Catching Up and Picture OVERLOAD!!

It feels like so long since I posted! It started with a screen "fast" last Wednesday. The point was to fast from computer and TV screens (TV really doesn't tempt me as much as the computer - I love myself some World Wide Web time) all day so as to focus on things that are truly important - like praying and reading the Bible. It was great!! I not only prayed more, I had a dance party with my kids, I sewed and was generally not as stressed out. Anyway, one day flowed into the next (we had lot of company in there as well) and here we are. First and foremost - my niece, Ella was born this last week! She is precious - Joel and Sarah are so sweet and doting on her. And did I mention that Joel got Sarah a push present of Coco Chanel diamond earrings?! That is love....anyway - here is the sweet little bundle: Excuse the flash photography. I am hoping they will let me come over and take real pictures of her at some point.

Samuel loves his tree swing and is on it whenever the weather is nice. So he's been on it about 2 times in the last 6 months. =) We got to watch the Haines kiddos on Saturday - what a great day! Eli and Samuel had a great time playing together- it's amazing how easy 2 toddlers are together - they just entertain themselves and giggle alot. Ruby and Jude really had my heart - they were so sweet together!! Jude LOVED her.

They spent a lot of time watching Colin garden from the doorway. They were so obedient when I told them not to climb out of it - and look at Ruby's beautiful blue eyes!!
Then they moved outside to taste test a few things - too cute!
Jude has discovered using this digger thing for rocks, dirt, etc.
And yesterday, we all helped Colin put in the window in Jude's room. Here is Samuel staring at him.
What better natural lighting than a gaping hole to the outside? The sun really blew out Jude's face - but look at him crinkling!!

Samuel loves to dig in the dirt - and apparently I love watching him. No mystery here why I didn't get anything done yesterday. I feel lately that I have to cherish my kids at this young age - it really is going way too fast.
Here's a series of pictures of the two babies resisting going all the way outside while watching Colin plant vegetables.

Here is Jude taste testing dirt yesterday. MMM!

And here is a record picture of Jude's mullet - I like putting the motion blur around the party in the back. Oh man. I need to make it back to Milwaukie - I haven't seen a good mullet in a long time. Except for on my son.

Yesterday was also Jude's first injury - he face planted it onto the concrete. Ouch. I was on the phone with my friend, Nicole, while he howled.

One low point of the week: Jude's one year doctor appointment. Apparently, he's in the 10th percentile for weight and after ruling out foamy poopy diapers (what!?), she mentioned something under her breath about Cystic Fibrosis or an enzyme issue. Hmm. Is it possible that he's just tall and skinny? Anyway, I got a call from Kaizer's dietitian for "unexplained weight loss". After I laughed out loud, she said I didn't need to make an appointment if I didn't want. So I made the appointment out of fear of looking like a bad mom and here I am today, keeping a food diary. If I may say so myself I think he eats pretty good. I think what they will tell me is that he doesn't get enough fat. Oh, and he needs physical therapy because he's not walking yet. Good night, people. Are all babies supposed to fit in a box, err I mean, a graph? Needless to say, I'm not worried about Jude, but am curious to see what they will say tomorrow.

On a sidenote, I've been on a craze of getting magazines from the library and two of my favorites are "Mothering" and "Photography and Imaging". Well, I have a love/hate relationship with "Mothering". I love the information on vaccines and it's from a more natural standpoint - like organic foods and breastfeeding and cloth diapering. But it's very critical of certain discipline practices that I stay pretty faithful to. And the Photography magazine gives great tips on Photoshop and the latest cameras and gadgets.

Here's a question: I sold my smaller digital camera on eBay and am wondering if I need a new small digital camera for my purse and little digital movies, or should I just use my big camera all the time? Do I need small digital movies or just use the camcorder? Ok - well my mother-in-law is coming into town tomorrow and I can't wait!

Some Pictures and Some Recipes

Chocolate-Frosted Golden Cupcakes with Coconut


Ingredients
CAKE
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
FROSTING AND TOPPING
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Sweetened shredded coconut, for topping
Mini nonpareil candies, for topping
directions
Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or foil liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the cornstarch, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the sugar with the eggs and vanilla extract at medium-high speed until smooth and thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Add the butter and oil and beat until incorporated, scraping the bottom and side of the bowl. Add the dry ingredients and milk in 3 alternating batches, beating well between additions. Carefully pour the batter into the lined muffin tins, filling them about two-thirds full.
Bake the cupcakes in the center of the oven for 20 to 23 minutes, until springy and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the muffin tin, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the frosting: Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof medium bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream with the butter, corn syrup and salt until hot but not boiling. Immediately pour the mixture over the chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Let the frosting cool, whisking occasionally, until thick enough for dipping and glazing the cupcakes, about 30 minutes. For a frosting firm enough to spread, let stand for 1 hour.
Frost the cooled cupcakes, top with the sweetened shredded coconut and mini nonpareil candies.

He looks like a teenager ready for the Homecoming Dance or something (or are Homecoming Dances only things that happen in little towns like Rainier?).

I just had to add this one because it's Colin's favorite.

So, I am posting a few recipes for those at the party that asked for them and didn't get them. And also for the general public, because I keep these recipes in my arsenal - you can do most of the work ahead of time so you aren't stressed out the day of the event. Also, they are delicious. The egg casserole and sticky bun recipes are courtesy of my dear friend Wisa.

Egg Casserole

10 eggs, beaten

1/2 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 pint small curd cottage cheese

1 lb. jack cheese, grated

1/2 c butter, melted

2 (4 oz) cans of diced green chiles (seeded)

Beat eggs until light. Add flour, baking powder, salt, cottage cheese, jack cheese and butter. Stir in chiles. Pour mixture into a buttered 13" x 9" baking dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight (very important). When ready to serve - bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until golden brown and center is firm. This recipe may be halved w/good results. Enjoy!!

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Best Sticky Buns Ever!

1 30 oz. package frozen unbaked dinner rolls (24 rolls)

1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 4-serving size package butterscotch pudding (not instant)

1/2 c melted butter (1 stick)

1 c nuts - sprinkle in bottom of bundt pan

Place frozen rolls in a greased 12-cup bundt pan. Mix together brown sugar, cinnamon and pudding mix. Sprinkle over the rolls. Drizzle the melted butter over the top. Let rise overnight (uncovered). Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn out of the pan while hot onto a serving plate (cinnamon mixture will drizzle down onto plate).

Jude's One Year Photos

Jude had his one year photos taken today - for free!! Okay, so I took them. I decided to hop in the car and drive to SE Portland to some spots that I really have been wanting to experiment with that I always pass by on the way to Trader Joe's. Jude just turning one was a great excuse to do just that. I parked in an industrial area kind of by Reed College and then just kept finding buildings with great colors/textures. It was so industrial that I was a bit scared a forklift would be coming around the corner...

The blue wall was some sort of door entering a community center in Sellwood.

I had to put both the b&w and color version of this one up.


I had to keep Jude distracted with Samuel's wallet.

I love the high contrasted black and white pictures - classic!

My Boys' Phone Obsession

My boys think that playing with our home phones are so much fun. It's thier latest obsession and I was quite taken back when Jude held the phone up to his shoulder and said "Hedo?" Wow - he wasn't even a year yet!

Here's Jude pretending to talk.
As you can see by the phone's orange backlight, he actually turns it on and attempts to dial.
Looks like a very interesting conversation.

My "MeMe" List

I got this idea from another blog. It's called a meme list, because it's all about me:)
Here it goes:
I love coffee - I go to bed and look forward to waking up and drinking it
My favorite color is pink
I love holding my boys - all three of them
I love Starbucks coffee brought to me after I have a baby
I love Tillamook Utterly Chocolate ice cream
I got married 10 years ago at the age of 18
I love watching Victorian movies, cheesy romantic comedies and ice skating
I love the smell of campfires, freshly mowed grass and the ocean
I love Amazon.com
I love going to dinner and a movie
I love reading fiction and literature (both, if possible!)
I love scrapbooking and sewing, but wish I had more time for both
I love babies and how they smell
I love that my boys have red hair
I'm very pro-breastfeeding
I would love to have a girl someday
I want to go to Italy someday
I love the law, want to go to law school
I would like to get my Masters in Writing/Literature
I would love to figure out how to turn my crafts into a business
I was a paralegal in my career days
I love Jesus
I've been a Christian as long as I can remember
I love pedicures and reading US Weekly (at the same time)
I love mornings and the new hope dawn brings
I love that my husband suprises me with huge things like a fancy camera, a Bose iPod dock and a computer
I get sad when I think about my kids moving out someday
Then I get excited that Colin and I can actually take that trip to Italy. Alone.
I've never loved so deep as when I became a mom.
I challenge all you blog readers to a "meme" list!! I would love to read it!!

