This is one of our very favorite summer desserts. I love that you can put as much yummy fresh fruit on it as your heart desires.
Fruit Pizza
Sugar Cookie Dough
8 ounces Cream Cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup Sugar (you might want more to add sweetness)
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
All your favorite Fruits!
Bake Cookie Dough on a pizza pan. Bake until done. Mix Cream Cheese, Sugar and Vanilla until smooth. Spread on the cooled cookie. Top with desired fruit. Refrigerate.
I have made this several times in a rectangular pan and used Strawberries and Blueberries to make an American flag. It is perfect for the Fourth of July!!!
We started our Saturday with Trevor's first birthday party. Oh, and did I mention it was a swim party?!?! Talk about a hit!!!
Swimming with daddy!
The birthday boy!
....and this silly girl! Oh my, how she loves a cupcake!!!
I love this picture of Cilla's friend, Stella, with her daddy! Such a sweet excitement!
Cilla's friend, Brayden, having a blast with his daddy in the pool.
Next up I headed to my friend Kelly's house to celebrate this sweet Angel! This is little Sadie and she is a living doll. It was fun to see Sadie's mom Hillary, meet Sadie and see lots of other friends! I wish we could have stayed all day and visited...but I am sure the daddies were all ready for the mommies to be home!
Kelly and Laurie hosted and everything was delicious and so so cute! Kelly is such a talent at throwing parties! She served mixed fruit in waffle bowls. How cute is that!?!? I did a horrible job of taking pictures but Kelly did a great recap!
After I got home Flint, Cilla and I went to dinner and to Cherry Berry, the newest frozen yogurt in our town, as if we had not had enough sweets for the day! Although, I do not know if it is possible to have too many sweets!
Whew....and that was just our Saturday.
Sunday we had lunch at our friends, the Scott's, and then I was off to celebrate my cousin Ashley's baby boy that is due to arrive in August! Once again, no pictures. Bummer.
It was a fun weekend celebrating all these kiddos! Now, I am off to get some rest!
Last night our friends joined us for a cookout and some splashing!
Summer is in full swing here in Arkansas and we are already trying to find creative ways to stay cool! One of our favorite ways is splashing in our backyard!
YES! Pure joy!
And a night with friends would not be complete without cupcakes!
Friday nights are certainly not what they used to be.....
We have been the mountains for the last ten days and, oh my, it has been wonderful.
Sure there have been challenges traveling with a two year old and being out of routine. And it can be dicey being away from home for ten days and having no little playmates for Cilla. But, overall, it has been fantastic. The weather has been fabulous and we have spent most of our time being low key, relaxing and being outside. I totally see why people move to the mountains! It is such a family oriented place with so much to do!
I have lots of pictures to go through, but I will post more later. Here is just a small glimpse of what we have been up to over the last week and a half!
It is so easy to make and it keeps pretty well for a couple of days.
Cilantro Lime Shrimp
2 pounds Cooked Shrimp
the juice from 6 Limes and 1 Lemon
1 cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Fresh Chopped Cilantro
(more if you like a strong Cilantro taste)
2 teaspoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Cracked Black Pepper
I mix everything in a container with a lid. Shake well and store in your refrigerator until you are ready to serve. It keeps well for a couple of days. The fish starts to get tough the longer it sits since the acidity in the lemon and lime juices actually continue to "cook" the fish. This is great plain or great served on a salad or in tacos.
I recently visited Bonefish Grill and they served a very similar dish only they called theirs' Ceviche. They added Scallops and fresh white fish to theirs' as well as avocado and some chopped green pepper. Otherwise, it was the exact same taste!!! They also served it with chips. Delish!
In honor of National Donut Day, I had to repost a couple of pics of my little sweet eating some sweets! We love donuts at our house!
Some of you may also remember Flint running in the Krispy Kreme Challenge back in February! He ran almost 2 1/2 miles, ate a dozen (cold, soggy) Krispy Kreme donuts and ran almost 2 1/2 miles back! That's right folks, I am one proud wife!
It is no secret...we have been STRUGGLING with nap time the last few weeks. It is like my wonderful little sleeper (who finally started sleeping through the night at 9 months old) left us and has yet to be heard from! UGGGHHH!
So here is our latest sleeping saga.
