Daddy's Princess

Ok, so this post is a little behind.  The time has really gotten away from me these past few weeks. 

Last month, Casey took Morgan to her very first father/daughter dance.

Morgan loves getting dressed up like a princess and tonight was certainly no exception.  We met one of her friends from school at the nail salon and we all got our nails done.  Next, we came home so we could do her hair.  She opted for a side pony with lots of curls.

Yes, considering the special occasion, I let her wear a little lipstick and blush.  She was a happy little girl.

She even wore a cute little corsage with ribbon that matched her dress!

Brooke wanted in on the action too, say "cheeeeeese!"

A few more pictures and they were on their way to dinner and the dance.

Morgan danced all night and came home on cloud 9.  Casey enjoyed his evening with his little princess and I have a feeling they'll be going again next year.

Itsy Bitsy Spider

How adorable is it when your little one is able to sing all the words to their favorite song?  I happen to think it's just precious!

Here's a quick video of Miss Brooke singing her favorite song.  As you will see, we end all of our songs with a "Yay!!!!"  

Hope you enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day

Sending lots of love your way!

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

At My Feet

It was a stay at home day for me and my girls.  The girls were getting a little restless but it was too early for lunch and too late to head out anywhere so I decided it was a good time to make a quick batch of cupcakes.  I have found making cupcakes is quick entertainment for my girls.  There are very few ingredients (if you use the box kind) and both girls feel like they are part of the fun. 

However, this time Morgan very quickly decided she was bored with this activity and left me for greener pastures.  Brooke didn't mind a bit, that meant she didn't need to share the spatula!

And of course there is down time while the cupcakes are baking.  Yep, it's still snowing.

The junk drawer has recently been a magnet for these little hands.  Lots of good stuff in here!

The cupcakes are done!  Time for a taste test.

 

Delicious!!!

Snowmen and Sledding!!!

Sunday morning the girls and I woke up to snow on the ground.  Even though Brooke as seen snow before, you could see the excitement in her eyes as she looked out the window as if it was the first time.  She wanted to make sure everyone in the house saw what she saw.  She even bent over to Dora (the cat) and pointed outside and said "snow?"  to make sure Dora was as excited as she was.

Since daddy was working Saturday night and would be home at any moment the girls patiently waited for him so they could go outside and play.

Daddy finally got home after a very rough night on shift but was able to power through to get some snow time in with his girls.

First on Morgan's agenda.....
Yep, daddy better watch out!!!

Brooke wasn't as eager to jump right into the snow once she was up close.  She decided to stand on the sidelines and watch.

Next on the agenda - Build a Snowman.

After a little coaxing, Brooke decided she didn't want to be left out of the fun.

And they are finished.  Morgan was very proud of her snowman.

Even Brooke got to have her own little snowman.

Trying to get both girls to just stand and smile didn't happen.  Oh well, captures the moment, right?

And last on the agenda - Sledding.

Lucky for us, we live very close to our neighborhood retention pond.  This little hill is just the right size for our little snow bunnies so off we went.

See all the grass and dirt poking through?  There was just barely enough to sled on, but the girls were thrilled anyways.

I love seeing those rosy checks and runny nose on my girls, definitely a sign of good times in the snow.

Beer Tasting Party

This past year my husband and his friend started brewing their own beer.  They have hopes of some day opening a tap room attached to a small brewery.  In the meantime, they have lots and lots of friends eager to taste the latest that Top Rung Brewing has to offer.

The turnout was great with about 40 friends and family stopping by to give their feedback.

Since this was an open house style, we wanted the flow to be casual but informative.  When guests entered, they were given a beer tasting glass (aka 8oz mason jar) with six feedback forms to be turned in.

Because Casey and Jason had been brewing up a storm, we had a lot of beer for everyone to try.  Six types of beer to be exact:  Hosechaser Blonde, Irons IPA, Smashed Pumpkin', "no name" vanilla porter, Box Alarm Amber and Good Jake CDA.  The fun started in the diningroom with three stations set up.

The buckets were from our local party store, in red of course.  Each station was labeled with the name of the beer and a short description as well as the alcohol by volume, IBUs and OGs info.

Burlap under the buckets turned out to be a great idea. They absorbs the moisture/sweat from the buckets.

Jason's girlfriend, Morgan was able to re-furbish these old six-pack boxes to use at each station.  She used a little spray paint and stickers from local craft store. We asked guests to return their feedback forms in these boxes.  They worked perfectly!

Next on the list was a little food. 

The most popular food was by far the Stoltz family rice casserole.  Unfortunately, since I didn't know it was going to be such a big hit, I didn't take any pictures.  But I will add the recipe at the very end of the post.


Good food, family and friends....what could be better? 

We really got lucky on the weather.  The day of the beer tasting it was literally, the nicest day of the week.  We were able to have a few more beers outside and a fire going.

The "no name" vanilla porter is on the sweeter side, we suggested folks eat a piece of Snickers or Brownies while sipping.  It definitely changes the taste of the beer and is a different idea for some people.  We were excited to see people try it and like the combination!

We also added a few bowls of jelly beans.  We don't have any scientific facts regarding this, but we've heard it is considered a palette cleanser for beer tasting.  Not sure if it's true or not, but a few jelly beans never hurt anyone.

Having such supportive friends and family is so important to Casey and Jason.  They were overwhelmed by the positive feedback they received and were inspired to keep on brewing.  Stay tuned for future beer tasting events.

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As promised, here is the "S" Family recipe:


Rice Casserole1 large onion, chopped fine
1 cup rice
2 cups chicken broth
1tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup butter or margarine

Melt butter and add onion, cook until onion is clear and soft. Add rice, salt, sugar, and raisins. Pour into baking dish and add chicken broth. Cover and bake at 350. Usually done after 1 hour.