Cake Time

Over the weekend I had the privilege of making two cakes for two different celebrations. The first was a communion cake made for a friend. She requested a marble cake. Her only requests for the decorations were a cross of some kind and her daughter's name and the words "First Holy Communion." She also wanted some pink on the cake. I decided on a fondant covered sheet cake (equalling two cakes total). I made a yellow cake from scratch and combined it with a chocolate cake, then marbled it in the pan. I then made a vanilla buttercream that I generously covered the cake with. On top of that went a layer of my homemade marshmallow fondant, then my pink fondant flowers in the shape of a cross. I added the words in pink buttercream and finished the cake with white and pink fondant balls around the bottom. It was a lot of fun to make.



The second cake I made was for my husband's grandmother's 90th birthday. I was inspired by a variety of cakes from this cake designer, but mine didn't come out quite how I saw it in my head. I still like it, but I think the flowers around the base of the first layer are too big. The cake is a from scratch chocolate cake with homemade vanilla buttercream and then covered in my marshmallow fondant. The bottom tier is a single layer of cake, the top tier a two layer cake. I had lots of extra batter and also made 24 mini cupcakes that I forgot to take a picture of. They were frosted in pink vanilla buttercream and topped with a mini purple fondant flower.



Celebrating with Grandma Van was really wonderful. Two of her grandchildren and two of her great grandchildren came a long way to celebrate with us. We are so lucky that we live close and are able to see her more frequently. It was wonderful to see the joy and surprise on her face when she saw everyone at her party.

Giddy!

I used my new mixer yesterday! (I must admit, I planned my meals so that I could start using it.) I made homemade pizza and it turned out awesome! I used the bread hook and made a double batch of homemade pizza crust and then used my pizza stone (a product rarely used in my house) and my more traditional pizza pan. I have to admit, the pizza stone turned out a better crust, but my kids loved their cheese pizza made on the traditional pan. My son told me to make it this way from now on! I'm not only glad at how easy it was to make and use, but now I'm going to start using my pizza stone, which before this sat sadly under used. Yum!

Cookbook Heaven

I have to come clean. I have an addiction. I am addicted to cookbooks. I love them. I love them a lot. I have an entire shelf of my kitchen devoted to my cookbooks (and one of my daughter's, but I digress.) I also have several cookbooks down in my basement, as well as too many cooking magazines to count.

While I have given up all but one of my subscriptions to these magazines, and I only have one cookbook left on my Amazon.com wishlist, I still love to sit and pore over a new cookbook. On those rare occasions when Brendan and I end up in a bookstore, I invariably gravitate to the cookbook shelf. I spend hours looking up recipes on the internet, and I have a folder bursting at the seams with printed recipes to try.

I can't help myself.

Then as I was searching pictures of cakes online I came across a great little blog of a woman who has started a cake business for herself. Her cakes are beautiful, mine don't even come close to comparing. But, she mentioned something about how she went to the library and checked out every book she could on cake making and decorating.

Then the light bulb went on in my head. (It never occurred to me before, despite the fact that I'm at the library every week getting books for my kids and dvd's for my husband and I to watch.) I can get any number of cookbooks out of the library. Cookbooks all about casseroles, muffins, or appetizers. They have so many, and if they don't, I can request it from another library and still pick it up in mine. I am in cookbook heaven. I currently have seven cookbooks checked out. It doesn't matter that I can't possibly read everything these books have to offer. I probably will only make a few of the recipes. But oh, the possibilities. And the looking. And the planning. Why did I never think of this before?

I See Some Gratuitous Baking In My Future

I did it! Today I went to Kohl's and bought myself a KitchenAid stand mixer! I started looking at them seriously at the end of winter and the more I looked the more I wanted to buy one.

I must first state that I have never owned a stand mixer. And while my mom currently owns one, I have never actually seen her use a stand mixer. All my life growing up she used a hand mixer. So when I got married at the ripe old age of 22, I saw no reason to register for anything besides a hand mixer. I got a KitchenAid hand mixer that I have used frequently since my wedding day almost 13 years ago, and it still works great.

But as I've begun baking more and more, making cakes, frostings, cookies, cheesecakes, cinnamon rolls, pizza crusts, bread and muffins from scratch, I've started to wonder how nice it might be to not have to stand holding a mixer and spinning a bowl for ten minutes beating royal frosting. How if I hadn't completely softened my butter or cream cheese, I could still start the mixer and it would be creamed with the sugar in no time.

So I started researching stand mixers. I had decided on the KitchenAid pro 5 mixer, but had a hard time finding it in stock at many stores, especially in the color I wanted. So, I waited and started looking around again. I watched Alton Brown use a KitchenAid stand mixer on his Food Network show, and found my desire to own one grow stronger. I grew impatient. I searched the internet for deals. I visited kitchenware stores to see if they carried my coveted stand mixer. I weighed my options.

Then, it happened. I received my Kohl's ad with 30% off on the cover. And inside, the KitchenAid pro 600 was on sale. With my discount it would be almost the same price of the pro 5 with shipping and handling (I was considering ordering it online for awhile). So I headed to Kohl's today and there on the shelf were two red ones, a white one, and my licorice black pro 600. I lifted it onto the cart, and carefully made my way through the aisles. I passed a man who said he wanted that one bad. We discussed stand mixers for awhile and he told me I would love it. I headed for the register and bought my pretty black mixer. I brought it home and cleaned a space on the counter for it. It fits perfectly under my cabinets and is waiting to be turned on and start mixing things.

I can't wait!

On a side note, I have to thank my wonderful husband for always telling me to save my two savings bonds I received as high school graduation gifts for something for myself. There have been many times during our marriage that I thought of using them to buy something for our house or for the kids. Instead I got to buy my dream mixer. Thank you!

Good Morning

Everyone should have the opportunity to spend a crisp Spring morning taking a bike ride around the block with your four year old daughter while she sings "Mary Had A Little Lamb" at the top of her lungs.

Best morning I've had in a long time!

Neighborly Good-Bye

For the last almost two years we've lived on an amazing street in a humble little subdivision in Illinois. Our neighbors are fun, and their kids are nice and always willing to play. This past Spring two of our neighbors on our side of the street have moved. One just to Michigan, but another good neighbor left today for Beijing, China.

