J’s Birthday Party!
Posted on | February 8, 2010 | 1 Comment
Family: more photos here on Flickr.
Woohoo!
Ok, is it sad that I didn’t realize his 6th birthday party was on the 6th? Because it didn’t connect for me until just now.
But enough of the sadness! Because the party was all about gladness.
Back up a little to the day before: the boys and I had fun prepping the house. I baked the cake part of the cake. Thank you very much, Trader Joe’s, for the exceptionally good vanilla cake with vanilla bean bits and lots of yum. Two boxes: four layers. Yumx4.
Then, we started blowing up the balloons. In our home, we have at least two working ball pumps. They should work, right? It took me five minutes to inflate a balloon to a diameter of three inches. In less than two minutes, J manages to inflate one to capacity. Believe it or not, between us, the boys inflated about half the bag of balloons and it contained 72 12-inch balloons. With our own lungs. If you wondered about how much hot air I have in me, wonder no more!
We finished blowing them up on Saturday morning. You know what? 72 balloons didn’t cover our entire living room floor. But 72 balloons was just the right amount for fun.
Later that night, around when I should have been going to bed, I made some chocolate mousse. I’m not sure if I did it correctly because I managed to taste bits of gelatin in the piece of cake I had so it’s safe to say I could have left it out. I’ll show you what happened with that cake in a bit.
FF>> the day of the party. We had fun! J was very happy to see his friends and get to hang out with them. NM was bored but he played tennis outside and his friend R came over so they got to hang out. The kids all played hard and enjoyed the balloons while the adults hung around the food. I mean hung around each other but with food.
And there was cake, of course. Here it is:
Now let me try to remember how the mousse happened, because it was easy and it wasn’t bad, though I was concerned for a bit.
Chocolate Mousse
1 pint of whipped cream
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 c. cocoa (instead of melted chocolate, hence easy)
2 tsp-ish of vanilla
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Run the cream of tartar, sugar and cocoa through a sifter to remove lumps. Add salt, mix all thoroughly. Whip cream and cream of tartar until you get stiff peaks. Fold in sugar/cocoa mixture along with vanilla. I read you can put all the ingredients together and chill before you whip it so I might do that next time to avoid having to fold it all together.
I did have some Knox gelatin in there somewhere, but I wouldn’t bother.
So I eyed the mousse and figured out how to divide it three ways for each layer. Viola!
The frosting? That was a mish mash, also. That’s what happens after reading too many recipes.
Whipped Cream Frosting
1 pint of whipping cream
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 can of condensed milk
2 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
Whip the cream cheese. Add everyone else and whip them, too. To be honest, I think there was a bit too much cream but everyone seems to have liked it. It wasn’t too sweet at all, either. Hubby liked it and he isn’t a cake person.
J’s expression isn’t from the cake, it’s because the candles’ flames have colors to match the wax:
He was a little concerned about the wax melting onto the icing. Reasonable thing to worry about but we didn’t let that happen. He enjoyed it. And the lettering? Let me just share a tip: don’t put melted chocolate in a baggie and cut a teeeeeeny hole and try to pipe it unless you’re absolutely sure there’re no unmelted bits too big to go through said hole and insist on making them go through the hole only to cause the bag to sprew gobs of chocolate and eventually break open. The plus side is your mess is entirely edible should that happen.
Note to self: learn how to use flash with the camera.
The celebrant enjoyed his day. I had fun watching him open his gifts. I heard myself automatically say “Now say thank you, J, to the person who gave you your gift” when I realized that he had been SO polite and loudly said thank you for such-and-such gift to each person who gave it. No prompts needed. Such a thankful heart!
Afterwards, the kids went upstairs to watch a 3-2-1 Penguins DVD. J had been asking for one and I was so happy that he enjoyed it.
When all was said and done, I asked him if he had fun and without hesitation he said “yes” and “I’m so happy, I got everything I wanted!” It was a blessing to watch him enjoy the day and to see him express such a thankful attitude. God has certainly been working in his spirit.
