boys will be boys

Me: I need to write a blog
Him (barely listening): OK...
Me: I haven't written anything funny lately.
Him: uh huh...OK
Me: Are you listening? What can I write about that's funny?
Him: Write about farts. Farts are funny.

Growing up with 3 sisters and a brother, we did not talk about...no...we did not acknowledge bodily functions. Someone left the bathroom smelling nasty, we ignored it. Someone passed gas, it didn't really happen. If one of us tried to comment on the smelly butt, that was the one that got the look of shame, not the one with the gas problem. "Nice girls don't say that word."

It was what it was. I thought every family was that way.

Then I met my husband.

He is from a family of all boys. His mother is the sole woman in the family of 6, bless her heart. Every time he and his brothers get together, they regress into their boyish discussions about gas and poop. I'm pretty sure that not a family function has gone by where my husband and his brothers are not bent over with their sides splitting of laughter about gas or poop. I like to think I'm somewhat amusing, but has he ever laughed uncontrollably when I say something funny? Nope. But when his brother farts, he can't contain himself. It's rather distressing to me that this is the only thing he finds hilarious, but boys will be boys, no matter what age they are.  I guess there are worse things.

So, there you are. Clearly I am grasping at straws for subject matter. Inspired by my husband, I blogged about farts.

Nice.

Snug as a Bug

I have an irrational fear. I'm not sure I know very many people who are also afraid of ladybugs. I also hate animal crackers, so yes, I realize I'm weird. I suppose I could go to therapy for it, but after this many years, I've come to accept it as one of my little quirks. It makes me that much more endearing, right? I know, I'm a freak, but, it's better than being afraid of socks or pencils.

My dear friend had a baby shower last week and I got to make the cupcakes. Guess what the theme of the party was?  I chuckled inside and went to work. I have to say that despite my fear, I was rather excited when I got the invitation.

stock photo from tinyprints.com

There's something that gets me very emotional when people tell me that they're expecting a girl. I think it's because I always wanted a girl to pass down my love for working with my hands. As my husband is from a family of all boys, I didn't think my odds were very good to even get one, but I am blessed with two...and they both LOVE baking, music and art. Mommy-to-be is a dancer and choreographer and I know her little girl will be wearing a tutu and tap shoes the minute she takes her first steps (if not earlier), and I'm so excited for her.

So, enough about babies. Let's talk more about me! and the cupcakes...

Here they are. Buttery yellow cupcakes with raspberry cream filling and buttercream frosting, topped with some frightening little creatures!

It's a Rocky Road!

I'm sitting here with a baby boy on my lap who has just discovered the keyboard. It's rather challenging to type n , jmn n hjk nhj  nhj     n  mn  n

I was browsing the internet early this morning. And when I say early morning browsing, I mean your basic 2am insomniatic browsing.  I came across some stunningly gorgeous "Alice in Wonderland" theme cupcakes on Flickr.  I started browsing all the cupcakes from this particular artist and discovered one that looked particularly delicious: Rocky Road. It had it all: chocolate, peanut sprinkles, marshmallows and it was topped off with a generous drizzle of caramel sauce. YUM!  s I looked further at this artist's photos, I discovered that all of the cupcakes were 100% fake. No wonder this person put so much detail into every cupcake! They'll last forever, why not?

Despite the trickery, I decided to practice the Rocky Road cupcakes for my husband's birthday next week. They look so yummy, do they not? Ok, maybe not as yummy as the fake ones, but unlike those that had the perfect caramel drizzle, these actually TASTE yummy too, complete with a filling of marshmallow goodness.

While shopping for ingredients, I came across something I'd never seen before. I found, in the coffee isle near the hot chocolate mix, this little hidden treasure of fun. 02io55n.054p
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(Sorry, more baby babble.)

Apparently, they've been around for more than a year. I'm not sure why I haven't come across them before today, but they're little crunchy bits of deliciousness just like you'd find in marshmallow cocoa mix. Brilliant! When I was a kid, I never thought there were nearly enough in the packets.

So, a new menu item and a new find equals a successful day.

NOW, he falls asleep!

Jim

When I was a kid, I had a forever best friend. Shanna. It seemed that I couldn't spend too much time with her. I think I was at her house all the time, running up and down her very cool 80's spiral staircase, ice-skating, swimming in her pond or spying on her older brother, Chris. I loved going to her house because she had real Barbies. She was funny and fun and I think she thought the same of me. I made fun of her for putting ketchup on her mac and cheese and she made fun of me for putting milk on mine. I still think she was weirder. I'm guessing our parents must have grown weary of hearing the same series of questions after church every Sunday:

"Can I go to Shanna's (Jill's) house?"
"Can Shanna (Jill) come over?"

Shanna and me in our matching "jams" shorts

(and Misty the cat)

Our parents were good friends as well. Our moms spent time together and that suited us kids perfectly. Donna (Shanna's mom) was a color fashion consultant at the time and my mom was (and still is) fascinated by what colors we can and should wear. (Remember when we all had our "colors" done?) Shanna and her mom were always out in front of the fashion trends (well...for Nebraska), so when Shanna got her girl mullet, I had to copy her and get one too.

Inevitably my family moved away when I was 10 and though I viewed moving to Florida as a grand adventure, I knew I would miss my friend. And I did. There were many tears of a sad heart in my new home. We wrote letters back and forth and exchanged birthday and Christmas gifts for years. Eventually the letters became fewer until we finally lost touch after college. I had heard that her parents moved to Kansas. Life moves on.

