Ceana's Birthday

Yes, I know - it was last week. It's been crazy-busy here...and the days that it's not, I feel like I'm working backwards to get all caught up! I don't know when we got a life, but can I give it back now? Though I suppose that would mean giving up the kids as well, since they are the biggest reason we've been on a constant run... So, a quick run-down before we hit the party news. We had the master bedroom painted (that'll probably be the next post), had a terrific dinner party, Ceana's party, board meeting, meeting at the State Board of Education, work, playdates...I'm sure I'm forgetting something, though I can't at the moment say what.

Anyway - on to Ceana's birthday party!

It was Hello Kitty themed, and I did not make the cake this year. Too much going on, though I did make the cake lollipops that are in the photo above. She had a special breakfast that morning of cocoa pancakes with raspberry syrup and whipped cream before she went to get her hair cut. Which it needed. Badly. She was beginning to look like one of those dogs with the really long hair - you know, the ones that look like floating mops?

So while she was off getting her hair cut, I was finishing up the cleaning of the house and the lollipops. Honestly, it was more like a playdate than a "real" party. She just had one friend over, and Liam had one friend over. Very small and manageable. I'm sure next year will be bigger as she goes to preschool and makes more friends, but this was perfect.

Ceana had a great time - she got a pretty new bedding set from Auntie No-No,  ginormous Hello Kitty pillow with matching blanket from Nana and Grampy, a Hello Kitty nightgown from Grandma and Mr. Kenny, a digital camera all her own (because she kept stealing mine), an mp3 player and cool headphones (gotta be like brother!), a cool penguin pillow...brother got her an art kit....I'm sure there is stuff I'm missing, but I couldn't honestly name everything she got.

She blew out the candles on her cake before we finished singing Happy Birthday (like, as soon as I put her cake in front of her), so we re-lit them and let her do it again. The kids had the cake with strawberry ice cream, the lollipops and Hello Kitty punch.

If only all her future birthdays could be this simple. Honestly, the cake pops were fun to do (though it took a little bit of figuring out) and they turned out pretty nice. The kids just played and had a great time while the adults visiting and nibbled on Hello Kitty ;0)

So, welcome to the big 0-3 little girl! I'm sure next year will be as exciting as last year was...more so, once you start preschool!

Do YOU know someone to pray for? ;0)

Let it load, then enjoy!

Holy Hallelujah!

School is back in session. I am so thankful. Yesterday was the last straw and I wanted to kill both the kids. Bad thing is, Liam is getting sick and may have to stay home if he doesn't start getting better soon. Urgh. We ended up confiscating his Nerf guns (Yes, Uncle Jesse - shotgun included) because he shot his sister in the eye. While we are both aware that it was an accident, HE is aware that 1. he shouldn't have been shooting it (yes, the shotgun again) in the spare room while standing less than 3 feet away from her and 2. he shouldn't have been pointing it at her while doing #1. Long discussion on responsibility, rules and doing what he knows is the right thing followed. He's such a great kid, and he's so smart - but he can most definitely be more of a follower than a leader at times...particularly around kids who have a very strong personality. Like one of the kids in the neighborhood. The one that Phil and I don't like. The same one that some of the neighbors don't like.

Anyway - things can begin to get back to normal from the holidays now. We got a fish tank - it was a Christmas gift to the kids from Phil and I to (hopefully) take some of the sting out of losing Roxie. We've lost a couple of them (within the first couple of days) but the other 4 are doing great. We have been told by Phil's boss (an aquarium fanatic) that it can take up to a month for the tank to fully stabilize. The kids both love to feed them, and Phil has taken on the project - he checks the pH, keeps tabs on the fish, picked out the tank, etc...I think he's found his calling ;0)  I'm trying to load a couple of photos of the tank, and if I'm successful, then you'll see a close-up of the tank with lots of bubbles...the blue and orange bodies are two of the fish - they LOVE to ride the bubbles up the tank, swim back down and do it again. Their own personal carnival ride!

I'm busy trying to figure out what in the world we're going to do for Ceana's birthday. Following so close after Christmas is truly a pain. I think it's going to be a Hello Kitty theme, and I'm working on gift ideas, but I haven't gotten very far. It's going to be VERY small - she only has one friend in the area. So, it'll probably be more like a playdate with extras than a "real" party.

The tree is still up. If Phil had his way, he'd probably leave it up until it began to fall apart on its own, just to make it easier to get the thing outside. But, we've decided on this weekend. I'll keep you posted on how THAT goes! It could be downright chaos, trying to get the beast down and outside without destroying the house.

In other news, Ceana got her big-girl booster last night. And when I post pictures of said booster, I want it to be VERY clear. DADDY PICKED IT OUT. Did you all get that? Her father, on his own, picked out the color. Just so we're all on the same page here...She absolutely loves it and is so excited that she gets to use the "big seatbelt" too!

I continue to experiment with recipes, and I came up with one that turned out pretty darn good - though it was supposed to be more like a Shepherd's Pie and it ended more like a goulash topped with mashed potatoes :) It uses a Penzey's spice called Sandwich Sprinkle, but for those without it, it's a mix of (in order): salt, garlic, black pepper, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme and marjoram. Basically, any italian herb mix thrown together with salt, pepper and garlic should do the trick! Use more than you think you need, because the meat and tomato sauce need some good seasoning to not overpower the spices. Anyway, here it is:

Goulash "Shepherd's" Pie

1 lb. ground beef
4 carrots, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
1/2 med. onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced (in addition to the garlic from the seasoning)
1 can green beans, drained
1 TB Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 TB Sandwich Sprinkle (or herb blend of your choice)
Salt and Pepper
15 oz. can tomato sauce
Mashed potatoes (I used leftover Champ from Christmas - mashed potatoes with green onions warmed in milk for 5 minutes, then mixed together with butter and the potatoes. But any mashed potatoes would work!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the carrots, celery, onion and garlic until onion is tender. Remove from pan. Brown ground beef. Place in bowl with veggies. Mix in sauce, green beans and seasonings to taste. Pour in 2-quart baking dish and top with mashed potatoes. Use the tines of a fork to create ridges (better for browning of the potatoes). Bake for approx. 30 minutes, or until potatoes are golden and the meat mixture is bubbling around the edges.

Serves 4-6

I forgot to take a picture, but when the potatoes are nice and golden, it looks quite nice. Best of all, it's very easy and pretty quick. If only Christmas vacation was the same way....