A Honey Bee Birthday for a Most Bee-utiful Little Miss....EPIC

Ah, would the phrase, "Better late than never" be appropriate here? Indeed! A full week + a HALF after the little princess's "bee-day" soiree I am finally getting the post on this lovely event, well...posted! Hence the EPIC-NESS warning...I've got lots to catch up on people! But read on, because it's worth it...and there are many a link for all of my shopping adventures for said party. So with that, we will begin at the begining; what could be a more lovely way for a little girl to begin her birthday than with flowers from her daddy?... I'm not sure exactly what the deal is, but it seems that when it comes to throwing a party, no matter how much time I think I have, I always end up running a bit behind! I was left to defer to my Mister to be the photographer...only to realize now that he missed one or two shots from the party that I would have liked to have shared with you! One such photo would have been a still life of the entire kitchen/ great room area; the island decor made complete with sheer sparkle material {in pale yellow from Jo-Ann Fabrics} for a table cloth + center piece doctored up from last year's fairie party. It really was quite lovely. But moving on to what we were able to capture, let's begin with the Buzzy Bee Headbands! I have found that headbands make wonderful "costuming" for at home parties + excellent party favors for guests to take home! Let's say that I have a WHOLE NEW APPRECIATION for the clay work done by geniuses like Tim Burton after making all of these bees from crayola molding clay { which is super light when dry, so it was perfect for the headbands}. The wings were made from bits of faux flowers hot glued to jewelry wire...the same wire, incidentally, that we used to secure the suspended bee to the headband {After, I wrapped the wire with floral tape}. Headbands were purchases here on Etsy.I think special lollipops are such a nice alternative to favor bags filled with random sugary candy...so I made these! Just google chocolate/ candy/ lollipop mold and loads of options should pop up! Yeah, I know. My Mum just shook her head and said, "oh, to be SO OCD", while she watched as I painted each color of chocolate into the molds so that my bees looked like bees...slightly demented, but SO PRETTY!And what was on the menu you ask? Champagne Sangria {MAKE THIS!!...you can thank me later!}, mini quiche + an endive, artichoke + edamame salad for the grown up folk. For the bee-utiful little girls...strawberries + blueberries with pistachio dip and a variety of finger sandwiches: P-Nut Butter, Cheese + Cream Cheese with Lemon Conserve. They were quite the hit...and I'm guessing that using these Bee Hive + Honey Bee cookie cutters {Amazon.com} didn't hurt!What would a party be without balloons and plenty of treats? Since I went a little egg + cheese happy with the food, I kept the dessert on the Vegan side: Lemon Bee Hive Cake {Mold + Little Sugar Bees}, Banana Mini Muffins with Vegan Chocolate drizzle and these Coconut Lime Mini Cupcakes. {Cards, letter stamps, bee stickers + cupcake wrappers courtesy of Michael's Crafts}.And a party should have an activity, correct? So this year we made little bracelets! Here was the one I made the day before the party as a reference for the kiddos. My Mum + I had presorted the beads into these adorable paper dishes {from Michael's- found in the baking section! These were the most similar they offered online, still very cute!} When it was time to get our craft on, each child was given a dish of beads {purchased from Michael's}, a honey bee charm, a bee hive charm found here and the pre measured wire with toggle clasp already attached. All of this prep made the craft run rather smoothly, allowing us to move right along to cake eating!Oh, it is so unfair how quickly those little knuckle dimples start to disappear... and what a heart-breakingly beautiful little lady she has become! I might say that I am slightly relieved that she has 2 brothers + a daddy with many a tattoo to keep any boy suiters in check when she is older...but no need, she is as tough as she is beautiful...that's my girl!Brining us to the end of the party... it seems a rather smart custom that rather than attempting to have a group of very small children sit patiently + watch the birthday little open their gifts; that now, gift opening is saved for after the party has ended...leaving much more time for chatting + PLAYING!! On behalf of the Fif, I have to thank everyone for comming over to celebrate her special day with us + for giving her such thoughtful gifts! Here are just a couple that kept with the bee theme that I wanted to post the links for: The bee backpack from my Mum was a huge hit: perfect for carrying around all of the Fif's new art supplies, Littlest Petshop + Calico Critter toys her friends gave her! And the Bee Wheely Bug was actually a 1st Bee-Day gift! We now have 2 of these Wheely Bugs in both the large + small sizes and I can;t tell you how much all 3 of my littles enjoy riding them around! And this last gift {photo above} was for me! Ok, the lovely little Anthro cupcake apron was for the Fif, but the gardening journal was for Mama from a fellow gardening enthusiast girlfriend of mine! I think this is tradition we should all encourage: that the mama's should get the presents on the kids birthdays! What a wonderful idea! Don't you agree? I've been spending lots of time thinking about + watching our front yard farm grow like crazy these last few weeks, so this book will be put to good use as I have a good amount to journal...and many a photo to share here as well! Thanks for being patient with me until I pulled my act together...or rather, tied-myself-to-one-place-long-enough to get this post written! It can be hard to find a still moment when the weather warms up + you have 3 little folk on the move! I'm glad I was finally able to steal a moment...I DO hope you have all been as busy enjoying the spring season as we have!
xo.

