Busy Week

A dish I made: Chicken Stir Fry.
Chicken chunks+Veg+ mix of garlic, soy sauce, ginger, cornstarch, chicken broth.

A dish I want to make: Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese (from Noodles).  Noodles+Burger+Bacon+green onions+tomatoes+Cheese. 

 When you need a moment to make either of the above dishes, take out the box of little plastic creatures and the muffin tins and put them on the floor.  The kiddos LOVE to put the animals in different slots.  I don't know really why this is fun, but they love it.

Thrifting/Charity Shopping

My sister used to call me Bernice...

Bernice was a woman who wandered the streets of my small hometown, looking for soda cans to return (you get 10 cents for each one) and dressed like she was homeless.  I don't think she really was, and as kids, there were lots of rumors and stories about her actually being rich.  In any case, my sister used to call me Bernice because I loved to go to resale/thrift/charity shops and look for cool stuff.  

I love how you can find a one-of-a-kind item.  I love how you are saving that thing from the landfill.  I love someone's old crap.  I really do.  One Saturday, I REALLY needed some time to myself, so I wandered from shop to shop and I found some great things! 

I

I bought this for $10 and use it almost daily!

 

Taking a rest in a cute and comfy rocker.

Not my cup of tea, but really good.

And I have been looking for a scalloped cake plate...

The whole outfit was 4 dollars! Can you believe it?

Underestimating: a Parenting Lesson

My sweet boy isn't what you call an adventure seeker.  He has always played it safe, and even at 6, seems like he has just started to have a little independence with new experiences.  He also had NO interest in the Nickelodeon theme park that is at the nearby Mall of America.  (That might be from the traumatizing ride on the log ride with Daddy in the past....)  I love my gentle boy.

 All that been said, I wasn't sure how the latest trip to go skiing/snowboarding was going to end up.  I was surprised--he LOVED it!  Not only did he love it, but he even bragged a little about how I fell more often than he did.  I am so proud of him.  (I also learned a little lesson of my own :))

While Paul gave Tate his first ski lesson, Soleil sat in her sled, watching all the people.  We took a cocoa break and she played in the lodge. (I did get one run in, and wow....since I haven't snowboarded since Tate was born, I practically rolled down the hill.)

It was a great day!

Need a Moment to Yourself?

I love my kiddos.  But some days, I just need to finish my cup of coffee.  In order to attempt this, I set up a little activity when they wake up from nap or return home from school.  Some days, it is simply setting out clean paper and crayons.

I also pre positioned stickers on the edge of the table for Soleil to stick on the paper.  (They were leftovers from an old CBeebies magazine.)

3 bowls-one filled with rocks, one filled with sticks, one empty.  I got the most return on this one!

This was for Tate.  The colorful little bits are PlayMais, and can be found online in the US and at craft shops Europe.  They are made from corn, so safe, and you put a little water on them from the sponge and they stick together.  You can make all sorts of things with them!  This batch has lasted us years.

Mama Craft and Easy Lunch

I am addicted to Pinterest.  Seriously.  If you don't know what it is, it is another way to waste lots of lots of time, like Facebook.  But, like FB, it is fun.  People post pictures of things that are linked to the original source, so that you can make/find/buy/be inspired by whatever it is.  

I found the tutorial for these fabric baskets, and I had to make 3 of them in a weekend.  

Thanks, Leslie! (I don't know her, but the pin of her baskets led down this road.)  The baskets are now used for Little People, marbles, teeny books, whatever kids want to put in them.  

And if you are really lazy, but are starving, take some premade dough (JUS ROLL in the UK, Cresent dough in the US) , wrap it around cheese, ham, and a little mustard and bake.  Yummy!

 I also just started doing this to make life easier...I put all the dishes on the tray to take to the table, and then use the same method of taking to the sink.  Simple, but it saves time.

Home Decor Help!

My house is not yet a home.  We have been here about 8 months, and I still don't feel settled.  Which of these do you like?  Or not at all?

 Any and all advice more than welcome!  Pinterest is wonderful for inspiring, but it doesn't give me feedback.

