Attacked by A Bundt Cake

Let me set the scene.

It is about 8:30 pm last night. Chris and I are watching Juno.

In a word--awesome.

My mind starts wandering towards images of the bundt cake that I made on Sunday.

Said cake is languishing in the garage fridge.

"Hon, can you pause the movie? I want some cake."

I go out to get it and bring it into the kitchen.

Now, I don't have photos for you that document the situation, so you'll have to bear with me and use your imagination.

I had decorated the cake on one of our William's Sonoma dinner plates. I didn't want to cover it with foil when it was time to go in the fridge, because I didn't want to ruin the fabulous frosting job that I had done.

I thought about putting it in my glass cake stand/covered dish combo, but I knew it would be too tall then to fit in the fridge.



Chris just took the glass topper and placed it over the dinner plate and it fit like a charm.

Until it was time to take the topper off.

You see, it turns out that the diameter of the dinner plate EXACTLY MATCHED the inside diameter of the glass cake topper.

Chris tried running warm water over the topper. The plate did not budge.

He tried sticking a knife between the plate and the topper to loosen the plate. The plate did not budge.

He tried gently knocking the plate on the counter to make it come out. The plate did not budge.

Imagine if you will, preggo me, standing by, watching with a combined feeling of "Oh my God I need cake and I need it now" and "Holy crap you are going to break one of my good dinner plates and my gorgeous glass cake topper!"

And imagine, here is the gorgeous, ever-so-moist, sweet cream cheese icing, delectably FABULOUS bundt cake staring out from the glass topper, mocking both of us.

I could just hear it saying "I know I'm beautiful, and tasty. How bad do you want me?"

And the question was, how bad DID we want a slice of that cake.

All of a sudden, Chris left the room and headed to the garage. He came back with this:


I look in horror at the hammer. "Oh my God, you can't use a hammer on my plate!"

He did it anyway. Let me tell you, those essential white dinner plates from William's Sonoma are THICK. After three pops with the hammer on the bottom of the plate, it burst apart and fell out of the topper's grasp.

Chris had cunningly orchestrated his hammer blows to ensure that at least 1/2 of the cake would come out edible.

That is to say--without ceramic shards.

So, I had to say good bye to one of my plates, but in the end, I did get a slice of cake.


Here I am, cutting two pieces, making sure they are shard free, and inspecting which piece has the most icing so I can give it to myself.

We head back to the living room to finish watching Juno and eat our cake.

I place the first bite in my mouth and DANG! I slice the roof of my mouth open! I am gagging and spitting and running to the sink and Chris is FREAKING LAUGHING! I pull a good 1" around piece of plate from my mouth (you know, the shard that is exactly the same color as the icing?)

Just goes to show you. That when SOMEONE does everything in their power to keep you from having your cake, and eating it too, you should LISTEN UP.

You should also be super nice and give the piece with the most icing to your husband.

I am officially off of cake.

A Perfect Weekend

We had a wonderful, snuggly, sleepy, playful weekend.

Slept in on Saturday.
Made the perfect carafe of morning coffee.
Built block towers.
Played with alphabet flashcards.
Walked to get the mail.
Lunch at Jimmy John's Deli.

Saw a gorgeous rainbow.

Saw both ends of it.


Sunday breakfast at the Cracked Egg, our favorite.


Said "hi" to little girls.
Ate their famous coffee cake.
Ate a whole "lil chicks" platter.
Mmmm . . . bacon!


Mmmm . . "Veggy Benny" with spinach, avocado and tomatoes.

Took long afternoon naps.
Sang the alphabet song.
Played with trucks.

Read as many storybooks as possible.
Played with pup-pups.
Played with trains.
Snuggled some more.

Loved each other.

Took a trip to Fresh & Easy.
Had homemade lasagna.
Made a cake.

Ate cake.


Watched movies.
Spent some time walking in Da Da's shoes.

Let's do it all again in five days!