My Mister is on vacation this week...I'm thinking a random tuesday sounds like an exceptionally perfect day for a Champagne Sangria!

Bee Day Soiree Sneak Peek

As promised...here is just a bit of what has been keeping me busy as a bee lately. The Fif's Bee-Day party... Yes, this Queen Bee has been list making, baking + crafting away in preparation for the party, which will hopefully be just the bee's knees! Sorry, I just can't resist the bee humor. As for the photos, well, even some of what looks completed still has some finishing touches that need doing...and there are a couple of items that still have yet to be started! Nothing like waiting until the last minute...oh, I think the next few nights will be late ones! I have to give a huge thanks to my Mister...how many husbands would be willing to spend an afternoon cutting faux flowers + wire to make bee wings... or would stay up until midnight painting stripes on clay bees? You rock honey...I'll have to think of a way to return the favor.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xo.

An Easter Tradition of Giving...

The Monks began his first year of CCD this year...

{Backtrack: John + I were raised attending Catholic schools all of our lives, making all of our sacraments, etcetera. My in-laws are devout Polish Catholics + attend Mass every morning at 7:30am. As for my family: my father's side {Italian Catholic} these days, only set foot in Church on holidays + for baptisms. At the other extreme, my mother {raised Irish Catholic}, is now a Deacon in the Lutheran Church...not feeling "the love" 100% from the Catholic Church for having been divorced. Yeah, there is alot to like + dislike when it comes to religion and over the years those feelings + questions motivated John + I to explore Buddhism... Then we were Hare Krishna Devotees...and in more recent years, came to adopt some of the teachings of the Unitarian Universalist Church. I think our families had some expectations that we would give our children religious {ahem: Catholic...or atleast Christian} education...and so we are. However, as I recently mentioned, we consider ourselves to be sort of Religious Citizens of the Universe; with the plan being that we would buffer bits + pieces of our little folks' catechism lessons along the way when we felt it necessary...}Phew!...That just about brings us up to speed. And brings us to the present: our first opportunity to supplement CCD, as it pertains to Lent. The Monks came home from CCD a few weeks back, telling me about what he was going to "give up" for Lent. Mimi {my Mum, the Deacon} happened to be here + she immediately jumped at the opportunity to explain that Lent; well, it is not about what we don't do...it is about the good we do. The expectation that during Lent, one should sacrifice because Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for all people...well, I think that is one way to approach it. However, I alos believe that tributes can be made by living compassionately; in a spirit of love, sharing, friendship + understanding...as many a religion inspire + instruct people to do. And from a Unitarian Universalist POV, I feel that Spring is the perfect season for acknowledging all things fresh + new...the rebirth of ourselves as the best "US" we can be.

