The Boulder Dushanbe Teahoue - Girl's Day Out, Stop #1

[ Father-In-Law Update: Don is still in the ICU. It is a bit more serious than we had originally expected. It is serious enough that Ethan is returning home and Larr's brothers are coming to town. Don has had more than one brush with death; he is an Energizer Bunny, so I believe that he will recover. Still, it is hard. ]

Saturday was a much needed Girl's Day that Natalie and I both really needed. We has such a wonderful day. Instead of having one super long post, I have decided to break it into sections so that each great stop gets its spotlight.

Our first stop brunch at the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse. What a beautiful place - even in the winter. Here's what their website has to say about the building:

Completely build by hand without the use of any power tools, the Teahouse was constructed in Dushanbe, Tajikistan as a gift to their sister city, Boulder. It was disassembled, crated up, and sent halfway around the world to be rebuilt in Boulder as a symbol of friendship and cultural exploration.

The menu featured a large variety of dishes. We both started out with housemade chia. Natalie had an omelet and great potatoes. I had a great Thai noodle and peanut dish.

We also had to try the homemade poptart. It was made with puff pastry and an interesting flavor of jam.

They also had an entire menu of teas. I as too interested in our conversation to check it out very closely.

The building was beautiful. I must take the kids to the teahouse some time soon.

Ellie's Saint Patrick's Day Cake + Recipes

Yesterday evening my father-in-law calls to say that he needed my husband right away. I offered to help, but he would not tell me what was wrong. I called Larr, and he was able to be there in five minutes as he had already left school. It seems that my father-in-law had collapsed on the floor of the kitchen and stayed there, sleeping or passed out (we don't know which) until he woke up and called our house. Larr took him to the hospital. I took Larr dinner. It made me sad to think of them sitting there, hungry, lonely and worried. So I packed a dinner and took it over.

By that time it was late dusk and the very last slivers of muted sun from a gloriously blue sky day were just disappearing. Off to the west there was a large, quiet storm cloud hovering over the neighborhoods. Those last shards of light made the cloud look like it was made of a deep purple that had been dyed from natural fibers. The edges of the enormous cloud were whispy and soft. It looked more like an early morning fog rolling in than the mid evening storm cloud that it was. The cloud, too, must have decided that it was indeed something other than a storm cloud as there was not storm last night.

At this point we think that he had become very dehydrated and hungry. He stayed in the hospital so that they could keep an eye on him. We expect that everything will be fine today.

Back at home, Ellie finished up a cake that she started over the weekend. It is a nice not-too-sweet recipe with a lovely texture. I think the cake would make a nice base for strawberry shortcake. The cream filling was a bit lumpy. We don't know if it is the recipe or our first attempt at making it.

Italian Cream Cake
via: Foodnetwork - Emeril Lagasse

For the cake:
1/2 cup shortening, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 eggs, separated and at room temperature
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 cups shredded coconut (omitted)
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (omitted)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting: (we did not use this frosting - see below for the one we used)
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup butter, softened at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar, sifted
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the shortening, butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together onto a sheet of waxed or parchment paper. With the mixer on low speed, add the sifted ingredients in batches alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, and gently fold into the prepared batter. Add the coconut, pecans and vanilla and fold into the batter. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared cake pans and bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown and a tester comes out clean when inserted into the middle of each cake. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. When the cakes are completely cool, stack the layers with the frosting and frost the sides and top.

While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting. In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, butter and vanilla and, using an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy. Add the sifted powdered sugar and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the nuts and fold together. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to frost the cake.

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Cream Filling
via: Epicurious

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream, divided
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place 2 tablespoons cold water in small bowl. Sprinkle unflavored gelatin over; let stand 10 minutes to soften.
Bring 1/2 cup cream to boil in heavy small saucepan. Add hot cream mixture to softened gelatin; stir until dissolved. Place in refrigerator just until cold, whisking frequently, about 5 minutes.
Place remaining 1 cup chilled cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until peaks form. Add gelatin mixture and beat until peaks form.
Place 1 cake on 8-inch cardboard round or tart pan bottom. Spread half of filling over. Top with second cake. Spread remaining filling over. Top with third cake. Chill on cardboard round 3 hours.
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Fluffy White Frosting
via: Allrecipes.com

1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan, stir together the sugar, water and cream of tartar. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is bubbly.

