Thankful Thursday

This week I am SO thankful for sunshine and days in the back yard with the little one!

I am thankful for bubbles that bring wonder and delight to a toddler. ($2 bubble tubes at Michaels! Score!)

I am also thankful for a husband with mad camera skills! Why can't I capture pictures like these? I guess I need to work on patience! ha!

Enjoy!

Love to you all!

JP

Weekend Happenings

This past weekend was spent in beautiful Waynesville with family. While some events were not so welcomed (had to be there), others were wonderful. Isn't it grand how you can be having the crummiest of days and a child can bring such joy!

Charlie is such a blessing for our whole family! Here are a few things he accomplished over the weekend:

- Learned how to say his name "Chaaie", and put big smile on Mommy's face

- Gave kisses to Mamadele, please say a prayer for the strength and comfort of my wonderful grandmother

- Learned how to Moo, Hiss, growl like a bear, and baa like a goat with Aunt Scout

- Ate his first meal at Ammons, a local favorite

- Sported Zeb's baseball helmet, bike helmet, and numerous other hats just for fun

- Visited with the ducks at Lake Junaluska

- Learned about trucks with Papaw

- Ate cookies and "talked on the phone" with Papa Bruce

- Escaped from my parents house through the doggy door (numerous times...why is it so big?)

- Rode a bicycle with daddy...very entertaining!

- Undressed himself for bath time on the ride home...he is McGyver in a car seat!

Love to you all!

JP

Charlie's Favorite Breakfast

My child has been quite defiant lately when it comes to eating. It's like I am at war with a toddler and can't seem to execute a plan of attack! I can count on chunks of food being thrown across the kitchen like grenades at least once a day.

BUT...there is one thing that Charlie devours without fail! GREEK YOGURT!!! Thank goodness his favorite food is healthy and packed with protein! And it makes a picture perfect mess!

Enjoy :)

Charlie and his yogurt beard

He has mastered the spoon

I think I should send this in to Chobani! Free yogurt for a year??? Please?

OK...time to use the hands!

Have to get every last drop!




"All Done"

Hope your weekend is finger lickin' good!

Love to you all!

JP

We Like To "Cuyer"

Charlie has a new found love for coloring "coyeing"! I think we have finally discovered that crayons are not for eating.

This morning I covered the coffee table with paper and let Charlie go to town! A great way to protect furniture and entertain a toddler!

He let his creative juices flow throughout the day and we ended up with a masterpiece!

Charlie and Mommy's end product! I think I am going to have to invest in a large roll of paper! So fun!

Love to you all!

JP

Need A Chocolate Fix?

So my mother kept telling me about this flourless chocolate cake recipe that she read in the book,

A Homemade Life, by Molly Wizenberg

She decided to make the cake for a girlfriend's birthday and received nothing but glowing remarks. Her husband even vowed to marry my mother after his wife passed just for the cake! ha!

I decided to whip up this little treasure for my father-in-laws birthday and man did it surpass my expectations! I ended up making one for our small group as well.

If you are a chocolate fanatic (and I am not), try it! It's not a pretty cake by any means...looks more like a over sized brownie with a cracked top, but you can't be the rich, moist yumminess!

Flourless Chocolate Cake



Ingredients:

7oz. 60% Cocoa Chocolate Chips (I used Ghiredelli)
1 3/4 sticks of butter melted
1 C + 1Tbs Granulated Sugar
5 Eggs
1 Tbs. Flour





What you will need:

Parchment Paper
Spring form Pan or 9 inch cake pan
A good whisk (this recipe is a workout!)





Directions:


1. Melt Chocolate with butter in microwave (1 min. 30 seconds worked for me)


2. Whisk in Sugar and let mixture cool for 5 minutes


3. Whisk in 5 Eggs ONE AT A TIME. Mixture will become glossy to appearance.


4. Whisk in 1 tbs. of flour


5. Pour batter into cake pan
Tip: Trace size of pan onto parchment paper, cut out, place in pan ink side down, and butter everything liberally. This will prevent sticking!


6. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
The book calls for 25 minutes baking time, but mom and I both found that 30 min. was our target.
Check cake around 20 minutes...just make sure the cake has a cracked top and minimal jiggling.


7. Let cake cool for 15 minutes


8. Remove from pan:
- Place a sheet of saran wrap over top of cake
- Place a sheet of aluminum foil on top of saran wrap
- Hold plate tight over top of cake and flip
- place saran wrap and foil over bottom of cake
- Place another place over bottom of cake holding fingers in between both cakes to prevent smooshing and flip to right side up
- Roll up edges of foil to make air tight


9. Freeze cake overnight...VERY IMPORTANT!


10. Unwrap cake and let thaw completely before serving...remember this is not supposed to be a pretty cake.


11. If you are like me and want to gussy this little gem up, place doily over top of cake, sprinkle powdered sugar over entire top, lift doily away to reveal a sweet design! (your guest will be impressed, and doilies are cheep, so just do it!)


12. Serve with lightly sweetened fresh whip cream! Yummy :)
I was surprised to find out that many people don't know how to make fresh whipped cream. Just by a small carton of whipping cream, whip on high in mixer with some sugar until thick.



Charlie's 1st Whipped Cream

Enjoy!!!!!




Love to you all!

JP

My Little Golfer

It is undeniable that my little Charlie LOVES Golf! He loves the word, he loves golf clubs, he loves golf balls, and he will even sit and watch tournaments with Daddy!

Over the weekend we found a kids set of golf clubs and Charlie was so thrilled! Take a look at "practice" with Daddy in the back yard!

