In case you're interested, I am following this method (I got a PDF copy from my cousin) and read this too. :)
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Potty Training
Wish me luck. I am starting to potty train Nina this morning. She is so so ready, so I hope it is successful!!
In case you're interested, I am following this method (I got a PDF copy from my cousin) and read this too. :)
In case you're interested, I am following this method (I got a PDF copy from my cousin) and read this too. :)
Wedding Officiant
This post is quite delayed, but still worth mentioning. Yes, Yes. Mr. Evans was a wedding officiant!!
Our good friends Bob and Erin got married Labor Day weekend at the Ostoff Resort in Elkhart Lake and asked Mr. Evans to officiate. Bob was actually the best man in our wedding 4 years ago, so Mr. Evans was honored to marry two people who couldn't deserve a beautiful wedding more! It goes without saying that he did amazing. I am happy to brag on his behalf. I wish we had it videotaped, but we do have his script (if you ever want to read it). He/we worked very hard and were so happy the ceremony went off without a hitch. I was also a personal attendant and reader, so it was fun weekend!!
Our good friends Bob and Erin got married Labor Day weekend at the Ostoff Resort in Elkhart Lake and asked Mr. Evans to officiate. Bob was actually the best man in our wedding 4 years ago, so Mr. Evans was honored to marry two people who couldn't deserve a beautiful wedding more! It goes without saying that he did amazing. I am happy to brag on his behalf. I wish we had it videotaped, but we do have his script (if you ever want to read it). He/we worked very hard and were so happy the ceremony went off without a hitch. I was also a personal attendant and reader, so it was fun weekend!!
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| Here's Mr. Evans and Dermot (our good friend from Ireland). |
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| The beautiful bride and I! |
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| Meanwhile, Nina was having a great time at Camp Schreiner (aka Aunt Carla's house). She sure loves play time with her cousins!! How cute is this photo Carla took? :) |
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But upon reflection I've realized I'm entering the homestretch... the years before I turn 30! I am now officially in my "late 20s"... yikes. Sometimes I feel like I'm still 17 and then I see a 17 year old and realize, nope, I am officially and happily in my late 20s.
I feel so lucky. So incredibly blessed with where I'm at in life.
Any advice? Anti-aging tricks? :) Just kidding. Sort of.
Meal Planning... Or Not?
It's no secret. I have a thing for cookbooks. I enjoy reading them just as much as a good book. That being said, I've kept it under control and only try to keep on hand those books I use over and over (I have about 35, the rest I've donated over time). But still, the recipes I love to make often get lost within the pages of a cookbook if I don't flip through it during my weekly/nightly planning about what to serve for dinner.
Can you relate? You too probably have oodles of cookbooks, recipes torn out from magazines, random recipes pinned on Pinterest (sidenote, I do not have a board for recipes on Pinterest for this exact reason... the recipes would get lost).
Ok, well here at the Evans household we do not eat the same thing over and over (we get bored) and rather unfortunately, I am not the type of person to always plan ahead and do a big shop once a week. More or less, I pop in at the grocery store a few times a week, buy the fresh ingredients I need and do a "big shop" at Costco once a month or so.
So this is the part that counts... :)
I needed a way to organize my recipes so I could peruse our go-to recipes quickly and easily. Currently, they were scattered throughout my oodles of cookbooks.
Here's what I did. Maybe you should do it too? :)
I already have a binder with plastic sheet protectors to organize the random recipe printouts/clippings. I think I got it at Target!
So, here's the genius idea (haha), print out a variety of papers with the headings of the types of meals you like to eat (scroll down to see mine), add blank lines, empty out the entire contents of your cookbook storage area, go through each cookbook page-by-page and write down the recipes you've ACTUALLY made and liked!
Trust me, it's worth the time and you'll thank me later! :)
Categories:
Tex Mex
Grilling
Breakfast for Dinner
Salads for Dinner
Miscellaneous
Slow Cooker
Soup
Pasta/Italian
Pizza
Appetizers
Go To Desserts
Sandwiches
Special Occasion Ideas
Can you relate? You too probably have oodles of cookbooks, recipes torn out from magazines, random recipes pinned on Pinterest (sidenote, I do not have a board for recipes on Pinterest for this exact reason... the recipes would get lost).
