Author Archives: Mindy Long / @mindywrites

Creating: The Perfect Party

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I have never thrown the perfect party. I usually end up forgetting to serve at least one dish or running out of time to create all the little details I love so much. But, my friend Sarah on the other hand, does throw the best parties. She creates the cutest little things and launched her own party planning business, Sheek Shindigs. I’m lucky enough to get invited to some of her events.

Hopefully she’ll keep inviting me. I showed up an hour late to the last party she threw. The worst part was I thought I was walking in right on time, which I would have been if the party started at eleven. But it didn’t. It started at ten. It was on the eleventh. That means I spent the next hour feeling foolish. I hate being late. I really hate it. I think it comes from earning a living meeting deadlines.

Anyway, back to creating the perfect party. Take a look at Sarah’s blog for some great party ideas. She shares her own ideas and some of the best ones she finds online. I took the picture above at her Easter party. I was on time for that one! I am going to hire her the next time I throw a party. This week Sarah is giving away an adorable ceramic cupcake, so be sure to enter. I say that, but secretly I am hoping I win, because it is a really cute cupcake!

Oh—and, I do feel like I need to add that the week when I showed up late for Sarah’s popsicle party was a very hectic one at our house as my hubby and baby girl both had surgery within a few days of each other. I don’t want you to think I’m a complete flake!

 

Creating: Apple Puff Pancakes

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Apple Puff Pancakes are easy, good and will definitely get you in the mood for fall. Our fresh apples made it even better.   

 



The Pancake

1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 Tablespoon melted butter

Mix ingredients until smooth. Pour into a greased 8-inch square pan and bake at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.

The Apples

Two cups chopped tart apples
1/2 cup apple juice
1/8 cup sugar
1 tea. cinnamon

Combine in sauce pan and simmer for 15-20 minutes until tender and syrupy. 

Cut the pancake in fourths and serve with the apples. 

What is your favorite way to use a bounty of apples? 

Reading: Goodnight Nobody

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I should have been reading any one of the many baby sleep books that are lining my shelves, but instead, I treated myself to Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner and I am so glad I did! I love when I come across just the right book for where I’m at in my life right now.

I know I would have liked this book even if I had read it when it first came out in 2005. But that was back before I had kids. Before I experienced walking onto a new playground and learning that some mommy circles feel like high school all over again. Before I schlepped through my neighborhood hanging reward posters when my little guy lost his special bear. Before I cried real tears of joy when I finally found that ratty old bear. Before I became the type of person, like the main character in the novel, that would hand over everything I own except my child’s lovey if I were mugged. Now that I am knee-deep in mommyhood and living in the suburbs, I appreciate the main character in Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner so much more than I would have before my own many readings of Goodnight Moon. 

In addition to all the little mommy-isms I could relate to, I liked the plot and the humor. A quick run down of the book from the back cover: "When a fellow mother is murdered, Kate finds that the unsolved mystery is the most exciting thing to happen in Upchurch, Connecticut, since her neighbors broke ground for a guesthouse and cracked their septic tank. Even though the local police chief warns her that crime-fighting’s a job best left to the professionals, Kate launches an unofficial investigation — from 8:45 to 11:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, when her kids are in nursery school."

Now, let me add that I always worry just a little bit when I share that I loved a book. I get visions of folks I know reading it and then thinking I have really bad taste. But, I will say it again—I did love this read. I also like Weiner’s blog: http://jenniferweiner.blogspot.com/. I can’t wait to read her latest novel, Fly Away Home. But first I need to finish some of those books that promise to teach me how to get my kiddos to sleep. 

 

Living: One Big Blur

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This week may go down as one of the busiest we’ve had in a long time! Here are the highlights (that I can remember–at least):
 
One popsicle party hosted by my friend Sarah. 
One well-child two-month check up.
Two surgeries (my hubby said goodbye to two large kidney stones and my baby girl’s hemangioma got zapped).
One dentist appointment.
An oil change.
One story submitted.
People watching in Times Square.
One corned beef and pastrami on rye and a slice of cheesecake at Carnegie Deli. 
More loads of laundry than I can remember. 
Twenty one late-night feedings for baby girl, which also means 21 late-night diaper changes.
 
Whew! Time to do the dishes and get to bed! 

Against My Better Judgement

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I distrust wildlife. I like to keep a safe distance between myself and any wild animal—and by wild I mean anything other than a domesticated cat or dog that belongs to someone I know and trust. But, I was won over by the little chipmunks on my parents’ property during my Utah vacation. My dad has been feeding them for years and finally has them eating peanuts out of his hand.

After some encouragement from my dad, I gave it a try.

And, we even let the kiddos feed the furry creatures (my niece’s little ones are on the left—my little guy is on the right).

 

Guess what? We all lived and no one had to get a rabies shot—if a rabies shot is what you’d get if you were bitten by a chipmunk. The little things were actually kind of cute. Right up until they stole my little guy’s shoe, chewed some holes in it and left it out in the great wide open. But that’s another story for another day.

Living: A Retreat

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re·treat

Pronunciation: ri-ˈtrēt
Function: noun
1 : an act or process of withdrawing especially from what is difficult, dangerous or disagreeable
2 : a place of privacy or safety
 
While life with a three year old and an infant isn’t necessarily dangerous or disagreeable, it has been, at times, difficult. A little one who eats every three hours on the dot and has an amazing set of lungs along with a little guy who sometimes struggles with sharing his mommy’s attention and a sweet hubby who often has to work late have left me a bit exhausted. So, I sought solace in a mini retreat at my parents’ house. 
 

Nearly two weeks of my mom’s cooking, kind words and extra help definitely soothed my soul. We baked, chatted, played and just relaxed.

My mom rocked my baby to sleep, changed diapers and relieved me (more than once) when Miss Madelyn refused to go back to sleep after her three a.m. feeding. Mimi, as my mom is called, made sure my little guy got breakfast each morning, took him on special adventures and showered him with love.



It was so much fun to watch her with my kids, and her extra help let me catch up on some rest and work. I even got to sneak in a little reading and take my little guy to the park sans his sister, which he loved.

 
Every time I am “home” I struggle with dividing my time between visiting friends and extended family or spending every possible minute with my parents. On this trip being with my folks won out (except for a few days I spent with my in-laws so they could see the kiddos), and I hope everyone understands. The time went too quickly, as always. It feels like we’re always on the run and the next month is no different. It is jam packed with work deadlines, a family lake vacation, another surgery for Madelyn and some well-child check ups. I’ve always said that I like to stay busy! This month will put it to the test.