In lieu of gifts, I asked the guests at my husband’s birthday party to bring along a photo of him {Recent, vintage, group or otherwise}. The results of this request were one of the highlights of the evening. My talented friend, Jen, made a gorgeous board for me. Painted with chalkboard paint, guests were able to write the year the photo was taken. I had simple roles of washi tape on hand to tape the photos onto the board. New friends were able to see pictures from Aaron’s childhood and long time friends were able to share their favorite snapshots. Everything from current day shots with our boys to prom photos, team pictures, a classic school photo, and the {now} infamous ski photo I used for the invitation.
It turned out even better than I hoped it would. He has snap shots with all the people he loves in one place. Now we need to find a place for it in his office.
This was the year of parking a large truck in front of our house and calling it a party! For Aaron’s 40th birthday, we hired a food truck to feed us for 2 hours. The prep for this party was dreamy. I simply filled some beverage dispensers with lemonade, threw ice and beer in galvanized tubs, and put my make-up on. All the food was left in the hands of Contigo Mondern Mexican.
{the evening’s menu}
We served the Gorditas on trays in the back yard as appetizers. They were small pockets of yummy [fried] goodness. For dinner, each guest was able to order four tacos of their choice. Many mixed and matched to sample them all.
I loved how our guests mingled in the driveway when waiting for their tacos. There were ongoing discussions regrading which taco was the favorite. I am not sure there was a consensus, but my personal favorite was the Beef Picadillo. The onion jam made this taco sweet and spicy.
To end our meal, we served churros. Who doesn’t love a churro? In my opinion, there is nothing better than fried crispy dough coated with cinnamon sugar. I may have had more than one [and possibly one heated up the next morning for breakfast].
Contigo also brought along Habenero Lemonade. It was curiously hot, sweet and spicy all at the same time. There was vodka and tequila to mix in, as well as regular lemonade. A signature cocktail that was simple and easy to serve.
The meal, from start to finish, was divine! The Contigo staff served delicious food and were breeze to work with. I would highly recommend hiring a food truck for a special occasion. As the hostess, you have absolutely no stress regarding the meal and your guests will love it.
[If you live in the Seattle area, I used Seattle Food Truck to find Contigo. It was an amazing resource to find a truck to cater your event. Plus, it lists all of the food trucks in the area and where they are serving up food during the week.]
For my husband’s 40th birthday party, I decided to have a little fun with a press-on tattoo. I ordered temporary ink to wear the night of his party. Easily applied with a wet wash cloth {just like the tattoos you put on little kids}, it was a fun way to celebrate his big day. Aaron was completely surprised and not-so-secretly loved it! That makes me smile.
It is a great gift for your significant other on his or her birthday or your anniversary. Also, wouldn’t it be so sweet for a bride and groom to wear one on their wedding day that only their new spouse will see?
A recent trip to the Pike Place Market marked our first visit to Seattle’s Gum Wall. It is located in Post Alley under Pike Place Market. [Find Rachel the Pig and go down a short flight of stairs. Turn right at the bottom and you are there.]
Visually, it is striking. Colorful and textured. Standing back from it you almost forget it is chewed gum. Almost. The boys couldn’t visit without leaving their mark. Will jumped right in and stretched his gum long and left it dangling from a pipe. Little Man was apprehensive, but eventually went for it. He really wanted to shape his gum into the letter H because he had noticed that some visitors had spelled out their name or messages and left them on the wall. When it proved to be a tedious job he just stuck his next to his big brother’s. I delicately stuck my piece to a very small empty space on the wall.
Being a tourist in your own city is a great way to spend a summer’s day.
We invited the parents of Big W’s friends to enjoy a glass of wine and a few nibbles at the end of his birthday party. It was a wonderful way to kick off summer! I wanted one warm appetizer, amongst the olives, vegetables and hummus. These little bite size baked brie were perfectly salty and sweet. There were a handful of boys that grabbed one too!
Easy ingredients:
2 sheets frozen puff pastry sheets
Brie cheese
Preserves of your choosing. [I used a fig spread.]
1 egg to be used for an egg wash.