Jude's First Birthday

So, it seems that Jude is sleeping off his birthday hangover today, which gives me time to post pictures! I know, I know. It's a picture OVERLOAD! To be honest, these are only a fraction of the photos - I blew through 2 1/2 memory cards (I shot in RAW, which my memory cards and camera battery did NOT love). Anyway, yesterday was great! At least I think so - judging by how much people ate. And isn't it always about the food?! Just kidding - I think Jude had a wonderful time opening presents and perhaps his favorite part was the cupcake. I paid for that later when he barely napped and didn't go to sleep for good until about 10:30. First birthdays are always hard for me - everyone leaves and I realize I no longer have a baby. I spent the evening looking through Jude's baby book and getting weepy - Colin began to wonder what was going on. Can't I just be happy not having a baby and look forward to having independence again in maybe, oh, 17 years? Samuel did wonderful as well- I expected a bit of jealousy with the present opening, but he just played with his cousin, Wes, and couldn't have been happier. Anyway, here are the pictures...

Of course, my token picture of the food.
Jude reading one of his birthday books.
Sweet baby! Oh, I mean little boy. Sniff.

Jude offering me a slimy cupcake. Yummm!
I love how fat his face gets sometimes.This is what children look like on sugar - scary!

I think he was talking to his cupcake here...

My cupcake tower. I love cupcakes! I made cookies and cream and chocolate coconut cupcakes.
A rare photo op of Jude and me.
Jude kept trying to grab my camera lens. I had to be quick!
So tired.

Shopping, Creativity and Other Boredom Avoidances

Well, I've been on the hunt for material for curtains as our house has 27 (or more perhaps) windows and I never love the window coverings I see in stores (or if I do, I really can't afford them). Low and behold, my local fabric store is having an off the hook sale and I found this fabric that I actually love (I never thought I'd choose this butterscotch color!) on clearance. So, to cover 6 large windows in our living room, everything cost around $75. Not bad, right? At least for this quality of curtains. Also, I purchased some patterns and teal polka dotted material (yep, you read that right) for some summer peasant blouses. We'll see how well I can sew! I haven't seen anyone much lately as our house has been suffering from colds and I'm the last to get it. Every night I am up coughing and every morning I sort of feel like a train hit me. Then it fades until evening. So here I am now, feeling pretty good and highly caffeinated.

Jude's first birthday party is on Saturday. Being the social butterfly I am, I would normally invite everyone and their brother, but because our house is in shambles and I until I feel like people wouldn't be scared off, Jude will just have family over. Still, it's turning out to be 16+ people. I will be making a breakfast casserole, sticky buns, bagels/cream cheese, mom's fruit salad and cupcakes. It's at 10 a.m. and I love breakfast food! I still can't believe my sweet baby is turning 1! I think part of the reason I don't want to cut his hair or stop nursing is because I don't want to see that transition to a little boy quite yet, as he may just be our last. Sigh.

On a different note, I allowed myself some time to make birthday cards this morning. I had to make 7 for the next few weeks, so I did them all at once. If I could make a living creating pretty cards, I would. It's so incredibly therapeutic, until I remember that people probably throw them away.

Here's a question: can anyone recommend a good point and shoot camera? I'm thinking of a Canon Powershot. I am selling my old point and shoot on eBay and hoping to get something smaller for my purse and for taking short movies on. I have my Nikon SLR (which I love and let me pause to throw a shout-out to Nikons in general - they are amazing cameras) but I can't really throw that thing in my purse. It requires it's own huge bag.

I watched the movie "August Rush" and loved it. Randomly, my friend Katie and her husband have been hanging out the last couple of weekends with one of the stars of that movie, Jonathon Rhys Meyers, because Katie's husband is training him while he films a movie in their town. Fun, huh?

Anyway - here are some pictures.

Curtain fabric.

Two of the cards I made this morning - I love Basic Grey paper.
This is the reason I had children.

Here's a pretty good representation of what Jude has been like lately - mostly naked from drooling or pooping on his clothes, fresh out of the bath and tugging at something irritably.