Playgroup Valentines Party!

 

We had a party!  Sort of.  I mean, it wasn't a fancy party, and it wasn't organized, and there was no schedule.  We invited a bunch of small children and their moms/aunties to our house for a Valentine's celebration... we made treats, we decorated, we put out toys.  Our party was a toddler and baby free for all, an event that left our living room looking like three hours in on Christmas morning, an even that built up some fantastic sugar highs (and crashes).  Mommies had coffee, children had sugar, and everyone had fun.  Success!

Up there is a picture of our table, all prettied up for the occasion.  Here's a breakdown of what's on the table...

CUPCAKES!

Is it easy to tell which ones I decorated, and which were a result of this?:

No matter, they were all tasty!

Raina also made some Model Magic cupcakes, with princess candles.

We decided not to eat those ones.

(BANGS.  Will they ever grow out completely?  Will she always be shaggy?)

I feel like I should also mention that while, yes, the kiddos ate a fair amount of cupcakes, they also ate every banana in my house.  And we had lots of bananas.  Thanks, Josh.  Sometimes peer pressure is a good thing!

We also made these chocolate stirring spoons that I blogged about a few days ago...

Decorations were simple.  A heart shaped cutting board and placemat from Christmas Tree Shop.  Themed paper plates and pink napkins (napkins from Raina's first birthday party.  Yes, first.  As we are getting ready for the third!)  Paper hearts, decorated with paint and foam stickers by Raina.  And a garland, bought on super clearance at Target the day after Christmas!  It has little felt circles hung on a ribbon - it came decorated with snowflakes, but I just turned it over and randomly stuck on some foam heart stickers.  Voila!  I also put out heart dishtowels and handtowels in the bathroom.  I don't think anyone noticed, but it made me happy.

All the kids came in red.  Some of them.  One of them?  One of them and my own two.  Four of the girls wore my Valentine hairbows, so I didn't really mind that it wasn't as festive from the neck down :).

Those are my Valentine cuties, dressed for the occasion!  I can't get enough of those smiles!

We had Valentine success.  A few friends ended up staying for lunch, and helped us sort of clean up the trashed play area :).  I am always hesitant to host playgroup at my house.  I'm always worried that my house isn't clean enough, or cute enough, or well decorated enough.  That everyone will have a terrible time and complain about the messy stovetop.  I have to keep reminding myself that every one of these women spends their day in a house with kids.  They get it, and I can let go a little and give myself a break.  This week, I'm glad I did!  

Whew, we made it.  

(And with cupcakes to spare!  We brought them to Auntie, because I can't. eat. any. more. cupcakes.  Sad but true.)

Elephant Walk's Chilled Avocado and Citrus Soup

If I were stranded on a desert island and could pick only one food to have with me, I would pick this soup. 

That's a tough thing for me to say, since there are some really yummy meals on my top 10 list, including my mom's chicken pie... but I'm imagining that my desert island will be hot, and that a chilled soup will be ultimately more appealing than a hot comfort food. 

In all seriousness... this soup is yumTASTIC.  It is a lot of work, but the result is something that will have you thinking that yes, you DO deserve a show on the Food Network! 

Elephant Walk, for those of you not in the know, is a French-Cambodian restaurant that has a few locations in the Boston area.  I saw them featured on a local restaurant review show called The Phantom Gourmet yearsandyearsandyears ago, and knew I needed to go.  Some day.  I told this guy I was interested in at the time about it, and we decided we'd go together.  Things happened.  We stopped talking, I moved to California.  Many more years passed.  Guy and I started talking again, coast to coast.  Things got serious, and I came for a visit.  He surprised me with a dinner out at Elephant Walk, and I was wowed.  He remembered.  I had this soup. (Among other things.  Including wine.  Lots of wine.)  This guy?  We're married now.  Two kids.  Life is good. 

Soup is good. 

Here's the recipe...
(My additions/comments/suggestions will be like this, hiding in parenthesis)

Ingredients for 4 Servings (I have only ever made it in this portion size once.  The first time.  When two people love each other very much, they make a double batch so there is enough love to go around.):
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp salt
1 quart orange juice, freshly squeezed (or from a carton.  It's fine, really.)
1 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed (or from a plastic lime!)
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic, chopped  (chopped, not smashed.  I made the mistake of using my magic bullet once for this step, and it was too much.  the garlic flavor was too strong for the soup.  I LOVE garlic, but it was just too overpowering for this.)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 avocados, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I pretty much always use extra avocado, because I love it.  THanks for that, SoCal!)
2/3 cup button mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 cups plum tomatoes, diced without pulp
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped

Then do this:
1.  Cover the chopped onion with 1 tbsp salt for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse the salt completely off the onion, then drain and squeeze off excess water.  (You might read this step and say "Whatnow?!"  It's really important though to get the extra moisture out of the onions and to soften the flavor a bit.  If you don't do it, your soup will not be as yummy, and the elephants will be sad.)
2.  Mix remaining salt, black pepper, orange juice, lime juice, garlic, and sugar.
3.  Add olive oil and mix well.
4.  Add the diced avocados, mushrooms, tomatoes, and onion. Stir gently to mix.
5.  Let chill one hour before serving.  (Really, this is a better-the-next-day soup.  Give the flavors some time to get to know each other.  You'll be happy you did.)
6.  Directly before serving, add 1 tbsp cilantro to soup and stir to mix.

