Birthday Photos.

A client asked me if i would take pictures of them as a birthday suprise for her husband/father. What a great idea! It was a beautiful morning and she was a busy little girl, but we captured some good ones whether there were smiles or not :)

Crunchy Topped Baked French Toast.

I made brunch this morning and tried a new recipe. It was SO GOOD! Seriously...try it out!

You Need:

3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
6 slices of Texas toast
2 cups crushed (not too fine) cornflakes

*Mix these ingredients together. Dip each piece of bread into egg mix and then
coat with cornflakes. Stick these on a greased cookie sheet in a 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.

WHILE that's baking you need...

1 1/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
2/3 cup white corn syrup
1 Tblsp. cinnamon

*Bring the above ingredients to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, constantly stirring. Remove from heat and add...

5 oz. Evaporated Milk
1 Tblsp. butter

*Stir until butter is melted.

By now your french toast should be baked and you can drizzle this yummy cinnamon syrup over it. Enjoy!!!

Beef Yummy (aka Noodle) Bowl.

I made this very yummy meal tonight...it's so simple and filling! I didn't take any pictures so i stole it from Kraft's website :)

You need:

1 large beef sirloin steak cut into thin strips
1 bag of frozen carrots & 1 bag of frozen broccoli (i get the mirco steam able kind)
1/4 cup Asian toasted Sesame Dressing (Kraft)
2 Tblsp. Teriyaki Sauce (kikoman)
1/2 lb. linguine noodles
2 tblsp. oil

Directions:

Cook Linguine according to package directions. Add the broccoli and carrots the last few minutes until cooked (unless using the steam able kind). Brown steak in 2 Tblsp. of oil in a pan (stir fry pans work great!)until done. Add the dressing and sauce and cook for 2-4 minutes. Add in the broccoli, carrots and noodles. Toss to coat.
I always add extra teriyaki sauce and soy sauce at the table to taste :)Enjoy!

Tough Stuff.

Ava has been asking some tough questions lately; however, they shouldn't be tough when explaining to a 3 year old, right? Here are some of her questions:

Why Can't I go to Heaven?
Why Did Cora go to Heaven?
If Cora can go to Heaven, then why won't you let me?
Where is Heaven?
Do you have to drive a car a long ways to get there?
I think I can go to Heaven in 4 weeks, right?
Why did Jesus get owies on his hands?
Why did God die?
Mommy, why did your daddy die?
Was I little like you too when he died?
AND THEN we totally switch subjects...

What do you cut when the baby is born mommy?
Does it hurt to push a baby out of your pee-pee? (sorry, had to add that in there! She knows too much!!)
What kind of medicine do they give you? Do you measure it in a cup?
Why do you only have one baby in your tummy-that lady on TV had ALOT!

Oh my is my little girl growing up! Tonight when she was asking about Heaven, I could have totally lost it, but i didn't. She was so serious and really wanted to know. It made me really think though. Am I giving her enough information? Is she seeing Jesus in me day to day? How will i know when she is ready to pray that special prayer? I asked her why she had so many questions today and where her mind was sparked. she simply said 'Sunday School!' I smiled and my heart filled with joy and i became (not that i already wasn't)so grateful for the Sunday School leaders and staff at GCC. What an influence her teachers have been on her! I love seeing Ava excited about learning Bible stories and asking questions, but it brings up the question today if i am teaching her everything she needs to know.
I am curious to know for those of you who have had young children accept Christ or are in the process of explaining to them salvation-what are your words of wisdom?

A Little Bit of ...

Cuteness...



...and sillyness...





Makes for a fun photo shoot!

Mark & Lisa...

CAlled me up one day to schedule a mini photo session in their backyard. Here's a sneak peak...

RUN!

The Ducks are coming!!!! Normally the ducks at the pond are NICE, but last night they were CRAZY hungry! Notice the first picture is of Ava running away as the ducks chase her for bread :)

Peekaboo...

We SEE You!

Candy & Ladders.

Yesterday we played Candy Land & Chutes and Ladders. We picked up these games at a antique shop downtown for $1 a piece! Ava loves games but is still learning that you can't 'cheat' to 'win'. She told us 'But cheating is more fun! I like to cheat!'
She has so much yet to learn...

Fun!

Does this not look fun or what?! I'm not sure i would do this at my wedding, but it would be a fun wedding to go to. Love it! Thanks Courtney for finding this entertainment!

Adelynn Avery.

So, I'm posting a blog about the Jordans because my Sunday School contact folder isn't working right. I figured facebook and blogging would be the next alternative. Here is the info Jon sent me this morning:

Name: Adelynn Avery
Born: This morning (not sure the time)
Weight: 7 pounds 2 ounces
Length: 19 3/4 inches

Mom and baby are doing great!!! I will send out an email regarding meals in the next week or so!

Sr. Pics...

It still amazes me the difference between Sr. Guy photo shoots and Sr. Girls.

Maybe because the moms come along do the boys refuse to smile? :)

However, this Sr. I managed to get a slight smile from.

Maybe it was the pregnant photographer with the quarky sense of humor who counted to 3 before each shot? The more Sr. portraits I take-man do I start feeling old :)

A Little Bit too...

WIGGLY!

Ava did not think it was funny that this crazy flower was all over the place.

I thought it was hilarious.

$5 on sale at Walmart if you want to have a good laugh too :)

Tasty Tuesday.

So, the title is a bit cheesy, but it speaks for itself.

We had a scrumptious but very easy meal last night, so i thought i would share the recipes with you! What makes this meal nice is you can do all the prep ahead of time and then stick it in the fridge until you're ready to bake!

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Fries

Peel & cut one large Sweet Potato cut into 1/2 inch wide pieces.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil & spray with non-stick.

Lay the cut potatoes on the foil.

Drizzle with Olive Oil.

Sprinkle with salt & dried Italian seasoning (or whatever)

Bake at 425 for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and soft with crunchy edges.

*note: this picture was taken before i realized i had to put foil down-hence two dirty pans :)

French Fried Chicken Strips

Cut a few chicken breasts into 1/2 wide strips (or just by chicken tenders instead of breasts).

Combine one package of French Fried Onions (2 cups) and 2 Tblsp. of flour in a large ziploc bag and crush/mix with a rolling pin.

Beat one large egg in a bowl.

Dip each cut chicken tender in the egg, then transfer to crushed mixture. Shake the bag well until chicken is coated. Repeat this process until all tenders are ready to go!

Stick chicken on a greased cookie sheet & bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

*note: these pics are 'before' baking :)

Go HERE to get $10 in free food at Schwan's. It MUST be under $10 for it to work. I thought i would try and just pay the difference-and it didn't work. OH well, a free gallon of Cookies and Cream Icecream will be at my door in a week or so (free delivery), so i'm not complaining! :)

This is For Lindsay...

...because you inspire Ava to be the best Mary Poppins she can be!

She worked really hard on this-enjoy!