Singin' in the Kitchen

day 3

2009-11-03T08:50:00.000-08:00

Darn this not having the internets at home. I'm told we'll have our beloved connection back on Thursday, though. Here's hoping!

It's Oliver Update Day!

10 months. So active it's a little scary sometimes.

at his dedication service, looking happily goofy with daddy

Walking...

Climbing...

Oh, the climbing...

He loves playing with his cousins (well, my cousins, but as they're all so much younger than I am, they're better playmates for him right now)

at Nana & Papa's old house, with cousin Nick

at GG & Papa John's place, with cousin Tatum (in her Halloween costume)

Oliver is developing quite a big personality. Some new discoveries:

"reading" books...loves turning pages for himself

new words - duck, book, bear, "Nana" & "Papa," "My-uh" (aunt Mariah), handle (above doors in cars)

making the "Stinky Face"...

...and Jello!

*poke, poke*

We're having so much fun. Yesterday, he started trying to run. Won't be long...

O Nata Lux

2009-11-02T21:38:00.000-08:00

I just got out of choir rehearsal, and I wanted to share a piece we're rehearsing for our Christmas concert this year.

This setting of the text O Nata Lux by Guy Forbes is just breathtaking. This recording was made by a choir directed by an old college friend of our conductor's, and his interpretation of this is just exquisite.

baaaaaaaa

2009-04-14T22:23:00.000-07:00

If I'm honest with myself, I have to admit I can be a bit of a "bandwagon" person. It's quite hard to resist the mob-mentality over some fads and crazes, especially when all your friends have taken the plunge. Over the years, I've hopped on board with:

pogs
ska music
myspace
Harry Potter mania
facebook
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and related...)
blogging (most recently)

to name a few. I'm sure there have been others.

Of late, there are two crazes in particular that I have been fighting with every fiber of my being. It might be the general fatigue that sets in when one becomes a mother. It may be the stress I've been under lately at work. It just may be that I'm of a weaker constitution than I care to admit. Whatever the reasons...I find that I have lost the battle. I have been tried and found wanting. Just today, I broke down and surrendered to both social leaches I have been slandering for so long.

You can find me at www dot twitter dot com slash mamafield.

I'll let you know what I think of Twilight when I finish it.

Baaaaaa...

...in the Easter parade...

2009-04-12T21:41:00.000-07:00

Holidays create an interesting conundrum for couples. Whose family gets the visit? If you're fortunate (?) enough to have both sides in close proximity, this predicament grows.

One side of our family, the quirky ones, live 30 minutes away. The other side, the loud ones, live ten minutes closer. The quirky ones tend to plan get-togethers a bit more in advance than the loud ones, therefore earning "dibs" on our little family on a fairly regular basis. However, the loud ones tend to expect us to give them priority, as this has been the modus operandi of past generations. We find ourselves trying to keep the peace with both sides by splitting a holiday in two. This often means two meal contributions to prepare, two meals to consume (often in an uncomfortably short span of time), and two rounds of the same conversation. This also means a VERY long, overstimulating day for itty bitty baby, giving us a VERY long, exhausting night following the festivities. Today, we found ourselves in just this situation.

First on the docket, decide which dessert to take to which family. Verdict: strawberry cream cake for the quirky ones, Boston cream pie for the loud ones. Second, figure out clothing for all three of us. Now, I realize what I'm about to admit may seem a tad high-maintenance, but I accept this fact and move on: we always match on holidays. Family gatherings always proffer at least one "Kodak moment," and it has always irked me when people's clothing clashes in pictures. As a result, I have deliberately chosen matching - or, at the very least, coordinating - clothing for myself, the husband and itty bitty baby. Sometimes this is easy - we have a LOT of clothes that work together, and often find we unintentionally match. Other times, like this year, I stress over this. But I will not be dissuaded from my quest to match. This Easter, the palette consisted of white and a cheery spring green. Itty Bitty wore a white polo-onesie, green sweater vest & his first pair of khakis, I a quickly made white eyelet skirt and green tee, and the husband (grumbling notwithstanding) looked dapper in his "geek chic" plaid shorts and polo. Preps of the world, be proud.

