Currently… Thinking about Independence

There are probably more patterns in our lives than we realize, than we pay attention to.  In a moment of quiet, I thought that lately my life might be centered around being dependent on others. Or not.

The realization smacked me in the head - like a V8 commercial – for not realizing, or accepting, sooner  that I am officially a member of the sandwich generation.  I’m at that age in between caring for an older generation while raising a younger one.  This weekend, I was recovering from my daughter’s Sweet 16 and having a conversation with my mother about finding a new home in a senior community.  Both ends of my family were moving around me and I was trying not to get dizzy.

While all this is going on, I’m slowly starting to accept my aging self, as manifested by my eyes.  I’ve worn glasses since I was a child and I’d much rather wear glasses than contacts (I can’t imagine sticking anything in my eye every day.)  But it’s something about needing reading glasses, for more and more reading, that’s a little unsettling.  For driving and seeing the preacher way up at the front of the church, that’s one thing. But to pick up a book and be able to read the words, that feels old.  Even my computer knows, as ads for reading glasses pop up on my Facebook page and Twitter ad (do they track how many times you hit “zoom” – how does it know?) It could be this bit of denial that’s kept me from getting new glasses, with the excuse that I can’t find anything I like.

Meanwhile, my still-have-things-to-do-self is busy trying to decorate my office. I feel like I’m always saying that.  My office used to be the kids’ playroom, so it’s bright yellow with IKEA bookcases and a chalkboard wall.   When it was obvious that they were no longer using it to play Barbie’s and LEGOS, I moved in. Since then, it’s been functional, but not really cute.  I’ve got a million “pins” of ideas on my “Room of my Own” Pinterest board, but nothing’s happened yet. Then it hit me tonight, as I was pinning a beautiful pink desk – this decorating my own space thing is taking so long because I’ve never really had my own space and funds to do something special.  Milk crates in a college dorm doesn’t count. In grad school, I lived alone, but who has decorating money for a rented apartment when you’re still going to school?  Soon after, I moved in with my new husband and, well, he’s not so fond of big, bright pink pieces of furniture.  It’s a new little bit of independence and I’m stalling.

Maybe I can get a deal on a pink desk and matching glasses. Near a senior community.

Join the conversation on Facebook & Twitter

Currently...Springing Forward to Birthdays, My Own Space & Spring Break

Spring forward or fall back - it doesn't matter - I'm thrown off for days trying to figure out what time it is, remembering whether I adjusted this clock or not, and whether I should have another cup of coffee or a glass of wine (such decisions!)

Add that to a whirlwind of weekend activities, running back-to-back and on top of each other, after two no-school snow days and I'm totally out of whack today.  Oh - and I picked up sugar-free coffee creamer.

But the weather seems nice out and I'm in a kinda good mood.  I've got a few projects going on, all of which I need to wrap up in the next two weeks (thus, more coffee, less wine, even less mojitos.)    Other than those, there's a few another things I'm currently working on.

Baby blankets and baby hats.  Still have baby blankets to finish and/or deliver for my pregnant friends.  With this cold snap, I've also added hats to the list because I hate to see a baby outside without a hat.  I've also considered making preemie hats because I have so many little bits of yarn.  That's on my to-do list, but if you know of an organization that needs preemie hats, let me know. That'll get me stitching.

Organizing and decorating my space. A year or so ago, I took over the kids' playroom as my work space.  It still doesn't feel cozy to me, yet. Right now it's functional (sometimes, when it's not a mess), but not "me."  Which I'm not really sure yet what that is since I've not lived alone and had my "own" space since I was in grad school, when it was just me and my dog (not my current dog, another black Cocker Spaniel).  I'm collecting ideas - where else? On Pinterest in "a room of my own."