Since we moved in these neighbors welcomed us warmly and always made us feel a part of the street. Their son and daughter played frequently with my kids and I talked to their mom often. I didn't meet their Dad until late this winter and managed to embarrass myself as I attended their daughter's birthday party wearing my Ohio State jersey and bragged about how Ohio State beat Michigan, not knowing he went to grad school at Michigan. He forgave me, since they scheduled the party to start before the end of the game.


Here is a picture of all the girls from our side of the street. The third one from the left is the one who played with my Emma regularly. Her brother was just as nice and sweet. We wish them a safe trip, an interesting and fun new life in China, and many wonderful experiences. You will be sadly missed by all of us here.

The good news is I've had lots of great things to do in the last week and a half! The bad news is that I've neglected this blog! Sorry. New updates coming soon!

Superstitious

I am not by nature a superstitious person. I do not forward on chain letters, a broken mirror doesn't frighten me, and I've even been known to walk under a ladder from time to time. 13 doesn't frighten me, although Friday the 13th can be a fun night. Full moons are beautiful to gaze at and spilled salt gets swept off the table and into the garbage can.

But right now I'm a tiny bit nervous about the mileage on my van. It is 66622. When I was in the 66,500's, I kept thinking how I didn't really want it to get to the 66600's. And when it turned I watched it with a slight feeling of dread. Now I'm thinking of reasons to drive places and actually glad that I have to drive my kids 12 miles round trip to school each morning.

Within a week or so it should be in the 66,700's, but until then I'm driving extra carefully.

I Hate Rude People!

I am really tired of going places and people on cell phones thinking they own the world! I have been going to the same library for eight years now, and in the last year I have encountered more and more people using their cell phones LOUDLY in the library. And not for emergency calls, but just chatting.

The latest was today in the children's area. I was looking for some books when I actually heard this, "You're shitting me." I turn to look, and there is a woman, no kids, sitting on the sofa talking on her cell phone. I'm assuming her kid was in the storytime in the room off of the reading area. So since she had no kids, she thought she would just make a few phone calls! That's fine and dandy, except for the fact that the library bars use of cell phones inside and she was using foul language in a children's area! She couldn't be bothered to step outside of the library to have her conversation because you know, she wanted to talk! Aaargh! I hate rude people.

Cleaning Joy

I know this is both ridiculous and disgusting, but I felt true happiness today. My bathrooms were disgusting. In the last week our family was hit with a nasty ass bug that left every single one of us either vomiting or having diarrhea. I'm sure that's a fact most of you could have lived without, but I'm all about the facts here. Consequently, every bathroom in my house was filthy. The toilets were especially gross, as either one of our heads or backsides were parked there several times over the course of the illness.

So today I'm finally feeling better and decided to tackle both the upstairs bathrooms. I didn't expect to feel such joy at peering at sinks with no toothpaste stuck in them, at eyeing the shiny mirrors, at gazing at a fresh toilet bowl with no orange or brown spatters. But to my surprise I felt a lightness that made me proud, proud to know we are no longer using facilities covered in crap and vomit.

Aahh, it's the little things in life that bring so much joy to my heart!

Was This Really Necessary?

Received a package of crap in the mail the other day and this ad was included in it. Now really, is a Mickey Mouse dressed like Elvis really something anyone needs? And what kind of person buys this stuff?


Some of the selling points include:

"Sparkles with over 80 faux jewels" - Ooooooh, faux jewels, just what this needs
"Edition limited to 95 casting days" - Great, only a few people will have one
"Only $19.95" - though I would have to pay sales tax as I live in Illinois, but the lucky collectors who live in North Dakota wouldn't have to
"The first-ever Mickey Elvis figurine from Hamilton" - because this was surely a market that needed to be tapped
"Every dazzling detail is simply 'ear-resistible'" - Couldn't resist a Mickey ear joke

What do you think Nikki, does your Elvis devotion extend to Mickey Mouse? I didn't really think so.

Signs Of Spring

Spring has finally sprung in my little neck of the woods. Since getting a digital camera several years ago, my interest in photographing nature has blossomed. I love that I can take multiple pictures of the same thing and not worry about wasting film. I like getting close-ups and trying different angles on the same subject. Even though I am not even close to a professional, I am proud and happy of the results I get. It brings me joy seeing the beauty around me, and getting to capture it on camera and possibly hanging it somewhere on my wall in my house gives me great satisfaction. I also love how personal the pictures in my home then become.

This past week I have been able to capture some pictures of the buds on a tree in my front yard and the flowers on a bush, also in my front yard. I love this time of year, when after a looooong winter the trees and bushes give showy displays of color, like they're saying, "We're back! Did you miss us?"

Here are a few of the pictures I snapped. Enjoy!

These first four are from a tree in the tree lawn.






These are from the bush in front of my house. Not sure what it is, we inherited it when we bought the house.

Fun Monday

Well, this better be fun, because my weekend (from Thursday on) was not quite fun. Two puking daughters, a sick husband, a nasty head cold, and corralling large numbers of children in the school cafeteria and trying to keep them quiet during the school musical = my weekend.

But I digress. Our hostess with the mostest, Southern Doll, has asked us to tell you the following:

What have you done in your life that was worth doing? I want to know the moments in your life that you hope will be the ones to pass through your mind when your time comes. I hope that doesn't sound too morbid. This doesn't necessarily have to be items you have checked off your Bucket List, it can be those small moments that made you smile, or the time you got that huge promotion you deserved, or the first time your baby smiled at you out of pure joy. I want to know all the moments, big and small, that make life sweet! If you don't already have a running list of these in your mind, you should! These moments help you remember how much your life is worth living, and we all deserve to enjoy it.

There are so many moments in life that make life worth living for me. I have been blessed to have a wonderful family and friends. In an effort to make this easier to read and hopefully not to boring, I am going to try to list some of these moments.