I'm trying to think of a "best served with" suggestion, but I'm not sure we've ever served it with anything except fresh crusty bread and some warm butter.  At the restaurant, we "serve it" with whatever looks yummy on the menu... so I'd say that a nice white fish meal and some veggies would go well with it!  If you have a second, look at their menu!  It will leave you salivating, for realz.  

Oh, and in case you were thinking that my love story is a fairytale... it is.  Sort of.  A very complicated, not always pretty, but always always worth it he's-my-soulmate-for-sure-for-better-or-worse kind of fairytale.  More on that later.  Maybe.  :)
 

A Spoonful of Sugar...

A spoonful of sugar helps almost anything go down!  If you need a second opinion, ask any toddler you know :)  Raina is pretty sure that every meal should end with a "fancy chocolate," and I can't say I disagree!

We're having a slightly Valentine themed playgroup tomorrow (I'm hosting, and I didn't want to set myself up for disappointment or lead anyone on by calling it an all out Valentine's Day bash!), so I'm trying to make our house look presentable and get some pretty snacks together.  I saw this in the last issue of Family Fun magazine and thought it looked pretty and simple...

I'm pleased with how mine turned out, and hope the mommies enjoy stirring coffee with a pretty little spoon tomorrow!

Here's what you need:

1.  Plastic spoons.   By happy coincidence, mine happened to be pink!  They're leftovers from Raina's 1st birthday party.  Yes, 2 years ago.  I knew I was saving them for something!

2.  Melting chocolate.  I was all set to get white, but there were pink melts on the shelf, and I couldn;t resist!  They are microwavable, but I love my double boiler, so I used that.  You can do whichever is easier for you, just follow the instructions on the bag!

3.  Decorations!  I used red sugar and sugar hearts, but the possibilities are endless!  The Family Fun instructions mention conversation hearts and red hots, and the picture looks like it has nonpareils.

Directions...

1.  Melt chocolate.  Use a small spoon to fill the spoon part of your plastic spoons.  You don't need as much as you think you do!  Tap it a little to spread the chocolate evenly, then set them down with the handle resting on something.  This will make the spoon lay flat, making sure none of the hot chocolate spills or cools unevenly.  I used a folded dishtowel.  You could also use the side of a cookie sheet.

2.  While the chocolate is still hot, add decorations.  Place candies, tapping down a bit so they stick in place.  Sprinkle sugar.  Have fun!

3.  Place spoons gently on a tray, plate etc, trying to make sure the handles are still elevated slightly, amd transfer to fridge.  Let them "set" in the fridge for an hour or so to make sure they are really solid.  I used the tray from my toaster to hold them... how do those trays get so gross?!

4.  If your giving these as gifts, you can put the ends in clear treat bags and tie with a pretty ribbon.  I put mine in a cup with the spoons facing up so you could see them - a sugary sweet bouquet!

5.  STIR STIR STIR!

I was a little unsure about the practical use of these.   Would I actually *want* to stir my coffee with this confection?  Yes.  Yes I do.  One spoon lasted me through a couple cups, though, so a little goes a long way.  I was actually glad I didn't use conversation hearts, too.  I don't know how well they dissolve, and I'm not sure I'd want one floating in my cup.  The little candles looked pretty floating, even if it did take them a while to dissolve!

This is a recipe I'm eager to dig out at every holiday!  It would be SO easy to them them to most major holidays... I'm already picturing Halloween and Christmas!!

Valentines Day Hair Accesories Extravaganza!

I've been sooo busy taking orders and making blankets lately that I've hardly had time to do anything else!  I love holiday thmed dressing, though (on little girls, that is.  Not quite the same on mommas!), so I spent my toddlerless (weekend at nana's!) weekend making some pretty hair thingamabobs for Raina and Lucca!

Saturday morning after I dragged my butt to yoga, I stopped at AC Moore for some glittery craft foam.  I love this stuff.  It has an adhesive back, but I generally ignore that and take a glue gun to it.  Little fingers are not easy on hair items, and hot glue is way more secure than adhesive backing.  I have a headband of my own that is glitter stars, amde from wool felt and German glass glitter that is GORGEOUS... but the cost of the supplies for toddlers and babies is a little over the top.  Glitter foam gives the same effect, and I wont feel bad if it gets worn only once, or lost on the playground, or put through the wash by mistake.  It's usually between .59 and .89.  You can afford this.  I also got some valentine ribbon, pink satin, and stretch lace.

I am dangerous in craft stores, btw.  There is no way I can run in for just one thing.  Everything looks SO PRETTY!  My brain starts working overtime about all the possibilities, and before you know it, my basket is full.  I do not get carts in craft stores.  Way too dangerous.  At least I know my limits, right?

It has been so long since I made curly hairbows, and it was SO much fun to do it again!  (I got some St. Patrick's day ribbin, too, so I'll be doing this again soon!)  After an entire afternoon at my craft table/messy pile of glittery stuff, this is what I had to show for myself:

My intent was to make a bunch into headbands... and I did... but I left more as clips than I thought I would at first.  I decided that they's last longer if they could be clipped onto a headband now, and worn as a clip later.  Some of the headbands may actually be turned back into clips when they get too small.

p.s. ...

I forgot to mention that I got chosen as a favorite of the week over on Gingersnap Crafts blog!  I added my Rainbow Taggie to the link party she hosts every week, and it was a hit!  (This actually happened a few weeks ago, but it's crazy over here in mommy-baby-toddler land, and I'm still excited, so.... I'm talling you late, but please don't hate!)

Thanks, Ginger! :)

http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/2012/02/take-look-at-you-my-favorites.html

(That's the link up there!  Take a look, there's lots of other fun projects to peek, at, too!)

Lovey Love

Raina has been really good with the adjustmet of having a new sibling.  Most of the time.  Some days, though, she has a hard time with the fact that there are things that are Lucca's.  Only Lucca's.  Not Raina's.  Lucca's taggie blanket is close to the top of this list.  She always wants to lie on it when Lucca is playing on it, and sometimes when she sees me watching her [lay with all the ribbons, she'll say something really guilt tripping like, "I don't have one of these.  Lots of babies, but not me..."

Now, the last thing this girl needs is another blanket.  The kid sleeps with EIGHT bkankets on her bed!  Eight!!!  And most of them are homemade, just for her.  But still, she has no rainbow taggies.  So today I made her a lovey sized one, personalized with just an "R."  Her "R for me!" as she calls it.  Small enough that it can go with her, double as a blanket for Meow, and not be added to her princess and the pea blanket stack :).

It's about 15" x 15", as opposed to the usual 36" x 36."  Perfect for car rides and doll beds!  Most importantly, it still has plenty of pretty rainbow ribbons to play with, hang things from, and rub between little fingers for comfort.

Let's hope she loves it!  I'm thinking of making a similar sized one as a pillow.  Yes?  And doing one with a heart instead of a letter.  Great for a baby shower gift when mom and dad are keeping the name a surprise!

(p.s. - if you like these a lot, I just added them to my Etsy shop!  Use the code BLOG10 to save 10% for getting there through my blog!)

Mommy-made baby toys

We have no shortage of baby toys.  Raina was the first grandchild on both sides, and has been spoiled pretty well by all grand-people, aunties, honorary aunties, and relatives from distant corners of the earth.  So Lucca doesn't really *need* much of anything.  Still, I wanted her to have some special things that were just for her.  So I got together a few patterns, in my head and on paper, and made her a few softie friends of her own!

Mr Turtle 

(I believe you've already met...)

The Jovial Giraffe

(from Lotta Jansdotter's book)

Squishy Bunny

(adapted from this tutorial)

The Happy Sun

 

Every one of these was fun and easy to make :)  The giraffe was made from a scrap of fabric from an old tshirt I've been trying my hardest to NOT part with for years.  Yearsandyearsandyears.  An embarassing amount of years.  For the tags, I used pieces of ribbon that I end up with at the end of a roll - too short for a hairbow or for a tag on a blanket... but still long enough that I can't throw it away.  (Are you noticing a trend?  I swear I'm not a hoarder!!)  The original directions say you can add a bell or crinkles, but I didn't have any within arms reach, and on the night I made it I wasn't in the mood to get up out of my chair I guess :).

Squishy bunny is also made from a recycled piece of clothing!  This one, though, I'm not emotionally attached to!  It's from a baby cardigan we got in a bag of hand-me-downs.  Cute bright rainbowy fabric, so soft... but the piece of clothing wasn't really my style so I tossed it in the "do something with this" pile!  I mostly like this pattern.  Next time, though, I'd keep the ears as part of the big pattern, and not add them on separately.  They're just a little too floppy for my liking.  Also, bunny's face.  It creeps me out a little.  I'm a novice at embroidery, and embroidering on jersey is tricky.  It's cute enough, though.  And not totally creepy, right?  I added the heart on, too... I wanted to decorate a little, and I also wanted to use more of the pretty fabric!  I like the stripes runny the opposite way of the body, and I like the look of the stitching around it, too.  I almost machine sewed it on, but I like the handpieced look of it this way.  I have a few baby showers coming up, and I'm thinking of making more of these from recycled sweaters.  

The sun taggie is my favorite.  It can attach with links to a stroller or carseat, or to a playmat.  His face came out cute, and I got to reuse an outgrown sleeper! 

 I tried not to OVERstuff any of these to keep them cuddly and squishy!  Next time around, I'll be trying out adding bells and crinkles, and using different textures of fabric.  

In the end, though, no toy is as good as playtime with big sister!  :)