Picture Perfect

A couple of weekends ago we packed up our camera and some snacks and headed to the park to take some pictures. We needed some new pictures for things coming up so of course  I will not be revealing those yet but I still got some other great ones. Enjoy!

 We even found a few doggies to pet along the way. One nice owner even took a family picture for us!

Guest Book

While planning our wedding earlier this year I used a lot of wedding websites for inspiration. Two that were at the top of my list were Once Wed and the wedding tab of Etsy. Using both of these websites I was able to cook up ideas that weren't too overused at weddings. One of my favorites was our wine bottle guest book...

I found a shop on Etsy called EV Creations that makes wine bottle guest book kits. The kits come with 4 labels, a gold pen, and a sign with instructions. I can't tell you how many people loved this idea! The instructions were clear and everything was so pretty. Everyone signed our bottles and then on the anniversary stated, we will break out that bottle and enjoy it while reading the messages. 

 All I did was message the owner our information, choice of colors, and emblem. A few weeks later we got it all in the mail and just had to buy a few bottles of wine. Make sure you check out their store! I had been looking for an alternative to traditional guests book because I didn't just want a book that would sit in boxes for years. This was so perfect!

Busted

This evening, Braylen found where I had been stashing the M&M bag in the living room. Lately he has been getting 2 for going number 1 in the potty and 4 for going number 2. Apparently, he felt as though he had done enough to deserve the whole bag...

He was so proud to show Brett and I what he had found. It was one of those moments where you can't get mad because you find it too cute and humorous, ah parenthood.

Halloween Recap

 Yes, this is how we spent our Halloween. A hat less Woody was exhausted from his school party and just wanted to hang out on the couch...and cry a little.

I couldn't resist throwing in a picture of my fella. He dressed up for work and since he is so hairy these days, he went as a werewolf. Some crazy hair he's got there. He said most people thought he was lumberjack. I guess that fits too, either way he looked great.

All Things Halloween

Tomorrow is Braylen's second Halloween and first ever Halloween class party! Last year he was still in the baby room at school so they didn't do much, we dressed him up as a monkey though. I can't find any pictures of his in his outfit..(I know, horrible) but here is a picture of him last year with his pumpkin.

Wow, what a change! Anyways back on topic, tomorrow is his party at school and I signed up to bring fruit. I was trying to think of a way to make it Halloween-ish but still keep it fruity and peanut free, of course. So here is the fruit pumpkin that I came up with...

I bought a foil cookie sheet from Hy-Vee for a dollar and three jars of mandarin oranges.They are definitely Braylen's favorite fruit, or one of them anyways but they are the only orange one! I was going for a pumpkin with a Jack-O-Lantern smile so I also bought some purple grapes to make the eyes and smile out of.

 Here is what I ended up with! Drain the juice out of the jars of oranges and spread them on the cookie sheet in a circle. I only ended up using 2 of the 3 but Braylen will have no problem eating through the other jar. Then just use the grapes to make the Jack-O-Lantern smile! I think it turned out pretty cute and it was simple. Besides the almost 2 year olds won't know the difference.

I showed it to Braylen to see if he would recognize it as a pumpkin but all he said was "bite!". Guess that means it will be perfect for the class party. Here is a preview of his Halloween costume, he is begging for bites of the pumpkin. This is his "PLEASE!" face. I will post more Tuesday with his hair done and shoes on...he refuses to wear the hat!

Happy Halloween!

The Many Faces of Braylen

Guacamole

This is a picture of my side of the family. I am the youngest of 6 children, a few people are missing from the photo.  This guacamole recipe I am about to share originally came from my brother Scott and his wife Lindsay. Scott and Lindsay are getting close to their year anniversary of marriage and have been living out in LA ever since then. We don't get to see them very often but I make this recipe for everything and every time I do, it makes me miss them more. This recipe is less about the guacamole and more about the combo of the guac, onions, tomatoes, and brand of tortilla chips. I was never really a guacamole fan before this recipe... 

You will need 3 avocados, a small white onion, one tomato (or 2 small romas), Ortega guacamole mix, and Tostitos Hint of Jalapeno chips

Start by chopping up the onion and tomatoes. This is a quarter of a small onion and one of the small roma tomatoes. I had planned on using both romas but felt like this was enough. Do what works for you. It works well with this amount of avocados. I am not the biggest fan of onions and tomatoes but this combo is heaven.

When is comes to the avocados, timing is everything. If you will be making guacamole the same day you buy them, look for soft and ripe avocados. If it will be a few days, buy the harder ones and let them sit on the counter for a few days to soften.

If you have never cut an avocado before, you need to know that there is a giant seed in the middle of them. So you will have to cut around it. Just simply slice the knife all the way around the avocado around the seed.

This is what they look like cut open.

I use a spoon to dig the seed out, just scoop around the seeds on all sides. Make sure you save one of the seeds, you will see why after it is all made. 

After the seed is out, scoop out the inside of the avocado. You will leave the hard skin of the avocado behind. Repeat with the other 2 avocados.

 Mash all of the avocados together in a bowl so you can get the guacamole consistence. The riper the avocado, the easier this is. It is possible to do with unripe avocados but it will be difficult. I sometimes have to have Brett use his muscle to mush them.

 Next, add the guacamole seasoning to the avocados. Stir it in well.

Add the tomatoes and onions, however much you want to.

This is what the end product looks like, and it is yummy! Now it is time to use the seed that you saved, store it with the guac in the fridge. It helps keep it from turning brown. If it does start turning brown after a few hours in the fridge, just stir it. 

And don't forget the Hint of Jalapeno chips!