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My Mum's church has been working with an organization called Heifer for many years...and through a Lenten church fundraiser, my littles are enjoying collecting funds in their little cardboard barns {similar to UNICEF boxes} towards this effort. What is Heifer you ask?

** Heifer's mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth. By giving families a hand-up, not just a hand-out, we empower them to turn lives of hunger and poverty into self-reliance and hope. With gifts of livestock and training, we help families improve their nutrition and generate income in sustainable ways. We refer to the animals as "living loans" because in exchange for their livestock and training, families agree to give one of its animal's offspring to another family in need. It's called Passing on the Gift – a cornerstone of our mission that creates an ever-expanding network of hope and peace. **
I am an atypical Vegan in that I do think that animals can live in harmony with humans; that we can provide them with love, safety, care + respect and that they can provide us with certain milks, eggs + wool in addition to work services. I thought a wonderful Easter tradition to begin this year would be to donate monies to this organization to purchase an animal through Heifer for a family in need in another country. I had been planning on a lower end donation that we could afford, like 20 chicks {for $20!}...however, my Mum was so ecstatic about the idea, she offered to help us so that we could donte a LAMB! I have placed a link to Heifer on the sidebar aswell as this link {I LOVE!} to Farm Sanctuary...either of these organizations would be so very happy to have any donation to help them continue their good works by helping end hunger, teaching people how to provide for themselves, how to love, respect + care for the animals who help us, treating these living beings with the dignity they deserve until the end of their days. While there won't be any meat of any kind on my Easter dinner table, we are planning to wait until Easter Day to tell the littles about the Lamb we donated to a family in need. We purchased a couple of t-shirts + books from Heifer for the little folk as well {much better than loads of candy, agreed?} to help explain the process of giving {...and so the Monk's can sport the T-shirt + tell the tale when he returns to school next week.} I am so super excited about this idea, the begining of this tradition + think that others of you might be too! So if you were not quite sure where or how a donation should be made... here it is! What Easter Traditions do you + your family practice this time of the year?

All the best as we approach this holiday + the spring season of all things new.
xo.

What might the Easter Bunny bring?

My goodness me, can you believe that many of us will be celebrating Easter in just over a week!?! Ever since I became a mama, I SO look foward to holidays; trying to make them as magical as possible with little activites + whatnot. Each year, I feel like I get a little bit better at planning for the holidays...figuring out what traditions need doing, what gifts need buying...and WHEN exactly I should do all of these things to make sure that all of my ducks are in a row when the big day arrives. And speaking of gifts, I thought I'd share some of my favorite purchases for this upcomming holiday. You see, when it comes to Easter, I usually prefer that the Easter Bunny not bring boatloads of candy {that often isn't even eaten...some of last years candy is still in the back of the freezer!} Seeing as that we don't do all that much "toy type" shopping on a regular basis, a holiday is the perfect time to spoil the kiddos a bit...and to swap out a whole mess of candy + chachkies for a few really nice presents that will be loved + enjoyed long after the holiday has passed. Like... {some great puzzles found here + here}

{ Soy Bunny Crayons from this shop + this amazing stacking toy from here}

{Ofcourse, books, books + more books...AND MORE BOOKS}

and yes, there will still be candy...in addition to some wonderful little gifts made by mama which I can hardly wait to share! Aren't these jsut the prettiest lollies you have ever seen? What fun I've been having these last few weeks...and the good news is that it is not too late to do some Easter ordering of your own!

Happy Thursday Everyone!

xo.

Confirmation Season

I believe we have officially entered the confirmation/first communion making season. Last weekend was my little sister in law's confirmation. I wanted ever so badly for it to be warm + spring like, but alas, I knew that the warmth of the sun could only keep the chilly temps in check for so long. So this was what I had come up with to wear... An adorable offwhite ruffled top with peach polka dots {very summery, but because it is lined, it is better suited for spring}, off white cardigan {Both tops found at Marshall's}, Navy Blue Corduroy slacks {Old Navy}...and ofcourse, my signature red patent leather ballet flats. I have to say that I think even with the corduroy, all that off white + ruffles on top really said, "Bring on Spring!"