1. Being kind to Lauren in 7th grade, when no one else on the volleyball team was nice to her.

2. Being a friend to Tracey and Heather when they got pregnant in high school.

3. Pouring balloons over my grandfather's head on his birthday (I was 13) even though I was terrified to do it.

4. Interviewing my grandpa about his days as a bootlegger during prohibition.

5. Dancing with my grandpa (and my husband's grandpa) at family weddings.

6. Walking down the aisle with my Dad.

7. Marrying Brendan.

8. Writing notes to my students when I was teaching them.

9. Writing Adrian when I stopped teaching and seeing whet a wonderful young lady she is becoming.

10. Being pregnant four times - feeling my babies move inside of me.

11. Giving birth to my three beautiful children.

12. Volunteering at my kid's school.

13. Seeing my kids faces every year when I make them the birthday cake they request.

14. The year money was tight so my husband and I only spent $20 on each other for Christmas - I made him a little scrapbook about our life together up to that point.

15. Having our 10th anniversary dinner at home because Brendan had lost his job, and enjoying every minute of it.

16. Seeing my best friend, Aimee, become an amazing mom.

17. Going to my 5 and 10 year college reunions and remembering how much fun I had with some amazing men and women.

18. Giving the checkout girl at my grocery store a $25 gift card at Christmas - anonymously.

19. Going to Barenaked Ladies concerts and Barry Manilow concerts.

20. Surprising my Dad on his 60th birthday.

21. When my brothers and sister and I sent my parents to New York for three days for their 45th anniversary.

22. Going shopping with my mom the day after Thanksgiving for the last two years.

23. Having Thanksgiving at my house and having my mom help me make the turkey.

24. Hosting Christmas for my husband's family.

25. Calling my sister and talking about anything and everything.

26. Making my aunt a card every week and sending them to her while she undergoes chemotherapy.

Whew, I think I could go on for days. When I started I didn't know where I was going to go with this. But as one idea came into my head, another one would pop up and then another! I am truly blessed to have such wonderful people in my life that make this list so long.

Now head over to Southern Doll's blog and check out all the other Fun Monday participants.

Fun Monday

Our host is Nekked Lizard Man and Lady over here.

Their task this week is: FIVE PICTURES - FIVE WORDS PER PICTURE.
Any 5 (FIVE) pictures, any subject, and any 5 (FIVE) words to describe and/or explain each picture. CAN YOU DO IT???

Sounds fun, doesn't it? So without further ado, here are my five pictures.

St. Patrick's Day Family Fun

Cousins Forever At Morton Arboretum

Saturday's Breakfast - Made From Scratch

Husband, Love Of My Life

My Four Favorite (Happy) People

Now, head over to Nekked Lizard Adventures and check out the other Fun Monday participants!

Thumb Sucker

My youngest daughter is a thumb sucker. I'm not ready to say "was" yet, but I'm thinking I might be able to soon, maybe. Zoe was a thumb sucker from the beginning. I could not get her to ever take a pacifier, but her thumb worked wonders. She was a good sleeper from the beginning, also. Still is. I credit the thumb.

For the first three years, we only saw the thumb in her mouth when she was tired. The rest of the time it was on her hand next to her body, away from her mouth. Then somewhere between her 3rd and 4th birthday the thumb started finding her mouth more and more often. Watching TV - thumb in mouth, listening to a story - thumb in mouth, riding in van while taking brother and sister to school - thumb in mouth. My husband and I decided to take a page from my sister's parenting book (she had two thumb suckers) and instead of outright outlawing it, we told Zoe she could only suck her thumb while she was lying in her bed. She was allowed to go upstairs and suck her thumb if she wanted to, but she had to be in her bed when she did it. Well, that didn't really work. We reminded, cajoled, played games, pointed, pulled, etc. And the thumb would come out of her mouth, anywhere from 2 seconds to 2 minutes, but then it would be right back in place. To say our method wasn't working would be an understatement. We weren't sure what to do next.

So in March we took her to the dentist for her checkup. We had the nicest dental hygienist, super sweet chairside manner and lots of smiles and fun questions. Zoe was enjoying the attention and doing an amazing job of letting people poke around inside her mouth. When the dentist came in she ate up all his silly jokes and attention. When asked about whether she was a thumb sucker, I gave an emphatic "yes." Dr. J. said he could almost see a thumbprint on the roof of her mouth, which I wouldn't be surprised of at all considering the amount of time her thumb was spending in her mouth.

Then Dr. J. said something that I had no idea would have such a profound effect on Zoe. He told her that she really shouldn't suck her thumb. That's it. On the way home Zoe mentioned how she wasn't going to suck her thumb all the way home. And she didn't. Then the next day on the way home from taking the kids to school she said it was hard not to suck her thumb, but she didn't suck it. And honestly, I haven't had to remind her once since that dentist appointment to take her thumb out of her mouth.

If I had known this was all it would take to get her to stop sucking her thumb, I'd have taken her a long time ago. Who knew?

Bunco Babe

Back in January my next door neighbor was hosting a monthly Bunco group that she was a part of and needed a sub last minute. Enter me. She called in the afternoon and asked if I'd be interested in playing. Having never played before, I was both a little nervous and curious. Being that most of the other ladies are from Naperville, I was a bit worried about my appearance. I took some time to straighten my (naturally curly) hair and change my sweater to something a little nicer. I applied makeup and after dinner walked over to my neighbor's house.

I played my first game of Bunco and had a great time. The women were funny and kind, the game was relaxed and filled with talk of kids, husbands, school districts, and reality TV shows. At the end of the night I was awarded a prize for achieving the last Bunco of the evening, as well as getting to pick a prize from the pile that everyone brings. The group was short one regular each month and I was asked if I'd like to join. I did and have played Bunco once a month ever since.

So, last night I played again and didn't have the most wins or the last Bunco, but I did have the most Buncos (3), which results in the biggest prize of the night!!! I received a $15 gift card to Target, and still got to pick a prize from the stash. I was near the end of picking, because they order it so that the person with the most losses gets to choose first and so on down the line. But, there were still lots of great choices left and I got a gift card to Oberweis Dairy - an amazing ice cream place here. It was a fun night!!

Sunday Expert

At church Sunday morning we sat behind one of the lectors. She was a young woman and she read the second reading. The second reading contained many references to God, saying His name often during the reading. Zoe was sitting quietly next to me watching and listening the woman read. At the end, the woman left the ambo and came back to sit down in the pew in front of us. At this point Zoe turned to me and asked me, "Do you know a lot about God?" I stuttered, "Yes, I guess I do." She then asked, "Why don't you go up there (pointing to the ambo) and talk, then?"

