Potpourri

Ya know how in Jeopardy Potpourri is the category that is full of randomness...welcome to the post of randomness. A little what I am doing now and what we did recently...oh and don't forget a wee bit of crazy.


What we have done

Young's Dairy/Pumpkin Patch

Went to this farm about an hour away...it was initiated because it was a nice day to dabble in the whole photography thing...photography thing trumped by farm fun and BLUE ice cream.

       

Wanna Be Photog

I still did manage to get some cool photo shots amidst our farm fun and impromptu trip to the Air Force Museum. Again...notice the absence of Jack. He is just not having this whole photography thing.

Air Force Museum

Spencer has wanted to take the kids here for awhile. It is by the farm AND it is free so as in the words of Spencer, "That is a great price" so we went. The boys LOVED it.

What we (I) am doing

Living in a Hot Mess

Oh the mess. The humanity of it all. I live in filth for a good cause, right? That is what I tell myself to make myself feel better. I am pretty sure we haven't eaten a meal at the dinning room table for a week. Gasp! Slowly but surely all my plans are coming to fruition. Goodies bag- 90% done. Thinking chair- DONE (now hopefully I can keep the boys off it). Joe's shirt- done. Mailbox- done.

Side note...see what I mean about the plastic table cloths. Sure the thinking chair would have been a little neater with fabric...but that would have cost an arm and a leg. Two red plastic table cloths and some black duct tape...oh and don't forget the packing tape, does the job just marvelously.

Good Idea for Party Goodie Bag

Finger Puppets!! I came across an idea from Family Fun for finger puppets. I didn't really care for theirs, but I LOVED the idea. So I created these little guys from some cheap felt squares from the craft store.

It was really easy.

Then I realized this really could be done for any party. All you need is the characters, some felt in colors that fit your characters, and felt glue.

Have I already said that I LOVE it...I did didn't I. Well I do.

Hawaiian Chicken Stir Fry

Aloha!

I stumbled across the recipe for this sauce a couple of weeks ago. The original recipe actually goes with homemade meatballs...also delightful. So here is my adaptation of Hawaiian Meatballs ala Chicken and Asian noodles for a little Hawaiian Stir Fry.

Star of the Show: The Sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar (regular works too)
1 T soy sauce
3/4 cups pineapple juice
2 T cornstarch

diced green pepper
canned pineapple (juice used above)

Mix everything in first set of ingredients, except the cornstarch, in a small sauce pan. Then whisk in corn starch until completely dissolved. Heat over med/high heat until boiling. Stir constantly. Remove from heat when sauce begins to thickening. This sauce is great with all different kinds of meat or just as a dipping sauce. So go and experiment with it.

Add pineapple and peppers just before adding to stir fry mixture*.

*Stir Fry Mixture:

Cook up 2-3 chicken breast cut up, seasoned with salt and pepper. Once chicken is cooked add store bought Asian noodles (these were bought from an actual Asian supermarket. Pick your favorite kind of noodle, lo mien, stir fry etc.). Noodles should have been cooked according to package. Pour sauce, with pineapple and peppers in it, over the noodles. Stir to coat. Continue to heat until warmed through.

Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds before serving.

Okay so yummy.

For Him

I am a human pacifier.

I have never been a great nurser. I have never enjoyed nursing. I am a bad judge at whether the little one is hungry or just working me. Alas, I think I am easily worked. For it can be recorded that I am sleeping less now than when he was a couple of months old.

Blame it on "teething". Blame it on his lingering cough. Blame it on one too many fall-asleep-40-minute-nursing sessions. Blame it on my soft pushover heart. Blame it on my exhaustion. Blame it on my lack of discipline this time around.

I will become the boss eventually, and then perhaps I will sleep again.

Here You Come Again...Birthday 101

Here you come again October, just when I'm about to pull myself together. You walk right in the door just like you've done before...okay you get it (I guess I am assuming everyone knows the repertoire of Dolly Pardon). Even though I have made lyrical reference to October returning like a lousy boyfriend...in truth I look forward in a crazy masochistic way to October coming.

The beginning of October marks the start of party/hostess season in the Zitzman household, and it is a long season folks, especially now that we have extended our season from ending in the middle of February to the end of March. To put the chaos into some perspective--from October through March we have (implied drum roll)

Jack's birthday, Halloween, thanksgiving, Christmas, valentines day, Cole's birthday, my birthday, and now Case's birthday. That doesn't sound like much...but oh the little tidbits of fun and planning that I psychotically put into each one.

What I enjoy best is my kids' birthday parties. I have learned to do it somewhat cheaply. I have learned to take a little idea and brainstorm the heck out of it. My mind pretty much goes from end of current birthday to the next one planning and brainstorming the whole time. Sometimes the party revolves around the idea for the cake. Sometimes it revolves around an activity. There is always a theme.

As said earlier, October starts the fun off with Jack's birthday. After last year's dinosaur party, I actually wasn't sure what I was going to do. And then shock of shocks I actually took into account the idea that came out of the birthday boys mouth. He chose a Blue's Clues party. Well immediately my brain started coming up with activity options, decoration options, the invitation, the treats...oh the pistons in my brain were firing.

So now with only two weeks (way behind my normal schedule), I have started production of all my ideas.

Gather materials will craft.

The notebooks are the invites. They open up to show a different drawing on each of three pages (the three clues). One of Jack, one of balloons, and one of cake. The back page says, "we have all three clues" and then goes into the invite information. Made simply made from card stock, and a template that I drew, and red pipe cleaners twisted like binding.

The orange sweatshirt and fabric are for the making of Joe. Ahh yes Spencer that discussion we had on you maybe being Joe...there isn't a maybe anymore. Love ya.

The plastic table cloths are my go to, the main kernel of wisdom in my birthday 101. I use them in every party I do. They are CHEAP and they can be turned into almost anything. This party we are using them to make a mini life sized wall mural of Blue and Joe's House. A red one will also lead to the creation of a Thinking Chair.

Phase 1 in full swing. Phase 2-50 soon to follow. Can you just feel the excitement? I bet you can!