13 Wonderful Things about 2013

Although 2013 was a rough year for a lot of people close to my family, I will air on the side of optimism and say that there was a lot to cherish and enjoy.  So often, people take for granted all the beauty around them.  Be it the freshly fallen snow (which I am currently enjoying from the comfort of my couch with a warm coffee) or the first bud of spring, whether we are splashing in the pool, or sipping lattes in the crisp fall air, there is always something to be grateful for in life.  My favorite 13 moments in 2013 go as follows:

1. A Traintastic 2 Year Old Birthday Bash
We kicked off 2013 with our friends and family boarding W's Party train.  Between the train cake, the electric train, the cardboard train for kids to color and play in, and train inspired party favors it was a Choo Choo extravaganza.  It was such a treat to have so many people come and celebrate the Little Man.

2. Playing In The Snow
As it turns out, I was much less of a pansy about the cold at the beginning of the year.  Maybe it had something to do with it being the first time W could play in the snow, or had the desire to be in the snow.  He is still a maniac about snow.  Shoveling, throwing snowballs, jumping about in the snow does not seem to get old for him.  The novelty of the first snow ball and the first pair of snow boots has worn off for me, but I still love the look on his face every time he walks through the door, as my own personal snowman, beaming with pride because he helped paved a path.

3. Disney On Ice
Disney on Ice was an experience in itself.  W was so unbelievably excited from the moment we got dressed till we made it back home.   He was actually jumping with joy when the lights dimmed and the music of the first song started.  This outing will always be special because it was a treat from my Grandma.

4. W Pushing GG Around In Her Wheelchair
Any time we would go visit G in the nursing home, the first thing W would want to do was push the wheelchair.  One night he pushed her all the way to the dining hall.  He was so proud to be able to help GG and she smiled a truly genuine smile for the first time in a long time.

5. Making Pizza With The Kids
Throughout the year watching my cousins kids, I would try to find different things to keeps us busy.  One of my favorite activities was the day we made pizza.  It was nothing but giggles and cooperation and best of all we got to eat the end result.

6. Hanging Out With My Second Leading Lady, C
Although it was not always under the best circumstances, I cherished every time Rachel needed someone to hang out with C.  That little lady is so wonderful and she never ceases to make me smile.  Whether we were rocking to the fresh beats, making cookies, coloring, or cheers-ing our ice cream sundaes (shh.. our secret) we always had a blast.

7. W's Hand prints In My Mother's Day Card
I will admit it, I got a little teary eyed when W held up my card and there on the inside were his little hands.

8. W And C's First Slumber Party
Even though it was not the first time these two slept under the same roof, it was the first time we made a party out of it, equipped with fort, popcorn, movie, and late night ice cream.  The excitement level was similar to when Rachel and I find out we are going to have a slumber party and the kids go to bed early enough for it to happen.

9. Feeding The Ducks With Our Ciocia Jenny
Ciocia Jenny had a brilliant idea the day she asked us to go feed the ducks with her.  It became a favorite pass time all summer.

10. Spending The Weekend Downtown With My Mom
It was such a treat to have a little weekend away and stroll through the city.  We visited so many museums, spent a significant amount of time by the lake, and eating deep dish pizza daily was not to shabby either.

11. A Day Out With Thomas
W's Thomas obsession grew and grew over the course of the year, but what really cemented it was when we got to ride on Thomas himself.  It was such a neat experience and the junior engineer has been a Thomas fanatic ever since.

12. Being Baby Dominick Godmother
It is such an honor to be a part of a child's life, but I felt so blessed to be asked to be Dominick's Godmother.

13. DISNEY
Each and every moment.  It is hard to pick just one.

There are so many other wonderful things that happened in 2013, such as pool parties with friends, movie dates, ladies nights, awesome sayings, and amazing people.  My little year in review has helped me to remember all the good times shared with wonderful people.  I hope this New Year's Eve finds you in good spirits and good company!  BE SAFE, and have a lovely new year!

Merry Christmas!

I woke before the sun this morning.  Not from joy or anticipation, but mostly because I was so exhausted I fell asleep in W's rocking chair last night and woke up at 5 AM with a stiff back.  As I walked downstairs to pour a cup of coffee, I took a moment to take it all in.  The lights from the tree, the stillness of the house, and the realization that Santa still had a lot of work to do.

