April's Shower & Baby Emery

I just couldn't wait until the end of this post to show you little baby Emery... hello cutie pie.

In July I went to April's baby shower and it was adorable.

I love the tables pushed together to make one big square, it was perfect for talking to each other.

They did a really fantastic job with the little details and it was a perfect day outside.

I'm not sure what was yummier, the food or this little one.

Best behaved baby ever.

Something about him really reminded me of Peanut.

I had the chocolate chocolate cupcake and it was fantastic.. I must find out where these came from!

I love the sprinkles and toppings around the edges.

This is April about a month before she was due.

Can you believe it?

At that point I looked like I might explode.

She just looks adorable.

Although Kelly has 3 kids of her own, this little binky isn't hers.



This is little Ivy!  Remember her from here?

Last week, I finally got to meet baby Emery.

She is the sweetest thing.

Oh how I love her little feet and her soft hair.

And momma April looks incredible, no?

You'd seriously never know she had a baby.
Or that she's actually had 2 babies.

I can hardly believe Peanut was ever that small.
Actually, he wasn't that small.
She is just a tiny bit smaller than he was when he was born.



It sort of gives me baby fever.

And then we have another sleepless night over here and I take it all back.

For now, I'll just have to see Emery more often, so I can love on her instead.

It's about books.... and eating... and gabbing

I haven't decided if our book club meetings are more about books or food or just sitting and talking.

But I don't suppose it really matters.

I love all of the above.

This past month's pick was The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.

Has anyone read a Kate Morton book before?

Overall it had a good review. 

Although one of us was a little miffed at the similarities with The Secret Garden :)

We had a hard time with the constant switching of viewpoints.  

It's this rapid change between characters, eras and situations.

I mean, every chapter is different.

About halfway thru the book I stopped noticing.

I inched thru the beginning and flew through the end.

I had a few issues with some of the characters, Nell in particular, as I couldn't identify with her reaction to news she wasn't who she thought she was.

Some of us figured out the end way before it came... but I wasn't one of those people. :)

In all honesty, there is very rarely a book that I finish that I don't like.

Have you read The Forgotten Garden?

Courtney and Alicia came with wine and this delicious concoction.

It's so simple but the ingredients were so fantastic, I couldn't stop eating it.

Sliced baguette, delicious creamy double cream brie, 

lightly salted marcona almonds and perfect lavender honey.

The cheese spread like soft butter on the bread and the honey and almonds are the best topping.

Soft, crunchy, sweet with a bit of salt.

Kelly made these stuffed pasta shells which we dove into after I stopped admiring her pyrex.

Also, she let me borrow her 50mm lens and I'm in love.

If anyone wants to buy it for me.  Hint, hint.

You know who you are.

I think it's necessary for food photography.

Anyway, the pasta shells are stuffed with a turkey and spinach mixture,

 topped with sauce and melty cheese.

 I'm requesting a recipe from her.

We'll be visiting this again, I'm sure.

I made the oreo cake I had found on pinterest.

So here's my review on this cake.

It's super easy to make and the cake itself is really, super delicious and chocolatey.

I changed up the frosting recipe a bit.

It calls for 1 1/2 lbs of powdered sugar but I only had 1 lb (1 box).

I mixed the frosting as directed and it was more then sweet enough.

In fact, we felt like the frosting was just a bit too much for the cake.

It might be that I served huge pieces, which I did, 

but I feel like I could halve the frosting recipe and use it just as a topping

with a different filling.

Or you could just serve really small pieces :)

Another great night with the girls!

They keep me reading which is always a good thing.  

I'm halfway thru my 52 book goal for this year and I'm picking up speed!

Reading time

Peanut is in a big book phase right now.

It makes my heart go pitter patter.

In the mornings when we wake up (Peanut sleeps with us from about 6-8 am, it's perfect)

I reach over for a book or two and read them to him before we even get out of bed.

Throughout the day we read books.

It's usually a good distraction if he is being fussy or super clingy.

Sometimes if he's getting into something he shouldn't, which is always,

I sit on the other side of the room and start to read out loud.

I don't look at him.

I just pretend to be really engrossed in this book and 

he simply cannot stand it.

