Sep 22, 2014

#fortiis40

So, it happened.  40... the big 4-0.  It came and went.  It was a whirlwind of activity that has sadly died down... and I'm left with my thoughts.

Over the past 2 weeks, I flew to the West Coast, visited 4 cities, saw my BFFs from college and Disney, made new ones, and witnessed the wedding of 2 amazing men. I flew home, hugged my babies, resumed mom duties, was surprised by my sissies and 2 more Disney BFFs, got a lap dance from a drag queen, and then was surprised again by my hubby and sissies with an amazing "This is Your Life" party... and now, it is Monday.  Monday.  The excitement is over and I'm still 40.  I've been so busy I haven't quite grasped it.

As the birthday was approaching I started looking back and, at first, all I could see was negative.  I recall numerous times wanting to write this blog post yelling at my 20 and 30 year old self for all the things that went wrong.  It was the biggest form of self-deprecation from someone who prides herself on staying positive.  Was this 40?  Was I turning into negative nellie? 

Questions popped up such as:  Why did you settle in your 20's?  Why didn't you make more money in your 30's?  Why did you make so many poor choices?  But then, I walked through the door to my parent's house, the house I grew up in and left in my 20's, to a party that was all about my life.  My sister's had set up stations that focused on the highest points in my life.  I was so overwhelmed by the people and the day, it didn't hit me... until today.  Monday.

All the negative washed away as I looked over the stations - the photos, the moments, the friends and family.  Sure there were crap moments in my life - we all have them.  But to quote a great movie "I crawled through a river of shit and came out smelling clean on the other side".  I am 40 and here is what I want to tell my 20 and 30-year-old self:

Jenn, in your 20's when others we sticking around the hometown, you traveled to 12 countries and came back worldly, excited and with the knowledge there is more out there in the world.  When others were graduating and getting "real" jobs or married, you packed up a U-haul, your BFF and your car and moved to Nashville with nothing.  You survived, you soaked in new experiences and you made it on your own.  When your "real" job wasn't the dream job, you followed your dream to work for Disney and while I know you wished you had done more there, look at the friends you have made - they are everywhere and they will always be there.  When you left to find your fairytale, you learned you can't make everything perfect, but you did make 2 perfect boys.

Jenn, in your 30's when your life was crashing into a thousand pieces you finally realized how to ask for help.  You also found strength, independence, maturity.  You surprised yourself (and I know you are still surprised).  You leaned on others - some stayed, some didn't.  When you started to "give up" on fairytales, you decided to open another book and read it through different eyes.  When you thought family was just made through bloodlines, you realized that family is all around you.  Family is everything.  Family is those who throw you a party that make you see all the positives.

So Jenn, you are 40 - what will these years bring?

This will be the decade where I stop making time for negative.  Where I focus on what I do have, rather than what I don't.  Where I will choose sitting on the sidelines of games over sitting at bars.  Where I travel more - and bring the kids.  Where I realize I'm not perfect and that's ok.  Where I will spend more time with and focus on family and friends no matter how far away they are.  Where I will remind my husband more often of how thankful I am for him turning me around in my 30's.  Where I will watch my boys turn into men... and then watch them walk out our door and into their 20's.

I'm ready, I'm excited, I'm 40 and I'm positive I'm gonna like it!

Apr 21, 2014

Ahoy Pirate!

From a previous blog post you know I love anything nautical... so when a friend asked me to make pirate themed cupcakes for a bridal shower, I was setting sail with excitement!

Not wanting to go too "childish" - I stuck with a blue, gold and cream color palette and used peals and coins for a more bridal look.

Ocean Blue Cupcakes:  Chocolate cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream frosting
Golden Treasure Cupcakes:  Vanilla cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream frosting
Fondant gold coins:  Vanilla fondant stamped with a pirate coin and painted with edible gold
Fondant treasure maps:  Vanilla fondant squares with rolled edges and chocolate treasure map
Edible pearls in blue and white

Straws with printed pirate flags and sayings
  • "ARRR you ready to say I DO?"
  • "Bridal Booty"
  • "Walk the Aisle"
  • "You had me at Ahoy!"



