Sydney's 8th Birthday Party

Today is my baby girl's 8th birthday. I can't believe how fast time has flown by! Seems like just yesterday she was this tiny little 6-lb-baby with unruly hair and the biggest brown eyes I had ever seen! Well, her eyes are still huge, but her hair has calmed down quite a bit ;) This past weekend we celebrated with family and friends with the most colorful of parties I could dream up in this crazy head of mine.  Here are some highlights... (for info on the dress and the invitations, see my previous post)

The refreshments table:



Let's take a closer look at everything on here. I made every single thing except for the cake (you'll see why in a bit). These are rainbow fruit skewers:



Button (butter) cookies:



Nutella-filled croissants (like this):



Cheddar cheese-filled croissants:



Coconut crémes (I used this recipe but replaced peppermint extract for coconut extract and added about 1/4 cup of coconut flakes) YUM:



Fresh-squeezed lemonade and strawberry juice:



And then there was the cake, oh the cake! Like I said, this was the only thing I didn't make myself. I had a local cake maker do this based on this recipe. I just  wasn't ambitions enough to tackle it on my own, but you'll see in a bit why I wish I had. ;)



As far as activities go, I set up two stations for the girls. One was a coloring station. I designed my own Lalaloopsy coloring book, using downloadable pages from their Facebook page:



I pretty much just printed the pages -- 10 pages/dolls for each book -- and designed a custom cover for it. Then, I purchased crayon boxes for each girl.



Then there was a Sew-Your-Own-Button-Headband station. I used Scunci headbands and lots and lots of colorful buttons (like on this post). We used embroidery needles and topstitching thread.



There were 14 girls total, so I divided them into 2 groups. Half of them went to the coloring station...



And the other half went to the headband station:



Then, about 45 minutes later or so, they switched stations so that they all got to do everything...



But, by far, everyone's favorite activity at the party was the decorate-the-cake part! Oh, my, how much fun they all had with these edible ink markers!!!







One of the girls wrote "Eat Me" on the cake, so of course all the adults were giggling in the back like little school girls... haha



Then it was time to blow the candles...





This is what the cake looked like on the inside. And this is why I wish, in hindsight, that I had made it myself... the layers were NOT in rainbow color order as I requested! :( I know it's not a big deal but I am just anal like that and I wanted everything perfect! Can you blame me?



Well, the cake was delicious and no one mentioned the color issue (maybe they were just being polite) so I'd say the party was a success! Sydney opened her gifts...



And we took some group pictures with the birthday girl...



And of course, the obligatory "silly face pic" :)





Ahhhh... I can finally breathe... and rest! (well, at least until the next party!)
Happy, happy birthday to my sweet baby girl! Please stop growing so fast.

On being a hypocrite...



If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook or even here on ye olde blog, you've probably noticed that I've been really absent on the social media front lately. I hate to use this as an excuse because really, it's all work-related, but I have just been swamped with work. All the new patterns go to print tomorrow so we are knee deep in editing and proofing this week. The book comes out in just 8 short weeks so we are finishing up the promotions and marketing plan which includes blog tours, parties and a very special schoolhouse session at the Spring Quilt Market. Throw on top of that my busiest fabric season EVER -- two lines and three different substrates! More on all of that soon.

But, as the last of the patterns are being proofed by Emalee I found myself with a few minutes to spare this morning, so I thought I'd update the blog, but with what? My brain is mush right now because of being torn in a million different directions, lack of sleep and what not, so I can't do a serious work-related post at the moment.

Been thinking a lot about parenthood and about how it changes you... one might even venture to say it makes you somewhat of a hypocrite at times. The things I used to roll my eyes at and even mock out loud when I was young and single, are the things I find myself doing (and proudly) now.

Case in point, before kids came around, I used to think New Years Eve was not New Years Eve without a rocking party and a killer hangover the next day. Now, I find nothing wrong with staying home with the family, letting the kids stay up till midnight for once (even if one of them doesn't quite make it) and hugging and kissing at the stroke of midnight. The 20-year-old me would've thought the 40-year-old me was uncool, sad and utterly boring.

But more recently, the topic of music came up. I admit that I'm definitely not a prude when it comes to music or TV. As a kid and young teen it was all about Madonna and George Michael and we all know what some of their lyrics were like! Then later on, it was darker genres of music... I was all about alternative and industrial bands. The lyrics of some of these songs are utterly disturbing... but I loved them! And somehow I turned out alright (or so I hope).

Now, when it comes to my kids, it's a totally different story. They were listening to Pandora last night, the Selena Gomez station. I was working on my laptop just a few feet away, thinking it was all cool and fun. Then a Rihanna song came on. It was Rude Boy. Now, I'm not a Pandora expert, but I glanced over and saw that they had the lyrics up on the screen... and Sydney was looking at them! Eeeeek! I jumped out of my chair and skipped the song so fast she didn't know what happened... it was like supersonic speed!

