A Busy Week!

The last few weeks have been so busy at the Daniel house!  We love staying busy but those days when you don't have anything you have to do and can just hang around the house in your pj's are nice too.  Those days have been few and far between lately.  I have been slacking when it comes to blogging too so this will be an entire week at once.  

Last Saturday, Ava had her first of three birthday parties to attend this week.  It was her friend Katie's 4th birthday party and we went to River City gymnastics.  Ava had such a good time running around and playing with her friends.  Unfortunately, Kevin and I didn't take any pictures--bad parents!  We ran some errands afterward and then enjoyed a late night dinner at Ava's favorite place, Swanky's, followed by dessert at one of my favorite places, YoLo.  Side note--YoLo is opening a Bartlett location in a couple of weeks so now I won't have to drive as far to get my fix!  Hmmm, this could be considered good or bad.

Sunday, we had my family over to celebrate my mom's birthday and to watch the Grizzlies game.  The cake and ice cream and celebration were good, however, the game was not.  I'm still proud of our Grizzlies though.  Again, Kevin and I forgot to take pictures.

Tuesday I decided to surprise Ava when I picked her up at school and bring her cousin Addison with me.  Addison spent the day with us and Ava was so excited.  I actually did get some pictures of this:

Playing in Ava's playroom

Addison absolutely loves Kevin.  He went outside on the front porch and she went to our front door and banged on it and whined until he came back in.  He is just as smitten with her.  

Ava did a great job feeding Addison her lunch.

Then after lunch we went for a walk.

We took Addison with us to Ava's gymnastics class that night and Ava was so excited to show off her cousin.  We had a meltdown when Addison had to go home but otherwise it was a great day.

Thursday night Ava had birthday party #2 to attend at Pump It Up for one of her friends from school.  Kevin was on his own for this one as I already had plans with friends.  I love being married to a man who strongly believes that raising a child is a full partnership.  He has always been so involved with Ava when it comes to everything including the small things like bathtime and bedtime stories.  I think this is the way it should be but unfortunately, I know there are some dads out there (and moms--don't want to discriminate) that just leave it all to mom (or dad) to handle.  He was sending me pictures throughout the night of the party and I kept getting these pictures without Ava in them.  When I replied, "Why aren't you getting any pictures of Ava?" he said, "Taking a picture of her in this place is like trying to get a picture of a hummingbird!"  Ha Ha!  He did manage to get one picture of the kids though it is slightly blurry:

That same night, I enjoyed dinner with friends at the Trolley Stop Market on Madison.  It was yummy

--I had a great BLT with spicy pimiento cheese.   After dinner, we headed downtown for the Bon Jovi concert.  As we waited for the show to start, we played with different apps on our phones.  Look what I figured out I could do thanks to the Doodle Buddy app:

The concert was great.  Jon Bon Jovi still looks and sounds great and his smile is just so adorable!  Even though he is almost fifty years old, he can still rock a pair of leather pants and a leather vest with no shirt!  

Friday night, we went to see our niece, Mallory, play baseball.  It was a great night for being outdoors and we enjoyed just relaxing with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law.  Mallory is seven and watching those kids play was hilarious!  She is the only girl on her team and we were cracking up because she took it so seriously, crouching in her fielding stance in left field, while all the little boys played in the grass or stared up at the sky.  Unfortunately, her team did not win but we had fun and Ava got to play with her cousin, Leah, during the game.

Saturday brought birthday party #3.  Ava's cousin Lawson (Addison's brother) was celebrating his 3rd birthday.  The party was at my aunt and uncle's house and featured the Happy Times Farm traveling petting zoo.  We did cake and presents while the petting zoo was getting set up and then it was time to play with the animals!  Our entire family consists of huge animal lovers so this party was sure to be a hit.  

Ava feed the baby cow a bottle

 My cousin Brent's fiancee, Jess, volunteered to lead the kids around on the pony.

Ava feed and brushed the llama, Faye, until the llama feel asleep.  I steer clear of llamas--last time I was around one, it spit on my face.  No joke.  

We played with the cutest little pig, Jimmy Dean--I'm sure that is meant to be ironic :).

I fell in love with this pig.  Every time I scratched him, he would roll over so I would scratch his tummy.

The birthday boy is really into Thomas the Train so there was a train ride that Ava rode quite a few times.

The party wore her out, which is hard to do.

The ladies from Happy Times Farm were amazing and so good with the kids.  The kids had a great time and if you are looking for a cute birthday party idea, I would recommend them in a heartbeat.  

happytimesfarm.com  901-573-1384

We were able to relax at home last night and we all just enjoyed snuggling on the couch.  This post taught me two things:  we have to make sure to take pictures and I need to be better about blogging!

