party!

For Jack's party we decided to keep things simple. Barbecue, cake and party games. For some reason I kept thinking about the doughnut game where you tie doughnuts to a clothesline and kids have to try to eat them - without using their hands. There was a whole lot of cheating going on but it was very funny.




We also did pass the parcel with the most enormous parcel (every child gets a prize, though not always the right prize)

and pin the badge on the puppy (ow!)

and a hilarious game where the kids had to let go of blown up balloons and try to get them in a bucket. much harder than you think except for Jack who held onto his balloon as it deflated then dropped it in the bucket!

teddy racers!

It was a pretty successful party even with the birthday boy getting a touch tired and emotional and putting himself to bed at one stage. He also had a teary when someone beat him to the punch blowing out his candles. We relit the candles for take 2 and everyone was happy.

take 1

uh-oh!

take 2 - success


opening presents - so many presents!

Jack's new preschool friends Torah and Tyler

cake!

I made a whole lot of cakes last week. One for daycare, one for preschool and one for Jack's birthday party. Initially Jack wanted a Peppa Pig cake, then it changed to a Lightning MacQueen cake then a Buzz Lightyear cake. I was worried. Thank goodness for ebay. While S was away for work I found myself looking at things called edible cake toppers at midnight. I ordered a Toy Story one and some smaller ones for cupcakes then crossed my fingers that they would arrive in time.
For daycare I made a Cars cake, but I cheated and used small cars to re-enact a race scene from the movie. And cacti made out of white chocolate I tinted green.


For preschool the cake toppers still hadn't arrived (starting to feel nervous) so I made a Fire Engine Cake from the new AWW birthday cake cookbook. It was a big hit though next time I need to put 25 oreo wheels on so every kid gets one. No one seemed to have any food colouring sensitivities which was lucky as there was another birthday cake that day and it was bright green.
That night Diane made a tennis racquet cake for Jack. We were very impressed with her use of a Terry chocolate orange as the ball. Jack stated that he had eaten enough cake and didn't want any. There was a shocked pause until Jack rallied and decided he could fit some in after all.


The edible cake topper turned up the next day so on the day of Jack's party all I had to do was pop it on top of the icing. It looked pretty fab especially with the purple icing (Jack's fav colour).


All the kids clamoured for a bit of Buzz or Woody and it was a big hit. That night though I heard Jack having a little cry. He was sad because we had eaten Buzz and Woody. I told him that I had saved him some of Woody and Buzz for the next day and strangely this made him feel better.

treasure hunt

Jack talks about Mollymook quite often. What's not to love about a beach, lots of fish and chips and quality time with your cousins. One of the things we did (my mum's idea) was to have a treasure hunt on the beach.


While we distracted Jack and Scarlett by popping bluebottles with a plastic spade, Mum snuck off into the dunes to bury the loot. After she gave the signal, we consulted a map and then made towards the treasure - where towards means zigzagged to and fro across the beach with us saying, "ooh I think I see pirate footprints over there!"
Jack and Scarlett and Chelsea dug up the 'treasure chest' and were very excited by their loot. Pirates seem to have gone declasse and moved into less traditional forms of treasure but no one seemed to mind.

Coming to an art gallery near you....

Jack's paintings are really coming along. At the moment he seems to be working on a series called the Mollymook series, inpsired by our chrismas holiday.

mollymook 3

There's lots going on but I think you can see what it is even without my arrows, but then I am biased.

mollymook - the sea

He is also doing a series on tractors including these two which I also think are pretty good.

He painted this just after we got a new seeder (it is that colour too) last year.

And this is a more recent tractor (with eyes!).

Pancake day II

When I posted about pancake day a couple of weeks ago I had the day wrong. I have been accused of making the mistake on purpose so I can eat more pancakes. Sadly this is not true as I need very little reason to eat pancakes or pikelets.
Happily the correct day for pancake day (or shrove Tuesday) this year is also International Women's Day. As I will be again taking pikelets to work I thought I should celebrate both days together.
I am a fan of the ABC series The Librarians. Some of the people I work with are not fans, not because they are insulted but because they think it is not funny enough. I can sort of see what they mean, funny things do go on. For example, we have a customer who brings us gifts and beauty advice. Like using haemorrhoid cream to firm up the skin around your eyes. Last year she also presented some of the staff (the female ones that she likes) with chocolate boobs. So, inspired by her I have made pikelet boobs for morning tea tomorrow. It took some experimentation with shape and nipples but I think I got there.

But why do I keep thinking of Elle?

the tin hare

Last weekend was the Rhythm and Rail Festival in Junee. There were markets, chocolate and licorice festivities and rides on a train called the Tin Hare. There was also a concert called the Wind in the Roundhouse, which we didn't go to for fear of giggling inappropriately. S & Jack were going to go on the Tin Hare on Saturday while I was at work but we all decided to go together on the Sunday. After a very healthful breakfast of croissants and pain au chocolat we boarded the train for our trip to Wagga. The carriage wasn't very crowded so Jack chatted away to our fellow passengers.He also got to go into the engine room and press the horn. The trip back was much more crowded and entertaining in another way. A mother was asking us for parenting advice. We must have looked like we had things soooooooo under control. We did manage to avoid Teddy going out the window.

The Tin Hare at Wagga Station



Pressing the horn