I don’t cook, but I do bake. I like to make cookies and brownies, though I’ve never ventured into the cake territory (except for boxed, but I don’t really think that counts). A co-worker made this lovely ice cream cake for another’s birthday a few weeks ago and I was sold. She shared the recipe with me, and the great thing about this cake is that is can be made completely unique for every birthday!
This was hers (pardon the phone photo)
And this was mine.
Brian picked out his cookie base and topping and his flavors. He chose lady finger vanilla and creme cookies, and triple chocolate peanut butter sundae ice cream, and french vanilla of course. It was so easy though it did need a food processor, but you could probably get by without one and just crush some cookies in a bag “manually”.
I’m no expert at spreading things, so I made the whipped cream flat, and layered some more crushed cookie on top. So it didn’t look as fancy as the recipe photos, but it tasted great. I have orders for the next birthday already!
So was it cheaper than just buying one from the store? Here’s the break down:
I did my cake in a 10-1/2 inch spring form instead of 9 inch like the recipe calls for, so I needed more ice cream. I have a little french vanilla left over, but I used 3 full pints of the chocolate peanut butter (ice cream usually comes in quarts, so I bought 1-1/2 quarts of two flavors of ice cream)
Ice cream was 2 for $6 on sale – $6
$4.50 ice cream sandwiches (there were 12 in the box, and I used about 8-1/2)
$2.50 cookies (this is a guesstimate, they were on sale also)
$1.25 cool whip (on sale for 4 for $5… we didn’t buy 4 though..)
Our total was $14.25, cheaper than the typical $20 ice cream cake. Win!
So far, we’ve had a lovely weekend. Brian took off work on Thursday and Friday, so we had an unheard of 5 day weekend. I guess you might call it a staycation. We spent Thursday seeing the Hangover Part II (which I enjoyed almost as much as the first, even with the same plot line) and then running a few errands but otherwise enjoying each other’s company.
Friday was spent more or less the same, relaxing at home and outside whenever we could. Jameson also spent a few hours at the new daycare where apparently he has decided he is the big kid and can pull off other babies socks. So cute! I wish I had seen it. Apparently he was cracking himself up while doing it and even the teacher commented on his funny catching-his-breath baby giggles.
Saturday after the farmers market we enjoyed a little family cookout for Brian’s birthday at his parents. And along with a few cute moments like this:
Jameson also discovered chewing on his toes! I was pretty excited, because the doctor informed us at his 4 month visit that not all babies play with their feet. But I think it is so adorable!
The dessert I made was also a hit. I’ll be sharing that soon too.
Sunday, I did some photo editing. I try to stay away, but I just can’t. It’s not work, it’s play! I love it. We also went over to the neighbor’s cookout. Jameson was great for a couple hours before he needed another nap. This little guy is sleeping all the time now, maybe a growth spurt? I do think he’s teething though too because he has two little bumps. (Even the daycare ladies agreed with me, so not a false alarm like last time, I think!).
Tomorrow we are having a few friends over ourselves, with JP and Lisa and their son Jonathan. She is currently on a special diet, and since we are both nursing, I found a recipe I clipped out of a Better Homes & Gardens a while ago for a non-alcoholic drink called June Bug. I even found some sorbet that is dairy free for Lisa. Hopefully it turns out good, it sounds very tasty.
I hate for this weekend to end, but I know I have an exciting week ahead at the new job.
Wednesday was my last day working for a national sewing/crafting retail company. There were a lot of things I liked about working there. Namely, (most of 😉 ) the people and the support of crafting in general. I picked up a lot of new hobbies while I was there. Brian said he was glad I wasn’t going to come home with any more crafting stuff to pile up in my room to not use. There just isn’t as much time and my priorities have changed, but I still can’t pass up a good scrapbook paper, stickers, or fun beads.
I was there for about 3-1/2 years, which is the longest I’ve been at a job (unless you count my stint as a recovery/stock person/cashier/customer service rep at Big Lots in high school and early college). I will be moving from a big ecommerce team that seemed too small to a smaller ecommerce team, which will probably still seem too small, composed of people I actually used to work with after Big Lots but before the crafting company, when I worked at a toy company. Lost in my job history yet?
