the girl in purple

You may remember this post from last year. It was from a 2nd birthday party for Nathaniel and Jesse's friend Selah. Well, it has been a whole year and Selah had her 3rd birthday party last Friday and I was privileged to be able to take many photos during the event.

Yes, she still loves purple. (This is my favorite shot of Selah from the day.)

And she also loves Little Einsteins. Her mom did a great job pulling this theme throughout the party. (I am totally about themes and loved all the thoughtful details.)

A party guest. I was so loving this dress. And the hair...such a beautiful girl.

We began with craft time. The lovely afternoon sun found this sweetie (she also had the same sun hitting her at last year's party.) I love the expression that I captured from Jesse.

Selah and her dad.

The kids all went on an expedition around the house. They discovered bubbles in the bedroom.

Selah and her sister Emery opening gifts.

The merging of boys and girls play. The girls were fairies, the boys pirates. At one point Nathaniel was trying to cut off the fairies wings. The girls quickly and diplomatically put a stop to that.

Cake time. Selah's mom with her homemade creation. My kids don't know about Little Einstein's but the girls did and loved the rocket cake. My boys loved eating it. (I did too!)

The three year old.

The dismantling begins.

Quiet time with daddy. Selah was a bit under the weather during her party so I had a number of opportunities to get some great shots of her cuddling. This one is my favorite.

on fire

Talk about being on fire! I accomplished all of these scrapbooking layouts yesterday. When I sat down in the afternoon, my goal was to complete Abigail's Christmas 2008 layout that has been sitting on my desk for about a month. Once that one was finished, I just couldn't stop. The creative juices were flowing and I knew I had to stick with it. So, do you wanna see what I did? Here they are!

This one was inspired by an Allison Davis design.

This one was based on a Becky Higgins sketch.

These 2 were also based on Allison Davis's designs.

I can't believe how little Jesse is in these pictures. They were taken 1 1/2 years ago. Yep, just a bit behind in my scrapping. Think what I can accomplish if I just stay in touch with my creativity... and have an entire afternoon to myself.

photo of the day

It's been a little while since I posted pictures from my photo a day album. One question - do people want to see these? I am still going strong with this project and have definitely been more relaxed about the process too. This photo will be yesterday's photo but I took it this morning. Frankly the light was so much nicer this morning compared to the gray day we had yesterday. I've been meaning to take this picture for a while. Abigail continues to write her name in different places around her room. I had to take some updated photos after this post. I think this will make a great scrapbook page in the future. I have gently reminded her that she should not be writing on furniture or walls. I know I would be reacting much differently if we didn't have renovation plans in our future. It's a good thing that her walls will be torn down and her furniture painted. And there are always erasers.

And I did not have time to go through all my March Break pictures. Not sure if this will happen.

aromatic noodles with lime peanut sauce

There are many food blogs that I like to visit. I often see recipes that appeal to me, but I know wouldn't appeal to my children. Sometimes I just go for it and hope that at least one of my children will enjoy a new recipe. This was one of those times. I served this meal last week on St. Patrick's Day. What better than a green supper? I used spinach fettucine and all green veggies. Jesse really didn't like any of it (which is surprising since he usually eats most things), Nathaniel ate the veggies, minus the sauce and noodles, Abigail ate it all. Both Andrew and I gave it a 2 thumbs up. I switched out some of the vegetables from the recipe (I used a whole head of broccoli and about 3/4 cup cooked edamame) since I couldn't find some ingredients in my grocery store. I can't wait to make this recipe when asparagus is in season.

Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce - serves 6

from Ellie Krieger, Food Network

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound spinach linguine or whole-wheat spaghetti
• 2 cups (about 9 ounces) broccoli florets
• 2 cups (about 6 ounces) snow peas, trimmed
• 2 cups (about 6 ounces) sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 scallion, cut into pieces
• 3/4 inch fresh ginger, finely grated
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup shelled unsalted peanuts

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of water according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water. While the pasta is cooking put the broccoli in a steamer basket over a large pot of boiling water and steam it for 3 minutes. Add the snow peas and sugar snap peas and steam for 2 minutes more.

