What's for Dinner?

Avery loved her dinner tonight.

Daddy's Got the Camera

Todd grabbed a camera the other night, and here's what we had going on in photos. Todd and Bella kept Avery entertained while I cooked dinner. Todd has a gift with the self portrait. I guess it's those long arms.

The bath tub is still Avery's happy place.

Uh-oh, Skittles the crab found Avery's head. Yes, sadly, we named ALL of the bath toys. We'll introduce you to Salty the pelican, Fred the turtle, Sandy the starfish, Fancy the dolphin, and Ocho the Octopus at a later date.

Gift Giving

I've had so much fun creating gifts for people this year. I love making something with the specific person I care about giving it to in mind. I thought I would share a few of the projects I've pasted on to others.

This is a napkin and apron set for my sister. I made it to match the colors in her kitchen. The apron pattern is from Amy Butler's book, In Stitches.

I love the way the cute pocket turned out. There is also a loop to slip a towel through that you can't see in the photo.

The napkins were from a fun tutorial found here. I can't wait to find the perfect fabric to make myself a set.
I made this for my friend Kelly. It is one of Amy Butler's stash and dash bags using Heather Bailey's pop garden fabric.

I'm not sure I have a need to do this one again since it is a bit tedious, but I did enjoy putting it together for my mother-in-law.

Last but not least, I put these together for Avery's grandmothers for Mother's Day. Brooke's pictures are so amazing; they are artwork all by themselves.

Your Vote Counts

Here is my project to complete in the next week or so. I found it at the Warrenton antique show for $8.

A bit hideous, don't you think? But, it will make a perfect cupcake stand in the end. Do you see my vision? Here is were you come in. I can't decide on the color, and with Avery's birthday party to plan, I have too many other decisions on my plate. So, your vote will decide the color. I'm debating between a lemon yellow and aqua blue. PLEASE HELP! I want to hear from you. Ok, there may be only three of you, but that's enough to decide a vote. Leave me a comment to let me know what you think. Thank you in advance.

Here is my work in progress. I finished Avery's birthday dress Monday night. Yeah! I still need to work on the matching bloomers, but here is the sneak peak. Yep, that's my "vintage" sewing machine. I think she needs a name. Any thoughts on that one? Add it to your color vote.

Georgia Trip

I'm finally getting around to posting about our Georgia trip. We went to Blue Ridge, Georgia. It really was great to get together with Todd's family. The trip was to celebrate Todd's father's 70th birthday and Todd's stepmother's 65th birthday. They had requested a gathering of all family members, and Todd wanted to gift his dad a chance to go white water rafting for the first time. Here are some action shots from the Ocoee River.

In the front row we have Brooke, Mr. Davis, and Todd. In the back row sits Mrs. Davis, Mike Davis, and Mike Hall. The guide is in the rear.

Everyone reported having a great time. The rain put a slight damper on the trip, since Avery and I ended up couped up inside for most of the trip. It was a good thing that our rental house was huge and beautiful. Avery also had a bit of a rough time. She returned from the trip with a new tooth and an ear infection. We had a midnight run to the emergency room one night, but as soon as we walked through the door Avery was all smiles again. We went to the walk-in clinic the next day to get what we needed for the ear infection. Todd and I were terrified for Avery and the flight home with an ear infection, but we timed the medicines perfectly. Avery was a champ in the air.

Since the teething and ear infection left Avery a bit on the grumpy side, we didn't have as much photo time with Brooke as we would have liked. Brooke managed to get some awesome pictures despite what she had to work with. Big thanks Bebe!

Yummy

I just have to share recipes that I find I love in hopes that you may love them too. I had never made enchiladas before out of some sort of fear, but this recipe looked so easy. Check it out; they look pretty tasty.

If you're lucky enough to live in Laredo (wink, wink), you must make these recipes using Sandy's tortillas. Check the refrigerated section of your grocery store for a similar product.The next one to try is this sweet pork taco recipe. No pictures, just positive reviews. I made half the recipe which is plenty. I also did not mix the dressing with the cold slaw. I just used it as a topper; that way your cold slaw is not mushy when it comes time for leftovers. Let me know if you try any of these and how you rate it. Happy Cooking!

Fun in the Sun

With Opa.

New Look

Let me know if you like the new look. I think I'll stick with this one for a bit.

Rather Sweet

It's a great name for a bakery and a pretty good one for this post. We had so much fun at the cooking class yesterday. Check out this menu:

Avocado Pancakes with Crab & Mango Pico de Gallo

Grasshopper Pie with Chocolate Sauce

Peanut Butter Cups with Peanut-Penuche Icing

Tiramisu with Homemade Ladyfingers

Pink Shortbread Cookies

That's right. We had four desserts for lunch yesterday. It doesn't get much better than that! Rebecca Rather of Rather Sweet Bakery in Fredericksburg was charming, down to earth, knowledgeable, and fun. She is quite Martha-esque, but without all the worker bees to do everything for her. Anyway, the class was such a great way to spend some time with my friends. I wish I had taken pictures of the food, but these will have to do.

Rachel, Katy, and I full and happy after the class. (Emily and Kelly not pictured) And that's me with Chef Rebecca Rather herself.

Here is the sweetness that greeted me when I finally made it back to the ranch.

Happy Mother's Day All!!

Quick Peak

I don't have time to get into all of the details of our trip to Georgia this past weekend because I leave on another trip to San Antonio tomorrow. Here are a few shots to wet your appetite.This is the most sun we saw all weekend.
Speaking of wetting your appetite, I am taking a cooking class this weekend from Rebecca Rather of Rather Sweet Bakery. I'm SO EXCITED! I'll be back next week with tons more of Brooke's amazing photos and details from our trip.