For other fun edible creations, you can check out my Facebook Page

Mar 24, 2014

Smells Like Tween Spirit

Snips and snails,
And puppy dog tails,
That's what little boys are made of...

What does this even mean?  I honestly have no clue.  I also have no clue what makes tween boys tick (I really wish they had let us watch the "boy" movie on adolescence in 5th grade - it may have helped).  The only tween I've known before was my little brother.  Being 7 years older than he, I observed, from a distance, his tween years with curiosity.  Questions came to mind like:  why does he always wear sweatpants with holes in them?  Why is there dirt smeared on his face and he doesn't care?  Shouldn't he shower after his game?  He outgrew this, of course (thank god).   Now, I'm living with a tween 24/7.  This is MY tween.  And I am once again observing him with curiosity - just at a much closer distance.

Since he did get to watch the 5th grade boy movie - pamphlets came home - HUZZAH!  Now I can learn!  And it seems, he actually read/listened particularly well on the topic of personal hygiene.  While I am by no means complaining, this new, heightened sense of aromatic concern has really added to my grocery shopping time.  What used to be a 30 minute shop time has escalated into 1.5 hours.  Why you ask?  This...


This, my friends, is a 1/2 aisle dedicated to men's body wash/shampoo.  Gone are the days of 1 scent of Head & Shoulders.  Now there are 8 different brand names - with 10 different scents.  Scents with names like:  Swagger, Kickstart and Wolfthorn.  What. Are. These. Smells?  Well, just ask my tween...

Oh yes, we smelled every. single. one.  25 minutes of smelling to select the "right" one for the shower.  Head & Shoulders was "lame".  Kickstart smelled "bad".  All of this lead to choosing:


Axe:  Apollo.  Since I associate this name with the movie, I was glad to know it did not smell like what I assumed: rocket fuel, influenza and near death.  At this point, I had reached my limit, as did my olfactory nerves.  $7 for a bottle of this stuff?  Fine.  Shove it in the cart and let's move on.  30 minutes into grocery shopping and this is all I had to show for it:


In the end, 1.5 hours of shopping wasn't bad - we got to bond and laugh over this sensory experience.  And now, every time I hug him I smell his hair, think of that moment and laugh all over again... I love his tween spirit (and smell)!!

Mar 14, 2014

Hunger Games Themed Party (kid version)

6 months from today, I turn 40... so it seems fitting on the day we have Sam's "kid" party (Hunger Games Theme, of course) - I spend the morning getting my hair braided to look like Katniss.  I'm all for themes as much I am all for embarrassing my kids, hence the costume.  Needless to say, I did not embarrass Sam (he thought it was cool) BUT the party theme went just as I thought - awesome! 

Here is what I did to turn Zoink's Fun Factory into The Hunger Games - with the help of my amazing hubbie and sons and Etsy :)

Favor Bags:
Black paper bags filled with...
Bow and Arrow Bracelets: using charms from Bohemian Findings and cord from Supplies Plus - Sam and I put these together in 1 night - the stickers I made and printed using Publisher
District 12 "Coal" Soap: using "coal" soap from Burnt Mill and arrow stickers from Banana Splits Boutique - the tags were again made on Publisher
Training Tattoos: Tattoos from Draw Abiding Citizen and washi tape from Banana Splits Boutique put on cards I made on Publisher
Straw arrows: Straws came from Michaels  and topped with craft paper point and leftover feathers from my wedding.  The tag was made on Publisher

Arrow Bracelets

Favor Bags



Favors
The cake was designed by Sam and I using inspiration from the movies.  Huge thanks to hubbie for once again helping roll out the fondant!


A last minute tablecloth transformation happened this morning.  Thanks to a Dollar Store gold tablecloth and some black craft paint, the party table fit the theme!