Fun Monday - Crush!

My assignment came from Jo beaufoix over at http://www.jobeaufoix.com/

It is this: I want to know about your first ‘celebrity’ crush. You know, the one you fancied from that band, or that film, or who read the news, or who won Gold at the Olympics.

I thought really hard about this, and either I wasn't crazy about that many celebs, or I'm blocking the embarrassing memories of my first crushes. So, the two that I could some up with are John Taylor from Duran Duran and Rick Springfield.


I drew a picture of Rick Springfield in art class in 6th grade when we had to do a portrait of someone in charcoal. I think I still have it in a box in the basement. I remember that I took my sister's record album cover to school to use for the portrait.


I know I got a big poster of John Taylor in seventh grade for my birthday. that went up on my bedroom door. I loved Duran Duran, and of course loved John. I was a bit of a follower at the time! The first picture is of John when I had a crush. This second one is of him now. He's still quite tasty!



I do not have a scanner and therefore cannot show you any photos of myself at the time. Sorry!

MMMMMuffins!

I love to bake. My kids love muffins. We have them often. I make homemade and muffins from a mix. I like them both, especially flavors that I have a hard time making from scratch (like almond poppy seed, yum!) So I decided to share my kids' favorite muffin recipe with you. Now, it's probably their favorite because it is almost like dessert. But, it's sooo good.

One thing I love about making muffins from scratch is knowing exactly what ingredients go into the food I'm feeding my family. No preservatives or agents designed to prevent settling/ caking/ foaming, etc. It also gives me the chance to healthy up a recipe. Don't get me wrong, these muffins, with one cup of sugar and a stick of butter, are not health food. But, with a few simple changes to the recipe, they can be better for you.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins (Healthier Version)

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 medium carrot, finely shredded
3/4 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease or line with paper cupcake liners 18 muffin cups.

2. Combine the flours, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Stir to combine.

3. Add the eggs, milk, melted butter and shredded carrot. Stir until just blended. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon into prepared muffin pans. Bake until puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean; 15-18 minutes. Cool in pan for five minutes. Remove and cool completely.

Yield: 18 muffins

If you don't want the healthier version, substitute all purpose flour for the whole wheat flour and omit the carrot. I figure any way I can get extra fiber into my kids diet is worth it, even if it's just a little whole wheat flour in a chocolate muffin. The carrot was a last minute inspiration after realizing my kids love zucchini and carrot muffins when I make those. The key is using the finest shred option on your grater. The carrot shreds just melt right into the muffin and are not noticeable. My kids had no idea I had put a carrot in the batter.

Fallen Off The Face Of The Earth

Hello again! It's been a while since I've blogged. It happened for a number of reasons, none of them very good excuses or very important. Blogging doesn't come completely naturally for me. I read other people's blogs and so many say they kept multiple journals as kids and blogging's just a natural extension of that need to write. For me, I was a kid who liked the idea of journaling. I can't tell you how many notebooks I'd start writing in only to abandon it one to two weeks later. So, I had a little fall off the blogging wagon, so to speak. I am going to try and be faithful and get back to regular posting. This is my start.

Makes Me Smile

Today we went out to buy my youngest daughter shoes for Easter. We found cute white ballet flats and bought them and moved onto the next store. As I was checking out at the second store, Zoe asked me, "Why did we buy Easter shoes if today is St. Patrick's Day?"

Nothing gets past Zoe!

Fun Monday

Our host for this week is Nikki over at My Husband Calls Me Weird.

Our assignment: I don't know about you, but my family is great at creating strange words that only we know the meaning. Some were created when the kids were first learning to talk, others came about when our tongues were twisted and the word came out funny. Either way, the words stuck and we still use them in our daily conversations. What created words does your family use?! Please share the story behind the word if you remember. If you don't have a made up word then tell us about the unspoken way you communicate with someone. Do you and your significant other have a look that means "This party is boring, lets split" or do you have a look that your kids know means their butt is in serious trouble? Please share!! And a picture of the look would be very entertaining!

So here are my entries:

1. Shalilla Wipers - when my son was little he called anything vanilla "Shalilla", the wipers part is for wafers - therefore vanilla wafers

2. You Missed It! - okay, this really isn;t a made up word, but my family uses it all the time, with emphasis on the You and Missed. My middle daughter would often point things out while we were driving, and if we didn't see it, she would inevitably tell us, "YOu MISSED it!" We now use it for all the time when someone misses something or doesn't get something.

3. Misappear - Again, from my son. When things went missing, when a character wasn't on the TV screen, when Uncle Kevin does magic tricks, things misappear - meaning disappear

4. Passamasquawtee - this isn't one that I actually use, but my husband and his siblings use it. It means F*ck You. Their family is Irish, and they had learned the gaelic "Pog mo thoin" which means "kiss my ass." They couldn't remember it, though, and while trying to they came up wth this word. Now if one of them says "Pog mo thoin," the other responds, "Passamasquawtee."

5. I was over reading Mariposa's Fun Monday entry and it reminded me of one more word. When I was little I had an Uncle Ed. For some reason when I said his name it came out "Honky Ed." To this day he still greets me as "Honky Heather" and he's still my "Honky Ed."

And there you have it!

It Just Makes Me Laugh

I know I shouldn't find this funny, and I know it probably reflects poorly on my parenting, but Zoe did something today that just made me laugh.

Every Friday I babysit one of my friend's daughters, we'll call her M. She is three, exactly one year younger than Zoe. They get along well and play together a lot. This afternoon they were playing Barbie and M said, "Pretend her is going to sleep." When she got no response from Zoe, M repeated herself, "Pretend her is going to sleep," at least four or five times.

Zoe, who was busy trying to put feet on her sister's Bratz doll (don't judge!), finally says in an exasperated voice, "Okay, go already!"

Sounds a lot like me when I'm forced to play Barbie. Ooops!

Holy Birthday Cake, Batman!

My now four year old daughter wanted a Batman cake for her birthday. I have always made my kids cakes, as per their request, so Zoe's choice this year was no different. In fact, I was pretty excited about it. It's not often a little girl picks a superhero for her birthday theme, so after I was sure that she really wanted Batman decided to make my own invitations as well as the cake, of course.

