05/27/2009

I had to let the mail get where it was going as not to spoil the surprise. I know these recipients have been known to check dianalysis from time to time.

to: (last name) family
from: Matt
I was so glad you could come t doth my party and church. the card was cute and so is the dog on the card. the Pokemon and the money have not come to use yet but they will.

and this one may be my favorite - the one that had me laughing in disbelief at this kid's inborn talent for relationships:

to: yaya
from: Matt
Eventhogh you were not there you still filled me up with happiens holynis and joy. thank you for the money. (eye / heart/ U)

Kiddisms

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05/20/2009

Matthew had his 1st Communion a few weeks ago. It's a big Rite of Passage thing for Catholics - initiated into Christ's family and all of that. For Matthew, this was technically his 2nd Communion, as he had received communion once while attending church with some school friends. So, he was that kid (there's always one) who announces that he has already had HIS 1st Communion - we went through with the charade, anyway.

So, as is tradition - you get all dressed up, go to church for an unusually long mass, and come home or go out for a celebratory lunch (I had to be sure I didn't type "celebatory" but I suppose that is fitting, as well). Matthew's lunch was here at home with a few family and friends - simple, easy. Much simpler and easier than Megan's 1st Communion, because I am less crazy now.

This is often considered a gift-giving occasion - although, really, isn't receiving Christ in Body and Spirit gift enough? But, I digress - gifts, yes. Luckily, Matthew received only one beautiful crucifix (sometimes a kid will get several & then what do you do with that?), a little cash, some inspirational things (book and medallion) and a toy (yay!). As with many things, Matthew simply took charge of the Thank You notes. He was with me to pick them out and as soon as I gave him the list of gifts and givers, he went to work.

Today, several weeks later, I am getting around to mailing the notes - which is to say this is the first I have read any of them. He is that good. He does not get this gene from his mother.

These are hilarious - from the creative spelling to the hand-drawn pictures. Every one starts out exactly the same way:
To: (giver's name - often creatively spelled)
From: Matt
Then the text follows. He wrote them all on the upper flap of the bi-fold cards. How would he know where to write without any parental supervision whatsoever?

I must share some with you:
to: (misspelled last name) famly
from: Matt
thank you for think of me. I have found some good prayers in the prayer dook.
(followed by picture of paper with writing and a $20 bill)
btw - the prayer book was attached to the greeting card they sent with the money

to: uncle and aunt
from: Matt
thank you for comming to my party. I like the saint matthew neckles it is very specil.
(no picture - I assume he had no idea how to draw the medallion)

to: (neighbor) family
from: Matt
thank you for coming to my party. It would be less fun without you guys. I love the Tech Dechs. theyareso much fun.

I will add the other two in a few days . . . once the mail can catch up with my blog posts.

Kiddisms

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05/12/2009

Mother's Day weekend seems like the perfect time for a baby shower. There is the obvious connection for the mother-to-be AND, here in Mnnesota, it is the Fishing Opener Weekend . . . which, like the opening of deer hunting season, the weekend leaves many women without plans and many men on a lake "Up North." It is not my intention to stereotype men as fisher- . . .umm . . .anglers. Rather, I think angling women are just less likely to grab the winter coat, hat and gloves to sit in a boat on a lake in northern Minnesota when this activity can be done more comfortably in June or July. We're just a little more patient about our fishing, maybe. As I said, perfect time to have a women-only party like a shower!

The baby is not here, yet, but they are expecting a girl. The guest of honor's aunt ordered the cake. She said the mom-to-be was absolutely NOT a girly-girl, but everything on the registry was pink (and brown). It's amazing what motherhood will do to our sensibilities.

Here it is - an interpretation of the baby registry in cake. Freckled Mocha Cake with Italian Meringue Buttercream to be more specific.

Sweets

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05/11/2009

Here is a shower cake for a baby boy who had not yet made his appearance. This is a cake design I have made a few times - chocolate babies are all the rage.

This was a chocolate/vanilla marble cake with Classic Buttercream.

Sweets

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04/26/2009

How sweet is this? The guest of honor loves owls. I understand that "owl" was her first word. I did not get to see her reaction to her cake, but I hope it went something like:

"owl, owl, owl! Look, owl!"

Under the Buttercream Frosting is Rainbow Birthday Cake with Oreo Cookie Filling.

Sweets

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04/24/2009

Seriously, who ever thought I would make another cake with chocolate tractor decorations? "Dad" lives on a farm in a little southern MN town. The farm has one calf a whole herd of cats and a red tractor. "Dad" also likes to bike. So there is a blue bike parked under a tree. This was the extent of the information I had to work with.

That, and the cake needed to be a nice deep dark chocolate.

Sweets

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04/23/2009

Hmmm . . .terrible picture. I'll bet you're wondering, "Is this what we have been waiting for? Stories of wrinkled frosting and way too yellow photos of chocolate cake?"

Well, yes, I am afraid so. I am no food photographer. I know a good one, but I don't think she would appreciate me running over at 10p with a cake to be photographed before it is delivered the next day. It would be oh-so cool to have a camera like my fav food bloggers do, but I don't. These are more like your Grandma's digital photos. Makes it feel better, right? A little nostalgic, even.


