Pretty in pink

While the gala season may start in September and end by Christmas, my family's party season extends from Halloween to mid-January. Instead of formal dress, passed appetizers and open bars, our season includes presents, homemade cookies and lots of laughter.

Since October 31, my family has donned Halloween costumes and eaten candy, sang happy birthday to Jack, saw the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in person and eaten turkey in New York, lit eight nights of candles for Hanukkah and celebrated with Jack's preschool class, awaited Santa's visit and played in the snow in Cleveland, toasted 2013 with Champagne and sparkling cider, watched the Northwestern Wildcats finally win a bowl game, and - just this past weekend - end our party season with a family weekend for Jossie's second birthday. 

It was the first time since Jeremy's and my wedding that we had all of our siblings and parents in one room, which was a treat in itself. Throw in a few best friends and their families along the way, and our 1300-square-foot condo was quite the party. 

As usual, the best moments of this weekend were the unplanned ones. My parents and Jeremy's parents sitting at the dining room table Saturday night chatting; my sisters, all of our kids and me sitting in the living room; and my mom likening Jossie's behavior to mine (we both sucked our index finger as toddlers) and Jeremy's mom likening Jack's behavior to Jeremy (both hummed constantly while playing toys as preschoolers).

Jossie and Jack had big smiles on their faces all weekend. As we toasted Jossie Saturday night, surrounded by our loved ones, I noted how lucky she was. How lucky we all are.

I unabashedly did everything in pink this weekend. I bought a few things from the Martha Steward Vintage Girl line to help decorate and found inspiration from Pinterest. My sister made some tulle pom-poms that I will reuse in Jossie's future playroom.

I made a birthday banner to celebrate Jossie's past year of life.

The food was simple breakfast foods; besides me baking the zucchini and banana breads and my mom cutting up the fruit, we bought everything pre-made. Easy! Sparkling pink lemonade and pink and white striped paper straws were highlights.

My sister, mom and I baked cookies, and I bought pink candy (benefiting from Valentine's Day, which is right around the corner) for a sweets table for our guests' party favors. I found small clear plastic scoops at The Container Store for the candy.

One of the cookies I baked was a crisp chocolate chip cookie:

Tate's Bake Shop chocolate chip cookies
From Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup salted butter, 2 sticks
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or line 2-3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt.  In another large bowl, cream the butter and sugars, then add the water and vanilla. Mix until just combined.

Add eggs to the butter mixture and mix them lightly.

Stir in the flour mixture. When flour is mixed in, fold in the chocolate chips.

Drop 2 tablespoonfuls of the cookie dough 2-inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Make sure the cookie sheets are well greased. I like to use parchment paper.

Bake for 12-17 minutes or until the edges and centers of the cookies are golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool on wire racks.

Personalized stickers from this Etsy seller adorned the empty bakery boxes, waiting to be filled with sweet treats.

We had light pink and white flowers from A New Leaf and a confetti birthday cake from Sweet Mandy B's.

It was a perfect weekend for our family and our sweet girl. Many thanks to our family for making the trip. It meant the world to us.

Happy birthday to Jossie

Jossie was born at 12:33 a.m., 33 minutes into her 33rd week of gestation. God graced me with the gift of a suit of armor that lasted for 12 hours or so after her birth. I only felt elation, adrenaline and relief for her safe and healthy birth. She was breathing on her own and regulating her temperature well. We knew each other the moment Jeremy brought her to me. Daughter and mother. Joy. It would be a little later on that doubt, regret and worry would sneak in, but blessedly only temporarily in the grand scheme of things.

And today is her second birthday, and she is our beautiful, determined little girl. The sun shines brightly today, a stark contrast to the bitterly cold temperatures, as it did two years ago. The happiness that surrounded us during those early moments surrounds us tenfold today.

Happy birthday to our dear Jossie.

Jossie, you have much patience living in a house full of firstborns - your mother, father, and older brother. At an early age, I see you learning the art of negotiation. When Jack was 2, he would ask for a TV show, and I'd happily oblige. When you ask for a show, you say, "Elmo show first," giving Jack a watchful eye to see how he'll respond.

