Monday, February 15, 2016
another cold one for the books
Yesterday, Kensi and I spent our afternoon making the most decadent chocolate-chocolate mousse cake topped with chocolate ganache and strawberries. I'm not going to lie, I've been stealing forkfuls all day long starting with breakfast. There's just no way around it, pregnant or not, chocolate is my jam and when you add fruit to it ...well I just go straight to heaven.
Feel the need to make this beauty? If you're questioning it let me just tell you there are four layers of cake and FOUR layers of mousse. FOUR!!! I promise it's not very difficult. Find the recipe HERE.
It's been another cold, drizzly day that kept us inside. The kids have done really well with all the rain we've been getting and I wish I could say the same. But fighting pregnancy exhaustion while chasing two kiddos and trying to keep up with the house is just plain hard. I've also been battling headache after headache due to cutting out my coffee just like the last two pregnancies. I need my caffeinated coffee. I need it. To keep the kids and I occupied today we all snuggled on the couch and watched Frozen while snacking on a lunch of cheese squares, hummus, crackers, grapes and our favorite mango + coconut smoothie. Something simple, but still nutritious.
1 cup frozen mango + 1 cup coconut water. blend until smooth.
Fortunately, Mike is always the super hubster, but even more so when I'm pregnant. He knows I'm tired. He knows I dont feel my best and he always takes care of me when he gets home from work. Today is no exception. He's not even feeling his greatest today, but offers to take the kids, pick up din and let me have some peace and quiet for about an hour. He knows I needed it. He knows I wanted it even if I said I didn't. So excuse me as I veg on the couch, eating my sushi {and chocolate cake} while watching The Bachelor. It's been a long Monday.
xoxo
Sunday, February 14, 2016
my valentine
Mike and I have celebrated many, many Valentine days together. We are high school sweethearts and have learned a lot about our relationship together. We've learned making sacrifices for each other and for our family is necessary and makes us as a couple much stronger. Our Valentine celebrations have changed quite a bit the last few years as our family has grown and we've moved away from family, but that hasn't kept us from keeping our spark alive.
From our first Valentine's together with a scavenger hunt through our hometown to celebrating with our babes with homemade chocolate cake and games on the living room floor. No matter where we are I'm so in love with the life we've created together and the marriage we've built. There's no where I'd rather be than sitting on our couch at night sipping champagne sparkling cider with you. As silly as it sounds to be all lovely on this day in particular I hope I show you how much I love you everyday of the year and I make you feel as loved as you make me. Happy Valentine's Day my love and best friend. ❤️
Saturday, February 13, 2016
hip hip hooray
Happy Valentine's Day from our sweet Valentines. One, two...and THREE. An unexpected surprise is due this summer!
We knew we wanted to try for at least one more, a minimum of three kids was always our hope and knowing it took us a little while to conceive Kensi and Finn, we were talking about when we wanted to begin trying again. The weekend before Christmas we gave Kensi and Finn each a gift early since we were going back to Nebraska for Christmas and they would want ample play time. I was a few days late and took a test, turned out everyone was getting an early Christmas gift! We were so shocked mostly because it took us months to become pregnant before and this wasn't planned.
We are so excited to meet this little bundle who must be just as excited to become part of our little family.
Of course, Kensi is over the moon excited and Finn is rather torn. He's already quite the attention hog. Kensi is hoping for a girl and asking if we can find out, but we'll be keeping this sweet babe's gender a secret just like the last two...at least that's the plan as of now. Parents of three, please welcome us to the joyful chaos!
Thursday, February 11, 2016
the sugar cookie disaster
Aren't they some of the cutest Valentine sugar cookies ever? When I first saw the original post on Pinterest from The Sweet Escape and knew Kensi and I would have a blast decorating them with the water color technique. We were both so excited and had such high hopes, but let me warn you, we've been working on these cookies for two days.
We decided to find a 'fool proof' cut out sugar cookie from Pinterest and didn't want to bother with the one provided in the article, it seemed a little off to me, but my own luck was off. After trying two different 'The BEST Cut Out Sugar Cookie of All Time' recipes, both were epic FAILS!!! The cookies were far too soft and fell apart upon picking them up and didn't hold their shape enough for our X's and O's. My kitchen was completely covered in flour and sugar, dishes were falling out of the sink and every surface felt like it was growing a layer of cookies on it. It was quite the seen for Mike to come home to. Whoops!
So Mama to the rescue. I called my mom late Wednesday night in dyer need of the recipe we used for Christmas that I lost in my shuffle of paper clutter, which note to self....get a recipe box ASAP and write down favorite recipes! I think the culprit in both the failing recipes was too much butter and the absence of baking powder, causing the cookies to fall apart.
So what's the recipe that finally did the trick and performed the biggest Valentine's miracle I've ever witnessed?!!? It's Wilton. Check out the recipe below and if you dare to make cut out sugar cookies, I hope this one works for as well as did for Kensi and me. But as I've learned with recipes, nothing is a guarantee so I won't dare say this is 'the best cut out sugar cookie of all time' although in my case it actually is! So as my husband says in the words of Liam Neeson...Good Luck.
Wilton Sugar Cookies
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
2-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl and add to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition.
Do not chill dough. Divide into two balls. On a floured surface roll each ball out into a circle approximately 1/4 inch thick. Dip cookie cutters in flour before each use. Bake cookies on parchment paper about 7 minutes or until cookies are lightly golden.
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