Preparing for Thumper

Partying: Another Year

2016-06-23T21:52:00.001-05:00

Wow. It's been a long time since I blogged. Like this is over a year and a half old. But I found this in the drafts and wanted to go ahead and publish. Will be posting much more updated info soon!

***

All my babies are officially one year older! Things have been busy. So busy that it is March and I haven't acknowledged any birthdays or Christmas.

My excuse (and the truth) is that I've been busy. All at once we fixed up a mess of a rental house and started working on our own (which we had to move out of while they work). Then throw Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all the usual busy-ness, and you might understand why blogging had to take a back seat. But never fear: let me give you the recap!

We celebrated Paul's third birthday with another tractor themed party. It was very low key, but almost all the family came out to celebrate, so we had fun. Leah surprised us all driving a big tractor from the farm and gave Paul a ride.

Hays and Clara had a joint birthday party. The theme was "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / A Celestial Ball." Basically we decorated the house with stars of various kinds. I liked the Twinkle Twinkle theme, Hays really didn't care, and Clara was happy as long as she could dress up as Sleeping Beauty (so it became a "Ball").

So, here's my Sleeping Beauty. Sewn the DAY OF her party. Why I didn't just buy a Sleeping Beauty dress? I don't know. Well, I do know. But I'm not going to get into that.

It was twirly, and that's what she wanted. Hooray again!

My man Hays was delighted when everyone sang Happy Birthday to him. Other than that, opening presents and even blowing out the candles wasn't on his radar. My mom was a big help in getting all the decorations and food put together right at the end. We had lots of balloons - some helium, some regular - that really helped to transform the space.

On Paul's birthday, I did manage to get one photo worthy of framing (and Christmas card-ing). Hooray! Merry (belated) Christmas!

Growing: Hays update

2014-06-01T23:09:00.000-05:00

What has been going on since I last posted? Well I can happily say we have been enjoying Hays' many laughs and smiles. Hays may be my best baby yet - he's a good sleeper, he enjoys people-watching, and he smiles all the time. He's been called "Happy Hays" more than once around our house.

Of course, he's a healthy eater, too. In fact, Hays at four months is larger than Clara and Paul were at six months. Longer and heavier. Whoa. He was 19.9 pounds on his four-month birthday. I'm sure he's well over 20 pounds by now.

He is trying to gnaw on anything he can get his hands on. Literally. There's a bottom tooth that I know will pop through almost any day now.

Still working on rolling over. He's trying pretty hard and has done it a handful of times, but not repetitively, so I wouldn't say we've crossed that milestone off the list.

Hays enjoys putting weight on his legs, which besides just holding him (and I just told you that he is HEAVY) means he spends time in the Johnny Jump-Up and Exersaucer. Thank goodness!

Partying: My Little Pony is Four

2014-03-11T23:47:00.001-05:00

Clara turned four just five days after Hays was born. We've been planning her party for awhile, so we were prepared. She has been so excited for this party since... well, probably since her third birthday party.

I wasn't going to go all crazy with this one. Her snowflake party gave me party planning burn out. But I still wanted it to be special and fun. She requested a My Little Pony themed party with lots of purple. She also wanted it to be a sleepover.

We made the cake well in advance and froze it. We also made cupcakes and cookies ahead of time. While I was at the hospital, Clara decorated the cupcakes with my parents. Clara helped me decorate the food table a few days before Hays was born.

Her favorite pony is Twilight Sparkle. She dressed up as Twilight last Halloween. Who'd a thought we'd get some more mileage out of that costume?

The idea with the party was that each pony wrote Clara a letter. Each letter had a special birthday message with an activity for her.

Fluttershy wanted her to go meet an animal friend of hers outside (A horse that our neighbor (and family member, Gail) let us borrow for a few hours).

Pinkie Pie wanted her to eat cake and open presents. (This was the majority of the party.)

Applejack wanted Clara to pick up apples like a real pony (AKA bobbing for apples).

Rarity had nail polish and a candy necklace for her at the "Carousel Boutique."

Clara had to pin the tail on Rainbow Dash.

And Twilight Sparkle had a new book about sleepovers (not pictured... instead, I show you a picture of popcorn, which is essential to any sleepover).

Let me just say that the coordination of the letters with the activities was not as smooth as planned, in fact, I might describe the event as a chaotic mix of present opening and eating. But Clara had a ball, and that's the important thing.

As far as the sleepover goes, Clara and Paul slept in their teepee-tent and sleeping bags. My mom even joined them in there for awhile before moving to one of the twin beds in their bedroom. A big cheer goes out to her for being such a sport!

Hays: One Month

2014-02-22T22:08:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe that this little man is already one month old!

Well, it is and it isn't. He's already outgrown the newborn clothes. On to the 0-3 month stuff!
And tonight I put him in a size 2 diaper... whoa. This guy is growing fast.

There's been a few nights of colicky crying, but a little "Colic Calm" (yes, that's literally the name) before symptoms arise, and me cutting out the gas-a-licious veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, kale) seem to be helping. We had one night where he slept six hours straight! Scared me half to death!