Mother's Day 2011

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!  Mine started off early this morning when Ava came in to wake me up because she was so excited to give me my gift.  Kevin had taken her to let her pick out a new charm for my charm bracelet.  She was so proud that she picked it out all by herself.

On the back is a place for me to put her picture.  Unfortunately, when I tried to put it on my bracelet the clasp was too small.  So Kevin said he will just have to go get me a new bracelet.  After this, the three of us went outside (Ava and I was still waking up so we were still sporting our pj's) to finish the gifts we made for our mothers.  I had the idea a couple of weeks ago to get some terra cotta flower pots and paint them as gifts for my mom and mother-in-law.  Kevin and I went and bought all the supplies and began our project.  I had never done this before so we were kind of experimenting.  Ava painted a small pot for each of her grandmothers, I painted my mom's pot, and Kevin did one for his mom.   We finished them last night and coated them with a sealant so that they can be used outdoors.  This morning before church, we got up to plant the flowers in them.  We went yesterday and got some really pretty zinnias to put in the pots.

Here are pics of the completed pots.  Ava decided to go with abstract on hers and we did a monogram and then added some fleur-de-lis to fancy them up a bit.

We had a lot of fun painting the pots and I think they turned out pretty well for a first attempt.  I bought three more that I am going to paint for us.  Hopefully, they will turn out well.  Then it was time to head off to church.  As a side note, I have to say that I am so proud to go to a church that does so much to help our community.  Hope Pres is acting as a shelter for those who have been displaced by the flooding.  When we got there this morning we noticed two huge trailers set up in the parking lot.  One of them was a mobile laundry facility and the other one was a showering/bathing facility.  They have been taking donations of time, money, and supplies for the past couple of weeks and the outpouring of help has just been tremendous.  As Rev. Smith said today, "We will pray for the best, but we will prepare for the worst."  Hopefully, the flooding situation will not be nearly as bad as many fear.  We are going to keep praying for the best!  After church, we took my parents out to lunch to J. Alexander's.  We had a delicious meal and a great time just hanging out together.  After lunch, we headed over to see my dad's parents.  They moved into an assisted living facility several months back and Kevin, Ava, and I had still not seen their new apartment.  It was nice to go see where they are living now and they loved having all of us over.  Here is our four generations of mothers picture:

My parents came back to our house after our visit so that we could give my mom her gifts.  She loved them and got a bit teary which she usually does when we make something for her. :)

Ava and I managed to squeeze in a quick hour nap and then it was off to have Mother's Day dinner with Kevin's family.  Ava had a great time playing with her cousins, Leah and Mallory, and we always have fun visiting with my in-laws.  It has been such a wonderful day!  I am so thankful that God gave me the mother that he did.  I could not have asked for a better example of strength, kindness, morals, and values than my mom.  When I was a child she was just my mother.  As I have grown older, she has become my best friend.  I am also so grateful that God allowed me the most precious gift of being a mother myself.  I think God knew exactly which child to give me and he blessed me with Ava.  She has my heart and soul and continues to amaze me and make me proud ever single day.  I am truly blessed.

Easter 2011

This has been such an enjoyable Easter.  We have been to quite a few Easter events the past week and have had such a good time with family and friends.  Ava is at such a fun age right now for all of these holidays.  I tried to document everything with pictures but I didn't get to take any at a couple of Easter parties.  The first egg hunt we went to was at our church, Hope Presbyterian.  Unfortunately, it was last Saturday when the weather turned pretty chilly and it was just not a good day for an outdoor event.  We did the egg hunt (there was really no actual hunting involved--just eggs scattered in a field every two inches or so), played a couple of games, got a balloon animal, and watched the puppet show.  There was lots of other stuff to do but by then poor Ava's teeth were chattering so badly we just gave up and left.  I did manage to get these pics:

Ava and Kevin with her balloon butterfly

Ava and me waiting in line to see the Easter Bunny--when it was her turn she chickened out 

Competing in the tire race against her daddy.  She "won". :)

Next up was her Easter party at school.  Since the grass was still muddy from the rain the day before, the teachers hid the eggs inside.  The children each had their name written on five eggs and they had to hunt for only those five with their names.  If their name wasn't on the egg, they couldn't pick it up.

Ava was so excited before the hunt:

She was the first one to identify all of her eggs!

Last night, we had Easter dinner with my mom's side of the family at my aunt and uncle's house.

Ava loved seeing her cousins Lawson, Addison, and Austin and hanging out with all the family.  Ava, Addison, and Jess relaxed outside before dinner.

Then she and Lawson decided to check the temperature of the water in the pool.  73 degrees!  Soon it will be pool time!

