A Little Birthday Celebration

Yesterday was Steve's 41st birthday, so the little guys and I spent the day planning a little party for him. Camden told me that he was certain that Daddy would want a cake that looked like a volcano (because Camden is in love with volcanoes this week). Here is what I came up with:

A little simplistic, but Camden was thrilled with it, which was what I was shooting for. Once the cake was done, the boys and I hot-footed it to Eagle, where we picked up a platter-full of sushi at Mai Thai. Steve and I love sushi, but usually only get out about once per year for it (sad, I know).

Rex, Kasey, and Banzer came down to join in the festivities, and we had a great time. I'm glad I remembered to get some sake yesterday, because sushi just isn't sushi, unless you have some sake to go with it.

The sushi platter, after Steve and I ransacked it. I was madly in love with the tempura roll. Yum!

After the partying wound down for the evening, we filled the tub with little boys, and called it a night.

Back to Normal (whatever that is!)

Today was Griffin's first day of feeling like his old self, and it was wonderful. The past week has been difficult - - so very hard to see our boy in so much pain and discomfort. That was compounded by the fact that the codeine did not agree with him, nor did the antibiotic, so he was a very unhappy, sick (running a fever through all of this due to a virus) little guy. He is now eating again (yay!), and he had some x-rays yesterday which showed that his teeth were not fractured, so that is a very good thing. I'm just happy to have my Griff back. I missed him.

Griffin did a lot of sleeping over the past week. This is when he fell asleep sitting up, while picking at his lip!

Here's what Griffie looks like when he is heavily medicated, has a swollen lip, and is trying to smile.

My sweet Camden and I did manage to sneak out over the weekend for a date

Steve and Camden built their own volcano

Griffin amused himself by taking lots of really bad pictures of me with my camera

Griffin finally started to rally, the day we took him to see his Auntie Kasey's baby chicks (this is what he does now, by the way, when I say, "smile for the camera!")

Rolling With the Punches

Hazy eyes, compliments of Tylenol with codine

I've had such high blogging aspirations these past few weeks - - lots of things swimming around in my mind that I want to write about, but, alas - - my life at the moment just hasn't been conducive to do much creative writing. What can you do. As you know, we've been suffering the ravages of some sort of super-human viral bug in this house, basically, for the past 5 weeks. The illness du jour for the past 7 days has been high fevers, runny noses, and a deep, deep cough. I don't want to go and jinx myself, but I feel more confident than ever that Camden is finally out of the woods and on his way to a full recovery. Thank goodness, because that poor boy has been so very sick.

On Tuesday evening, Griffin had an accident - - in a nutshell, he slipped and fell on the dining room hardwood floor and as a result, drove his two upper front teeth back into his gums. I wish I could draw you a picture to illustrate just how gory this injury is, but please just take my word for it. I believe Steve made mention that he hopes to never again see that much blood coming out of one of our children, and I'm right there with him. After a trip to the ER, followed by an emergency consult with a very, very kind and accommodating local dentist, we just have to do our best to manage Griffin's pain, and watch for signs of abscessing. Although there is a slight chance that the teeth could eventually work their way back down out of the gums, the more likely scenario is that the teeth will die, and will fall out prematurely, or will need to be extracted. My main concern at the moment is avoiding infection, and letting nature take its course. It is so odd to look at my wee Griffin Peter and not see his little front teeth (see sidebar picture for reference). He looks a little vampire-ish now, to tell the truth! To add to the trauma, Griffin can no longer suck on his beloved Binky, so the Binky Fairy ended up coming rather unexpectedly. This worked out rather well for me, but I didn't derive a bit of joy from hearing him cry so pathetically for his Binky during the first 24 hours or so. He also cannot drink from a sippy cup, or bite food. We are having trouble getting food into him - - I think he just hurts so badly that he is more afraid than anything else, but hopefully he will be hungry enough to try, soon. He has been such a trooper through all of this - - he is a tough little guy for sure. Every time he says, "Mummy, my teef hurt," my heart breaks a little bit, though.

Today, I am hoping to be able to get the boys out of the house - - they both need and deserve a break from all of this, and I think it would do Griffin some good to get his mind off his mouth.

On a completely unrelated note, stay tuned for a recipe for Boston Creme Pie cupcakes. Yes, cupcakes. I'm starting to think we could achieve world peace, if we all just ate more cupcakes.

Friday Favorites (and a bunch of other stuff)

Yesterday, I had big plans of posting about our St. Patrick's Day festivities, but someone made off with the cord to my camera (ahem...I think you know who I am referring to), so I was unable to download pictures. Last night, while drawing the curtains for the evening, I found it under one of the recliners, so, crisis averted.

