Party Planning

TCP Baby's first birthday is only a couple of weeks away. While we aren't having a huge bash with pony rides in the back yard, we are planning a little family shindig. Hemstitch & Hydrangea asked me to share our plans, so here's where I am thus far:











TCP Mom got a bunch of these wallpaper letters from the Land of Nod to make a banner that reads "Happy Birthday [TCP Baby]" and I'll hang that up on the mantle or, if the weather is nice, in the lower limbs of the crab apple tree in the back yard. I'll pick up some colored balloons on the day of the party, too. Not going overboard with the decorations, so that's probably it.







I got him this adorable shirt from Etsy seller liliputiansNYC to wear to his party, with khakis and the tiniest pair of Sperry topsiders that i ever saw. I thought about getting a party hat, but haven't done so yet--I highly doubt it would remain on his head for more than a few seconds!

On the menu, all his favorites. Mac -n- cheese, of course! (Although I'm trying to hide some veggies in there, too.) Mini-burgers. A fruit salad, because the kid is crazyinlove with fruit. As in, I have to hide it from him until he is done with the rest of his meal, otherwise he will not eat anything else and cry for the fruit, pointing at it with his little finger! And, of course, a cake. I love this bakery that we lived down the street from until we bought the house, so that's where we'll get the cake.

What else? I picked up a few gifts for him, some clothes from L.L. Bean (including the adorable lobster sweater I've been drooling over forever) and a few Melissa & Doug toys. But again, not going overboard with that stuff. He doesn't know the difference yet, and, as the first grandchild on both sides, he already has tons of toys.

So that's pretty much it! I still can't believe how the past year has flown by...

Oy, the guilt!

Heading out to visit my preppy friend A in Virginia tomorrow. It will be the first time I've spent the night away from TCP Baby. And he has a cold. I feel like the Worst Mama Ever.

Wish me luck tomorrow. I'm afraid that I might not get on the plane without him!

Gossip Girl? Best. new. show. ever. It is slightly disconcerting, however, to think that the dads on the show are hotter than the main characters, who are infants. Also, I love Kelly Rutherford. She's got a great style. (Although, she did name her child Hermes, which I believe is Taking It Too Far. And yes, I do visit Celebrity Baby Blog too often. There is no reason I should know that information.)



So, my J.Crew gift card has been spent. I ordered a Gallery Dress, in dark green. Very comfy. The downside is that the empire waist is suspiciously maternity-esque. Oh well. It was final sale, so I shall wear it and let people wonder. My other purchase was the Tenley low-heel boot. Not sure yet if I am keeping them. I like them a lot, but don't know if I like them enough. Also, I am afraid that I might have to invest in skinny jeans to wear with them, and I'm just not sure that's something I'm going to do. Also, I am pissed because when I looked up the picture just now, I saw that they are on sale. (They weren't when I bought them. Of course they weren't.) Does J.Crew do adjustments??? *ETA: They do. For seven days after shipping. Today is day 10. Damn!

Fair Warning

From now on, when you visit my blog, there will be songs playing. Just thought I should warn you all, especially those of you who visit at work!

Also, I'm thinking of getting rid of my blog roll. It's pretty out of date, and I never use it (I'm a bloglines girl). So please don't be offended if you used to be listed and aren't anymore. Nothing personal--just my list-loving nature is thrown by it not being up to date!

On Today's Agenda

We've already hit the farmers' market, Starbucks, and the park this morning. As I'm sitting here enjoying my pumpkin spice latte (seriously, do they put crack in these things?? I am addicted), I've been reading the newsletter from the CSA that we subscribed to this year. There is fantastic sounding recipe that I think I'm going to try tonight. I know you fall-loving kids might be searching for something to go with your pumpkin spice lattes too, so here it is:

Pumpkin Bars– Fall 2007

(via Scotch Hill Farm and Penzeys Spices Catalog of Seasonings)
½ cup butter, soft (1 stick)
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup cooked pumpkin
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp powered ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Cream the butter. Add the brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin and vanilla. Mix well. In a separate bowl, sift all of the dry ingredients together. Gradually add to the wet mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased 9-by-13-inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Let cool and top with brown butter icing.

Brown Butter Icing
½ cup butter (1 stick)
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 TB milk

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the butter over low heat until it is a light brown. Remove from heat and add the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Whisk until smooth and well blended.
Serves 18 to 24 pieces. Prep time is approximately 10 minutes. Baking time is 15 to 20 minutes.

Kick in the Pants

I am in desperate need of one. I have a serious case of lethargy, encompassing all areas of life--housework, exercise, blogging. I need Cher to come over, slap me, and say, "Snap out of it!!"

Or, maybe just a good deal to pass along. I got an email from Maggie and Alison yesterday, thanking me for my review a while back. They've gotten some good press lately, and to celebrate they are offering 10% off on all orders through September 19th. Use the Coupon Code thankyou during check out. They've got some super cute new fabrics, too.

The TCP household hosts Thanksgiving every year (since the disastrous Thanksgiving where yours truly and Mr. TC attempted to eat two Thanksgiving dinners at each mothers' house in a four hour time span and nearly died in the process). I think I might order a bib with the "gobble gobble" fabric for TCP Baby.

I've also been attempting to get ready for TCP Baby's first (!!) birthday party. We're not having an extravagant affair, just family. But I did spent an inordinately long time looking at invitations. It was all I could do to refrain from the Boatman Geller Madras invites. But since we're only have a small family party, I resisted temptation and got some cute photo cards. (He's sporting his adorable sailboat tee from the Monogram Marketplace* in one of the photos!) I can't believe he's almost a year old...will I need to start calling him TCP Toddler now???

*BTW, there are some cuuuute new designs over at MM right now. If you haven't been over there in awhile, you should check out what MM has been up to during her hiatus!