Layla Jane

It appears that if it weren't for Chelle, I wouldn't have anything to blog about. :)

I am sorry for not posting regularly.  It's just that I don't have the drive to sit down and be that productive during my downtime.  I just want to veg in front of one or two screens, depending on if I'm "multi-tasking" by watching TV and perusing the internet at the same time.  But more on where my head is later.  Let's talk about something fun.

Meet Layla Jane!

Chelle's due date was the 17th, but Layla decided she was ready to see the world and arrived on the evening of the 8th, weighing 8 lbs 12 oz and measuring 22 inches long.  She has lots of dark hair and cheeks for days and she is perfect.

I visited yesterday and was lucky enough to be the only visitor once Chelle's parents left so I soaked up all those baby snuggles.  What is it about just sitting with a tiny baby in your arms that's so enjoyable?

We are all so happy to welcome Layla to the "framily" and can't wait to see her grow up alongside the rest of the kids.

Congratulations, Chelle and Jeremy, on your beautiful baby girl!

Chelle's Baby Shower

Heather, Vanessa, and I hosted Chelle’s baby shower at my house last weekend.  The three of us made a great team: we each fulfilled certain roles well, we figured out how to plan this thing without any drama, and we prepped the day of easily and with minimal stress.  Wanna see how things turned out?

I had the idea to use pinwheels as décor, but I wasn’t sure how I was going to affix them to the wall without messing up my newly painted dining room. I have no idea what turned the lightbulb on, but I suddenly remembered one day that I had window inserts/grills up in the attic, including a big one for the bay window in the dining room.  I super-glued the pinwheels to the grill and, well, I think it turned out pretty well.  I mean, I had two people who wanted to take it home with them so I guess that means it looked nice.

We used Vanessa’s wooden crates plus her basket and birdcages on either side of the food table to support our mason jars and birds theme.

 

I want to thank Bianca, Heather's daughter, who helped fulfill my last-minute vision to add a pennant to the window behind the drink table.  Thank goodness for otherwise idle hands!

 

 

  

And we used my sideboard cabinet for dessert.  Our invitations had mason jars on them and we used those in other ways  in the décor but nothing made as big as impact as Heather’s single-serving chocolate éclair dessert in small jars.

 

Other than the scrapbook paper, our main decorations were fresh flowers and Vanessa’s “BABY H” frames on the mantle.  Oh, and the birdhouses belonged to the McMom.

 

 

 I know, let’s see the guest of honor, huh?

 

 Each of us had to get a picture with Chelle individually, of course.

 

  

 Chelle with her (very excited) mom.

  

And with Amanda, who was at the shower because she was still pregnant even though the shower date was her due date.  Spoiler alert: she had Baby Emma the next day.

 

A couple of crowd pics for posterity’s sake.

  

And no shower post would be complete without a few pics of the mom-to-be opening her adorable (and sometimes alcoholic) gifts.

 

 

  

Before everyone left, we had to take a group picture of everyone who was there to celebrate Chelle and her baby girl.

 

Kim had to leave early so she missed the group shot, but luckily we got a photo of her and Chelle together earlier.

And finally, we had to document Chelle and all her loot.

 

That is one lucky girl!  The baby girl, that is. (But Chelle is, too.)

Chelle and I have known each other since we were about 11 years old; I can’t believe that in a decade, our kids will be the same age we were when we first met.  I can only hope that their friendships (and we’re including Karis here) stand the test of time like mine and Chelle’s has.

We can’t wait to meet Baby H next month!

(Sorry for any strange formatting.  I'm having to use Blogger for this post as opposed to Windows Live Writer, which is kinda like Word for blogging - it just made everything so easy and simple, but now it's not compatible with Google.  I hope to figure out a good solution soon.)

 

 

 

 

{Weekend recap} Fun and food

As promised, I’m back here on Tuesday to catch up a little.  Wanna read about my weekend?  You know you do.  What if I told you there were treats?  Yeah, I knew that’d keep you reading!

I had my PHX class at the Y Saturday morning and it was a good one!  Some parts of me were still feeling it into Monday.  I rushed home to shower and get ready so we could go to Zachary’s 5^th birthday party at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh.  (Zachary is Terry and Vickie’s little boy.)  The theme of the party was reptiles and amphibians and there were animals for the kids to touch and crafts relating to them.  Connor participated a little but when he wasn’t he wandered the room without being too needy or distracting so that worked out well.  I sent this picture to Ashley thanking her for preparing him with all the trips to the library.

If you are looking for fresh birthday party ideas, consider the museum.  Kids and adults alike enjoyed themselves.

After naps for all of us that afternoon, we joined our whole crew for dinner at the nearby Mexican restaurant.  Connor ate the fish from a fish taco and a healthy helping of black beans and rice.  So healthy, in fact, that his system has, uh, been clearing itself steadily since. #mexicanfooddiet

Sunday was busy with a walk and chores and grocery shopping.  I made one of my breakfast casseroles and as soon as it came out of the oven, I put a pan of cookie-filled cookie bars in the oven.  My one coworker had a lot to celebrate this past weekend: his birthday on Saturday as well as his new engagement the day before!  I know he likes Oreos so I whipped up these easy bars. 