Gal 5:22-23 NKJV - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Riding a Bike
Posted on | February 4, 2010 | 1 Comment
Easy? Yes, for some of us, though, it can take a bit of a work out. J wanted that work out and, while Abba was away earlier this month, NM was more than happy to help his little brother out.
He even set up an obstacle course with his orange cones! He loves those cones. Let’s share a series of snapshots first:
Now let’s see if the video works here in this bloggy thing:
Here’s another:
And last, but not least:
Please, do ignore my giggling. It’s weird to hear my voice recorded. And, yes, I’m trying to get caught up with all those blog posts I’ve been meaning to take care of. Must preserve memories!
Oops!
Posted on | February 3, 2010 | 2 Comments
It’s February and I didn’t post about our vacation yet. Well, it was a long drive, there were days of fun then it was a long drive home.
There are more photos here but here are some of the highlights:
Seen in the wee hours on our drive out on FM 1826:
Seen in Ft. Stockton, TX (I have a thing for dilapidated buildings):
First full day, spent morning in recovery then afternoon at the park bonding with cousins.
J and his cousin K spent the most time playing together.
Of course, would not be caught without his football. Err…soccer ball.
Another day shopping, this time at Irvine Spectrum, one of our old haunts but back then it didn’t have a giant soccer ball.
By now, our hands and lips have showed signs of chapping and we miss the humidity of Texas.
Another day, a big day, a big spending day (ugh!) at Disneyland. Main things we want to remember of that day: J’s response to the hour+ wait for Small World, first ride of the day: “That’s IT?!”
J does better on Space Mountain after I tell him to keep his eyes closed. His fear isn’t the fact that it’s a roller coaster so much as that it is very dark. He rode on two more coasters after that.
Dinner at Cafe Orleans, where they were very accommodating of our diet and the waiter went above and beyond to earn his tip. Getting to ride on the jungle cruise:
The Christmas decor, beautiful in daylight and even more so at night:
The 24th of December, spent at my sister’s so we could enjoy being with my family:
(One of these was a ZuZu pet for J…he was beside himself)
Yes, the fur babies came too:
That evening, we went to church with my in-laws and were reminded what It Is All About:
On Christmas day, we woke up bright and early (no surprise there), had blintzes for breakfast and then opened presents. I have no photos to share because I haven’t got permission to show those to you. But we had fun! We were concerned about the small space and number of people, but it worked out so well and the kids enjoyed spending time with each other.
The day after, my kids had a hard time with our rule of not opening some packages until we got home but we alleviated some of that with a little hike.
When you’re outdoors, don’t forget to look up:
Spied this lovely couple:
The following day, we took our time getting out of the house. As a result, we didn’t get to spend as much time at the Air & Space Museum at Balboa Park.
It’s loaded with all kinds of things related to air travel. From the Montgolfier brothers’ balloon…
to the Air Force’s modern reconnaissance drones:
Our last full day in California was spent with friends, having breakfast then going to Boomer’s to enjoy a game of mini golf.
Both boys enjoyed it! NM had scored a couple holes-in-one. J had so much fun and didn’t get bored until about the 12th hole (19 holes is a lot). And the last hole? Hole-in-one for me!
After our game, we made our requisite visit to Trader Joe’s to stock up on goodies and then pack for the drive home. We almost drove straight through to Ft. Stockton but we weren’t sure we could find a room there so we stayed in Las Cruces, NM. When we got up the next day, it was freezing!
We had breakfast at some place and I do wish now that I’d taken a photo because I can’t remember what it was called but the food was very good. So it worked out that we didn’t drive all the way to Ft. Stockton.
I would have missed the chance to take these:
People often ask how Sprocket does with traveling. She does very, very well. She has come to realize that there’s a space under the back seat that must have been made just for her because she will automatically head there every time we get in the car.
A Birthday Present for J
Posted on | February 3, 2010 | No Comments
So sorry, Lola, we thought you might have seen these on Facebook. We did go to the mailbox as soon as we knew there was a chance that the card would be in there.
Turns out that was last Wednesday. The pirate isn’t the only happy one in this photo!