And if you can't tell from the above picture, that's Hays saying, "Okay, enough pictures, Mom. Get some clothes on me!"

Enjoying Hays

2014-02-17T14:14:00.000-06:00

Clara and Paul are being so sweet to Baby Hays. Clara calls herself, "Little Mama." She's told me that he likes her more than he likes me!

Today I saw Hays smile at Clara - his first "real" smile in my opinion. He did it more than once and had a genuine happy, content look on his face.

Paul loves Hays too. He doesn't really want to hold him, but he likes shake his hand and give him little hugs. I'm proud of Paul for being so sweet to his little brother.

It was wonderful having my parents here for over a week. No child lacked any attention, no belly rumbled for lack of food. Thankfully our house didn't lack heat! It was 9 degrees here one night -- the coldest it's been in 9 years at least!

That did mean that we had a bit of cabin fever that week, or should I say Clara and Paul did. They NEED to get outside and run!

Hays has been a very good baby. Very sleepy - both day and night. No real bedtime routine as yet, but surely that will come soon.

He's growing well, weighing in over 9 pounds at his two week check up.

We are all adoring this new little boy, and adjusting to all that a baby requires. And having fun taking pictures of him, too!

Parenting: Hey, Hey, Hays!

2014-02-06T23:09:00.000-06:00

Well, after 40 full weeks of waiting, plus one day, our latest bundle of joy has arrived!

And it's a boy!

Joseph Hays Rankin

We're calling him Hays. Named for his great, great grandfather (Pat's mother's grandfather), Joseph Hays Cooling. Pat has an early memory of riding the train with his grandmother to Kansas (where she grew up) to visit her parents, so Pat actually met the original Joseph Hays when he was four years old.

As with my other two children, I was induced. This time it was the day after my due date. After slightly tearing up when kissing Clara and Paul goodnight and tossing and turning for the four hours I tried to "sleep," Pat and I left the house at 3 am in twenty degree weather to get to St. Vincent's hospital by 5. We were quickly shown to our room. Within no time our nurse Teri had me all hooked up to the monitors and the IV. Initially I was afraid we were rushing things. Maybe we should have waited longer before deciding to induce. It seemed Hays wasn't exactly ready to come out because he hadn't dropped very much even at 40 weeks and a day. This pregnancy was the most comfortable one I've had - I could go a little longer before delivery. But it was too late. Things were in motion now.

The labor overall went very well. I got an epidural, like the previous two times. I was bound and determined not to get a "boost" if the epidural wasn't strong enough. I made that mistake with Paul (and was numb from the belly button down for hours afterward). While I probably would have gotten a boost (had I not had my previous experience), I was SO glad I didn't. Yes, I "felt" this labor more. It felt like labor is supposed to feel. It was work. It wasn't excruciating, but pretty uncomfortable. I pushed as hard as I could and was totally out of breath in the process. Pat wiped the sweat from my forehead. I felt the immediate relief as the doctor pulled Hays out and laid him on my chest. It was such a rewarding experience.

He weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces, which makes him my biggest baby out of the three.

He measured in at 21 1/2 inches, which is half an inch longer than Clara was when she was born.

While I was told over and over that "third babies just slip out," that wasn't exactly true in this case. Hays had his head turned slightly to the side, like he was trying to get a sneak peak at the world, which did make the pushing a little more strenuous. With contractions starting at 6:30am, Hays was born at 12:39pm.

Some people say they see resemblances to Clara; others say they see resemblances to Paul. I have seen looks that remind me of both. But I think my babies all look a lot alike! They all had dark strawberry-blond hair, dark blue-gray eyes, and rosy skin. But the big question is: what does his feet look like?

We're excited to report that his feet seem long and narrow, at least longer and narrower than Clara and Paul's. We are hoping for off-the-rack shoes for this child! If you know anything about Pat's difficulties finding shoes that fit, then you understand why we are so excited about Hays'* feet.

I would miss a big part of this event if I failed to mention all the help we had with Clara and Paul through it all. A big thanks goes out to Pat's sister Ann, who dropped everything at a moment's notice to watch the kids for two days while we were gone. Another thanks goes out to Patrick, who stayed with them the night we had to leave for the hospital, and another thanks goes to my parents who changed their travel plans (and drove the 14 hours straight) to get to Alabama a day earlier than originally planned to relieve Ann. It was wonderful to not worry about Clara and Paul while we were in the hospital. When we called to check in, the kids were too busy having fun to talk!

I enjoyed the peace and quiet that I had during this hospital stay. I really appreciated and noticed the quiet that I had. Yes, they wake you up every 4 hours to get your blood pressure and temperature, but that wasn't terrible. I had 48 hours where I didn't have to worry about cooking, cleaning, or doing laundry. My time was spent napping leisurely, reading magazines, and holding (and feeding) a tiny sleepy baby in between those nurse visits. I definitely missed Clara and Paul, and there is nothing like your own bed, but I really tried to enjoy my time in the hospital as a retreat of sorts, and it was good.