Toast the peanuts in a dry pan over a medium heat until they become fragrant, about 3 minutes. Set them aside to cool. Make the sauce by pureeing the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, scallion, ginger, sugar and red pepper flakes in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Right before serving, toss the pasta with 3/4 cup of the peanut sauce. Divide into 6 serving bowls and top each serving with the vegetables. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the vegetables. Coarsely chop the peanuts, sprinkle them on top and serve.

abigail's music

(Abigail, Oma, Miranda, Aunt Heidi)

Abigail is not quite 8 years old. Some days it feels like she is almost a teenager. I am sure other mother's of young daughters can completely relate to this phenomenon. Lately she is expressing herself through music. She has always loved music and dancing. As she gets older she has more control over her own musical choices. She has her own playlist on the computer and loves to come on the computer and listen to all of her own choices. This weekend she was SO excited to share this music with her cousin Miranda. She learned about a lot of new musicians which has added to her extensive song list. She also had many opportunities to have "dance parties" upstairs with her cousins. All of this musical exposure really had an affect on Abigail. During one of the many musical sessions upstairs, Abigail was heard saying "I never knew how important rock and roll was to me!" Priceless.

self portrait

I have so many pictures from last week to go through. For now, here is one of them. This shows off our sunny warm weather for the week. We were on bikes, wearing sunglasses and shedding coats by mid morning. I hope to get some more pictures up this week. Be sure to check back in later this week for a photo summary of our March Break.

chocolate sheet cake

As promised, here is the recipe for the chocolate sheet cake I made for Andrew's birthday on Saturday. It not only comes together quickly, it is super moist and full of chocolately goodness. This is a recipe that my mom made us growing up. I really didn't change much to it, just substituted buttermilk for the sour cream in the original recipe and upped the cocoa in the icing. It is delicious with vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

Boil: 1 cup butter

1 cup water

1/3 cup cocoa

Sift: 2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine: 2 beaten eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 11 x 17 inch cookie sheet. Add boil mixture to flour mixture. Blend this mixture with the eggs, buttermilk and baking soda. Mix well. Pour into pan. Bake for 20-22 minutes.

While cake bakes, make frosting.

Combine: 1/2 cup butter

6 tablespoons milk

5 tablespoons cocoa

Heat to boiling until mixture bubbles. Remove from heat, beat in 2 cups sifted icing sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Make sure to remove all the clumps from the icing sugar. Spread over cake while both are hot. Cool and enjoy!

the birthday boy

Saturday we celebrated Andrew with thrills, chills, and spills + chocolate sheet cake. What you ask? Well, let me walk you through our day.

First there was card and present opening on the couch.

Jesse was super excited about the mega size chocolate bar that he helped pick out for Daddy. Of course he kept calling it Daddy's "nola bar". Nope. Not a granola bar, a chocolate bar.

Later came the cake baking. This is a super quick recipe that you can bake and ice within an hour. Please tell me who can beat that! When you're on a tight deadline this is the cake recipe for you. I'll share the recipe later this week. Now, Jesse found the pot that had the left over icing. And are you thinking that my Jesse has grown?

Well, his ingenious almost 3 year old brain worked quickly to find a way to the chocolate icing.

It was necessary to have a quick cake recipe because we were off to an EXCITING afternoon show.

This is where the Thrills, Chills and Spills come in. The Auditorium had a fundraising event for a local developmental centre. So, for 90 minutes we were entertained by a magician, award winning trampoline jumpers and crazy bike stunts.