Of course, we immediately sped off to Target to use the card. Here’s the happiest rookie tennis player ever:
First day of games went ok, except it turns out you need more than just a serious expression on your face to hit the ball. You also need to make sure your older brother isn’t too close and you need to make sure you know where other people are before you put all your energy into a swing.
That, and a few dry days where the temps are at least above 50F. Somehow tennis isn’t so interesting when it’s chilly out.
To come: birthday party this Saturday. A “movie” watching party only the movie is really 1/2 hour long because otherwise we won’t have time for anything else, would we?
Beef & Mushrooms Over Noodles
Posted on | January 29, 2010 | 2 Comments
3 lbs stew meat
8 oz. brown mushrooms
1 bay leaf
3 tbs. each butter and flour
1 1/3 c. beef stock
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbs. chopped fresh parsley
Finely chop half of the mushrooms and slice the rest. This is so little ones with mushroom apprehension disorder can still enjoy them and can’t pick them out.
Melt butter over medium high heat and add flour. Whisk until they’re blended together. Slowly add your broth while whisking to avoid lumps. Add the mushrooms and boil for a little bit.
Put everything but the parsley in the crockpot and set to cook for 6 or 8 hours.
When it’s nearly done, check to see if you need salt or pepper. Add in the parsley and stir. Serve over hot egg noodles.
Note: I think this was a little runny and needs to be thickened. Maybe adding more flour and butter will help with that because a tbs. of cornstarch so far isn’t helping. This recipe was based on one in a book called Beyond Macaroni and Cheese which called for canned mushroom soup and sherry so I made quite a few substitutions for those and added the bay and parsley leaves.
From the way-back machine’s entry dated Jan 23, 2008
Broccoli Beef
Posted on | January 29, 2010 | 2 Comments
I don’t have exact measurements so I hope you’ll forgive me. But this was pretty good, if I do say so myself. Err…make that God needs the credit because He created garlic.
2 small heads broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
3 heaping tbs. (tablespoons!) of garlic, finely minced (maybe 4)
1 tbs. oil
enough beef for 4 people to each have a portion the size of a deck of cards
1/2 tsp. powdered ginger (I didn’t have fresh)
1 heaping tsp. corn starch
3 plus 1 tbs. soy sauce
salt (i think) and pepper
Blanche the broccoli and peppers for 2 minutes max. Don’t throw the water away. Saute garlic over medium heat until your house smells Italian (that is an oh-so-good thing). Saute the meat until you no longer see pink. Dissolve the corn starch in 1 tbs. of soy sauce. Put the rest of the soy sauce in the pan onto the meat and garlic. Add about 1/2 c. of water from blanching the veggies. Add cornstarch/soy sauce and cook until the sauce becomes clear, about two minutes. Add veggies and toss to coat with sauce. You can add more veggie water if the sauce is too thick for you.
The garlic is king in this dish at least for us since we aren’t allowed oyster sauce in our diet.
Bringing back the past from Jan. 4, 2008
Blintzes, Phisch-Style
Posted on | January 29, 2010 | No Comments
That title isn’t very appetizing, is it?!
This is a something we make for breakfast each Christmas morning for the last few years. Because we love them so much, we make them other times of the year, too, particularly when strawberries are in season. They’re not the usual blintzes, though. I once mis-read the recipe and put in an entire brick of cream cheese. The dominant taste is supposed to be the cottage cheese, but the cream cheese was too good so we continue to make that “mistake” with this dish. Also, nobody seems to notice when I use fat-free cheese. They are still very rich!
16 oz. cottage cheese dry (I’ve used normal)
3 oz. cream cheese (I use a full brick, sometimes Neufchatel, sometimes fat-free cream cheese)
1 egg yolk (I omit bec. It’s raw and I see no difference)
2 tbs. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
For the crepes: any crepe recipe will do. This is the one on the card, but it takes longer than a normal crepe recipe:
2 eggs
2 tbs. salad oil
1 c. milk
3/4 sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter or margarine
1 c. sour cream
powdered sugar
1 pkg. (10oz) frozen strawberries, thawed or use fresh or use jam of any kind you like but omit powdered sugar
Make filling: put all ingredients in food processor and process until completely combined and smooth. Normal blintzes have texture though, so the way we make it is not traditional. Nor is it traditional to use so much cream cheese. Cover and refrigerate.
