Christmas Tree, oh Christmas Tree............

I love Christmas it is one of my favorite times of year. Even here in Oregon with the constant down pour of rain. I love it. I love all the twinkling lights. The smell of fresh Christmas Trees. All the home baked goodies, everything about Christmas just means family to me.

This is even more special being that it is baby girl's very first. Although we think she is too young for us to be buying extravagant gifts we are so excited to start new traditions with her.

We decided that instead of gifts we would get things that would become tradition in our family for baby girl and future children when that happens (to clarify not pregnant). So we got her some books for reading on Christmas Eve, we cut a our own tree as a family, and we have a advent calendar of bible verses.

We also have a tradition of getting a new ornament to add to the tree each year, still need to find this years ;).

These are just some of my favorite ornaments we have on our tree <3.

{Oh yah Elementary school picture ornament project} 

{I only have three of these left, they were my moms. They plug directly in to the light strand.}

{Ornament my mom gifted me as a teenager}

{Glass breast cancer ribbon}

{Got this as a gift the Christmas after mom passed away. Taken during our last Thanksgiving together.}

{The angel we bought our first Christmas as husband and wife.}

{Love this snowman couple.}

{Our last Christmas in Hawaii ornament.}

{Coast Guard for the hubby.}

{My most favorite baby girls very first ornament.}

Love our tree and all that it represents,
Adrien

-What are your favorite ornaments?

9 months.......

Baby girl turned 9 months yesterday! I'm still not sure exactly how I feel about the fact that she is only a few months away from turning 1.

I love watching her grow and learn new abilities. Her personality develops more and more each day and it is such a joy to watch. At the same time I miss that squishy little babe that was born only 9 short months ago.

(day of birth skin on skin with daddy) 

(the perfect little face)

(where did time go.....)

The struggles of being a parent, you can not wait for them to grow and become their own little person but at the same time you don't want it to happen too fast.


Confessions of this mom heart,
~Adrien

Cranberry Sauce....Easy as 1-2-3-4!

Perfect for Thanksgiving, this 4 ingredient, easy to make cranberry sauce is amazing. We have used this sauce for a few years now and its a favorite in our home.

All you needs is:
1/4 cup pure cranberry juice (no fruit cocktail juice)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup honey
1 lb cranberries

Directions:

First rinse cranberries and discard any that are soft or wrinkled.

In a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat combine orange juice, honey, and cranberry juice. Bring up to a boil and reduce to medium-low heat, then simmer for 5 minutes. 

Add cranberries and cook for 15 minutes {exactly}, stirring occasionally. The cranberries will burst and the mixture will begin to thicken (will not be "thick" at this point). DO NOT cook beyond 15 minutes it will break down the pectin and the sauce will not set. So keep an eye on that clock!

{I wish I could bottle up the smell of this sauce cooking.}

Remove from the heat and allow the cranberry mixture to cool for 5 minutes.

{Love th e color of cranberries, so festive, beautiful, and rich.}

If you an extra fancy presentation carefully spoon in to 3 cup mold of your choice and refrigerate for 6 hours and up to overnight. Once set for minimum 6 hours in refrigerator overturn your mold to a plate, slice it up and serve. We prefer to put our in a container and just spoon it out. 

{We made a double batch, so 2-pounds worth of cranberry sauce. That is why there is so much pictured.}

We like to make this the night before to reduce the amount of items being cooked Thanksgiving Day. Cranberry sauce is good on just about anything in my opinion. My favorite way to enjoy cranberry sauce, not on fresh baked turkey, is on a bagel with cream cheese. Yummy!

Hope you enjoy this recipe and have a blessed Thanksgiving.

Gobble till you Wobble friends 

~ Adrien

Ready to bake Cuteness

There are only two things that I buy that a ready-to-bake, orange danish rolls (the off brand are my favorites) and the sugar cookies with adorable patterns. But the patterns have to be super adorable, I think it has been over 2 years since I have bought ready-to-bake sugar cookie dough but I could not pass these up.

I was Target (got to love Target) and found these adorable R2D2 cookies. Seriously how cute are these?! They are tiny, when baked up only about 1.5-2 inch cookies, cutest little things ever and oh so tasty.

{Size reference, this is a little toaster oven cookie sheet. Like I said tiny cookies.}

These would be so fun to make for that Star Wars fan in your life (or yourself) and even the kiddos can help lay these out on the cookie sheet. These would be especially perfect for a Star Wars themed birthday party! Just think of the cute possibilities!!!

~Adrien

Fit Friday.......

A little behind the scenes photo sequence the making of this weeks "Fit Friday" post.

 Just a little look at what its like to be a mom and blogger. Used my adorable little girl to check lighting and position for photos. She is the perfect subject to photograph if I do say so myself. This weeks "Fit Friday" post is all about cold season and using yoga to get through it. Head on over to the Daring Dandelion blog for some yoga poses to help you get through your colds this winter season http://thedaringdandelion.blogspot.com/2015/11/fit-friday-yoga-for-colds.html?m=1.

~Adrien

It's OK to need and take a break.........

I've been wanting to post on this for awhile, baby girl is finally napping so to get this done before she wakes.

Something I am learning is that it is perfectly alright and normal to need a break from your child. For longest time I always felt guilty for not wanting to be around my daughter all the time. I felt guilty for not thinking that being a mother is all rainbows and unicorns, amazing all the time. I felt guilty and angry at my self for not being "better".

We as parents need breaks from our kids, its healthy, its important, it gives us a chance to breathe, I am starting to learn this and accept it. I love my daughter with all I am and then some but I need breaks and that is OK.

I took the first break from my daughter in almost 7 months just a couple weeks ago. I did not go far just a 10 minute drive to a Christmas Craft fair with my mom and my grandma's. When she needed me, because this was last minute and we were out of town with no pumped milk, I was there to nurse and put her down for naps.

It felt great to get away and just be "me" with out my daughter constantly needing me. She hung out with her dad all day and they both survived.

I came back a better mom because of the break. I had more patience and I was less stressed. My daughter deserves a mom at her best and breaks let me be my best.

Funny to think that time away from your child can make you better but it does. So find a way to take a break. If it is a walk around the block while your child stays home with their other parent, a massage, a pedicure, a run, some time out with friends, whatever a break looks like to you take one.

Its OK to need a break.
~Adrien

Sorry I've been MIA..............

I swear as soon as I figure out my daughters schedule enough to have hours dedicated to writing and working she ends up switching it up on me. Life has been an adventure to say the least.

Baby girl has been teething for over a month now. With many days of boycotting naps unless she was nursing, laying on me, or in the car while driving around. I do feel really bad for her, she does have 4 teeth coming in at once. I can only imagine that it is painful, and possibly close to what it was like when I had my wisdom teeth removed.

Thankfully we are on her last tooth for this round of teething. I only hope it is awhile before the next round of teeth come in.

So today I am thankful for a daughter who napped yesterday and slept in today.


Just a mom trying to figure it out,
~ Adrien