Spring has SPRUNG

As Cain would say: "OH GUSH!"
Oh my goodness indeed.

I wish we had a yard. I wish we had a yard with direct sunlight. One that was big enough to have a little play area for the kids, a seating section, corner for the grill, AND room for a garden!
I was determined to plant some plants in big giant pots (planters) on my balcony this year, only to be reminded when spring came around, that the balcony is completely shaded. At all times. :(


I looked for plants that grow in the shade, but it's mostly just bushes. Ferns and other plants that remind me of the shrubs you might see along the side of the highway lol Here are some that I did find, however, and I hope to add to my balcony soon!

These are Wax Begonia's, they do well in shade :)

(and planters lol)

These are called Bleeding Hearts, the only nice shade flower I found so far.

My friend Morgan bought her first house late last year, and the previous owners had planted Tulips. What a pleasant surprise! (Although it wasn't really a surprise; she knew about them but just hadn't seen them yet)

Morgan's Tulips :)

I really can't wait for the day that we buy our first home :) I LOVE home improvement and things. Gardening, decorating, upgrading our living space in general. We have big plans to buy a house, nothing too fancy, and then expanding on it; adding rooms, upgrading kitchens and bathrooms, creating an outdoor living space (built in outdoor kitchen) ALL THAT. We both LOVE watching HGTV, and get so excited and inspired.

Frequent trips to Lowe's and our local nurseries are in our future! :)

Read more...

My pregnant girlfriend

I still don't know why I'm so excited.. she lives so far away.
I haven't talked to her in so long, and I miss her.

No, these are not the words of my boyfriend. These are mine. My friend Chellz is having a baby. Her baby girl is due August 13th, and I am so excited!!
She told me in a Facebook message March 10th, and I immediately started packing a box for her. I still have to send the box, but I know she will appreciate it. Some neutral onesies and hats, some sleepers.. Basics, really. (I packed it before I knew baby's gender)
I guess it's mostly diapers that Caira got too big for, too fast, though. My little girl grows so fast, we don't even get to finish the pack of diapers we buy her!! lol
I found Chelly's baby registry yesterday. She's registered at Babies R Us, under her name, Oricela Vazquez, and her fiancee, Brandyn Healer, is listed as co-registrant. Just in case you wanted to get them something hehehe
The page won't load properly, and I can't see the images to the items they want/need, but there is something on there for a dollar. What in the world can you buy at Babies R Us that only costs a dollar???? lmao. Unheard of.
I wish I still lived in Napa. We would have so much fun with play dates and stuff. Even if we didn't have kids. lol. I miss her so much! :(
I want to throw her a baby shower, but she has sisters and cousins (who also live closer).
Hopefully I will be able to go over there not long after Mila is born, to help Chelly around the house.
I stayed with my mom for the majority of my first pregnancy, and a month or so afterward, and it sure was nice to not have to worry about meals, clean laundry and housework!
Wow, it sounds horrible, but I can't wait for my little sister to have a baby! If only I didn't live so far from EVERYONE...

Read more...

Chris' Birthday Cake

So for Chris' birthday, since I don't have an income of my own and didn't want to spend his money on a present for him, I decided to bake him a cake. (He did get some presents and a surprise party, but he wasn't supposed to know about those)

Here is what and how I did it, and the recipes I used!

First off, I baked the cakes. I used Duncan Hines 'cause it was on sale, but any (heavy) cake works. The ones from a box are just so nice and easy! :)
I let them cool for about 5 hours. During this time I fed and played with my babies. :) They may have been cooled earlier, but I had to do this during the day, so I had to work around my normal schedule.. Cool them as long as they need to, basically.

