Picnic

A Holiday Tea

As you can see, I'm playing catch-up this week here on Picnic.  My excuse... one of my little guys broke out in hives and a double ear infection Christmas Day making my relaxing holiday... well, not so relaxing.  So although my blogging intentions were good, I have not found a good time to sit down and share some of my holiday highlights until now.

A mother-daughter tea was decided on among myself and 3 of my close girlfriends to celebrate the upcoming holidays.  Bijou was delighted that I had come up with a good alternative to taking her to the San Francisco Nutcracker.  I had taken her last year and she desparately wanted to go again but I told her that I needed a year off to recuperate from last year's experience which involved a few threats and a lot of whining.

The girls enjoyed their tea sandwiches and scones and we indulged in champagne and some traditional English fare.

Bijou had good manners (for the most part) and has earned the opportunity to see the Nutcracker in 2012. 

Yummies from Crown & Crumpet.

Bijou's Cookie Party

This post is a bit belated, but as I like to say, "better late than never!"

I'm couldn't be happier that my little 6-year-old has caught my entertaining bug.  When she asked if she could have a holiday party with her friends this year, I knew I couldn't say "no" even though our calendar was filling up quickly and I wasn't exactly in a good position to take on any more.

We decided on a cookie decorating party and found the perfect Evite invitation with the details scrolled out onto a recipe card.

My Mom was kind enough to mix, roll and bake the cookies for me during her weekly visit.

The kids got to work, frosting and sprinkling the cookies and licking their fingers, of course.

Photo Booth

I had the pleasure of going to Bijou's school and photographing her and her classmates for a project they were working on for their Grandparents.  I bought a set of props from this shop, and used the leftover tablecloth from my boys carnival-themed first birthday party for the backdrop. The kids had a great time and the photos made a cute addition to the books they would be giving to their Grandparents.

I plan to reuse it all at my niece's first birthday this weekend.  The photos make for a cute party favor too.

One Pan Wonder- Chicken Puttanesca

Hallelujah...  I've found a recipe my ENTIRE family will eat!  And it truly can be made in 30 minutes like the recipe suggests. It's super easy and is the perfect weeknight dinner.  Just don't forget to wear a pot holder when grabbing the pan handle after it's been in the 450 degree oven.  I need to remember this next time.  Burns on your palm are no fun, trust me.  It was challenging trying to change diapers the next day with one hand.  Especially since my guys are little wiggle worms on the changing table.

Chicken Puttanesca from Sunset Magazine

Apple Picking Adventure

We headed up north to Petaluma a couple of weeks ago to go apple picking.  We picked this beautiful ranch that offered organic apples, farm animals and natural beef.  It was a wonderful Indian summer kind of day and the farm was perfect.  The apples were not the best I've seen but the volunteer farm-hand that took us around and let the kids into the pen to pet the goats and pigs made up for it.

{sweet b}

{me & eero}

We decided to make these Baked Apples with our pickings and they were delicious.

 

Baby Shower Pics... finally.

 
 
 

My co-host, otherwise known as the ladybug fairy. 

 
 
 

  Kangaroo Paw, my favorite.

Things I Love- Handmade Parties

It takes some effort to throw a handmade party, one where you actually hand make the invitations, food, decor and favors.  However, if you simply don't have the time or a crafty bone in your body but you'd like a unique party for your loved one, Etsy is a great place to shop.

Here is a great article to get you started...

  

Upcoming Events in San Francisco

I wanted to share a few upcoming events happening in San Francisco that I plan to attend if I'm not shacked up in the hospital delivering babies.

The Indie-Mart at 17th & Wisconsin on July 18, 12-6pm

The Renegade Craft Fair at Fort Mason on July 31-Aug. 1, 11am to 7pm

SF Street Food Festival on Folsom between 24th and 26th, August 21, 11am to 7pm

Should be fun!

Farmer's Market Flowers

We are off to our cabin in Lake Tahoe this weekend so I will leave you with a few photos of some flowers we picked out at the farmer's market last week.  I will be in touch when we return, with photos from our adventures, of course.

   

Wasara tree-free picnicware

I've been using compostable paper products at my parties for the past couple of years so you can imagine my delight when I saw this beautifully designed line of compostable products by Wasara on Branch Home.

 

Kaku, $9-$12 for a pack of 12

 

Wasara tray, $14 for 8

 

Maru, $9-$12 for 12

 

Coffee cups, $10 for 6

 

Tumblers, $10 for 6