Make blintzes: beat eggs, oil and milk until blended. Add flour and salt; beat until smooth (there may be a few lumps). Refrigerate, covered for 30 min. and it should end up the consistency of heavy cream (it never is for me though).
Melt 1/4 tsp. butter in a skillet. Pout in 1 1/2 tbs. batter, make it cover bottom of the pan until roughly a round shape. Lightly brown and remove from pan, browned side up. Keep making until all done. For this step I use Pam and a non-stick pan.
Place about a tbs. of filling in one crepe, wrap like a burrito. Normally, you melt more butter and cook the filled crepes but we never have the patience to. Instead, we put some jam, some cheese filling, wrap and eat. Too much cheese and you have a mess but that’s ok because they end up messy anyway. You can top with sliced strawberries and some powdered sugar.
Post from old blog entry dated Feb. 25, 2007
Somebody is Six Today!
Posted on | January 27, 2010 | 2 Comments
Once upon a time, about five years and eight and a half months ago, a little boy lay still in his mommy’s womb. Hey lay so still that his mommy had to visit the labor & delivery department of the hospital to get monitored because she didn’t always feel that “movement each daylight hour” during the last few weeks of the last trimester.
When he was ready and he wanted to come and tried to tell mom who insisted during church service “no, they can’t be contractions even if they are five minutes apart because I can sing through them.” So the contractions stopped but he came the next day while his auntie and uncle, who didn’t get to meet him, were on a plane to Manila.
Mom and dad and big brother thought he was really cute.
Mom had this thing about his whispy hair.
He got bigger. He played on the swing set with his brother.
He got bigger and bigger. “Mommy, I want to help you make cookies!”
He got bigger and bigger and bigger. “Will you read this for me mommy?”
He got bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger. “Mommy, I want to go to Target!”
He got bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger. “Mommy, I want to do school, too!”
He got bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and BIGGER! And now he’s six.
He wants to learn to tie his shoes. He will be a scientist and a FIFA soccer player and play tennis. He can count by twos, fives and tens and knows what “th” and “sh” and “wh” say.
But he will always want to lick the bowl clean for mommy.
Jam 1:17- Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Every Day a Lesson
Posted on | January 26, 2010 | No Comments
Really, if you can’t smile about it, you have to cry, right?
NM is sick with the same bug J had two weeks ago. Oh, yes, the laundry machines are earning their keep! And yes, the bug has managed to get me, too. Hubby? Same as last week…away for work.
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms…and poking fun, waiting to replace this old tent with my permanent residence.
* * *
Somewhat related: in lieu of history reading, we watched by Mike and Pam Rozelle of Potter’s Field Ministries.
A few thoughts:
~ Wow, I really, really enjoy hearing testimonies given to evangelize and love people to Christ.
~ I really, really need time of self-examination. What parts of me aren’t fully yielded to Him? Too many!
~ I miss clay. There’s something gratifying about working with something that involves four of the five senses if you’re doing it right.
~ My kids were so good! It was a long presentation and J wasn’t fidgety until the very, very end. I know they were impacted…God’s word doesn’t return to him void.
Kale Chips
Posted on | January 24, 2010 | 1 Comment
Don’t balk. Trust me on this one: they’re good. Ok, well, maybe 2 out of 4 who tried them thought they were good. Since I’m one of the two, I’ll share.
All you need:
1 tbs. of olive oil or less if you have a sprayer
1 tbs. of soy sauce
1 bunch of kale
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Wash and dry the kale. Tear into bite-sized pieces. Toss with the olive oil and soy sauce.
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (for easy clean up). Arrange the kale on the cookie sheets in a single layer. Keep the pieces spread apart if you can.
Bake for 10-20 minutes, checking half way through. They will be crispy if they are done.
Eat them soon after baking. Really good! The leftovers from the day before have a strong bitter taste.
The original recipe I found on Allrecipes.com called for seasoned salt instead of soy sauce, so that might be nice to try.
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