After they had cooled completely, I made some butter cream frosting. Very easy! :)
Here's the recipe I used:

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla extract (I used more, as "too much" vanilla tastes rich and almost chocolaty)
4 cups confectioners sugar (powdered)
2 tbsp milk

1) In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, butter and vanilla. (I used a spoon, as I don't have an electric mixer)
2) Blend in the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition (still using the spoon)
3) Beat in the milk (Here I switched to a whisk)
4) Continue mixing until light and fluffy (This is why I used the whisk) KEEP COVERED UNTIL READY TO DECORATE (It hardens slightly)
Next I made a batch of marshmallow fondant.
I had already made one a few days ago, but thought it wouldn't be enough as I was going to cut out letters with cookie cutters after I covered my 3 cakes with it. Turns out I didn't need the 2nd batch. 1 is enough for 2 cakes, decorating, and play dough for your kids. LOL
I used this recipe:

16 oz mini marshmallows
2 tbsp water
2 lbs powdered sugar

1) Put the marshmallows in a big microwavable bowl
2) Add the water
3) Microwave for 2 minutes, stir with a spatula (I used a silicone bowl scraper) that you greased thoroughly with shortening(!!!) If the marshmallows are not completely melted, microwave for another 20 seconds.
4) Add some powdered sugar, and mix well. (I kept adding until it was a caramel consistency)
5) Cover your work space with powdered sugar, and "pour" the marshmallows onto it. (I dumped 1/4 of the bag on the counter the 2nd time. Worked great!)
6) Knead the marshmallows by folding over to the middle, and keep adding powdered sugar to make the fondant more pliable and less sticky. (I didn't end up using the whole bag, but my hands were completely greased with shortening to keep the marshmallows from sticking to me, which counter acts the powdered sugar)

If the fondant is sticky; add more powdered sugar, if it begins to crack; add some shortening, if it is hard to knead and seems dry; microwave for a few seconds (10-30)

Store Fondant air tight, as it hardens, and microwave for 30 seconds before you start kneading it.

Next I smothered my cakes with butter cream icing, one at a time, and kept them close to (but not in the way of) where I was working with my fondant.
(Didn't take a picture of this :( )

I colored the fondant, this should only be done with GEL coloring. The liquid ones will mess up the consistency and make your fondant sticky and not good for cake decorating, but you don't have to-it's pure white (if you used white marshmallows). I've read that you can flavor them as well, but I didn't, since I was scared it would mess with the consistency, and we don't mind the taste of marshmallows nor powdered sugar.
Online it says to color your fondant by sticking a toothpick into the gel and smearing it on the fondant. Unless you are coloring say, a nose for your bunny, or a little chick, I would not suggest this! I just squeezed the gel onto the fondant, keeping the powdered sugar close, and still working on a powdered sugar surface. If you color the fondant that you will drape the cake with and use the toothpick technique you will be in the kitchen for DAYS.
Then, when it's the color, flavor, texture you like, roll it out with a rolling pin, silicone works best (read: sticks the least) but I used wood which worked fine. Roll it to about 1/4 inch thick. I have no idea how thick that is (LOL) so I just rolled it to where I wouldn't mind it when taking a bite of my fondant covered cake. Make sure your fondant is big enough to cover the top and all sides of your cake, and leave a little room "hanging over" on the counter or plate, whatever you're working on. You can cut excess fondant off, but you can't stick it on and still make it look nice.
Now here comes my input int his, and I highly suggest it as it made it super easy!

Remember where I said keep your ready-to-go (read: covered in butter cream) cake close? Here's why!
Lift one side of your fondant up with your left hand (if your cake is on the left side of your fondant) reach underneath your left arm with your right arm, and slide (pull) the cake underneath the fondant (with your right hand). TADAAAAAA :D
Now smooth the cake (rub it gently) with your hands (if you, like me, don't have a smoother) until it is PERFECT, meaning no bumps, lumps, or other unevenness.