She crawled out of the pack and play for the first time while we were in Padre a couple of weeks ago and she did it again this week. So, we have been trying to let her nap in a "big girl bed" and apparently, she can't handle the freedom. This is a picture of nap time gone bad. Unfortunately, I did not capture on camera her jumping on the bed, hanging off the edge, running around the room or playing with the alarm clock on the bedside table. Thank you video monitor! Oh how I love you and thank you for the hours of entertainment and the peace of mind you have provided me!
Please, please, please tell me that 2 year olds do not give up their naps!!! I am hoping that we are little out of routine and have been on the go a little too much. SO HOPEFUL!
Let us not forget the sacrifices of those who have served our country and our communities. Whether they are living or deceased, we live a better life because of them. Freedom does not come free.
In honor of Memorial Day I am taking the day off . We will resume Mmmm, Mmmm Monday next week. However, I found a fun and fitting craft for Memorial Day. If you are home today and opting out of the barbecues, this is something you might want to try with your kiddos!
However, since I had Cilla I would say that I am much more aware of my surroundings. I tried to feed her as much homemade or organic baby food as I could when she was an infant. I try to feed her all natural snacks and foods now that she is older. I have made some changes in the way that I clean around my house. I try to be conscious of the dishes that we eat off of and drink out of.
However, this is really scary.....
So, I thought I would share a few things I have learned from research or from some of my friends who are far more educated on the topic!
Believe it or not, you can handle all your day-to-day cleaning with just seven easily available, inexpensive, environmentally benign substances. Baking soda, washing soda, soap flakes, oil soap, vinegar, borax and ammonia will take care of just about any mess.
I use a vinegar and water mix (1 part vinegar. 1 part water.) to clean counter tops. Highchair trays. Toys. Anything little hands touch or where food is prepared.
Vinegar and water also makes a great floor cleaner, however I like the BabyGanics Lavender floor cleaner. I also LOVE my Shark steam mop which does not require any cleaner at all.
Baking Soda is great on tubs and sinks.
I have a recipe for a homemade dusting solution:
1 cup water
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 T sweet almond oil
30-40 drops essential oil for fragrance. Lavender is a good option, in my opinion.
Put all of this in a spray bottle and mist on furniture. Shake it before each use.
It is best to buy organic fruits and veggies. However, if you live in a smaller town, like I do, this is not always an option. And, I am fully aware of how much more buying organic can be. So, one way to wash your fruits and veggies is to wash them with clean water and then wash them with vinegar. The best method I have found is to mix 1 part vinegar and 3 parts water into a spray bottle. Spray your fruit (or veggie), rub it to make sure it is coated and then rinse it well. It does not taste like vinegar if you wash it well. This is to help get ride of bacteria and pesticides that are present on produce.
As for meat and milk. I think this is THE BEST place to start buying organic if you can. You hear so much about hormones and all kinds of crazy stuff in meat and I, personally, want to avoid that when possible. Although, I have to say, I do not always buy organic in this area either.
Best option: Fresh Produce
Next best option: Frozen Produce
Last resort: Canned stuff
One little tidbit I will end on that I always find to be a helpful reminder while grocery shopping: Try to shop on the outside of the store. The reasoning behind this is because that is normally (not always) where the natural (animal and plant foods) are located. When you start walking the aisles, you start to find the canned and boxed stuff and let's face it, this stuff is just not good for us! Someone once told me, "God gave us everything we needed to survive-plant and animals. Then man started making things that pollute our bodies." OUCH!
This can be taken as a grain of sand. I know that I sometimes feel clueless and love advice from other moms or people who know much more than I do on the topic. It is certainly not for everyone or for every lifestyle.
Today was Cilla's last day of Kid's Day Out otherwise known as "School" around our house!
Here is picture before I took her last fall and a picture from this morning before I dropped her off. She looks like such a baby in the first one. I will probably look back on today's picture in September and think the exact same thing! Our babies grow up too quickly!
Cilla had such a great year.
She made some of the cutest crafts.
She made some new friends.
And she absolutely LOVED her teachers: Ms. Darlene, Ms. Rachel, Ms. Jennifer and Ms. Briana (not pictured).
I appreciate these ladies so very much. It makes you feel so much better about leaving your baby behind when you know they are happy, having fun and loved.
Cilla is going to miss Ms. Darlene rocking her!
One quick thing that I want to always remember about Cilla's year at school is how she worked the napping system. Since Christmas, napping at school has been hit and miss. She quickly caught on to the connection of not napping and going to the playroom. Her teachers always said she laid so quietly in her bed, but as soon as they offered to get her up, there was no fight!!! That's my girl!!! She would get to go to the playroom next door if she didn't nap!