  

And if this smile doesn't sum up how he felt about the party, I don't know what does.  The odds were DEFINITELY in our favor!


Don't fret, you get to see the Katniss "costume"

Rock Wall = Reaping (in my opinion - ouch!)

Mar 13, 2014

Storage of my life

My boys do NOT like One Direction.  I couldn't even tell you what they look like, but I do know every time their song "Story of My Life" comes on the radio, it has to be changed.  So, while hubbie installed our stair storage, I came up with lyrics of my own - just to annoy the kiddos (extra awesome parental unit points for me).

This stair storage project was all hubbie's idea - cuz, well, he's a genius in my opinion.  I said (in typical fashion) "I have an idea... let's add shelves to the wall going to the cellar".  He said (in his typical fashion) "I think we should add a faux ceiling, drywall it, add shelves, install a new light fixture, frame out and paint the breaker box, put molding up to cover all the wires and paint the whole thing."  I then said "my ass will be on the couch with a glass of wine, let me know how I can assist from there."

Here you catch a glimpse of the exposed wiring, the before of the breaker box, the ceiling and drywall.  I will point out that I did get off the couch to use the power drill on some screws, so I wasn't THAT lazy.


Pretty breaker box, super cute hubbie



And with that, I have 4 shelves for extra storage!  Look at them fill up!!  My case of seltzer has a home!  It's been empty like this for a week!!  I feel like running to BJ's so I can buy in bulk... but instead, I'll just sing my altered One Direction lyrics:

Written on these walls is the storage that I can't explain
All this space open but it stays right here empty for days

The storage of my life
Is in my home
I drive all night
To fill them more and I'm
Shopping

Mar 10, 2014

WWARD (aka: What Would a Runner Do)?

Ever wonder what your hips and ass would feel like if squeezed into a vice grip for hours?  Me either... until today.  I'm pretty sure it would be close to what I currently feel like after running my first 5K.

This adventure was the result of me thinking of new, fun ways to bond with the boys.  A 5K sounded like a great idea to do with Sam.  One would think after my camping idea years ago (you can catch that adventure here), that I would just stick to "movie night" or "dinner".  No, I go all in and decide to run 3.1 miles.  The catch here:  We. Don't. Run.  Sam at least works out in Kung Fu... the last thing I ran was "out of gas".  But I committed (aka: paid for it AND joined a "team").

No turning back

RACE TRAINING (my way):
3 weeks from race I took a TRX class - you know, to train.  Both boys supported me by telling me I was going to die.  I hugged them and made sure they had my cell in case they had to break this news to Kevin.
2 weeks out I was going to run on a treadmill... but they were all being used that night.  So out of guilt, I did TRX again- and hoped I could run this race with my arms since that was what we worked on.
1 week out I was in the "active" section of TJ Maxx staring at 5,000 options of athletic pants, wondering "what do runners wear?", and convinced myself that a fanny pack seemed logical.
4 days out I was making green tutu's with the "team".
2 days out I was grocery shopping with Sam when he spotted neon orange sneakers and said he needed them (I guess running in high tops he already owns is not an option) and since I clearly have no idea what runners wear, I caved.
1 day out I picked up our race packets (ooh swag!) and then spent the night with friends and wine - which seems to be what "runners do" (if you read this article).  Somewhere around 2am that morning, Kevin nicely forced water and tylenol into my system (good call honey)

Then it was race day...and this people, is what runners wear... in my house at least:

Before the Race

Team Clark-n-Friends

So today, while I waddle around worse than when I was pregnant, I ponder the lessons learned from this adventure...
1.  I did it!  And ran the whole way so, for that, I am proud of myself
2.  Though we didn't "bond" per-say - since Sam was a good 1-2 min ahead of me the whole time - I observed the young man he is becoming.  He didn't "need" me: he ran on his own time, he found his friends along the way, he made new ones, he stood out in his orange (and was proud of it), he finished with a smile and was right there with a hug when I crossed.  So, I guess we did bond, just in a different way.
3.  Running a 5K cures a hangover

And since we are already looking into other 5K/Fun Runs, maybe my crazy, adventurous, mommy/son bonding ideas aren't so crazy after all...

