Mason's Hungry Caterpillar Party

 

I had such a blast planning Mason's hungry caterpillar themed party. I've been pinning for months! It turned out exactly like I envisioned and was made perfect by everyone who came to celebrate with us. Our house was jammed packed with friends and family, lots of gifts, food and laughter.  I hope Amanda is reading this too, because I thought you you every second of making the caterpillar cake. It was my first time working with fondant and it turned out adequate. Next time I'll buy all the tools needed to make it all look pretty.

 

Mason was short a nap so he was a little sleepy and awe struck at all the excitement and it didn't help he smacked his head- effects of a walking boy. Yes that's right our little man is walking! But, it was such a great party for a perfect little one year old. Here are a TON of pictures for your enjoyment...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mason burst into tears while singing happy birthday and I couldn't help but laugh hysterically...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Mason!

Happy Birthday sweet boy! It is so incredible to think back at the last year and see how much you've grown, developed and completely changed our life. On Christmas day I kept saying "having Mason here has made this the best Christmas ever" and I honestly feel that way every single day. You, my little man.. whew, you are amazing. Last week while you fell asleep on my arms I couldn't help but thank the Lord over and over and over, for you. I love you so much Mason. I am so proud to be your mom.  Here's taking a look back at the last 12 months.. in pictures.

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Our day was just lovely, filled with many blessings, love and laughter. It started with our usual Christmas morning tradition...

Cinnamon Rolls!

 

And opening stockings..

 

A quick family photo. I started the New Years Eve tradition of new pj's.. so here we all our. Kevin was 'thrilled' about it :)

 

 And then of course, loads of family time and gift opening..

 

 

Kevin and Mason got matching RG3 jerseys. How ADORABLE are they? Mom got me a t-shirt to match the boys too. So now we're the cutest Redskin Fan Family there ever was..

 

And our night ended with a delicious turkey dinner. yummy.

 

 Hoping you all had a wonderful day too. Love you tons!

 

Merry Christmas Eve!

 

Merry Christmas Eve!! We had a fabulous cocktail party at my house tonight with our Alaska group. Everyone came with a delicious dish to share and a 10 minute message from the Lord. It was awesome, to say the least!  And now, after a long day and night..here we sit.. I hope you all enjoy your Christmas together. Thank you Lord for your blessings. Thank you Lord for your grace. Thank you Lord for choosing me.

Mistle Toes- Last minute gift idea.

I found this idea on Pinterest (big surprise) and knew it would be the perfect gift to give my mom, Shellea, Julie & Ab tonight at our Christmas Eve party.  Easy. Cheap. Cute. Love it! I had to improvise on the bags but I think my red ones did the job just fine.

 

 

 Happy last minute gift buying!! And Merry Christmas Eve!

 

 

Life lately.. according to my iphone

 

Life lately has consisted of trying to eat as healthy as possible (see celery above) and failing miserably (see English Butter Toffee). ha. I was doing and feeling so incredible and then I thought to myself "if I eat this one little candy bar, it won't hurt me" and guess what? it didn't.. but eating that one little candy bar followed by popcorn, pizza, beer, fudge, cookies.. and all the goodness that the Holidays bring has hurt. a lot. So, here I am December 18th feeling like I've gain a million pounds and yet I'm still enjoying a bowl of popcorn. Ah well. You win some, you lose some.  Besides eating, I've been drinking lots of water, sporting my red plaid flats, trying to survive the ridiculous weather (my excuse for all the eating), got my hair done up nice and blond, am spending a lot of time in my word and before the Lord on matters and of course, soaking in lots of family time with my cute hubby and darling little man.  And that picture with me sporting dark circles under my eyes next to the roses? THAT is what happens when you eat greasy, sugar filled things day after day.

 

What about you all? Ever browse through you phone's pictures? What story do they tell? I miss you all and love you.

 

xo, Laura

5 Years Today

Today I’m celebrating five years of marriage.

I’m also honoring the passing of a wife to a man I work with

and

celebrating the 1 year birthday of one of my son’s best buddies.

An anniversary. A funeral. A Birthday. That’s a lot of different emotions for one day.  

