Cake Pop-A-Polooza

So remember last week when I mentioned making a cake pop wedding cake?

Tomorrow is the big day. So far, no major malfunctions. I have manufactured a tiered cake pop stand as well. If everything goes off without a hitch, I'll post pics on Saturday. If not, I'll probably delete this post! But if you're wondering where I've been the past few days? Well, when you see how many cake pops I made, then you'll understand!

Oh, Philly!

You make us do such patriotic things!

I miss you already.

Home Again, Home Again

This morning I was on the phone with my mother. Before we hung up, she said, "Drive safe on your trip home."

We both gasped. You see, this afternoon we'll all be piling into the car and driving to Philly. It's funny how even after living here for over a year, sometimes we all still think of Philly as our home. This trip should be fun, hot and interesting. We haven't been back since the dreary days of winter, and I was still waaaaaaaay pregnant with Freddie.

Summer there is different, though. It smells funny, but there is something a little magical about the funk. We're going to run through sprinklers, have a BBQ with friends, and eat some oysters. I'm going to try not to cry, but if I do, it'll be so hot I might be able to pass it off as sweat.

Happy Cameraversary

See what I did there? I invented a new word! (Or so I thought. Damn google.)

Five years ago I got my hands on my very first DSLR camera. My Rebel XTi. We had just moved to Atlanta, and in my loneliness I rationalized this expensive thing that we couldn't really afford as a necessity. Something in my life was lacking, and I thought this camera would help fill the void. Little did I know that filling the void with a camera with an interchangeable lens system would lead to more and more voids to fill!

For almost two years I shot in total automatic mode, letting my camera make all the decisions for me. There were plenty of shots that I loved, but for each one I'm sure there were at least ten that I missed. After a while I decided that I needed to learn how to use the damn thing. I bought a new lens and got to work reading my manual.

Once I had dipped my toe into the infinite lake of lenses, there was no going back. I plunged in head first. The 50mm came into my life when I was pregnant with Maggie, and then during Freddie's gestation I got my 7D, which came with an awesome 28-135mm lens. And I just got a lovely 28mm f/1.8 lens that I'm in love with right now.

I'm in the process of setting up my home studio, too. Hopefully by early fall I will become an actual business, with a name and number and website, too!

I've learned so much in five years, and I know that in five years I'll look back and think, 'god, I didn't know anything back then!' I can only hope that future me will be as happy and fulfilled with this hobby-slash-obsession-slash-hopefully-profession as present me is.

I can't think of a better way to end this post than with some photos!

On Cake Pops, My Daughters and My Mother Being On TV

So I know the whole entire internet has already done this, but I made cake pops. They were fun, and everyone loved them, and I am now in charge of creating some sort of wedding cake-pop-ish thing for my brother and his wife. Should be interesting! I'll be sure to take pics, unless it's a disaster, in which case you'll never hear about it again.

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So Lucy came home to her new shared living space with Maggie, and surprisingly she did not blow a gasket. They've shared the room for two nights now, and while there has been some giggling and carousing, they're usually asleep by 9am. Not the best, but totally not the worst. And I've now tempted the fates, so tonight no one will sleep, at all, ever.

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So the reason the cake pops were made in the first place (other than the main reason that cake is good, and pops are good, therefore the union of these two things must be heavenly) was for Freddie's ritualized dip in holy water. AKA his baptism.

So a few years ago when Maggie was dipped, the pastor at my parents' church made the announcement that he had been reassigned at the same mass. And then at Freddie's baptism mass the replacement priest announced that he had also been reassigned, and that the two churches in that town were being merged into one parish. I think if we have another kid baptized (not ever going to happen, BTW, because there will be NO MORE KIDS) then it's likely that the church will be struck immediately by lightening. This is what happens when a couple of crazy atheists decide to bring their kids to church, people.

ANYWAY, after everything was over the news interviewed some people about the merger, and my mother was featured! Watch for her around 1:44!

More Parishes Closing & Merging In Mon Valley « CBS Pittsburgh

If you would like her autograph, I may be able to pull a few strings...

Freddie Fridays

Baby boy! I can't believe this is the same blanket I photographed you on when you weren't even a week old.

