August received a name and a blessing in church today.

Rick did a beautiful job and August was so peaceful the entire day. (Except during a few pictures. It was windy and a little brisk) A first for that little boy. Prayers were answered!

This is my first (and maybe last) crochet project: a blessing blanket for August.

I started it before he was born and my dear friend, Ann, helped me finish the border just a few days ago.  I am so happy with the outcome.I absolutely love this picture of the two men in my life whom I adore most: We had a simple lunch: Soup, salad and rolls.

We are grateful for supportive friends who made the drive to attend this special occasion for our family.

And I am grateful to my mother who flew in to represent all family that couldn’t be here.

It was a perfect day.

We love you, August!

It was a lovely day:

 Rick and Bridgette brought me home lavender tulips on Saturday night and made me french toast Sunday morning.

And well, we can’t go anywhere/do anything without one of Bridgette’s baby dolls!

We love this home made play dough recipe!

3 cups flour
1.5 cups salt
2 T. cream of tarter
3 T. oil
3 cups water

Pour all ingredients into a medium pot. Stir constantly over medium heat until a dough ball forms by pulling away from the sides.

Knead dough until the texture matches play dough (1-2 minutes). Store in plastic container. Should last for at least 3 months.

We added food coloring and essential oils. It feels like the real thing!

We love watching Bridgette hone her water color skills

and her tribal paint.

Pretty in Pink!

We’ve been anticipating this “blizzard” for days and it finally came!

(On a side note, I ran to Target last night for some knick nacks and I noticed the bread aisle was completely sold out! Well, I guess the world is supposed to end tomorrow, so maybe the mad dash is valid!)

I was worried the storm would sweep just South of Madison, but we got lucky and it’s still painting our town white!

Yes, A WHITE CHRISTMAS! There is nothing I wanted more this year. Mother Nature delivered.

Rick’s clinics were cancelled, so we were lucky to have him home with us for the entire day.

Rick told me he was going out to scrape off his car and when we looked through the window, he was building a snowman!

I suited up the B and she could barely move! After putting on her boots, she just laid there, reaching up for me. HA HA HA!

Then we went to the mail room and watched papa from the window for a few minutes. She fell over and couldn’t get up.

Of course I just start shooting, instead of helping her. She seemed pretty content. ::: wink wink :::It was so windy and cold! I handed over the B and quickly snapped a few shots. Rick then put Bridgette on her feet near the base of the snowman and she face planted right into the snow!

Poor lil’ B! Snow up her nose and in her eyes. She’s such a trooper and quickly recovered.

This was probably the highlight of the afternoon for her:

A couple of Instagram shots. I love this one of Bridgette with her Papa, before he finished the snowman.

What a cute little snow bunny!

For the first time in my life, I was in charge of Thanksgiving Dinner and I loved the challenge!

A dear friend of mine offered her home to us, while her and her husband drove their 5 boys to Maryland to be with family over Thanksgiving.

We were hosting 6 guests, so I was very grateful to have the space to cook our meal and eat at a big table with plenty of elbow room!

Bridgette enjoyed dinner as well as Rick. OK, I enjoyed it too, maybe a little TOO much!

And if you know me, I like to photograph what I eat. Maybe in 20-40 years, I will look back and wonder why we have some of these traditional foods at Thanksgiving!

I brined a turkey that pretty much fell right off the bone; it was so tender and moist!

Our friends, Richard and Holly, brought a new dish to try: gourmet Mac ‘n Cheese!

(It was awesome. It had mushrooms, fresh herbs and like 3-4 different types of cheese and we all decided it pretty much rocked!)

 They also brought a delicious baked butternut squash dish that had fresh sage and chunks of garlic. I love it!

Other dishes included:

Sweet potato souffle with mallows on one end, to make Rick happy

Stuffing with cranberries, cashews, celery and water chestnuts

hand mashed potatoes with sour cream and butter

Fresh cranberry sauce with orange zest and agave

Home made rolls

French green beans with slivered almonds, courtesy of my sweet next door neighbor

Freshly cut pineapple with fresh pomegranate seeds

a KILLER ice cream mile high turtle pie, courtesy of Holly! (WHOA, pump the breaks, this stuff was amazing!)

and my favorite pumpkin pie souffle with a graham cracker crust

I made enough food so we could enjoy left overs for several nights. It was worth it!

Thank you, Holly, for bringing such tasty food to dinner and most of all, for your company! We love your family!

Rick and I pick up Bridgette from the babysitter.

Her expression when she sees him:

How she adores him!

Happy Baby.

Perfect day!

Love her way of life!

Shoes: check

Something on her head: check

“I’m so glad when Daddy comes home!”

Morning Walks.

We took a lot this Summer.