He has to come over and see what I'm reading.

Then he lays on it or me and tries to turn the pages,

only occasionally eating the corner, but hey, what're ya gonna do.

He lifts them up, talks to them, smiles and laughs.

Well except the time, shortly after this picture was taken, that he got his finger stuck.

It's a big book and he turned the page with his finger near the binding.

He recovered fairly well.  It's not like he cringes when I bring out Brown Bear now.

Not much anyway.

At night after his bath we have some quiet time in a dim room.

He plays a bit while I read some of the longer more involved books.

I know he's not really listening to the words but it's a good calming time for both of us.

After he settles into daddy's lap while I read a short and easy book.

We always end the night with either Goodnight Moon or It's Time To Sleep, My Love.

What are your favorite books to read out loud?

Bruxie Gourmet Waffle Sandwiches, Orange

I keep a bookmark on my computer of all the restaurants that we want to try.

There are a lot of them.

Bruxie just kept coming up, over and over again, so we had to head over there today.

Gourmet Waffle Sandwiches?

Yes.

It's located catty corner to Chapman University, just outside the circle in Old Towne Orange.

When we first got there it was packed, which is always a good sign.

So, about these waffle sandwiches...

the waffles themselves are different than your standard waffle.

These are thinner, lighter and perhaps a bit crisper. 

They aren't sweet and all these qualities combined make it perfect for a sandwich.

Folded inside each one are a variety of fillings.

Their menu includes options like prosciutto & gruyere, smoked salmon & dill cream cheese,

s'mores, lemon cream & berries, red bean & sweet cream and of course, fried chicken.

B got one of the daily/seasonal specials, the Short Rib.

It came with a 2 waffle fries, a bit of blue cheese and some kind of gravy.

So good.  So much meat.  So filling.

I ordered their Roasted Mushroom & Goat Cheese.

Inside there was the most delicious basil and goat cheese spread, arugula and a balsamic reduction.

I added the sun-dried tomatoes and the sandwich was perfection.

There was just so much flavor in this sandwich.

The waffle was perfectly light and crispy but the highlight is definitely the filling.

This is the kind of sandwich every vegetarian dreams of.

Yes, they also have regular waffles.

Oh and shakes.  B had the mint chocolate shake.  

Their shakes are on the thin side but B loved it.

He drank that and he drank my Dark Cherry Soda.

I always want soda and then I have a sip and my craving is over.

Peanut had a great time during lunch marveling & playing in the misters above our table.

So.... if you're looking for a great sandwich or a great waffle or both, go to Bruxie's!

And give me a call so I can meet you there.

Seriously.

I want to try the rest of their waffles and some of their floats.

And their sundaes.

And their frozen custard.

Don't judge me!

at the OC fair

My computer is back- yay!

Life is just not the same using other people's computer.

Anyway, I came across this photo and it made me laugh.

Did you know that one more than one occasion 

people have asked me and/or my mom if the boys are twins?

Twins.

I get that they look close in age, but who in their right mind would think they are twins.

Like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito type of twins perhaps.

I also notice that I get looks when I'm pushing the boys around.

People look at me, they look at the boys, they look back at me.

In their heads they are forming ideas about how I came to have these two very different boys,

 so close together.

This happened a lot at the fair for some reason.

I've seen some whispering.

People give knowing looks.

It seems to me that the only thing to do is to pass by these people and nonchalantly mention that the boys obviously have two different dads.

Take from it what you will.

One of the vendors very nicely asked me how far apart the boys were.

When I said 3 1/2 months he burst out laughing and said what a amazing woman I was to have given birth to these boys so close together.

He told me he should be interviewing me! That we would make the Guinness book or world records!

I'm still waiting for fame and fortune.

Impromptu Blogging Break

I'm taking a little unplanned blogging break while my computer is being worked on.

I needed to have my harddrive replaced.

It's so odd without my computer and tomorrow I have to be home all day for some maintenance.

Perhaps this poster is right and I'll end up with a clean apartment!

Be back in a day or two...

3 Turkeys

Some of you think I do all this special fancy cooking for my boy.

Some of you think he gets gourmet dinners.