I’m going to be the Internet Product Manager, managing product not people (thank goodness). I’ll be focused on marketing to the same types of people I was before: women. I’m just selling clean instead of toys or crafting or sewing… But the great thing is that because its a smaller team, I expect we’ll all have our hands in a bit of everything. Just the way I like it. I anticipate this blog will suffer from a bit of a drop in postings while I get the hang of my new schedule there and at home. I am prepared to work hard and never be bored.
On a different note, this weekend Brian and I plan on keeping busy with Mr. Jameson and Sasha, enjoying several cookouts! If I have time I’ll post some photos early but if not, expect to see some next week. Have a great holiday weekend, everyone!
A short time ago, I wrote about trying out a new place to publish photo books. I purchased a 5″x5″ coil bound book from Paper Coterie which I finally received about a week and a half ago. Initially I was pleased with it. It has a very unique look with the paper they use. It is recycled fiber paper, and it is pretty stiff. It makes a nice matte look to the photos.
front of photobooknice frosted plastic covereasy 2 page spreadlovely recycled fiber paper
However, after having it a couple days and having the uniqueness of it wear off, I am quite sure I wouldn’t pay full price for these books. Remember, I only paid for shipping, so this was definitely worth the trial run. For one, you can see where the cuts have been made on the paper at the top, they’re a touch frayed. For another, I have ink speckles throughout my pages, which lends itself to a classic, old fashioned look but not my cup of tea, so to speak.
not so nice cutting... this is also a good close up of the paper quality thoughanother look at the poor cutting on topthe cutting on the bottom of the book is perfectodd speckle on Jameson's poor foreheadraw edge of elastic showing on the back (ignore my dust speckles, the back cover is nice quality plastic)
Remember, I purchased two of the same photobook. My second photobook had similar defects. In the second photobook, the frayed edges were on the side and a little less noticeable. The clasp of the elastic in the back was much nicer too – the raw edge did not show. Speckles were there, but not on Jameson’s forehead 🙂 The difference in quality is significant enough though that I wonder if one of my photobooks came from a poor run? Regardless, inconsistent quality is not a good sign.
I would like to add that their use of facebook is entertaining and clever. Their motto is capturing moments, and their photos are cute. Customer service seems wonderful. Definitely unique and easy to use. I would keep them in mind for their other products, the calendars and growth charts, which would be absolutely stunning in this style paper, but not quite up to my standards for photo books.
For the man who has everything, you hope that something breaks before his birthday.
I think gift giving is particularly hard for me. Because the problem with Brianand my dad all men is that they always buy what they want right before their birthday or holiday! I got lucky this year in that our old George Foreman broke down leaving a convenient void in our household appliances, easily remedied with a birthday gift this year, idea courtesy of my mom. So I bought Brian a Griddler.
Okay okay, for anyone really thinking about this, you know that the last thing you need in the summer is an indoor grill. Fair enough, but as a bonus, I even bought some waffle plates for him for me. See, we have this old waffle iron from my grandma’s that makes the most amazing waffles. However, it happens to be a fire/ electric shock/ baby hazard. So I’m hoping these new waffle plates will be a perfect replacement, because I love waffles five times more than I love pancakes.
Jameson of course needed to get him a little something as well. Because bucko bucks have already been spent, Jameson didn’t want to go overboard and purchased him a little something that they can play in together (sort of…haha) in a month or two when Jameson is sitting up.
Now, the best gifts I ever gave have always been homemade, but don’t worry, there’s Father’s Day coming up for a bit of crafty fun (inspiration courtesy pinterest). Sorry dear readers but I can’t share until complete.
For a while now I’ve been telling everyone that I can’t wait for Jameson to sit on his own so I can plop him in the grass and take lots of photos. I’ve been dying to take cute grass photos.
Well, we finally did put him in the grass even though he can’t sit on his own. The neighbors stopped by on Sunday and we had a classy impromptu photo shoot.
