Cake Boss, Not Quite

We had Lucy's first birthday party last Saturday. It was wonderful. The weather was beautiful and plenty of family and friends came to celebrate with us. She wasn't exactly feeling well, but we still had fun.

The cake came out, well...not so hot. The recipe was fantastic and I loved the cake itself. When it came time to frost, though. Man. I was ready to give up. Constantly adding more confec. sugar, then more milk. More sugar, more milk. Repeat. It was humid and I just couldn't get a nice consistency, so finally I had to give up (the party was starting in less than an hour and I was still in pj's) and just let it be that the frosting would be thin. It was extremely difficult to frost the sides because of this. I even tried to put the frosting in the refrigerator for about a half hour, but it just wasn't long enough. Oh well. Live and learn. Hopefully by next year I'll have this frosting sitch under control.

I love birthdays. I just think they're wonderful and fun, and why not put a huge smile on that person's face, right? Well, that's what I was aiming for yesterday.

Nate actually loved it. I mean, who wouldn't love coming home to a huge banner for their birthday, right?! Perhaps I had too much time on my hands, but nonetheless it put a huge smile on his face when he got home from work.

So needless to say, it's been a fun week in the Picard household. I'm so thankful that Nate's home this time around to enjoy it with us.

And Just Like That, She's One

My, oh my. What a year. An amazing year! Lucy turned one on Thursday, and I found myself constantly thinking back to last year and excitedly recalling what point of labor I would have been in. It almost felt like I was having her all over again. I don't know how to describe it, other than just pure joy. I had goosebumps, was smiling ear to ear, and gave Nate the biggest hug I think I've ever given him (minus seeing him for the first time post-deployment) at 6:47 PM.

We love you, Lucille!

Birthday Excitement

A tiny, miniscule sneak peek of the decorations...

I asked Nate last night, "What am I going to do with myself once Lucy's birthday party has passed!?". Although I don't believe a luau or renting a ridiculous hotel lounge is necessary for a child's birthday party (let alone a first birthday!), I must admit that I have grown quite fond of making her decorations and actually find it quite addicting. The best part is that it's all so simple. No crazy costs or unnecessary expenditures. It started with wanting to do something different with her pictures to sort of scatter about the place. So I decided that since I have this awesome designer paper that I love so much, why not use it as a border for the photos? It then blossomed into making her banner instead of buying one. I even went to AC Moore and traced their large wooden letters for the banner (it would have cost $2/letter to buy them...no thanks! I'll just ask the girl at the counter for her pencil so I can go trace them onto the pad of paper I'm about to buy!) rather than buy them. To me it's sort of like the people that go into Borders and read novels in the store, then leave when they've finished.

Anyways, I understand that "Lucy won't remember this" and I certainly wouldn't want to have an extravagant, over-the-top celebration for her. But I do want it to be special, surrounded by people that love her and who were all so kind and helpful to me while Nate was deployed. I'm so thankful to have such wonderful friends and family. So here's to Lucy, and the best year of my life.

"It's Been A Long, Long Time"

After Nate and I had our wedding blessing in Rangeley, we immediately started the search for a new home. We had been living in my parent's camp for 2 months and it was time to start thinking about heading back to work and finding somewhere...anywhere, to live. But since our move from the woods, we had yet to go back. Until now!

We just got back from our 4-day getaway to Rangeley.

Amazing.

Breathtaking.

Perfect.

We started our weekend with a hike in the Bigelow Range, to Cranberry Peak. I have to say that I'm quite positive it was the most challenging hike of my life thus far. I've hiked Katahdin, Gulf Hagas, West Kennebago and many other intense trails, but none were quite this steep - over the entire 2.9 mile climb to the top. We took Indy with us (which was a huge mistake) and luckily she needed just as many breaks as I wanted, so she was my excuse to stop every now and then for water and to wipe the sweat pouring from my body. Indy might be a bit dramatic, but on the descent she just gave up. Whimpering, panting uncontrollably, lying down on the ledges rather than climbing down. There really was a moment where she had that look of, "Nope, you better get a helicopter. I am DONE with this hike!". Poor thing. She looked so pathetic.

From there, we hit the town (Lucy was with Grammy and Grampy) for dinner and some drinks. It felt so good to be back.

We happened to be in town the weekend of the Saddleback Bluegrass Festival. YAY! We only saw the last 2 hours, but it was fantastic. Lucy loved the music and wanted nothing more than to dance, wiggle and shake when it came on (I can't imagine where she gets it from...).

There were so many other kids and babies around that she was incredibly entertained. She was exhausted, so next time we know to go after she wakes up from a nap!

There's nothing sweeter than taking morning walks in comfy clothes with a coffee in hand, Lucy on hip and Indy on a leash. Every morning we would walk to the overlook, watch the fog rise off the lake and take a deep breath of the mountain air. It's so refreshing to spend a weekend away in a place you love with your family. It was just what we needed.

When deciding what our "wedding song" was going to be, we went through numerous suggestions, libraries on both our computers, and even searched wedding songs on the internet to see if it would spark an interest. About a week before the wedding, Nate's music was on shuffle and we were cleaning the camp. I was sweeping the floors in the kitchen and he was in the living room picking up some of Lucy's toys when suddenly, it hit us. Bing Crosby's "It's Been A Long, Long Time" came on and we both stopped what we were doing, made eye contact and smiled. This was it. A perfect description of the love, devotion, passion and longing while he was away. It was, indeed, a long, long time.

And Rangeley, it's been a long, long time...and we won't let it happen again.

Blueberry Love

I tried my hand at a Blueberries & Cream Double Layer Cake last week, and the result was fantastic. How do I judge the result, you ask? Well, it's pretty simple. My husband devoured (literally) half of the cake within minutes of it being finished. I think that's about all the judgement I need! It was super easy to make (which, with a baby is great news!) and it looks like we'll be having some more for Lucy's birthday party.

Today's dessert: Almond Blueberry Buckle.

Another easy recipe that promises to keep my husband full and content!

Incase you can't tell, I'm a huge fan of blueberries, and try to take advantage of Maine's FANTASTIC wild blueberries in the summertime. For dinner I'm going to make some blueberry barbeque sauce for chicken and pork on the grill. Yum.

The duration of our summer will surely be spent splitting the lovely 10 cord of wood that you see Lucy sitting in front of. Doesn't she just look so little here?! The wood is all cut, but now onto splitting. I love this part, because I can participate and feel satisfied when I grab the maul and go at it, slicing the wood right in half (well...sometimes in half. I might miss every now and then).

We've also had some time to relax and soak up this wonderful life we have with Lucy. We try to get her outside as much as possible - whether it's having her in the garden with us, playing in her swing, crawling on the grass or in her little baby pool. I hope she grows to love this home as much as we do!