In retrospect, it was great to have the induction procedure and not continue to wait for Hays to come on his own. Why? One: Hays probably would have gained another pound and might have been too big to come out the usual way. Two: The following week we had "Winter Freeze 2014" where Birmingham was literally shut down for three days due to severe ice on the roads. People were stuck at work or spending the night at churches and schools because they couldn't get home. I wouldn't have wanted to get to the hospital or back home in any of that mess.

Welcome to the world, Hays! We're so happy you're here safe and sound!

*Did you know it's grammatically correct to write Hays' or Hays's to show possession? I had to look it up to be sure because my brain was a little fuzzy on that one. Grammar Monster says to use just the apostrophe if you say it "Hays" and to use the apostrophe s if you say it "Hays-is."

Planning and Partying: A Diaper Shower and Other Useful Gifts

2014-01-08T00:03:00.001-06:00

This is my third child. We also have not found out ahead of time the gender. This makes many people who are very kind and want to give us something for the baby scratch their heads: "What the heck do you get?"

Audra, Brooks' wife, was really thoughtful and threw me a diaper shower. It was a lot of fun, and what mom wouldn't be excited to gain a six-month supply of diapers?! Boy or girl, everyone poops.

As I've been going through things and trying to prepare for this new child, there are some items that have come to mind as being useful for any pregnant mother. Please don't take this as a wish list for me: it's really meant for anyone who is stumped and needs some baby gift ideas that will be helpful to any mom.

1. Diapers and wipes as I mentioned above. I'm still buying diapers for Paul and he's two. Need I say more?

2. Stain remover and laundry detergent. Okay this seems like a boring gift, but seriously, there are not many items more practical. I run through Shout like it's no body's business. You could give the mom a splurge with some Dreft (which I never buy because I'm too cheap), or any fragrance-free detergent. While I'm on the subject, you could make it a cleaning-themed basket with magic erasers, dry cleaning fluid, or other cleaning supplies that are practically essential with children. (Excuse me while I pause to go "erase" crayon off my wall courtesy of Paul.)

image via slightly crunchy mom

3. Frozen meals. You pretty much need to be a local friend for this one, but adding a new baby to the dinner routine makes meal prep frenzied, especially when everyone's trying to get adjusted to a new routine. Something homemade that can be microwaved or baked straight out of the freezer is WONDERFUL! I hope to get a few extra things cooked ahead of time. We're out in no-delivery land, but for those moms in town, you could also get them gift cards to the chinese or pizza delivery place nearby.

4. Teething necklaces. I don't own any of these, but they look cool and don't depend on whether baby is a he or she. Mom can be stylish while pacifying the baby. I'm thinking perfect for church or other "please be quiet" times. The brand pictured above is called "Chew Beads," although I believe there are others.

5. Child or baby-sized clothing hangers. Especially ones for bottoms. Many outfits come with plastic hangers, but if this this a mom with other children, she's using those for her other kids' clothes. Buying some nice hangers is something she probably won't buy herself, although she wishes she did. As an additional item, you could make or purchase dividers that separate baby clothes by size. There are a ton of tutorials on Pinterest that are really cute.

6. Baby Wash. I still use baby wash on Clara and she's (almost) four. Why not? I often stock up on multiple bottles of the really expensive 'natural' baby wash that has been marked down at the grocery store to half-price (or less). The fancy stuff really is a treat over the Johnson & Johnson. You could always throw in a nice wash cloth, bath towel, or tub toy to complete the gift.

What have I left off the list? Any moms out there have any other practical gift ideas for preggos?

Living: Christmas 2013

2014-01-07T23:19:00.000-06:00

Guess who woke up at 4:30 this Christmas? If you guessed Clara you'd be wrong. If you guessed Paul, you'd be wrong. How about ME? I am the biggest kid in this house!

Ever since I was little I could never sleep well Christmas Eve. Too much excitement. This year I was just sure that the kids were going to wake up and run in to me during the night. I didn't want to miss their expressions. Ha, ha. No, they slept.

When Paul woke up at his usual 5:30, it took him a few minutes to realize their were lots of presents now under the tree, and they could be opened. Once he realized that, we had to wake up Clara to ensure that she would get to open hers. In other words, Christmas this year could best be described as "chaos." (At least when it came to opening the presents.)

The big gift was an indoor teepee with sleeping bags. The kids really love it, and they slept in it two nights in a row. It is really big (over 5' in each direction), and so I am trying to figure how to rearrange their room to accommodate it. (Should have thought of that beforehand!)

Paul got lots of books - especially tractor and farm-related things. Clara got lots of pony-related things. They both couldn't be happier.

We went to church in Demopolis after present-time. I never grew up going to church on Christmas day, always on Christmas Eve. But the truth is, I really was glad to take time on Christmas to go to church. It helped me to not focus the whole day on presents and food, which is how it usually goes.

But there were plenty of presents and food - especially once we drove up to Gram and Pop's. I was reminded of a part of How the Grinch Stole Christmas where the Grinch describes the Who's: "And they'll feast, and they'll feast, and they'll feast, feast, feast, feast!" That was exactly how it was - and man, was I stuffed!