Shanna and her family visited us a few years after we moved

I remember the summer day in 1998 my father told me that Jim, Shanna's dad had passed away. Jim and his younger brother Stanley were flying the company Sabreliner home from a job and the plane crashed in the flint hills of Kansas. Their wives were waiting for them at the airport. My heart hurt for my long lost friend and her family. I remember my parents being very sad and shocked. I know there is never any easy way to lose someone you love so much, but I can't imagine how hard it is when you don't get to say goodbye. To this day my father still talks about Jim with amazing respect, "He was such a solid, cool guy and he loved the Lord."

Once upon a time, due to the blessing and curse of social media, Shanna and I found each other again. Over time, as we became reacquainted, I began to realize why we were such good friends as kids. I began to understand why our parents were good friends. Each time we converse, she has my side aching from laughter. We still have the same sense of humor; we both love cake; we both love art. We both love to claim the "mother of the year" award when we've had an epic fail. We share our joys and sorrows with each other and we pray for each other and our families.

Shanna emailed me a few weeks ago and asked me to make her an apron. I've made her aprons before, but this was a special apron request. She found a dress shirt that belonged to her father tucked away in her closet and decided she wanted an apron made from it. The request put tears in my eyes. What a beautiful idea to remember her dad!

"My dad was extremely creative and a tremendous artist. I always prided myself with the fact that I got all my creative genes from my dad. Three to four years ago, I started this cake business. I know he'd be my biggest fan. His two loves were art and sweets...fitting, huh? Now every time I make a cake and wear the apron, it'll be like a little piece of him is with me."

"My husband never met him...he died four years before we met, but I talk about him so much that it's as if he did know him. My boys all talk about Papa Jim like they saw him yesterday. They know everything about him and yell, 'HI PAPA JIM!' every time we drive by a cemetery. Makes me laugh and smile every time. I just think it's so important to keep those memories alive."

As soon as I got Shanna's shirt in the mail, I couldn't wait to start on it. She mentioned that she didn't have any half aprons, but I liked the idea of using the front and collar to make sure it maintained the shirt look. I decided to make the top half removable so she can choose which way she wants to wear it.

Shanna said that she wishes I had been able to know her dad more. Having my parents talk about Jim and Donna with such respect and love gives me a little insight into the incredible man he was and the kind of life he led. As a kid, I saw him pretty much as my friend's dad. I guess, when you think about it, that says it all. He is my good friend's dad, and she's pretty amazing. I look forward to meeting up with him in heaven some day to thank him for the incredible opportunity of knowing his daughter.

______________________________________________________________

some of Jim's artwork

Jim and his beautiful family

James Donnell Roth

Jan 3, 1943 - July 18, 1998

happy green day!

I don't really see the point of St. Patrick's day other than another of our nation's days to get completely smashed, but the kid's love the green day and have been planning what they will wear to church on the 17th (I wonder what the pastor will wear). We have a good old fashioned potluck after church and I thought it'd be fun to go with the theme of the day.

I love pistachio. Pistachio is green. Pistachio cupcakes + pistachio frosting = pistachio perfection.

To offset the GREEN all over, I added some sparkly purple sugar.  I'm pretty happy with color combo.  I'll have to do it again.

Happy St. Patty's Day! Eat green cupcakes instead of drinking green beer, though neither is terribly healthy.

picky picky picky

My younger daughter can't seem to remember what foods she likes.

Monday and Tuesday she begs for orange juice for breakfast.  By Friday, "I don't like orange juice!" exclaimed with big crocodile tears and with her most feel-sorry-for-me voice.

"I want water," sniff. I suppose that water is much better for her than orange juice, but it drives me nuts when she can't seem to make up her mind until after I pour a glass for her.

Last Wednesday she loved spaghetti; a week later she doesn't like the same sauce. Tacos? Don't get me started.

If you have more than one child, I know you have one just like her.

My very innovative sister mentioned in passing that she felt like making a list for her very picky kid, so I decided it was a brilliant idea for my 4 year old. I just started the list this morning, so I'll add to the list when I think of more things. I decided to leave off her daily diet staples like Goldfish crackers and Lucky Charms (Yes, I did win health advocate of the year). And I hope the list turns into a book some day (ha ha), but for now, I'm just happy to have a few things that she can't argue about. At the very least, instead of "I don't like that," I'll teach her to say, "I'm not in the mood."

the life of a princess

Ahhhh, the life of a princess - it must be wonderful! Just look at the fairy tales. In almost all the popular stories, the beautiful heroine is in one or more of the following situations: kidnapped or forced to leave her home, orphaned, locked in a tower, raised by a non-parent, enslaved or homeless, or she's just bored and sells her soul for a pair of legs. Sounds glamorous, doesn't it? Most of the princess movies I watch, I get to the happy ending and think, "that poor girl is going to need years of therapy."

Well, as problematic as the princesses' lives are, we girls are obsessed with them and the happily ever after. And why not? There's nothing quite as fun as dressing up and feeling beautiful. 

And because the mass markets simply cannot make a beautiful child's princess gown for my daughters' meeting with Cinderella next month, I've taken it upon myself to make sure they have the best dresses at the castle.

CINDERELLA 

   

I found these blue pumps at Goodwill for $1.50. Not bad for a pair of dress-up shoes, huh? It was even worth cleaning a glob of hairy gum off the bottom. No, she will not be wearing them around the Magic Kingdom, but they have served as fantastic glass slippers!

RAPUNZEL

  

Nor will she be going barefoot.

And there you have it. It's the most fun I've had making little girl dresses in a long time. The Rapunzel dress was especially fun to make because of all the little details. But the Cinderella dress is so authentic and it makes me smile when she clomps around in it with her too-big-for-her shoes singing, "We're going to Disney World!"