We then spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying cake, visiting with Grandma and Grandpa and celebrating the birthday boy. Happy Birthday Andrew!

telling our stories

"Our lives are a collection of stories - truths about who we are, what we believe, what we come from, how we struggle, and how we are strong. When we can let go of what people think, and own our story, we gain access to our worthiness - the feeling that we are enough just as we are, and that we are worthy of love and belonging. If we spend a lifetime trying to distance ourselves from the parts of our lives that don't fit with who we think we're supposed to be, we stand outside of our story and have to hustle for our worthiness by constantly performing, perfecting, pleasing and proving. Our sense of worthiness lives inside our story. It's time to walk into our experiences and start living and loving with our whole hearts." Brene Brown

The importance of telling our stories has been very real for me this week. Through a number of my relationships people have shared, struggled with documenting and realized the importance of including all their experiences in the telling of their story. Personally I put a lot of energy into preserving my story - through pictures, my many scrapbooking projects, this blog. My professional life is all about providing a safe place for people to explore themselves and tell their stories. But sometimes I struggle with the amount of time I put into all of these different forms of documenting my story. This week I am trying to let go of this struggle. I am trying to listen to this need and be okay with how I choose to document and explore my story.

A visit from a friend last night (see pic above) was one of these gentle reminders of how important it is to tell our story and more importantly, how we need to value other people's stories. Reconnecting with someone or really wanting to know another person's story is how we demonstrate the love and belonging that we all need. It can be as simple as showing true interest in another's person's story. When was the last time you really cared about the person who serves you at a restaurant. Or the cashier at the checkout. This morning as I stood at the sushi counter with Jesse, I started talking with the woman who makes our sushi. We see her almost every week and exchange friendly hellos, but this morning I asked about her life. And I really wanted to know. This was making a connection. I don't know what the experience was like for her, but I hope my interest in her made her feel like a person. Not just someone who is doing their job.

We need to nurture each other by forming connections and being strong to share our stories.

i am enough

There is a movement sweeping through the internet. It is all about living wholeheartedly and the freedom that comes from not pretending that everything is okay when it isn't. "Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone; I am enough. It's about going to bed at night thinking Yes I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn't change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging." Brene Brown

I discovered Brene Brown in the fall. My sister in law recommended her book I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't). This book came to me at the perfect time. I was reentering the world of social work and have found this book very helpful with a number of students I counsel. I was also at a stage in my life that I was ready to challenge myself. I have been embracing who I am and being okay with my story and all that comes with it. The truths, the imperfections, the joys and the struggles. It is all about the feeling of being enough, just as we are. Brene Brown talks about the worthiness prerequisites that we create or are handed down to us, knowingly or unknowingly.

I'll be worthy when I lose 20 pounds.

I'll be worthy if I get pregnant.

I'll be worthy if everyone thinks I'm a good mom.

and so on...

What is at the heart of wholehearted living is that we are worthy now. Just as we are.

Striving to accept our worthiness is hard work. The doubts, the voices that pop up and make us question our worthiness are often lurking in the media, our relationships and in ourselves. But we all want to be enough and live our best lives. This is why the work that Brene Brown has done is so important. I hope this invitation to challenge the way we think about ourselves will help us to feel that we are enough right now!

sunday

The weather this past week has been glorious! Yesterday the kids and Andrew spent all afternoon outside. The kids have been ditching their coats and asking to wear shoes outside. I managed to dig out the wind pants in exchange for snow pants yesterday. And of course the bikes came out.

Perhaps this will be the season when Jesse learns to ride his tricycle. So far he has been quite content to push himself along the sidewalk.

Lots of neighbourhood kids came out to play.

Jesse still found a use for the white stuff.

He's impressed it all stuck together.

And a sure sign of spring - skipping.

right now

I took this picture about half an hour ago. The boys put on some music and wanted to do some dancing. So, here they are dancing to Dora's Christmas CD. (Totally need to give this back to you Cheryl!) This picture isn't anything super special but when I look at the details it reminds of the things that my boys are into right now.

