Baking Together

We're getting ready for some birthday celebrating this weekend, so the girls and I baked their birthday cakes today. Usually, I like to make the cake a surprise, but this year the girls both wanted rainbow cakes, and since that wasn't a surprise I thought they'd like to play with the food coloring with me.

We'll celebrate both birthdays together this year, so we're making two cakes. L is having a true rainbow, and J chose a pink value scale. This was a fun follow up on the recent color wheel lesson we did. I think they'll both be beautiful!

We used one cake mix (yes, friends, a mix!) and baked 12 little cakes in washed tuna and pineapple cans. I put a 1/4 cup of batter in 12 little bowls and we added food coloring, then baked them 4 at a time (because we couldn't eat 12 cans of tuna on such short notice).

After baking, I sliced off the rounded tops with a bit of thread so they will stack more neatly, and the girls and I ate the little cut off pieces. I will decorate and assemble them later so that there is at least a little surprise - but I'm glad we did this part together.

The girls and I thought that even the mess we made was beautiful. It's nice to have something to celebrate when there has been so much sadness in the news and from friends lately. In the picture below they each just happen to be wearing their favorite colors, which nicely match the cakes we made. I can't believe how quickly they grow, and how precious and beautiful they are! 

Kathreen

My dear friends, I'm heartbroken this morning having read the sad news about Kathreen Ricketson and her family while on their family road trip. Kathreen has been an immense source of support and encouragement and connection to me throughout my years of blogging and sewing, as I'm sure she was to so many. I worked with Kathreen on Kid's Crafternoon Sewing and a few guest blogs at WhipUp, but mostly she kept me searching for greater and more beautiful ways to integrate craft and family and life. Kathreen's work focused onbuilding community, which is amazing and generous and oh-so-needed today.

Here's a lovely interview she gave after founding WhipUp.

Stay informed at WhipUp to contribute to a fund for their children.

Flip Dolls & Other Toys that Zip, Stack, Hide, Grab, and Go

I have to say, publishing a book feels very surreal. I always feel a little goofy telling people I wrote a book - because, really? Did I do that?

Most of my contact with my editor Thom at Lark Crafts  has been by email, with a few phone calls and letters - but never in person. So, occasionally, I've wondered if I'm really like the guy in A Beautiful Mind: anxiously working on projects I can't show anyone, spending hours writing and editing, and mailing away my work in large cardboard boxes; only to one day discover that I've really been corresponding with spammers and all of my plush toys have been stuffed into a hollow log in the woods.

But then yesterday, the UPS man, who seemed to be quite real, delivered an advanced copy of the book, right to my door. And then I saw that Flip Dolls & Other Toys is available on Amazon for pre-order already! And let me tell you, its slick and beautiful, with gorgeous photos and bright colors, and a layout that makes me giddy.

Don't worry, you'll hear more about it soon. It will be officially released in August, and I can't wait to show you all the fun projects in the book!

Egg Drop Soup

It turns out everyone in our house loves Egg Drop Soup, and it's super quick to make. John and I are always up for a good soup recipe, but the girls are a little hit and miss - so I was thrilled that both kids gobbled this up. Here's my recipe:

• 5 cups chicken stock
• 1-2 TBSPs soy sauce 
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 cups dried egg noodles
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
• 1 TBSP tahini (or 1 tsp Asian Sesame oil)

Bring stock, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. My chicken stock is unsalted, so I used 2 TBSPs soy sauce, but you may want to use less. Stir in the egg noodles and simmer, until tender. Add the beaten eggs slowly, stirring constantly. Let simmer until the eggs are cooked. Remove from the pot from the heat, and stir in the green onions and tahini. Salt to taste. 

I used tahini in place of asian sesame oil, because I always have tahini - and it adds great flavor! The soup was done in 30 minutes, maybe, so definitely going to add this to the rotation.