Oh yeah!!!

Couldn't he have picked a cheaper sport?

Love to you all!

JP

A Thorn In Our Side

So in our not so large back yard we had these wild rose bushes; seven rose bushes to be exact! These seven rose bushes were planted by the original owner of our home and somewhere along the line were forgotten about. The bushes grew into one large mammoth rose bush, evil enough to eat a small child or man trying to mow his lawn.

Strange picture of CR and Charlie but you get the idea!

2 weekends ago CR got the itch to rip out the mass of thorny bushes and somehow talked me into helping. In a matter of 6 hours we had filled 12 yard bags! What a task! Forget aerobics, if you need a good sweat go rip bushes out of your back yard!

Thorn Free!

CR's arms after the battle....ouchy!


Now what to do??? CR had the bright idea of turning this open space into a sitting area. We found a great deal on some Adirondack chairs and started planning.


We Cut Into The Land

Leveled Out The Land

Put A Toddler To Work (and didn't pay him)

Built A Retaining Wall

Spread Some Mulch (nice booty CR)

And Set Our New Chairs In Place

On Sunday we hit up Garden Ridge for Tikki Torches and a Fire Pit...

Here is a close up... we are so thrilled with our final project!

It was worth all of the sweat, sore muscles, dirt under the nails, scrapes and blisters! CR and I make a good team! Charlie is a pretty cute side kick too! We hope your weekend was as productive as ours:)

Love to you all!

JP

MRI Update

On December, 30th 2010 I went in for surgery to remove an ectopic pregnancy. I have been healing both physically and mentally over the past couple of months.

On Monday morning I went in for an MRI as ordered by my buddy Dr. McD. The purpose of the MRI was to take a look at my uterus; we want to be sure that my uterus has healed correctly and is still able to hold a child post surgery.

This morning I received a call from Dr. McD (mind you he called yesterday...guess who's phone was on silent) and received great news. From what he can tell from the MRI report, everything looks normal! Good news is hard to come by around here lately so I was so glad to hear this. As of now things look promising but we still have a few more hurdles to jump.

My next step will be to meet with Dr. K, a high risk specialst, to have a pre conceptual consult. This appointment will entail an ultrasound, blood work, etc... At this time we will discuss if pregnancy is indeed an option. I am anxiously awaiting a call from the nurse with my appointment date. Hopefully next week!?!

A big thank you goes out to all of you that have kept us in your thoughts and prayers over the past couple of months! I could not ask for a better support system! Please continue to pray for a positive outcome and the acceptance of Gods will no matter what it may be.

The other night I sat around the kitchen table with my small group girls. We hashed out some tough feelings and shared a few tears. My friend Jessica asked me to listen to a song by Laura Story. What a beautiful message about the trials we endure! I am so lucky to fellowship with you ladies!!!

Listen and Enjoy - Blessings ~ Laura Story

Love to you all!

JP

Atlanta Brave in the Making

Watch out Chipper Jones...you are only one injury away from being replaced by this guy!

Calling the Shot

Mid Swing...notice his speed :)

Don't Mess With This Slugger!

Love to you all!

JP

18 Month Update & Playground Photo Shoot

A Charlie update is definitely due, so here we go:

Charlie is weighing in at 29 lbs. and is now 32' long. He is right around the 5oth percentile on all stats except for the size of his head which is in the 95 percentile...lets just hope that means big brain :)

To say that Charlie is a busy body is an understatement. These days he is into everything. Sometimes I think he has forgotten how to walk... he only runs now! ha

He has recently discovered the water dispenser on the refrigerator and thinks it is hilarious to smack the button repeatedly and soak himself. He also likes to pour the cats water dish over his head. HELP!

Charlie is mommy's little helper. He now puts the wet clothes into the dryer, mixes pretend ingredients while mommy cooks, helps me sweep with his toddler sized broom, and follows me with the "pop pop" toy when I vacuum. Yesterday he discovered that a warm pile of laundry is really fun to dive into!

Charlie can now say around 40 words and is slowly starting to put two words together. Some of his favorite words are:

Bubble - "bath"

Pip- "chip"

Baybaw - "baseball"

Ice - says this one very clear...loves to eat ice just like daddy

No - go figure

Pop - Dan

Mommy - on repeat :)

Datty - Daddy

Golf - also very clear...even likes to watch it on T.V.

Charlie is a very coordinated little guy. He has learned how to swing his baseball bat, throw a ball overhand, and dribble his little soccer ball. He really would like to swing a golf club, but we don't have one that is the right size. His baseball bat serves dual purposes for now :)

His favorite movies are E.T. and Mary Poppins. I know what you are thinking...he should be afraid of E.T., but he's not. He asks for E.T. or "Poppy" at least once a day. I guess he is going to be a movie buff like his Dad.

Charlie loves school and never cries when we leave him. He is always all smiles when we pick him up, and blows his teachers kisses when we leave. He has also started to really enjoy Wumba Land (the nursery) at church. His teachers all love him, and beg me to send him more than one day a weekl. In August he will start real pre-school and will be in the 2 yr. old class 2 days a week.

We love our little guy and are so proud of the independent, sweet, and funny little man that he is.

And now for your photo enjoyment, a day at the park:

What a big boy :)

Driving the ship

Stair Master

Swinging with Uncle Z

Weeeeee!

Static Slide Hair :)

Love this picture, nice job Dad!

Still has that toddler pudge :)

Here I Come :)

Peek a Boo

Charlie loves his Uncle Z!

The Prisioners

Love to you all!

JP