No time for a Frosty people, I'm running!

A cross between a jazz hand and spirit fingers

Leaving mommy in the dust

We finished... and got free water!


Mar 7, 2014

Pickin' for Plaid

Over the weekend, mom and I went to Putnam, CT for some bonding time over antique/thrift shopping.  I arrived with a list.  I left with a vintage plaid jacket, a 1970's floral maxi dress, and nothing from the aforementioned list.  While a wooden ladder and brackets for the kitchen are still eluding me, the winter weather is not... so I'm breaking out the plaid jacket. 



Jacket:  Vintage (from Panache Consignment)
Jeans:  BR Factory
Chambray Shirt:  Old Navy (similar)
Sweater:  Gap Outlet (older)
Necklace:  Ebay (search: statement necklace)

Places to shop in Putnam, CT:
Cafe:  Victoria Station Cafe - adorable, vintage vibe with homemade baked goods.  We both noshed on fresh from the oven scones and drooled over the gynormous cupcakes!
Antiques:  Antiques Marketplace and Jeremiah's Antiques.  Both had amazing inventory but most things were either out of my price range or not on my "list".
Thrift:  Panache was a delightful little consignment shop.  Clean, friendly staff, and quality clothing, shoes and accessories.  Small vintage selection, but clearly that didn't stop me from finding a few things.  Mom left with a faux fur reversible coat to add to her collection!






Mar 5, 2014

Once Upon A Baby

This past November I was fortunate enough to plan and design a baby shower for my Sister-In-Law.  Combining the mom and grandmothers-to-be's love for books and my love for vintage, "Once Upon A Baby" was the shower theme.

It all began with the invitations.  Handmade envelopes from old children's books and a library card style invite set the tone for this gender neutral/ jack-n-jill baby shower!


Tables were set mismatched china from relatives and flea markets and the menu was created with favorite children's stories in mind.

Menu:
Polar Express -  Hot Chocolate Bar
Miss Spider's Tea Party - Tea and Coffee Station
The Giving Tree - Mimosa and Juice Bar
If You Give a Dog a Donut, If You Give a Moose a Muffin & Blueberries for Sal - Pastry Bar
The Hungry Caterpillar - Fruit Salad
Ten Apples Up On Top- Apple Crisp
3 Little Pigs - Bacon and Sausage
Madeline - French Toast
Green Eggs and Ham - Quiche (Spinach and Feta & Ham and Cheese)




Centerpieces were stacks of old books and books covered with craft paper and stamped "Once Upon A Baby" and then topped with milk glass vases and pom pom "flowers". Take away gifts were homemade sugar cookies with nursery rhyme edible paper  (I found those here on Etsy)







Decor was kept simple - using leftover book paper from the envelopes, I created a bunting banner and stenciled on "Once Upon A Baby".  I also strung a clothesline of baby onesies that were then given to each table to create a unique onesie for baby!


Knowing that my sissie loved it and was showered with love made this event one of my absolute favorites!

Mar 4, 2014

Controlled Mess

Remember when I told you we needed more kitchen storage and then that turned into a kitchen renovation? Well, it turns out, we didn't need more storage, we just needed to reorganize and donate items.  But since I hate admitting I'm wrong in moments like these (aka: it would make me sound like a hoarder/disheveled person), I just kept to the new storage concept.  So while hubbie tackles turning our cellar stairway into a mini pantry - keep up the great work honey! - I'm going to share a fun and quick storage DIY project.  Don't fret, his hard work on the pantry will be featured soon.

Project time:  5 min per box.  Unless you are watching an episode of Castle while doing it - it was a good one!

