the makings of a Spiderman Birthday party...

This post is way over due and old news by now, but I still wanted to share some fun details (and photos) from Bodhi's 4th Spiderman themed birthday party. This party was greatly anticpated by the birthday boy, and he thoroughly enjoyed his superhero status for the day. It was a Superhero/Princess party, with a specific emphasis on Spiderman. It seemed to be more fun to allow the kids to choose which superhero they'd like to be, and obviously, most girls preferred to dress up as a princess anyhow.

All of the Superheroes and Princesses

 the birthday boy with his chosen cupcake

Vanilla Bean Peppermint Cake  recipe 

Annie's Mac n Cheese & Kleenex boxes wrapped in red paper 

and turned into Spiderman's city buildings

Wonder Woman made an appearance (We love you, Auntie KK!)

Super G painting Superhero arms & Princess faces with 

eco friendly and skin friendly Clementine paints

Iron Man with (2) Princesses

the Thor twins

sweet Baby Girl

Buzz Lightyear & Spiderman take a juicebox break

Double Spideys with Ariel

 

the Spiderman Pelota, not Pinata

(Pelota is the Spanish word for ball)

Garrett and I put our  brains together on this one; thinking it'd be much easier for the kids to kick a ball-shaped paper mache around rather than try to swing a stick at it. This was (4) layers of newpaper mache over a balloon. (1) part flour to (2) parts water for the paste each time; allowing it to dry overnight after each paper mache layer. Finally, Garrett painted it red w/ spray paint, used a black sharpie for web line details and made the classic Spiderman eyes. All his handywork to make it look super "Spidey".

 the Ultimate (cheesy) Spiderman kiss. It had to be done, folks.

Super Hero Training Camp

Lifting the 200 lb. Barbell

Jumping over the red hot lava!

Climbing through the webs

Silly string'n the bad guys

more silly string....

Encouraging the birthday boy to kick the Spiderman Pelota

the candy & favors spilling out...

assessing His loot

Garrett & I took the liberty of dressing up as our personal superheroes;

Garrett as Ray Mears, me as Julia Child.

the guys

the girls

the Making of a Whimsical Owl Birthday Party

I don't usually throw myself so diligently (or creatively) into party decorum preparations, but if ever there were an appropriate time in my life - it must be the 1st birthday of my baby girl! I decided on a whimsical owl birthday party theme. I have been in love with Pottery Barn's whimsical owl/woodland theme since they first introduced it, so it was the obvious choice.

Whimsical Owl invitations, hand made with love. FYI - googly eyes cost more to mail. And yes, that is their official name "googly eyes". 

I always throw myself whole heartedly into the menu planning and food preparation. Eden's party was at lunch time, so we served a meal. The menu consisted of: white turkey chili, fried sausages with bell peppers over rice, pumpkin muffins, chips with homemade salsa, a grape & banana fruit salad and warm apple cider. There was some marveling going on at the white turkey chili, so I will leave you with that recipe for the upcoming chilly winter nights. Marveling, as in, what ingredients classify chili as "white"?

White Chili
In deep pot, brown 1 lb ground turkey meat
Add 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced 
Add 1 tsp each; parsley & garlic
Add 1 can white canelli beans
Add 1.5  cups sweet frozen corn
Add 1 can green chiles
Add 1 box vegetable or chicken broth (i used veggie)
Add 1 bay leaf
Add 1 cup or more of FRESH cilantro, finely chopped stems and all. Don't be afraid of the stems, they have great flavor.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Let it simmer a good 20 minutes or so before eating.

Following are some close-ups of party decor:

Paper towel star art idea found at Wound Up Mom. By the way, this is my amazing cousin Annie's blog and she is full of creative goodness!

Mini pennant banner idea as seen on baby ben's 1st birthday cake at meg + andy; who are sure to inspire anyone with the slightest twinge of craftiness in their being.

    

The "dimensional hanging photo tulle" was Garrett's brillant idea. I used mini rolls of tulle from the craft store, cut three strips the same length, safety pinned them together at the top, and then safety pinned pictures on the vertical strips. I scotch taped them to the ceiling and it held just fine.

I wanted to hang a "curtain" of tulle as the main backdrop and it turned out exactly as I was envisioning. I hole punched the tulle, strung it with satin pink ribbon and gathered it to create the curtain effect. We hung by drilling into our cieling and slip-knotting the satin ribbon around the screws so it was flush to the cieling. And when I say I or we here, I really mean Garrett :-) He really delivered on the whole curtain thing. My only recommendation for anyone who wants to do a similar tulle curtain, would be to use several layers of tulle so it isn't so sheer and see-through. FYI - That was 3 yards of sparkle tulle used for Eden's tulle "curtain"spread across about 6 feet of length.  

the adorable {and delicious}Whimsical Owl cake, made by my talented friend Paula

I saved the best for last, the birthday girl herself with her very own zucchini cake, daloped with organic vanilla yogurt. I have made this recipe several times over as muffins, so Eden was familiar with this food and enjoyed her cake. Familiarity is a baby's friend. Notice her super cute high chair cover, it was made with love by her grandma!

As if this post isn't long enough, below are some picture of Eden....

30th Birthday Tribute

I know a tribute to myself sounds pretty narcissistic, but I can get away with it on my birthday perhaps?
This blogpost is in honor of my 30th Birthday, which happens to be today. The day that Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon - yay for America! The only thing I love more than fine food is traveling & outdoor adventures. So I thought I'd share some pictures of enjoyable adventures in my lifetime thus far. I know there are many, many more grand adventures awaiting me. I plan to find them, don't you worry!
They are in no particular order:

Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida - Spring 1997

(I was a sophomore in high school here!)

Merida Yucatan, Mexico - 2005

(unfortunately we did not ride this scooter; long story.)

Veracruz, Mexico -  2005

Snowshoeing the Continental Divide - Winter 2009

Bodhi in belly at Moab, Utah - Fall 2007

Hotel Del Coronado; San Diego, California 2007

(this was a Babymoon unbeknowst to us!)

2006 Christmas Eve boating adventure! St. Louis, Missouri

The day I felt like a Princess - Summer 2003

Shove Chapel @ Colorado College, Colorado Springs

Baby Bodhi at the Great Sand Dunes, Colorado - Spring 2008

Torrey Pines State Reserve; California - Summer 2010

La Jolla, California - Summer 2011

Backpacking the Wimenuche Wilderness - Fall 2009

NASA Kennedy Space Center, Florida - Summer 2008

(this trip was in celebration of our 5th year of marriage!)

John Deere Pavilion; Moline, Illinois - Fall 2008

Pacific Coast Highway Route 1- breathtaking drive

Monterey, California  - Fall 2008

Las Vegas, Nevada - Fall 2008

Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska - Fall 2008

Montana Countryside 4th of July - 2009

Austin, Texas - Summer 2011

Kayaking in the British Virgin Islands - 2004

Grand Canyon - Spring 2009