Monday, May 24, 2010

Impromptu Celebration


Preparations

The other day I was on the phone with my dear friend Marina while watching K pick flowers. K brought me some tall grass and told me we had 'wheat growing in our very own backyard'. She went inside and asked for something to grind it into flour. I gave her our mortar and pestle and she went to work grinding the grass with all of her might.


The concoction


Ready for baking

After working on her flour for quite some time she asked me if she could make a real cake with it. My first reaction was to say no, thinking of the mess that would be made, but then I thought why not?! What a fun experience for her and great way for her to learn more about the process of baking. So I let her have at it with out any direction or input from me. C came to help her out and they combined rice drink, their 'wheat grass' and whole wheat flour in a bowl. They mixed it up and poured it into one of my pans. K said it was a wheat cake. I guess the idea of cake made her think of birthdays because then a huge smile crossed her face and she announced it was K baby's birthday.


K with her birthday doll, presents and decorations she set up


K's birthday chain decoration

She ran off and wrapped some presents for K baby and then decorated the birthday table for her, too. I thought as a special treat I would bake cupcakes for them. I used this incredibly scrumptious recipe from my friend Sarahbeth back in Virginia. It's actually relatively healthy and sugar-free to boot! It tastes incredible by itself but K wanted K baby's cupcake to have frosting so I whipped up just enough for three cupcakes quick (so they rest could stay frosting and sugar-free). We put the cupcakes and K's wheat cake in the oven while C and K frosted their cupcakes. We then put two candles in K baby's (K said it was her second birthday).


Frosting her cupcake (Ughh at the paper wrappers, they were leftovers from years ago)


Mealtime candle/birthday ring set up by K (We eat by candlelight every meal)

The we all sat down at the birthday table, lit the candles and sang happy birthday. K helped K baby blow out her candles and we feasted. They both said they liked the wheat cake but only had a couple bites of it (while devouring their cupcakes).


K baby's yummies


Blowing out the candles


C's yummies



All of our guests partied until they could no longer keep their eyes open.



Impromptu celebrations are so much fun! We have done them in the past but I have a feeling after this one they will be happening even more often.

Happy Monday!
---------------------------------------------------------
A few of you asked about our schooling choices for the girls in my last post and I can see how it can be confusing! I am going to try and explain it...
We have to pack up and move every four years for my husband's job so in four years we will be leaving Oregon :( It's wonderful for us to dream that we will always be near a Waldorf school but more than likely we will not be. I am pretty much counting on these four years here to be the only years we are able to attend a school. Because of the timing of this K will end up experiencing kindergarten and first grade in school but C won't be old enough to start schooling until after we move. Once we move both girls will be home schooled. So for K it will be a transition but for C that's just how it will always be. I feel fortunate to be in such a large Waldorf community here and I plan on taking everything in and learning as much as I can. I hope that helped explained it a bit and didn't just add to the confusion!

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24 comments:

jules said...

What a pretty party. I love cupcakes.

Regarding the schooling, I think you totally cleared it up, I was wondering that myself. I know what you mean about not having a waldorf school nearby, we have one a few towns over, but the rates are RIDICULOUS!!! I guess that is one of the downfalls about supply and demand.

Happy Week sweets.

XO, Jules

boatbaby said...

Looks like a perfectly lovely celebration and oh so familiar. We've had many impronptu parties for imaginary friends and such. It's so sweet to watch them make the occasion special in their own way.

sarah in the woods said...

How sweet and fun! my son, Larkin, loves to mix up crazy concoctions in the kitchen.

Ariella said...

This post is so amazing. The power of imagination created such a beautiful celebration for all of you to share. Your photos capture the spirit of it all so well---you are always such an inspiration. Thank you mama!

twolittleseeds said...

What fun times x

erin said...

celebrations are so much fun! so many days my daughter will tell me she's doing something "for the party" or "are you ready for the party?" Its so precious. I love how involved your girls were, what a special party for dolly.

Anonymous said...

what a fun party!!

K E Fleck said...

Okay, that is simply adorable :-)

Happy Birthday, K Baby!

Joy said...

What a great celebration! I'm sure K was tickled pink at the special celebration for K baby. Elizabeth has never been much into dolls (although stuffed animals/monsters are another story) but she has a blanket who has been personalized as Kiki. Kiki gets a birthday party every year in August. Elizabeth never forgets. :)

TulsiLeaf said...

Haha, what a lovely celebration!. Was what she brought into the house really wheat?

We plan on homeschooling Madeleine from Kindergarten on. She has been in pre-k this year and she loves being in the classroom, so I am a bit worried about the transition to having lots of kids around her, to a solitary "classroom". Luckily we have a good homeschooling community here.

The Magic Onions said...

What an adorable celebration you had - I love how you see the joy in the little daily things :-)
Your kids are too sweet for words.
Blessings and magic,
Donni

Heather said...

I love parties like these. The boys recently gave their stuffed duckies a nice birthday celebration, and I have to say that the pictures, and the pomp and circumstance was just to adorable. This is what childhood is all about :)

alyssa spring said...

So lovely! I love the way you are teaching your children...through experience. I'm trying my best to do the same and it's so much fun watching their brains work.

alyssa spring said...

When I clicked on the recipe link I saw the recipe for the cake but not the frosting...

FrontierDreams said...

Oops! I made the frosting just using some sugar, rice drink and margarine. I didn't follow a recipe for that but really the frosting was too much, they are so good without it! HTH!!

Nicola said...

I appreciate the clarification. I am impressed with the moving...get to see so much, but resettling must be difficult! I love your spontaneous party. So sweet! We have wooden plates almost identical to those the girls are eating off of. They belonged to my mother in law from long ago.
Nicola

dawn klinge said...

You're a wonderful example of a what it means to relax and have fun with our kids. This sweet little birthday celebration sounds like it was so much fun for everyone.

Unknown said...

Looks like a lovely party. Sounds like a great schooling plan and there is always room and time for change if you and the girls feel it suits. xx m.

TwigandToadstool said...

It's inspiring to see mammas just "let go" and allow magical things to happen in their children's days...another beautiful day that your child will simply cherish! Bless you for sharing such magical moments
Maureen

The Knitty Gritty Homestead said...

Spontaneity is a gift to your children! My kids wanted to paint today and of course I inwardly sighed. Then I just let them have at it...M had paint in her ears, bellybutton, just everywhere. It's a big lesson in letting go. They made a huge mess while only painting for about 7 min. But I hope they remember the word "Yes" much more than "no". Love the dolly birthday party!

luciana said...

Oh, what a joy to read this post. So amazing that a little wheat grass can start an amazing story/play. And you played along with them so beautifully. So trully grace-full is the realm of childhood. I'm inspired!

6512 and growing said...

What a very sweet post. Love the sleeping partiers picture.
I was cutting some chard from our greenhouse yesterday and my 5 year old son picked up my knife wanting to do some of his own cutting. He picked comfrey leaves, apple mint and chard stems and cut them with the gusto of a chef. I think he fed he mix to his stuffed ram. Yum Yum.

FrontierDreams said...

Thank you everyone for letting us share these fun days with you!
This was all K's doing and I am so happy we all took part.
XO

Moment to Moment said...

How precious, the best kind of celebration....

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