20 Sep 2014

Birthday Party Feast

by | posted in: food | 0

Elijah's name banner

Birthdays are for celebrating.  It is the day that God brought a person into the world: the personality, the eyes, the eyelashes, the fun, the spirit, the name – everything about the person – God wants us to love and hold.

One way I love to celebrate birthdays is by having food.  Celebrating over meals and friends and fun times is such a joy!

Some of my favorites from yesterday’s party:

The smell of the charcoal heating up to grill some delicious burgers.

Sebastian stuffing in little pieces of canteloupe and devouring a cookie with yellow frosting: therefore, having yellow frosting everywhere.

Sebastian's yellow cookie

Elijah staring at his cupcake and then stuffing it in his face.

Elijah's Funfetti cupcake

Friends sitting around enjoying relationships – over good ol’ American food.

Yellow everywhere!  It was a happy party with a happy color!

Elijah's yellow party

Here’s what we had:

Burgers (thanks to my brother for the “recipe” and my neighbor for making them and the Mister for grilling them).  Perfectly cooked!

Crescent Dogs (so yummy!)

Baked Beans – may never make another bean recipe again – and I loved serving it my Papa’s cast iron skillet

Fruit

Chips

Funfetti Cupcakes and Vanilla Buttercream (overcooked the cupcakes but the frosting still rocks)

Homemade Funfetti Transportation Cupcakes

A yellow school bus cake (more on that to come)

Sugar cookies with yellow royal icing (thank you to a friend mailing me the icing from Southern Season)

Sweet Tea, Coke, and Sprite.

What a great, delicious day.  Thanks to all who came, brought stuff, and ate, and laughed, and celebrated our little boy with us!  Here’s to many more birthday celebrations to come!

 

20 Sep 2014

#eliturnstwo

by | posted in: mothering, parenting | 0

Sorry for the slow post week, but we had a great reason and a sad reason.

Sad: Sebastian had some medical issues that he is healing from which made for late nights and slowish recovering days.

Great: Little E Mister turned two yesterday.  We were gearing up for his party and hosting friends and blowing out candles.  I wanted to send this little recap to celebrate the boy!

Two years ago: wow – how much life has changed.  E was born in Durham, a week late, a 3rd degree tear, infection after delivery for me, and a 4 day NICU stay for him.  Thank you DUKE!  That early morning totally changed our lives.  From the get go e was amazing, slept through the night at 4 months and hasn’t looked back.  (below photo by Erica Cooper)

Elijah Newborn

 

Then we moved to Little Rock, AR and his first birthday was celebrated with all the many friends that had been a blessing to us during the first year in Little Rock.

Eli turns one

 

In his second year of lift, he gained a baby brother and continued to grow: learning how to walk and getting teeth and learning some fun words.  We said so long to our friends in Little Rock and now reside in Marietta, GA.  We had a fun party with hamburgers and hot dogs, grapes, chips, and baked beans.  Plenty of desserts for everyone.  Early in the day we had cinnamon rolls and went to the zoo where we saw the parakeets and road the train and played in the splash pad.  What a great day.

This little boy holds so much joy in all of his expressions.  He is a full out little boy.  We are trying to teach him that Jesus wants his heart and that we all need Jesus.  He loves giving hugs and being hospitable.

Lijah Bean – we love you!

LIjah on the zoo train

 

8 Jul 2014

Faces: Happy First Birthday Sweet Girl

by | posted in: photo shoot | 0

 

Elysa Grace

Friends…life is much sweeter with friends.  This sweet girl’s momma and I were friends in seminary, I attended her parents’ wedding, and now, all these years later, we are living next door to each other.  Sharing life.  Sharing celebrations.

This family was in Florida for E. G.’s actual birthday but we are celebrating today by taking her first year portraits.

First birthday celebration

One of the great aspects I love living in the Atlanta Metro area is the lovely green spaces all over it.  Yes, traffic is a mess.  But, if you can traverse the traffic jams you get to the beautiful grounds of all these parks.  East Cobb park is one of them.  Only about 4 miles from us, it is a joyous place for our children to play together.

Sugar and Spice

Here’s to so many more sweet years Elysa – enjoy the new found joys and experiences of toddler-hood!

Pink and cement

 

13 Nov 2010

Dorie Greenspan's Quintuple Chocolate Brownies

by | posted in: chocolate | 0
A friend who had one of these brownies said they were like fudge. Not fudge brownies, just fudge. I’ll take that as a compliment. These were delicious. I made them to celebrate a friend’s birthday. She liked them with some coffee ice cream. I just used dark chocolate sauce and cool whip. Either way – just eat them. Thank you Dorie.

1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter
3 oz unsweetened chocolate (I used baker’s)
3 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used hershey’s dark)
2 T coffee
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 t vanilla
6 oz milk chocolate chips (I used hershey’s milk)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (down from 1 cup)

Glaze:
6 oz white chocolate (I used hershey’s white)
1/3 cup heavy cream

Sift all the dry together and set aside. Melt chocolate and butter and coffee over medium heat. Add in sugar. Add in eggs one at a time, add in vanilla. Add in dry. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips.
Bake at 325 in greased and foiled square pan for 35 minutes (I had to cook mine for another 9), so just check it. You don’t want to overcook.

Cool for 20 minutes. Flip out onto cooling rack. When completely cool, then glaze. Heat cream to boiling (watch carefully as not to scald), pour over white chips, then pour over brownies. Set in fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes.

Enjoy!