First thing - they like playing on our coffee table. I realize some parents will be in shock that I let my children do this. What can I say? It's never been a big one for me. I generally don't let them jump on the coffee table so I can try and prevent major spills. But jumping off happens more frequently.

What else can I say about this picture. Jesse almost always takes his socks off. Nathaniel too for that matter. I can usually find a number of socks around the family room and under the kitchen table at nighttime.

Jesse also likes to push up his sleeves. The one must have slipped down with all his dancing.

Nathaniel picked out this shirt because we were playing lions after lunch. He explained that lions have lots of fur and the hood is like a mane so that is why he chose it.

Hmm....yes. Jesse is looking quite tired. We're in this transition of whether to let Jesse nap or not. Yesterday I let him sleep for around an hour after falling asleep on the way back from getting the kids from school. Andrew couldn't get him to sleep until 9 pm. I figure if he can stay up today, I'll be able to put him to sleep around 6:30.

Nathaniel is really into talking about exercise. Probably because I insist that he get some so he isn't bouncing off the walls come supper time. He'll talk about how important it is for him to get exercise so he can get more energy. On Wednesday he came up with this one "Mom, can I go on the computer? I think I need some exercise for my fingers!" What a gem!

mommy, is today a lamb day?

Well, it is March. And our weather has been beautiful - sunny with temperatures just above freezing. Lots of melting snow and puddles on the sidewalks. Nathaniel has been busy chipping ice on our driveway as Jesse drives it away and dumps it on a snow pile. Just a normal morning spent outside with my boys. But Nathaniel is showing a new appreciation for our Canadian weather. Yesterday he came home asking if tomorrow would be a lamb day. I had to think about this for a second. Then I realized that he has learned about March coming in like a lamb and going out like a lion. And right on cue, this morning he asked again..."Mommy, is today a lamb day?" Thank goodness it is.

chocolate peanut butter surprise cookies

The person who came up with chocolate and peanut butter together...GENIUS!!! I love these cookies. They are a bit of work but totally worth it if you have the time. The last time I made these cookies was in 2006. Man that was a long time ago. And how do I remember this when so many other important info sieves through my brain? Well, these cookies are connected with a person. That's how. When we hosted Andrew's German cousin for 6 months, she came to love these cookies. I totally turned her onto the chocolate and peanut butter thing. I remember making these cookies shortly before she returned home to Germany. And that was in 2006. And that was seriously the last time I made them. It was good sinking my teeth into this soft, chocolately/peanut buttery cookie again. I promise I won't wait 4 years to make them again. Promise.

Now, just a few comments on the recipe. This is an old recipe from Martha Stewart. It originally asked for 1/2 cup of butter plus 1/2 cup of vegetable shortening. I opted to add a full cup of butter and get rid of the nasty trans fats in shortening. Since it has been SO long since I made these cookies I really don't remember the texture with shortening. But they didn't seem to suffer with my adapting. When you add the second ball of dough over the peanut butter, I flattened the ball in my hand, placed it over the peanut butter, then gently sealed it to the first dough ball. It's not important to completely seal it, but I didn't want any peanut butter sticking out. Here's a photo showing the different stages involved in making this cookie. Now do you understand why it's been so long since I made them?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies - makes approximately 3 dozen

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups light-brown sugar, firmly packed

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

Directions

1. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, shortening, granulated sugar, and 1 cup light-brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully combined between each addition. Add vanilla, and beat to combine. Gradually add dry ingredients, and mix on low speed until fully combined. Remove from mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in chocolate chips. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with Silpats (nonstick French baking mats) or parchment paper.

4. In a small bowl, using a rubber spatula, stir together peanut butter and remaining 1/4 cup light-brown sugar.

5. Using a 1 1/4-inch scoop or heaping tablespoon, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Make a thumbprint in the center of each cookie. Fill thumbprint with 1 teaspoon peanut-butter mixture. Top with a second scoop of dough, and carefully mold dough to cover "surprise."

6. Bake until firm, about 12 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks.