Cooking Party #2

My little Drewby just turned 5. And he wanted the exact same party his older brother did when he turned 5... a cooking party. They both are my biggest helpers (for lack of a better word;)) at dinnertime. And I enjoy reusing ideas, heck I've already done most of the research (yes, research), so why not? And why not even make it better the second time around? So that's just what I did.



I made a cute sign for the front door using a potholder set from the $1 aisle at Target (although I think it was actually $2.50 for the set). It said "Welcome to Drew's Cafe". On a side note - I could be advertising for Target's $1 spot. I also bought vinyl tablecoths there... in red/white and turquoise/white checkered patterns. So, so cute and the perfect colors.



I displayed the menu-to-be on a chalkboard in the kitchen.



I filled a collander with cooking tools and used it for the centerpiece.

I scattered balloons all over the floor... I do this for EVERY party. Cheap decoration and an instant pop of color. Plus each kid can take one home with them if they'd like.









I used the same menu, because it was simple and yet it really made the kids feel like they were cooking a full meal. We made pizza (using pre-baked dough) first. Each kid had a chance to spread around the sauce, sprinkle a handful of cheese, and lay down some pepperoni. Then we made "salad on a stick"... which was chunks of cheese, cucmber, grape tomatoes and croutons on a bamboo skewer (idea courtesy of Family Fun). Last but not least, each kid decorated his/her own (pre-baked) cupcake, but not before tinting the icing themselves... they took turns stirring in the food coloring.

I made the same chef hats. the tutorial is online at Family Fun here (could also advertise for them - Family Fun are you listening? I love your mag!). And I provided each child with an apron from Oriental Trading. See here.



I made a little connection this time between Drew's age (5) and the 5 basic food groups. We guessed what Drew's 5 favorite foods were while we worked. And the party favors were styrofoam lunch trays filled with candy that looked like real food, representing the 5 food groups. The little attached scroll on top says:

"Fish, breadsticks, lentils and cheese,
Berries and oranges, pumpkins and peas,
Be sure to get your 5 food groups a day,
Drew's been growing for 5 years this way."

I used swedish fish, sugar babies for the lentils, orange and yellow starburst for the cheese, haribo candy berries, chocolate orange slices, and green M&Ms for the peas. Everything had a label. I really tried to execute this idea when I first hosted this party a couple years ago. But it did not turn out nearly as cute as it did this time. The only thing is it was too bad that his party fell the week before Halloween. I am sure the parents loved that I sent their kids home with a plate full of candy just 7 days before going trick or treating!



I added a game this time. There are a few fabulous activity ideas on this site. I made 2 placemats with an outline of a properly set table setting. Set up a small table big enough for 2 contestants and had them race each other to see who could properly set their setting first. So they each had a stack of plate, cup, napkin, fork and knife. Fun!

The benefits to this party idea are countless. It doesn't require a lot of decor. It doesn't require a lot of prep (you are, after all, cooking the party food as part of the party itself). It keeps the kids engaged the whole time (so they aren't running wild through your house). And it's unique!

spooky banner tutorial

Last weekend my friends Tannie, Esther and I went to check out a relatively new housing development. Craftsman inspired floor plans. My favorite style. One of the model homes had the word "DREAM" hanging from a bedroom curtain rod. It was in a gothic font and the letters had glitter on them. I loved the concept, although it didn't look right to me in a bedroom. My thoughts were, however, that it would be a perfect idea for a Halloween banner. So the 3 of us got together and created this banner.



Here's what we used:

this font

black posterboard

Elmer's glue

brush

black (or orange, or silver) glitter

ribbon



Blow up the letters to the size you want and print out. Cut them out and use them as stencils on the black posterboard. (We smoothed out some of the edges on the letters because they were a little too ornate). Reinforce the back of your letters with popsicle sticks if your posterboard is too thin (if you do not, the glue will cause the post board to curl). Paint your letters (one at a time) with an even coat of glue. Sprinkle black glitter generously over the letter. Let your letters dry overnight. Using a wide ribbon (if your ribbon is not wide enough your banner will not hang flat), attach your letters using hot glue. Leave about an inch bettween letters... you don't want them to close together or they will overlap when you hang it up. Leave at least a 7 inch tag on each end from which to hang your banner. Add additional pieces of ribbon for whimsy... choose a variety of widths and textures. I used orange silk, black with handstitched edges, white ric rac and black and white striped. Black and white gingham and polka dots would also be cute! You can also hang the letter individually, each one with it's own piece of ribbon. Looks great across a mantle, hanging in a window, along the top of an armoire, or at the top of a niche like mine. I thought the letters might also look cute if covered in velvet. Oooh la laa!!!

Enjoy!

I love fall

Maybe it's the bounty of colorful vegetables.











Maybe it's all the fun I'm having with Halloween decor.













Stay tuned for tutorials.

fabulous fabric flowers

Linsey at Voila is to blame for this new obsession.

The perfect corsage for Fall:


I've seen pillows at Anthropologie like this:


To adorn my daughter's head:


The fabulous thing about this project is that it takes very little material, so if you save your scraps like I do it costs nothing at all to whip out several of these at a time! The one on the bottom, left, is actually made from scraps of handkerchiefs!

If you want instructions on how I made these, let me know. There are also instructions at Linsey's blog, although I changed a few things in the way that I did mine. :)

family value wall

I've seen several versions of this idea, all of which I have loved. It's taken me a while to come up with my own rendition, one that I felt was beautiful and artistic and meaningful to our family. So we discussed what things we wanted the "Rogers Family" to be known or recognized for. As the kids tossed out their ideas we found some scriptures to support them and made a list.

Here's how the wall turned out:



It's in my stairwell where the kids see it each morning as they descend, close to THIS picture display of their ancestors, which I also feel is important for them to see regularly. (I couldn't get a better picture of the wall in context because of the way our stairs wind, it's quite large - about 3x5 ft.)

They comment on it from time to time, to tell me of ways in which they've represented our family well. I'm so happy they see the importance in having values and in standing for something.

Thoughts on General Conference

I loved Conference, as always. The talk that has stood out in my mind is Elder Eyring's talk on family. He talked about the importance of love - husband for wife, child for sibling, child for parent. He didn't say "The perfect family has no challenges. The perfect family has perfect children in it and perfect parents." He indicates that the perfect family (or one striving for perfection) is one that is built on love. I don't know why that struck such a chord with me, I guess I have been feeling discouraged by my willful children lately, and ashamed of my heated reactions to them. But the Lord knows how I love those children. Aside from my husband they are my life. I would give anything, do anything - for them, for my husband, for my family. It is comforting to know that even with all that love there are going to be challenges, and that's okay. So long as we continue to show our love for one another.

Just the reassurance I need right about now.

The value of friendship

I'm really enjoying a time in my life when I can cultivate close friendships again... not the kind that's based on the fact that your kids get along well, but the kind that's based on enjoying the same things, on having the same interests and goals. You know, those things that you tend to let slip away when you first become a mom?

Finding friendship again has been such a blessing in my life, and I wonder how I got by for so long without it. It was very important to me as a child, I was kind of shy but I adored my friends. Came out of my shell finally in high school and then began forming my best, most lasting friendships. Staying in touch with friends has always been important to me, I not only loved writing letters but also calling them on the phone. Sunday nights my freshman year were for talking to friends and family. I looked forward to it so much! But I've written and called less and less, especially with those that did not go on to have children. Because motherhood is all consuming and for a good few years it really is all you can think about. So relating to others in your shoes is very important. And being reminded of your "former" life can be very discouraging, at least on the difficult days. But I still appreciate, am eternally grateful for, the value those friendships added to my life at that time, and in that season.

I think online forums, facebook, twitter, blogging and all those new forms of communication are so popular among young moms because it is much easier to sit down and type out a sentence or two at a time about what you are thinking than to actually get through a real conversation. As sad and impersonal as that sounds. Any mom knows how frustrating it is to get on the phone for 15 minutes only to discover that in that time your child has dumped an entire bottle of shampoo out on the bathroom floor. It's just not worth it.

But my children are older now, they are all in some from of schooling and I have time to myself again. They are also more independent, so if I want to go out on a weeknight with my friends my husband doesn't feel like I am dumping on him. There is a sense of freedom that comes with older chidlren, although it doesn't get any easier being a parent. Your focus just shifts from the physical needs to more of the mental and emotional needs of your children. And you can then put more physcial energy into yourself. I'm really loving that.

So to my sisters who are still in that phase of mothering where they feel like friendship has been squeezed out of their life, or that motherhood dictates where and to what extent their friendhips exist, hang in there. I know you know that it's worth the sacrifice. I know you are grateful for your children and that you love them. I know that you appreciate the women in your life who are going through the same things that you are. But I also know that you are wondering when the time will come again that you can run off for the weekend with your peeps. Your soul sisters. The ones that like to do all the same crazy things you do, read all the same crazy books you do, and listen to all the same crazy music you do. The time WILL come, and your conversations will stimulate your intellect and your creativity and have nothing to do with lack of sleep or potty training! And to my soul sisters, they know who they are, you are such jewels. Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for listening to me, encouraging, inspiring, stengthening, and reassuring me. Thanks for making me laugh until I cry. Thanks for the fashion advice. ;) And thank you for bringing true friendship back into my life!

Disney World!

Last week I gave my 3 year old the surprise of her life by taking her to Disney World. She's going through the princess phase, so this was a huge deal for her (and me, I was on the verge of tears watching her take it all in). We had a wonderful time, it was very hot, and we got caught in a downpour our 2nd night there, but we had so much fun. Fortunately I have a cousin with a daughter Sasha's age that lives in Orlando, so we all went together and breezed through the parks and rides due to their familiarity with everything. Otherwise I might not have been able to pack as much in as I did!

Here are some pictures!

Sasha and Angelina looking at their matching shoes... and ready to leave for the park!



First stop, the carousel! Look how happy she is. :)



Listening to Belle tell her story...



... and then getting her autograph!



Posing with the teapots by the Mad Hatter Tea Cup ride.



Alas, she meets the princesses!







We waited a while to meet Ariel, and it was very dark so the pictures were awful. But she sure is cute in her Ariel costume!



She was in awe of Cinderella's castle.



Day 2, not as many pictures, but we HAD to go back on the carousel!



So tired... (and hot, and sweaty...)



I enjoyed spending this one-on-one time with my "baby"!

Off to where dreams really do come true...

Tomorrow I leave for Orlando with my 3 year old, Sasha. We are going to Disney World, unbeknownst to her. We have family there, and she knows we are going to visit them, but she doesn't know Disney World even exists, let alone that we are going to spend 2 whole days there. This little one is so enamored with princesses and fairy tales and magic. I cannot WAIT to see the look on her face when we walk up to that castle. In fact, I will have my video camera ready so that I can relive that moment again and again. This is going to be very, very fun. I wish they stayed little and dreamy like this forever.

Snickerdoodle Cake

I just made this cake for the front office at my kids' new school (not before making one for us to eat at home, though). Seriously so good. And not so much snickerdoodley as cinnamony. Love my made up adjectives?

See the recipe here.

Ingredients:
Solid vegetable shortening for greasing the pans (Do not skip this step. Trust me on this.)
Flour for dusting the pans (See above)
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain white cake mix
1 cup whole milk
8 T (1 stick) butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 t pure vanilla extract
2 t ground cinnamon
Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

Preheat over to 350, generously grease two 9″ round cake pans with shortening then dust with flour. Shake out the excess and put the pans aside.

Place the cake mix, milk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side.

Bake the cakes until they are golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 27 to 29 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto a rack, then invert them again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Allow them to cool completely, 30 minutes more.

Meanwhile, prepare the Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting.

Ingredients:
8 T room temperature butter
3 3/4 C confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 to 4 T milk
1 t pure vanilla extract
1 t ground cinnamon

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the powdered sugar, 3 T milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Blend with the mixer on low until the sugar is incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 minute more. Blend in up to 1 T milk if the frosting seems too stiff.

Place one cake layer, right side up, on a serving platter. Spread the top with frosting. place the second layer, right side up on top of the first layer and frost the top and sides of the cake with clean, smooth strokes.

Place this cake, uncovered, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes. Cover the cake with waxed paper and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze it, wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to 6 months. thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

ENJOY!!!