The McHusband loved them.  I thought they needed salt, either in the recipe or sprinkled on top.  I might try them again with my adaptation.

My last recipe of the weekend was dinner from my new cookbook, Sheet Pan Suppers.  I chose the Soy-Mustard Glazed Salmon with Broccoli, but I also used cauliflower because the McHusband isn’t a huge fan of broccoli.  Turns out, he likes it just fine when it’s roasted and has good flavor in its crispy ends.  I can’t wait to try something else from the book.

One final note: We have the appraisal of our house this morning and we are keeping all appendages crossed for a good number so that the buyers don’t have any issues with their loan.  I got things cleaned up over the weekend then did a little more last night so the house looks good enough to sell all over again.  Let’s hope the appraiser is a fan of plum-purple powder rooms, new HVAC systems, and cul-de-sac lots with lots of trees.

Oh!  I know you guys are wondering if I got up and ran like I said I was going to.  You’d forgotten about that?  Well, never mind then.

Just kidding.  When I get up at 4:20 to exercise, I want all the credit I can get!  Yes, I did get up and the weather was perfect, which made it worth the lack of zzz’s.

Speaking of, it’s time for me to wrap things up and try to make up some of that beauty sleep.

Connor wishes you a happy Tuesday!

{Recipe Recap} Brownie Bars Two Ways

I wanted to make sure to share these two treats with you this week but I won’t be going on and on (and on) about them like they deserve.  This mom-wife-employee-friend-exerciser is tired!  After approximately 5.5 hours of broken sleep Sunday night, I got up at 4:20 Monday morning and went for a 30-minute run that started at 4:35.  The upside is the morning was very nice and the roads were empty (as they should be!).  But it was a long day because I didn’t get home from dinner with the girls until 9:15. (Totally worth it!) 

Then yesterday was a normal workday but it was the McHusband’s turn to have a social evening since he had concert tickets.  So I tended to Connor then headed out to the driveway for my own boot camp where I kicked my own butt.

So don’t take my lack of words about either of these treats to mean that they aren’t good.  Both are decadent.  Delicious.  And one is decidedly gooey.

Heather requested some caramel marshmallow brownies that I made once before.  When I made them the first time, I used a boxed brownie mix and chocolate-covered pretzels as my topping.  This time, I made the brownies from scratch according to the recipe and used Crunch Bites as the topping.  I thought they were much better: the brownie was fudgier and I’m a fan of the Crunch Bites.  Heather, however, preferred them the way I originally made them.

For Vanessa, I chose these Butterfinger Brownie Bars and they were a hit with everyone!  I shared one with our waiter and even he loved them.  I didn’t use any dark chocolate chips, just the minis and more peanut butter chips than the recipe called for.  I will definitely be making these again.

You won’t go wrong making either of these treats, take my fewer-than-usual words (and pictures) for it.

{Butterfinger Bars very slightly adapted from here}

{Marshmallow Caramel Krispie  Brownies barely adapted from here}

PS  Heather’s birthday was yesterday so a happy belated blog shout-out to her!

The short long weekend

We had a whole extra day so why do I still feel like I didn’t have enough time for everything?  Enough time to rest, to socialize, to be productive, and to have quality family time?  I crammed in a little of all of that, but I definitely could’ve used another 24 hours to concentrate mostly on that first thing up there on the list.

We stayed in Friday night and I did some baking (more on that in a minute) before an early bedtime.  I was up early Saturday morning with Connor then headed to the Y for my class.  That afternoon was hanging out at the house, no-baking one more treat, then we headed over to Ryan and Sandra’s house for a Memorial Day cookout.  Connor took two good naps that day so we were able to stay at their house until 9:30 or so before we scooted home and put him to bed.

Sunday was mostly socializing.  I slept in, got laundry started, then Heather picked me up for our lunch-and-a-movie afternoon with her daughters and Vickie.  We saw Pitch Perfect 2.  What a fun movie!  It was totally worth the “deal” of $8.10 – yes, eight dollars AND TEN CENTS – to see the movie in the theater.

When I got home, our friends AJ and Maritza were there with their dogs and they were playing with Monte in the backyard.  AJ and Maritza weren’t just there for canine company; they also shared with us that they are expecting their first baby!  We are very excited for them.

Yesterday was a fun day.  Yes, I did get stuff done around the house, but the McHusband, Connor, and I also had lunch outside before playing in a nearby park for a bit.  A stop at Walmart on the way home then Connor took a nap and I baked some mini muffins and did some cleaning (yay for finally mopping my kitchen floor!).  My bathroom and Monte also got scrubbed – it’s a toss-up which of those needed it more.

All in all, it was a very nice long weekend that went by way too quickly.  I was very happy to have the extra time with Connor who has really come into his own lately with his little personality.  We practiced his words and his walking and we laughed at all his antics.  I’m going to miss spending that time with him today while I’m at work.