But really, in the evenings, when he's crawling around the floor, 

I just throw down a turkey leg or two and let him have at it.

Good parenting.

Maybe that's not exactly the truth.

But he was super curious about this giant turkey leg B and I were sharing.

So, B let him have a bite.

The thing barely touched his lips and he was already making this face.

Maybe next year Peanut, maybe next year.

For now we'll keep your sodium levels to a minimum.

I have P.I.I.

It's a serious condition.

I may need medication and I'm not sure how long I'll have to take it.

P.I.I. kept me up last night.  I was helpless against it's powers.

It kept me from being in control of my own mind.

I fought against it.  I struggled.  But P.I.I won the battle.

It's Pinterest Induced Insomnia.

It's what happens when I'm on Pinterest before bed.

Despite the fact that Peanut has been awful at night lately.

Actually lets talk about that for a second.

Peanut has been terrible.  We had a good week of him sleeping 8-10 hours a night.

Following that we had 2 weeks where he cut 5 teeth and that was horrid but expected.

It's been about 2 weeks of sleeping in 3 or 4 hour stretches 

and the last 3 nights have reminded me what it was like to have a newborn.

Not the froggy legs, peely skin and wonder of having baby newborn.. 

the wake-up every time I close my eyes and make me want to die newborn.

Only unlike a newborn, this one just stands up and screams.

He stands up and screams before his eyes are even fully open.

I'm not sure he can even get back down.

I'm positive that all our neighbors hate us.

We share 2 walls and a floor/ceiling.

Someone tell this will all be over soon!

~sigh~

Despite the fact that my eyeballs sting from lack of sleep

this bout of P.I.I. keeps me from falling asleep at night.

Take last night for instance.

I was dead tired and I got on the computer while B was giving Peanut a bath.

I got sucked up in Pinterest.

When I went to bed I couldn't turn my mind off.

It raced around with ideas.

I thought about: ideas for Peanut's 1st birthday in October,

the color scheme for the living room in the house I don't own,

the oreo cake I want to bake,

 accessories for a baby girls room... and no I'm not pregnant,

baby food combinations,

blog sites I love,

how I want my dream websites to look,

Christmas gifts,

party ideas for every event within the next 10 years,

a new stylish wardrobe,

whether I should cut my hair or grow it out,

photography ideas,

craft projects,

cupcakes, lots and lots of cupcakes,

traveling in an airstream trailer,

how much I love the colors of sea glass,

lighting options,

logo inspiration,

mason jars,

scandinavian design,

Christmas decorations and projects,

more Halloween projects,

pies,

traveling to faraway places...

you get the idea.

If you've seen my Pinterest boards you totally understand the things I've been thinking about.

My mind just bounced around like a ping pong ball.

I couldn't turn it off.

I couldn't go to sleep.

Pinterest Induced Insomnia is a serious ailment.

I had to fight the urge to get back up and jot down some ideas... 

or worse yet... pin a few things I was thinking of.

No more Pinterest right before bed.

Pinterest Induced Insomnia.

Consider yourself warned, it could happen to you.

The book club meeting/ cupcake party

Our second book club meeting was a whirlwind affair. 

I had the Peanut with me because he had a total meltdown before I was leaving 

and I didn't want to leave B with a screaming child and our niece and nephew.

They were packing up to head home and I made a quick trip to the meeting 

before taking them to the airport.

I love our book club meetings.

We read Matched by Ally Condie, it's a young adult book about a dystopian society, or should I say a forced utopian society?  Anyway, it's any easy read and we all liked it.

Courtney came bearing the gift of Harry Potter cupcakes because it was Harry's birthday.

Happy Birthday Harry!

Courtney just knows these kinds of things.  

She is THE Harry Potter aficionado.

If it's not appropriate to totally geek out at a book club, well when is it appropriate?

I have to say I'm sorry that it's all over. 

No more books, no more movies.

It makes me kind of sad and nostalgic.  

Did I mention that her cupcakes were strawberry?

I puffy heart strawberry cupcakes.

Joanne was our host for the evening.
She had bubbly lemonade and bbq pork sliders for us.

I think I ate 3 but it may have been more.

