Sunday, February 8, 2015

Celebrations!


Isn't this Elmo face cute? I made Elmo, from the Children's TV show Sesame Streetout of berries, for my granddaughter's second birthday party this past weekend. He is one of her favorite characters from the show, and I knew she and my grandsons would enjoy eating the berries along with "J's" ice cream cake. I used a small orange for his nose, two large marshmallows with chocolate kisses in them as the eyes, blackberries as the mouth, and raspberries as the face.  I would imagine you could substitute other red and blue fruits such as cut strawberries and blueberries if you'd like.  It was easy to assemble!


Our little "J" had a very happy 2nd birthday party! She wanted another favorite character, Minnie Mouse, to be her party decorations, and wore a pink Minnie bow hairband instead of a party hat. Our son also celebrated his birthday this weekend, as he and "J" share the same birthday!  His two sons enjoyed the ice cream cake and berry Elmo with gusto!


Can you see my granddaughter playing with her party balloons? 
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It was such a beautiful day here in the Denver area--in the low 70's--that my daughter was able to keep her front door open!


Another fun grandchildren event that we watched recently was a "Bike-a-Thon" fundraiser that our younger grandson's preschool sponsored as a fundraiser.  The children rode with tricycles or bicycles around a local high school gym while music played in the background.  It was a fun way to have the children participate in raising funds, as family and friends donated to the school on their behalf, and purchase refreshments, that were also donated by the parents. Our older grandson joined in on a borrowed tricycle when he saw how much fun the event was!

I know our life in our community nestled along the foothills of the Front Range of Colorado is very different from our prior lives in New York City, but I am so happy to have all these opportunities to spend time with our children and grandchildren.


We are also enjoying the very nice winter we are having here so far!  It may snow and be below 30 for a few days, but then the temperatures slowly rise up to the high 50's '60s and even '70s, and all the snow quickly melts. It is nice to be able to spend time outdoors because of this mild winter climate.


I've been the lucky winner of a few blogs giveaways the past few months!. 

I won the charming book "A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts: Stories to Warm Your Heart from the blog Terra Garden.  Terra is one of the authors of this book full of wonderful Christmas memories, recipes, holiday organization tips, and scriptures.  I enjoyed reading it very much when I was ill with the flu this past Christmas and I know I will be sharing it with my family for many Christmases ahead!

The hand-sewn dream cloud shaped pillow was made by the blogger Miss Red Fox,  The pillow is backed with terrycloth It has a removal liner filled with spelled grain that can be heated in the microwave so that it can be placed back inside the pillow and used as a heating pad. My granddaughter likes to use the pillow at nap time in her crib.

The beautifully illustrated book Dream of Venice was a give away from Diane Hales from the blog La Bella Lingua--Becoming Italian Word by Word  Diane wrote a fabulous book with the same title of her blog.  I enjoyed  Dianne's book very much, and her book, blog, and e-mail newsletter helps me to learn more about the Italian language and Italian culture.
Venice is one of the favorites places I visited in Italy, and I was thrilled to win this beautiful book! The book Dream of Venice, edited by Joann Loctov of Bella Figura Publications, brings back memories of what I loved about this unique city. It has a forward written by Francis Mayes, is full of evocative photography by Charles Christopher, and has essays and anecdotes by contemporary writers on what the city of Venice means to them.  A portion of the sale of each book will be donated to Save Venice Inc, to support vital art and architecture restoration in Venice.

The Newlywed Cookbook by Roxanne Wyss and Kathy Moore, was a recent win from the blog Cookbooks 365, by bloggers Shelly Peppel and Fran Brennan. The profile recipes from many different genres of cookbooks, on their blog, and I'm always learning something new from them!  The recipe in a blog post for Winter Chicken Cassouletwhich is in the Newlywed Cookbook, caught my eye.  I wanted to see more recipes from this book and entered their give away.  Even though I've been married 40 plus years, I feel like a newlywed again,  as my husband and I are now retired and I am cooking for two and not a family any longer.  I am enjoying the over 70 smaller portion recipes and the recipes incorporating modern conveniences and equipment in this cookbook.

I want to thank again all the blogs that gave away such wonderful prizes.  I feel very lucky to have won and also to know you through your blogs. and I hope I've encouraged a few of my Dear Readers into visit these wonderful blogs and to learn more about the books and products I won



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49 comments:

Barb said...