One of the neatest presents was a quilt for Leah that Ann made. She had been gathering old clothing from all the family members to make it. It turned out great, and it was fun to identify everyone's clothes. It was a very Merry Christmas. Of course, I wish that I could have spent time with my family on Christmas, but soon enough we will all be together when Baby #3 arrives!

Family Photos at the Wedding

2013-11-22T18:53:00.000-06:00

The big day has come and gone, and Brooks is now a married man!

The wedding was at our church in Faunsdale, with the pictures taken on the grounds of the church.

I tried to take a few photos of the kids and get a nice family shot while we were there, but children are not always cooperative, and seven-month-pregnant-moms-in-heels can only do so much. So while I am anticipating some much nicer shots from the professional photographer (especially because Clara was really hamming it up for him the whole time), here are a few shots of my kiddos in their wedding attire.

With Clara and Paul as the flower girl and ring bearer, I really wanted to make Clara a special dress. This was by far my most advanced sewing project I've tackled so far, but I had a wonderful time making it! I actually took a beginner's heirloom sewing course to show me how to do the lace work (which I had never tried before). I'm happy to report that working with lace is not very challenging!

Paul's suit was purchased. I wasn't feeling ambitious enough to sew a little man's suit. All I did was hem the pants.

The weather was absolutely perfect despite being early November. We had planned for Clara to be barefoot walking down the aisle, and she was. She did such a wonderful job throwing the petals. Paul decided to pass on being ring bearer that day, but Clara performed like a pro. Thank goodness!

As you can see from Paul's expression, he wasn't so sure about this whole wedding thing, and he wasn't so sure about smiling either. This is the best shot we got as a family.

We came back to the church a few days later, dressed in our wedding attire, and we tried some photos again. I didn't get any shots of the kids together (that would be asking too much). But I did get a few good ones.

Of course by that time we were all trying to get over stuffy noses, so our coloring and our attitude was still questionable. But picking berries off the bushes seemed to be perk the kids up.

I love this shot. It's not actually a great picture of Paul, but it looks like he's modeling menswear for a catalog. If I hadn't cropped the photo some, you'd see he has one hand in his pocket. (I did not pose him that way... like I could if I wanted to!)

And let's be honest... a little bribery helps every photo shoot!

Progress: 30 weeks

2013-11-17T18:40:00.002-06:00

Here I am at 30 weeks (actually just a day or so away from 31 weeks, but who's keeping track?). It's not a very glamorous photo, but you can see that I am indeed pregnant.

I am feeling well. I think I am starting to waddle around :-) Overall, I am grateful that we have made it through numerous birthdays, a bridal shower, and a wedding. We still have Thanksgiving, my birthday, and Christmas before Baby #3 arrives.

There's not a ton of preparation to do for this third child, especially when you already have little girl and boy clothes. In the next few weeks I'll pull out some of the newborn clothes and give them a fresh laundering. It's getting time to pull out the baby toys and accessories out of the attic and pack the hospital bag. I need to order a skinny car seat (so I can fit 3 car seats in the back of my car instead of buying another car!). Yes, another dreaded car seat!!

Partying: Paul's 2nd Birthday

2013-11-17T18:18:00.002-06:00

We celebrated Paul's second birthday yesterday -- my how the year has flown!

As I said last year, this year I was not going to give myself fits getting his party ready. Thankfully his love of tractors and farm equipment gave me a lot to work with that was readily available. Hello, barn party!

We used one of the barns on the farm that stores hay. It conveniently had both round and square bales already there. I soon discovered that the hay barn is a very convenient "indoor" playground.

Pat drove a tractor down that morning and parked it in the barn.

The indoor foliage you see is actually poison oak (eek), but it was in the right colors, so we went with it.

We used the square bales for seating (covered with a little fabric), hung a few balloons, and set up the food.

The party started off with presents. Paul (and especially Clara) couldn't wait to start opening! Paul got a lot of different tractors, which suited him just fine! He also got some farm gear - boots, overalls, and an Auburn shirt (it's Alabama's ag school!), along with a nice set of truck books. Of course all these fine new toys meant that he didn't have time to eat! I think he did eventually slow down long enough to nibble a piece of fish and shove down some cake.

And last, but definitely not least, he opened the 1:20 scale combine.

So what did we eat? (Let's get to the important stuff!)

Let me translate some of it: silage = coleslaw, "diesel fuel" = slightly sweet tea, and moo juice = milk. Haybales = rice krispie treats and the dirt on the dirt cake was chocolate butter cream frosting with crushed chocolate animal crackers on top.

Singing "Happy Birthday" went off without any tears (and yes, I'm referring to your 2nd birthday, Keri).

You didn't think I could just make a plain chocolate cake now, did you?

The rest of the time was spent playing.

We got a few cute posed pictures suitable for framing, too...

Check out the end-of day tractor line-up. Quite a haul!

Happy Birthday to my big little boy, Paul!