Now cut off the excess fondant and VOILA. You fondanted a cake! lmao

I had a 3 tier cake, every cake a different color fondant, and the letters (and numbers) a diferent color too. Start with fesh fondant (white) or just keep adding color to your pre-colored fondant to get the same hue (I did it that way, so the cake would end up in all different shads of blueish green :) )
Here's Cain helping me! I showed him how to cut out letters in the fondant, using regular cookie cutters, and he caught on quickly! :) Make sure you (or your little one) press down hard enough, 'cause it will rip and you'll end up with an "n" instead of an "m" lol

Oh, and the way I did the "25"? I rolled 2 little balls of fondant, one greenish yellow, the other blue, and stuck them to eachother to make 1 ball. I kneaded it a few times (3-4) then rolled it out with my rolling pin. I didn't want them too well mixed, as I was going for this exact look it turned out to be! :D

Fondant is fun to work with, and easy too! I am a mess with icing, so this is perfect for me, and it looks so elegant (and like it was very hard to do! lol) Give it a try! Even the recipes are easy!!

I didn't have any of the ingredients on hand, so I had to buy EVERYTHING (except a rolling pin and cake pans) and it cost me about $20. Yay for inexpensive but classy cakes that you can put all your blood, sweat and tears (or just love, time and effort) into!

I hope this inspired you all to try it -from scratch!

HAVE FUN!

Read more...

Cain and Caira

I blogged earlier, about the birth of my son, Cain. Caira Dae is my little girl, born in November of 2009. She celebrated her 5 month birthday over the weekend, and it is visible! She is rolling around, talking to everyone she sees, holds her own bottle and getting a lot better at her solid food. She is a big girl; about the size of a baby 2 months older than she is. Cain is only a few inches taller, and they are almost the same weight. No more than 4 pounds between them.

Cain stayed at his Nana's house while Chris and I were in the hospital for her birth. Another c-section so we didn't see him for about a week :(
When Chris picked him up the day after we got home, and he saw his new sister, he was in awe. Awe quickly changed to fear, and for about a month he wanted nothing to do with her. He would not go near her, let alone be propped up next to her for pictures. After the first month and a half, he started warming up to her. Watching her carefully, from a distance, mostly. Caira on the other hand LOVED her brother from the moment she saw him. She followed him around the room with her little baby eyes, studying him, mesmerized, it seemed.
About a month ago, when Caira outgrew her bassinet/crib we put them in Cain's room together. I thought Cain would have problems sleeping and would wake up at night if we would go in there, but it went great! Cain would wake up occasionally, but would just lay there and watch us with "the Baby".
For the last 2 months Cain and Caira have been amazing. They love to play with each other now, and Cain is a really good big brother. When Caira starts to cry, he'll go over to her and try to give her her pacifier (that he used to only take from her in the past. He hasn't had one since his first birthday so he doesn't know what to do with it, but he realizes Caira is fond of it, so it must be special. He used to just carry it around lol). Sometimes I catch him just sitting next to her, gently rocking her bouncy chair, or just looking at her.
Other times they just talk and talk and talk, even laugh and giggle, touch each others face. They are such cuties!!

Read more...

Going back to school!!!

Today I applied to Columbus State Community College. I am now a COUGAR!! LOL
I'm so excited though, going back to school, being a person besides "mama", meeting new people and actually using my brain! Yay! I won't start until Fall quarter, however, as we're planning a vacation to Holland this summer. That too is exciting!
So yeah, I'm 23 now, so I didn't need my parents' info on my financial aid application, and Chris refuses to marry me, so I am an independent and my school will be paid for! (Most likely.)

They have a child care center on campus, so Cain and Caira won't be far, and I can leave them there while I study too, not just during my classes. GREAT! AAAAANND they have financial assistance for the day care, which I am going to look in to. Can't wait!! :D

Oh I can't wait for daddy (Chris) to come home tonight so I can tell him!! :D

Read more...

The miracle of life

On August 26th 2008, my sister enters my hospital room, early in the morning.
I had called her the night before, and said that the ultrasound showed very little blood flow to my unborn baby, and that I had to redo the test in the morning. If it hadn't improved, I would go to the OR the same day. Cain was starting to show more signs of stress too- his heart rate would drop sometimes during echocardiograms and he moved less.

We talk and giggle, watch TV and just wait around until the nurse comes in to take me downstairs to have my ultrasound. This didn't take very long as I had priority because of Cain's health risk.
During the ultrasound we acted silly and giggled some more, this is what we do when we are nervous. I had so many ultrasounds before, I could pretty much read them myself by looking at the screen.
A lot of null flow, that's where the blood doesn't flow at all, basically just pools, really. Cain was slowly suffocating, he had been for over 4 months.