However, Jameson did not have the grinning, excited face I was hoping for… in fact, I think he was a little concerned about the grass… most of our pictures turned out with a concentrating face, concerned face, or crying. I deleted those last ones, haha.
Oh well. We’ll try again soon.
By the way, his onesie says “Peapod v 1.0 just out of beta”. We are nerds, after all. My friend Emma had it custom made for us when Jameson was born, and he finally fits in it. So cute!
I was thinking, I am not sure whether its the act of eating (sitting down at a meal, chatting with friends), or if it’s the food I love. But seriously, food is one of my favorite things. I can never turn down a meal out, and those who know me know that I am always game for doing just about anything that involves food.
Ironically, I don’t often make food myself… Brian’s birthday is tomorrow (he’s turning the big 3-2), and I don’t have any meal planned. Usually I manage about 5 meals a year, usually special occasions (NOTE: I do bake more than that. Cookies are my specialty). Birthdays would be one time I usually make dinner, but with everything that’s been going on that particular plan has fallen by the wayside. Sorry hun. I do however have some quick and easy things saved in my pinterest I could perhaps try this weekend though… we’ll just make it a week-long birthday!
But this whole eating thing has me concerned about stopping breastfeeding. I am a believer in the “breastfeeding diet”. I mean, I can pretty much eat anything. I am not losing weight anymore, but I’m not really gaining either. I’ve been hovering in the same 5 pound range for the past two to three months. All while eating super unhealthy. Really. I have had enormous grilled cheese sandwiches (both Brian-made and restaurant-made), cheesecake, fried macaroni and cheese balls… (seems to be a theme there…). I really like this right now.
Brian-made: 16 types of cheese!
All the more because I had gestational diabetes (all diet controlled) and I think I’m still not over it. I swear, I went carb crazy after Jameson was born. I had no idea before all that went down that I had to watch CARBS. I thought diabetes was all about SUGAR. It is, of course, because carbs are converted into “sugar”. I had to go to a nutritionist who set me straight and keeping to that diet was very difficult for me. Anyway, since then, any thought of a diet went out the window. I am not supposed to be dieting while nursing anyway, but I know there’s probably articles out there about how I should be eating better because that all gets transferred into my milk… In that case, I know I’m just passing down my love for cheese to Jameson.
Before Jameson, Brian and I tried various diets. The one that actually worked best for me was calorie counting. Reporting it to a website made me more accountable. That was also a time when I was able to go home for lunch everyday because I lived so close to work. It’s a lot harder when things aren’t convenient. Does that make me lazy? Brian also tried the Atkins a couple times (pseudo healthy version with lots of turkey, chicken, pork rather than beef). Atkins worked for him really well the first time, not as well the second… so where to from here? Luckily, this is a good time, because summer is approaching, which means more activity in general and
The farmers market that we go to is opening up this weekend! This is my favorite time of year. I adore fresh vegetables (and I am pretty sure that I can eat as much of those that I want), and I’m planning on buying extra now to make some baby food for Jameson. So far, he has had oatmeal, brown rice, peaches, squash, and carrots (all pre packaged, not homemade). I finally purchased my baby food equipment yesterday (we already own a food processor, so I just needed a convenient freezing tray), so in the next week or two if the farmers market has some early vegetables we will be attempting to make Jameson’s first homemade baby food.
So many things to look forward to, and food is just one of them.
I love the Baby Smell. The milk smell. I have heard that if you formula feed your baby, they don’t have that lovely sweet baby smell. Is that true? If so, then that may be one more reason I will attempt to continue to nurse/pump for Jameson.
I think Brian thinks I’m a little nuts, because I love it all, I even love the baby spit up smell. Yes.
Other things I love about Mr. Jameson right now:
He is starting to reach for us. When he sees dad after work his arms go out and he smiles with excitement.
He is always happy when he wakes up, even if he’s still tired.
He talks to himself in his crib sometimes, or at his mobile. It is a nice thing to wake up to over the monitor.
He likes to take his legs and pound them both down at the same time. Over and over in his bed or on the changing table. And he grabs his feet too.
His baby giggles! So funny since he sounds like he’s catching his breath.
