A Very Merry Un-Birthday

Eden is officially one year old..
it's exciting
and it breaks my heart at the same time
I don't really want her to get any bigger.
I just want her to stay little forever

ohh anyways we had a big ol party for the little munchkin
it was super fun!
unfortunately my camera started acting up in the middle of the party so I only got half a party's worth of pictures.


during breakfast we made her wear this skull cap so she wouldn't get egg in her hair before her guests got to the house. what do you think? does she look pretty tough or what?




can you guess what the theme was???
I'll give you a hint I bought Eden Alice in Wonderland on dvd for part of her present
:)







I'm sorry everyone but I have the cutest/prettiest baby ever. I know, I know, that sounds conceited but I was always taught to tell the truth. and really can anyone argue with me? I mean look at that little face!



probably should have kept that skull cap on her huh?

well that's it for now.
me and my mother just got Julia Child's The Way To Cook on dvd so be expecting lots of fun cooking posts.

My Baby

Ok so she's not really a baby anymore.. actually she's almost a year old. and that makes me sad. i don't want her to get any bigger. i want her to stay little and sweet and i want her to always love me the way she does right now. i don't know if i can handle it.

i won't be able to handle not washing her little head of hair



i won't be able to handle it when she has a new best friend



i won't be able to handle it when her feet are any bigger



i won't be able to handle it when i can't tell her what to wear anymore



i wish she would stay this way forever



isn't she just the sweetest?
i love her forever and ever

Best Dinner Ever...

i can't believe it's almost been a month since i last posted! awful i know. the other week i made steak with whiskey sauce, roasted potatoes, and green beans for dinner. it was amazing to say the least.

it starts out like this
saute some baby bella mushrooms in 1 tablespoon butter adding a few spoon fulls of beef broth whenever the pan looks a little "dry" remove the mushrooms and set aside. now take some nice big steaks sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and garlic salt on both sides. and in the same pan you cooked the mushrooms melt another couple tablespoons of butter and cook the steaks on both sides for about 2 minutes then stick them into the oven at 240 until they're done to your liking. now go back to that pan and cook the whiskey sauce in it. (that recipe is in an older post) serve the steak with the mushrooms and the sauce.

for the potatoes it's super easy! use baby reds or yukon golds, cut them up into bite size pieces, throw into a 9 x 13 baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and season salt, and bake at 350 for about an hour.
the green beans are really easy too. melt a ton of butter in a pan then add a bag of frozen whole green beans. sprinkle generously with season salt and add some chopped purple onion. cook until green beans are soft and the onions are very very brown.

you fly on wings of gold

i have the coolest kid.
everyday she makes me laugh.

she is a little goofy huh?

and ohhhh so sweet.

hehe
she has big feet
but it's kinda cute

everything about her is perfect


she dances

my heart sings

i can tell that we are gonna be friends

I
Love
Being
A
Mother

simple as that. i LOOOVE it.
i love waking up and listening to beetlejuice jibber jabber in her baby language about the dreams she had the night before. i love feeding each other cheerios. i love watching kung fu panda over and over and over again. i love snuggling up together for nap time. i love dancing together. i love having my own personal model available every day :) i love having someone that always loves me no matter what, someone who thinks i am flawless, someone who is always happy to see me, someone who always makes me smile.
i can't wait to have tea parties, and play dress up, and go shopping, and dream together, and travel together, and stay up late to watch old movies and gorge ourselves on ice cream, and cook together, and have secrets, and go to the beach, and write stories together.

this is my little bug


this is the little girl who changed my whole life




we will rest upon the ground
and look at all the bugs we've found
-the white stripes

Celina & Joe E-Session

So I did my very first e-session today. and it was a lot of fun! Celina and Joe were so laid back and I had a great time with them. I can't wait to do their wedding in October! Celina kept saying how she had a terrible smile in pictures but when we looked them over they turned out great! these two are definitely naturals in front of the camera and you can tell just by looking at the pictures how much they love each other.
here are some of the favorites.

Stuffed Cranberry French Toast

I got this recipe from my mom. It's probably the most amazing breakfast I have ever had. I wish I had a regular brunch date thing with friends so I could make this and impress them. but I don't. oh well more for me.

Cranberry sauce:
12 oz bag of cranberries
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Place all ingredients except marmalade in saucepan and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer until cranberries pop. remove from heat add marmalade, mix, set aside.

French toast:
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
8 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 lb loaf italian or french bread
8 oz cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 eggs
1 1/2 cup half & half
2 tablespoons orange juice

In saucepan melt together butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup over low heat. add 1 1/2 cups of the cranberry sauce, mix, and set aside.
slice bread thickly spread cream cheese on one piece of bread and make a sandwich. continue with the rest of the bread.
beat eggs and add half & half, orange juice, and vanilla. stir together
spread the cranberry/brown sugar mixture in a greased 9x13 baking dish. layer the cream cheese sandwiches on top. and pour the egg mixture over the bread. refrigerate overnight or cook immediately for 50-60 minutes in a 350 degree oven. cover with tinfoil for the first 30 minutes then remove. serve with the remaining cranberry sauce.



trust me, you will not regret making this.