Alright...food prepared, clothing laid out. On to the events.

Attended church service with parents. One million hands reached to hold Itty Bitty Baby as he clung to me for dear life amid the throng. Hastily assembled cake for the quirky ones, headed to Kooky Gramma's for late-ish lunch at 1pm. Itty Bitty played musical relatives while large quantities of potluck-style grub was consumed. Retreated to Kooky Gramma's bedroom to console Itty Bitty after first major meltdown of the day. Packed everything up, quick stop at parents' house to hastily assembled "pie" (tangent warning...why is it "pie" when it's a cake? C'mon, people...) and headed to join the loud ones for "lunch." At 4 pm. Okay...sat down at looooooooooong dining table amid 974 two-way monologues, attempted to eat polite amount of second "lunch," while watching Itty Bitty play second round of musical relatives. Two hours later, consoled Itty Bitty after second major meltdown of the day. Tucked little guy into carseat to snooze while small talk resumed.

And then we had to stop for gas on the way home, bringing major meltdown count to three.

Long day. Welcome to our holidays.

Oliver Edward

2009-04-09T22:51:00.000-07:00

We first met on a cool December morning - the 10th of December, to be precise. You had taken your time deciding to arrive, and we finally had to convince you to come in the end. But once you decided it was time, there you were.

And from the first moment you were a force to be reckoned with.

From your first hours it was very clear you were an incredibly alert, attentive little guy. It seemed like you didn't want to miss a detail of this new world you had just discovered.

It also became clear quite quickly that you had inherited your mother's "Irish temper" ...

You have grown so quickly. I marvel at how you develop new abilities and discover something new about yourself every day. Not too long ago, your movements were erratic and slow - you hadn't yet developed a level of control. Then you were suddenly able, with finer, more circular motions, to make contact with your target. Almost overnight, your swooping movements have become more deliberate, more fine-tuned, and you reach out and grab something, pulling it to yourself. Before long you'll be crawling, then walking, then running.

Recently, to commemorate three months of life with you, we arranged for a friend to take some pictures. She managed to capture your many moods ...

Content -
Inquisitive -
Playful -
Overwhelmed -

Whatever your mood, I bask in the joy of being your mama. You bring more happiness to me than the floweriest words can express. I can't wait to see the little boy you will become, the kid, the teenager, the man.
Four months down...so many more to come.

field house catering

2009-04-08T22:07:00.000-07:00

Well, it appears I'm still failing miserably at my goal of posting something nightly. I have an excuse, though! (I know, I know...) My good friend, Amanda, came to visit from back east, so I was busy catching up with her and helping her get where she needed to go. She's returned home now, so on with the blogging!

In other news...

As I mentioned in my last post, I love cooking. I have dreamed for some time of starting my own catering & special events company. Two close girlfriends share this dream, and one day we hope to open a company together. In the meantime, I am fortunate to have friends who come to me with their special events for creative help and, sometimes, food. This has led me to start brainstorming for my company. Tonight I worked on the overall style of my print materials (business cards, quote sheets and invoices, etc.), and I designed a logo.

I also plan to (eventually) develop a web page for my company, a place to post pictures and details of events I have done as well as share ideas and upcoming projects. I have the shell created and awaiting some creative TLC, so check it out in the coming months!

Bake Me a Cake...

2009-04-01T23:59:00.000-07:00

I like to bake. This is no secret to those who love me. To those who know me, for that matter. Cookies, cakes, pies...the occasion doesn't matter. Heck, I don't even need an occasion. I once baked four dozen muffins because it was a Tuesday and I happened to have the ingredients on hand.

