bmk

children’s museum and more

I had a little anxiety this week when I realized school was just two weeks away. I have spent some time this summer playing referee to my little ladies, but mostly we’ve had our fun. Summer just goes by too darn fast and I’m not quite ready for the schedule of the new school year with homework, dance classes, swimming and all the other activities that keep me on my toes.
Instead of counting down the days until school starts I’m trying my best to enjoy every minute I can with these gals.
We had Taco Tuesday at the Kitchen. We made guacamole, chips, tortilla chips and of course tacos. We even made “taco” cookies.
We saw Ice Age 3D which the girls seemed to enjoy but the 3D glasses give me a headache. We were the only ones in the theater so I took off the glasses and checked emails for most of the show. It was $12 to spend time with my girls and get caught up on work emails – worth it!
Livin’!
The girls have been begging to go to the Children’s Museum all summer. It’s always crazy crowded and I thought they were too old for it, but I was wrong. They have redone the museum and it’s pretty spectacular. Something for everyone to do. It’s still their favorite.
Loving the ski lift swings outside the entrance
yeah, they are little whacky
They made it rain and got soaking wet and were all giggles. . Perfect ending to our trip to the museum. We all left laughing!
Thursday we had a pj and pancakes party at the Kitchen. The girls each had friends join them and then Gwyneth went home with Ella to play for the afternoon and Annabelle’s friend Morgan joined her at our house. A little space from each other does these sisters good.
Gwyneth and her buddies and their giant pancake!

wizard of oz

Our day started with an American Girl doll tea party at the Kitchen. My gals missed the last one and were so excited to join this time around. We made lots of delicious mini-food and the party was a hit. 

Gwyneth invited a few friends to see Wizard of Oz with us at the Candlelight Playhouse. She had grand plans for her friends and found these shoes on sale at Walmart. What a fun little take away!

She was joined by a fabulous group of girls. I couldn’t ask for sweeter friends for her. Annabelle has so much fun with them all as well. My heart is full.

Friends since they were three…
friends since kindergarten…
besties! These two are inseparable. 
girl scout friends and neighbors.
sisters!
love those shoes!

The girls were wonderful at the show. So much kindness and their best manners. They had front row seats and a table all to themselves. Living the dream!

All the girls stayed over and were up until about midnight. They started the next day with donuts. Yum!

cinderella

Cinderella joined us for a tea party at the Kitchen. It was quite magical and the girls were all star-struck. Annabelle was feeling a bit too old for princesses, but she got in on the fun and was a really good helper. Gwyneth soaked up the princess time and was all smiles. 
After two parties at the Kitchen, we headed downtown to celebrate Gus’ birthday. We had dinner with Gus, Misti, Sheila and Lance at Mellow Mushroom. We sure do love their pizza. 

We headed to 1-Up, which is a bar/arcade with lots of old school games including tetris, donkey kong, pac man, ski ball, and much more. We had a blast playing games.

We ended the night with cocktails at the View House. As the name suggests, it’s an upstairs patio with an amazing view of the Denver skyline. What a night of celebration with pretty amazing peeps.

cake boss: annabelle style

Annabelle is our best saleswoman for Blue Mountain Kitchen. She is always so proud of the Kitchen and tells everyone she knows to come on in and give us a try. She’s an amazing helper also. She does dishes, bakes, cleans, and I’m certain she could run most of the classes and parties on her own already.

She asked to host a Cake Boss party at the Kitchen for her friends and we couldn’t refuse. We found an open evening a bit after her birthday and let her schedule her event. She came up with the ideas for the cakes and was so helpful to everyone she invited.

I have to admit: I find this age challenging. Nine. Wow. She’s not a baby anymore, but is she really a tween? (As the urban dictionary describes it – “ages 9 – 14… too old for toys, too young for boys”. My heart just died a little right there)  She’s changing so much, testing us, and emotional. So, so emotional. She’s also pretty darn amazing and we have great conversations and she’s very passionate and opinionated.