In a medium mixing bowl, whip the egg whites and vanilla to soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar mixture while whipping constantly until stiff peaks form, about 7 to 10 minutes. Frost the cake of your choice.

Sunday Celebration - Ellie and Larr - A Casual Dinner Party

On Sunday, March 9th we had a family birthday party for Larr and Ellie as it was Larr's actual birthday. It was a glorious day;it was a bit of a preview of things to come. It was so warm that some of us who worked in the yard got just a tad sunburned and we were warm enough to wear t-shirts and shorts.

For Christmas Grandpa Don bought us a new grill and I was excited to use it. We purchased a Stok Quatro and my, is it ever nice. I made a coconut cream pie; a pasta, cheese and grilled veggie salad; and hamburgers. We also had cream soda in glass bottles, sparkling lemonade and tangerinade.

Colorado Avalanche vs Anaheim Ducks - Box Seats at a Hockey Game

On Friday Larr and I went on a date to a Colorado Avalanche hockey game. They were going head to head with the Anaheim Ducks. Scott had two tickets for the ALICE/KOSI (local radio stations)private box where we had comfortable seats, drinks and dinner.

When I was in high school some of my friends and I used to go to the hockey games to see the game, the fights on the ice, the silly drunks in the audience and the fights in the stands. Hockey games are far more tame than those times. The games was loud, bright, busy and fun. I think it was a bit too much for Larr. It made me kind of wish that I had been able to play hockey as a teen, and it made me miss playing soccer. (I played all through high school.)

There were tons of flashing lights, a jumbotron with bright lights displaying different angle of the game. Each time there was down time in the game something was going on.

There was the Kiss-Cam that roamed the stands showing people who would then see themselves on the jumbotron and then kiss. The best one won a prize. There was a proposal gladly accepted and a guy in a different part of the stands with a sign that showed a picture of the ice, the team logo and a ring that read, "Don't do it, It is a trap!"

There were girls who dressed dressed like cheerleaders who cleaned the ice often.

There were tiny parachutes dropped that delivered canisters with prizes. They threw t-shirts into the crowds and there were truck size balloons that floated around dropping lottery tickets and gift cards for a local furniture store. I thought those things were pretty fun.

And of course there were the zambonis where were also decorated with pretty girls.

There were interviews and games with prizes. An Irish step dancing troupe performed. And there was dinner in the box. We had chicken sandwiches, nachos, popcorn and drinks.

One of the most interesting entertainments during a pause in the game was a video that featured the AVS hockey team members in a special edition video of the Imagine Dragons "Radioactive" music video.

Saturday's Celebration - No Quite What We Had Planned

Last Friday was the "birthday" (launching anniversary?) of the Lady Washington. At the end of the day the folks over at Grey's Historical Seaport organized a celebration. There was cake, dancing and merriment in the afternoon. Everyone had a grand time. The crews continued to celebrate into the evening. There was more (and I suspect wild) dancing in the galley (who knew there would be space to dance there!) and on the deck. There are reports of loud singing, too. Later in the evening some people were retiring to bed so the party was moved to a room on the ship that has a sound proof door. Once there the they sang a song in rounds where each singer changes some element of the song and passes it along, with everyone singing the chorus. This went on for over an hour, maybe even two hours, ending once everyone was spent. The next day Ethan's throat was raw and his voice was rough. Thankfully it recovered by Sunday when he was asked to lead the singing on deck, which he did with much gusto and joy.

