Everything's Popping Up Popovers

Yesterday I decided to a try a little, ehem, cooking. {"For her birthday, my wife asked me to take her someplace she'd never been before. I said, 'How 'bout the kitchen?'"}

I dusted off this thing called a COOK BOOK which happened to be Mollie Katzen's Pretend Soup. Pip, Sprout and I were rewarded handsomely because with just a few ingredients and some simple steps (really, I would not lie about these things), we were eating pouffy, moist, yummy popovers hot from the oven.

I do believe that this success story will be the first on my Summer Redux list:

::Made popovers

Stay tuned...

Four Years Ago

Flowers from Aunt Suzie Sent on Your Original Birthday

Four years ago, right about now, I gave birth to you, the baby girl of my dreams.

My "Sprout". My laughing Allegra. My daisy. My sunshine. My love. My "Mr. Golden Sun".

Your daddy and I checked in to the hospital at 6:10 a.m. (so said the admission papers I found in my suitcase during last week's trip to the beach) and five peaceful hours later you arrived.

My darling girl. What more can I say?

Happy birthday, Sprout.

Love,

Your Mama

Preparing for a Party

The Evites have gone out for Sprout's fourth birthday party and now I come to you, crafty, baking followers, for advice on The Cake.

In an effort to get back on the green wagon (don't worry - I'm still line drying) and to go a little less artificial, I would like to bake the cake myself. I'll give you a minute to stop laughing. Okay, so, she wants an Ariel cake. Is this hard to do? Here's the rub - I do not want to do one of those fairly bizarre looking cakes where a Barbie doll is disembodied with her top half popping out of the batter.

So tell me...any ideas? What's this about baking a cake in a Pyrex bowl and then inverting it?

help.

And while we're on the subject of birthdays...

Happy Birthday, Green Gramps!! The best is yet to come!

Coming August 7th to a Theatre Near You

I really don't care what the reviews say and please don't burst my bubble:

I Can't Wait!!!!

**Update: Our tickets have been purchased!**

Back from the Beach

A little tanner but not burnt.

There were a lot of quotable quotes from the trip, but my favorite was from the trip home. Sprout saw a car towing a boat and said, "Mommy, I just saw a boat! And it was pushing a car!"

Now that August is upon us I suppose it's time for taking it reeeeeeal easy as the new school year will be here quicker than we think.

I'm finishing up a P.D. James from the beach, "The Lighthouse". Not my usual fare, but I am enjoying it. How about yoooou?

Speaking, or writing, of books, I wanted to highlight a new find called Learning Parade that is all about teaching, crafting, exploring, whatever through stories and books. I am hoping for find some good ideas and inspiration for my students this fall. Check it out!