I threw this quilt together from a bunch of scraps for J’s 6 month photo shoot with Ali today (she is amazing!). Those EYES…they slay me.

A friend of mine posted this on facebook. I almost couldn’t take all of the cuteness of this father/daughter duo. WAY too cute!

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

Tracking Sunrise

I am living vicariously through my cousin, Staci. She is about 6 months into a year long journey around the world. Not the country, the WORLD. So far she has been all over Central and South America and has now found herself in Europe! I promise you, you will not regret clicking this link and reading about her travels. I can spend hours clicking through the posts and photos. She is an amazing writer as well, sometimes I swear I am experiencing these adventures by her side with all of the colorful descriptions of the places and people she meets. This blog is a form of art – and there are not too many writers who can convey feelings rather than words and Staci has captured it flawlessly. Seriously. This is a blog you should be reading.

Tracking Sunrise

I’ve been trying to get a picture of his brand new tooth all day long, but he insists on making only this face

Excited.

I have two sisters. I also have two pseudo-sisters that aren’t blood, but are definitely my sisters. Megan & Allison are real sisters, but as long as I can remember (probably sixth grade), we have endearingly referred to each other as sisters, and its true. In every sense. We would love like sisters and on the other side of the coin, we would fight like sisters. We have vacationed together, climbed waterfalls (true story.), went on mission trips together, school dances, you name it – we did it. Their family is 100% my family and vice versa. In one word, I call it love.

My sisters. Megan & Allie

I got word this evening that Allie is ENGAGED!!! I couldn’t contain my excitement! She is marrying a wonderful man from a good family who has been a great partner to her, and I am so happy for them both of them! And for your viewing pleasure, here is a beautiful photo of me and Allie from one of our trips. This was at Carlos n’ Charlie’s in Cozumel, Mexico. Don’t we look good?

Congrats you two! I know you will be so happy together, and please, have babies soon (seriously, why wait? Honeymoon baby?…I think so!). Your mom would really love that, you know she has been waiting anxiously!

I love this kid!

Jackson Goes to Lexington!

This weekend, we stole away from the ever-bustling crazy that is Northern Virginia & took Jackson down to North Carolina to meet his great-grandmother! Zac’s dad is from a sleepy little town called Lexington, which is known as the BBQ Capital of the South World! We happened to be visiting during the Barbeque Festival, which is an annual event that draws in upwards of 150,000 people! We made the best of the crowds in what is normally a quiet town, and were even able to sneak away to the festival for a few hours. I am happy to report that Jackson was thoroughly spoiled and was the recipient of almost every purchase made the entire time! Jackson was able to meet quite a few members of his extended family including his Uncle Jerry, Aunt Teresa, Cousin Michael and his girlfriend Crystal, his cousin Monika, and of course his Great Grandparents Eva & Ralph! Here are just a few of the thousands of photos I took throughout our trip:

J with his great-grandmother, who stayed up very late to welcome us after the long drive!

A few photos from the BBQ Festival – Most are from what was, by far, my favorite shop in town – The Candy Shop, which had every sort of candy you can think of, as well as a back room FULL of vintage items ranging from birdcages, to board games, to paddles, and more!

Playing with Grandma and his new sock monkey, also known as ‘funky monkey’

Getting into the spirit of Lexington with his pig nose.

Swinging with Grandpa!

Hanging out with Uncle Jerry

Four Generations! Notice the little smirk on J’s face 😉

These last two are just TOO cute for me to not post!

For my Lover on our Anniversary!

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

BBQ Pig, Carolina Style

Grammy’s Recipes | Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

If there is one thing in this world that my mom kicks butt at, it is food.  As far back as I can remember, she was there in our tiny kitchen cooking up a storm. We ate dinner as a family almost every night. Somehow whenever I reflect, it is always cold outside. Probably near the holidays, and she is making more sweet treats than you can even think of. She bakes so many things from scratch, and let me tell you, its pretty impressive that I don’t weigh 1000 lbs. Her molasses cookies are to DIE for. One really simple dish my mom used to make for us on cold mornings were these glorious little biscuit donuts coated in cinnamon sugar. This morning, when Jackson & I went to pick up our favorite girls to hang with us today, it was only 40-something degrees…brr. For some reason, I thought about these donuts, and just had to make them. They are so easy and I highly recommend them. Start with a roll of grands biscuits (any type – my favorite are the giant ones, but this was all I had today):

Cut holes in each biscuit with a small cookie cutter:

Heat cooking oil (any kind will do, today I used vegetable), and place each biscuit in until they become brown. This can happen really quickly, so watch them closely)

Remove from the oil and place in cinnamon & sugar mixture, coating both sides:

Voila! Cinnamon Sugar Donuts AND Holes!

The girls were quite excited to try them out, and I am happy to report that they enjoyed them as much as I always have:

And while he is too little to partake in the fun – he still got to help out by looking cute and playing in the kitchen:

And since my mom has so many great recipes, I am going to make a little series out of these posts – look for them from time to time. I will be adding a page with all of them as well!

Ingredients:

• 1 roll of Grands Biscuits (any style)
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 tbsp Cinnamon
• Vegetable Oil

Directions:

1. Heat desired amount of vegetable oil in small saucepan. Mix cinnamon and sugar in small bowl.
2. Open biscuits and separate. Use small, circular cookie cutter to cut a hole in the center of each biscuit creating a ring. Set the holes aside and cook them as well.
3. Place each biscuit in the oil for a few seconds (no more than 30 seconds if your oil is hot) until they brown.
4. Remove from oil and shake off excess oil. Place in cinnamon sugar mixture and coat each side.
5. Repeat for all rings and holes, and enjoy immediately!

Now, we are off to Lexington, NC for the weekend so J can meet his great-grandmother! Also, I hear that it is the Barbeque Festival (which brings upwards of 150,000 people to the tiny town!?), so I will be looking forward to testing that out as well 😉