My first thought was that I wanted the invitation to be as girly as possible, but to include Batman. After several failed attempts to find Batman stickers depicting the old Batman (the one I grew up with, or at least not the newer stylized "The Batman".) Unfortunately I had no luck with that, but found some neat "Tha Batman" confetti at my party store and decided to use that on her card. The results were a pink and white scalloped card with Batman in the middle. I was really happy with how they turned out.

After completing the invitations I focused on the cake. I had several ideas of how I might make the cake when I decided to search eBay. Sure enough, there was a great pan from 1977 of Batman complete with faceplate. I won the auction and eagerly awaited the pan's arrival. When it got here I knew I had made the right decision in buying it. It was in perfect condition, although the faceplate was faded somewhat.

Two days before the party I baked the cake. Zoe helped me mix and 30 minutes after putting the batter into the well greased and floured pan, it was done and ready to be unmolded. I flipped it over onto the foil covered cake board and it unmolded perfectly. As it cooled I whipped up another cake that I baked in two 8-inch round pans. Brendan and I had decided that since his brother's and sister's birthdays were so close to Zoe's that we should surprise them with a cake of their own. We decided to keep it in the Batman theme, so they would match Zoe's cake nicely.


I made lemon buttercream frosting for the two round cakes and frosted each one. I then rolled out my marshmallow fondant I had made the night before, white for Elizabeth's cake and yellow for Kevin's cake. The cakes covered flawlessly and were ready to be decorated. I had a bat cookie cutter for Halloween that worked perfectly for the bat symbol. I cut a pink fondant bat for the white cake and a black fondant bat for the yellow cake. After placing them I felt the white cake needed to be girlied up a bit, (and I wanted to try some new flower fondant cutters I had gotten) so I made some pink flowers and added them to Elizabeth's cake. I loved the results.


The next morning I made my vanilla buttercream frosting for Zoe's cake. I made more than the directions called for because I didn't want to run out midway into decorating. I began covering the cape in royal blue stars when the girls swarmed me like gnats. After about a zillion questions on what I was doing and when was I going to switch colors and am I going to put frosting on his face, I remembered why I usually decorate their cakes at night after they are all in bed. But, I soldiered on and finished decorating Batman around lunch time. I was so happy with how it turned out, but more importantly Zoe was excited for her cake. My son told me it looked just like in a book, a huge compliment from him. My husband also loved it. He had had a similar cake as a child, and is considering asking me to make this cake for him for his birthday this year.


I made the chest plate the night before out of fondant and loved how it looked on the cake. I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with how the cakes turned out this year. I can't wait to find out what cake Zoe will want for her 5th birthday.

I've Been Awarded!

My friend, Alison, over at RDH Mom, has awarded me the "You Make Me Smile" award, my first ever award! Thanks Alison! I have recently gotten to know Alison through her blog and think you may enjoy reading what she has to say. Her adoption Journey series are especially compelling.

Thanks Alison! Now who to pass this on to?

I'd like to give it to:

Nikki
Brendan

Happy 4th Birthday, Zoe!

It was four years ago that I had you, my third child, my second daughter, my baby. You have always been such a good little girl, a happy and cheerful baby, a sweet child. Your curly hair gets compliments daily, often from strangers at the grocery store. Your good natured humor leaves you with a smile on your face most of the time, and with a frown for only moments. You see the bright side of things and are eager to help whenever possible. You are loving, smart, and unbelievably adorable. I love you. Happy Birthday.

Fun Monday

Our task was to choose five memorable movie lines and tell who we would say them to today. IT Guy is our host today, so head over there and check out other Fun Monday Movie Lines!

I had a little bit of a hard time picking all of my lines. While I enjoy movies, they have never played a large part in my life. My husband and his siblings recite movie lines all the time, the most my brothers and sisters and I ever did was sing the Heat Miser and Cold Miser songs from "The Year Without A Santa Claus." But, after I sat down to think of my favorite movies I found five memorable lines, though I'm not sure I could use them all in my real life. So here goes . . .

1. "Are you crazy? A man in a really nice camper wants to put our song on the radio! Gimme a pen, I'm signin'! You're signin'! We're all signin'!" - Lenny to his bandmates in "That Thing You Do"

I really don't know who I would say this to, but it makes me smile whenever I think of it.

2. "Ahh, home crap home!" - Walter in "Money Pit"

I'd definitely say this to my husband (maybe I did!) when we were selling our second home and we had to fix a whole bunch of stuff before hte new owners moved in. We had a contractor who wouldn't show up, would leave gaping holes where doors used to be, we had to have a radon removal sevice installed and things like garage door springs were breaking literally weeks before we had to move out. We couldn't get out of that house fast enough.

3. "I believe one should fight for what one believes. Provided one is absolutely sure one is absolutely right." - Mark Thackeray in "To Sir, With Love"

I would say this to anyone who is passionate about something, probably my friend Marie, who is doing amazing work in the pro-life movement.

4. "There's children throwing snowballs / instead of throwing heads / they're busy building toys / and absolutely no one's dead!" - Jack Skellington in "A Nightmare Before Christmas"

I'd probably say this to my husband every night he walks in the door (providing the no one's dead part was true!).

5. "When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window." - Maria in "The Sound Of Music"

I would say this to my friend Heather who is experiencing difficulties with her sister-in-law. I would say this to anyone who needs a boost and is feeling down or disappointed.

Hope you enjoyed my movie quotes. I know it was fun to think about my favorite movies and come up with these memorable lines. Maybe I'll try to sneak one into my conversations this week.

The Hard Realities Of Growing Up

I have been busy all week preparing for Zoe's 4th birthday party this weekend. It is just going to be family, but I still have a lot of work as I am preparing brunch and three cakes for about 15 people and need to get the house clean and the food made.

I still can't quite believe she's going to be four years old. For over a year now, she has been using the potty (no more diapers, here!), sleeping in a big girl bed, and not wearing bibs. It's been quite a transition for both of us.

After three kids, Brendan and I have been methodically getting rid of most of our baby stuff. Yesterday that included selling Zoe's crib. Because she and Emma were so close in age (19 months apart), we had two cribs. Emma used the one we bought Ian when he was born, and Zoe used a hand-me-down crib from my father-in-law. We decided to keep the crib we bought, for our future grandbabies, but the other one we no longer needed. After over a year of storage in the basement, we finally took some pictures of it and put it up on Craigslist to sell. Within a day we had a few takers. Brendan arranged for a "showing" and the woman who came, a soon to be Grandma, bought the crib.