I'm predicting that sometime when you're older, and really surly and disgruntled, I'm going to pull this blanket out of a drawer or closet and make you lay/sit on it for a photo shoot. Just because I love you so much.

Sometimes Four Minus Two Equals About Three and Two Fifths

Sam and Lucy are staying at my parents' house this week. Which you'd think would make my life a whole lot easier. Well, guess again. It makes my life a little quieter, but not necessarily easier. Why? For lots of reasons!

Number one, my 5 1/2-year old and nearly 4-year old are pretty damn useful. For example, if the phone rings while I'm nursing or changing a baby, Sam will either bring me the phone or answer it himself. He even knows how to decipher all of the various sounds my cell phone makes. He'll sometimes drop the phone in my lap and tell me, "Hey mom, it's your turn on Words With Friends" or "Dad sent you a text message!" Nice! The only issue with this is, now that he's reading pretty well I'm going to have to start making my text messages more PG. I rarely censor myself in text format.

Secondly, they're great at taking care of trash for me. Diapers, tissues, wrappers of all varieties. Lucy loves a task, and putting things in the garbage is one of her faves. My house is getting a big, um, trashy, without them.

Third, they entertain Maggie far more that I seem to. We've been doing lots of fun things together, but apparently none of them are as fun as the things she does with Brudder and CeeCee. Every single moment I am not 100% engaged with her, she is following me around squawking. Which wouldn't be an issues if I didn't have a Freddie and home to take care of. I haven't been able to put sweet little Fred to sleep in peace since Sunday. And if I have to, you know, cook something? She wants to sit up on the counter and "help" me. And, if I have to be honest, she is not very helpful.

Thank god she's cute!

Fourth, and most importantly, I miss them. Like, want-to-hold-them-in-my-arms-while-kissing-and-smelling- them sooooo bad missing them. Don't tell anyone, though. I have my street mountain cred to maintain.

The Great Room Swap of '11

Yesterday I mentioned about moving Maggie out of the nursery so Freddie could take up residence there. Let me elaborate on that a little bit, because, lo we are involved in some major shit over here.

Now, we are no strangers to re-arranging in this household. We lived in our last for three years, and everybody got switched around at some point, and Sam even got switched twice! All of these babies complicate things, I tell you! We are now in a similar situation here are we were back when Maggs was born. At this house, the big kids each have their own rooms and Maggie was in the nursery. There are only three bedrooms upstairs, so when Freddie came along, we kept him in our room. Until we moved him into our closet. The closet was easily big enough to accommodate him, his pack-n-play and my rocking chair, so it wasn't a big deal for us to keep him in there, and Maggie in the nursery.

But now he's four months old. And my two biggest kids are away at their Nunnie and Pappy's house for the week, and so my mom suggested that this might be a good time to execute the room swap-age. She is one smart cookie, that mother of mine. So on Sunday night, after Sam and Lucy had been deposited at their grandparents, we put Maggie to bed in Lucy's room.

And she flipping loved it.

We didn't hear a peep from her all night, and in the morning when she woke, she just called out for me as she did when she was in her crib. Then she successfully napped in there yesterday, slept in there last night and is currently napping in there again.

So I moved all of the furniture from Sam's room into there. Sam and Lucy had matching stuff from Ikea, so we thought it would be easier to move all of the matching stuff into one room and just buy him a new bed. Then I got some cute new matchy-matchy bedding from Target (some of it even on clearance!) and Viola! The girls' room is (nearly) complete!

(That tube on the bookshelf is a package of wall decorations that I hope to get up today or tomorrow, to tie the whole room together.)

(Also, the Bert and Ernie rug totes does not match, but it was SOB's when he was little, and we've put it in one of the kids' room ever since we had them.)

So far, so good! Sam's room is practicially empty, and Fred is sleeping on ladybug and flower, sheets, but hopefully by the end of the week the bunk beds, crib bedding and mattresses will arrive. Otherwise my five year old will be sleeping on the couch.

Now we'll just have to see how Lucy reacts when she comes home...Stay tuned!

Freddie, Month Four

Dear Freddie,

Dear Freddie's feet, actually.