And a few photos from our long weekend. Here we are at the end of a longgggg dining out experience, mainly because this cute baby goes to bed at 6:30pm and it was 6:45pm when this photo was taken.  She had gone "loco" at this point.

ON our way for a walk.  I really need to clean the lens on my phone.  

 While Sister Bear slept, Tate created.  It was the easiest activity ever--just put marshmallows and pretzels in separate bowls and them create.

Easy Meals

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta.  I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, one of my favorite sites.  

Chicken+Butter (brown chicken)+Wine (cooked until reduced)+ Salt and Pepper+Ham+Soup+Cheese and put over cooked pasta.  

Pretty good for being so easy.

(not loved by the kiddos, though.  Paul licked the plate.)

My sous chef. 

Breakfast Burritos!  These can be made for the week, wrapped in paper towel, and then shoved in a freezer bag, and enjoyed all week.  I was a doubter, about how good they would taste, but they were actually BETTER heated up than fresh.

Hash Browns cooked, then set aside to drain off excess oil.
Red Pepper+Onion+Ham+Hash Browns+Scrambled Eggs+Tortilla+Cheese.  (Basically, put first 4 ingredients in pan with butter or oil, then add eggs--with or without milk-- and cook until done.  Put in tortillas and top with shredded cheese.

Four Hours of Tent Making

Last year, for Valentine's Day, Paul and I made a basic tent for Tate and had a picnic for dinner underneath, as a little surprise.  So this year, I told Tate that we would build another tent for Daddy before he got home, since Paul was supposed to work until late.

Since I wasn't sure how I was going to construct the tent, being in a new house and all, I started making it during Soleil's naptime.  Since I knew the time between picking Tate up from school and dinner is kind of hellacious on a normal day, I thought I would prepare ahead of time.

I really got into it, and since Baby Soleil took a good nap, I worked on this thing for about the full 2 hours she was asleep.

When Tate got home, I thought he would be thrilled.  NOT SO.  He became entirely irrational complete with snot covered crying, yelling, stomping, etc.  When I got to the bottom of it, and had calmed everyone down, he said "But you said WE would build the tent and it is done already!"    A part of me wanted to laugh, but I was so tired I asked what he thought a good solution was. The only thing that would satisfy him was if we took THE WHOLE THING DOWN.  So I did.  I did give him a long talking to about frustration managament, etc etc but, I mean, it was Valentine's Day, after all.  

The next part of the solution, was to rebuild the tent.  I was exhausted at this point, and we had about an hour before Paul was to return.  We started building, and trying to get it done before he came home.  Paul sent a message, saying that he was bringing dinner home, which was odd considering it was his late night from work.  I told Tate this, and then he asked if we were eating dinner in the tent.  And then he stopped.  And BURST INTO TEARS again.  Oh Lord, help me.  He then said " I didn't realize it was Valentine's Day and I ruined the whole thing and now Daddy will have the food and we won't have the tent ready!"  

Since Paul is a professor, and he had a class that he had starting started teaching at 3:30p, I couldn't even call him to clarify details.  See, the kids eat at about 4:30-5p, and Paul doesn't get home until 6p.  At this point, Soleil started whining for food.  I sent Tate downstairs to get her a piece of bread to eat while we worked.  I had made a small effort to look nice, but now I was covered in sweat and my hair was a mess.  I was pinning sheets, and standing on chairs, and getting more sheets, moving furniture as quickly as I could, with a teary boy and a baby getting bread crumbs all over the floor.  

YAY! HAPPY V DAY TO ME!  

As it always does, it came together in the end.  We got the tent built about 3 minutes after Paul got home with chinese food and we ate while sitting in the tent, and let Tate watch a Valentine's Day show.  I poured the wine within 30 seconds of Paul coming up with the food.  

Since Tate's design has the tent around the couch, around the TV, it is kind of like a little movie theater.  Because of this, it is still up.  I don't think that I will win any home decor awards, but it is cozy in there, I have to admit!

Lesson of this story....Must work on expectations for holidays, both with the boy AND the mama.

