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
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