Halloween 2013

2013-11-10T15:06:00.002-06:00

At almost four years old, Clara is old enough to enjoy Halloween. She really wanted to dress up as a "My Little Pony," so here is my best attempt. There is a really good step by step tutorial at this website. I didn't make my own sweat suit -- that came from Wal-Mart, but I did the embellishments. It all came together very quickly, with very little head ache (unusual for one of my projects).

This is our version of the "Twilight Sparkle" pony.

It was almost too hot to wear this sweatsuit -- you can never predict Halloweentime weather! Clara got to wear her costume to a little "harvest fest" they had in town. They had all kinds of candy (including cotton candy), inflatables to jump on, and face painting. She was so sweet and excited the whole time, which just made the evening special for both of us.

The next night she went trick or treating with her older siblings Patrick and Leah. She had a wonderful time and came home with GREAT candy (lots of chocolate). Sadly, Paul was not in the mood to wear a costume at all, not even long enough for a photo op. Oh well... next year!

Partying: A Recipe Shower for Audra

2013-10-21T23:22:00.001-05:00

Another occasion for a party! Brooks (one of Pat's older children) is getting married in only a few weeks. With some help from Gram and Leah, we threw his fiance a little shower focused around food (what else, right?).

Audra with long-time friend Elizabeth

Audra has not met many of the extended family, so the idea was to keep the shower within the family (give or take a few). Guests were to bring a favorite family recipe, because, let's be honest, the majority of fun family times are while eating!

So what food did we have? Gram made her delicious yeast rolls (which we stuffed with ham), and Leah made teacakes. (Teacakes, a family recipe from Grandma Susie's Grandma, was the unanimous family favorite.) I made some mini strawberry-peach cheesecakes. We had veggies with blue cheese dip, grapes, and mixed nuts. On the cake stand we had a cheese "cake" -- stacked cheeses (cheddar and baked brie) that resembled the traditional wedding cake. Clara made chocolate-dipped apricots, and I made a citrus punch.

The decor was corals and pinks, keeping the color theme from the invitation. We had paper lanterns and tissue pom-poms, a "Bride to Be" banner, and of-course, flowers. I had so much fun arranging the flowers. Dotted throughout were references to the many years of dairying - the punch bowl and silver pitchers were actually cow trophies from years past. Ribbons from cow shows hung under the mantle. (Blue ribbons weren't included because they didn't match the color theme, but Pat wants me to be sure to let you know they won many blue ribbons!)


I only purchased the Snapdragons and Lilies - the rest were from Gram's yard!

We didn't play the traditional shower games. We did a trivia game with questions from family history. I knew Audra wouldn't know many answers, but it was fun to test the Rankins, talk about family history, and spark some conversation. Kay was the winner!

We talked about the recipes, Audra opened a few gifts, and we enjoyed each other's company. It was great to get everyone together. I wish I had more pictures to capture everyone who came.

Madaline, Leah, and Julianna

These two girls had tons of fun playing during the party.

The parting gift was a bag of cornmeal, ground from corn grown here at the farm.

Now on to the wedding!

Some exciting news!

2013-07-07T20:12:00.001-05:00

Did you catch those extra shoes there on the left? Yup... that's the news! Another Rankin to add to our family, coming late January 2014. We are excited, yet constantly wondering how we will make this work. I hope to post a little more frequently to keep everyone updated on the baby and our family, so check back or sign up for the email list so you can stay updated. In the meantime, enjoy your summertime!

Partying: Snowflake Party

2013-01-29T21:37:00.002-06:00

Yes, you read that correctly, another party! Clara just turned three, and she requested a snowflake-themed birthday party.

I'm not going to lie. This party was a lot of work to put together. So much so, that I have vowed to not have such involved parties again. As much as I enjoy doing them, the time that they take to plan and prepare make me neglect other things too much. (Enough of that "Negative Nancy." I want some party pics!)

We covered the ceiling with snowflakes to make it look like it was snowing. I spent many an evening cutting out snowflakes. Do you know that true snowflakes have 6 branches, not 8? I think I grew up making 8-sided snowflakes exclusively. Whoops. Cutting them out was fun for the most part. I also purchased two different punches that made a snowflake pattern. I bought some silver snowflakes and some fun three-d ones (thank you after-Christmas sales). My mom pulled through with some ultra-large laminated ones, some larger punched snowflakes, and some felt ones too.

I didn't serve much food because I planned on making a time-intensive cake. A cake ball cake. Now before you roll your eyes because "cake balls are so last year," I have NEVER even had a cake ball before, so I wanted to try them. They're pretty easy. I did have to bake four cakes to have enough cake balls to make my three-tiered cake. The idea was for them to look like snowballs. The tiers themselves are actually dummy cakes - they're make of styrofoam, covered in white fondant. The cake balls are just stuck onto the outside with toothpicks. Each layer had a different flavor cake ball. Bottom: French Vanilla with buttercream rolled in coconut, middle: dark chocolate with mocha hazelnut and sugar crystals, and top: oreo with cream cheese. I was so glad it turned out as I imagined and was not a trial and error ordeal like Paul's party.