Planning a Sweet 16. I'm kinda nervous about this. Okay, maybe more about my first child turning 16! than the actual party, although thinking about 50 teens in my house is making me a bit anxious, too.  I'm overwhelmed by all the stuff I still need to teach her (she still doesn't even sort her laundry properly or know how to put on eyeliner) and the limited amount of time before she heads off into the big blue world (of which I'm reminded by the mountain of college info that is stuffed in the mailbox).   And if she turns 16, that means, Lord willing, the next one will too and then the next and then the next. And where will that leave me?  Oh, yeah - on a beach in the Caribbean with an umbrella drink.  (Think positive!)

Thinking about spring break.  It'll be here before we know it and I really really don't want to be near my house when it comes. How far can I drive in a week or maybe we can get on a plane.  What great spring break plans are out there?

Trying to figure out what home project my husband has going on in the basement. You know when your spouse makes multiple trips to Home Depot and you hear sawing and drilling and smell sawdust?  I just stay out of the way.  We could have a built-in pool or a basketball court by the time he's done. Who knows.

Now, let me get back to trying to fix up this coffee. I've got stuff to do.

Join the conversation on Facebook: Just Piddlin' with Frances

Currently... Happy about December

December - it's my favorite month of the year (though summer is my favorite season.)  It's the annual deadline for all projects.  Time to start thinking of new goals.  Time to take an honest look at yourself.  Time for reflection of who you are and who you want to be as you improve.  And it's time for cookies and hot chocolate and celebration and festivities.  And it's Christmas! What else can you want in a month?

So I'm currently...

Setting up my new calendar date book.  It's my annual search, but I think I'm going with the same that I had last year, a customizable, add your own cover and pages option, M by Staples.  It worked for me. There was enough space in each date box for my variable schedule (I don't like the ones with the time printed already) and to scribble notes. There are blank pages (removable) for notes and lists.  I think I'm going to stick a clear pocket (from my scrapbook supply stash) on the inside cover for the cards, stamps, and receipts I collect between the pages.  This may be a record for having a datebook before Dec. 31.

Thinking about Christmas cards. Not that I've bought any, made any, or selected the requisite family photo.  Just thinking it would've been nice to have put them in the mail today.

Flipping through cookie cookbooks.  We have an annual cookie exchange and, although we host, I still get anxious about what we're going to share as our contribution.  Chocolate chip is off limits because another family always brings those (yummy!)  And we have to make enough for everyone to take some home so they can't be too complicated.  It's a lot of thought, so I need to start thinking, baking, and having the family vote on our favorite.

Thinking about decorations. I love Christmas decorations. The lights, the sparkles, the rich reds and earthy greens and royal purples, shimmery silver and gold.  Fluttery angels, shiny gift wrap. Snow covered everything.  The tall, pine-y smelling, decorated trees.  And if I had the budget, I would hire someone to come and beautifully decorate my house for the holidays, or at least, come and take it all down (I am the slackermomof4, after all.)  I will get my decorations up (hint: cookie exchange party is always a good motivator), but it may be Valentine's Day by the time they're all packed away.

Shopping for new poinsettias. I have a friend who has kept poinsettias year round. Inspired, I intended to do the same (despite my notorious black thumb.) I researched poinsettia care, moved them to a more temperate part of my house, rotated them through the house depending on the sunlight, watered them, pruned falling leaves.  And though a bit scraggly, my poinsettia lasted until... October. Then it died! What? What plant lasts 10 months and then just dries up and dies two months before it's grand showing? Ugh.  So, now, I need a new poinsettia. And might as well get a new Christmas cactus while I'm at it.


What are your December preparations?

Join the conversation on Facebook: Just Piddlin' with Frances

O Christmas Tree! How to Decorate & Make it Beautiful

We've been snowed in for the past two days.  Okay, "snowed in" isn't a true description because we actually left the house both days. But school has been cancelled for the past two days.  It's enough to drive one just a wee bit house crazy.

The kids and I baked - and ate - cookies: sugar and oatmeal chocolate chip pecan cranberry.  When I make oatmeal cookies, I have the tendency to kinda throw all kinds of ingredients in them, except raisins because I really don't like raisins in my desserts.  Today, we had fudge brownies.  Our outing was to the gym because, really, sitting in the house eating sweets for two days really is not a good plan. Luckily, it looks like there will be school tomorrow.

Some of the time has been productive - we put up our Christmas tree and most (maybe, all?) of our Christmas decorations.  I used a few tips from decorator, Wanda Alexander, of Panache Interiors.

• Put the lights on in sections - think of filling in one side, or one square area, of the tree, rather than wrapping the lights around it, like I usually do.  This will make taking them off easier come January when the branches have dried and the lights are tangled in there.
• Use lots and lots of ornaments - as many as you've got - to fill in the tree
• With kids and pets in the house, use the long ornament hooks and wrap it around the tree branch, rather than just hang it on, to secure it. You know, just in case a candy-cane happy kid happens to bump into the tree.
• When taking down the tree, carefully and neatly put everything away to make it easier for next year.

Take a look at her tree.

Note the ladder and many many boxes of ornaments.
This is serious work, here.

  

It's packed with ornaments with a pretty angel on top.

Ta da!

We have glass ornaments, even a couple crystal ones, but with a house full of kids, most of our ornaments are kid focused.  There's the ornaments from their first Christmases and little felt ones they made in school.  Barbie graces our tree, as well as Charlie Brown.  We have angels and ornaments from various vacations.  Our angel is from a long ago trip to Martha's Vineyard, our last summer before we had a kid.  I don't know why they were selling Christmas ornaments in MV in July, but anyway, that's where she came from and is one of my favorite ornaments.  Each year, the kids have a good time, pulling out their favorites, looking for their own personal ornaments, excited to put up their special ones on the tree.  It's one of those great occasions of the season, reliving the memories of where the ornaments came from or the class in which they were made.

What are the favorite ornaments on your tree?

Join the conversation - "like" us on Facebook:  Just Piddlin' with Frances

Cake Decorating 101: How to Make a Beautiful Cake at Home

Let’s blame it on those Food Network cake shows that we feel like every cake has to look ready for competition.  Nothing short of fondant, flowers, birds, fountains, and 6 layers is going to do.  Some frosting slapped on a lopsided cake just doesn’t cut it.

Yes - that is a cake!

But, do we really need all that? Can’t we make a presentable cake for our kid’s birthday or the PTA bake sale without calling in the professionals?  Yes, we can, says the namesake of Fancy Cakes by Leslie.

Leslie Poyourow started decorating cakes after basic lessons, not from a culinary school, but from her local craft store.  Since then, she’s continued to experiment and learn her craft.  Over eighteen years of professionally decorating cakes, she’s been featured on the Today Show and won numerous best cake awards, including The Knot’s 2013 Pick for best wedding cakes.  On the day I stopped by her bakery, she and her team of about 8 bakers, frosters, and decorators, were busy in various stages of preparing cakes for weddings, birthdays, and other happy occasions.

I’m going to share her tips for making a pretty cake at home, but here’s what I learned to be one of the most important ingredients: time.  You can have butter imported from France and sugar straight from Brazil, but if you just throw it all together, you’re still going to end up with that crooked cake that looks like a Kindergarten class frosted it.  Allow yourself time and it will be beautiful.

Start with a good recipe that will give you a firm cake and use the proper pans.  Fill your cake pans to about 50%.

After baking and removing it from the pan, wrap the cake in plastic wrap (not the cheap plastic wrap, use the good stuff) and let it cool completely.  This step will help keep the cake moist while it cools.

Cut off the rounded top for a flat, level cake.

Make the cake level.  I’ve heard this tip before, but I always think I can skip it and my cake will still look straight.  Nope, rarely ever does that work.  Use a sharp, serrated edge knife (the “bread” knife in your set) and carefully cut the top of the cake off, the part that’s mounded.  Now – what do you do with this leftover cake piece because no-one wants to throw away good food?  Two options: (1) give it to your kids to eat or (2) make cake pops and then give it to the kids to eat or make them part of your party celebration.

