The Vanilla Moon Project

/

Jamie and I are proud to introduce a special joint blogging project about Vanilla Moon, a new cupcakery in our town. It opened last week and sold out of cupcakes almost entirely by the time we arrived. Today there were plenty and we arrived prepared with cameras, notebooks and little boys. We were ready to Cupcake.

The adorable business card.


Today's menu.



Jaden and I shared the Red Velvet.


Yeah Mr. Milk -- we got you.


All gone already?



The Review:

This was my first red velvet experience of any kind. Honestly I've been a bit fearful of the red, not so much the velvet. I am happy to report that the Red No. 40 has not killed me yet. ;) In fact, it was flavorless.

This cupcake was very moist. Did I think the dye would suck the juice right out or something? Hmm. Jaden has never eaten red food like this either. It didn't slow down the inhalation factor one iota.

The frosting was very, very light. Fluffy like a cloud. Not too sweet, which I really appreciated. Overall this was a very delicious cupcake! I was surprised how light and delicate it turned out to be. I guess I expected it to be dense, rich and too sweet.

Next week, I believe I will enforce my maternal powers and get the coconut. Sadly Jaden has taken after his father and informed me that he is "not too fond of coconut Mama."

Now I wonder what did Jamie try?


What did she see with her camera?

The Flickr Game

/

Daydream Lily played, then Ana played and now I want to play too.

The Flickr Game

A. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
B. Using only the first page, pick an image.
C. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into a mosaic maker.

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your Flickr name.




The link names above reflect my answer to each question. You will really miss out on some of the Interestingness if you don't click through the 12 photos to see how the photographer titled their photos; for example and especially, this one and that one.

And that's just one!

Father's Day Frittata

/
I made my very first frittata on Sunday.


They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, right?

Actually I had a little sous chef who cracked six eggs for me, whipped them into shape and did a scissor chiffonade on my prosciutto too.

Before all the sous-chefery, we had to buy the eggs because we're spontaneous like that and passed the Belmont Farmers' Market on our way home where we bought farm fresh OJ.

It was all yum.

Even though I don't normally eat breakfast.

Three Things

/

This week has been full of deep conversations with Jaden, perhaps brought on by his big graduation into the real world. ;)

Who knows, it's pure Jaden though.
Here are three snippets to share.


One

Mama, what kind of person do you want to be?

What do you mean exactly?

I mean, what do you want to be in the world? As a worker?

Oh. I want to be doing creative things. I want to work in a big room with hardwood floors and a beautiful color on the walls and white shelves that hold pretty things and I want to create.

Oh! You want to be an artist like Jamie!

Yes!

Well maybe she'll invite you to her studio sometimes and teach you how to do it.


Two

Mama, I love you very, very much.

I love you very much too!

-- there is a long pause, and then a quiet voice --

I can't even explain in words how much I love you.

{my heart melts into a puddle that would consume an island}


Three

Mama, there are three things I am good at.

I am good at snuggling.
I am a good artist.
And I am sweet.

These are the three things I am most proud of myself about.

{This conversation was just purely random over lunch this week. No lead-in whatsoever. In fact, we were quietly munching our carrots or apples or something like good little rabbits.}

PJCC Pool Party, 6.11.08


Jaden, thank you for sharing your beautiful soul with me every single day. You give me so much to think about, sometimes your questions are relentless but they are good questions! You give me the space to dream and challenge myself in my thinking through your conversations.

Like this week, thanks to you, I had the chance to verbalize a dream for myself with what kind of worker I want to be and to think about what three things am I most proud of myself about. Maybe I'll make my own list soon.

I love you cutie.

Breathing Again

/

Life is calming down. I feel it. Until next week, when it's PET scan time. But that is then, and this is now. Now, there is less than a month to go until the chaos of preschool ends. Now, I managed to give Jaden a great birthday (with a lotta help). Now, it is sunny, I am warm and happy and my MIL has pretty things around for me to photograph.


Happy Wednesday everybody.

Now it's time for dinner.
Hmm.

27 Inches

/

There has been a bit of a duvet crisis here at the Nichols. (Why is all boys bedding navy and hunter green featuring trains, cars or major league sports?)

Therefore, there will be some sewing going on, more like some beginning quilting going on. More like I've decided to sew some big old squares together in order to minimize the amount of quilting and sewing.



As in TWENTY-SEVEN INCH squares.




Just so happens some cute, twinkly goodness was found to match.

Stay tuned.

TiVo?

/

Hello world, I am back after 11 days in "acute viral illness" land.
I am here to share the following delightful little story from this precious time in my life.

One day Sickie hobbles out to the couch for a bit and tries to watch tv.
She looks down at the remote and presses the "TiVo" button.

Nothing happens.

TiVo?

No response.

TiVo?

No response.

TiVo? (She presses harder this time.)

No response.

She stares at the remote.
She uses all her strength to punch the button.
She raises her voice.

TIVO?!!!!

NO RESPONSE.

She finally looks up:



Oh.
Duh.

Spring Fever

/

Sadly I'm talking about the kind that involves thermometers, body aches, general malaise, husbands working from home, epsom salts in my near future and the disbelief that these germs made a touchdown in my body JUST as the temps are starting to climb to a decent level outside!

pre-Tylenol


post-Tylenol


Hopefully my birthday gift to Jeff will be a healthy me. I have three days to accomplish this goal. We are supposed to have a nice dinner at Town Saturday night and I want to enjoy it.

58.5 Months

/


Jaden,

I remember counting your age by the month as if it was, well, yesterday (like when I took this picture of you). I am in shock that it's time to plan your fifth birthday party. It certainly is a rollercoaster ride, being your mom. Who needs Disneyland?! It's true what they say about being a mom though, my heart is not in my body but out there walking, nay galloping, around the house, park and neighborhood. Not to mention bouncing off the inflatable walls at the now-weekly Pump It Up parties, which I do apologize for finding them so cliche. I am a challenge myself, I know that sweet boy. I am not a lot of things (easy-going, loosey-goosey, tooty-fruity, silly-nilly, CatWoman) but there are a lot of things I am (in love with you).

Love,
Your Sicilian Mama Mia

Spongee Jumping

/



Never thought I'd do any kind of Spongee Jumping (as Jaden so adorably called it) -- but lately I am increasingly aware of the ticking time bomb in my body so figured, why the hell not?

The sad thing is that, upon review of the video, I was not nearly as high in the air as I felt. Yet I was totally terrified and so I think I'm rather pathetic. Still I tried it, and was proud of myself at the time, so I guess that counts for something.

To be a kid, eh? Look at Jaden's face in that close up picture! Pure glee...