May 30, 2012

Two Months

A8weeks

Two months, little sister. That's how long you've been around. And while it seems like time has flown by it's already impossible to imagine our world without you.

You have been such a blessing to our little family. You have the most laid back, content attitude and rarely make a fuss - unless it's past food time.

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You seem to be very happy here with us by the way you smile, yes, you've been giving us big grins for a couple of weeks now.

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You have the sweetest little voice and talk the most when sister P is napping or down for the night. I totally get it, it's hard to get a word in with that one these days.

You are still deciding on how you feel about that sister of yours but let me assure you, she's a great little lady. She doesn't try to mommy you - yet. She seems more ready for you to be older so you can play with her.

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But honestly, your lack of ability to play hasn't stopped her from sharing!

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She's really good about sharing things with you.

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One thing is for sure, I'm your favorite right now.

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photo by Jeremy Charles

It's as it should be. I can calm you like none other and you give me the biggest smiles and sweetest coos.

Daddy is a close second though.

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You guys enjoy cuddling right now. You snuggle perfectly on his chest.

So, here you are at 8 weeks.

You are sleeping through the night (praise Jesus). You take nice long naps but are starting to be awake a little more during the day so that's been fun.

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You have already had your toe nails painted, per your sister's request.

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You are growing like a little weed, a cute, sweet, little weed.

I still can't really pin who you look like. Mommy or daddy? Tough to say but it's pretty obvious you look most like your sister.

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Ava on the left and Paisley on the right. Both taken at 1 week by Aunt Ashley.


Happy 2 month birthday my sweet girl. We love you.

A8weeks2





P.S. Sorry about not having a post or photos from your one month birthday. Second child syndrome hit. Sorry. But here are some super awesome photos your aunt took when you were just a week old.


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May 29, 2012

Our Weekend

These are some of the highlights in photos.

She obviously likes to jump.

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And splash.

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But she does not like getting splashed.

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She prefers being held.

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And this just makes me smile.

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Hope you had a great weekend.

May 25, 2012

Berries and Cream - recipe

berriesandcream

Happy Friday!

Who's looking forward to the unofficial start of summer this weekend with Memorial Day? Well, we are!

I recently had a dessert disaster that ended up turning into something pretty tasty that I'm going to share today.

This all came about because were having company over for dinner and I attempted to make popovers for the first time. By the way, I do not recommend making a new recipe when you are cooking for others. I usually test them first to see if I like it but the recipe looked foolproof (ha!) so I gave it a shot. Well, I guess there's something to those special popover pans because I tried making them in a mini muffin tin and it was a complete disaster. They became charred little bits of dough.

Not good.

Our company would be arriving shortly and I needed a replacement dessert - FAST. I had made cream and had some frozen berries for the popovers so I decided to salvage them and make little berry shortcakes. I quickly mixed up some pie dough, baked it and topped it with the cream and semi-thawed berries.

It was a hit.

So, if you find yourself in a bind and need a dessert fast, here's a quick little recipe that's even color appropriate for Memorial Day or the 4th of July!

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Ingredients:

This is my grandma's super-flaky pie dough recipe:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
4-6 tablespoons ice cold water
optional: 1 egg yolk and 2 tablespoons whipped cream

Vanilla cream:
1 cup sweetened whipped cream
1 cup prepared vanilla pudding (I used jell-o)

Frozen or fresh berries

Here's what you need to do to make the dough.

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Fill a bowl with a cup of water and a couple of ice cubes. Then, sift the flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening. I use a fork because that's how grandma always did it. Cut it in until it's mealy.

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Then add 3-4 tablespoons of the ice cold water. Mash it in with your fork but don't over mix. If you want really flaky pie dough, the secret is using as little water as possible and not over mixing it.

Once most of the dough starts to pull together, I typically need to add another tablespoon of water and mix a little more. I may be a little extreme in how little I mix my dough, but it works for me.

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Then I lightly press it all together and transfer it to a lightly floured surface to roll out. I've read it's best to start from the middle and roll outwards to keep your dough flaky, so that's what I do.

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Once it's rolled out, I tear off pieces and put them on an ungreased cookie sheet. You could cut out fun shapes but I like the "rustic" look of the torn pieces.

Now, here's a little trick I learned from my grandma-in-law: mix 2 tablespoons whipped cream with a beaten egg yolk and brush it on top of the dough. This makes it golden and crispy when you bake it!

I also topped it with a little cinnamon and sugar before baking.

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Bake it at 350 degrees until golden in color. Transfer your dough pieces to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

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Once it's cooked, put a couple pieces of dough on a plate, top with a little cream and then some berries. And, if you're feeling crazy, sprinkle with a little powdered sugar.

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Enjoy! And, have a fantastic weekend!!


May 21, 2012