Use a good icing.

Use an icing recipe that does not include liquid.  A good icing will include the basics – sugar, butter, flavor – but no liquid like water or milk.  We’re talking about the regular fluffy, creamy icing, no fondant, no rolling pin.

Frost your cake with a cake spatula, not a butter knife or spoon or whatever else you have in your kitchen.  It has a nice long handle and your fingers won’t get in the way.  There’s a long edge and you can cover the entire cake in one swoop.

Make gum paste or buy it already made from a cake supply store

Want to be fancy and add special decorations?  Use gum paste, a sugary mixture like fondant, but firmer, that you can buy from cake supply stores or make at home.  It looks like play dough, but it is edible.  When I was there, the decorators were making stars and an Eiffel Tower.  Roll it out, cut out your shape, decorate with piped icing if you wish, stick it on your cake. And how do you get an Eiffel Tower?  Print a picture at the size that you want it, cut it out, and trace it with a knife on your gum paste.  This is something I am really wanting to try.

A little something extra - add fresh fruit (here, raspberries) in between your layers

What if you don’t even own measuring spoons and Betty Crocker is your best friend?  Leslie’s got a few tips for you, too.

• Splurge and buy two boxes of mix.  One is never enough for a decent looking 2-layer cake.  There will probably be left over batter – make cupcakes!
• Store-bought frostings are not made to look fancy in the end, so don’t fight it.  Don’t try anything too decorative, but neatly put your frosting on and enjoy the nice “homemade” look.

Still feeling that pressure to buy the beautiful cake in the bakery window for your kid’s birthday party?  This, I thought, was a gem of advice for us stressed-out, gotta make it all perfect moms.  Leslie said that even if you don’t think you’re a great baker or artist, try it anyway for your kid.  She mentioned, repeatedly, that kids love the idea that mom made their cake and will think it tastes good just because you made this special effort for them.

Red velvet, S'mores, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Nutella, Vanilla, and Cookies & Cream

And how do her cakes taste? You know I didn't get out of there without a chocolate cupcake. And it was delicious! The cupcakes were moist and the frosting was light and not-too-sweet.

Enjoy your baking!

Thanks to Leslie and her staff for letting me wander around her sugar-scented haven.  If you live near the Bethesda, Maryland area and want more hands-on tips, check Fancy Cakes by Leslie’s class schedule.

Join the conversation on Facebook: Just Piddlin' with Frances

Good-bye to the Teddy Bears

When we first moved into our house, one of our first tasks was painting, wallpapering, and furnishing the little bedroom that would become our baby nursery room.

The bear read our babies bed-time stories for 14 years.

We bedded and raised four kids with the baby teddy bear reading books to his stuffed animal friends circling the room.  We passed on the crib and teeny-drawered dresser to friends. We moved in twin beds and bookcases. But the wallpaper trim remained. And then my 10-year old boy told me it was time for it to go.

Okay, maybe I agreed a little bit. Can't really be a self-respecting 10-year old boy with teddy bear wallpaper. Can you? Okay, okay, you can't.

Off to the hardware store to pick out paint. And let me say - is there any household project that does not require at least 3-4 trips to the hardware store? We went to pick out paint, we went back to buy the paint. And then after further discussion of the plan for the room, we went back to buy more paint. We went back for some other random reason I can't even remember right now. There should be someone at the door who says, "did you remember to get paint brushes, weed killer, and nails?" or whatever, based on whatever else you've got in your basket.

It was a two day project. We had to tape off the ceilings and pull his furniture into the hallway.  And sand down where his sister had stuck a green foam Girl Scout project on the wall. And fill in the hole where the door knob made a dent in the wall when someone went for a slam dunk in the basket hanging on the door.  And then we painted over the little teddy bears.

The new blue wall. No more teddy bears.

Click here to keep Piddlin' with me on Facebook.