CM Get Away 2011...+ Our Tattoos From Last Week

This weekend we took off to Cape May, NJ for our annual overnight trip. Well, this year, my Mum took the Monks + Fif down for the overnight while my Mister, baby Liam-b and myself drove down the next morning for the day {work schedules + all}. Oh, we got sandy, saw dolphins swimming, drank road sodas on the beach...the Monks + Fif got stung by jelly fish, shopped {check out my awesome new bag + candle sticks} and we ate more greasy french fries than I'd care to admit. There were about a thousand missed photo opportunities, but truthfully, I was having so much fun, I decided to stay sandy and skip playing photographer for the day. On the drive home, while I admired the new bag my Mum bought for me in downtown CM {our little solo shopping excursions are another CM tradition}, I thought I would post it, along with the photos from the Date Night my Mister took me on last week {a belated anniversary gift}. Yes, while some couples celebrate anniversaries in more, ahem, traditonal ways, we set off to the tattoo shop...and then to my favorite resteraunt in Asbury Park for some spicey Creole food {+ a Cosmo for me!} We only make a tattoo appointment about once a year these days...so I had a laundry list of work for our dear friend Tom. I should have taken these photos right away, as a week later our tattoos are still healing...but here they are all the same. Some fill in work with these diamonds, stars + dots...and I added this new one on the inside of my other arm {the f'ing black cover up arm...so pardon any faded creeping lines, arrrgh.} Yes, after 8 years of marriage, I finally got my Mister's name! {He's had my name on his wrist since we were engaged...}

And then my Mister got this from Bink. Typical guy weirdness...I LOVE IT! So I think that just about catches us up with the more exciting events of late! We are embarking on our first full week with all children at home for summer vacation, my ankles are feeling much better {running injury which has been plauging me of late} and I am chomping at the bit for my new sneakers to come in so I can start pounding out the miles on the treadmill again. With the 4th of July weekend comming up, there are many fireworks to be watched {especially living as close to the beach as we do}...and in other exciting news for this week, alas, there are iphones in our future. I am finally jumping into the 21st century. I have to be the world's most low tech blogger... So on that note, I bid you a happy monday + a week of sunny skies!

xo

Harry Potter Exhibit NYC

We spent Father's Day in NYC attending the Harry Potter Exhibit! Actually, the outing was a gift from my Father {aka, Pappy} to the Fif for her Birthday. I always appreciate these outing/gifts from Pappy because while the event itself is always great, the time spent together with my dad, his wife + my brothers is truly excellent.

{Me + my Dad...} As a pretty {ahem, ridiculous} die hard Harry Potter fan, it seemed almost essential that I go to see the exhibit {which I believe will be in NYC until September, if you're interested in attending}. It was kind of surreal to be able to see all of the actual costumes + movie props that I know only too well from watching the Harry Potter movies again + again. However, being the good Harry Potter addict I am, enough is never enough! In spite of all of what WAS there from the movies, I was bummed to have not seen more on my favorite characters like Narcissa Malfoy {they did have her wand, my fav. wand by far}, Sirius Black + Bellatrix Lestrange {they had their Azkaban costumes, wands + clothes from Order of the Pheonix}...and ofcourse Severus Snape, *le sigh* {we did see his wand, costume + Potions Book from The Half-Blood Prince}. {Ahem, "Fifi-mione" as the Fif likes to be called...}
But really, the exhibit was truly amazing.... Not only were there tons of costumes + props spanning YEARS of filming, there were also entire pieces of sets on display, including one of my favs: Delores Umbridge's PINK office from The Order of the Pheonix. Yet I'd have to say that one of the biggest highlights of the exhibit were all of the creatures on display such as Fawkes the Pheonix, a Centaur, the head of the Hungarian Horntail, Mandrakes that the kiddos could actually pull from their pots and my ALL TIME favorite, Buckbeak the hippogriff {half bird/horse creature}. Spectacular!

While my brother + the little Folk had "fun" eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans {in actual disgusting flavours like earwax, vomit, earthworm, rotten egg, sausage + dirt among more normal jelly bean flavours} and chocolate frogs, I was more than happy to enjoy a nice late lunch before heading home. It was such a great birthday gift for the Fif + a most excellent way to spend Father's Day!Oh, and if you are so inclined {+ are as much a Harry Potter fan as I am}, here is a fun online test to find out which House at Hogwarts you would be sorted into. My Mister is a Hufflepuff...and me...well, I wasn't surprised with which house I was sorted into, but maybe I'll let you guess anyway? Post me your guess + let me know where you were sorted, just for fun!

Hoping your weekend + Father's Day celebrations were just fabulous!

xo.

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!

A Wee Vacation...

I am pleased to say that as of today, I am a free woman! Yes, the spring semester at the college is over. I have submitted all of my grades + I don't have any classes to teach until autumn. Woohoo! I'm usually not a hot weather person, but this year, I am so excited for a summer vacation!I have to admit that I am one of those really fortunate individuals who loves their work; I love the classroom, I love the discipline of psychology + I love that the students are there trying to make their lives better through earning a college degree. And I guess that is why I regularly think about how I can be better at what I do. I want my students to love psychology as much as I do + not be discouraged by the new material or focus solely on how overwhelming the coursework can be. Sometimes having a bit of a les a fair make up policy {for exams + papers }can end up biting me in the a**. {Like when I end up grading a bunch of papers turned in on the last day of class} But even then, I feel like the extra work I put in is worth it if it helps the students stick it out through each semester; perhaps learning something new + enjoying themselves more than they thought? As I reflect on my first year back to work {albeit part time work}, as a mama of 3, I think it went pretty well. Sure it was tough {...more like "slightly inconvenient"} to balance work + home-life from time to time,{ ...epecially since most of the work I had to do needed to be done from home}but on the whole, the year was a success. And becasue I really enjoy what I do so much...and have been royally spoiled while working {having the opportunity to use my brain in another capacity away from little folk}, I know before long I will be wishing it was September. So what is a mama to do with all of this, ahem, free time? Well, you know how I LOVE making lists What do you have on your Summer To Do List?
xo.