On to the St. Patrick's Day fun - - Camden informed me on Monday that he wanted to wear a crazy hat to school on Tuesday, so we made this, courtesy of Family Fun.com:

If you have little ones, then you are most likely well aware of the wonders of craft foam. We keep a large supply of it on hand here, because you never know what you might need to create. I have to say, I was a little daunted by the instructions for this hat, but in the end, it wasn't hard at all, Camden loved it, and I've filed it away for future use. His hat was a big hit at school. If you've never been to the Family Fun website, check it out - - so many great crafts, recipes, and general ideas for fun with children.

On Tuesday, I spent a good part of the afternoon preparing a St. Patty's Day feast for my boys. I don't know why I don't prepare a corned beef brisket more often...it is so easy, and the smell of it simmering on the stove top reminds me of home and the "New England boiled dinners" that my mother use to make. I saw this recipe on Allrecipes.com, and it did not disappoint. I used my slow cooker instead of the stove top, and in the last 30 minutes of cooking, I added cabbage, red potatoes, and carrots. I also made some Irish Soda Bread, using this recipe. It was a little sweeter than any other soda bread recipe I've tried in the past, but I really loved the texture and flavor of this loaf. It tasted great the next morning, toasted and spread with some honey butter.

Irish Soda Bread

For dessert, I wanted to make some mint brownies - - I swear I've posted the recipe for them here before, but I cannot for the life of me find the post. Anyway, it is a Paula Deen recipe, and is basically a layer of brownie, a layer of buttery mint filling, and topped with chocolate. I was a little short on time, so I just used a pouch of Betty Crocker brownie mix, but I baked it in an 8" spring form pan, so that I could make a little torte. It turned out great, and was a nice compromise to making it all from scratch.

Chocolate Mint Brownie Torte

This week also found Riley a bit under the weather. I have to admit, I was pretty upset on Tuesday evening - - he was having a very hard time moving, he kept crying out in pain, and his general behavior was very out of character for him. I spent some time thinking about the fact that I often forget that he is pretty old (twelve!) - - and that I take for granted that he won't always be around. He's been a part of my life for such a long time that I really cannot imagine a day without him around. We paid a visit to our wonderful vet on Wednesday, and he is pretty certain that Riley has significant arthritis in his front right shoulder and elbow, as well as a bad ear infection. So, he's taking antibiotics for his ear, and that should clear right up. He also gave me some medication for his arthritis, and within 24 hours, he was like a new dog. It is amazing to me that a small, completely inexpensive pain pill made such a difference for him. The vet told me that it was time to start treating Riley like the old man that he is. On Tuesday, when Riley was feeling really awful, I happened upon Camden, reading books to him - - I'm so glad I caught a picture of it. Camden loves his pup.

As for today, we've had a little change in plans, because at 5:30 this morning, my boy awoke with a fever of 104 degrees. So I am in full-on nurse mode today, for the umpteenth time over the past few weeks. I suspect we'll be paying a visit to the doctor later today. Here's hoping Griffin can escape the fever part - - he's already coughing and wheezing though, so I'm not too optimistic, unfortunately!

Fever Boy

I tried a great recipe for Baked Tilapia With Lots of Spice earlier this week. It was really delicious, and super easy to prepare. I think the next time I make it, we will use it in fish tacos. I'm trying to make sure we have one meal centered around fish each week, so I'm constantly in search of great fish recipes.

I love this doll at A Foothill Home Companion, and wish I could get over my sewing machine intimidation.

I think I am going to take on this challenge next week. Anyone else?

I love this post about decorating a mantle (and using spray paint!) at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

Happy Weekend!

Griffin Gets a Haircut

Friday Favorites

I'm guessing you are probably as sick of hearing about sickness in our house, as I am of being sick and/or having sick children, but, alas, I am down for the count with some crazy head cold/malady/flu. It has gotten to the point where it would be almost comical, if I didn't feel so lousy. Anyway, I've been banished to my bed for the day, so I figured I would do some blogging, pay some bills, and indulge in some reading.

One of my most favorite things about reading blogs is, being directed to another blog through a link. It can get overwhelming at times though, because there is so much great stuff out there to read. I love links though, and so I though I would start posting some on Fridays -- just a small collection of neat things I've seen and read over the week. Enjoy!