Ok, well here at the Evans household we do not eat the same thing over and over (we get bored) and rather unfortunately, I am not the type of person to always plan ahead and do a big shop once a week. More or less, I pop in at the grocery store a few times a week, buy the fresh ingredients I need and do a "big shop" at Costco once a month or so.
So this is the part that counts... :)
I needed a way to organize my recipes so I could peruse our go-to recipes quickly and easily. Currently, they were scattered throughout my oodles of cookbooks.
Here's what I did. Maybe you should do it too? :)
I already have a binder with plastic sheet protectors to organize the random recipe printouts/clippings. I think I got it at Target!
So, here's the genius idea (haha), print out a variety of papers with the headings of the types of meals you like to eat (scroll down to see mine), add blank lines, empty out the entire contents of your cookbook storage area, go through each cookbook page-by-page and write down the recipes you've ACTUALLY made and liked!
Trust me, it's worth the time and you'll thank me later! :)
Categories:
Tex Mex
Grilling
Breakfast for Dinner
Salads for Dinner
Miscellaneous
Slow Cooker
Soup
Pasta/Italian
Pizza
Appetizers
Go To Desserts
Sandwiches
Special Occasion Ideas
Housewarming Party
Last Sunday, we had a Housewarming Party! We had about 70 guests throughout the day who surely helped "warm" up our house! See below for the invitation and menu. I was busy cooking (and so was my mom and mother-in-law... I couldn't have done it without them!!). I must have been too busy having fun that I forgot to take any photos of the actual people! If you were there and took any, I'd love to see them! :)
Also, I'm thinking about doing a "House Tour" on my blog. Show you virtually (whomever my readers are) what we've done, what I want to do next, ask for advice on some ideas, etc. Would you be interested in that? It would take a bit of work on my end, but I think it'd be fun! Leave me a comment!
Menu:
- Appetizers were a plenty (gourmet cheese plate, meatballs, hummus and charcuterie, peanuts in the shell, beer dip with pretzels, a hot dip with crackers, animal crackers for the kiddos, etc.)
- Drinks were seasonal beer, red/white wine, lemonade in a giant spigot dispenser, water, etc.
- Pulled Pork (catered from here)
- Buns (catered from Hankerson's)
- Baked Beans (my Grandma's recipe)
- Fruit Salad
- Homemade Coleslaw (my mom's recipe)
- Vidalia Onion Dip with Garlic Toasts (my mother-in-law's recipe)
- Cheesy Potatoes (my mom's recipe)
- Desserts - Apple Slices with Glaze, Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting, Key Lime Pie Bars, Homemade Carrot Cake
Also, I'm thinking about doing a "House Tour" on my blog. Show you virtually (whomever my readers are) what we've done, what I want to do next, ask for advice on some ideas, etc. Would you be interested in that? It would take a bit of work on my end, but I think it'd be fun! Leave me a comment!
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| The invites were postcard size and were designed by Pam at my in-laws print shop, the always friendly Sun Graphics! |
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| I found free BBQ themed printables here. So easy, so cute. |
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| I have a set of a dozen of these place card holders... they are very versatile, inexpensive and come in handy for parties of all shapes and sizes! |
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| The red and white gingham placemats are from Sur La Table. |
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| I wrapped the silverware in cute little napkins and raffia. The flowers from our local farmers market were displayed in mason jars. |
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| I kept the menu pretty simple and "down home".... Scroll down to see the details! I didn't ask anyone to bring anything (except my mom and mother-in-law... love them!), so it had to be doable. |
- Appetizers were a plenty (gourmet cheese plate, meatballs, hummus and charcuterie, peanuts in the shell, beer dip with pretzels, a hot dip with crackers, animal crackers for the kiddos, etc.)
- Drinks were seasonal beer, red/white wine, lemonade in a giant spigot dispenser, water, etc.