On another note, this gathering was bittter sweet one. This youngest sister in law of mine whose confirmation we were celebrating is my Mister's half sister from when his father remarried. It is unfortunate that we don't see them more frequently, but all the same, I consider her my sister in law + her mother, my mother in law. That brings me to the bitter, we recently found out that my mother in law is very ill. Long story longer, while she had been in remission for 10 years, her body is now being attacked with a vengance. I don't think I was fully prepared to see her so changed... She has always been one tough woman, personality wise that is. To see her in this vulnerable way, I was just rattled, which isn't a easy to do. Not all that long ago it seemed that my Mister + I were in the phase of life where everyone was getting married, then it was baby time...I wondered, have we now entered into this period of our life that involves illness + loss like this?

The party was a wonderful success. I don't know if it was a bit of denial or the powerful sense of hope flooding the restaurant which allowed us to all come together to celebrate, eat + laugh. Maybe a it was a bit of both? I hope you'll excuse me for keeping this post on the short side. I'm not one to try to jump on the bandwagon of grief which rightfully belongs to those who are much closer to her {my StepMIL} than I am. I find myself feeling intensely grateful right now. There are times when one has a young family like we do, that things can be a little tough at times with the demands of a house, finanaces + juggling the needs of small kiddos. However, this situation: being faced with the illness of a loved one who is so young + who has a young daughter {tween as she may be}, certainly has my priorities right where they should be. Even on the worst of days, I am so comforted to know that my littles + Mister{...and I myself} are healthy, safe...and pretty happy too. I am one lucky lady. My prayers and buckets full of hope will be with J. while we wait to see what will be what.

xo.

Coned

I was going through some photos and I came across this fun little something sweet that I made for a playgroup last week. I know I have mentioned my "little ward" {the 11 yr old little neighbor girl of mine who I watch during the week when her mom is working?} Well, last week it was her "Gotcha Day"; she was adopted from Russia and the "Gotcha Day" is the adoptive date which many families will celebrate almost like a birthday. So I decided to try out these cupcakes- in- a- cone. There are lots of different ways to make them, but I just made the cake batter, poured it directly into the upright cones + baked for about 20 min. They turned out to be such a fun playgroup treat because of how self contained they were without all of the messy crumbs typical of regular cupcakes.

This post is kind of bittersweet because last week was my "little ward's" last week of being with us. Her mother had been let go from her job and no longer needed her to be with us. It is a scary economy to be unemployed in, but the mother was quite unhappy where she was, so in a way I am happy {?} for her + hopeful that she finds something better.

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I have to admit though, that there were some times since September when I thought I might have bitten off more than I could chew, having another older {often kind of needy} child in my home every day {in addition to my 3 littles}. However, since her mom worked such long hours in the city, she was with us each morning before school + each afternoon until past dinner; she had become part of the family! In the end, I did feel bad about how everything ended {emotionally...and when it came to finances, as I was paid for my "little ward's" care}. But mostly because the change was so abrupt! Life has carried on in usual whirlwind style for us since Tuesday when this all went down {...although in many ways, life has also been much calmer too!} But every now + then I can't help but think that this all must have been quite hard on this little girl, who went from being a part of a big family with a mom+dad, pseudo siblings...even a dog to, well, not. I know it seems perhaps a bit more dramatic when I say it like that, afterall, this little girl + her mom only live right across the street form us. However it is the drastic + sudden change in routine her routine, that has me hoping that this transition goes smoothly for her.
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Change can throw you off balance a bit, especially when it is sudden...especially for someone like me who is SO routine oriented. But I do believe {and have experienced time and again} that everything happens for a reason {even if we don't realize it right away} AND that when one window closes, there is usually another that opens. And that is most certainly the case now! However that is another post for another time...

xo.