The first time the doctor noticed something was wrong was at 19 weeks gestation. Cain was about 4 weeks too small for his age. This could have several different reasons and therefore mean several different things. One possiblilty was that he had a chromosomal disorder; either Down's syndrome, or another trisomy that makes life outside the womb impossible. To test for these, I would need an amniocentesis. (Where they stick a long needle through your belly and extract some amniotic fluid for testing)
Another explanation for his growth retardation was an infection, which they could determine by a blood test. Of course there was also the possibility that he was just small, but that was very unlikely and we all knew it. My sister happened to be with me at this visit. I about lost it. I was crying uncontrollably and didn't know where to go when they sent me upstairs for the blood test. Good thing my sister was there with a semi cool head! (She is very cool, by the way.)
I sat in the waiting room, crying, for a while before the called me in to withdraw some blood, sharing the space with other people, some young children, who were all scared by my crying. I felt so bad, but on the other hand didn't care about anyone or anything at that moment, I just wanted my boyfriend. (Who was in the States, almost 4000 miles away.)
Slowly but surely, one after the other, the tests came back negative, as I was being monitored very closely. I went in for extensive ultrasound bi weekly, until I got placed on bed rest at the hospital at my 27 weeks gestation check up. Completely unexpected. Most of my family was out of the country for vacation, luckily my sister came to my aid again, when they told me I couldn't leave the hospital and someone had to come bring me my stuff.Now, 8 weeks after I got admitted to the Children's Hospital in Utrecht, The Netherlands, the doctor gave me the verdict. Cain had to be born today. We could not wait any longer, as his chances of being born with brain damage were great now, because of the oxygen deprivation. I had known this day would come for months. They gave me 2-4 weeks when I first got admitted, and said that if he were born today (8 week ago) he may never be able to walk.
I was nervous but excited and CURIOUS at the same time. I had gone on the neonatal tour, where they showed me premature babies in their incubators, and expected me to be scared or surprised. I was neither. I was very unemotional about it all, just looking to get as much information as I could, going about it in a business like manner; getting ready to be the best preemie mom I could be.

I went back up to my room, and decided I wanted to shower before I went in to surgery since I wouldn't be able to for a day or 2 after wards. Time went by, and more of my family members came to the hospital. My mom who was clearly losing it, my little sister (16) who I had talked to on the phone earlier and told that Cain would be born today, and she needed to shower, get dressed, eat something and go to my mom's work at noon. I think she kept pretty cool too, as she packed a lunch for everyone. The little mommy of the group. My brother, who had just come back from his vacation, and looked a little confused by what was all happening.

The nurse came back, it was time for my IV and catheter. YIKES! Both were disastrous!

OK, here we go! My sister was the substitute daddy, as only one person could be in the OR with me. One of the nurses would take pictures of it all, so all she had to do was sit there and hold my hand.

We laughed hysterically, until the surgeon popped up over the divider and yelled that we needed to stop laughing. My belly jiggles like Santa Clause even when I'm not fat..
My only other way to cope was to cry. I had been hoping, wishing, that Chris could make it to Holland before this day. I had envisioned him walking in as a surprise almost every day after our siesta, since he told me every time, that it was gonna take another couple of weeks.

It was so quiet now, and it seemed to take so long. I could feel them pulling and pushing. I started to think something was wrong. Nastasia stood up and peeked over the divider. WOW! She didn't even pass out! It seemed tense in the OR, to me. I was sure something was wrong. Were we too late??? Did he not make it??? "Baby out" They called the time. 2.18 PM. He wasn't crying. Is he OK? I tried to look, but didn't see anything of course. There it was. The tiniest cry in the world. My sister started crying. "Oh Cas! Do you hear that?" I just laid there.
Cain was born. 2.3 lbs. August 26th 2008, 2.18 PM. I was a mommy now.

Read more...