Great Vintage Treasures

I am so lucky to have wonderful parents back in Maine, where I grew up. Since 1993 they have had a little antique shop in Bath, Maine, where they sell lots of great finds. My mom focuses on Victorian smalls, textiles and dolls, and my father sells Civil War-era memorabilia, early American tools and holiday "stuffs" (everything from Victorian Christmas ornaments and garland to Halloween treat containers from the 1920s and bunting from the turn of the century.)

Together, Mom and Dad have been combing Maine for fabulous vintage items since I was a kid. While other children were at home on Saturday mornings watching cartoons and eating Fruit Loops, I was traipsing around flea markets, auctions and estate sales with my parents (and little sister in tow.)

I have decided that I will start to tell my faithful readers a little about growing up as an antique dealer's kid, and all of the amazing experiences that having led such a lifestyle afforded me. I will try to do this once a week in little installments.

In the meantime, I thought I would give you a little sneak peek into the kinds of things that they have on their Ebay site, and in their store. Later, I will tell you more.

* * * *

ENJOY!

1920s silk and crepe art deco shawl

Recknagel bisque & camp girl doll c 1909

Wedgewood blue toile drapes-turn of the century--"Everglaze"

19th century linen and netlace wedding hankie

1900s Hungarian Matyo floral embroidery round

1920s piano girl

19th century Maine friendship/remembrance quilt

* * * * *

Since putting public info on a family blog is pretty much a no, no, I will only share the specifics of my parents' shop with folks that I know. Needless to say though, that if you see anything you like on here, feel free to look the item description up on Ebay. Who knows! You might get a great deal!

My Son

Oh so sweet . . .

Full of mischief . . .

Sleepy and loving . . .

Full of fun . . .

My pride and joy!

Random Thoughts

1. James has two new teeth coming in, on either side of his lower two front teeth. Can you see them? How could you not, with that freakin' HUGE SMILE????!!!


2. I am FREEZING MY PATOOTIE OFF! It must be related to being pregnant. I am usually wearing thick socks, two shirts, warm comfy pants and a sweatshirt at all times. In many cases, if you were to peek in on me, I would actually have the sweatshirt's hood on. This does not bode well for whenever we do move back East. (I can't bring myself to tell my New England friends what the temp is here today). Eh hem . ..68.

3. I have a regular OB check up today to monitor my new little boy or girl's progress. I am hoping to hear the heartbeat for the first time. I am also hoping that my little one is healthy! (Especially because I have given up choking down my four nasty prenatals a day.) I have done some research online and am going to ask the Doc. today about a prenatal vitamin called Primacare, that is supposed to be coated to make swallowing them easier and hopefully (blech) keep them down. Sorry if that's TMI!

4.I am into my second trimester and feeling pretty good. I have not gained a single, stinking pound. That worries me and thrills me at the same time. I am sure the pounds will come piling on later. Eeek!

5. I have been keeping to my goal of getting on the treadmill every other day. So far, so good.

6. Calling all Fresh and Easy fans! A new one is opening up close to our house. YAHOO!! The Grand Opening is today and they are giving away free F&E canvas shopping bags to the first 500 customers that come in. Argh! I am so torn that I can't fit it into my day!

7. Chris has been working really, really, really hard lately. A few days ago he had to work all day and all night. That was a tough one for James and Chris. They both missed each other terribly! It will be so nice for the new baby that Chris will be home every night, unlike when James was a newborn and Chris was out of state Mon.-Fri.

8. There is a Johnny Carino's restaurant open on our side of town. Ever been to one? It is Italian and YUMMY! I have been to a few when I was doing some work in Texas and I am thrilled that they are in the valley now. I am hoping to beg and plead and cajole Chris to take me there tomorrow night. (And we know the manager and he said we could eat for FREE.) YEAH, BABY!!!

9. Damn, Gini! Girl, you are way ahead of me in your Photoshop skills. I am coming after you, though. Don't you worry. And HEY! Did you finish those placemat pillow cases??? Let's see 'em!!

10. Oh yeah--and did I mention how much I love James? And how I am already concerned that he will think that I don't love him as much when the new baby comes? I taught him the word "cheeks" yesterday, and now I chase him around the house saying "I am gonna pinch those cheeks!" while he runs screaming and shrieking and laughing away from me. Does he know how much I really, truly, completely love him? Hope so!