I didn't get too into Clara's clothing, unlike her Hundred Acre Wood Party last year. I did make her a tutu, which I explain on my other blog here. Thanks to encouragement from my extended family, Clara did wear it, although she didn't want to at first. Her pretty white dress was a gift from her Aunt Kay.

The big surprise of the whole party was that I bought fake snow! It's called Sno-Wonder, and it's pretty cool. (This is not a paid endorsement, by the way.) I think it's related to the stuff that they use in disposable diapers because the powder they send in the mail expands to like eight times its size! A teaspoon powder to a half cup water! I initially thought I'd use a small kiddie pool to hold it, but that idea didn't work out. So I bought four pieces of pipe insulation (which kind of looked like fun-noodles) and stuck them together in a circular shape. Then I laid a white tarp down on top and filled it with "sno." (See the upper right picture above.) It really worked out wonderfully! Clara was so thrilled when she saw it. She played in it for no less than two hours straight after the party was over! (Anything over 10 minutes is a good attention grabber for a toddler.)

She kept asking people if they wanted to touch it. Ha!

Paul wasn't so sure about it at first, but he has come to like it.

The cool part is that it lasts a long time. After the party my dad filled up our empty turtle sandbox with the sno, (so it wouldn't keep messing up the house) and the kids have been playing in it most every day since (over a week).

I made little "sno day kits" for everyone to take home.

One other fun activity was the pinata made from an ice cream bucket and filled with sno. It was a pull-pinata instead of the traditional hit-it-with-a-stick type (I figured we didn't really need anyone, let alone Clara or Paul running around with a large stick hitting things).

After the pinata, we sang and Clara blew out her three big candles.

Then she opened gifts.

Then back to playing in the snow.

Of course she had to make a snow angel or two!

It ended up being a really enjoyable afternoon with family and good friends.

Happy Birthday to my sweet three year old!

Partying: Cupcakes fit for a lumberjack

2013-01-01T01:00:00.000-06:00

It all started when I saw this picture:

Source: paintcutpaste.com via Erin on Pinterest

I loved the toadstool-forest spread. I felt that it fit in with a lumberjack without being too literal, and since I had some stumps from Clara's birthday, I thought it wouldn't be too difficult to pull off.

Did you read the "I thought"s up there? Well, I thought wrong.

***

Don't maple-bacon cupcakes sound amazing for a lumberjack party? I thought so. Manly bacon, naturally sweet maple. I found a recipe online. But they didn't rise very much. They wouldn't work for the toadstool idea unless I had another (bigger) top piece.

So, then I thought: I'll do a red velvet "cap." I won't have to make frosting for the cupcakes (since they will already be red), and red velvet is a southern tradition. I found a recipe online.

Lesson 1: don't blindly assume all internet recipes are tasty or tested.

While in theory, the bacon-maple cupcakes were perfect, they didn't taste great. They reminded me of cracklin' bread. If you've never had that, it's not exactly what I'd call birthday cake. The red velvet caps were all right. A little bland, but aesthetically cracked on top and not nearly as red as they needed to be. I was basically back to square one.

This must be what a Cook's Magazine chef feels like.

Then I made a double batch of cupcake batter using a recipe out of my Cooking Light magazine. I made the first half of the batter plain vanilla (which I would use for the bottoms) and then make the second half of the batter red velvet for the mushroom caps. This recipe was far superior taste-wise. The red velvet was a great crimson color, too. However, the recipe called for a large amount of eggs to give the cupcakes their structure. By the time I stirred the red food coloring into the second half of the batter, my eggs had sunk and left me with some red velvet pancakes.

Still at square one.

So I was now moving on to my fourth try. I whipped up a batch of devil's food cake whoopie pies from my King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking cook book. I love that cookbook. (Thanks, Keri!) I figured that red velvet is essentially devil's food with red food coloring.

Lesson 2: red velvet is not just devil's food with lots of red food coloring in it.

If it was, my cupcakes would look red instead of looking like devil's food cake. I made only tops, thinking that some of the cupcakes from earlier tries would be salvageable for bottoms.

But then I saw this:

Source: cupcakesandcashmere.com via Erin on Pinterest

Meringue? Isn't that a lot of work? Maybe, but I was sure that with my stand mixer it would not be that bad. I just had to wait until very close to party time to make them because I didn't want my meringues to become soft.

I didn't abandon my cupcakes completely for meringue mushrooms. I made meringue bases for the cupcake tops, holding up my wannabe red velvet devil's food mushroom "caps." I also made some of the cute little meringue mushrooms too. But not without doing the whole thing at least twice.

Lesson 3: Do not make meringues with pasteurized egg whites.
Lesson 3b: If it warns you against it on the label, you should probably take heed.

So after trying the recipe with the pasteurized egg whites, against the recommendation of "All Whites," I made another meringue recipe separating whole eggs with much greater success.

Now came the fun of putting it all together. Bamboo skewers were necessary to hold everything together, along with a little bit of cream cheese icing. A dust of cocoa powder or a few dots of frosting added to the mushroom-ness of it all.