I am sensing a scout theme here. Yesterday's cupcakes and today's Chocolate Cake with Thin Mint filling. Clearly this is a seasonal offering. This is the cake that Kevin requested for work "tomorrow" at 7p. No wonder it's all yellow - that's the lighting at night in the dead of winter.

It was a good one, though. Looking at this makes me want a piece - well, the memory of this makes me want a piece.

Speaking of "Last minute Chocolate Cake" leads me to a recipe a friend sent to me:

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.

Pour in the milk and oil and mix well..

Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.

Cook in the microwave for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.

The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

This is the craziest thing. As soon as I got the email, I ran to the kitchen & gave it a go. It worked. It's not a great cake - fairly gummy in texture - but it will be a cool (and tasty enough) experiment with the kids. And it would do in a pinch if you were having a serious chocolate craving with no chocolate chips in sight. The cake rises way over the mug. It drips a tiny bit down the side, so I recommend a plate under the mug to make cleaning up easier. Serve it warm with ice cream - and one batch is more than enough for 2 kids.


That's it for today. Maybe I'll have a better cake photo tomorrow.

Sweets

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04/22/2009

Hey! Look what I found: a very familiar piece of photo equipment sitting right next to the camera on the desk. It wasn't plugged in, but even I can figure out how to unplug the ipod thing and replace it with the photo thing. Yay! We have pictures.

I made these sweet cupcakes a few weeks ago for a girl scout outing which was happening on a birthday weekend for a couple of the scouts. They wanted just a little something with which to celebrate. I thought they were very sweet until the next day. Overnight, the glaze got all . . . well . . . wrinkled. I think the cupcakes must have been too warm when I applied the glaze. Word to the wise: "cool completely before frosting." How many times do you think I have read that?

They still tasted good, and I don't think the scouts minded the wrinkles.

Sweets

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04/15/2009

I know it looks like I haven't been baking. In fact, I have. I have baked all sorts of things since last you saw ANY pictures posted here. But, you see, I got this new computer toy - and I have no idea how to download photos from the camera onto my new toy. Add to that, the family computer has all sorts of ipod-type cables attached to it & none of them look like my familiar camera-cable that used to be attached to it. Add to THAT, I am too proud to admit that I am a complete dweeb incapable of figuring this small thing out without asking for help. So, there, to hell with the pride, as I just outed myself as a near computer illiterate. Once Kevin reads this and then shows me how to get the pictures from there to here, we will have some catching up to do.

So, I've been gone for awhile. I didn't go anywhere while I was gone - well, not anywhere unusual, anyway. The kids have had their Spring Break and it was lovely: nice weather and an abundance of togetherness, during which time we managed to convince our children that less is more when it comes to stuff. We have been preaching this for at least 5 years and somehow, this time, it worked. Kevin was the real genius behind the project, truth-be-told. He had reached the end of his patience with the state of Matthew's room (after having decided Meg's was a lost cause, I assume). He approached Matthew with this idea: "a mini-home-makeover" - convert Matt's room into a music room. The end result was that Matthew got rid of oodles of crap. He kept the Lego, the Rescue Heroes and some miscellaneous sentimental business. Kevin gave Matt a hand-me-down boombox (the kind that still has a cassette player & CD player) and a collection of CD's for the shelves. And the biggest change . . . they hung the guitar on the wall. That's it - that says "music room" to my boys. Again, genius, I tell you.

Megan's room was a little more challenging as hers required some paint & construction material. Matt's room was already painted for a kid, but Meg's was our room not so long ago and the copper-colored walls worked for an adult retreat - not so much for the 12 year old sporty girl. Not surprisingly she chose a bright blue, which is much, much better. Our house is slowly turning blue and green. Anyway, Megan is thrilled with her new set-up and could not wait to show her friends the color, as well as the desk and bed that she & Kevin made.

I seem to recall that years ago I shared a note that Matthew wrote to the Easter Bunny. Here is this year's edition:

"Dear Easter Bunny
I Bleive that you eXist. Oh I just forgot HAppy easter you are such a nice Guy when it comes to easter I hope noone will ever poche you

pleas write Back"

I love, love, love that Matthew can spell "write" correctly, but not "please." Pretty close on "believe," though & a valient effort on "poach."

I am sure the burning question on your mind is "Did he?" No, the Easter Bunny did not write back. Bunnies do not write. He did leave goodies in baskets and a jelly bean smiley face on the back of Matt's note. Good enough for the guys we go with.*


* This is a phrase that Kevin & I have borrowed from our friend's dad. We both crack up at the thought of "good enough for the girls we go with" and look for opportunities to use it ourselves.

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03/25/2009, my sofa

Kevin came home last Thursday with a surprise - a refurbished laptop for ME. Yay! It's something we have talked about for quite sometime & a favorable tax refund has made it a reality. Immediately, he wanted me to call someone to tell them about my good fortune. And now it has taken a week for me to post from my new toy. I guess I'm not a shout-it-from-the-rooftops kind of gal. I am no less grateful or excited about all this, though. All week I have had my computer in my kitchen while I work. I made a new cut-out cookie withou having to print the recipes. I sent email back-n-forth with Mom without leaving my cake. I watched last week's Grey's Anatomy while I rolled dozens of truffles. This is awesome.

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