The 52 Project: 5/52

“A portrait of my son every week in 2014.”

One tooth on the alligator for his first tooth.

f. 4.0 / 1/40 / ISO 800 / 12-24 mm lens 

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Goodness it has been so cold outside that we're pretty much indoors all day, every day. Not that I mind! Lots of work to be done, playtime to be had and conversations and cuddles for all. Spring, please come soon.

Delicious Crumb Bars:

It’s well known that I am a big fan of Ina Garten. Her recipes are my go to when I need a dish that will turn out just right and not taste like an ingredient is missing (which I notice quite a bit especially in restaurants or bake shops that come out with a cookbook). This recipe for crumble bars is quick, easy and most likely you already have everything you need in your kitchen cabinets! A few ingredients I substituted since we didn’t have exactly what the recipe called for, but it turned out great!

Crumble Bars Recipe:

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature (I always use salted)

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

10-12 ounces raspberry jam (I used strawberry because we were out and it tasted just as good!)

2/3 cup granola without dried fruit (I used oatmeal)

1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Mix butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed just until combined. Add vanilla with the mixer on low.

Sift flour and salt together, add to the butter mixture with the mixer on low. Mix until it almost comes together in a ball.

Spread out evenly two-thirds of the dough in a square 9” pan, going 1/4” up the sides. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Mix the granola with the remaining dough and sprinkle on top of the jam. Sprinkle the almonds on top and bake for 45 minutes until lightly browned.

The bars pair great for an evening snack with decaf or even as breakfast! We loved them and they were so quick to make!

The 52 Project: 4/52

“A portrait of my son every week in 2014”

Playtime in his new room is becoming a morning routine. This little monkey is Rowan’s new favorite toy.

f 2.8 / 1/100 / ISO 800 / 50 mm lens

monkey- Jellycat, rug- HABA

Oh The Things We Like: Right Now

HABA Ships See Saw Swing • Topo Designs Mountain Briefcase • Odd Molly Remix dress • Bobo Choses Umbrella bodysuit • Eames molded plastic rocker

First off, I just found out about Topo Designs and I’m pretty much loving everything they make! Even better it’s all made in Colorado- I love that!  That briefcase pretty much has my husband written all over it. When we finally get around to taking a family trip out west, visiting their store in Denver is top on my list of must sees! Secondly, that Odd Molly dress- oh my! Love love love! What a perfect anytime dress! That HABA boat swing is seriously one of the most exciting kids play swings I’ve seen in a long time. My little sister used to have a dolphin swing and I thought that was great- but this- wow! I think it’s probably indulging more of my love for nautical things and that it basically looks  pretty awesome. 

Sundays Are For Cake Baking:

I hope everyone has been having a wonderful week and still enjoying the new year! Yes, it is very cold, January is a pretty blah month and it's very gray outside..BUT this is the time to enjoy being inside before all of the warm weather comes! (which it will) Right now I'm spending my days sewing lots of baby moccasins and goods as well as experimenting with cake recipes and new dishes. I love baking cakes, even more so eating them! 

This one is a chocolate espresso cake with dark cocoa buttercream frosting. I absolutely had no idea how to make the frosting so I mixed a little bit of this, a little bit of that and voila it actually turned out amazing! Unfortunately I do not think I'll ever be able to replicate it. I would love to get back to an old tradition I had of making a cake every weekend, I think my husband would appreciate it! :)

The 52 Project: 3/52

"A portrait of my son every week in 2014"

Took a nice, long Sunday stroll in the cold, this little guy loves being outside watching the world pass by as he’s perched in his stroller.

f 2.0 / 1/5000 / ISO 800 / 50mm lens

The 52 Project: 2/52

"A portrait of my son every week in 2014"

Happy baby sound asleep..Rowan is now in his own room and seems to love it! I'm still worried about him being alone, but it's a good thing for all of us. 

This week I will be posting two portraits of Rowan for the 52 Series as I am a week behind! 

What I Wore:

Oilily top • Anthropologie Odille skirt • Anthropologie tights • J. Crew cardigan • Clark’s boots

Does anyone remember Oilily? I used to absolutely love that brand, more so the children’s wear because it was so bright, colorful and had incredible, intricate designs. I've had this top for years and years, definitely will not be getting rid of it anytime soon! 

The 52 Project: 1/52

I’ve been wanting to do this project ever since I saw it on Practising Simplicity. I love the idea of having a year long project to commit to that’s creative as well as gives me little milestones to look back on in Rowan’s life throughout the year. It’s going to be a great one at that! Crawling, walking, exploring and hopefully lots of giggles and smiles. If you’re participating in this project as well, I would love a link to check it out!

1/52 Right now playtime before bath time on mama and papas bed is his favorite thing. 

New Years:

Happy 2014! It's a new, fresh year that can be anything we want it to be! I love that! I hope everyone had a wonderful New Years and were able to enjoy it in the company of those you love. 

