Wordless Wednesday

Simple Toys and Simple Joys

One of the best things about having a toddler around is the way they find joy in the simple things. Like a metal mixing bowl from the kitchen. Nick managed to use it to play peekaboo, as a drum, as a hat, as a hat for the cat, as a stool, and as a chair. That is what I call creative play.

Oh, and no worries. . .no animals were harmed in the making of the above video. Ticked off, maybe, but not harmed. Notice that after being accosted with the bowl, Molly didn't go far. She just hid under our cocktail table, watching what Nick was doing.

Since Nick broke his arm, I've been trying to keep an eye on him so he doesn't break anything else. You know what I noticed? My son climbs a lot. Nick climbs on his toys, on the furniture, and on me. Upwards of forty times a day, Nick climbs precariously on something. His cast puts him slightly off balance, and he often falls. My task is immense.

Oh, and some good news. Greg and I bought a new living room set. We are thrilled. :) It's being delivered on Friday. I cannot wait. We also bought slipcovers so that the cats don't claw the new couch. (They'd better not!)  We honestly haven't done much redecorating since we moved in, so this will be the first step in redoing our living room. It's amazing how such a simple thing (like getting new furniture) can make us so happy and excited.

Our current couch has cushions that are constantly sliding down. It's very bad on my back. The new one has cushions that won't slide. The last straw was when I found Nick playing with the stuffing he pulled out of one of the arms of our old couch. "That's it!" I told Greg. "We're getting a new couch." And we did. Do you see what I mean? Note the arm of this couch. Hey, anybody interested in an old couch and chair?  (The cat is not included.)  ;)

Madame Linda's Birthday Dinner Party: Part Two

Today I'm going to finish telling about the french-themed birthday dinner we had for my mom few weeks ago. I believe I left off just before dinner. We set the table for six, and our dinner was coq au vin with gruyere potatoes and haricots vert (french green beans).

Nick was very eager to eat. Can you see him reaching for the green beans? Patience is not his strong suit.  He loved the coq au vin, though. Was that his French heritage coming through? Perhaps.

Dinner was divine, and oh so French, even down to the wine selections. Here is what our plates looked like, thanks to Monsieur Greg, the chef. Those are pearl onions and baby bella mushrooms in the coq au vin. (Mmmm.)

After dinner, we had to have dessert. For a birthday dinner, of course there must be a birthday cake. I chose the most complicated, most delicious-looking chocolate cake I could find. My mother had specifically requested chocolate, and that is what she got. Behold the glory of the gateau chocolat, and click on the links if you want the recipes and have seven hours to kill. This was a chocolate mousse layer cake, served with a creme anglaise. Perhaps one day I will do a post on how to make such a complicated dessert. It was an advanced level recipe, but also one of the most delicious things I think I've ever made. Sometimes it's fun to embrace a challenge.  :)

In my family, it is a tradition to always try to get a picture of the birthday girl (or boy) blowing out the candles. Yup. I did get that picture. Nick was trying to help blow out the candles, too.

It was a delicious dinner and a great evening. Most importantly, I think my mom had a great birthday. Perhaps next year we'll do a spanish theme. . .

Madame Linda's Birthday Dinner: Part One

For my mom's birthday in July, Greg and I decided to do something different. We invited my mom and stepdad, along with my sister and grandma (and her puppy) over for a French-themed dinner. My mother is a definite Francophile, and my stepdad has taken her to Paris several times. We wanted to do something special for her, and hopefully that's what we achieved. I took lots of pictures, so I think I'll have to do two posts for this birthday dinner party, one about our preparation and appetizers, and one about the dinner and dessert. My sister did a post with more pictures from this day, if you'd like to see them.

First, I created a menu. . .
(click to enlarge)

It was harder than I'd thought to put a beret on Nick's head, but I managed. By the way, neither Greg nor I are fluent in French, though we both had several years of high school French. I used an online translator.

Greg used his Williams Sonoma French cookbook to plan the main course and side dishes, while I planned the appetizers, baguettes, and dessert. We ended up picking some pretty complicated recipes, but we wanted a challenge. This menu was definitely a challenge, but it was kind of fun for Greg and I to work together to create something special.

The baguettes were easier than anticipated, although they took hours of rising before they were ready. I ended up making four baguettes, and all of them were gone within 24 hours, so I guess that means that they were good. I adore baguettes fresh from the oven, and I was surprised at how much mine tasted like the ones I had in Paris. I will be making them again, often.