Cards, Cupcakes, Cookies

Getting some help with the cards.

 Soleil helping to review the cupcake shop, Sweet Retreat in Edina, MN.   Oreo cupcake...YUM.  This cupcake was really moist and flavorful without being overly sweet.

One of Tate's classmates gave me this temporary tattoo at his school's family day.  Soleil loved it so much she kept pointing to her arm in the same place.  I used some washable markers and drew one on her arm. My mom will die after reading this. (She HATES tattoos.)

Making sugar cookies is better than therapy for me.  These were for one of my best friends, as a surprise.  Tate loved helping to decorate as well:) 

Outdoor Winter Play

The kids are really enjoying the snow.

Ready to go when they come in from the cold.

 Warming up while reading a book and wearing her new hat. (a fabric Ikea box)

 I cannot wait to make these!

 Tate's new favorite accessory...Mr. Potatohead glasses.

Pouches!

Not the most flattering of photos, but here I am, late one night after finishing making a drawstring pouch for Tate and a zipper pouch for Soleil.  The drawstring version ended up being WAY too big, but he loved it anyway.

And now I want to turn every piece of scrap fabric into a zipper pouch.  They are so fun!!  I googled "how to make a zipper pouch" and followed along with the directions.  Good Luck!

A Bit Serious

When I started my blog, it was for fun.  It was also secretly a way of communicating with my then estranged sister.  Long story short, she and I eventually reconnected, with her blog comments being a way of reaching out to me.  And then she died unexpectedly.

If you read the earlier posts, they are funnier, more entertaining, even a bit offensive.  However, since she was my audience (I always thought about her as I posted), I realize that those adjectives describe her!  She had that influence on me and, well, I miss it.

I was recently reading my blog and thought BORING.  I feel as though I was a bit of a sell-out, emulating blogs that I love, but it wasn't really me coming through.

So here you have it, folks, a confession.   Here at CupcakesandCoffee, you will find random blathering.  You will find ideas of things I do with the kids. You will find recipes.  (I love to cook, no wait.  I love to eat is more accurate.) And lastly you will find lots of crafty things, many of which I have found on the internet.  Hopefully after today, you will also find more of my voice, instead of the voice I thought I had to be.

I hope to entertain, in a relaxed manner authentically, and hopefully not offend, to open doors, and have a laugh.

Love from Cat.

What I did today instead of Laundry.

It might be a bit early for Valentines Day decor, but it makes me happy.

Cardstock hearts made with my new Cricut machine+embroidery thread+command strip hooks.  And yes, there are still Christmas lights in the family room.  I plan to move them to the beam with the hearts, so they look like they are fairy lights for Valentines Day:)

 The mantel needs some love, but the felt heart garland is a start.  I just cut the hearts with scraps of felt and sewed right through the center (from top to bottom.)

Our Holiday Continues...

Ok.  I was complaining A LOT about the fact that Tate didn't get out for Holiday Break until the 23rd.  I now am happy about it because he gets this entire week off.  We went to the Minneapolis Children's Museum, which I highly recommend for younger kids.  Perfect Day.

And on to a not so perfect day....Yesterday was the first day we had at home after traveling to Michigan to just relax at home.  Initially, I could feel myself wanting to half a bazillion things with the kiddos. (I forgot how limiting naptime is, now that Sunny Sunshine won't sleep in a stroller.)  So, I thought, let's just do ONE thing today that is planned.  Let's make PLAY DOH!!  (I found this link and was inspired.)

SIDENOTE:  If you are bored with kids at home during a break from school, or really any time, get online.  There are SO many great ideas on mommy blogs, especially, that you will be WAITING to do stuff with you kids. I swear, I am so inspired every time I have a moment to surf the web.

Back to the play doh.  Soooo...the day was not going as I had envisioned it.  I had a ton to do, having returned from a 10 day trip.  The play doh wasn't happening.  Finally after dinner, I ignored the dishes (please don't look in the background of the photo), let the baby stay up a bit past her bedtime, and made some flipping Play doh.   

It took about 10 minutes, was totally fun, and worth it.  Yep--totally worth it.