My little family of three spent a few days with my husbands family over New Years. It was a bit nerve-wrecking for us to get there. It's been so cold and we had a snowfall the night before that the roads were full of black ice. There was a stretch of highway we encountered that had car after car in the ditch, rolled over or in a string of cars collided with one another. All of it was happening within minutes of each other on both sides of the road. It was a bit too much for me, but we made it through safe and sound! 

We were able to spend time resting, relaxing and enjoying family. Unfortunately Erik and I both got sick with colds but were thankful family could help us out with our little one while we mended. It's been very cold here (as it is everywhere!). Yesterday with wind chills we were at negative forty one degrees. My goodness. Needless to say, Rowan and I stayed inside with our jammies on all day! 

Happy 2014 everyone! I'm excited to see what wonderful things this year brings for everyone.

Glimpses From the Past Week:

1. Christmas lights at dusk
2. us
3. baby loves the cold
4. berries
5. my favorite boots
6. a few of his favorite things
7. bear
8. Christmas tree
9. shimmer
10. flowers from my love
11. friends in the crib
12. baby in mama and papas bed
13. HighOver U mini moccs

A Very Merry Christmas:

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas celebrating with your loved ones and the birth of Jesus! Ours was fairly laid back (just the way we like it!) and we enjoyed spending time with each other and family. Rowan was very interested in what was going on with opening presents, the wrapping paper and his new gifts. We decided to keep Christmas gifts simple this year for our little one and gave him a wooden xylophone, two board books and a Tolo First Friends Husky dog. At the end of the day, he just had too much Christmas and fell fast asleep while sitting up in his papas arms. I can honestly say he's never done that before! 

^ I love this face!

Christmas Eve, Erik and I watched Casablanca and then part of Holiday Inn before the food coma of junk food appetizers settled in and we had to drag ourselves to bed. Think piles of pizza rolls, mozzarella sticks, taquitos, chips and lots of dips! Our little one is teething and after midnight woke us up every 20 minutes moaning. Nothing worked! Those of you who have been through the teething stage with your little, tell me what you did! 

I can't believe Christmas is already over and 2014 is only a week away! 

Family Update:

Goodness! Life has been a little crazy lately! Not that we mind, a lot of good things have been going on. Erik and I are celebrating our anniversary today, we actually celebrated yesterday since Erik is working today. I am so so thankful to have married such a wonderful man. He truly is the man made for me. Rowan and I are very lucky to have him!

The past week I have been busy sewing HighOver U mini moccasins for a pop up market called PS I Adore You. What a great group of ladies that run it, I love that purchases on their site are helping to fund childhood cancer. Every month they have a family they support and it is so wonderful to read their stories on the blog. I recommend checking it out if you haven't already.

Otherwise, our little Rowan is four months old, eating rice and trying bananas. He definitely prefers the bananas! Erik finished NaNoWriMo with a bang and wrote over 50,000 words. He's still working on his novel and I am really excited to finally read it! We are all very excited about Christmas, Rowan's first, spending it together as a family of three, eating good food and enjoying every precious moment together. xox

What I Wore:

Dress made by me, Anthropologie cardigan, Anthropologie tights, Clarks boots

A little over five years ago I started to pick up sewing again and haven’t stopped since. I used to spend my weekends in my jammies, hot espresso on standy-by, making and cutting out patterns and sewing a new dress. I’m so thankful for that time I was able to spend sewing and perfect my craft through many trial and errors. Trust me, there were quite a few times I sewed something horrific, many a stitches were ripped out and lot of patterns I made just didn’t fit right. Some of my favorite garments are my own designs, I encourage anyone to sew or knit something for themselves. It’ll make you really proud to wear your own creation and know that you did it on your own!

Top 5 Cook Books:

If you know me, I love to cook and bake. I can thank my mom for that, coming home to the smell of food cooking is so wonderful. These are a compilation of my top five favorite cookbooks that have truly shaped my baking and cooking tastes.

1. I Love Macarons: It took me about four months (literally) to figure out how to make the perfect macaron. It was such a long process but so fun to experiment and get it right. I finally found this book, and it describes each step so perfectly. I've never made a so-so macaron since! 

2. The Homesick Texan Cookbook: I really love Texas and the food that goes along with it. This book has so many delicious, mouth-watering recipes. My favorite is the sour cream chicken enchiladas, I craved this throughout my pregnancy, it is so good. Even thinking about it is making me hungry!

3. Quick and Easy Thai: I traveled to Thailand when I was in high school and have had this cookbook since then. The recipes in this book are very true to the food and culture and really are quick and easy to make! The Chicken Fried Rice is a favorite around here.

4. Barefoot Contessa at Home: If I could only choose one cookbook to have forever, this would be the one. Everything in here is so wonderful and delicious. I'm a big Ina Garten fan and so wish I knew her and could visit her kitchen!

5. Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book: My Grandma cooked out of this one and the memories it invokes are pretty special. All of the origin stories that go along with the recipes are fun to read and this is the perfect cookbook for homestyle, comfort food. I posted a favorite recipe from this cookbook here.

Any great cookbooks out there that are your favorites?