So, I started thinking today and a facebook conversation between family and friends was sparked about this. Ya know, I never intended to be a "freaky mom". I know all too well that kids will be exposed to things worse than this in life (through school, friends, TV, etc.) and I can't shelter them forever. I also know that it's better if they are educated about things and if they feel free -- and comfortable -- to ask us questions if they are ever confused about something. That's why, as they grow older, I hope they see Jon and I as "friends" besides just "mom and dad".

But a little part of me just can't help but be overprotective and want my girls to stay little and innocent for as long as possible. I mean, I just cringe at the thought of my 7 year old singing (even if it's in her head) "Come on rude boy, boy, can you get it up?" or "Sex in the air... I love the smell of it!" Eeeek! Just typing that made me get chills all over. And again... the 20-year-old me would've thought I was ridiculous. But then again, the 20-year-old me would've hated Rihanna for a whole other reason... too mainstream! ;)

All of this talk about kids growing up too fast got me thinking about the little things... the little accomplishments that are bitter-sweet. Like, for example, the first time they are able to take a shower alone. Sydney (7) just started showering unassisted about 6 months ago. Of course, one of us always sits right outside the bathroom door... just in case. I usually just bring my laptop and check email or something. But as much as this alleviates our workload as parents, it's a little sad when they don't need you for everything. Also, I know this is going to seem so trivial and dumb to anyone out there who doesn't have kids but, the first time they understand that they have to hold on to the cuff of their long-sleeved shirts or sweaters before they put their jackets on because otherwise the sleeve will ride all the way up... that day is HUGE! And I mean tear-jerking huge... as in, WOW, she's all grown up! sniff, sniff. Then I remember all the times I whined about why they don't understand that and I have to go and fix the situation. Am I alone?



Mark my words... this little one up there ^^^ is gonna be trouble one day (regardless of what music she listens to!)

Anyway, well... looks like Emalee is done proofing, so I need to go and make some edits now. It's been fun, but that's it for now, folks. Deep thoughts, by Patty Young. ;)

When the cat's away...

... the mice (and their grandma) will play! Check out these adorable Halloween crafts my mom made with the kids while Jon and I were down in Houston for Quilt Market!



SPIDER PUMPKIN

Materials:
1 medium-size pumpkin
1 can of gloss black spray paint
1 package of pipe cleaners (extra fuzzy black pipe cleaners found at Hobby Lobby)
2 large googly eyes (also found at Hobby Lobby)
Small piece of red cardboard, felt or fabric for mouth

Spray your pumpkin black and let it dry overnight. Use a toothpick or wooden skewer to poke 4 little holes on each side of the pumpkin near the bottom. Insert one end of a pipe cleaner in each hole and shape the "legs," as seen in the picture. Dab a little glue on the back of each googly eye and place on the pumpkin. Cut out a funny mouth shape and glue to the pumpkin. Let eyes and mouth dry overnight.



WITCHY PUMPKIN

Materials:
1 medium-size pumpkin
1 can of gloss green spray paint
Black yarn
1 mini witch hat (found at Hobby Lobby in the craft department)
2 large googly eyes (also found at Hobby Lobby)
Black sharpie marker or black tempera paint
Pumpkin carving knife

Spray your pumpkin green and let it dry overnight. Dab a line of glue on top of the pumpkin and lay the black yarn over the pumpkin's top. Shape and trim "hair" around face. Place mini-witch's hat over hair and glue in place. Dab a little glue on the back of each googly eye and place on the pumpkin. Using a pumpkin carving knife, carve out a funny mouth shape and fill in the negative space with a black marker or paint. Let eyes, hair and hat dry overnight.

And my personal favorite...



GHOST TRIO

Materials:
3 latex balloons
3 plastic cups
1 package white cheesecloth
White glue
Water
6 large googly eyes (found at Hobby Lobby)

Blow up your 3 balloons in different sizes. Place each balloon on top of a plastic cup for added height. Layer the cheesecloth over the balloons and trim to size at the bottom. You'll need at least 6 layers of cheesecloth for each ghost. Prepare a mixture of half white glue and half water in a large bowl (it should look like skim milk). Dip each layer of cheesecloth in the glue mixture, squeeze out excess liquid and drape over your balloon, shaping as needed. Repeat for each layer of cheesecloth. Alternate sides, as seen in the picture, so that the corners of the cheesecloth cover the bottom of the ghost. After all ghosts are draped, dab a little white glue to the back of your googly eyes and place on the face. Let ghosts dry overnight. The balloon will peel off easily the next day and the cheesecloth will be stiff enough for your ghosts to stand on their own!

For an added spooky effect, use clear fishing wire to hang the ghosts from light fixtures around the house. :)

ENJOY! And... HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

(pssst... in case you're interested, my mom just listed some Flora & Fauna goodies in her Etsy shop!)

Sophie's World

Sophie: Mama, what are you doing?

Me: Cleaning.

Sophie: Who's coming over?

Sophie's World

Sophie: I want to go, NOW! Come on. Let's go! NOW. NOW. NOW. I want to go, NOW!!!!

Me: You better calm your little butt down!

Sophie: But my butt's not talking.