Tuesday, December 7, 2010

My baby turning five..

I can not express the endless love I feel for my beautiful, strong minded, charismatic, warm hearted and amazing Isabella who landed in my arms one rather dramatic Thanksgiving afternoon back in 2005! This little woman possesses an infectious charm, and has brought so much laughter and joy into our lives that I could write books about it! And on the 24th November this year, she turned five..


Unlike Oscar, who is a quieter soul, Isabella is lively and spontaneous. There is an endless supply of funny stories to pick from, but I'll share this one that I told my dear friend Kelly (over at Style Attic) a little while ago..  Apologies if you feel it is too graphic..I just think it's funny.. :)

"One day we when visiting friends' Isabella got very hungry and asked for a sandwich. Given an array of sandwich toppings to choose from, she wanted to try peanut butter - something that was entirely new to her. It turned out she really didn't like it.. 
A couple of days later we were at a cafe and Isabella ordered some toast.. When asked by the waitress what she wanted on it, she declared loudly and breathlessly 'Not penis butter please!'.. As you can imagine, one could hear a pin drop at the cafe.. Then the roaring laughter broke loose. .! We didn't pay for our food that day - it was on the house.." :)

To celebrate this very special 'birthday milestone' we threw a party for our cheeky princess. An 'adults & kids mingle' with some fun little party-games, and a not so little buffet of sweets & treats. All of it home made in usual tradition! For a whole week I baked, filled lolly bags, cut confetti, made decorations, rolled truffles, and generally pottered & prepared for what turned out to be such a great day. 
 

We all had a great time! Our photo library is loaded with images, and our hearts full of beautiful memories..! So much to cherish!



All photos are private. Please don't use without prior written consent.


xx Charlotta



For those of you who have asked.. Here's the recipe for the chocolate truffles:


100g butter (soft/room temperature)
100ml caster sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
2-3 tablespoons cocoa powder
300 ml rolled oats
2-3 tablespoons cold strong coffee (optional)
Desiccated coconut (for coating)

Using your hands, combine butter (room temperature), 
caster sugar and vanilla sugar until soft.
Add cocoa powder, rolled oats, and cold coffee. 
Work together until thoroughly mixed.
Roll into small round balls (approximately 1.5 cm in diameter).
Coat the with coconut flakes as you go and place in a large container.
NB! Make sure you line each layer with baking paper.
Place the finished balls fridge until hard.
Bbring out 15-20 mins before serving.

Can be made in advance (including coating) and 
kept in the fridge for up to 10 days.

I like to stick home-made tooth pick flags in them,
and serve them on a large plate layered fun doilies..

Make a double batch.. they won't last long..



Party games that Isabella loves..

1. Mummies
Divide the children into teams of three.

One person is 'the mummie' and the other two 'the wrappers'.

Give each team three rolls of toilet paper.

On the start of an up-beat track (or 'Go!') the wrappers get
to work creating a mummie. NB! Do not cover the face!

At the end of the music everyone stops.
The best mummie wins!


2. Pop the balloon
Write fun instructions on small notes.
(number of notes should equal number of guests)

Roll up and insert into a balloon and then inflate it.
Tie them up and attach strings to create a big bunch.

All children stand in front of the game keeper.

Taking turns, each child pops a balloon with a pin or toothpick.

The game keeper reads the instructions and the children carry them out.
E.g. 'Scream at the top of your lungs!', 'Sing Bah Bah Black Sheep
whilst jumping on one leg!', 'Make a funny face!' etc etc. 
Tailor to suit your crowd.


3. Pen in the bottle 
This one is a Swedish classic that can be played by kids and adults alike..!
Hilarious when a little bit tipsy.. You that is.. Not the children..! :)
You'll need the following:

Pencils tied to string (ca 70cm long)

Bottles (you may want to fill each bottle with a little 
bit of water or sand to keep the stirdy)

A 'game keeper' / 'judge'

Divide the kids into two or three teams
and line them up behind each other.

The first player of each team ties the string with the pencil
around their waist with the 'tail of the string' on the front of their body.

The top of the pen should be hanging ca 15cm above the opening of the bottle.

On 'Go!' each child tries to stick their pens into their bottle.

No hands are allowed and the entire pen must be inside
the bottle to win and the child must hold the position until the 
'judge/game keeper' gives approval. Good for the legs muscles!

The child passes the stringed pencil onto the next player in their team.
The team that finishes the quickest wins!


Have fun!

xx C

24 comments:

Will @ Bright.Bazaar said...

How adorable! The party looks like it was a great success and the warmth of the words you use to describe Isabella are simply lovely.

The sunny garden where the party took place feels a million miles away right now. The trees are white with frost and the air bitterly cold!

