Two Months

Photos by Smoo

Dear Cordelia,

Baby Girl I can hardly believe it's been two months already!  You are growing so much, you are now 24 inches long and weigh 13 pounds 4 ounces. With time flying like this, next thing I know you will be asking to borrow the car.

I enjoy each and every day with you, and every day I become more and more confident about being a mom! I love to watch you sleep, I love to read you books, I love to give you baths, and I love to watch you eat- I don't really love changing your stinky diapers but I love how happy you are afterwards. Most of all, I love to see you smile! You just started smiling and it's magical. It's better then ice cream, pedicures, new shoes and the smell of fresh spring rain combined. 

Your personality is coming out more and more every day. You love when your daddy says silly things, and when I sing and dance with you. Your favorite toys to play with are your giraffe Sophie and your purple Heffalump because they both make fun noises. You like to have "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" read to you, and your eyes always get big and wide when we turn to the page with the sun and the page with the butterfly.     

I can't wait to see what's next baby girl. 

Almond Joy Cupcakes

Here is another great cupcake recipe from Lizzy over at Your Cup of Cake! I am enjoying sifting my way  through her cupcake recipes. One of the things I love about cupcakes is how easy they are to share! It keeps me from eating a whole cake by myself :) This is the Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes, also known as the Almond Joy Cupcakes. They are so tasty, and this is the best chocolate buttercream icing I have ever had, but I do want to find a way to make them a little more coconuty. 

Cake Ingredients: 

3 sticks of butter at room temperature

2 cups sugar

5 eggs at room temperature 

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter milk

7 oz coconut (and some extra to sprinkle on top)

1. Preheat oven to 325 and line muffin tins with cupcake liners

 2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy

3. Add eggs, vanilla and almond extract, beat some more

4. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together

5. Starting and ending with the flour mixture, alternate adding the flour and the buttermilk to the batter, mix only until combined

6. Stir in coconut and fill cupcake liners to the top 

7. Bake for 20-30 minuets, or until a tooth pick comes out clean 

Chocolate Buttercream:

2 sticks of butter, softened

1/2 cup cocoa powder

3 cups powder sugar

1/4 cup of milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract  

Almonds to top cupcakes with

1. Beat butter for 5 minutes

2. Slowly add cocoa and powder sugar adding small amount of milk in between

3. Add vanilla

4. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes- top with an almond and extra coconut

Stella & Dot

Outfit

Onesie: Carters, Tutu:H&M, Headband: Stella & Dot 

Cordelia is a very stylish little girl, She has so many people who love her and who buy her pretty clothes. One of our friends is a stylist for Stella & Dot and gave her this super cute headband. Check out their website and think about hosting your own Stella & Dot trunk show! 

A trip to the Shore

This is an old post, that I never finished, about a trip that Brendon and I took in September of 2010.  I'm not sure why I never finished/posted this but I was thinking about the trip that Brendon and I are preparing to take so that Cordelia can meet her Great Granddad and decided that it was time to finish the post.  

My Grandfather lives on the eastern shore of Maryland, and Its a bit of a hike out there and I don't make it to visit as often as I should. However the last weekend before school started my hubby and I made the trip out there. This picture is from the drive over the bay bridge, for some reason I love riding across the bridge, its such a pretty sight.

These are the rock roses that grow in my Grandfather's driveway. I think they are so cool, I mean roses that grow in rocks! you don't get much cooler!

Inside Granddad's house- note the Jackalope, When I was a kid I thought they were real because my granddaddy had one hanging on his wall. He's kinda super cute too. 

Brendon and I at "Granddad's" beach. We call it Granddad's beach because he helped raise money and planned the development of the tiny little beach. Every time I visit Rock Hall I visit the beach :) 

Outfit:

Tank top/ Vest: Forever 21, Skirt:made by me, Flip Flops: Tidewater, Necklace: from Tiara Day

A Birthday Tea Family Outfit Post

We had the pleasure of attending a birthday tea for our dear friend Sarah. In the spirit of a traditional tea we all dressed up. It was so much fun, and I can't wait to do something like this again! 