My heart is broken in half for the people of Joplin.
I can not imagine losing everything I own within a matter of minutes. I can not imagine half of my town being leveled. And worst of all, I can not imagine losing someone I love so tragically and right before my very eyes. And some people are experiencing all of horrific circumstances all at once. That leaves me speechless.
Yesterday, Flint loaded up his car with supplies and headed north about an hour and a half to help in any way that he could. I am so proud of this man.
You will not believe the pictures.
Flint and I talked about how humbled we felt to be in a position to help. That we could help with supplies and that his job allowed him a day to minister to others. It is the least we could do. We would want someone to help if the roles were reversed. As Christians, God calls us serve others and to help those in need.
We are praying for the city of Joplin and still praying for the people in Alabama and the southern states that were hit by tornados.
Call them what you want, pig tails or doggie ears. Either way they are one of my very favorite things about little girls!
If you have read this blog much at all, you know we had a bald little gal for about 18 months, then she started to get hair and she wouldn't let me do one thing with it! NOT ONE THING! Many of you know that one of the things I really hoped for when I was pregnant was a baby with a head full of hair. What does God bless us with- a bald baby! He has such a sense of humor! But, she wore the biggest bows and flowers in every color for about 13 months. And then one day, she would have NO more! So there is not one picture of Cilla with anything in her hair from just after one year old until about two years old! Luckily, she is turning more and more into a little girl who loves frills and bows. So, she is finally letting me put a bow in her hair.
Today one of my best friends, Katie, kept Cilla for the morning and if anyone can work Cilla over, it is Katie. So, of course, I go to pick her up and what do you know...She has pig tails in her hair!!! Love love love! The bows do not match perfectly, but she still looks so cute!
Now I need Katie at my house every morning!
I was taken back at first because it really made Cilla look more like a little girl and less like a baby. Oh how times passes too quickly!
Having a blast at Katie, Paige and Avery's house!
She would move in if I would let her!
These were not the best pictures, but all I had was my phone.
There was a little restaurant in Waco called George's and it is on our list of things we STRONGLY miss about Waco. Both Flint and I loved many things on the menu but both of us would probably agree that the best thing on there is their Crazy Wings! So, when I came across this recipe I was overcome with excitement. These are great for summer to throw on your grill and take to a barbecue. These are a great item to take to a tailgate party. They ALWAYS fly off the platter! They are not hard to make, but it takes a little practice to perfect them. Just being honest. If you have an occasion you want to make them for they are a crowd favorite, but I would have a practice run first.
Without further ado:
Chicken Jalapeño Poppers or "Crazy Wings" (as they are known to all you Wacoans!)
Thin sliced boneless skinless chicken breast (Dove or Quail)
Monterrey Jack Cheese
Jalapeños (I go light on the Jalapeños)
Bacon
Toothpicks
Cut chicken into “fajita” like strips (2-3 strips for each breast). Cut a 1/4 – 1/2 inch wide piece of cheese. Slice jalapeno into 6-8 slices and discard seeds. Roll chicken strip with cheese and one slice of jalapeno in the middle. If you are in a hurry, you can use them from a jar. Take bacon and wrap around both sides of chicken (there should be bacon covering all four sides of the chicken roll). Secure with a couple of toothpicks. Put on grill. Cooking time will depend on the size of your Chicken Jalapeno Poppers. Medium sized poppers should take 15 – 20 minutes. Make sure chicken in cooked thoroughly and the bacon is crispy before serving!
Warning: You have to keep a close eye on these on your grill. With all the bacon grease dripping, it causes the fire to get pretty big, so you have to constantly flip and move the poppers around to keep them from burning.
I have been married for eight amazing years to The Mr.! God blessed us with a beautiful daughter, Sweet Cilla, on March 9, 2009. She makes life worth living! I love my pooches a ridiculously large amount! Nothing makes me happier than to be with my family and friends- they are such a blessing! I am so thankful for God's grace that is evident in my life daily! I also love anything monogrammed, shopping (online and off!), traveling, sweet tea, fabulous shoes, white sand & blue water, the Razorbacks, organization, beauty products, football season, and Chocolate- especially ice cream, cupcakes, and lattes! I loath cell phones at the table, good bye's, and alarm clocks!