Small Shiny Things

Ok, so I haven't ever dedicated one entire post to another blog. But--I just have to say, that while visiting my favorite blogs today, I happened upon this one:

The Magpie Files

I just love the writer's tone--simple, quiet, and dare I say lovely.

She lives in Cambridge and has 2 children. She doesn't give us her name. She is simply MrsM, her husband is MrM, her son is MasterM and her daughter is MissM. The dog is the only family member whose name is listed--and it is Poppy "Scourge of Postmen". I LOVE that!

My mom calls my son "Master James," and so it makes sense that both she and I wold love the Magpie Files.

The Magpie Files writer loves vintage English-y fabrics, old bone china, and flowers (photos of which I would post for your enjoyment, but you should just head over to her blog instead.)

Enjoy! I do.

A Boy After My Own Heart

I am sure that you all know that I was a horse CRAZY little girl. (And still am). Growing up, I collected all of the Breyer horse models I could get my hands on (and beg my parents for).

Back at home in Maine my collection probably numbers more that 50 horses.

I had Black Beauty:I had Misty of Chincoteague:
When I was even younger I had a bunch of the "My Pretty Pony" ponies, like the one below:

Then, when I was about 10, my parents had trees removed on the back property by hiring a true Maine woodsman and his team of ponies to bring out (known as "twitching" out), the trees.

One of the horses was a dark bay named King, and the other was a paint pony named (you guessed it), Trigger. I was IN LOVE with that stubborn little white black and brown pony. Turns out, Jim, their handler, was ready to retire Trigger, and so lo and behold, Trigger became my very own, REAL pony.

When I was in middle school I got two more horses, Le-Sa, an Appaloosa, and Sonny Boy, a Morgan pony cross. We lost Trigger to colic when I was in high school, and Le-Sa passed away from old age a couple of years ago. Sonny is still at home in Maine. Uh, yeah--you do the math. Horses can live for a long, l o n g time.

Anyway, I only tell you all of that to illustrate how horse crazy I really was. While other kids were going to their local roller rink, I was playing REAL cowboys and indians with my friend Liz (who had her own horse, too.)

Of course I have hoped and hoped that James will love horses, too. So imagine my delight today when he came up to his Daddy and I with a little pony from his Little People barn yard set and said "Neigh! Neigh!"



OMG I almost fell over.

I am going to get him a real live pony just as SOON as I can!

A Few Letters Short of the Entire Alphabet

I bought some little alphabet flashcards for James and he is doing great with them! He will bring me the box and say "Uh!!" because he wants to go through them. (and once isn't enough--we have to do it at least three times.)

Here is a video I took of his progress. (I don't usually go thru them quite so fast, but I was trying to keep the video short for uploading purposes.)

Now, the funny thing about these cards is that they have some pretty obscure animals on them.

If you had to think of an animal that started with the letter "N," what would you come up with?

Perhaps nightingale? Or newt? There really aren't many, until you start venuring into specific kinds of a species, like a "Newfoundland Dog." Anyhow, the animal that starts with "N" in this deck is a "Narwhal."

What? A whale with a Unicorn horn? Uhh . . I consider myself pretty well read and knowledgable on animals, (well, at least I can name every breed in an Animal Planet dog show, and I know most of the obscure baby animals names . . LOL) but a Narwhal?

Ok, how about Q?

I must confess, I am starting to fill a bit stupid. Do you know what a Quetztal is? according to Wikipedia, "Quetzals are strikingly colored birds of the trogon family (Trogonidae) found in tropical regions of the Americas."

Who knew? Not me--and how do I explain that to James? Couldn't we make it a little easier with a "Quail?"

How about X?

Why, "Xolo" of course! Xolo is short for Xoloitzcuintli (a Mexican hairless dog.) Ohhh, right. I knew that.

???!!!

At least on his wooden alphabet blocks they say "X-ray fish."

Next time I do the alphabet with him I will have to get him saying "Hippo." It is the cutest! It just replaced my favorite word he learned, which was "Pips" for "peach." When he sees the H card he immediately says "Pippo."

Love it!!!

Beauty and the Beast

So I took this little quiz that I found on Eva's site over at Mamarazzi. It tells you which Disney character your personality most resembles. I came up as a 97% match with Sleeping Beauty.

That is pretty neat, as Sleeping Beauty is one of my favorite Disney characters! I think that is because when asked if I like to sleep a lot, I put "Totally Agree" (because all of the preggo napping I have been doing lately.)

The only wierd part is that my personality was also a 69% match with the Beast. WHAT??!!

Ahhhhh . . . Love is in the Air

Did I mention yesterday how much I LOVE Valentine's Day?


I love the little Valentine's holder that my friend Brittany made for all of the kids in playgroup. Remember these from grade school? Our teachers always gave us these lunch bags to decorate, and we would tape them to the front of our desks. Then we would race like mad around the room, depositing our Valentine's in the bags. I think I had a crush on this boy David from 5th grade all the way to high school graduation, and I am sure that he got a rockin' Valentine from me every year!


I love getting everything ready to display for Chris and James. I am a big geek, I know. About ten minutes before Chris walked in the door last night, I got a gorgeous shipment of roses from Pro-Flowers. And for those wine afficianados out there, we got our Norman Vineyards wine club shipment yesterday, too! (UPS man, I LOVE you, too! What is better than getting a box from Pro-flowers and a box from Norman Vineyards at the same time??? Dude, you ROCK.)


I love getting vintage cards from my Mom. Lately we get one for Chris and I, one for James, and one from James to me! (Like the one on the right). Ok, so if you don't make handmade cards, Vintage is pretty awesome too!


Here is an artsy-fartsy close-up of one of the roses in the bouquet. Pretty!



Here is a pretty little bunch of strawberry-creme candies from my Mom. She gets them at this place around the corner from her antique store called the Bath Sweet Shoppe. They are to DIE FOR. Funny thing is, they were always my Mom's favorite candy, and I got them for her every Valentine's Day for years as a kid, and now they are my favorite, too!!! (Plus, how could I not love anything that comes from a store that spells "shop" like "shoppe"?) RIGHT??!!!


Here is my little James, showing off the special presents from his Grandma. She has been looking for just the right train conductor's hat for him, and she found it! She also sent him a train whistle and a red neck bandana which he flatly refuses to tolerate. (Must be bad memories from his farmer costume at Halloween.)


Here is a photo of the heart cake that I made for Chris. I will be dedicating a post just to the baking and construction of this cake at a later date. Let's just say that some tears may have fallen into the icing. (Oohh--now you just can't WAIT to read about it later, can you??)

Note to Gini--yes, that is the cookie plate that you gave me for Christmas a few years ago. Turns out I don't have a cake plate large enough to accommodate this 100-lb behometh of devlil's food chocolatey-goodness, (which I will be bringing over to your house today.) Your trainer called and said you weren't eating enough carbs and sugar.


Ahhh, and the last little bit of Valentine's fabulous-ness?? My brand-new, rockin' red Blackberry Pearl phone. Freakin' AWESOME!!! (It joins my red Brain-Age and my red Casio slim camera). What can I say? I have a penchant for red. THANKS BABE!!!

And here is a photo from our trip last year to Smith & Wollensky's, our favorite restaurant on the Strip. We are going there tonight for a combo Anniversary/Valentine's Day dinner. (It is tough having your anniversary on Christmas Eve, it kinda gets lost in all of the Holiday excitement, so we are making up for it tonight). We always get this crazy seafood tower appetizer thingy, some peppercorn-encrusted steaks and a bottle of wine from Martinelli Vineyards, our fave. Isn't the look on Chris' face priceless?

And no, folks, despite what it may look like, we are not rollin' in the dough. Despite the super great phone (I have not had a new phone in two years) and despite the Wine Club delivery (way cheaper as you get a bulk discount) and the fancy-schmancy dinner out, we do try to be scrupulous with our money. Hey, you gotta splurge once a year, right???

Here's hoping your Valentine's Day was just amazing and filled with love. Can't wait 'til next year!