Thank you for your lovely comment about my video. So fun to read that you used to live on Sydney Street! Funny, really, given your AUS location now!

Big hugs! xo

Unknown said...

Oh, too darling! I love it! And penis butter, I laughed out loud, Charlotta! Happy birthday Isabella! XX!

Carole said...

Such a lovely post Charlotta. Isn't five such a magical, innocent age? My little 'baby' is 22 now and I so miss the first years. Just looking at photos can reduce me to tears. You will treasure these for always.
Lots of Love, Carole

tinajo said...

Congrats to her! :-)

k said...

The picture of the cake is just so GREAT! Happy bday to her :):) What special pics.

jeanette from everton terrace said...

Fantastic - all of it! The food and decorations, down to the little details is all sublime and the games, we'll I'm taking notes. The best part is of course the joy oozing out of each photo. Quite lovely.

Stacey said...

Ha ha re the penis butter story! and you scored your meal on the house too-thanks to lovely Isabella! It looks like the party was a blast-love the colours and decor. Thanks for sharing the games too-i might have to use a few for baby Z's 2nd b'day in March! XX

ilovemyhouse said...

Happy birthday! Looks like a LOT of fun time there.That weather look fantastic as well, compared to ours here in Europe.Thnks for the game tips, always come in handy.
XX

Unknown said...

She is absolutely beautiful and looks like she is having a wonderful time at a very fabulous party!! Lovely photos :)

Love the story.....LOL!!!

I am SO behind on my blog reading and commenting, I know though that you have big news about moving back to Sweden.....how exciting for you!!!! I am sure your family are thrilled.

Hope the Christmas preparations are going well! xx

THE ALTERNATIVE WIFE said...

Happy belated birthday to Isabella! This post is so beautiful and brought such a smile to my face today :) And penis butter is just priceless!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend Charlotta! xoxo

thegreenpoet said...

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Things That Inspire said...

I absolutely love the 'penis butter' story...that is one for the ages!

Looks like your little girl had a wonderful, wonderful birthday. I remember my 5th birthday party - one of the first parties I remember!

Unknown said...

Hilarious story....and adorable girl!!! I have to run and break up the ruckus b/w my 6 & 8 year olds......xoxo Elizabeth

Splendid Willow said...

5 she is! Beautiful Isabella.

And what wonderful party pics! Good job Mama! I can feel the love and happiness all the way to Seattle.

Welcome back, dear!

Busy, busy over here.

A warm hug,

Mon

Anonymous said...

Just too beautiful Charlotta!
Congratulations to both you and Isabella. Love the cake.x
:-))

Tuuli - Lumo Lifestyle said...

What a funny story!

Isabella's party looks like lots of fun and laughter, just the way 5th birthday should be!

Unknown said...

What a sweet party...in every sense! Congrats!

Tina said...

Such an adorable little 5- year old! I bet she felt like a real pricess on her 5:th birthday, having such fantastic mom prepareing all those things for her daughter!
Loved the little story about the peanut butter:). Something she probably will be told of the rest of her life. We all have those situations from childhood:)!
I can see it was a happy, fun birthday party. Makes me happy too!
Massor med kramar!!!

Mary Ann Pickett said...

You made it such a special day for your little one. My son has the same birthday.
Mary Ann

Marina Saclley @ Iced VoVo's said...

Oh happy birthday to your darling girl, Charlotta!
It was also my baby girls birthday on Monday and she turned 11!
The party looks like it was a huge success.
Happy week to you.
xx

debra @ 5th and state said...

dearest charlotta, what a joy to share isabella's birthday so far away in the frigid, but delightful cold.
she is a lovely little girl with a wonderful spirit! and to think that she could fill volumes at the tender age of five.......just wait mama!

the decorations you created were charming and look at those dimples on your precious oscar. lovely, lovely
xo
debra
ps; did you receive my email response luv?

s a n s k u :) said...

they grow up so fast, don't they?

the cake made me smile. so scandinavian. yum! :P

Kelly Frances Dunn said...

Dear Charlotta,

Wow, thank you for the sweet shout out, in such a sweet post for your daughter!! I had no idea. Here it is almost 1am and it took forever to load, but I did it, here I am and I am loving the visit. I had to double take as Isabella and Lachlan almost have the same birthdays, but the weather is so different! I love those wings....love them. The anticipation shot is fantastic, the corners of her mouth are so telling and priceless! The decor is fun and fresh and thank you for passing on some of your secrets! And the story, it was a great laugh second time around....it could never get old!

Thank you for always keeping the lines of communication open. It's been a blessing to connect with you :)

LOVE,

Kel

Christie - Childhood 101 said...

Oh my she has grown so, so much, as has her dear brother!

From an old friend across the country ;)

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