Cut each pastry sheet into 24 small rectangles. Whisk together one egg and a splash of milk. Brush the egg wash on 12 of the small rectangles and place a small slice of brie and a dollop of preserves on each one.
Top each one with remaining squares. Press down edges of pastry with the tines of a fork. Also, prick the top. Place on parchment paper. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
You could easily make these ahead of time and pop them in the oven just minutes before your guests arrive. It is hard to resist the delicious goodness of anything made with puff pastry. Enjoy!
You may have missed:
A great summer pizza made with fig spread, goat cheese, peaches and arugula.
UPDATED. 3.21.2020. In light of “shelter in place”, “socially distancing”, and “self quarantine”, I am updating this 7 year old blog post. My kids were young in 2013 and I needed to keep them busy. I’ve deleted broken links and added fun stuff that wasn’t available to us years ago. Books on CD have become books on Audible…you get the idea.
Let them run, get dirty, stay up late, sleep in, eat s’mores, and just be kids! Summer is pretty fantastic in so many ways! However, doing work that looks like school can be a total drag. I am taking a new approach this summer. I am throwing out the workbooks [actually I just didn’t buy them] and being more creative. I thought I would share my new approach with you.
Here are few [fun] summer learning ideas to keep their minds active:
//Board Games// Scrabble- Builds spelling, creativity & strategy, math skills. Rummikube- Builds problem solving and math skills Apples to Apples – Excellent game to build vocabulary and practice reading. Balderdash – Players must use language creatively to create a definition of an unknown word.
//Reading// Books on Audible– My oldest loved to listening to audio novels. He enjoyed the narrators. Audible just announced that they are making their vast selection of audio books free until school resumes. It is a great way to spend a lazy afternoon.
TumbleBooks – eBooks online. We have access to TumbleBooks through our county library system. Check your library website to see if your library has TumbleBooks or something similar.
Read a book/Watch the movie – Don’t you love to read a book and then see the movie? So do kids! The possibilities are endless.
Storyline – Storyline Online, streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Readers include Viola Davis, Chris Pine, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, James Earl Jones, Betty White and dozens more.
//Math// Roll coins old school style. Grab some paper wrappers from the bank, give your kids your spare change jar, and get counting. Perfect for skip counting practice and coin recognition. Who needs Coinstar? We’ve got kids!
Cool Math games An amazing assortment of math games. Little Man would play for hours if I let him!
Bake from scratch. On a cool day [or any day of you have A/C], bake something from scratch. Recipes reinforce following directions and the understanding of fractions. //Writing// All about Me– A wonderful keepsake! Kids fill in the pages all about themselves!
Send postcards. – Sadly, many kids don’t have many opportunities to send mail. Great practice for writing addresses in the correct form. During this time at home, you will probably have to create your own postcards, which is another great activity.
Start a Blogger blog. – Yes! Kids can have blogs too. They are easy to set up and free. Any topic can work for a blog as long is the writer is passionate about the subject. My kids used to write about their summer adventures. I would suggest wordpress.com to start a free blog. There are many tutorials you can find or just let your older kids play around with the formatting. They will figure it out!
Story Stones – Stones with images help kids tell or write a story. You could make your own or purchase incredibly cute pre painted stones. Etsy has MANY to choose from.
//Creativity// Ed Emberly – These learn to draw books are perfect for kids [and grown ups]. They are so easy to follow and kids feel successful right away. Creative Haven Coloring Book– These graphically beautiful coloring books are amazing for older kids. Believe me, they still love to color.
Doodle Books – Ever heard, “I don’t know what to draw?” The doodle books help kids get their pictures started with a few lines already on the page and a prompt on how to finish the drawing. Hours of fun!
Create a photo book – Let your kids take pictures throughout this time inside and help them make a keepsake photo book. They are recording history!
LEGOS– This link is to a blog that presents 52 LEGO challenges. It includes challenges to build a bridge, a playground, and a flag.
//Apps//
I will list a few apps that your kids will love. Find them wherever you find apps!
Dulingo, learn a language
SwiftPlaygrounds, learn to code
Stack the States 2, learn the US states
Dragonbox, math practice
Lightbot, learn to code
Epic!- ebook library
Starfall ABCs- learn the letters
BrainPop and BrainPop Jr- short movies on 100’s of topics
It is a birthday week around here! My husband and oldest son share a birthday [yes, the exact same day!], so we spread the celebrations out. Big W request a simply yellow cake with vanilla frosting for his party with his friends. I vowed, after making a chocolate cake from scratch, never to do it again! Why go through all that trouble when there is a perfectly good mix in a box? Instead, I would spend extra time on homemade frosting and the decorating.
I realized quickly into the decorating process that replicating this cake was going to be harder than I thought. A LOT, harder in fact! Knowing that nine and ten year old boys weren’t even going to notice a perfectly designed cake, I made a quick adjustment and just frosted it simply.
While it wasn’t the most beautiful creation, the frosting itself was divine! I kid you not! If you are making a cake or cupcakes in the near future, you must give it a try. This recipe from Magnolia Bakery is worth the splurge in calories. It is easy to make with four simple ingredients. It will not disappoint!
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, 4 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating for about 2 minutes after each addition, until icing reaches desired consistency; you may not need to add all the sugar. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
My boys are the lucky ones. They have a dad who loves them unconditionally. It’s that simple. A man in their corner. A coach in the dug out. An instructor on the slopes. A fan in the audience. An amazing role model with a loving heart. They may not realize it now, but one day……..
What are your Father’s Day plans?
My husband asked for help cleaning his office. We can do that! I do have a few other tricks up my sleeve. And of course, he chooses the menu. His favorite chips n’ fish and salted brown butter rice crispie treats will be served Sunday evening. I am hoping I can convince him to head to the Farmer’s Market if I surprise him with Swedish Pancakes in the morning. I am looking forward to a fabulous weekend!
This little guy had squeezable cheeks, no glasses and awesome style! [I truly loved it when I got to dress my guys. I made sure they looked hip, but I digress.] He was eager to be at school like his big brother and ready to make some of his own friends.
[end of year party. June ’13]
This little man finishes Kindergarten today and is officially a big kid in my eyes. Finally, the last day! He complained each day, including every day this week, about school. Too long [6 1/2 hours] and too much work [40 pages of work sometimes!]. He may exaggerate just a bit, but he never wavered on his feelings toward school. He is nothing but consistent. In spite of himself, he grew leaps and bounds this year. He even learned to read, but chooses to hide it. We call him “the super secret reader”. He is such an amazing kid in so many ways, but school isn’t his thing. It may never be. I find that sad and disheartening and so desperately want to change his mind.
I was once asked to give one of my dearest friends advice at her baby shower. I advised, “Love her for who she is, not who you thought she would be.” I have decided to follow my own advice. Hank is set in his ways, emotional, and quick tempered. Not always easy to manage, but witty and funny. I love to be around him and will defend him to the end of my days. I often go in his room at night and watch him sleep. He is content, safe, and still so, so little. I can’t change who he is, so I will try and help him become the best version of himself.
Parenting. Firsts, lasts, and everything in between. It is quite the ride and never know what to expect. Here’s to the next first!
I am taking a moment to write thank you notes for my boys’ teachers. I know that many parents, usually moms, freak out about what to give a teacher at the end of the year. Some spending hours and hours on craft projects and keepsakes. From my 10 years as an elementary school teacher, the hand written notes are actually the gifts I treasure the most. Each of them include heartfelt words that express gratitude and explain the ways in which I touched their child’s life. These are things you don’t hear everyday in the classroom. Many times I had no idea the impact I had on children and their families. It was touching to read their kind words at the end of a long school year. I have many tucked away for safe keeping. I make a point every year to write a note and personally hand it to my sons’ teachers. [I usually tuck a gift card inside because one person can only have so many coffee mugs.]
If your child’s school year has not yet ended, take a minute and thank a teacher in your own way. Believe me, a card can be enough.
I found this adorable thank you card at my local bookstore. I loved the anchor as ode to summer. The Brush & Mallett has creative hand drawn greeting cards [made here in Seattle] for every occasion. Check out their website or their Etsy store.