Pat, Elmo is making smile. I'm going to make a smaller one for my Grands' breakfast some morning. You must have been born under a lucky star! You are definitely a winner! Happy birthday to your sweet Granddaughter and your son. We're coming to Denver again Valentine Weekend - this time to Hotel Teatro (and dinner out on Valentine's Eve).

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

It is a different but beautiful way of life, Pat! And, being able to share your granddaughter's second birthday is the real bonus. I remember when our daughter went to the university in Boulder how the weather could go from 2 feet of snow to the 70s in the same week. But at least you get those lovely days in between the snow!

The Gathering Place said...

Your cute granddaughter is one lucky girl to receive such a fun looking party. The Elmo fruit platter looked so refreshing.

Anonymous said...

Oh what a fun birthday party. That Elmo is fabulous.

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Sounds like the perfect winter Pat, much different than what New York is getting this year.
Looked like a fun party, especially riding the trikes around.
And, you won a number of nice things - lucky you!
Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday.

Michelle said...

I must say that I admire that you moved to be with your children. I would hope I could do the same someday. Wonderful that you are so involved with your children/grandchildren. Family is what it is all about.

podso said...

I can't believe your sweet granddaughter is already two! What a pretty cake and cute clever Elmo! I know you are so glad to be near your kids.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Pat, All of the celebrations and gorgeous weather just made me SMILE from ear to ear.... Julia's birthday was fabulous.. Can't believe that she is TWO already!!!!

Thanks for sharing the JOY.
Hugs,
Betsy

Lorrie said...

Elmo is adorable! Healthy and fun! I can sense the joy and contentment you are experiencing being around your grandchildren these days. It's such a wonderful time of life.

Congratulations on your giveaways - bloggers are so generous.

Anonymous said...

That Elmo face is adorable and delicious!

Rajesh said...

Wonderful celebrations. Great time for kids.

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Elmo put a smile on my face this morning. Your granddaughter is adorable and you and your husband are loving and generous grandparents. How lucky can a girl get.

I bought the Newlywed Cookbook a while back because of some good reviews. I know you'll enjoy Pat it and I'm far from a newlywed too.
Sam

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

Love Elmo ! What a cute idea. She's almost hidden by her balloons in the one picture...a fun read :)

Tanna said...

The Elmo is a WONDERFUL and healthy idea!! Miss J had a fantastic celebration!! Can you believe she is two already??? Oh, how time flies. You are a lucky lady, Pat, to be so near your grands. ;) blessings ~ tanna

eileeninmd said...

Hello Pat, happy belated birthday to your sweet granddaughter.. The Elmo face is just adorable, very creative.. Looks like a wonderful birthday party and lots of fun! Love the photos, enjoy your week!

Mary Lee said...

Pat, remembering the fabulous photos of the holiday meals and goodies you prepared, l thought you were cooking for the whole city. I'm smiling at the thought of you cooking from a Newlywed Cookbook.

Gracie said...

My daughter had her birthday too, on the 7th.
Belated best wishes to your little girl.

Sara - Villa Emilia said...

What a beautiful and heart-warming post!
The birthday cake does look lovely, and there was the healthy choice as well...
The books look really interesting and now I'm going to check out the blogs you mentioned! :)
Have a great week ahead!

Karen (Back Road Journal) said...

What surprises me about your new home is the mild winter weather…wish I could say the same thing here in New England. It sounds like life is good. I know you must be happy to be close to your family.

SarahBeth said...

What a cutie! Looks like everyone had a great time at the party!

SmilingSally said...

Hi Pat,

How cute! She does seem to disappear with those balloons.

Thanks for playing today.

Happy Blue Monday!

Jeanne said...

Hi Pat, You sure have had lots of action going on with your darling grands. And if that wasn't enough...winning 4 giveaways. All very nice gifts as well.

Your new life in Colorado is charmed. You definitely did the right thing. I have said many times how wonderful it is to be close to your grands. Julia's party looks like so much fun and Elmo is a work of art. LOL.

Hugs,
Jeanne

Ann said...

A very clever way to eat our fruits, which I love. What a darling little one, she is so lucky you live close to share all the special moments.
Ann

Margaret said...

Hi Pat, I enjoyed your delightful post earlier with my morning coffee, a very happy start to my Monday :) "J" and "V" had fun special birthdays! Terrific labour of love on a fun healthy Elmo! The blogs sound like excellent ones to visit. Congrats on your wins Pat, very wonderful prizes, they couldn't happen to a nicer, more deserving person! Thank-you for sharing the joy in your life. Have a good day in your beautiful Colorado!
Margaret from B.C.

Cranberry Morning said...

Happy birthday to J. Love the Elmo. Very convincing. Bet they loved it too. :-)

Cranberry Morning said...

Happy birthday to J. Love the Elmo. Very convincing. Bet they loved it too. :-)

Fun60 said...

What a healthy dessert Elmo makes. How wonderful it is to spend those treasured moments with your grandchildren.

Annesphamily said...

Love that Elmo fruit plate! So sweet! You have been lucky winning all those great prizes Pat! It is fun to win isn't it? My last win was a Gooseberry Patch cookbook. That was a great gift! I am always looking for something new to cook. I have a great soup recipe I am trying today, although the weather is warmer. It is a lower calorie one and than we had chicken salad croissants at the Gender Reveal Party so I am going to make a batch of chicken salad later in the week. enjoy the weather while it lasts and have a great week! Hugs, Anne

carol l mckenna said...

beautiful series of celebration shots ~ and such a loving and happy family! Happy Birthday!

Happy Week to you,
artmusedog and carol

J said...

You have a beautiful family and it was fun to read about your birthday party! Love your Elmo! He's a great idea for a healthy treat. Usually it's just the "junk" food that's cute!
My granddaughter had a Minnie Mouse party for her first birthday and she also enjoyed balloons like yours.

Ciao Chow Linda said...

What a fun and healthy treat for both children and adults. You seem to have the knack for winning things from blogs Pat. I'd like to read Diana Hale's newest book. I have that first one. You and Vinny are making the most of your new, adopted state.

Arija said...

A wonderful berry 'cake' indeed, just right for a 2nd birthday. Love the scenery too and I am sure it is more important to be close to family that NY.

Al said...

What a fun party for the kids! And yes, this winter climate is great, especially after living in New York.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

I love the berry design. It looks like everybody had a fun time with the birthday.

Proud Italian Cook said...

Your sweet girl is getting so big, I can't think of a better way to enjoy retirement, a beautiful place to live and explore with my husband and having my family and grand kids close by! the good life indeed! xox

Cheryl @ TFD said...

I like your Elmo, Pat! The birthday celebrations look so festive and fun.
Congrats on all of your wonderful wins!

Unknown said...

great post and photos! the food looks os good!

styleandchocolates

Donna said...

First, what a cutie pie birthday girl....love Elmo. I can't believe how little winter you have....the jet stream is pummeling the NE with tons of snow and frigid cold. So enjoy your warm weather.

Linda W. said...

That fruity Elmo face is so cute - and very creative! Thanks for stopping by my bog and leaving a comment! :)

Rue said...

Love the Elmo! Really cute work :)

It's been warm here too and I'm taking advantage of it.

xo,
rue

Linda H said...

How wonderful that you are getting to have all these fun experiences with your children and grands! I'm sure your granddaughter loved Elmo! He's so cute!!

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

Two years old already! Oh, my! The Elmo is adorable and all the celebrating looks so fun. Very precious family!

The Gathering Place said...

Pat, I'd like to send you a book for my little contest. Could you email me an address?
Thanks, joann

La Petite Gallery said...

I have never seen a bike-a-thon like this, how cute. This is so wonderful you can spend these precious hours with your grandchildren. Memories they will have forever. yvonne

Unknown said...

Just stopping by from The GRAND Social! Love your Elmo -- but with the price of berries that was quite an investment but a fun and healthy one. Love your trike-a-thon pictures, they take me back to Amara's preschool days. The time goes so fast. I'm glad you're able to be close enough to watch and enjoy.

Barbara said...

The Elmo fruit dish is so very clever!!

Daniela said...

My dearest Pat,
so with Elmo you began the month of birthdays, I do remember that for your family too this is the month when you celebrate the most part of your birthdays, so do we !!!
Give a big kiss to your lovely and cute granddaughter, she's nicer more and more <3
Sending love
Dany

Cindy @ Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home said...

Your grandaughter is adorable! She is loving those balloons!
Thank so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!
Blessings,
Cindy

Anonymous said...

amazing one.
pink is cute.