You are our quiet observer and you have always been that way. Even as a newborn, you would look deeply into the eyes of your doctors and nurses, trying to figure them out. I see you do that in every new situation you're in, taking stock of the scene before delving into action.

You are happy to amuse yourself. When you wake up in the morning or after your nap, you're more than happy for one of us to put a few books and a comfy pillow in your crib for your quiet time.

You are a self-proclaimed "Daddy's princess" who loves horses, puppies and baby dolls. But you also love watching football, playing hallway soccer with Jack (which you call "hallway balls"), and a good pillow fight. I hope you always keep them guessing, Joss, and keep your interests diverse.

And though she be but little, she is fierce.

William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

A mother's memories

Jack bounced on me this morning at 6:22 a.m. and asked me if it was still his birthday.

No, I replied. It's over.

We had a great weekend, and now I'm exhausted. My house is a disaster, and Roscoe the cat puked under our dining room table. I'll clean it up eventually.

Planning special events is a part of my professional work but I still get worked up about planning family events - guests in town; a kids' birthday blow-out Saturday afternoon; and a casual dinner party Saturday night. Everything went better than expected but I have to say, the best moments were the unplanned ones. Cherished memories - the moments I will hold most closely to my heart - include:

• After Jack's preschool class had cupcakes Friday to celebrate Jack's birthday, the teacher turned on the music and the kids had a spontaneous dance party. While many of the boys stood to the side, Jack and his friend Nicholas were right there in the thick of it, letting the girls grab their hands and dance in circles. It was just fun - being kids and being silly.
• Jack's cousin Andrew slept over. They fell asleep in the same twin bed, arms intertwined. 
• Last night, we had some of our family and friends over for dinner. Sitting at the dining room table, it was just really nice. And maybe that's the wine talking.
• Jeremy's parents bought Jack a bike today. We took him to a park to practice. It's a mild day in Chicago, and Jack was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and his new Star Wars watch from BFF Charlie. We watched him ride his bike joyfully, his scrawny little arms and hands gripping the handles. It was pure joy for him.
• Jossie and her piece of birthday cake. Enough said.

Go get 'em this week!

Birthday fun

A plate of cake crumbs and a mug of milk sit beside me. The birthday weekend is winding down.

We celebrated Jossie girl's big day (which is Tuesday, mind you) with a small family party Saturday. The theme was Woneder Woman, and I got all craftastic beforehand with some comicbook-covered letters, sweets and an homage to my sweetie.

How to get your Mod Podge on

I didn't even know what the heck Mod Podge was before I started this crafty journey, but my sister set me straight. Blessedly, this glue product is non-toxic, which is important when I decide to craft, as I usually get my supplies all over my pj top, the cat and the kitchen sink. Seriously, I'm not a crafter; this was a super-simple project:

Materials:

1. Cardboard letters, which you can buy from any craft store or if you want to get snazzy, from Paper Source.

2. Cool paper to cover the letters; I used Wonder Woman comics, which was a journey in of itself. I headed to a comic store that was literally a block from my office. I never even knew it existed.

3. A foam roller.

4. A craft knife and self-healing cutting board (I used one of my Ikea cutting boards).

5. Mod Podge for paper (I prefer matte - I hear it has less fumes).

Directions:

1. Using foam roller, spread Mod Podge over the front of cardboard letter.

2. Place paper over letter and flip over.

3. Cut around the edges of the letter using your craft knife.

4. Flip over and admire your beautiful work.

5. Spread one more layer of Mod Podge atop the paper (it will dry clear) and let dry overnight. 

Jack and I also made a sweets plate of red and blue star sugar cookies with edible gold glitter, chocolate red lips and Twizzler yellow lassos.

Everyone got a party favor bag of these treats to bring home; a great Etsy seller made me some fun custom stickers and I found the brown kraft bags at The Container Store.

And for the last year, I've been taking pictures of Jossie month by month; I copied this birthday banner idea from my friend Abby:

A good time was had by all. We served sparkling wine, which I highly suggest for all birthday parties. I was tickled pink (sorry) that Jeremy found a J Vineyards Brut Rose.

And there was cake from Sweet Mandy B's.

Which little sister greatly enjoyed: