playgroup

Making Memories

Posted on November 13, 2012 Written by Tonya

Please tell me I’m not the only one in denial about it being November! Mid-November at that. WTH?

How is it even possible that Thanksgiving is a week away?

I can’t seem to get my brain wrapped around retailers promoting Christmas.

Christmas?!

Where did this year go?

After record heat for weeks, it is FINALLY boot season in Southern California!

My poor neglected blog has been a ghost town for days. All I have posted lately are letters for my weekly Letters For You series.

I’m never at a loss for ideas and have dozens of drafts started and should be working on my Thanksgiving gratitude posts and year-end round ups, but I’m not writing anything here.

Instead, I’ve been pouring my heart into articles for SheKnows, a new job that I am truly grateful to have. I am really proud of today’s post, Thanksgiving traditions to start now. I have also been…

basking in the glow of the Mumford & Sons concert my husband and I attended last Saturday night and…

celebrating three years of my Mommy & Me play group and two years of my husband and his partner opening EC on PCH and…

counting down to see Breaking Dawn Part 2 with my sister at midnight on Thursday and…

gearing up for a family vacation to Vancouver!

We leave in less than four days and my To Do list is beyond scary. I know it will all get done somehow and between now and boarding that airplane, I am going to make sure there will be moments to stop and savor like this:

Linking up with Galit (These Little Waves) and Alison’s (Writing, Wishing) monthly link up, Memories Captured.

Fourth Photo

Posted on October 11, 2012 Written by Tonya

At first I was reluctant to join a Mommy & Me group. Lucas and I had a good thing going with our daily walks, bi- and tri-weekly outings to Target and counting down the hours until Daddy got home; why on earth would we need a playgroup? At three months old, he wasn’t even playing yet.

The first meeting we attended was at a Starbucks on a warm August morning, there were maybe 10 of us. 20 if you count our children. Our babies unable to do much else just laid in their car seat carriers. The eldest child was seven months old and gave the rest of us a preview of what was to come.

Our conversations were exactly as I had dreaded, but very much needed to be a part of; from how old was your baby when he first sat up/rolled over/discovered his feet/slept through the night/smiled and you knew it wasn’t gas? to where did you get that toy/onesie/hat/play gym and what do you think about that stroller, those diapers/burp cloths/setting up a college fund/diaper bag?

Sort of mind numbing stuff to anyone but a new mom, but all the topics that weigh heavily on the minds of novice parents as we navigate through that first crucial and confusing year of mommyhood.

It’s was comforting to share with and learn from other new moms and a relief to know that they were going through the same frustrations and concerns that I was.

Right from the start, there were a couple of moms in the group that I could see being friends with (i.e. participate in activities outside of the group) and I definitely relished in the social interaction and adult conversation!

Our group celebrated it’s third year, much like many of our children, this past September and now most members have added a younger sibling to the group. It has been a joy to see our babies grow into little people and I wish that Lucas and I could see our friends more often.

I can’t remember when Jenn joined our group but I liked her right away and her son Jackson is darling. He is the subject of the fourth shot in my Instagram queue:

Jen isn’t a blogger or on Twitter, but she is a fellow mom and friend.

This post was written for Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop. Prompt 5.) Open Instagram and scroll down to the 4th photo shared by a friend. Share the photo, link to the person who posted it, and let it inspire a blog post.

Rainbow Ribbon Cake – Tasty Tuesdays 2

Posted on September 20, 2010 Written by Tonya

Sunday, my Mommy & Me group celebrated our one year anniversary and I offered to bring dessert.

What was I thinking?

I don’t cook, but I do enjoy baking from time to time, especially with short cuts.

I assisted my good friend Colleen when she made this cake a couple of years ago for another girlfriend’s birthday and it’s super easy, super cute and super delicious.

Thanks for sharing the recipe, Colleen!

Rainbow Ribbon Cake
From Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee

Ingredients

For the cake:
1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup canola oil
3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon each flavored gelatin: lemon, orange, cherry, grape, lime, and blue raspberry
2 cups boiling water

For the decoration:
1 (12-ounce) cans white whipped icing (recipe calls for 2 cans, but 1 was plenty).
Recipe calls for colored decorating icing (yellow, orange, red, purple, green and blue), but I just kept the top of the cake white and used multi-colored sprinkles on the sides.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together cake mix, water, oil, egg whites, and vanilla on low speed using an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl using spatula and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Divide batter into the prepared pans evenly and bake in the oven for 32 to 36 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove pans from oven and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before turning over onto wire racks to cool completely. Trim off the tops of the cakes, to make a smooth surface.

Place 1 tablespoon of each flavor of gelatin in separate small bowls. Stir 1/3 cup boiling water into each and stir until dissolved. On the trimmed sides of the cakes, splash the different gelatin all over the cakes. Cover cakes, separately, with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours. I refrigerated mine overnight and it was fine.
Remove cakes from refrigerator. Unwrap the cakes and place 1 cake on a plate or stand and spread white icing evenly on top. Place the second cake on top and finish icing cake, top and sides with the white icing.

*If you decide to use multiple colors of icing, randomly place big dollops of the colored decorating icing all over the iced cake. Using a small spatula, swirl the dollops together to create a tie-dye/rainbow effect on the cake. Otherwise, gently use hands to cover sides with rainbow sprinkles as shown in photo.

This post is for Alicia’s (A Beautiful Mess) Tasty Tuesdays. Be sure to go check out what some real cooks are up to.

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Making Memories

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