Photos Above by Sarah

Mommy- Dress: homemade, Shoes: Payless, Gloves: Vintage hand-me-down, 

Pearls: from my Nanny

Daddy- Hat: Gift from his Uncle, Shirt/ Tie/ Pants: Sims, Suspenders: Vintage, Shoes: Payless 

Daughter: Dress/Onesie/ Shoes: yardsale finds, Socks:Gift, 

Pearls:Gift from her Aunt, made by my Pop pop

Cordelia and I with the Birthday Girl! (Photo snapped by my hubby). I hope she had a wonderful party, and we look forward for celebrating with her next year!  

Hazelnut, White Chocolate, and Pumpkin Cheesecake, and my note on organization

In response to a reader request, I want to share the recipe for the Hazelnut, White Chocolate, and Pumpkin Cheesecake I baked for Christmas this past year (talked about it in this post). However first I want to talk a little bit about how I organize recipes at home. 

Recipe Box

I tried, for what feels like years, to organize my recipe's in a cute, and classic, way- like in the recipe box above. I spent forever copying recipe's onto note cards like my mom and sister did, and I spent forever trying to make time to copy even more recipe's onto note cards. Whenever I used my handy little recipe cards they never did manage to make it back into their little box. One day I decided I had enough- I needed something functional! 

Enter my very functional recipe binder. 

Everything is in sheet protectors to keep them nice and clean- and I make photo copies of recipes so I can keep the pretty pictures of the food-or the handwriting of my loved one. AND it's nice and organized :)

Now from my recipe binder: Hazelnut, White Chocolate, and Pumpkin Cheesecake

I hate to admit it but I have no idea what magazine this recipe came out of- my sister cut it out for me because she knows of my love for all things cheesecake and all things pumpkin! This recipe makes one 9 inch cheesecake, but this cheesecake is so rich it can feed A LOT of people.       

Ingredients 

Crust-

3/4 cup vanilla-wafer crumbs

1/2 cup ground hazelnuts

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons melted butter 

Cheesecake filling-

3 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 cup canned pumpkin

4 eggs

1 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate

1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts  

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit 

2. Combine the crust ingredients, mix well

3. Press crust mixture into the bottom and 1/2 an inch up the sides of a springform pan

4. Bake crust for 10 minutes

5. Reduce oven temperature to 300

6. In large bowl blend cream cheese, sugar, flour, and pumpkin pie spice with an electric mixer at low speed 

7. Add the pumpkin and eggs, beat until well combined

8. Stir in white chocolate

9. Pour filling into the crust lined pan, sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts 

10. Bake (at 300) for 1 hour, then turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door closed for another 30 minutes or longer until set

11. Remove the cheesecake from the oven, chill, and enjoy! 

One Month

Better late then never. .. .

Photos by Smoo

Dear Cordelia,

Baby girl it has been a very long month, it feels like you have been part of our family forever and I cannot imagine life without you. I have learned many things this month and I have been amazed by many things this month. 

I have learned how amazing life is, and how crazy it is that your father and I created life when we created you. I truly know, without a shadow of doubt that all of the time I struggled while I was pregnant was worth it, 100% worth it.   

.  

 I have learned that a person does not know, or understand fear, until they become a parent. I learned this when you were exactly a week old and we had to take you to the emergency room. Nothing can describe the feelings your father and I felt as you lay on the hospital bed, and nothing can describe the feeling of relief when we found out you were ok. 

I have learned that holding a newborn baby can help people work through great grief and sadness, it can give new hope and help people understand the circle of life. Holding you has helped me understand this too. 

I have learned that breastfeeding is hard, but I am so happy that it is something I can do for you, and I love the moments I share with you because they are unique to you and I.

 I have learned that many people feel your birth erases their own nasty behavior, but I have also learned to never let their behavior sully my time with you. 

I am so amazed by you. You have grown so much! You weigh 11 lbs now and you grew a whole inch! You are so much more awake and I can see you seeing me. At first I had no idea what we should do when you were awake, and sometimes all we do is stare at each other. 

I am amazed by the peace and love that you fill me with, even when I can't figure out why you are crying ;) I hope that you will always know how special you are, and how much your father and I love you. 

Your father explains life and his emotions with song lyrics, I conclude this post with lyrics that express his feelings now.

Thank you for the branch you grew on this tree.

Your first breath wasn't easy to find.

So you signified the mountain you climbed,

By lettin' out a warriors cry and it sounded like mine.

Now everybody hold up the family sign.

-Something So, Atmosphere