By the end of this week many of the crew members will be returning to their homes and back to normal life. One of those members took this photo to commemorate the time he spent on the boat. My boy looks rather serious and so young in this photo. It is good to see the people he is spending time with.

Saturday was a super busy one for us. On Friday I had fantasized that I had all day on Saturday to get ready for Ellie's small birthday celebration. I had forgotten about the brunch and gaming party at the school on Saturday morning. Larr, Ellie and I each won a door prize. Ellie and I donated our new games to the school where they are sure to get a lot of action. Larr won a great dice game; he will give it to Ethan in a few weeks.

Ethan says that he feels more at home and more like this group of people than he has felt in the other jobs that he has had since graduating. They dress in a similar manner, they like a lot of the same things he likes and they generally have fun together. He also experiences some conflict, but those are important lessons that are helping him mature and grow.

The rest of the day was a series of errors and things not happening as we had hoped they would. It was all rather frustrating for me and upsetting for Ellie. Still, we tried to make it right.

Ellie prefers small parties and so the only guest was Kohlton. We planned on having glow sticks, glowing balloons, a fun tent, a fun dinner, a fancy cake, snacks in a tray and a movie. We ended up with a variation on that theme.

We had combed through pictures on Pinterest for ideas. A friend of mine says that we should just ignore Pinterest, that so much of what is there is not real, that it has been photoshopped to look better and that planning via Pinterest is just setting yourself up for unhappiness. Ellie said something similar, but she was still hopeful. In some ways we should have known better.

(This is what we had hoped for.)
Ellie wanted lighted balloons like above and so I searched several stores until I found the right LED light inserts. They lit up the balloons a little bit, but not like in the photo.

(We did not achieve this at all. The kids ended up wearing the glow sticks, instead of decorating with them.)

Ellie wanted a glow-in-the-dark design, but that did not pull through either. She had planned on a specially decorated ice cream cake similar to the one below, but changed her mind at the last minute and I did not manage to make any dessert. I didn't get the candles decorated, either. Honestly, I totally forgot about that project.

(Nope,nope and nope.)

I had also expected to decorate. I ironed the bunting (the pointed flag stuff in my drawing.) Ellie and I hunted around for streamers in the right colors and gathered lots of balloons. In the end there were very few decorations. Like I said, the day ran into so many snags, that it was simply not humanly possible to achieve what I wanted to achieve.

(This did not happen, either.)

I also made the tent. Making that was both fun and frustrating; it took a lot more effort to create than I had expected. In the end it was long enough, but too low for it to work as Ellie had imagined. She thought they would be able to sit up in it, but it will have to be modified in order for that to happen. The tent was nixed.

We did end making white pizza from scratch (pizza dough, alfredo sauce, basil and mozzarella cheese). And the snacks sort of worked out. I had hoped to use matching trays, but I could not find the ones we used when she was about 11. I made due with what we had on hand.

We also had the movie, "Up!". By that time, I think we had both let go of the idea of how it "should be" and embraced what it was.

We also had a few presents. If you look closely, you can see the crown that I made. I don't think it fit how she had expected, but it did look good on her. The present that she was most excited about (a small speaker to hook up to her ipod, ipad or phone) did not function well and will have to be returned - it figures.

This is what she had picked for the crown. Mine was a slight variation on that idea.

Part of why this going well was so important to me was the fact that pretty soon she will not want me to throw a party for her; pretty soon she may not even live at home any more. I feel like the clock is ticking right next to my head, reminding me that my time with Ellie running out. She reminds me that it is not like she is leaving and never coming back. She reminds me that she is not even sure when she will move. Afterall, she does not graduate until next year. She offers these as words of comfort. I just have to find a way to find comfort within them.

Sunday was Larr's birthday and that party went off a bit better.

Birthday Recap - Thursday, Ellie's Real Birthday + Silly Videos

Last Thursday was a glorious, almost summer like day and it happened to be Ellie's 17th birthday as well. It was a school day, so I left flowers for Ellie. She would find them on the breakfast table after I had gone to work. When I told my students that it was my daughter's birthday many of them were aghast as they thought I should have taken the day off to spend with my daughter. They were further amazed when I told them that she went to school. They seem to agree that I should have stayed home and taken her to Chucke Cheese's for the day.