Current Events...

When I was growing up, I attended Private/ Catholic schools, where kiddos came to be educated from a variety of different towns relatively close by. My bestest of friends was Ildiko. She and her family lived quite a few towns from me at the time. {I think it is ironic enough to mention that from whereI live today, I pass her childhood home weekly!} Her parents are Hungarian +Romanian...and were first generation here; her mother having escaped communist Budapest in the fase trunk of a car at {I think?} 16 years of age! The home of my BFF was large + spacious. The doors were always open...literally, not even the screens were shut as we little folk were constantly encouraged to get outside. The decor was simple..yet it seemed each decoration was more beautiful than the next; each carrying it's own story. There were always relatives visiting, kids running in the yard + no shortage of young boys named Atilla. It seemed that there was always enough food, wine...and espresso to feed the masses; had the masses decided to show up at their door step. To me, it was just perfect...it was my home away from home. As a girl, I only saw my father, his wife + my 2 younger brothers on some weekends...so essentially, I spent most of my younger years as the "only child" of a single mother. My Mum + I were all but adopted by this loving, fun-loving, unique + most fabulous Euopean family...and I must confess that much of the "open house-everyone welcome" style of family living I live by today comes directly from my years spent with + loving this family. However, this story has a bitter sweet ending...and a strange sort of loose association to the recent events in the news. Right before 6th grade, my BFF's family decided to move back to Hungary. It was heartbreaking. Ildiko and I wrote each other {prior to the days of email!} and when I was 16, I took my first trip to Europe to visit her + her family. For my Mum, the separation was too much to bear. Today, Ildi lives in NYC...and I swear one of the only reasons I keep a Facebook account is to catch up on what is going on in the lives of her + her older sister {also living in the U.S. now}. Sometimes, I wonder what my life might have been like if this second family of mine had not moved away to Europe? In some wonderful kind of way, I think the life my family has created today is not all that different from the one modeled for me by these amazing people when I was small. In a way, they are always with me in that respect...

As it pertains to the events of late, one of my earlier memoreis that will always stand out for me is my Mum + I spending time with our "second family" when the Berlin Wall came down. It seemed as if Hungarian/Romanian family had come from every where + they were all in my 2nd family's house, celebrating, hugging, crying as they watched folks in Germany tear down the infamous Wall on television. This was a defining moment in my childhood...and so I couldn't help but wonder if the recent events in the news today would come to be a defining moment for my littles as well? Sure, there wasn't a massive party + only the Monks would kind of understand the signifigance of what had happened, but still... I wondered all the same, thinking back to my own experience as a young child; watching history in the making... To answer my own thought, at present it seems that the recent events have not had the same impact as when the Berlin Wall came down. Today, we live in a what some would call a "Bedroom Community"; just a hop-skip-and-jump away from NYC with many of our resident commuting to the city to work each day. I wonder if perhaps the events of 9/11 are still just a bit too close to home for us; that the loss is still too heavy to celebrate? I wonder how my kiddos will look back on this time? Will they have discussed it in school? And will the sudden death of a terrible man, after so many years, ever give people the sense of victory that I remember being a part of when the Wall came down? I suppose I will never know for sure. However, I like to believe that things happen for a reason. I like to think that May Day {Just this past Sunday, May 1st} is a time for new beginings...and that after so many years, this closure will provide a true "new begining" for many Americans. That this spring might be the perfect time to fully embrace all things good, beautiful + new. That is my hope + prayer.
xo.

Easter Bread...Vegan-esque Style

Sometime last year, I won my first blog give away: a subscription to Living Crafts Magazine! The magazine features lots of knitting that I can only dream of actually being able to do, but now + then, something jumps out at me...like this recipe for Italian Easter Bread. Or as we used to call it growing up, Dolly Bread.

I thought this would be such a fun Spring something to do with my kiddos, with Easter being just around the corner. I'm calling this a Vegan-esque recipe, because obviously, I am not entirely opposed to using eggs on occassion. However, I did substitute Earth Balance Margarine for the butter...and used Soy Milk instead of cow milk. We halved the dough recipe {since we only had 4 boiled eggs on hand to braid into our bread}, however next time I make the bread, I am going to try using some Egg Replacer in the dough, since this recipe calls for more eggs than I'd like! I also substituted Almond extract instead of using Vanilla for the icing...as long as there aren't any allergy issues, I highly recommend it!I kind of felt like Super Mama; comming home from teaching at the college yesterday afternoon, setting off to bake bread with my little folk. Well, maybe not entirely Super, as I did have my Mum here to help me! We opted to make these individual little bread baskets instead of the longer braided loaves of bread I remember from when I was small. We all had a great time with this baking project and the Monks + the Fif were just smitten with the Turtle we made from the left over dough! Delish! Ahem, really. We ate almost all of what we had made this morning!

Happy Baking!

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.

*************

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.