Lawson and Ava posed for me for a couple of pictures

Then it was time for the egg hunt

The adults got to hunt too

The kids got their prizes first and then it was time for the adult prizes.  We had tons of stuff to choose from:  jewelry, Vera Bradley items, sports equipment, picture frames, food items, and gift cards galore.  Kevin and I got hooked up--Vera Bradley stuff for me and then gift cards to Sports Authority, 

Chick-fil-a, Malco, TCBY, Starbucks, and Lowe's.  We all had a blast!

Surprise, surprise--when you leave carrots out, the Easter bunny stops by your house!

We got up early this morning and went to the 8 am service at Hope.  Ava went into "big church" with us today and was such a good girl.  She sat on the edge of her seat listening intently and crossed her legs at the knee so primly.  We were cracking up (quietly!) watching her.  I really wanted to take a picture but I figured that would be inappropriate in the middle of church.  :)  After the service was over, we went to the playground at church which is our Sunday morning ritual.  I tried to get her to pose for me in her dress, but my daughter would rather run around playing soccer in her satin and tulle.

When we got home, she posed for me outside but she insisted on wearing her sunglasses.  Ava must have about 10 different pairs of them and she wears them religiously when outdoors.  The mothers of the other kids in her class call her "the diva" because of this--it's meant lovingly, though!  Ava and I both have very light eyes and they are just sensitive to sunlight.

This has been such a great week!

However, we must remember the reason we celebrate this day:

"He isn't here!  He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen.  Come, see where His body was lying."

Matthew 28:6

Hallelujah!  Hope you had a wonderful Easter!

This Week's Projects

This has been a busy week!  Lots of preparing for Easter and Easter-related activities, we were short-staffed at work this week so I volunteered to help out and work an extra day, and Kevin was out of town.  I did manage to squeeze in a couple of projects.  

I went a little overboard with stuff to put in Ava's Easter basket and her basket from years past wasn't going to be able to hold it all.  So I decided to hit up Hobby Lobby and get the supplies to make her a new, bigger one.

I think I will change it up each year--different colors, themes, just whatever she is into at that time.  One of my co-workers saw it and wanted me to make one for her daughter so back to Hobby Lobby I went.  Can I just mention how much I love that store for craft stuff and decor?!  Her daughter is twelve so this is my take on a sophisticated, teenage Easter basket.

I found some cute little items 50% off at Hobby Lobby that I thought her daughter would like in her bedroom so I just went on and picked those up for her too.

The temperatures have finally warmed up the last few days and that means it's time for landscaping!  I actually like going to the nursery and picking out flowers and plants and then working in our flowerbeds.  

Here is what we have gotten done so far:

In this bed we planted knockout rose bushes (which I love!) and azaleas in different colors.  Once they grow bigger and fill in all the space, I think it will be pretty.

Our knockout roses that we planted last year are thriving!

We planted gardenias, golden spirea, purple diamond loropetalum, and different colored impatiens in our other flowerbed.

I planted lots of marigolds in my stone turtle planter.  My grandmother told me that marigolds are supposed to help keep bugs away so we will see.

Now I just want to get some hydrangeas to plant along one wall of our house and if we can keep it all alive we should be set!  

This busy week is turning into a very busy weekend--we have four family meals to go to in the next 24 hours!  We are so blessed to have such amazing family and friends and a God who gave his life for us to experience all of this.  Happy Easter, everyone!

An Allie Adventure

Hello, everyone.  This is Allie.  My mom has been taking a nap and I decided to take over her blog!  I haven't met very many of you.  That's probably because I haven't been a part of this family for very long.  I have lived with my new family for about six months now.  It really seems like I have been with them forever though.  I have quickly adjusted to my new life and I love all the attention and love I get here.  My new family loves to play with me and pet me and just talk to me.  It is what I have always wanted but thought I would never have.  I am so thankful that they loved me enough to adopt me and keep me as one of their own.  Today I got to do something so cool.  My mom and dad told me a couple of weeks ago that I was going to get to go to school to meet my sister, Ava's class for show and tell.  Ava has been so excited. I am not sure what school is but the excitement is contagious and I have been ready for this day and it finally came!  Mom and Dad took me to the doggie spa last week so that I would look my very best.  It was so fun!  I love riding in the car and I loved the neat place they took me to get beautiful.  I spent the day there having lots of relaxing treatments and getting my hair cut.  They gave me a bath and a pretty pink bandanna for my neck.  I felt so special!  When I got home, everyone said that I smelled so good and looked so pretty.

This morning we all got up and got ready to go.  Mom and Dad made me wear a seatbelt just like them so that I would be safe.  I love having a family that wants to keep me safe.  Daddy buckled me in next to Ava so that we could ride together.

