Mini Holiday/Maternity Photo Shoot

Yesterday we had Mary Keeley McAllister come out and take some photos of our growing little family for our Christmas cards. (better "later" than never) I am not big on the whole maternity photo shoot thing but I did want some professional photos of us while I was pregnant. I could have waited a little longer till I was a big bigger but I thought why not just kill two birds with one stone and make them our Christmas Cards too. I love how they turned out! And I can't get over how well Bella did. Merry Christmas!

Christmas, Yummy Soup and E-Bay!

So I took a blog vacay but now I am back and ready to roll. Let's back up a week or two and do a little Christmas recap. This was a wonderful Christmas, as it is every year, but it was our 1st White Christmas! Down here in the South that is more than rare so it was really exciting. We were in Cullman for Christmas morning and I just couldn't stop taking pictures. Talk about "magical" as you are watching the snow fall while opening gifts.

And of course, Bella Baby wasn't quite sure what to think!

Our attempt to get a "family" photo. We finally got a decent one.

If this is anything compared to having kids, then we will be in for a treat one day.

(Especially if they take after their daddy! LOL)

We also got to spend Christmas with Ted's side of the family a few weeks earlier. All in all there are 6 kids under the age of 6! (one being only 2 weeks old!)

Of course this makes for one interesting present opening session and my OCD has to go out the window!

We have a wonderful holiday with family and friends!

Really makes you stop and count your blessings.

And what would the holidays be without yummy food! I wanted to share this super simple potato soup recipe I found online a few years ago, back in my "early" days of cooking and I still use it. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE me some potato soup! I swear I could eat it everyday if I wasn't scare the effect it would have on my physical body. (already gots enough curves)

This is what you will need:

(plus 3 cups water and salt & pepper)

 And this is what you do:

(I think you can read the card)

It will look similar to this:

Top with these:

And you will get something like this:

Yummy to my tummy. Disclaimer: I always think it is better the 2nd day.

And it is great for freezing too!

Enjoy!

And last but not least... my new obsession... E BAY!!!

Oh my goodness where have I been! I have recently bought a purse, flip flops (new of course) and currently bidding on a ring for my mom for Mother's Day or Birthday. More importantly I SOLD my old camera for a great price.

This could get scary fast!

Happy Tuesday! Be back this week to discuss upcoming home projects! Although I love January since it is my birthday month, I wish we could move right on into Spring for cleaning and projects!

Friday night wife...

So this past weekend was great... we did NOTHING. Well some would said we did, but at the rate we have been going lately staying in town on a weekend in considered nothing. We had planned on grilling out Friday night and enjoying the evening on the deck, but nature had other plans and it poured for hours! Bella was not a happy camper about the rain.

Look at that pitiful face!

So since the grilling out was not going to be happening that night I decided I would be a domestic lit wife for the evening and whip up something.

Thanks to my good friend Mrs. Smith who had just posted about a yummy recipe in her blog.

I followed her recipe but I did add chicken to mine.

And after 2 hours slaving cooking in the kitchen we had a nice little dinner to enjoy in the dining room! :-) It always make me happy to eat in there.

After having a quiet evening at home we decided we would go out and about Saturday night. We had planned on going to a restaurant her in town called Yazoo's just for an appetizer and drink. We hadn't been there since we first started dating so we wanted to check it out before committing to eating dinner there. Good thing we didn't have or heart set on it because it is CLOSED! No telling how long it has been, but we just never go over that way. So we decided to head to Epiphany Cafe and do the same thing, get an appetizer and drink, just to check out the place, and then head across the street to Chuck's for sushi.This turned out to be the best decision we have made in a long time. It is our new favorite spot. We of course love Chuck's because of the sushi but we were so impressed with Epiphany it was hard for us to leave. Everything on the menu is from local farms so the menu changes a few times a week depending on what they get in.

We sat at the bar with a very friendly/helpful bartender named Anthony. I told him I wanted something fruity and just to make me whatever he was good at. Well he made me a watermelon martini. And I am not talking about with watermelon liquor... I am talking about freshly cute YELLOW watermelon. It was super yummy!

They have 1/2 price appetizers Monday - Thursday from 5 to 7. We will definitely be going back again soon. Always fun to find a new "spot".

We ended the evening with meeting up with some friends and then headed on home. We aren't as young as we use to be! :-)

2 Years down, a lifetime to go!

Well today is our 2 year anniversary! It is crazy how the time flies by so fast. Ted and I had decided that we weren't going to really do anniversary gifts this year. Between our trips, a new vacuum, things around the house... we gift ourselves enough already. However a lit surprise waiting on me when I got back from lunch never hurt anybody!

Happy 2 years to the best husband in the world!

This was the happiest day of my life!

And this is why there is never a dull moment with us...

But he is a keeper...

(Sorry it is proof,  I didn't have another one on the computer. Thanks to The 215 in Gadsden for the awesome

photos of our special day.)