Tea Time for 9

This was going to be a post about Nutmeg's Birthday Tea Party held last weekend, but I think it will turn into a post about how awesome my friend Sarah from Smiling Eyes Photography is and how photography is a talent that I do not have. I mean I try, I really do. On average I take 4-5 pictures of a subject to every one that I post here on the blog. I work hard to get my middling to average photos. But not in this post. Behold the wonder of Sarah and her camera. Her pictures almost make the party look better than it was. Almost because the party was a little piece of heaven.
We invited 9 little girls. You know, they say to invite twice as many as you would like because half will not come. I usually hold to that because the year Camrock turned 4 he had one friend show up to his party, one. I was so glad he was only 4 and probably wouldn't remember it. So I aim big now, and this time everyone accepted,I mean what 3 year old would say no to a fancy tea party? That was fine except I didn't have seating for 10 little girls and assorted mommies.
Kristen had the brilliant idea to have the kids sit on pillows on the floor around ottomans as tables. It went over marvelously.

As I was bustling about frosting cupcakes and making tea sandwiches I left myself 30 minutes to dress. I kept thinking in my head that the party started at 1:30 until the first guest arrived at 1 o'clock and then I remembered. So I dashed upstairs with hardly anytime to be fancy and things were not quite as perfect as I would have liked.
Everyone dressed "fancy."I think the girls were all enchanted. They were so quiet and concentrated on their tea. It was adorable. It was almost as if they were trying to be little ladies.

The Menu:
Cucumber Sandwiches
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
Ham and Cream Cheese Pinwheels
Cheese and Crackers
Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
Jam Filled Shortbread Cookies
Chocolate Spice and Vanilla Cupcakes with
Pink 7 Minute Frosting or Chocolate Ganache

We served herbal peppermint tea, hot cocoa, and juice.
The party favors were little vintage looking pendants hung on black ribbon with a piece of candy, a "Thank You" note and a strip of butterfly stickers in a box made from a paper cup decorated with a monogram and a butterfly. Total cost per fantastic favor approximately $1.50.
"The best tea party evuh." -Nutmeg

She is.

Happy Birthday Nutmeg!

Today my baby is four years old. I can't talk about it.

She is so confident and commanding,
So cute and imaginative,
So smart and persistent,
She is so perfect.

Knuckle Biting Nutcracker

Last night I took my daughter to the Nutcracker. It was her first time as well as mine. It was magical.We dressed to the nines.
Well, O.K., the elevens, those ARE seams.

It was so worth it too, at intermission we got my money's worth in compliments. Nutmeg was the darling, everyone adored her dress and our hairpieces. It almost made us feel as special as the ballerinas!
Let's go back to the beginning. La Kiera, Laura, Kristin and Bella picked us up just a few minutes late but we weren't worried (we had planned plenty of time) until we hit the freeway and saw 8 miles of tail lights ahead of us. I learned something about my best friend last night, she really doesn't like being late, almost as much as me. There was erratic, snippy behavior and cursing which Nutmeg echoed immediately.

We careened into the parking garage at 7:25 the ballet starting at 7:30. We bailed out of the hastily and poorly parked mini van and it was every woman for herself. Kristin and Bella were in the lead as we ran down 4 flights of stairs. Nutmeg and I brought up the tail as I hobbled down the stairs in 3 inch heels while carrying a 3 year old and not wanting to touch the gooey hand rail. I saw Keira glance back at us once as she crossed the street just to make sure I hadn't fallen down the stairwell. At least I like to think that she looked back because she was concerned about my welfare...
We ran across the 2 intersection crossings ignoring the signs and avoiding headlights. Kristin needed to buy tickets and we wished her luck at the box office and hustled in. Disoriented we found our seats which had someone in them. Thanks to the usher for bouncing him. Kristin and Bella did get seats after all and so we all watched The Nutcracker.And I cried a little as the curtain rose. I just knew it was one of those special moments I would remember forever, the night I took my daughter to The Nutcracker.
Nutmeg watched so carefully at the beginning her little head nodding and following each step. That is what I will remember.
The opening party scene drags...it could really be cut down in the interest of little patrons. Nutmeg asked when they would start dancing.
The Snowflake dance was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen, just beautiful.
After intermission it was hard for Nutmeg to keep her interest she was thirsty, tired and hungry. She couldn't sit still but still she loved seeing the "princesses."
Afterward, we stopped for hot cocoa and in this picture you can see how at 10:30 pm the girls were a little bit strung out. Laura stared off into the distance her eyes glazed over, while Bella and Nutmeg were in a chocolate fueled spiral of hyperactivity feeding off of one another. This picture reminds me of 3 party girls, one is about to pass out while the other two are about ready to start dancing on the table and in the fountain, one with badly smeared make-up.

In Which I Come Perilously Close to Becoming A "Look How Smart My Kid Is" Blogger

Last night Nutmeg wanted me to teach her how to knit. The thing about Nutmeg is:
1) She is very persistent as in "This reading lesson will not end until I can read the entire book."
2) She does not like to be helped, she wants to do it herself.
3) She is a perfectionist and gets frustrated and quits. I have seen her crumple up an entire drawing because she made an accidental mark and "ruined" it.
We started out last night with some worn size 13 bamboo needles and some bulky wool. It didn't go very well so I sent her to bed, dug through a foot of knitting stuff to find my very pointy plastic needles size 17 (I think) and some extra chunky acrylic yarn. A much more slippery combination .
Then I turned to that marvelous tool the Internet, looked up "How to teach kids to knit" and found this poem:

How to Knit:
In through the front door
Around to the back
Out through the window
And off jumps Jack

How to Purl:
Under the fence
Catch the sheep
Back we come
And off we leap.

It worked like a charm. She is knitting, alone, gets mad as a hatter when I try to help. One 10 minute lesson.
Watch out world there is a new knitter in town, age 3 3/4.

*At the risk of turning into a silly mommy blog can I just say I am so proud of Nutmeg? I have been looking forward to the day where I would teach my daughter to knit for a long time. Of course I thought that the day would be a little further along down the road!*

Show Off Week - Teacup Flowers

I needed to make a three year old's birthday present for Margaret's first birthday party invitation. I wanted to make something cute yet fast because funds are tight and tight budgets are the mother of cute crafts.
Somehow I stumbled upon this blog and before I knew it I was making these Tea Cup Flowers. The hard part was finding fabric for the flowers. My stash has some gaping holes in the floral area. Eventually I found some suitable fabric, a toy tea cup and got started.The hard part ended up being sewing the tiny circles. Really, my sewing machine doesn't go slowly and it is hard to sew in a circle at that speed. There was a lot of hand sewing and somewhere something went wrong and my petals had too much space between them. Undaunted, I scrounged up some ribbon scraps and hot glue and glued it all onto a hair clip. I cliped them onto a notecard, wrapped it prettily and had a very cute present.

Cuter Than a Chipmunk

We are back from Outdoor School at Camp Zarahemla. The camping was lush (more about that in a later post.) The kids had the time of their life.Nutmeg had " a bad time" because she kept falling down. She has a scary looking scrape under her left eye that she acquired when she tripped on the side walk and landed face first. Luckily I took these photos BEFORE the fall. She had numerous other falls and I lost her in the woods no less than 5 times.She was the cutest kid there as you can see. She and I spent a lot of time alone together. It was nice to be with her and not have other things on my mind. Just me, my daughter and the trees.

The Secret of Getting Your Husband to Do What You Want.

I think that I have discovered the secret of how to get your husband to do what you want. It is a risky procedure but if it pays off it pays off big.
When the situation arises state you case firmly and with all of the logical reasons and then say "Yes" to whatever it is he wants to do.

If he wants to buy a Jeep tell him to buy a Jeep. Eventually he will feel guilty because you are being so nice and all of your points against the Jeep were really good points. The next day he will come home and say, "I am not going to buy a Jeep and this is why." and then repeat back all of your sensible points. Urge him again to buy a Jeep and his desire to be contrary will solidify his resolve to not buy a Jeep.

If your sons would like him to take them to the ward Father and Son Camp Out and he really does not want to go camping simply state all of the reasons in favor of him taking his sons on an overnight camp out and then say "You don't have to go. I'll send Commander C with Brother D. and Boba Fett can just stay here and watch movies with you." Before you know it your husband will be planning for the camp out all thanks to you for agreeing with him and to Boba Fett for his big brown eyes, thick glasses and the excitement of a 5 year old.

Tonight Moose and the boys head to the beach for the campout and Nutmeg and I are going to party with the girls!!!

Blythe Manor

There has been a lot of decorating around here. Samurai Mom has ruined a good pair of yoga pants with paint. I have been decorating the doll house that we have been making for the Blythes. The kids have been ecstatic with the house. This morning they drug down our measly doll furniture collection and were trying to play house, I suggested that we use some blocks to make temporary furniture - they went wild. Many of these ideas were theirs. I particularly like Commander C's bank of 3 beds and the bathtub. I also love the bubbles in the bathtub, the sinks, toilet and washer dryer. Who know block with holes could be so handy? So would you like a tour of the house?

Janie is deciding on paint colors and wallpapers.

The nearly finished house ( I still need to glue down the carpet and paint trims)

Penelope (in the foyer) explains that the mural won't be painted for a few weeks.Janie, Penelope, and Betsy watch the old TV while they wait for the flatscreen to be delivered.

Betsy and Janie are the Kitchen enjoying Sushi.

Greta climbs the ladder Commander C invented for going up stairsGreta enjoys a bubble bath while Betsy powders her nose.

Penelope talks to Greta and Betsy before they lie down for a nap in the bank of beds.

Snow White listens to some fly tunes on the phonograph.

Janie sews some bedding (because those block beds are kind of firm)

in between loads of laundry.

Next, we need to paint the outside of the house and have the roof installed.
Thanks for checking out the house!

I just can't resist

When Nutmeg wants something she will say ever so politely and sweetly "Could you share?" If she said "Will you," or "Can you?" I would probably say, "No, it's mine." because you know mothers get the last little bit of everything, the leftovers. But that "Could you?" melts me every time and I acquiesce.
Nutmeg picked out this skirt herself. She chose the color, the fabric, the ribbon and demanded the flower buttons. I gave in to it all because how often are you a little girl that wants a your mom to make you a pink skirt? How many times will I have this opportunity? How many girls do I have? Like President Monson said this morning, tomorrow comes too soon and I don't want empty yesterdays.
I am pleased, she has been wearing it for 3 days in a row.