• I love a good can of spray paint, so I just love this post about making an item your own - - it is amazing what a little paint can do!
• Today, I'll be spending some time reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, for Simple Mom's Sound Mind, Sound Mom book club.
• I often fantasize about doing furniture makeovers like this one. I'm guessing I ought to tackle the mound of unfinished "projects" I already have going, before I bite of anything else. It is still fun to read about, though!
• I'm so happy that my dear friend Joy turned me on to this website - - I've just placed my first order, and am excited about how much easier and economical it will be for me to purchase the organic foods we want. Thanks, Joy!
• I really enjoyed this post, at Chocolate on My Cranium.
• I cannot wait to attempt this cake. Have you been to Bakerella's blog? It is a must-read.
• This post at Soulemama got me thinking about my mother's blue tin, full of old buttons (do you still have that, Mum?). I use to love to dig through it when I was little.

And now, I must get back to my convalescing. I just tried to get Steve to come in and visit with me, but he declined, as his dish water was getting cold, he had to make some bread, and get Camden ready for school. Ahhh, the busy life of a homemaker!

Cookies Galore

I'm pretty sure that you know by now, I love to bake. It's a good thing, because I am surrounded by boys. The Big Boy needs his sugar. If there isn't some sort of treat in the house, he starts to get twitchy. Then, there are the Little Boys. They are most certainly their father's sons, and they like their treats, too. This is my standard cookie recipe, which Steve claims I put an addictive chemical in, causing him to eat cookie after cookie, until he tells me I shouldn't make cookies anymore. The other day, the new issue of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food arrived in my mailbox, and, as always, it did not disappoint. Have you ever had the pleasure of thumbing through an issue of this magazine? If not, do yourself a favor and treat yourself to a copy this weekend. It is full of helpful hints, beautiful pictures, and recipes that anyone can prepare. I think my favorite thing about it is that the recipes don't require special ingredients that I don't typically have on hand. I made the Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies (on page 105) a couple of days ago, and they came out really well - - nice and soft, and the boys love them. Last weekend, I made the Chocolate 'n Cream Sandwich Cookies (page 103), which are basically homemade Oreos. Camden especially loved these, and I had fun making them. So, I think we'll add both of these recipes to the "regular" rotation, to keep things interesting. I forgot to take a picture of the Oreos, but did manage to catch the boys eating some.

Did you see Oprah yesterday? I rarely miss it, because I watch it while I'm preparing dinner. I was especially excited to watch yesterday, because Curtis Stone was one of the guest chefs on a show about cooking on a budget. I just love Curtis Stone - - I'm pretty sure it is a combo of the whole man-cooking-thing, the Australian accent, and...he isn't exactly hard to look at. Anyway, I can't wait to make this pizza tomorrow night -- it sounds delicious.

I also wanted to show you one of my favorite things in my kitchen - - my cookie jar.

I found this at Anthropologie a few months ago...I think the original price was something completely crazy, like $79.99 (no joke), but I got it for $7.00 on the clearance rack. The great thing about Anthropologie is that while their regular prices are way out of my league, they have the absolute best sales, so it is fun to go there every once in a while to see what they've marked down.

Feeling Thankful

This morning, I am off to Boise to attend the annual Read to Me meeting, hosted by the Idaho Commission for Libraries. It is a two-day meeting, so I'll be there tomorrow, too. Among adults!! I'll have the chance to hob-nob with librarians from across the state, learn about early literacy outreach programs, grant availability, listen to some great guest speakers, and hopefully gather up a bunch of new ideas that I can bring back to my library. My husband has taken these next two days off so that I can do this, and I am so grateful to him for that (thanks, honey!). Although my position at the library is small, I'm hoping one day that it will turn into something more, and I'm glad Steve is helping me achieve that. While I am on the subject of Steve, let me just tell you that he was so helpful this past week. Camden was so very sick, I was sick...we were a mess, basically. Steve was in the middle of a training exercise and was working crazy, crazy hours, but found a way to come home not once, but twice, to help care for us. While this past week was not fun at all, I am glad to have times like this to remind me how lucky I am to have such a great husband. The fact of the matter is, Steve wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary these past few days - - he is a great husband and father all of the time. I am a lucky girl.

The household appears to be illness-free at the moment. We've had a day when the high temperature reached 67 degrees. Green grass is poking up on the lawn. Getting lots of rain. The tulips are coming up in the back yard. I dare say, spring is on the way. I'm sure we'll have a few more cold snaps here and there, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, I believe. We are ready for spring!

Desensitized (Sort of. Okay, not really)

Remember when I told you about my completely irrational fear of vomit? Well, I dare say, if anything good has come out of the past three days, it would be that I am slightly desensitized now. One thing I dislike almost as much as vomit, is reading about it on other people's blogs. It makes my stomach churn, and then I feel like I need to run away from the keyboard and go wash my hands. However, here I am, writing about it on my own blog, so my apologies to you. My poor Camden has been sick since Friday morning. I thought it was all over as of this morning, when he bounced out of bed and proceeded to act like a lunatic all day. Alas, just as we were getting ready for bed tonight, he started barfing again. So, he's in a heap on the sofa until we make sure he is done for the night (please, oh please, let him be done). Then, I will tuck him in and say a little prayer that Griffin and I remain healthy. I cannot wait until Steve gets back Tuesday evening!

Why I Like the Wine That Comes in the Big Box

Early this morning, Griffin and I were snuggling on the sofa. Griffin is such a little peanut ~ a little wisp of boy with huge, bright blue eyes, and at times I feel as if I could eat him up. I said to him, as I often say to both of my boys, "How did I get such a sweet boy? Did I just get lucky?" Without missing a beat, Griffin replied, "No, Mama! You got a Gwiffie!" I don't think Griffin realized it, but he hit the nail right on the head.

You see, my two boys are very, very different little creatures. I will not hesitate for a moment to boast about my firstborn, and tell you that he is a dear and gentle soul that has rarely given me any headaches to speak of. When he was two, I remember thinking, "What's all this talk about terrible twos? This kid is a cinch!" Then three came along and there were some new challenges, but still, nothing to get very worked up about. But, Griffin? Well, he is very, very good at being two. I dare say, he is an expert in the field. Maybe it is because I am old. Maybe it is because I haven't had a solid night of sleep in nearly 6 years. Whatever the reason, the boy wears me out. Here, let me share some photos with you, to back my story up:

Exhibit A: A random day last week ~ the collection of toys atop my china cabinet. Toys that were confiscated from Griffin for various indiscretions (i.e. throwing at brother, throwing at cat, throwing at dog, etc.)

Exhibit B: This would be Griffin, after he unloaded about a half of a can of aerosol hairspray onto his head. No, he didn't get any into his eyes, somehow. He was really peeved when I found him and had the gaul to take the can away from him.

Exhibit C: Random self-portraits that keep appearing mysteriously, on my digital camera.

And then there are the incidents that I haven't captured with my camera, such as when Griffin sprayed his head with my favorite Donna Karan perfume. Not once. Not twice. He sprayed and sprayed until his hair was dripping wet. Much as I loved that perfume, I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to wear it again, because my bedroom (and Griffin's head) literally reeked for two weeks. Perfume overload is like getting sprayed by a skunk, people. You cannot get that smell out, no matter how many times you shampoo.

And how about the other day, when the house went silent for a few minutes, which is the universal sign for Griffin is Up to No Good. I found him in the bathroom, attempting to stuff full rolls of toilet paper into the toilet.

Then, this morning. Griffin didn't know I could see him, and I watched him walk up to the cat, pull his tail, and then proceed directly to his naughty chair. I mean, seriously.

Mind you, Griffin is not like this all of the time. However, something has got to give because I live in fear of being "that mother"...the one that other mothers cringe at when they see her coming, because her child is insane. So I am doing my best to whip this little hooligan into shape. Wish me luck.

Fortunately for Griffin, he is very cute:

And he likes to play Naked Farm, which totally cracks me up:

Oh...and I love him more than life itself.

Making Our Way

We had an afternoon shower yesterday, and I heard Camden yelling to me that there was a rainbow in the sky. I think it was the brightest rainbow I've ever seen, and it was actually a double rainbow ~ if you look up above the bright one, you can just see the second one. Just as soon as they appeared, they were gone, but not before I snapped a few pictures.

We've been busy the past week, fighting off a nasty cold. Luckily, the little boys haven't gotten it too badly, but Steve has had it the worst. I was sick most of the weekend, but I think I am finally on the mend. I can't stand feeling like I just want to lay around all day - - it makes me nutty. So, I am happy to be back into my regular routine for the most part.

Steve is away for the next couple of weeks at a "simulated war exercise" ~ he's here in Idaho but is staying on base since he is working some really crazy hours during this. He called yesterday morning to say he thought he'd have a bit of free time later that day, so I got busy whipping up a bunch of food for him, picked Camden up at school, and we headed to Boise for a quick visit.