The Crazy 88...+ Pizza

Ok, so the last time I referenced anything fron the Kill Bill movies {ahem. the Crazy 88}...well, to say I caught some flac in my very real life would be a bit of an understatement. But whatev's...I'm taken a risk! I don't know what it was, but there was something about having hit 88 friends on my little blog that just struck me ecstatic!
We were making pizza when I checked my email + found out the exciting news... well...my mister was doing most of the "making"....but I was contributing "moral support". We ADORE this recipe for making dough...and other breads. Above is the non-vegan pizza for the littles...and here is my vegan pizza! This was the perfect celebratory meal + it was ridiculously good...I'm just sayin'.
So I just have to say HUZZAH! For Pizza + for the Crazy 88...many of whom I do not know personally...but still, you mean so much to me! Thanks for making my day!!!!
xo.

Like it says on the card,

Wishing everyone a fun & safe New Years Eve...and a wonderful, healthy & happy 2011

xo.

Christmas

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas + a wonderful New Year!

Taking a bit of a stay-cation with the family...so I'll look foward to catching up in 2011!

xo.

Holiday Shopping

As of this past week, I still had yet to put out any of our outdoor Christmas decorations, I had not put out the Nativity or finished decorating our "live" tree. Appropriately stated in the movie, A Christmas Story, I was starting to feel the Christmas nouse begin to tighten.

However, on sunday, my mum gave me the lovely gift of taking the Monks & Fif to the movies so my mister + I could get some christmas shopping done. {No worries, I don't think the small guy will be telling anyone anything!} Ya'll know by now that I am pretty uber organized...but I kind of have to be to be able to manage all of what I do! And you can only imagine the anxiety I was experiencing, having not bought any gifts!

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Part of the reason I had not bought gifts was that I didn't know exactly what to buy! In the past few years, we had wonderful ideas for gifts...but this year, well not so much. I think the biggest issue with buying had to do with me; that in the past, I LOVED the gifts the littles would receive on Christmas morning, but as they get older, the toys that they want has also changed. I'm acutely aware that my children are getting older this holiday season. So instead of fighting it, we just bought toys; things that they wanted, complete with plastic packaging. While sometimes I would love for them to stay small forever + be content with their beatiful wooden toys + art supplies, I know that this is really not as ideal as it may seem. I don't them to not have the opportunity to play as their freinds in school do, just becasue of my own personal preferences.

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So, I am starting off this week feeling humble, accepting...but also more relaxed. While there are still gifts to be purchased {and money to do so to be shuffled around}, a dent has been made. While I'm sure I will manage to fit in some wood somewhere, what is most important is that I know my littles will have a very Merry Christmas.

xo.

Vegan Christmas Cookie Zine 2010

2010 Vegan Christmas Cookie Zine

Hope you enjoy the recipes & have a great weekend!

xo.

An Italian Wedding

Don't you just love this photograph? It is a picture of our friends, Anthony + Ilaria at their wedding this past October in Ilaria's home town of Naples, Italy. When the invitation arrived, I swear it weighed about 3lbs.! We knew the wedding would be spectacular and while we wanted nothing more than to celebrate with them, jetting off to Italy for the weekend just wasn't in the cards with the kids, work, finances, etcetera.

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But luckily for us, they live in San Fransisco, CA where they have the most incredible restaurant, Una Pizza Napoletana. Anthony's superb culinary offerings used to be available more readily when his restaurant was in NYC, but it was time for a change. I am hoping that one day we'll get out to their new place in SF...and will always secretly be keeping my fingers crossed that one day they will move back east!

Much Love!

xo.

Harry Potter Weekend, Vegan Style

There are just no words to describe just how much I want to dive through my computer and devour this plate of Harry Potter Vegan goodness! I can't take responsibility though! This fantabulous meal is from the very magical Very Vegan Holiday {...at wordpress dot com}

Don't be shy...go, loooook....you know you want it.

Butterbeer
Herbology Salad with Liquid Luck Vinaigrette
Shepherd’s Pie
Sauteed Gillyweed
Golden Galleon Beets
Pumpkin Pasties

This is all most definately on my to make list.

xo.