We were pleased with how things turned out. Zoe was not. Brendan had brought the crib upstairs so the woman could easily look at it. Zoe asked us why her crib was upstairs. We told her we were going to sell it because she didn't need it anymore. This brought tears to her eyes and she said she didn't want to sleep in her big girl bed anymore, that she wantd to sleep in her crib. We explained that she was too big for her crib now. This only led Zoe to exclaim that she wished she were still a baby so that she could sleep in her crib again. It was so pitiful and sweet at the same time.

The kids went to bed and about 15 minutes later our doorbell rang. The buyer came in and looked at the crib. I was upstairs in the office trying to make an Easter card when Zoe tearfully came in asking if the lady downstairs had bought the crib. I said she had, and Zoe burst into tears. I took her into the hallway where her dad was helping the woman take the crib to her car. Zoe watched sadly as the crib left. She cried genuine tears of sorrow for the loss of her crib. She was miserable and my heart ached for her. When I layed her back down to bed, she said she would think about sleeping in her crib until she died (she's a bit melodramatic!).

After I went back to my cardmaking I couldn't help but think how funny and interesting growing up is. Here we are, getting ready to celebrate her 4th birthday with a Batman cake and Tinkerbell plates, preparing her for preschool next year, truly one of the first major signs that a kid is growing up, and she is mourning her crib, her time of being a baby. She is getting older, and there is nothing she or I can do about it. I guess that is difficult to deal with.

I Stand Corrected

When my sister, Leanne, and I were kids we ate a lot of Cheerios. My mom did not buy sugary cereals, so we usually had Cheerios, Corn Flakes and Grape Nuts in the house. We both hated Grape Nuts, and Corn Flakes were fine, but Cheerios was definitely our cereal of choice. (We also did not get a hot breakfast, it was cereal, that's it.)

My two brothers on the other hand were big Grape Nuts eaters. Leanne and I not only thought they sounded disgusting, looked disgusting and tasted disgusting, but that they also emitted a horrible smell when my brothers ate them. There was nothing anyone could do to get us to eat Grape Nuts.

Our feelings were echoed by my brothers when it came to eating Cheerios. Never would a Cheerio enter their bowls. They also complained regularly that Cheerios stunk. They rarely missed an opportunity to tell either myself or Leanne that our bowl of cereal smelled terrible and to move away from them.

Well, fast forward 25 years and while there still are no Grape Nuts to be found in my household, my two daughters (though funnily enough, not my son) are big fans of Honey Nut Cheerios. My son even complains from time to time that his sister's cereal stinks. I just waved it off and figured it was a boy/ girl thing.

Until today. Zoe sits behind me in the car and today was eating Honey Nut Cheerios dry. As we were heading to school, the smell of Honey Nut Cheerios wafted forward towards my seat. It was not a nice smell. I might even dare to say that it stunk.

And now I'm forced to do something most little sisters would never do. I have to admit my brothers were right, Cheerios do stink.

A Night Out!

I had the most amazing evening yesterday. Three days ago my father-in-law calls and tells us he has two tickets to my brother-in-law's play for Thursday night. I thought, "Great, but will we be able to get a babysitter?" And my dear husband called his mom and voila, we were going out to see a play on Thursday night!

We went to the Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oakbrook for "Jeeves Intervenes," a Jeff recommended comedy. The theater is an intimate affair, seating only 52 audience members. The show itself had only six characters, and that was all it needed. As I sat watching the show, I realized how much good quality theater is out there for the taking, if only one wants to find it. The small venue was inviting and allowed for a truly up close and personal look at the actors as they played their parts.

At intermission we were discussing how it felt as though the audience was in the room with all the actors (the entire play takes place in one sitting room), like we were on a couch on the other side of the room. It's not something you can experience at the big productions. I have enjoyed many high quality large productions of plays, but this was really enjoyable in a different way. There weren't any amazing set changes, the costumes were simple and suited the story, and the story is fast paced, perfect for a smaller audience. The dialogue was witty, funny and sharp.


When it has been a long time since I've seen a show I forget how much I love live theater. I grew up going to shows like "Annie", "Fiddler on the Roof", "Oklahoma", and "Starlight Express", to name a few that my parents took my brothers and sister and I to as kids. Since being married, my husband and I have continued to go to shows when the budget permits, but it's been awhile. Last night reminded me again how important and fun it is that we keep going to live theater. It's something I want my kids to experience, too.

All in all, a wonderful night out, even if we did have to eat McDonald's in the car on the way.

By the way, my brother-in-law is the one on the left in the picture.

Wisdom From My Three Year Old

While watching a Superfriends episode from the 80's, my daughter noticed Firestorm's anger and sadness over Superman's apparent death. She said to me, "Mommy, he's always mad. That's why his smile is upside down."

Different Languages

I don't think I speak five year old girl very well.

For example: This morning I said, "Time to put shoes on." Meaning, put your shoes on it's time to go to school.

My five year old daughter must have heard something like, "Go ahead. Go get your doll, put a new outfit on her, then bug your little sister for two minutes. After you do all that, then it would be a good time to put your shoes on so we can get to school on time."

I was a five year old girl once, so I'm not sure how I lost the ability to speak her language clearly, but I obviously have.

Fun Monday

Mariposa is hosting this week.

Our task is as follows:
(1) Please share to us how the NAME of your BLOG was made? I can't wait to hear interesting funny stories!

(2) Please share to us (in words or photo, though a combination of both will be a bonus!) your favorite/ most common dish!

1. I named my blog Heather's Recipes for very boring reasons. My husband had been blogging for several years, and I decided I wanted to give it a try. I thought that I'd post a recipe weekly, and other musings as I saw them. I figured the recipe would help me post regularly. It did at first, but then I just posted recipes very sporadically. ANYWAYS, I picked The title for my blog because Heather is my first name and I like to share recipes!