I think Christmas was more magical when I did not have to create the magic myself, but it is wonderful just the same.

In a time where the Christmas season is so driven by sales and "I want... I want..." it was nice to try and give back a little.  Will hand picked some of his own toys to donate and also bought presents for toys for tots.  Do not get me wrong, he still spent all season telling anyone that would listen that he wanted trains!  Engines, tracks, tunnels, bridges, you name it, he asked for it and probably provided a visual.  But standing in front of the glistening lights from the tree this morning as I laid out packages donned with bows, I could not help but think of all the true blessing in our life. 

Like this guy!

So this season, I just want to thank you all - family and friends - for being a part of our lives!  From our home to yours, Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year!

A little sneak peek into our Christmas Eve!

Polka Dot Cake... Nailed it.

Once upon a time on Pinterest, there was a polka dot cake.  There were numerous tutorials and many different versions.  But it sparked my interest.  Every time I came across a version of this cake, I could not help but think how adorable it would make for a gender reveal party or a baby shower where the sex of the baby is unknown.  After consulting some friends and rereading a handful of blogs, I realized no one really had a handle on this polka dot cake, so I might as well give it a go myself.

It all started out simple enough, two boxes of cake batter, two bowls, and a little red 40.  (Because what is an adorable cake without some potentially toxic -depending on what blogs you read- food dye.)

The blue dye, as it turned out, was more of a dark turquoise, which was not what I was going for.  I was able to lighten it, but I was hoping for a much more distinct pink and blue.

One tip that I did decide would be beneficial was using cake pop pans to make the polka dots.  Since I just needed a way to partially cook, what would be the polka dots, because they would be recooked in the final cake, I was not worried about rolling the cake pops by hand to incorporate frosting.

I was able to find cake pop pans at target on clearance, but in all honesty, I would have bought them regardless of price, because by this point in my mission I was not turning back.  

It was a happy coincidence that the cake pop pans were red and blue.

I used an ice cream scoop to portion out my pink and blue dots and then followed the baking instructions that came with the cake pop pans.  I under-cooked them by about 7 minutes.  I was so excited that I forgot to grease one half of the tins, but they came out alright anyway.  I would say that they all needed more batter, I was nervous about overfilling them, but some came out with one side that was more cone shaped. (I tried to reshape a few, and discarded the ones that were clearly not round balls.)  I put the polka dots in the freezer over night so that they would not over bake when baking them in the second cake.

Even with having to get rid of a few, I still had more than enough to create my desired effect.  (If you look closely, you may notice that one half of the polka dot is larger than the other.  It worked out just fine, but this was the result of not enough batter.)

Next time I would use 3 boxes of cake mix to have more cake to cover the polka dots.  It was a close call to get them all covered.  I did not level out the pans for risk of unveiling some of the polka dots.

All in all, everything was a success as far as baking went.  I could even see a little of the color peeking out.

This was my first tiered cake, and I did not really have a plan for frosting them.  So after letting them cool, I slathered on some frosting and pretty much hoped for the best.  

The fun thing about making this cake is that you have no idea if it really turned out until you cut into it in front of all your friends.  In my case, IT WORKED!

  
This was a much more time consuming project than I had realized.  I originally had planned to do it all in one day, but I think it is better to make it a two day project allowing the polka dots to freeze over night and allowing them to thaw for about a half hour before baking them in the cake.  If you have plenty of spare time, feel free to make a trial run cake.  Let me know what adjustments you make and any tips you come up with.  Next up, stained glass cake... this may be a project for the new year.  

A few more favorite pictures from Disney

First Day at the Magic Kingdom

Recreating a little Pintrest Photography

Loving the Carousel 

Morning at the Beach

Awestruck Watching the Characters from Disney Jr.

Enjoying the View, Thanks Grandpa

Teacups are not just for Mad Hatters Anymore

Minnie Love

Family Fun at Epcot

Mickey's Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom

Little Boy Wonder

"Everybody wants to be a cat"

Making Memories

Tree of Life at the Animal Kingdom

Smooch

The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers