1st Day of School....Again

Cousins,Cugini, e Primos

Jessie and Izzy have gotten very close over summer. Izzy has tons of energy which is good for Jessie. They have a "puppy smack down" at least once a week. Poor Jessie just takes it and let's Izzy even chew her ears. When Jessie has finally had enough her only defense is to sit on Izzy to calm her down. But sadly that only lasts a few minutes.

Who Knew We Were A Rafting Family?

We had a blast on our last days of summer. We didn't do much traveling over the summer as you can tell in my blog. We rebuilt our deck and although beautiful, it severely diminshed our vacation fund. Our friends told us about an annual trip they take with their boys in Tahoe City. We even got our niece to come along too. The water was cool and the sun shone on us all day. We were even prepared with our water guns for surprise ambushes. What a great way to end our summer.

Boy Loses First Tooth!

This is both a happy and sad time for me. I'm delighted that his wiggling tooth is no longer tormenting me but then a little moody that this will be my last time to be his first "tooth fairy" experience. It's the last bit of magic in our house.

Joyeux Anniversaire

This was probably my most favorite cake I've ever made. I made fondant for the first time and colored it to match the colors of a dress E picked out for her birthday dress. She insisted on having a French themed party complete with berets, croque monsieur, macarons, and of course, French fries! Never a simple party for that girl. And before anyone freaks out, the cigarettes are candy and they are drinking sparkling cider...ohhh La La!

The Crown Royal Incident

I don't even know if I should be posting this, but I don't want to forget either. Whenever I hear the phrase, "kids say the darndest things!" I cringe, but I don't have any other way to put it. I have to back up a little bit and explain so you can kind of understand how the middle child came to know the beverage known as Crown Royal. -After returning home from a cruise with my friends I brought S home a bottle of Crown Royal instead of some lame t-shirt from Ensenada. He's definately not a big drinker, but I know him to enjoy a CR and coke with friends. Well the pretty bottle comes home in a purple drawstring bag that all the kids noticed and we kept it. That was a month ago!!

Now begins our story. While doing some shopping at Nob Hill, E and I entered the produce section . Then I heard the exclamation that sent me quickly to the 10 items or less line in record time.

"HEY MOM, LOOK! THEY HAVE CROWN ROYAL....YOUR FAVORITE!"

I just about died when I heard that and saw her in the liquor eisle that happens to be adjacent to the bananas.This probably wouldn't be a problem if you live in a big city....but I don't. Half the people in the store either go to school or church with us. I'm probably on some secret list now of who's NOT allowed to drive on field trips. Thanks E.

Let Them Eat Cake!

In honor of Mardi Gras last Tuesday, I decided to try and make a "King's Cake" New Orleans style. It's a typical sweet yeast bread with a praline-like filling and covered in a simple glaze with symbolic colored sprinkles. And secretly tucked away is a little plastic baby Jesus for an unsuspecting guest to find. The story goes that whoever finds the baby in their slice is obligated to make the next King's Cake during Mardi Gras. I celebrated Fat Tuesday with my friend and family while we noshed on this most delicious cake. Slice after slice no one discovered the baby on their plate. I even dropped off a few slices to my parents hoping they'd get the little bundle. Nope, he was waiting for me on the last piece. Guess I'll be making it again next year.