Here is the appetizer course, which was: 1.) shrimp and tomatoes (from my garden!) sauteed in garlic butter, and 2.) slices of homemade toasted French baguette, with a layer of melted goat cheese, rosemary, and thyme (spices fresh from my garden). This was all that was left by the time I thought to take a picture of the appetizers. Nick devoured everything, and was even licking goat cheese from the bread, saying, "Mmm!" Can you see him sneaking more bread in the picture above? By the way, the birthday madame is seated in the center part of the couch, in the pink. My stepfather is sitting on her left, and my grandmother on her right. My sister is the one with the camera, laughing at Nick's antics.

















Greg planned the main course, which was Coq au Vin with french green beans and a potato casserole baked with Gruyere cheese. Our whole kitchen smelled divine while the chicken was cooking, and Greg worked very hard. We had all of the burners going, plus the oven, for much of the afternoon.

I thought the potatoes were cooked perfectly, and the Gruyere cheese added something unique to the dish. I told Greg we should double the amount of cheese next time--it was that good.

Just looking at this picture of the Coq au Vin cooking makes my mouth water. I want to try more wine sauces, now that we've tasted this one.

I told Greg that he can make this recipe for me, anytime. The sauce was so good that we defrosted some chicken breasts the next day and used the sauce on them. The chicken was tender and moist, probably because of the sauce.

Greg has been watching a ton of Food Network lately, and I think he's getting a lot of ideas. Hey, as hobbies go, my husband's isn't too shabby.  ;)

Tomorrow I'll talk about the actual dinner and, of course, the dessert.

His First Carousel Ride

This week Nick got to go on the carousel for the first time. None of the pictures turned out very well, I figured I'd show them anyway, simply because of his facial expressions. You can see the joy on his face as he was riding that horsie. Afterwards, he kept pointing to the carousel and saying, "Horsie again!" Something tells me we're not going to be able to go to the mall without letting him have a ride on the "horsie." He was so excited.

Childproofing and Mexican Food

Man, kids are expensive. Nick and I had to make a trip to Babies R Us on Thursday. You see, Nick is a very active little boy, and he has managed to ruin and/or destroy some of his stuff. He ripped the pad on his changing table, so that all of the stuffing was coming out and the plastic was gone. That's $30 right there for a new one. I guess the diaper pail refills aren't Nick's fault, but I had to buy two packages at $16 each. Definitely necessary. But I suppose the cost is offset by his cute little shoes, which I got on ebay for $1.50.

Then there were the stove protectors. Nick has ripped off one of the plastic thingies that cover the knobs on our stove, actually cracking the plastic. Unfortunately, you can't buy just one or two, so I had to get an entire package of new ones. That's another $9.

Nick also keeps breaking his sippy cups. He throws them on the floor when he's mad, cracking the plastic, and then they leak. So I had to buy him some new ones. I got nice insulated sippy cups, with animals on them. They also have nice straws and they're thin enough for Nick to hold with one hand. He's had a hard time this week holding his drinks because of his cast. When he saw the orange cup above, he announced, "Moo!  Ball!" Yup, there are cows playing soccer printed on his sippy cups. Those were $10 for three cups. See his t-shirt? Got that at a garage sale for $0.50. It says, "I tried to be good, but I got bored."

After all that shopping, Nick and I were hungry, so we decided to try a new Mexican place in Plainfield, called La Adelita. Their chips were yummy, but the salsa and the food overall was a little spicy for me. Still good, though. We had quesadillas. Nick loved the food, even the spicy stuff. He was shoving the lettuce garnish in his mouth in handfuls, and he kept begging for more salsa. Before I had Nick, I felt just a little uncomfortable eating out by myself. Now I have a regular dining partner. He's pretty good company, if a little messy. We actually have little conversations nowadays. His side sounds something like this: "More chips!" "Moo ball." "Mmm chicken." "Birdie!" (pointing to a bird on the mural) "Hello!" (to everyone who walks by the table) "Tea!" "All done."

He might be expensive, but Nick is worth every penny.  I've really enjoyed spending so much time hanging out with him this this summer. Only about two weeks left, though. . .

A Little Slice of Nick

Today was my last day of summer school, and I'm pretty tired. So here's just a little slice of Nick to make you smile. He sure made me smile.  :)

This video is of Nick, pre-cast, from last week. Grandma Toni was visiting us and Nick kept climbing in the laundry basket, doing his happy dance. I thought it was pretty cute, and I wanted to share. A laundry basket is, for him, the best toy on earth.