8 month photo shoot

kevin: out of town (have i mentioned k is out of town? we miss him. yea for tonight!)
ivy: enthralled in mickey mouse clubhouse
me & e: photo-shooting with an actual camera. no more less iPhone pics!

i am not sure of his height and weight (we'll get his next stats at 9 months) 

but i do know that he is back to his uninterrupted 11-12 hours at night.
(plus 2 naps)

can i get a hallelujah! 

firsts this month:

going to target 

(i am pretty sure today was his first trip there. 

insane. 

ivy had been exactly a million times by now.)

last week was my first time being in the car by myself with ivy and eli.

super insane!

(we are usually just in the car on sundays, and kevin with us.)

first time trying sweet potato puree. 

not havin it.

none of it.

the guy only wants a BOTTLE.

at all times.

ivy said sweetly to eli today: "how's your bottle, buddy? good?"

hahahaha. 

first time pulling himself up to a standing position. 

(holding something of course)

first easter!

first time eating puffs.

loves em.

(the one exception to his bottle)

first time flipping out of his bouncer. 

this never happened to ives, but he's done it 3 or 4 times...

poor thing.

first time in the park swing!!! 

it is soooo cute.

he holds on with both hands. 

oh it's so cute.

he's our little buddy and we love him so! 

espresso brownies

another recipe from giada...i am on a kick! made these this afternoon partly because kevin is out of town (he can't tolerate anything coffee), but mostly for a friend who just had a baby. thought these seemed fitting for a sleep-deprived new mama, no? anyway, they're kinda fancy (but they're from a box) and if you like coffee, i think you'd like 'em!


giada's espresso brownies 
1/3 cup plus 2 T water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 T + 2 t espresso powder (instant espresso)
1 box brownie mix (such as duncan hines)
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 T butter, room temp

preheat oven to 350 and grease 9x9.
whisk together 1/3 cup of the water, the oil, eggs and 2 T of the espresso powder in large bowl. add the brownie mix and stir until well blended. stir in the chocolate chips. pour into pan and bake 30-35 minutes. let brownies cool completely in pan.

when they've cooled, dissolve the remaining 2 t of espresso powder in the remaining 2 T of water in a medium bowl. whisk in vanilla, then add powdered sugar and butter and whisk until smooth. with the brownies still in the pan, pour the glaze over the brownies and refrigerate until set (about 2 hours). cut into bite-size pieces, arrange them on a platter and serve.

enjoy :)

happy easter!

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

According to His great mercy, 

He has caused us to be born again to a living hope

 through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 

to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading..."

1 Peter 1:3

raspberry-almond tart

for some reason, ivy thinks baking follows nap time. 

like every day.

she always walks straight to the kitchen and pulls up a stool. 

usually i'm happy to oblige.... 

not sure this is good for anyone though!

well today i found this recipe during her nap

and miraculously had all the ingredients. 

it turned out to be really kid-friendly too. 

she brushed the egg on the pastry, 

poked holes with a fork, 

poured the cream and sugar into the mixer, 

spread the almonds on a baking sheet, 

and plopped the raspberries on the final product. 

she was very proud, and

it turned out to be the prettiest little tart! 

i love it.

she strategically only ate the whipped cream,

but i don't blame her. 

this was my first time making it homemade, and it was soo good.

i'm kinda inspired to only make this kind of dessert all spring. 

fruit + whipped cream. 

so pretty and so delicious! 

giada's raspberry-almond tart

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed

flour, for dusting

1 egg

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 T amaretto liqueur (i used 1 tsp almond extract)

1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds, coarsely crumbled

2 (6 ounce) baskets of fresh raspberries

unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting (i skipped this)

preheat oven to 400.

roll out the pastry sheet on a lightly floured cutting board to a 10 inch square.

cut off about an inch-wide strip off each side, set aside.

brush the edges of the square with the egg.

place the 4 pastry strips on top of the edges of the square, overlapping on the corners, and forming a raised border.

brush these borders with egg too.

poke the inside square a LOT all over with a fork.