- Pulled Pork (catered from here)
- Buns (catered from Hankerson's)
- Baked Beans (my Grandma's recipe)
- Fruit Salad
- Homemade Coleslaw (my mom's recipe)
- Vidalia Onion Dip with Garlic Toasts (my mother-in-law's recipe)
- Cheesy Potatoes (my mom's recipe)
- Desserts - Apple Slices with Glaze, Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting, Key Lime Pie Bars, Homemade Carrot Cake
Nina's 2nd Birthday Party
For Nina's 2nd birthday party, we celebrated with a small gathering of family! I decided to go with a Mexican Fiesta theme. Who doesn't like that? :) Everyone came over last Thursday night after work, we ate, had cake, opened presents, Nina and Evelyn played... life was good for that little sweetheart.
Read on for details. Happy 2nd Birthday Nina!
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| I found this free printable "Fiesta" banner here. |
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| We ate inside because it was dreary and rainy outside. Oh well! :) |
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| Menu included: Coronas, Lemonade, Taco meat, shells, fresh homemade salsa, corn casserole, Pioneer Woman's Mexican rice casserole, fruit, chips, and toppings. |
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| Nina and Evelyn always have SO much fun together! |
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| I got this little fiesta party hat for the birthday girl at a local party store. Hehe! |
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| Her birthday dessert was a Texas Sheet Cake... the recipe is from my MIL. Yum! |
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| Nina got a bath Barbie and Sofia the First dress that she loved. Thanks Uncle Mike and Aunt Kala! She also loved her other cards and presents!! |
P.S. Here is her 1st birthday party!!! I loved planning that one!
Two Years
My little munchkin turns 2 today. T-w-o... can you believe it?
Remember when she was born? Sweet little Nina cakes.
Remember her month-by-month photos from her first year? Oh how she's grown. :) See below for the most recent installment.
My heart swells with pride today (to be her mother and watch her grow) and with joy (to witness the funny, smart and kind girl she is becoming). I count my blessings each and every day.
I love you to the milky way, Nina Lorraine Evans.
P.S. These pictures were much easier when she was a baby! :)
P.P.S. Her shirt is from here.
Remember when she was born? Sweet little Nina cakes.
Remember her month-by-month photos from her first year? Oh how she's grown. :) See below for the most recent installment.
My heart swells with pride today (to be her mother and watch her grow) and with joy (to witness the funny, smart and kind girl she is becoming). I count my blessings each and every day.
I love you to the milky way, Nina Lorraine Evans.
P.S. These pictures were much easier when she was a baby! :)
P.P.S. Her shirt is from here.
5 bits
1. What did you do as a child that made the hours pass like minutes? Herein lies the key to your earthly pursuits. - Carl Jung
2. People overestimate what they can do in a day and underestimate what they can do in their whole lives. - Unknown
3. We have to CHOOSE JOY and keep choosing it. - Henry Nouwen
4. When things aren't adding up in your life, start subtracting. - Anon
5. The what-ifs and should-have's will eat your brain. - John O'Callaghan
Nina's 1st Day of Toddler Montessori
Oh, how my heart melts when I see these photos. In fact, I get a bit misty eyed! September 3, 2013 was Nina's 1st day of Toddler Montessori School.
She's been attending our local Montessori for daycare since she was six weeks old, but she recently left the comfort of the infant room and moved on up to the toddler room. We never have to worry about Nina because we know that she is always having a great day. Her school is such a safe environment, and she gets lots of attention, patience and FUN!
She now starts "school" from 8:30-11:30 am and the rest is lunch, outdoor playtime, art activities and more, until I pick her up after work. We even enrolled her in Spanish class! ¡Qué bien!
Sources:
Nina's toddler ladybug backpack here
Nina's bento lunch containers here
Nina's labels (Mabel's Labels) from Target
Nina's toddler ladybug backpack here
Nina's bento lunch containers here
Nina's labels (Mabel's Labels) from Target
French Apple Tart
Do not be confused. I am not looking forward to fall... yet! I am not one of those people who rushes the season. I am perfectly content with hot-hot-hot weather!
But, we had a bounty crop of apples from our "orchard" and apples always mean desserts in my house. Eating a plain raw apple is so boring, right? :) My choice this time was Ina's French Apple Tart. Yum!
P.S. It's even easier if you use frozen puff pastry instead of making your own!
But, we had a bounty crop of apples from our "orchard" and apples always mean desserts in my house. Eating a plain raw apple is so boring, right? :) My choice this time was Ina's French Apple Tart. Yum!
P.S. It's even easier if you use frozen puff pastry instead of making your own!
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