Friday, April 27, 2012

with a little laughter.


the day is always just so much better when i make myself 
indulge in the happiness of my kids and soak up 
the laughter. i really do have some pretty amazing
little guys on my hands. 
i confess it has been challenging lately being pregnant, hot, 
and worn out  when you get to the end of a long day 
and little declan purposely does one more thing just to see
what will happen (ahem...dropping banana bread on ground
and smooshing with his foot...just when i was sure i was
about to sit down). 
but then there are moments. 
the best of moments that make my heart 
full and thankful that i am blessed to be a mom.
have a wonderful weekend and 
love those moments!
while they last.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

crumbles.

i do love a good crumble. 
here are two i've tried lately. 
this strawberry one from this book
since i had a load of recently
 concocted strawberry jam the kids
helped me with.






and this one was new and interesting to me.  
using rye flour which i never had before and
your choice of jam...blackberry in this case;
you can find the recipe on orangette.

.strawberry jam bars.
adapted from loveless cafe dessert book

1 1/4 c. a.p. flour
1 c. rolled oats
3/4 c. light brown sugar
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. baking soda
1 1/2 sticks butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1 1/2 c. strawberry preserves

.method.
...preheat oven to 350. grease 9 x 13 baking pan.
...in mixer, combine all ingredients, excluding preserves.
...mix on low speed until butter is pea size and mixture resembles a crumble.
...remove a heaping cut of crumble, and reserve to the side.
...press remaining crumble into pan evenly and bake for 20 minutes.
...spread jam on crumble crust after taking out of oven and sprinkle with remaining crumble topping. 
...bake for about 20-25 minutes. let cool completely before cutting. 
Maybe serve with some vanilla ice cream or whip cream to make it special! enjoy!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

happy 5 yrs.


and so this saturday we'll be turning five. 
it sure feels like we've been married a whole lot longer, 
in the best of ways. i am truly abundantly blessed. 
just looking back i really can not believe how much has 
happened in such a short amount of time. 
i mean, here we are upon our third child...
we began running a restaurant together, 
and now a little lady and wild man seem 
to be running our home. 
my oh my have things changed since the beginning of it all. 
lucky for me, i have a husband who puts up with 
all of my crazy ways! 
cheers to five years...love you husband.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

skate boardin.




so we made a wild purchase while in ca on our 
recent vacay....a bright orange penny skateboard.
it was a good decision, just to see declan riding 
along the sidewalk with one knee on, or watching him
carry it around talking about 'my skateboard'. 
pretty darn cute stuff.
cheers!

Saturday, April 14, 2012

splash of color.

for some reason, adding a few new pillows to the couch or the 
bed is always a bit of cheer; a quick sewing fix. 
my all white bed was feeling rather boring so
i threw a couple together the other morning. 
ruby joined in the photos by adding cinderella
and then herself...she was quite proud.



Friday, April 13, 2012

les pommettes du chat.



fell into a french blog trap last night and discovered too many
lovely things...
including this sweet shop and blog. enjoy!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

happy easter.

we had a really lovely family filled easter this year...
beautiful weather, good food, and lots of cute kids. 
it was all i could ask for. we are truly blessed. 
hope your easter was simply beautiful!











oh, and the dress turned out pretty well. 
ruby loved it, so i guess that is a major plus!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

peach + polka dots.


so i bought this dress forever ago
at a thrift shop in a very large size, to refashion.
lets just say it took me a rather long time to get to it. 
in need of easter clothes, i pulled it out 
and made it much much smaller for miss ruby.
we shall see how it all turns out. 
finished product pics soon!