bake until golden, about 20 minutes. 

let cool.

beat the cream, sugar and almond extract on med-high until firm peaks form. 

fold in the nuts. 

spoon the cream mixture onto the cooled pastry crust. 

arrange the berries over the cream.

dust with cocoa powder or powdered sugar if you like!

also- this would work well with basically any kind of fruit. 

i think a banana one sounds good... 

enjoy! 

funny girl, part 2

a two year old's mind is a funny thing, 

and again, the creativity never ceases to amaze.

 i wish i would jot down more of this stuff, but here's a few of the latest. 

actually, i think this all happened today and yesterday.  

(note - this is mainly to help jog my memory later, so i'm aware it may not make a lot of sense!) 

ivy's "tortillas"

helping in the kitchen 

ivy's latest cooking endeavor is making "tortillas" by rolling up our placemats and putting them in our empty fireplace. it's sometimes a struggle for her to let me borrow them for dinner time, and afterwards, you can bet they are right back in her "oven"!  

also, this morning she took her 5 dvds out of their cases, put them in her play kitchen oven and said she was "making tookies (cookies)".  maybe because they are round like cookies? i don't know. she is always coming up with new material.

earlier today, she rolled up the comforter on our bed until it dropped perfectly on the floor at the end of the bed. she came and got me and eli and asked us really sweetly, "would you like to come see my whale? it is big, two eyes and a big mouth. would you like to ride him?"  interesting.

ivy has been making a huge pile in our den of every pillow in our house, and jumping off the couch and rolling around in them. (so?)  anyway, her and i were sitting in the pile the other day and she blurted out "these pillows are PLANETS!" i don't know what she was saying, but she meant it!

at any given moment during the day, if you have your feet on the floor (say you are sitting on the couch or on a chair like a normal person) ivy might point at your feet and shout "mom! shark!" and then you have to pull your feet up. and she keeps going on about her business. pretty funny.

yesterday, in her time-out chair, she said through tears, "i want grandma at my house!" haha aw :(

one thing that ivy can't quite wrap her mind around is why i have to wash our clothes.
when she walks with me down to do the laundry, we usually have a convo like this.
ivy: "did eli spit up on it?"
me: "no, eli didn't spit up on it."
ivy: "did eli p-u on it?"
me: "nope"
ivy, confused: "did ivy p-u on it?"
me: "no"
ivy: "daddy p-u on it??"
and so on....
i try to explain that we just have to wash the clothes every once in a while to keep them clean.
she's not buying it.

but she's keeping us entertained! :)

oh boy! (and cheese grits)

  {MENU}

blueberry spritzers

chicken + apricot puffs

white cheese grits

fruit cups

parmesan cheese straws

tomato bruschetta

chocolate + vanilla cupcakes

chocolate truffles

5 of my friends are pregnant right now, and all having boys! crazy.  some girls and i threw a little baby shower for one of them, our friend lisa, a few weeks ago and it was a great time. annie & lauren did most of the work (including the hand-stiched name and homemade chocolate truffles!) and it turned out so cute. but the star of the show, besides lisa's belly, were the cheese grits!!! everyone loved them. so here's the recipe.
annie's cheese grits 
1 qt. milk
1 c. quick grits
2 sticks real butter
1 ½ c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/3 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
Melt 1 stick of butter in saucepan then add 1 qt. milk.  Bring almost to a boil then add grits.  Cook until thick.

Add salt and pepper.  Mix in mixer for 5 minutes.  Mix in 1 stick of melted butter and Monterey cheese.  Mix 5 minutes more.  Pour into greased casserole.  Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes.

enjoy! 

pot roast, polenta + cheese biscuits

this roast is sooo good. 

i've made it 3 or 4 times and it gets better and better.

a new favorite. 

it makes the house smell crazy good and the gravy is fool-proof. 

i know it's more of a winter meal, but it's been around 40 lately...

so it suits us!

last sunday i made rosemary polenta with it, and we loved it. 

it is so much easier than mashed potatoes. 