Also, is there anything that hawaiian rolls aren't good with?

I want to move into her house, but that's really off the subject.

I didn't bring anything.  Isn't that sad?
I had planned on making an oreo cake but Courtney told me the day before that she was bringing cupcakes... and then I just never made it to the store to get/prepare anything else.

Wait, I did bring something!
I brought a bottle of wine that we didn't drink at the first meeting but
I don't think it counts because Joanne brought over the wine originally.

So really I just returned a bottle of wine.

Jolene had to show everyone up by making these insane cupcakes.

Keeping in theme with the book (and the pre-made dinners they get delivered to their homes daily)
Jolene made these drumstick, peas and carrots, and mashed potato cupcakes.

I know you're dying to find out how she did these.

The drumstick bone is made of chocolate and the breading is cornflakes.
The peas, carrots and butter are made from starburst.
The gravy is actually caramel.

AND they tasted amazing.

I know.

I know!

I think she found her second calling.

Bathtime

Bathtime is one of my favorite times of the day.

What is it about bath time that makes it so wonderful?

Maybe I just love the 5 minutes that the boys are actually clean.

It will be time to cut Daniel's hair soon

so we like to take this opportunity to play with those curls as much as possible.

When his hair is like this I say he looks like a Who from Whoville.

Forget the bath toys.... cups are so much fun!

He has the sweetest expressions in these shots.

And he has such squishy kissable cheeks.

I just can't imagine him without those golden curls! 

Our Spontaneous Clapper

I've been waiting for this moment ever since my friend Elle

posted a video of her little man when he started clapping.

This was the first time he started doing it but now we have constant spontaneous clapping.

Spontaneous clapping when I'm trying to feed him lunch.

Spontaneous clapping when he should be napping.

Spontaneous clapping when I'm yelling, "No!  No-no!  Don't put that in your mouth!" 

and he does it anyway.

Isn't it just the cutest thing?

P.S.  You may want to turn down the volume so you don't have to listen to me repeating

 "Yay, clap your hands" in that really annoying voice.

:)

Break of Dawn, Laguna

I have to start off by giving a big Thank You! to Rachel for suggesting this 

Break of Dawn.

After looking at their menu online and reading their amazing background story,

 we were eager to get in and try it,

 hoping (because we already liked them so much) that it would be busy.  

It was packed... and the food...

They did not disappoint.

Oddly enough, we have passed this restaurant a million times as it's by another one we frequent.

B ordered the Tongue and Tail.

Of course he did.  Right?

The Tongue and Tail is a soup reminiscent of menudo with both oxtail and beef tongue.

He loved it and I have to say that the tongue was really fantastic.

It was much leaner than I remembered.

I had the Mac and Cheese!

You know, it took everything in me to not order the benedict.

Bottom to top you have a basil tomato sauce

topped with mac and cheese (with not much cheese) and short ribs

topped with sicilian sausage

topped with bacon fried eggs

topped with cheese sauce (with more then enough cheese).

Heaven help me.

It was so delicious... and filling... and worth every bite.

B also ordered the tempura fried eggs.

They were cooked perfectly with that runny yoke that he loves.

Lightly battered with tempura that wasn't at all greasy and drizzled with a slightly sweet tempura sauce.

This is just one of those restaurants that has you staring at the table next to you to see what they are eating.

Both tables next to us were taking pictures of their food with their cameras.

Whenever you get the chance, head in and try something new!

Carefree

Do you remember what it was like to be so carefree?

To stand at the ocean's edge, 

daring the waves to come get you,

laughing into the roar of the sea,

being so completely full of summer.

B took these photos and so perfectly captured the moments.

Seeing them made me think about so many summer days.

It's been so long since I thought about times in grade school and the adventures we had.

Magical.

PS.. Since I already had a few messages after posting this picture on Facebook.  

We used a stock lens 18-55mm.

I think part of the beauty of this shot is the exposure.  I had the exposure set pretty high for pictures in the shade and forgot to adjust it before handing the camera off to B.

Honestly, it was so bright we couldn't see the screen to tell if the shots were turning out anyway.

And B is a natural with a camera.  His shots always come out good.