bars from a single sonata, and Heart & Soul.

He turned the lyrics into an awesome song. When she heard the song she said, "That's talking about me."

She asked me today if I could read her the lyrics for her bedtime story.

Thank you Magnificent Fantastic!

Katie-Style
She's the more is better girl
Come on and give it a whirl
Take your clothes - put them in a pile
Let's do it Katie-style

Purse, shoebox, backpack --
Fill it up with stuff
If you can pull the zipper closed
It's not full enough
When it's stuffed shut
Sit back and smile
Now you've done it Katie-style

Maddie sees and mostly agrees
Try some boots that go up to your knees
Not enough stuff?
Head off to the store
'Cuz sometimes more is...
More toys, more animals, more play food
More dolls, more books, more pretty shoes

Going on a trip, England get a grip
Go the extra mile Katie-style
She's on her way
With some butter and some tea
To the Circus of Picadilly

Goin' on a trip, be back in a while
Think I'll do it Katie-style

Thursday, January 7, 2010

little hearts breaking this side of the atlantic

We are sad.

Some of our dear friends left the country at the end of the year.

Today when we were driving Katie told me she didn't get to see Lara enough and she wanted to play with her.

"I'm sorry, they are gone honey."

"Will they ever be back?"

I told her I didn't know getting misty, not knowing what else to say. We thought the kids would be friends forever, go through childhood together.

"It's not fair," she said.

No it isn't.

Monday, January 4, 2010

back-breaking work

Katie went to a princess party this weekend. On the way home, she was telling me how she was hot in her dress.

"Mama, I'm all sweaty and itchy where my dress is."

And then she tells me,"It's hard being a princess."