it tastes kinda like grits, and needs to be eaten right away

or it will clump up (like grits). 

leftovers in a panini with sweet potato fries may be even better.

just meat and bread.

pot roast (adapted from giada)

about a 3-lb boneless beef chuck roast 

2 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped

10 baby carrots, sliced

3/4 cup button mushrooms, sliced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 cup red wine

1 1/2 cups beef broth

preheat oven to 275.

pat the beef dry and season with salt and pepper. 

in a heavy pot, heat the olive oil over med-high heat.

add the beef and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side.

remove the beef and set aside.

reduce heat to medium. 

add the veggies and garlic and cook about 5 minutes. 

add the wine and scrape down the bottom of the pot.

stir in the broth and add the roast back to the pot. 

bring it up to a boil, cover the pot and place in oven.

let cook for 4-5 hours, turning the beef over once.

transfer the beef to a cutting board, tent with foil. 

pour everything else in the blender to make your gravy.

pour your gravy back into the pot, and add a rosemary sprig if you want.

bring it to a simmer for about 5 minutes. season with salt and pepper. 

if it's too thick, add some broth. 

shred your roast with two forks, pour some gravy on top and serve with polenta, mashed potatoes, or cheese biscuits (also highly recommended - just didn't have a pic). so gooood! 

original recipe: HERE. 

cheese biscuits: HERE

ina garten's polenta: HERE

enjoy!

by the way, does anyone have a good shredded pork recipe? :)

eli boy

eli is sooo giggly right now! he thinks everything we say and do is hilarious. he's such a sweetheart, and so easy. he will stroll for miles! the past few days he sat in the stroller while ivy played at the park, then we strolled to lunch, all during lunch, and on and on. i mean like hours! when your first child hated the sight of a stroller/car seat/anything inhibiting, you seriously appreciate it. he also gives the best hugs, putting his chubby hands around our necks and holding tight. he sits up on his own, and enjoys playing with anything ivy brings him. ivy has mastered "the trade". she knows not to take a toy away from him, and that she needs to give him something else if she wants what he has. so she'll swap toys with him and say "oh thank you! mom - eli sharing with me!" really she's just taking advantage of the fact that he has no idea what's goin on. she's a clever one! she loves to hold him, tell him to hush, tell him he's so silly, play peek-a-boo which cracks him up, ask him "eli boy, what so funny about?" haha. he goes with it. her, me, us, strolls, car rides, whatever.  i just love him. he's in such a fun stage right now. not a fragile newborn, not yet a toddler... just perfectly in between.

happy 7 months! (a couple weeks late)

art class

wednesday = art class!!

ivy's friends came over and srolled with us.

the weather is so beautiful! 

70s and sunny. 

so miss delores let the kids paint outside...

with the hugest of brushes! 

i love this weather. 

i love this art studio.

i love ivy. 

the end! 

my girl

i've got sunshiiiine on a cloudy day
when it's cold outside, i've got the month of may
i.. guess.. you'd.. say
what can make me feel this way?
my girl.........
talkin' about myyy girl
my girl!

ooooohhhh!
haha

happy friday everyone!

and on that farm...

there were some kiddos!

snow re mi

first time pushing two!

we ventured out this morning and braved the cold -- just down the street to ivy's music class :)
i've been taking her (and sometimes her bro) on friday mornings.
it's a nice little outing.
 i know ivy enjoys it.
 she comes home and pretends to be her teacher, ms. eiko, having us all sit down while she leads us in song.
"mom, sit!!"  "no, right here!" "mom, sit please!!" "dad, sit down!"
she's very persistent.
honestly, i can't understand a word ms. eiko says (or anyone else really- we are the only americans) but ivy follows along without a hitch. haha makes me laugh.
after, she always tells me "mom, that so much fun".
melts my heart every time!

anyway, ivy begged me to play in the snow when we got home so we did! i think she ate most of our front yard.

dear kevin,
cross my heart, gloves were worn.
they are just not pictured here.
love,
me

(i've been in trouble for this many times.)

happy friday y'all