‘Birthday’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Letter to My Son – Happy 14th Birthday!

August 2, 2016 · Narrative

“You must be so proud of Nick,” a friend said to me when I dropped something off at her home this weekend.

“I am. 100%.”

And it’s unequivocally true.

Nick, I can’t even put into words at how proud I am of you, and the young man you are becoming.

You are kind and sweet and have a huge heart. You help friends, family, and perfect strangers without even thinking twice … and without prompting from me.

You are fearless and forthright and honest as the day is long.

You are determined and focused, and when you have something in your sights, you put together a plan to make it happen.

You are silly and goofy and can be on the floor convulsing in giggles with your sister in a heartbeat.

You help me out around our home without question (ahem, well, most of the time) and are constantly putting me and your sister first.

You are mature and entrepreneurial and hoard your money like nobody’s business. I know very few kids that hustle the way you do, managing your own web site, and snow shoveling and pet sitting business, and I love that about you.

Whether you do it quietly in small actions or in a big and loud manner, you are a wonderful support system for your sister and I, and probably our biggest cheerleader.

I love being your mom, and you make me more and more proud every day.

Happy 14!!

Love, Mom

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Recipe: Flourless Chocolate Cake

February 18, 2016 · Narrative, Sweets

Moist, dense, and fudgy, this Flourless Chocolate Cake is a super simple cake designed to impress.

After copious amounts of cake, cupcakes, and cookies to celebrate Madeline’s birthday over the last week, you would think we would be done with sweets for a bit.

You would be wrong.

We were almost done.

On Monday, we all converged at my sister and brother-in-law’s place to celebrate her birthday, and I volunteered to bring dessert.

At that point, between all the cooking and baking I had done for Madeline’s birthday, coupled with the fact that we don’t currently have a working dishwasher, I was pretty over doing any more dishes.

Which means when I was trying to decide what to make, I wanted to keep it simple, but still have something worthy of the occasion.

I originally went with chocolate-studded brownies, but it didn’t yield enough for everyone, which means I was scrambling for a second dessert at the eleventh hour.

So much for keeping it simple.

The best laid plans and all.

I had noticed this Bon Appetit recipe for a Flourless Chocolate Cake earlier in the week, and since I had just cleaned out all our kitchen cabinets, I knew I had most of the ingredients on hand.

The recipe comes from celebrated cookbook author, Richard Sax, who has quite the library of cookbooks, and this particular recipe is actually featured on the cover of his Classic Home Desserts: A Treasury of Heirloom and Contemporary Recipes cookbook.

If you haven’t had flourless cake before, it is something pretty special. More dense than traditional cake made with flour, it also is extra fudgy and downright delicious.

Which made it perfect for birthday celebrations.

Bonus points for being able to slide it into the oven under thirty minutes after the decision to make it.

It’s a good recipe to keep on stand-by … for when you are having last minute guests over. For when you are in the mood for something slightly rich and very chocolatey. For when you have a double birthday weekend sandwiched around Valentine’s Day.

Or just because.

Topped with whipped cream, it was perfect.

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Letter to My Daughter – Happy 8th Birthday!

February 16, 2016 · Narrative

I am a few days late with my annual birthday letter, but we have been non-stop celebrating since last Wednesday. I think we are officially done.

Somehow we are here.

EIGHT YEARS OLD.

You have been counting down the days until your 8th birthday for a few months now.
While you were excited about your birthday, you were most excited about being out of your booster seat. Because you have pretty much been asking to ditch it for the past year.

When it came to celebrating your birthday, you were very specific about what you wanted to do.

You didn’t want a traditional party. You wanted to go into the city with two friends and spend the day. But you didn’t want your other friends to feel left out, so you asked if we could do a small party at home.

And so we did.

You planned nearly everything by yourself, from handwriting and delivering the invitations to telling me what decorations you wanted where.

A rainbow theme.

Pizza and rainbow cake. Crafts. And done….

Create: Giant Watercolor Tutorial

February 19, 2013 · Narrative

If you couldn’t tell, I like to celebrate my children. Every day, for certain, but especially on their birthdays. I always want them to feel loved.

And so when I was planning all the little things I wanted to do for Madeline’s recent birthday and spied a tutorial for a giant watercolor celebrating her new age, I was all in.

I mean, really. A giant watercolor for my watercolor-loving girl?

It was a no-brainer.

The weekend right before her birthday, I had a quiet house to myself while the kids were with The Ex, and I took full advantage.

A giant piece of hot-pressed watercolor paper from Michael’s.

Watercolor paint.

Water cup.

Paint brush.

Pencil.

I was set.

It took a few sketches to get the number five just right. Just the way I wanted it. I did it free-hand, and I think that’s the easiest way to go about it. Just use the pencil lightly so it can erase easily if you need to edit as you go.

When it came to colors, I wanted to go with her current favorite colors: pink, purple, orange, and light blue. Blending a little bit here and there for some (attempted) smooth transitioning.

As I sat at the dining room table painting, memories of my grandmother were quick to come. She was an artist, of many mediums, for as long as I can remember, but painting with watercolors was, for sure, her jam. And as I blended and dabbed and thinned, I wondered if she was rolling over in her grave. Because if there are any techniques or rules when it comes to watercolor painting, I surely broke them. I just went about creating and doing what I thought felt right.

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