But enough of all my rambling.  Let’s talk about food for a minute!  Sandra said something peanut butter and chocolate would be a good treat and I know she’s not one to like things that are overly sweet (I know, but we’ll overlook that character flaw ).  So I opted for these Peanut Butter Cookie Cheesecake Bars.  It was one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long time.  The bars were delicious!

They were tasty right out of the fridge, and they were tasty after sitting out a while when they were a little softer.

I used peanut butter chips and those peanut butter-filled chocolate chips as my mix-ins, then I used only melted peanut butter chips drizzled on top.  Yum, yum, yum!

The recipe calls for making these in an 8” pan, but I used a 9x13 pan and baked these for 29 minutes, I think.  I thought they were plenty thick made this way.

No fewer than 5 people asked me about these bars, saying how amazing they were.  So don’t just take my word for it – believe the strangers who I can’t even prove existed.

{Recipe adapted from here}

PS  Happy belated birthday to Maxie!  She turned four yesterday.  Talk about time flying…

{Recipe Recap} Malted Chocolate Cake

We had a “gathering” on Saturday: just our nearest and dearest hanging out, no big deal.

I differentiate between a party and a gathering by how hard I have to work to get ready for the event.  In this case, I only made four things (and three of them were treats!), I didn’t do any extra cleaning other than the usual weekend stuff, and people brought food to share.

Karis came with Shawn and Vanessa, and Connor, ever the gentleman, let her ride in his walker.  He showed her how all the fun buttons worked and even tried to push her a little.

(Vanessa and I can’t wait to display all these pictures of them at their rehearsal dinner.)

But back to the food.  I rarely make cakes and when I do, they are typically the 9 x 13 type.  But I decide to do a layer cake this time, just something a little more special.

Chelle isn’t a fan of malt, but the flavor isn’t prominent in the cake (disappointing to some of us) and she said it was a delicious cake.  I can’t argue with her, it was quite tasty.

I loved the frosting.  It was silky and unlike how I like and need it for cupcakes, it was very smooth and creamy.

I appreciated that this recipe just doctored up a cake mix.  Easy is always good.

Once we had our fill of munchies, sweets, and pineapple margaritas, we ended up having a dance party in the den.  Jeremy came prepared with his music and even a fancy party light.  Who needs the clubs when you can push the coffee table out of the way and get your groove on without paying a cover?  Another perk?  No long lines in the bathroom!

I think Heather and Jennifer headed out just before we snapped this selfie, but I need to include them when I say that I am incredibly lucky to have these amazing ladies in my life.  Love you girls!

{Recipe}

“Sugar is good!”

We went out to dinner for Jennifer’s birthday this past Saturday.  The restaurant brought her some sopapillas with three sauces: chocolate, whipped cream, and warm honey.  Connor had already eaten a small dinner at home and then he ate some quesadilla and refried beans and fajita chicken so he deserved a little dessert.  As you can see from the video, he was a big fan of the chocolate sauce.

(See the video bigger here)

He had done the “Yeah!” plus the hands and throwing himself back three or four time without any prompting when I finally decided to record him.  And then, of course, he needed a little encouragement to keep the act up, but once he was in his groove, he was feeling good.

I sure love this kid!

Connor’s Party: The People

We had a HOUSEFUL for Connor’s party.  Both of our immediate families (even my dad from Kansas City) and their immediate families came plus so many of our friends.  It was really great to have everyone with us on Sunday to celebrate Connor’s first birthday and, to be honest, our first year as parents.

Kevin, Jenny, and the kids came up from SC with a pit stop in Charlotte to see Jenny’s parents.  We really appreciate them making that long drive. 

Aunt Jenny with Henley and Connor.

Kim and Sara traded babies.  Sara had her miracle twins, Cora and Deacon (that’s him below), two weeks before Connor – and they were due the beginning of May.  Kim just had Kaitlyn on January 29th.

While Connor was eating cake, I played Pin the Tail on the Donkey with some of the kids.  Our old-school game was a hit.

People were everywhere and anywhere there was space.

Connor wasn’t too sure about all the people in his house, but he was very happy to see Ashley, his sitter.

Okay, who wants to see some people in sombreros?  Unlike in the pinata game, let’s go oldest to youngest.

Terry.

Maxie and me.

And Henley.

Vanessa and I needed a couple more pictures for the slideshow we’ll have at the kids’ rehearsal dinner.  Connor has a thing for other babies’ heads.  I remember he “petted” Henley’s head at Christmas, and he couldn’t keep his hands off Karis’s noggin on Sunday.

It’s not too easy to get a one-year-old and a one-month-old to look in the camera’s direction at the same time, but at least their moms are pretty good at it.

All right, I think I’ve probably dragged these party posts out about as far as they’ll go, but I had to make sure I fully documented my little boy’s first birthday.  We had a wonderful day celebrating with everyone, and we really appreciate everyone taking the time to spend part of their Sunday with us.