We celebrated a sweet and simple birthday this past weekend.  My little girl tuned four.   She now informs me that she is not little and is indeed, “a BIG girl.” Well, I think I’m inclined to agree with her.
I gave her a couple of party options and she chose to light sky lanterns with a [...]

In Amanda’s words: This Moment – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Overall, The Day of the Dead party turned out to be quite the celebration.  The weather was quite cool, but a welcome change from the usual heat.

Friends and family from far and wide, old and new, came together to celebrate life.

We ate.

We played.

We celebrated while my handmade papel picado banners flapped overhead.

Ever present, the ofrenda [...]

Here are a few more photos from our Day of the Dead celebration.  This pinata was the third I’ve made and I think it was the best of the three.  I used the cooked wheat paste recipe from Amanda Blake Soule’s Handmade Home, and it was really nice to work with.  It was far stronger [...]

The party was a smashing success!  I now understand the power of the potluck.  It was so nice to not feel the burden of cooking all of the food myself, and there was a fantastic spread! Here’s just a peek at a few of the amazing dishes we enjoyed:
Roasted tomatillo salsa, made by me.

Fresh chicken [...]

The Monkey Family will be throwing a huge Dia de los Muertos bash this weekend!  We used to throw these parties annually, but the last one we threw was three years ago, while The Girl was still in my belly.  I cannot believe I managed to throw this party while pregnant because it is a [...]

The Boy had been asking for a party for several days in a row, so I decided to oblige him.  I had exactly six cupcakes in the freezer, so we invited four friends.

Everyone got a candle to blow out.
I made a fruit salad and put out a bowl of pretzels.  I blew up some balloons, [...]

The Girl just turned two!  I will dispense with the “oh my how did this ever happen” and “they grow up so fast.”  But really.  Two? All signs of babyness are gone.  She is smart, strong, and sweet, and most definitely two.
Last year we had a very sweet and simple party.  Being the inveterate party-planner [...]

The Girl’s first birthday party was this weekend.  I know she had no idea it was her birthday, but the party was more for us than her.  We really wanted to celebrate the birth of our daughter since we weren’t really able to when she was born.  I invited family and a few close friends.
Since [...]