My sweet little (final) suckling, this monthly milestone has your mama in a tizzy. Why? Because you are now old enough to eat rice cereal. If I were so inclined to give it to you. Which I am most certainly not. I plan to put off nourishing you with non-boob milk for as long as possible, and I plan to nurse you until the day you move out.

Just kidding. Sort of!

This has been the month of the happiest babe ever. You are so, so, SO happy. All of the time. Even when you are tired/hungry/poopy. The sweet disposition seems to know no bounds. I often neglect my household duties just to make you giggle!

You love being naked, and you love being tickled when naked. Your armpit areas, your chin, you cheeks. Just the lightest touch and you laugh and squeal with delight. Honestly, the only thing that seems to upset you is the heat. For example:

You are unimpressed with the out of doors so far. I'm guessing that by next summer that will all change, though!

You can officially roll over from belly to back. You did it the first time during the Grover photo shoot, but you only did it once.

Since then, you flip yourself over every time I put you tummy side down. Which is funny because I recently re-committed myself to more tummy time.

You've also become obsessed with my chin. One of your siblings also loved my chin. I think it was Lulu. When I come in to kiss you, you open your mouth as wide as you can, and if I let you you'll gnaw on my chin for the better part of an hour! If you can't get my chin, you'll still happily chew on your own fingers or tongue, though.

We're in the process of finally moving you into the nursery. I don't think I've mentioned this, but you've been sleeping in our closet since you were born. Don't worry, it's a huge, ventilated walk in closet. Up until we actually began the process of getting Maggie out of the nursery so you could move in, I felt like I was looking forward to the move. Our closet (your bedroom) is continuous with our bathroom, so we haven't been about to use our shower or toilet since you were born. But even though Maggie is pretty well situated in Lucy's room now, I can't bring myself to move you up there. I keep saying tomorrow we'll take the rocking chair up. But then I think, maybe we should wait until your bedding arrives so you don't have to sleep in the ladybug room. At this point, you may very well still be sleeping in our closet until you graduate high school. We'll let you paint it whatever color you want, ok?

Love, Mama

Things I've Learned from Organizing my Pantry

Our house has an amazing pantry. Seriously, it's one of the highlights of the place, and when other people see it they are in awe. It's at least half as big as the kitchen in our old home. When we moved in, however, it became a catch-all for random kitchen (and non-kitchen) items that we didn't quite know where we wanted to put yet. Also, as we unpacked, things that should go into a pantry were placed in there in no particular order.

Soooooooooooo, one year and a few weeks later, I finally got around to cleaning and organizing everything in there. Want to know what I learned? Of course you do!

1. The location of that last damn cadburry creme egg I hid at Easter.

I knew it was in there somewhere! Right with the coffee filters, splenda and an empty flask! Duh!

2. That I should ignore the little voice inside of my head that says, "hey, don't you need more aluminium foil?" every time I hit the bulk-warehouse-type stores.

At least until 2015, when I may possibly run out of heavy duty aluminium foil. Maybe.

3. Ditto for honey.

4. I have more gravy boats than I ever thought possible, including one that is shaped like a turkey!

5. Practically speaking, it makes a lot more sense for things that you use often (peanut butter, jelly, bread, etc.) to be located at eye level and within easy reach. Instead of, you know, that toaster oven you bought at a garage sale, thinking it was way better than the one you already had, only to discover that it wasn't, but you can't bring yourself to give away. Put that shit way up top, where you don't have to see it (and be confronted with your own stupidity) daily.

6. Group items together for ease of locating. Paper towels, tissues, and napkins all together. Pots and pans? Together. Small appliances all up top.

Not pictured: spare toaster oven. I said put that shit up high!

7. The sense of satisfaction you get every time you walk into your newly organized pantry is like crack.

Happy Organizing!

Self Reliance

So our babysitter is on vacation this week. And I've barely had time to brush my teeth, so the whole blogging thing has fallen by the wayside. I'm hoping that next week, when she is back and the two big kids are off at came with Nunnie and Pappy, I'll have a little more time for this here blog. But until then, just remember dear readers

I Didn't Know You Could Eat Muppet!

On America's Birthday, I'm grateful that we can eat whatever "meat" we choose, and so is Freddie!

Eatingmuppets

Alan | Myspace Video

Freddie Friday