Merry & Mod at home

high five

My sweet boy has reached a milestone.  Now when asked his age, he lifts one hand victoriously high above his head - all five fingers spread wide.  This seems to me a magic age:  he does so much for himself and is so sweet and pleasant to spend time with.  The art projects, the imagination, the dreams; I see a red carpet winding through his future, lush with possibility and laughter.  

We celebrated accordingly.  With five friends - plus a neighbor for good measure - each making personal pizzas, followed by my go-to layer cake.  (The boys helped me make the birthday garland - each perched on either side of the sewing machine.  We love it's simple festiveness and how it can be used over and over.  The pattern is from The Creative Family.)  

Yesterday I took my big kid on a special date.  The first stop, a shopping spree at the bead store (which was mercifully having a blow-out sale!) to create his personal stash.  Then, the obligatory trip out for ice cream.  He told me later it was the best date ever.    

Hopefully my husband isn't too offended when I say me too.  

ten years and one day

 

It's been ten years, and I feel as though we're just getting started.  Except now the two kids aren't the young people in the long white gown and the sleek black tux.  Nope, they're the blond goofballs wearing the Medieval Times crowns.  We've had a whole lot of good times.  There's more love, happiness, and success yet to come.

Favorite thing: Jason Mraz on Sesame Street

I know it's silly.  What does this clip have to do with anything about jewelry or style?  Who wants to watch Elmo in their off time?  Well, apparently I do.  I saw this clip on Sesame Street a few weeks ago and was just smitten - I love the original song, of course, but these new lyrics and Jason Mraz's infectious good cheer stuck with me. 

Thanksgiving gratitude

 

My favorite holiday - feasting and giving thanks with those I love.  There is always a reason to be grateful and here are just a few:  happy, healthy children, loving parents, a devoted and supportive husband, homemade marshmallows, gravy.
 

Julia Child picnic

June 18 was the anniversary of Julia Child's birthday.  A dear friend was also visiting from California.  This happy coincidence was the perfect excuse for a picnic, so we ventured up the Cascade Lakes Highway to Todd Lake to visit the polliwogs.  The setting was certainly picturesque.  Nestled at the base of Broken Top, this clear blue alpine lake is surrounded by green trees and wet meadows.  Once you add several thousand tadpoles and tiny frogs, you find your small family in little boy heaven.

 

As for our picnic, well, it bordered more on the decadent than the simple.  Our friend Jimmy certainly approved and I know Julia would have, too. 

I made a roasted vegetable torte from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, with layers of eggplant, red pepper, zucchini and basil, and Molly Wizenberg's pâté de campagne.  Both recipes actually improve with time, which gave me the freedom of baking muffins the morning of our picnic instead of scrambling about the kitchen.  Olives, cornichons, dijon mustard, a baguette, a careful selection of cheeses and a sparkling rose completed the meal. 

  

We walked around the lake before returning to the picnic site for cake.  I chose another Molly Wizenberg recipe that continued our French theme: gateau au citron.  It was described as the best cake ever by Jimmy and that man knows his sweets.  Next time, I won't bother adding any fruit (I just can't help myself with the peaches!).  The moist yogurt and sticky glaze are sufficient to elevate this rustic cake to special occasion levels. 

  

Jimmy took all the pictures featured in this post, and I love them all.  But my favorite moment in the day wasn't captured on film.  We were by the lake enjoying the warm sunshine and finishing the last our wine when I noticed the baby had wandered back up to the picnic area, on a little adventure so to speak.  He was observing a pair of grey jays feasting on the crumbs of our meal.  They would swoop down from branches above and peck the picnic table, resting just long enough for him to take a few tottering steps before they would fly away again.  With eyes wide and his mouth slightly open, the expression of wonder on his face was unmistakable.  The thrill when two birds landed so closely to him was expressed with an enthusiastic ooohhh! 

I was so thankful to witness his quiet moment of discovery.  That's the beauty of parenthood: you watch the world open up like a present before your children and suddenly... there's magic. 

 

uno

 

And so passes the fastest year of my life.  We celebrated accordingly.  My original plan was for a few family members to gather for champagne and cake.  He's only one after all.  That idea grew until I had over ten guests for dinner, drinks, and the obligatory cake.  Without my mom helping, I'm sure it would not have come together quite so well. 

The menu:

Paloma Coolers and various home brews

Pan-Fried Olives and Chiles Stuffed with Goat Cheese

three dozen tamales from our neighborhood tamale lady

buttered corn on the cob with chile and lime

fresh tomatillo salsa

O-hana Salsa (made locally)

Brazilian baked black beans

Magnolia Bakery's Vanilla Birthday Cake and Buttercream Frosting

This was my first layer cake and I was thrilled with the result.  The cake was moist and flavorful, the frosting was rich and not cloyingly sweet.  Much time was spent researching recipes and techniques online in advance of the making and the baking.  I froze the layers, which made assembling the cake easier and saved me some crucial time the day of the party.  My mom brought her covered cake plate, and I tucked strips of parchment paper underneath while frosting to keep it clean.  A thin layer of frosting - the crumb layer - was spread on first, then placed in the fridge for about fifteen minutes, then the final layer of sweetness kept the whole thing pretty.  All of this information was gathered at Smitten Kitchen; read this carefully if you're planning on making the layer cake your birthday party staple.  (I told my husband, very authoritatively, that a layer cake is the most festive cake.  Simply put, I must incorporate this into my repertoire: there is a world of bounce houses, water balloon fights, and sugar highs to embrace for the next ten years or so.)

  

tea parties

  My girlfriends and I love the dignified indulgence of a tea party. 

 

(This is my grandma Mary's tea service, and her lilac dessert plates and coffee cups.) 

(The napkins belonged to my grandma Maude, and the blue cream and sugar, barely visible in the upper right, belonged to Mary.)

But, as is often the case in life, the simplest celebrations are the most fulfilling. 

 

Cheers!