Here are my boys, playing "fort" under the conference table in Steve's office. Despite being tired, preoccupied, and stressed out, Steve didn't hesitate to humor his boys. He's good like that.

I made a carrot tea cake for our dessert ~ you can find the recipe in the most recent issue of Everyday Food Magazine. It produced a moist, spicy, delicious cake, and the recipe is definitely a keeper.

After lunch was finished, it was time for Steve to head back to work, and for the three of us to head back home.

I have Story Time this morning, so Griffin and I need to get this show on the road and get on over to the library.

A Little Romance

Steve was out of town on Valentine's Day (more on that, later) so I decided to banish the children to the family room this evening, and fix my sweetheart a fancy dinner. Needless to say, the boys were super excited to have their dinner on t.v. trays, while watching "Go Diego, Go!". I cannot begin to tell you how fabulous it was to sit and enjoy a nice meal, without having to stop once to say, "Mind your manners!" or "Eat your dinner!" After a few minutes of this pure bliss, Steve and I wondered aloud, why we haven't been doing this more often. I do believe we have had dinner like this once before, and enjoyed it just as much. So, our goal now is to have an "adults only" dinner once per week. Gives us some quality time together since we rarely (if ever) get out, we're not spending money going out to eat, and it gives me an excuse to try new recipes.

Tonight, I made a simple salad of organic greens, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and crispy-warm goat cheese rounds...delish.

For the main course, I made a Caprese Flat Pie, compliments of Katie Lee Joel. The recipe can be found here, as well as a great little video of how it is made. Katie is the wife of Billy Joel, and you may have heard of her cookbook, called The Comfort Table. I can't wait to add her book to my collection - - I think she is just wonderful. The Caprese Flat Pie looks pretty fancy, but it couldn't be any more simple. The ingredients: puff pastry, pesto, fresh mozzarella, Roma tomatoes, and some egg wash. I'm embarrassed to admit that I had never cooked with puff pastry before, but now that I have, I can't wait to use it again. Here's the finished product:

It was really tasty, and I'm already imagining a bunch of other combinations. For dessert - - some pink champagne, and a couple of squares of Lindt (hi Kirsten!) chocolate. Perfect.

After we put the boys to bed, we were discussing dinner and how much we enjoyed it, at which point Steve remarked, "It was kind of surreal!" That tells you a little bit about how often we get out (ahem...never), which is kind of sad, really. We don't have many child care options, and I don't know about you, but we aren't too crazy about spending money frivolously these days. The truth is, this is just another one of those choices we can make for ourselves...we don't need to hire a babysitter and blow a bunch of money out on the town...we can easily have a lovely evening together in the comfort of our own home and not spend a dime. I already can't wait to do this again next week!

A Boy and His Lunch Box

Meet Griffin's current obsession: a vintage Tupperware lunch box. I have always wanted a lunch box like this, and one day, I found one for a steal on Etsy. Unfortunately, I failed to read the fine print, so imagine my surprise when my coveted package arrived, and inside was the teeny-tiny toy version of my beloved plastic-ware. So, Griffin inherited it. Currently, he likes to sleep with it. He likes to have all of his meals (and snacks) served in it. It goes on car rides with us. It goes to the library. Alas, my boy is in love.

As for me, I'm still on the lookout for one (adult-sized, mind you) for myself. They seem to be a hot commodity, I tell you. I like a good challenge though, so I intend to keep on searching.

Lots of Love

Heart-shaped chocolate chip pancakes

Valentines Day party loot

A plateful of cookies, to deliver to friends

Flowers from my love, along with a love note (yes, written on an index card)
that I will treasure forever

A plateful of these delectable beauties, from Auntie Kasey and Banzer

At long last, Camden gets to eat his cookie

Addicted

You may have noticed that my blog is a little lacking these days. The funny thing is, I have lots to write about, tons of pictures waiting to be posted, and yummy recipes to share.

The problem: Facebook. There. I said it.

I got a Facebook account a few months ago, and looked at it every now and then. However, it has recently escalated into addictive proportions. First, there were all the long-lost (and not so long-lost) high school friends to reconnect with. Then, a smattering of college friends. Then, old friends from my previous life in Belfast. Kids (who aren't kids anymore) that I use to nanny. I could go on and on. I can't explain the phenomenon of Facebook. All I can say is that it is really, really fun. My problem is that when I have a few moments during the day when I would normally sit and write a blog post, I "check" Facebook, and then 20 minutes later, someone wants a snack or there's a bickering match to break up, and my computer time is up.

They say the first step is admitting you have a problem, so maybe now I can get a grip. We shall see...