So here are the storage bins I grabbed from my local box store for about $5/each:


Next I grabbed my favorite stencils that I bought at an antique store.  You can find letter stencils at any craft store/aisle - just pick the font you like.  Instead of using paint, I pulled out my handy dandy paint PENS (I love these things)!  No mess and better control (which really should be the tag line for these pens AND our kitchen project).



Then I stenciled on what I wanted the bin to say/hold.  Sky's the limit on this one!  I bet you'll never guess what I put in this bin...


I bought 4 bins to store food items in our snack cabinet.  This is where measuring first would have helped me.  Only the "Chips" and (also creatively named) "Crackers" bin fit on the shelf.  So again, instead of admitting my mistake, I searched for other cluttered cabinets.  I found that we had boxes of oatmeal and pancake mix just hanging willy nilly - I thought they should be friends and I named their box "YUM!" (oh, I'm on a roll now).  Under the sink, cleaning supplies were in a see-through bin - OH THE SHAME!  "Give us a private bin!" they cried, so I obliged with a title that is also a reminder for the kids...



PRO: I've used these bins in different rooms of the house and find they fit a ton of stuff
CON: That "ton of stuff" is now hidden and, therefore, forgotten... and now I sound like a hoarder/disheveled person.  Full circle people, full circle.


Mar 3, 2014

Sailing Away

Recently, we took a glorious 3 day Disney Cruise.  It was magical, exciting and pretty much the last time I was warm.  New England Winter, I am done with you. 

With Spring nearing and Cruise memories still fresh, I'm focusing in on one of my favorite styles, Nautical.  And again this year, Nautical is IN!  Actually, I'm not sure if it ever went "out", I mean, why would it?  Regardless, nautical prints are anchored into my closet (see what I did there) and I am a huge supporter of it never going out of style.  I am also a huge supporter of coordinating family outfits for certain moments/events.  I'm not ashamed of it... I can't say the same for them:


KIDS:  T-shirts = Gap Outlet, shorts = Target
HUBBIE:  Shirt = Under Armor Outlet, shorts = Banana Republic Factory Store
ME:  Hat = Forever 21, Sweater = Banana Republic Factory Store, Skirt = J. Crew Factory
Shoes = Aerosoles via TJ Maxx

Want to add some Nautical into your wardrobe?  These pieces can sail right into your closet and still leave you money for a getaway cruise! (#4 may or may not be in my online shopping cart as I type this).


One:  Gap
Two:  Old Navy
Three:  ModCloth

Still hesitant to jump aboard?  Here are some simple options to add just a touch of nautical style.


Earrings:  Modcloth
Shoes:  Zappos

For more nautical inspiration, check out my Pinterest page!

Feb 28, 2014

Hunger Games Themed Tween Party

In our family, it is tradition to have themed parties - ok, maybe not "tradition" but more of "my obsession".  This obsession is clearly genetic and the lucky offspring winner of this trait - Sam!  At first he would just agree or disagree with the themes, but lately, he's dictated (demanded even) what he wants.  He designs the cakes that I then have to make.  He wants approval on location and decor.  He's bossy... and deep down - I LOVE it.  I love the challenge - even when I want to chuck the cakes out the window.

For 12, he wanted Hunger Games.  Perfect, I thought.  He's 12, Katniss/Peeta are from District 12 - awesome!  While I didn't do a big theme cake for our family party, I did do a themed buffet and cupcakes.  And before you think I got let off the hook on cake, there's a kid party coming up and, as Sam puts it, there will be cake (see, bossy).

Using flea market finds for serving ware, leftover holiday party decor for the mockingjays and my mom's Valentine's roses from dad, the buffet table looked fit for even Effie!

Menu:
Make your own sandwiches and salad
Pita bread and hummus
Tracker Jacker Cupcakes:  Lemon cupcakes with a honey buttercream frosting, drizzled with honey and chocolate
Girl on Fire Cupcakes:  Chocolate cupcakes with raspberry buttercream frosting, sprayed with gold edible paint and gold edible glitter
Apple Cider (for kids) and Hard Apple Cider (for kids over 21)