Kohlton provided his own birthday surprise for The Girl when he showed up at school with roses and a gift certificate for a new swimsuit. (Ellie LOVES getting a new swim suit each year. It seems to signal the beginning of being hopeful for good weather for her.)

After work I picked up Ellie and Kohlton. Larr had a meeting that evening, so we were on our own for dinner. I decided to treat them to dinner at one of Ellie's favorite restaurants, Vincenza's Ristorante and Bakery. As a special treat the kids had Italian sodas. We also picked up pasteries at Vinnola's Italian Market on the way home.

It was still lovely when we got home so they took the dog for a walk, making their way to the local elementary school where Remmie discovered the joy of slides.

By the time they got home, Ellie was beginning to fill a bit ill, so they spent the rest of the evening hanging out and watching a bit of television together. I offered to take them to see "The Lego Movie" but they were happier at home.

The actual celebration of her birthday took place on Saturday.
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Here are some videos that we have been enjoying:




(One more fun girl bit over at FashionbyMayhem.)

And just in case you are in the mood for a sing-along tonight (or dancing along as Ellie and Kohlton were moved to do):

Planning a 17th Birthday Celebration & A Promotion to Engineer's Mate

Ellie is turning 17 on Thursday. SE-VEN-TEEN. Some parts of me have a hard time believing it. Just recently she was my little girl - where has all of the time gone? Can I find a way to slow down the remaining time? Soon enough she will be slipping out of the house and off having her own adventures.

Tomorrow I will go out into the garden and begin peaking below the layers of dried leaves in the garden that protect the rich soil. I will begin to look for signs that the crocus will bloom on Ellie's birthday. Nearly every year Ellie's birthday is the first day that a flower shows its shy head in our garden. The weather has been very dramatic this year, so I am not sure if we will get that thrill on Ellie's birthday this year or not.

We've discussed her party for a few weeks. She had so many ideas of what she would like. For a while we were planning a glow stick and glitter party. As our plans became more detailed, plans changed, shifted into a rather nostalgic celebration. I will make her a simple, understated crown, similar to the one that Max wears in "Where the Wild Things Are." For a while we thought it might be a "Wild Things" kind of party, but we could not work out all of the details. I've made her a simple tent of PVC and bed sheets that can be erected in the house or the yard just for the fun of it. I think we will also use the flag bunting I made last summer to decorate the living room. We will have lit up multicolored balloons by inserting tiny LED lights into each balloon. We will put up streamers. When Ellie was about 10 or 11 we had party snacks in muffin tins. Each party member got his/her own tray, with each muffin holder filled with a different treat.We are going to do that again, too. Really, it is pretty fun. They will hang out in the tent and watch a movie. I think it might be "Up."

Things are warming up on the west coast, too. Ethan's ship is in Sausalito, California for about a week, or so. The weather is cold and rainy. The land is beautiful and lush, for spring time. Just the other day the while Ethan was working the ship's engineer saddle up to him and told him that the higher ups on the ships have decided to promote Ethan to engineer's mate (in training). He is very jazzed and excited. It is the very thing he was hoping form

During a recent evening one of the other men was on his day off and out flying a kite. A local person befriended them and took them around town, in a sort of hobo fashion. As evening was beginning some people who were out serving dinner to the local hobos. They approached the people from the ship and offered them dinner. Ethan explained that they are sailors, not hobos. The people replied that sailors are sort of homeless and gave them dinner. Ethan said that it was the best cupcake and minestrone soup that he has had in a long time. Oh, the adventures they are having.

On another evening out Ethan and some of the guys on the ship went to see a movie. They ended up seeing, "The Lego Movie" which was better than he expected. The next day the crew even made one of the songs from the movie into a sea shanty.