I’m blessed this year to say, that I am a mother. And now that I am, I can’t help but completely weld up with tears anytime a baby is born. It’s the moment a woman becomes a mother and that moment can never be taken from her. No matter what happens in life, once you become a mother, you are always a mother. 

I’ve been blessed to have been sheltered from much death in my life, I know this won’t always be the case. The man I work with was married to his wife for 40 years and she passed away last week. My heart aches thinking of him- alone for the Holidays without his sidekick, stepping through his front door- to an empty home, hearing his answer to the hostess as- table for one.  After so many years. This man’s wife was ill and was growing tired some so, in a way, it was a relief that she went but even with that peace in his mind, how does he begin to live his life again? The life that was only, truly a life because of who he was with day after day- night after night.  I don’t know the answer to that question and it’s hard to even think about them being me one day.  Thinking about it, makes me want to cry.

I’ve also been blessed to have married the man of my dreams five years ago. Thinking of who my husband is and what our life is, makes me want to cry. He is the most honest, down to earth, calm, tender hearted, funny man I know...and he’s an incredible father to boot.

So, while today you may only see me with tears in my eyes, you should know that no amount of tears shed on the outside compares to the amount of joy, happiness and outright, thankfulness I have for today.

Five years ago, today I married the man of my dreams and today we are celebrating our life together. And today, our life means comforting those that are hurting and celebrating with those that are growing.   

Today and every day, I am blessed.

Thank you Lord, for today.

Steak Chili Relleno Recipe

If you're looking for a super delicious and easy dish to spice up your dinner routine- try this steak chili relleno recipe! It is delish!!

 

*I found this recipe in the Everyday Paleo cookbook by: Sarah Fragoso

 

What you'll need:

4 large poblano or Anaheim chillies (I used Anaheim) and as you can see below, I doubled the peppers, using a total of 8.

2 Tablespoons coconut oil

1/2 red onion, diced

1lb tri-tip steak, diced into small pieces

1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon chili powder

Sea salt & black pepper to taste

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 bunch kale, chopped

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 can diced green chilies

1 cup salsa verde

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

 

Steps:

One: Preheat oven to 500 degree

Two: On a tinfoil-lined baking sheet, bake the whole chilies for 10 minutes

 

Three: The chilies will be slightly charred when finished; removed from baking sheet and set aside. In a large skillet, add the coconut oil and heat over medium. Add the onions and saute for 2 minutes.

Four: Add the steak and saute' until the meat starts to brown.

Five: Add the spices to the onions and meat and stir well

Six: Add the remaining ingredients, except the salsa and cilantro, and cook until the greens are tender, about another 2 minutes.

Seven: Remove from skillet and set aside

 

 

 

Eight: Using a knife, cut a slit lengthwise down the middle of the chile's. Remove the seeds gently with a spoon and place the chilies into a glass baking dish. (btw, I got impatient and didn't remove all the seeds and HOLA spicy hot!! so be ware and try and remove all the seeds)

 

 

Nine: Stuff each chili with the meat mixture and bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes.

 

Ten: Top each chili relleno with salsa verde and cilantro and enjoy!

Totally Random

Hello!! How are you all? We are doing good up here. Getting over the flu bug that literally took out every single person in my house except Mason. Thankfully. Whew. It was a toughy.  It's only Tuesday night and my mind is tired so I mustered up a few random thoughts to share.

 

I just checked the weather:
sigh.

anyways, on to something a little warmer.. I bought a Christmas cup last week. If you don't have a Christmas mug designed only for the Winter/Holiday times you should go buy one. It is so worth the $10 to drink from a darling, holiday mug every day. 

 

Speaking of the Holidays, I am doing my best to soak in every minute of this season. Doesn't it go by so fast? I refuse to let it all zoom by me this year. I'm taking in all the lights around the town, enjoying every Christmas song I hear and trying to breathe in every inch of December before it passes and it is time for new years resolutions, turning & burning at work and all that comes with January.

Oh and since I'm talking about December, Mason turns one this month! It is just crazy to think that he is already a year old. Holy smokes. I mean,  Wow. Take a look at where I was at this time last year and where I am now: 

     left pic taken 9 days PAST due date.. and still 2 days before little guy arrived. whew.

Well that's about all the randomness I can think of right now. What randomness have you all been up to lately?

Love you!