Ava petted me and played with me all the way to school.  When we got there, Ava had to go to chapel with her friends for a few minutes so mom and dad and I waited outside for her class to come out for recess.  A bunch of people coming in and out of the church wanted to pet me.  One elderly lady asked if I was a service dog.  I'm not sure she meant but then dad said to mom, "It's those huge sunglasses you wear.  I'll bet she thought you were blind."  Hmmm, not really sure what all that was about.  I was a really good girl and let everyone play with me.  I did have a moment where I forgot myself when a lady walked by with a box of donuts.

I lunged after her because hello, donuts!  My favorite past time is eating.  Mom pulled me back before I could tackle the lady (gently, of course) and gobble them up!

Right after that, Ava's class came out to meet me.

Ava got up to tell her class all about me.  She said that I am a Golden Retriever and that I am eight years old.  She also said that I am very soft and sweet and I like to play.

After that all Ava's friends got to come pet me.  It was heaven!

All the kids loved me.  My sister was so proud of me.  She loves me so much!

One of Ava's teachers took a family picture of us.  At this point, I was getting a little sick of all the pictures.  Honestly, you would thought my mom and Ava's teacher were the paparazzi!

Then, it was time to go.  Ava was a little sad that I wasn't allowed to stay and play with her the whole day.  Mom said I was such a good girl that I should get to ride in the front seat.  Dad buckled me in the front and put the window down for me.  Then he petted me the whole way home and he and mom told me that they were proud of me and that I am a sweetheart.

It was a really busy day and I am tired now, but I wanted to share my adventure with you.  Oo, gotta go!  Mom appears to be waking up and she doesn't like it when I mess with the computer.  She says I might get drool on it.  Whatever.

Quick and Easy Dessert Recipes

I love to cook and desserts are among my favorite things to prepare.  I don't get to do it too often because Kevin and Ava don't really like sweets.  This is actually for the best as desserts are my weakness.  I like recipes that are quick and simple and don't require a ton of ingredients.  I thought I would share two of my favorites today.

Oreo Balls 

(Yield 25-35 balls)

1 bag of regular Oreo cookies

2 bars of Philadelphia cream cheese

1 package chocolate almond bark (or candy coating)

1 package white chocolate almond bark (or vanilla candy coating)

Crush entire package of Oreos (I use my mini Cuisinart food processor).  Combine crushed Oreos with cream cheese (I usually use just 1 1/2 bars) and mix in stand mixer or with handheld mixer until well combined.  Scoop walnut-sized balls of mixture onto a plate or cookie sheet.  Place in fridge and chill for at least one hour.  Right before taking balls out of fridge begin to melt 3/4 package of vanilla almond bark on stovetop in saucepan (make sure to cook over low heat and stir often--this will take about 10 minutes).  Once almond bark is melted, remove from heat.  Using a toothpick, dip each ball into melted almond bark until well covered.  Place onto wax paper to harden (this will take about 15 minutes).  While waiting for the vanilla dipped balls to harden, melt 1/4 package of chocolate almond bark following the same directions.  Once balls are no longer sticky and have hardened, pour melted chocolate almond bark into a ziploc baggie and cut a tiny piece off of one of the corners.  Squeeze the chocolate almond bark out of the baggie and drizzle onto the Oreo balls.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

**You can also reverse the chocolate and white chocolate so that the balls are covered mainly in the milk chocolate.  The darker color actually covers a little better, in my opinion.

Strawberry Cake

1 Angel Food cake (bundt style)

1 3oz. package of strawberry Jell-O mix

1 16oz. container of frozen, sliced strawberries

1 8oz. Cool whip

1 container strawberries

Red food coloring

Remove bundt cake from packaging and place onto serving platter.  Cut across the the cake sandwich-style about 1/3 of the way down from the top of the cake.  Place the top of the cake to the side.  Cut around the inside edges of the cake so that you can make a tunnel inside the cake.  Take the pieces of cake that you remove to form the tunnel and place in mixing bowl to the side.  Here is what it should look like so far (sorry, the pic is a little blurry):

Now take the dry Jell-O mix and the now thawed sliced strawberries and mix with the pieces of cake that were placed to the side.  Use the mixture to fill in the tunnel.  Place the top back on the cake.  I like to decorate the cake by mixing red food coloring in with the Cool Whip to make a nice shade of pink.  Then frost the cake with it.  I then take strawberries, cut the tops off, slice in half and place around bottom edge of cake.  Finally, place some whole strawberries in the hole in the center of the cake.  Now, you have a festive, summery dessert!

ENJOY!!!  More recipes to come!!!