2. I do not have a picture of my best dish, but will share the recipe with you. I had a hard time picking, so I asked my husband, and he mentioned my Golden Delicious Apple Tart, my Sweet Potato Casserole, and my Country Chicken Kiev. I was thinking about my Baked Ziti, but in the end I realized that the Country Chicken Kiev is probably one of my best dishes, one I'm proud to serve to company and make for special occasions.

So, here's my recipe:

Country Chicken Kiev

2/3 cup butter
1/2 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. salt
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup cooking wine
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tsp. dried parsley)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Melt butter. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, garlic salt and salt. Dip chicken in butter, then roll in crumb mixture to coat. Place in ungreased 13 in. x 9 in. pan. Add wine, green onions and parsley to remaining butter. Pour over chicken. Bake 25 - 30 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

Hope you enjoy it!

The Difference Between Men And Women

I was watching the Oscars tonight with my husband and Cameron Diaz came on to present some award. As I watched her talk I couldn't help but noticed how pronounced her cheeks were. I just kept seeing cheeks the entire time she talked. So I said to Brendan, "Her cheeks are SO defined."

And he says, "I was just thinking that her arms are so defined."

So, I rip my eyes away from Cameron's cheeks long enough to realize that to see her defined arms involves moving my head down to her chest area, away from her head area. Of course he denies any inference that the reason he was looking at her arms was because he was looking at her breasts.

I'm not sure I believe him.

How Many Socks Can One Man Have?

This is a question that must be asked! How did my husband acquire 19 pairs of navy blue or black socks? How long has it been since I've done laundry that all 19 pairs are folded and sitting on my bed waiting to be put away? And for goodness sake, does my husband even have socks on his feet today? (And if so, what color are they?)

Thank you. I just needed to get that off my chest.

Zoe Cooks Again

Yesterday Zoe pulled out her Strawberry Shortcake Cookbook again and pored over the pages of all the recipes she might be able to make. After looking through it on her own, she brought it over to me and we talked about some of the recipes. She really wanted to bake again, so we decided on a Blueberry Pound Cake recipe. While she went to speech yesterday, I picked up some fresh blueberries and flour and when she came home we set to work on her recipe.


She measured, mixed, and poured ingredients until the batter was ready to pour into the pan. Together we brought the pan to the oven and I popped it inside. After cleaning up a little and some Dragon Tales for Zoe, the cake was still not ready. The little chef needed a nap, and I kept my eye on the cake. It came out beautifully and tonight we will be enjoying this cake for dessert with a little vanilla ice cream.

Watch the video to hear Zoe say the name of her creation.

We Are Officially A "Webkinz" Family

The Webkinz craze has been going strong for over a year now, from what I understand. I have neighbors and friends and brothers and sisters whose kids all have Webkinz. They told me all about them and how the kids could go on the computer and take care of their Webkinz. I even had a friend log onto her computer while I was visiting and show me how her kids played on Webkinz. It looked cute, but upon hearing how the membership is good only for one year, whereupon the end of that one year you must either pay to continue using the website or buy another Webkinz, I decided I wasn't that interested. I figured my kids could jump onto the next fad.

Yeah, I know, it was (and is) the hot toy right now, but my kids weren't asking about it, at all. I figured if they weren't asking about it, I certainly didn't need to start it with them.

At Christmastime, when some of my kids' aunts and uncles called for suggestions and asked about Webkinz, I explained that my kids didn't have any yet and weren't asking for any. I said they would probably enjoy it, but it wasn't something they had requested. My one sister-in-law even said to me, "Well, if they aren't asking, I'm not going to be the one to start it!"

I thought we'd made it through the holidys safely (no Webkinz) when on December 29 my brother, Emma's godfather, presented her with a pink poodle Webkinz. Emma was excited because she had heard of them, but I don't think she knew what she could do with them. So when we came home from Ohio we logged her onto Webkinz and she was hooked. Before Webkinz, she played the computer very sporadically. Since Webkinz, she and her brother compete for time on the computer after school.

Then Ian wached Emma play with her pink poodle at Webkinz, and decided he might enjoy having one of his own. So after adding up the dollars and coins in his bank, he declared he wanted to buy himself a Webkinz. So on Superbowl Sunday (I think) he went and picked out a tree frog. He payed for it and brought it home. He couldn't log on that day due to a computer restriction, but on Monday after school he wasted no time getting online to register his tree frog. He played quite regularly initially, but eventually missed his regular websites and now plays at Webkinz a few times a week. Emma still plays almost everyday.

And soon, Zoe will be getting one for her birthday from her Aunt in Ohio. I guess Webkinz is here to stay for awhile.

Old Times

I was inspired by Heather over at Dooce to look through some old videos of the kids. Unfortunately, our camera was small and couldn't handle much video and we didn't really know what we'd ever do with the digital video, so there is not a lot. (Pictures - millions, videos - almost zilch) (Something I'm sure they'll take us to task over as they get older.)

But here are two blasts from the past. The first one is Emma apparently helping with the laundry. This is from May of 2003, so Emma is not quite 9 months old.


The next one is Ian doing what he does best, jumping around, acting silly and kicking invisible bad guys. This one's from November of 2003, making Ian a little over 4 years old. If you look carefully in the mirror you can see Brendan taking the video and Emma watching him.

Valentine Dessert Preview

Here's a little sneak peak at the dessert I made for my family for Valentine's Day. It's called Heart Brownie Cupcakes. They were very easy to make and came out so cute. You can find the recipe here.

Cover Songs

9 FM (92.5, 92.7, and 99.9 in the Chicago area) is playing all cover songs today, for an "Under the Covers with 9FM" for Valentine's Day. I've listened for about 40 minutes and I'm absolutely loving it. Some of the songs I've heard this morning are "Venus" by Bananarama (c'mon, you know you like it!), "Mama Told Me (Not To Come)" by Three Dog Night, "American Woman" by Lenny Kravitz, "Lean on Me" by Club Nouveau (I LOOOOOVE THIS SONG!), "I'm a Believer" by Smash Mouth, and "Kiss" by Tom Jones (an amazing version of this song!). It's a lot of fun, so if you get a chance take a listen today.

On a side note, my kids seemed to be embellishing on a cover song of their own and have been singing it nonstop lately, especially my three year old. It is from the popular "Jingle Bells Batman Smells" song, however they have their own spin on the lyrics.