When I set out to learn something new - especially in the kitchen - I often manically (maniacally, maybe?) work to master it, and won't rest until I do in most cases. Cake decorating has been no exception. For instance, the first cake I decorated…

…was a teensy bit time consuming, no? My kooky, wonderful grandmother, a seasoned cake maker herself, supervised this little project. She offered little hints, tips and techniques along the way - hints, tips and techniques I now employ on pretty much every project. After this cake, I was energized and inspired. Oh, the possibilities! But the time constraints of busy life became a bit daunting. Thusly my next few projects were much simpler, and also mostly executed late in the evening:

Before long, I got a few requests from friends to make cakes for their kids’ birthday parties. One work friend has two adorable daughters. My first cake for them was for the older daughter’s 6th birthday, a Cinderella themed layer cake…

There were also 2 dozen coordinating cupcakes. On this project, I became very proficient in piping flowers. Oh, the flowers. Hours of flowers.

Next came the younger daughter’s Strawberry Shortcake themed 4th birthday cake…

This one was especially fun with the polka dots and the green grass. The cake topper, provided by my friend (the mom), was actually a balloon anchor. The strawberry in Shortcake’s hand was actually a little metal ring to which one would normally tie balloon strings. It was quite tricky getting my icing to stay put, but I think it turned out rather cute!

Last May I asked my dad what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday. He quickly said, “Chocolate chip with vanilla icing.” This is what he got…

I love how fluffy the vanilla bean buttercream turned out on this cake. It was so yummy!

My friend’s older daughter’s birthday came around again recently, this year with a “My Little Ponies at the Ice Rink” theme. While shopping for a few new cake pans, a lady at the kitchen store gave me the great idea to use jello on top of the cake to give the illusion of ‘ice.’ It took awhile to figure out just how to execute this, but it turned out alright in the end! I still need to tweak my method a little if I ever use it again, but all in all it worked...

The same weekend I was asked to do the cakes for a little girl’s 1^st birthday party. The mom asked if I could make a special, small cake for the baby to dig into herself, so here’s what I made…

The grown-ups got to cut into this, a carved cartoon electric guitar…

Who knew it would be so easy to pipe leopard print!

My upcoming projects are butterfly cupcakes for a baby shower at work next week and zoo-themed cupcakes and cake for The One Most Likely To’s baby shower. Soon I’ll also have friend from work’s younger daughter’s cake, but I haven’t a clue what our theme will be this time around. I’ll post pics of these projects, and any others that pop up along the way.

If you need a cake for an event or special occasion, drop me an e-mail and we’ll brainstorm!

A Sad, Pitiful Excuse of a Blogger

2009-04-01T11:07:00.001-07:00

Wow. I'm disappointed with myself. Here I was, all gung-ho about a blog of my own, and...how long has it been since my first post? Over a month. Pitiful.

I have always been one of those people...I would make the trite new year's resolution to write in a journal every day. I would go to the local stationary store and select a blank book that was just right...usually a pretty, artsy cover and plenty of blank, narrow-ruled pages inside because, come on, I would need enough space to chronicle a whole year of amazingness.

I would run home with my beautiful purchase and start writing. I would manage to keep it up for, say, a week. Then....nothing. Come July or August, I would find the poor discarded journal kicked under my bed or fallen behind my dresser, covered in dust and cobwebs, and feel like a total failure.

I really wanted to include a clip of the "Friends" episode where Monica calls Rachel out on this very thing, but can't seem to find it readily available online, and don't have the fancy-schmancy capabilities on my dinosaur of a laptop to make the clip myself. (If you don't know the clip to which I'm referring, you should be ashamed of yourself. Netflix season 5 and watch "The One with All the Resolutions.")

Today, I say, "NO MORE!" I will not be that person once again. I am turning over a new leaf. I have asked my adoring husband to hold me to this. Remind me, nay, FORCE me to get on here for at least 15 minutes every night before sleepytime, and just write. Write about my day, about something funny/cute/babyish that Itty Bitty Baby did, write about having nothing to write about.

So here goes...wish me luck.

Maiden Voyage

2009-02-26T12:32:00.001-08:00

After...ahem...a few encouragements from friends and family, I am surrendering to peer pressure and starting a blog. Gasp! Yet another thing to maintain...although secretly (and now not so secretly) I'm quite flattered that people are interested in the daily goings-on of my life, my projects, etc. We'll see if I actually garner a following!

And so, on to the blogging...