Just as we are starting to figure this whole nine year old thing out, we got a whole Kitchen full of nine year olds. Her friends all came for her party and they are tweens (I enjoy this new label for her and her crew). They are all changing so much and are a bit goofy. They are trying to be mature, maybe a little too mature at times, but they still have those great giggles and can still be silly. They hug and laugh and they are all starting to be a bit more insecure and they hang on to each other a little more. I’m glad she has some dear friends that she has known for ages and made some new friends from her new school. She’s fiercely independent, but also a really, really great friend. Nine is an interesting new age and I sure do love her.

We made little treat bags for her friends. The bags included a spatula, chocolate chip muffin mix and a birthday cake sucker.

Ready to party
Our cake boss: 
I couldn’t take pictures during the party because these kiddos kept me on my toes. I did get manage to get a few of Annabelle with each group and their cakes. 
Annabelle’s crew. Four gals, four different schools, but the sweetest of friends. I really enjoy these ladies. She has known them for years and they have great families and are good friends to her. My only sadness is that  Olivia lives so far away – only about 25 minutes or so but they almost bought the house right next to us. Could you imagine??? Even with the distance, they fall right back in step together and I just couldn’t be happier. We try and get them together as much as possible over the summer. 
The girls made a Harry Styles/One Direction cake. Annabelle’s cousin, Madison would be so proud. 
Annabelle and the boys. They made a Denver Nuggets cake! Nat is from school and Rhys and Wyatt are her camping partners in crime. 
The beach, swimming team. Annabelle’s friends from school and girl scouts. She was so happy to see these gals.
The emoji cake. Yes, that’s a big poo emoji right in the middle of that cake. I just couldn’t be more proud. 
The emoji cake was the winner. Of course, what kid isn’t going to vote for a poo emoji?
Singing happy birthday to this creative, organized, fantastic 9 year old. 
Kyla came for the party too and Annabelle just couldn’t have been happier to hold her. She waited all night to ask and then didn’t want to put her down. She could hold Miss Kyla all day long. 
Gwyneth and Bella showed up with matching braids. Great minds…

cooking, cornhole and camping

We hosted a little cooks and books party at the Kitchen called Seussical Cooking. We read lots of Seuss stories and made whimsical snacks. We had a great turn out and all the kids did a great job. It was a busy catering day also the Kitchen was hopping. 

On Saturday morning we hosted a cookie decorating event which is a lovely time for parents to drop off the kiddos for two hours and have a nice break over the long weekend. They decorated LOTS of cookies, we ate pizza and played games. Smashing success.

The girls were so happy to see their friend Clara. We haven’t been able to meet up over this hectic summer so they were thrilled to have the time with her.

We went to a BBQ and cornhole tournament on Saturday afternoon. There were 19 teams and it was an absolute blast. B was pretty good and I was absolutely terrible. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t trade me in for a better partner next year (he really should, except I’m so much fun!).

There was tons of food and drinks. It was a great shin ding. There were rows and rows of coolers. I checked them out and told the girls the front row was for kids (non-alcoholic) and they could help themselves. I turned around to find this…

uh, no! no, no, no! like this girl needs a mountain freakin’ dew!
She found this instead. I don’t know what to do with her…
Let the tourney begin.
What’s wrong with our faces?
Having fun with Mona and Missi

The girls have been begging, so we set up our tent in the basement. We wanted to have a backyard camp out but the pesky dogs next door and the haphazard fireworks being shot off around our neighborhood were not a winning combination. We set up the basement campout and we had some very, very happy girls. This tent may or not be the size of my first apartment…

cakes and basketball

Our summer camps are up and running at the Kitchen and we are busier than ever. We had our first summer Cake Boss party today and it was a big hit. It may be my new favorite. Our theme was simply “Summer” and the kids got to get creative in their decorations. More on that below. 
When we arrived home waiting in our driveway was Annabelle’s basketball hoop. She couldn’t have been more excited! It was the perfect gift from my dad and Melissa. Unfortunately it had to be assembled so she had to wait for her dad to get home from work. (no way I was willing to tackle that thing!) Waiting is the hardest part…especially for a 9 year old, especially for a birthday gift that has just arrived, especially for a 9 year old birthday girl who has been begging for basketball hoop. 
I think she likes it:

Back to the Cake Boss Party…

We had a full house and the kids formed formed four teams. The cakes were already baked so they just had to focus on the decorations. The camp was 2 hours long and they used every minute to eat pizza, come up with ideas, and decorate these beauties. It’s so fun to see what the kids come up with…

There were a lot of beach themes, surfboards, and even a patriotic cake. 