Their version goes something like this:

Jingle Bells. Batman Smells.
Robin laid a gun.
He shot his butt in a Pizza Hut in 1941.

Somehow I like the original a lot better.

Snow Ice Cream

I have had a request to post my Snow Ice Cream recipe by one of my readers. And since I have so few readers, I wouldn't want to do anything to disappoint them. So, here is my snow ice cream recipe.

Well, actually it is going to be a description because I don't really follow a recipe when I make this.

Snow Ice Cream

Fill a big bowl with snow. (Clean snow, please!)
Add half and half or whipping cream and stir until the texture of melted mushy ice cream. (I add a little at a time, it's always easy to add more, but not easy to remove it if you add too much.)
Add sugar to taste, probably between 1/2 cup and 1 cup.
Add about a capful of vanilla extract.
Mix, taste, and add more half and half or sugar as needed.
Top with chocolate chips or sprinkles if desired.

The original recipe I used was here. This just uses milk, and if you don't have whole milk it won't taste very good, in my opinion. It also uses a bit too much vanilla. I love the taste with half and half, very creamy. I tried making it with evaporated milk but did not like it at all. Someone suggested using sweetened condensed milk, which I've never tried, but sounds promising. You probably wouldn't need to use very much sugar if making it with the condensed milk.

Anyways, give it a try on your next snowy day. Your kids will love it.

Zoe Says Her Z's

Zoe started speech this school year. She goes twice a week for an hour at a time with four other kids. She loves her teacher completely, and therefore loves going to speech every week. They focus on a letter sound each week, and we practice words at home every day. She has improved tremendously and our ability to understand her is so much better than when she started.

This weeks sound was Z. A special one for a girl whose name starts with Z. Her teacher made a big point out of letting Zoe and all the kids know that this sound was a special one because of Zoe's name starting with it.

Up until this point, Zoe has never said a Z sound. I prompted, modelled, and repeated it over and over for her to no avail. I decided not to worry about it assuming the sound would come when she was ready. That time was this week, Tuesday.

Zoe came home from speech able to say her name beautifully. Up to this point she has always said her name as "O E" Saying the sounds of the O and E but omitting the Z sound. I have always thought it was endearing and embraced it knowing someday it would end. In fact just this past spring my sister riled Zoe up by pronouncing her name wrong. Leanne would ask Zoe, "What's your name?" And Zoe would reply, "OE" To which my sister would say, "OE. Your name's OE?" Zoe would then place her hands on her hip and indignantly say, "No, it's not OE, it's OE!" It was just about the cutest thing I've ever witnessed.

So this week, Zoe has said her name starting with a Z sound. I am really proud of her. She doesn't always do it, but that will come. Just as Emma no longer calls her brother Ina and Zoe doesn't call him Eeee Eeee anymore, Zoe will probably stop calling herself OE within the span of this year. I am happy to see it, but I know I will miss my little OE, too.

This One's For My Husband

Stumbled across this blog of a man named Johnny Castuciano. His illustrations blew me away. I came across this particular one and knew I had to post it for my Batman loving husband to see. So, this one's for you, Brendan!

Super Bowl Wings

On Sunday we prepared for the upcoming Super Bowl viewing by preparing lots of good food to munch on during the game. The kids look forward to the Super Bowl because we essentially eat junk food for dinner and get to sit in front of the TV while eating, a true rarity in our home. Brendan and I look forward to the Super Bowl because we get to eat all manner of yummy foods that we normally don't indulge in. Oh, and of course, we like watching the game.

This year's game was excellent. Exciting all the way through and the team I was pulling for won. I didn't get to see a lot of the first half because I was busy putting together our culinary delicacies, but what I watched was fun and I knew I'd get to watch more of the second half.

The most exciting part of the game for me was my hot wings that I made for the very first time. I followed Pioneer Woman's recipe for wings and was thrilled and amazed with the results. The wings looked and tasted just like you get at a restaurant. And since Brendan and I rarely eat out anymore, especially at a wing joint, this was a great discovery. Right here at home, I could make our very own wings - and they're awesome. My only regret is that I got rid of that Fry Daddy I received as a shower gift 12 1/2 years ago. It would be so handy now that I can make good fried food.

Sledding Saturday

Saturday was a busy one for us. Okay, it was moderately busy for me, but my husband did a lot of work and was very productive. I went to the grocery store (by myself!, it's Saturday remember) while Brendan stayed home and began the monumental task of helping Ian clean out his room. They went through almost all of his toys and books and got rid of some stuff and agreed on which items should go downstairs to the basement. Then Brendan moved Ian's train table down to the basement which immediately made my eight year old son's room look like a big boy's room. Brendan put together a desk and a new bookshelf and Ian's room was officially transformed from little boy's room to big kid's room. It looks great though I have to admit there were (and are) a few wistful pangs in my heart as I looked around at his new room.

After all this is where the sledding comes in. The whole family suited up to go out to the sledding hill by our old house. The girls have never been sledding, so there was a lot of giddy excitement as well as nervous curiosity. I filled a thermos with hot chocolate, grabbed some chocolate chip cookies and pretzel rods, and added an extra pair of gloves for each kid to a canvas bag while Brendan loaded the van with the only two sleds we own, a pink one I bought for a dollar at a garage sale and a Little Tikes orange kiddie sled designed mainly to pull toddlers around in the snow.

We took a quick drive out to the sledding hill, parked, and unloaded all three kids and both sleds from the van. The kids watched all the other families flying down the hill and marched a little quicker over the snow to get to the hill. We trudged up and Ian immediately took the first ride down. I suggested that Zoe try riding down in the little sled and she happily agreed. I ran down the hill in case she wiped out or otherwise needed me, but she did amazing! It was a thrill to watch her giggle with glee as she raced down the hill. As soon as she stopped at the bottom it was, "Again! Again!" So I pulled the sled up for her and she flew down the hill over and over again until it was time to go home. She only stopped for some hot chocolate and a pretzel rod. Ian and Emma enjoyed the sledding as well, but clearly didn't want to have to take turns. I made it worse when I insisted on going down the hill once by myself. After all, it's been many years since I went sledding and wanted to get in at least one run by myself. Brendan and I each got in a few runs with the kids before it was time to go.

It was definitely a lot of fun. I think Emma summed it up best. "Can we do this again next winter?"