Nathan's Party Trick

IMG 1657 from Lauren Benesh on Vimeo.

Clarabelle

My happy baby. :)

 

Crazy Eyes

I snapped a couple of photos of Jane on the same day a while back, and in both she's got the craziest expression.  Cracks me up.

Crazy eyes.

What was she thinking here?  Ha ha!

 Sometimes she's just quirky.  Love her!

Weekend with the Williamses

 A few weeks ago, my brother, Ken, and his wife, Meredith, brought their new baby, Luke, to meet us!  We were glad to have them, and it was a fun weekend. Little Luke is five weeks younger than Clara, but he is no waif.  He's heavier than Clara, and he's totally solid.  In fact, what cracked me up is that he's a little log; a cylinder.  He's perfectly round from his head on past his non-existent neck and down to his belly.  The little chunker is super cute and looks just like his mama.

By the way, when you're the first of any of your siblings or your spouse's siblings to have a baby, and then you have another, and then you have another, it's kind of weird when suddenly you're the aunt.

We went to Hermann Park and rode the train together.  Clearly, Luke had a blast.  Just look at his expression.

Me and my littlest.

Meredith, Janey, Nathan, and me.

 And my parents were thrilled to have all their grandkids together at once.  I thought this picture turned out cute.

Cheap Therapy

I read a quote somewhere online the other day that said something like, "Gardening is cheaper than therapy.  Plus, you get tomatoes."  It made me laugh, because, truly, that's a good summation of my first year gardening.

We had just moved to Houston from Boston, and as I lamented with true disgust the Houston summer heat, my friend, Courtney, told me to plant a garden. "That way, you'll appreciate Houston's long growing season," she said.  For some reason, the idea of gardening took hold, and Nathan and I went to town learning about it.  In the end, we had put a whole lot of work into the little plot that we worked that summer, even though we were only in that house a year.  All that work building a bed, hoeing and amending the soil, weeding, carefully choosing plants and sowing seeds, anguishing over exactly where to place something so that it got the optimal amount of sun, and so on, was still very much worth it.

Because it really was therapeutic for me.  Awakening to the wonder of how a huge plant can grow from a tiny seed.  Walking out into the garden in the morning and feeling a thrill to see what has sprouted or how a tomato I've had my eye on has ripened.  Feeling the sun warming my hair as I pull weeds.  Finding another spot to squeeze in just one more plant.  Listening to the birds sing.  Dew on the grass.  The first tiny vegetable forming.  Breezes.  Quiet.

Quiet.

The quiet.  The swapping-the-craziness-of-a-house-full-of-small-children-for-birdsong kind of quiet.  Putting the demands of a full life on hold while I crouch down, smell the soil as I pull a weed, feel a breeze, feel myself breathe.

In that period, when I felt my most crazed and chaotic and hectic, gardening was a welcome new hobby.  And, yes, quite therapeutic.

A Belated Birthday Post

Finally, here it is.  My post about Noah's knights and castles birthday party, complete with pictures of the castle cake I made.  

Ta da!

 Not all that impressive, I have to admit.  I would have liked to have had straighter lines, for sure.  But I did think it came out fairly well, considering that I don't do this often and am far from a professional.  Plus, it tasted good!

By the way, the marshmallow skulls on pikes were Nathan's contribution.  Don't worry; he put them there for the picture then took them back up again before the kids saw them and freaked out.  The funniest part is that the red plastic on the end of the toothpick looks like blood.  (We have a weird sense of humor, I admit.)  He also let the kids catapult candy at the cake before we cut it, having a little castle siege.

Also a hit was the cardboard castle.  Actually, a month and a half later, it's still out and regularly played with (very much the worse for wear, though).  I have to say, it did show up my poor cake.

 Hooray!  Castle seige!

Jane and me with a slice.

 Spencer, the brave knight, and Jane, the fair damsel.

Happy cousins.

Everyone had a good time. :)

Latest Projects

As I mentioned several weeks ago, I'm in a crocheting mood.  It's my craft of choice right now.   I tend to knit and crochet in fits and starts: I'll go to town on a project for a month or two, then I'll put it down for a year.  But I have a goal for this year, which is to make a blanket for each of my kids.  

It all started at Thanksgiving, when my sister-in-law, Emily, learned to crochet (she is already a skilled knitter).  As she asked me a few how-to questions and as we browsed patterns online, we both got interested in a book of 200 different crocheted squares.  And because the bug bit both of us, I thought it'd be a nice plan to put together some yarn and materials so that we could crochet some squares whenever we're all together for a holiday.  Then, after a while, we can put all the squares together and have a holiday blanket we have all contributed to.  (I use the term "all" loosely--of course, not everyone crochets or wants to, but there is a handful who do.)

To that end, this was my handiwork over the Christmas holiday:

After all was said and done, I realized what a great thing it was to purchase the book we did.  Not only does it provide a variety of styles so that anyone who wants to contribute to our little project can find something they'd like to work on, but I also found that by making several different types of squares, my skill level made a real jump.  I was able to try out a new skill for a short period of time, rather than having to make an entire blanket out of it, for example.

My favorite new skill was learning how to make a 3D flower.  I knew right away that I was going to be making flowers for Jane's blanket, that's for sure!  So I combined a couple of patterns, going for a 5-petal flower in a small square, and this is what I came up with:

I love it.  And although she doesn't know it's for her, Jane loves it, too.  

She wants to hold the flowers any time I pull one out to work on it.  "Mommy, can I have this one?"  "You may look at it, baby, but it's mine."  Little does she know....

 I did take a little break from Jane's blanket to make a special little Valentine's Day project.

A heart garland!  I love this one, too.  

Next time I take a blanket break, I'm going to make a few knitted Easter eggs.  If I get them done, I'll post about them.

I hope my enthusiasm for crochet doesn't leave me any time soon, because I'm really enjoying feathering my nest with it. 

Five Months Old!

Clara was five months old yesterday!

She's getting bigger and more interactive all the time.  As a friend who hadn't seen her in a while said yesterday, "She's like a real person now!"  Ha!

Clara is developing better control of her hands, which is opening up a whole new world of play for her.  She grabs toys, faces, and Mommy's hair.  She's also getting better at standing and holding her weight, and Nathan has a little party trick that he likes to do with her while she stands (video forthcoming).

She's very ready to eat solid food; she watches us feed ourselves with rapt attention, mouth hanging open.  A couple of weeks ago, as she stared at me while I was eating grapefruit, I figured it wouldn't be so bad if she had a little taste.  So Clara's official first food was grapefruit juice.  (Hey, it's better than wasabi chips.)  She rolled it around in her mouth with her brows furrowed and an "I'm-not-quite-sure-what-this-is-about,-but-it's-interesting" expression on her face.

And here's a video I took of her making her new noise.  I have never had a child make this noise before.  After hearing it all day, it does get a little old....
She's still a delight and a sweet girl!

Grand Marnier Orange Cake

This recipe is adapted from one that I found in a little booklet that came with one of my kitchen appliances way back when we first got married.  I've made it many times, and it is always a hit.  It's very sweet, and has a very fragrant orange flavor that everyone seems to love.

Plus, I love a bit of booze in my cakes.  This is the first recipe I ever used with alcohol in it, and I've loved the twist ever since. 

One handy thing about this cake is that it's suitable for either a Bundt pan or two 9" round pans, which gives it some versatility.  I can either make a two layer frosted birthday cake, as I did for Nathan, or I can make it in my rose Bundt pan and put a glaze on top for a real showstopper.

It's also very easy--a near cheat--since it is just a gussied up cake mix.

Here you go!

-----

Grand Marnier Orange Cake

with Grand Marnier Glaze or Frosting

Cake:
1 package white cake mix
3 oz. orange flavored gelatin
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter, softened
1-1/3 cups orange juice
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

Beat ingredients in a large bowl and bake according to package instructions.

--

Grand Marnier Glaze:
*I actually haven't tested this glaze with Grand Marnier; only with bourbon.  I think it should work, though.
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 granulated sugar
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier

Combine the butter, sugar, and Grand Marnier in a small saucepan over low heat just until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, whisking to combine.  Pour over the cake while the glaze is still warm.  (This is a fair amount of glaze; if you want to use all of it, you might pour half over, let it set, warm up the remaining glaze, then pour the rest over.)

--

Grand Marnier Buttercream Frosting:
3 cups confectioner's sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
1 tablespoon orange zest
1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream or milk

In a medium sized bowl, beat together the sugar and butter.  Add the Grand Marnier and orange zest.  Add cream or milk a tablespoon at a time until the mixture is the right consistency.

Enjoy!

Nathan's Birthday

 Nathan's 31st Birthday was last weekend.  We celebrated in Waco, where we had traveled to celebrate his grandmother's 80th, as well!  Nathan's parents had a really nice celebration for Grandma Tanner, and we were all very happy to be able to celebrate her.  And we were then able to have cake and presents for Nathan the next day.

Presents!

 Cake!

 I made Nathan my orange cake with Grand Marnier icing.  I'll have to post the recipe on the blog sometime.  It is really yummy.

 And if you know Nathan, you will understand why this shirt is amazing and awesome.

Happy Birthday to my Nathan!  I'm glad you were born!

Clara's New Stats

Clara had her four month pediatrician appointment a couple of weeks ago. Here are her new stats:

Height: 27 inches (99.69th percentile!!)
Weight: 14 lbs. 4 oz. (45.7th percentile)
Head Circumference: 16 inches (44.5th percentile)

As you can see, we have another tall, lean child!  Jane, too, was very tall--actually off the charts--beginning with her four month checkup, so I suppose Clara will follow in her footsteps.
  

My littlest girl, wearing her sister's earrings.  Quite happily.

I love her little face so much!

A Few Random Things

A few random pictures to tide us over until I get to the rest of them:

Swinging is the best!

This is the swing in our backyard that Nathan built.  It goes reeeeally high.  Our kids are now swing snobs: if it doesn't go ridiculously high, it's a sub-par swing.

Jane's Self-Portrait 1

Self-portrait 2

Matching daddy and son.

By the way, this reminds me of something funny.  Nathan has recently decided that if he's going to work and he has not shaved, the best thing to do is to just wear a sweater over a dress shirt.  His theory is that if you look preppy enough, it counteracts the scruffiness of an unshaven face.  Ha!