My girls joined a team with new friends and I love what they came up with. It’s a beach, with a shark and surfer….well, the surfer didn’t fare too well. This little guy is missing an arm and leg from the shark attack. Gruesome, yes! Did they have us cracking up trying how to figure out to make a shark victim and blood on a cake? Yes! Not the most appetizing, but these kiddos had fun and it didn’t stop them from chowing down on that cake afterwards!

cupcake wars and american girls

We hosted a cupcake wars at the kitchen today. It was a camp, but we have done so many of these birthday parties I think I can run them in my sleep. 
This is still one of my favorite parties. I came up with it when we first opened the kitchen and we tweaked, adjusted, and baked until it was perfection. 
I love when my girls participate and I love when they are judges. I love watching when B runs the show and see how he changes things to better suit him. I love when the kids leave and I hear them telling their parents “that was the best party EVER!!”. I love when those same kiddos come back again and again for parties and camps. 
It’s an amazing feeling knowing I get to part of something really special. We send kids out the door with big smiles and lots of cupcakes. That’s not a bad day. 
My ladies with their red velvet and chocolate cupcake:
We hosted a double sleepover – American Girl Doll style. Annie and Kate spent the night and brought their dolls and had a blast. Annie and Gwyneth were asleep first. Kate and Annabelle were the last to sleep and the first awake. I love these gals and I appreciate how well they all play together. With my girls only being a year apart I love when their interests and friendships overlap. 

birthday parties and baby showers

Another busy weekend that flew by way too fast. 
Annabelle and B had a table at the Anthem Home and Garden show. There was lots of interest in our weekly meal service and we would love to see that grow. Hopefully we’ll get some orders from the show. 
Annabelle found this little gem and begged to bring him home. It was tough to say no, but we are in no place to be adding more mayhem to our lives right now. Perhaps sooner than later, but it’s going to take some serious persuasion. 

While B and Annabelle worked the booth, Gwyneth and I hosted a cupcake wars party at the kitchen. Our girls are amazing. They do so much with our business. It is truly family owned and operated. I often worry that they are spending too much time working with us, but they never complain. They are truly valued and get to eat lots of cupcakes.

After the party Gwyneth and I attended Amy’s baby shower. She is expecting a little girl in just a few weeks. Gwyneth had a lovely time making headbands and drinking root beer floats with friends from Girl Scouts. I sat and talked and talked and talked with my dear friend Sheila who I don’t get to see nearly enough.

Congrats to the Conleys! 

entrepreneurial innovation award

It was a pretty big night for our family and Blue Mountain Kitchen. We were nominated for the Entrepreneurial Spirit Award….and we won! We were invited to an awards dinner and the guest speaker was Ed McCaffrey. 
My very kind friend Pam offered to watch the girls for the evening so we could get dolled up and accept our award. It was an amazing night and such an honor. We’re going to be riding this high for a while…

american girls

The girls had a four day weekend so it was the perfect time for a visit from YaYa. 
We took a trip to the American Girl Doll store on Friday. YaYa gave the girls each money for Easter and they have been little saving fools. They have saved Easter money, birthday money, Valentine’s money, Christmas money, tooth fairy money, etc, etc etc. They put their money together and wanted to purchase a diner for their dolls. They were thrilled and have been waiting a long time for this day. 
They spent the rest of the day playing with their diner! 

Saturday we had two parties at the kitchen and the girls spent the day with YaYa. This weekend sure flew by fast, but we were grateful to have YaYa here to help us out.