That was so much work for such a non-exciting product. Oh, and the moss that I thought I had I couldn't find, so my green foam was exposed for the display (but at this point I didn't care, nor did I have time to find new moss.) But yes, this is the kind of crazy mom I am. It did receive a nice response from my family members, but it was not worth it. I think back on this experience and cringe about the amount of time that went into those stupid cupcakes. I could have just make regular cupcakes, frosted them red, and been done with it. Why did I have to make separate caps and bases? Why?

Lesson 4: Sometimes it is well-worth it to enlist a professional bakery.

It would have been cheaper than going through all those trials. I will remember these lessons (especially #4) as Clara's 3rd birthday comes around.

Sewing: Super huge Lumberjack Bib

2012-12-31T01:00:00.000-06:00

Paul's super huge lumberjack bib was a fun little project to make. I had really wanted to make part of his party clothes, but I couldn't justify making jeans or even a button down shirt when I could buy them so easily. However, I did make his bib, which was super helpful for cake-time.

There's this birthday tradition called a "smash cake." If you decide to do it, you need this bib for your little one. It has sleeves. It's the ultimate in coverage.

Read more about how I made it on my other blog here.

Partying: Have S'More Treat Bags

2012-12-29T01:00:00.000-06:00

Every party has to have little goody bags, right? Clara helped me make these "Have S'more" treat bags. They were so easy and fit right in with the rustic look of the invitations and decorations.

I searched for a great stencil font on dafont.com.

Once I installed it, I typed "s'more" in a word document and blew it up to 80 font (or something like that).

I printed it on cardstock and cut it out with an x-acto.

Then I used my stamp pad to stamp over the stencil onto some brown paper lunch bags.

Then I used my little alphabet stamps to print "h a v e" on each one.

We stuck two mini hersheys, two full graham cracker bars (or 4 halves), and two big marshmallows (stuck on bamboo skewers) in the bag, then tied it all up with red and white bakers twine. You can see them in the crate behind the s'more station.

Partying: Lumberjack style

2012-12-28T01:00:00.000-06:00

For Paul's first birthday, we had a Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Party. I'm finally getting around to sharing the details of the party. Let me first say that the weather was perfect! That really helped make it a fun time.

Isn't that an awesome bonfire? I have to thank Pat and his boy-scout skills for making that happen. The main event for the party was the bonfire where we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. While that added a lot of ambiance, I still added a few other touches to make it a birthday party over just another weenie roast.

The party was out under the group of cedar trees in my mother-in-law's yard. Why? Cedars are evergreen and it was November! That tree canopy made the party feel right. I strung some Christmas lights in the lower branches for some extra twinkle. Note Uncle Ray in the background sharpening our roasting sticks.

The table had a big stack of firewood layered over a thrifted plaid blanket. Tea lights in canning jars provided a little extra lighting for the table.

I made the burlap banner that said "Happy Birthday." It's just squares of burlap cut out and sewed (folded over and zig-zagged at the top) to braided twine. Using Clara's finger paints, I painted the letters on. Easy.

For the food, we had hot dogs (that we cooked over the bonfire) and kettle chips. There were jars of ketchup, mustard, and relish to embellish the 'dogs,' and also some grated cheese. I ordered disposable bamboo plates to enhance the lumberjack theme. Oh and we had some pretzel sticks that reminded me of logs.

Then there was the s'more station with graham crackers, hershey bars, and campfire-sized marshmallows.

Clara had to inspect the marshmallows. (She's standing on our cooler of IBC Root beer and Cream Soda.)

The mushroom meringue cupcakes will have a post all to themselves.

Then we sang to the birthday boy!

Partying: Timber! Lumberjack invites

2012-12-27T13:55:00.000-06:00

Most lumberjacks are probably not long-winded fellas. They're to the point and keep things simple. So an invitation to a lumberjack party should be also.

A 50 pack of kraft paper cards and envelopes from Hobby Lobby was the base, with a big wood-grain stamp inked on the front.

After setting up the text in Photoshop, I ran the cards and envelopes through the printer, with the fonts downloaded from my favorite font site: dafont.com.

I embellished the inner envelope flap just a bit with some scrapbook paper (also from Hobby Lobby).

Simple, right?

Parenting: Paul turns One!

2012-12-03T15:01:00.000-06:00

My baby is already one!! My this year has flown by. It's surreal to think that just over a year ago at this time I was waddling around unable to see my feet.

Paul and Clara already have very different personalities and temperaments. Paul has been far more difficult in a lot of ways.

But he is a sweetie. He smacks his lips to "blow kisses," he runs toward cars (dangerous, I know) waving hi or bye to them, and he loves anything with a wheel.

Happy First Birthday, my young man! I love you!

P.S. I've been busy the past month (or two) gathering and organizing and strategizing a party for Paul. The theme? Lumberjacks. (Paul... Paul Bunyan... Lumberjacks... you get it.) Stay tuned for a slurry of party prep posts in case you're interested in the nitty gritty deets.

Parenting: Potty Training

2012-11-13T22:43:00.002-06:00

I am afraid to write this post. Afraid because I don't want to jinx it. And I don't have pictures. Sorry. But, Clara's been diaper-free for almost a week. Eek!

I am the first to admit that potty training Clara has been a difficult task, and I did not approach the process as prepared as I should have been. Need I remind you of my other potty post? Like this one from almost 18 months ago? I thought that buying a potty, having the "Once Upon A Potty" book, and watching for her "cues" was all it took. Naive.

A few months later I thought: she needs an incentive. She needs some treats. No deal.

Then a few months later I thought: she needs to be invested in the process. She can pick out some underwear. Still no deal.

Then a few months later I thought: I need help!

My advice? Read some books about it first. Be strategic. Going with the flow (bad pun, I know) was and is slow and painful and expensive. I checked out "Potty Training in Less Than a Day" from our library, and it actually made a lot of sense. Its basic concept is have your child teach a doll (that can wet) to use the potty, then they will know how to go by them self. I think if that was my first foray into pottying with Clara, we might have had more success, but it was not. We tried that method, and she LOVED teaching her doll to use the potty. She loved all the treats you ate during the process, but she wanted nothing to do with sitting on the potty herself.

So how in the world is she using the potty now? Well, I'm not sure. All I know is that she had two diapers that leaked in a short time span one morning. As I was cleaning the floor from the spill, I told her, "You're too big for these diapers. They can't hold all your peep (what we lovingly call urine). It's time for you to wear underwear." And by golly, she went with it, despite the fact that I had told this to her umpteen times before.

She's not 100% accident free yet, and I have her wear a pull-up to bed, but we're all doing well. We've got a small potty seat, a little potty, a little potty at Gram's house, and a fold-up travel potty. We've got a sticker chart on the wall with plenty of stickers to choose from, tootsie rolls, and animal crackers. We have Dora underwear, "Punzel" underwear, plain underwear, and princess underwear. In other words, the support staff is in place. We have our fingers crossed. While it's somewhat nerve racking to constantly check on her and remind her about using the potty, I know that this stressful part of learning will be a short span overall.

The end is in sight! Hallelujah!

Gardening: Fall 2012

2012-10-11T08:07:00.000-05:00

Most of my fall garden is in.

I know it doesn't look like much right now, but I'm so excited about it because we actually prepared for it like all the magazines tell you to (but we never usually do). Pat hauled in loads of composted calf bedding that I made my raised beds from. (Black gold! Hey-oh!) We also "sheet mulched" the pathways, i.e.: laid down cardboard and then mulched on top to prevent weeds. We also sheet mulched an adjacent area to prepare for spring planting. Then we added the irrigation system (reconfigured from our spring garden). I feel so with it! (That's unusual these days.)

I planted lots of greens: Kale, Mustard and Turnips. Irrigation action shot below (ha ha!)

There's also a row of carrots and a half-row of garlic. I wanted to plant shallots but all I have are seeds (and from what I've read on the internet, seeds are best planted indoors in January-ish around these parts). Waiting patiently.

Kid Crafting: Handmade Wrapping Paper

2012-10-11T00:48:00.000-05:00

The subtitle of this post should be: Entertaining Your Children On the Cheap (or something like that).

Clara, Paul, and I went to our first non-family birthday party a week ago. Clara helped me not only wrap the gift, but make the wrapping paper.

I thought it turned out pretty cute! Now this is not any kind of original idea, nor is it rocket science how I did it, but I'm going to tell you anyway.

I grabbed a sheet of newsprint and asked her if she wanted to decorate it. She was all for it.

She drew a butterfly and a rainbow. We were going to a "Very Hungry Caterpillar" birthday, so her drawing was very appropriate (weird coincidence!). Can't see them? Let me help you.

After she finished, I busted out my new mini stamp set and using her markers, stamped on the "Happy Birthday" part.

We wrapped Pat's gift today using the same method. Cheap + Amused Child = Happy Erin

Put it in your arsenal, Moms, if you haven't already... Christmas will be here before you know it :-)

Recipe: Ann's Banana Smoothie

2012-08-29T23:02:00.002-05:00

I meant to post this, oh, a month ago or more. While this is still delicious, it is more delicious when it is 90 degrees or more outside. I think I have a month or so before the weather makes this post irrelevant.

***

Oh, this is so delicious on a hot summer day. The best part? It's actually good for you with no extra sweeteners. Clara and Paul drink this stuff up!

Somehow when banana and milk combine it is sweeter than their sweetness together. Like 2+2=6 or something. Am I talking crazy?

The amounts are not hard-and-fast, add more or less milk and ice to suit you.

2 Bananas, peeled (obviously) and broken in pieces
A handful of ice cubes
Enough milk to cover banana pieces and ice (1 cup?)

Put ingredients in blender (I use my immersion blender as in the picture below); blend to taste. Makes 2-3 servings. Yum!

We first drank this recipe (or a slight variation there of) at Pat's sister Ann's house, hence "Ann's Banana Smoothie." Her house doesn't have A/C, so she is an expert in alternative ways to feel refreshed!

Enjoy!!