His pucker face when he tries new foods like peaches or squash. Combining them with oatmeal or rice seemed to go over better than alone, haha.
He’s getting so big!
Things I don’t love about Mr. Jameson right now:
He’s pulling hair, earrings, necklaces. I know it’s not on purpose. My hair goes in a ponytail when I come home now.
His poo is less… attractive. If poo is ever attractive.
He never wants to rollover for me. Why is my son not a show off? lol
He seems to sit still for everyone but me. Sitting in mom’s bony lap must not be as comfortable, so I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.
He doesn’t sit up yet. Because I am seriously dying to take pictures of him outside in the grass.
He’s getting so big! That’s right, I love and don’t love it. Where is my small little 5lb newborn gone?
Speaking of love, how about these fabulous Garden of Love forever stamps? I purchased 100 of them. Yes, we did need stamps. And they’re for forever. Plus it’s only $1 to ship. I have finally joined Twitter and so far have made just a few tweets. But I’m stalking my favorites, like Young House Love who shared these lovely stamps the other day.
My favorite non-baby baby item happens to be a little wall decor piece. It has four swinging swallows hanging from a black box. Doesn’t sound attractive? It actually is, and Jameson loved it. He still enjoys it, but now that he notices color he’s been more fascinated with the owl and tree wall decal right next to my nursing glider. But for a long time, that swinging bird piece would keep him from crying whenever he noticed it. He’d just stare forever. It runs on batteries, and is super quiet. It has been running now for about 6 months and one of the birds just finally stopped, needing some replacement batteries which are double AA’s.
So I bought it from one of those places that send you a thousand catalogs and has some fun random giftables. But really, I had a great experience and I’d buy from them again. And as far as I know, Signals is the only place you can get the Swallows Kinetic Wall Art. Bonus: It’s on sale. (Here’s some more about Jameson’s nursery, and the leaves for his mobile are Bazzil from Overstock).
Jameson lately has also been loving the large red plastic cup we use to rinse him off during bath time. Something about that running water that he loves. Makes me tempted to get one of these… last time I looked it wasn’t available via Amazon Prime but it is now. Soooo tempting…
I don’t know if everyone does this, but typically Brian and I communicate via email and Google calendar. Occasionally I have invited him to things so he can also put it on his work calendar, but usually we just stick with our personal calendars which we share with each other. If we just say something about an upcoming event… we typically (I typically) forget about it.
Which I why I depend on that calendar for everything, and get angry at Brian if he forgets something. This time I forgot.
Last night, we intended to go order some furniture. We need new couches for our living/family room (we have just one room, but I don’t think I’d call it a great room, because it’s not very big). Right now we have been using my parents old furniture, which were and are still in pretty great shape but I basically just can’t handle vacuuming Sasha’s dog hair off it anymore (it’s like corduroy style, which just begs for dog hair to get stuck in it, and remember Sasha is like the size of 3 medium dogs or 6 small dogs). Anyway, we went out over the weekend and finally found leather ones we pretty much settled on (this has been a several month process as we are looking for a specific set: leather, reclining, and a loveseat that also rocks or glides) and they went on sale yesterday at La-Z-Boy at 15% off and free shipping/delivery with their Memorial Sale.
Anyway, I forgot I already had plans with my friend Teresa. Oops! Luckily this schedule fail still ended up well, even though I didn’t get to give Brian the final okay. Hopefully he ordered the right ones. Hopefully. Teresa and I still hung out (and yes, she knows I forgot about her 🙁 ) and we went out to eat. Jameson was a perfect angel the whole time, and I ate pretty unhealthy again. But it was so good. I tried these new Macaroni and Cheese bites, which were pretty much fried mac ‘n cheese and had a tomato soup dipping sauce. I’ve got to remember the “breastfeeding diet” isn’t really going to save me from all the fat I’ve been eating…
So in about 2-3 months (that’s only 1/3 the gestation of a baby, which isn’t that long at all, I have to remember), we will have some new couches. I’m already thinking about new pillow covers.
By the way, do you see that free weekend there? That free weekend is for finishing thank you notes from Jameson’s baptism over a month ago. Another fail.
