Christmas was here, FA LA LA LA!

We had a great Christmas weekend with lots of family! We go to see my husbands family in Quincy every year on Christmas Eve.

Then we had the McCausland Family Christmas at my house! Yahoo! It was my first time hosting Christmas. I had a good time doing it! We had so much amazing food! And we all had a great time together. Later that evening, we went over to the Green's house and ate again. Josey had a little pot belly that night. You could see it so pronounced through her one piece pajamas!

I didn't take too many pictures but I have a sweet one of Josey holding her new doll.

She was trying to put the little ribbon on the dolls head. Funny how she wants to do that to the doll, and I can't put anything on her head anymore. Also notice, there is only one shoe on Josey. Ha! Little girl!

Through all of the excitement and the "hoopla", let's all remember why we even have Christmas. We have been given the ultimate gift in Jesus coming, taking our sin, and placing it ALL on His own shoulders. For you, for me :) I hope you and your families had a Merry Christmas!

Josey's First Birthday

We had Josey's birthday party almost 2 weeks ago now. It was a very fun PINK event with family and friends.

I discovered Pinterest.com a few months ago and got some great party ideas from there! If you don't know what Pinterest is, I would encourage you to check it out!! But, please don't hold me entirely responsible for your new "pinning" obession ;-)

We had a Pink Ruffle Cake

I found a pan at Kohls that makes three big sized cupcakes. I really love it! I made those with strawberry boxed cake mix. I used the leftover cake mix for regular sized cupcakes. Topped all my cupcakes with a ready made (I know) french vanilla frosting. There was a princess pack of sprinkles in the cake aisle, I used the little round white sprinkles on the big cupcakes and I used little yellow crowns on the regular cupcakes. I found a free printable for the cupcake toppers and taped them to toothpicks. 

Here's a close up of the cupcakes!

Here is Josey's cake with her 1 on top!

Josey's Grandma made Chocolate Covered Oreos! She put them on lollipop sticks, and decorated them all cute. Look at them in that cool box too!

We had the rest of the kitchen decked out with pink balloons and pom poms taped to Josey's chair. Those pom poms are surprisingly easy to make!

Singing "Happy Birthday"

Josey wasn't sure about what to do with her cake.

Here we go! She actually ate quite a bit! Let's just say she played hard after her cake, and she slept so good that night! Josey has been playing with her toys almost non-stop since!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!! 

Tomorrow

Josey will be one tomorrow.

This year went by so fast!

I so look forward to all the days God will give us together.

I hope that Casey and I can grow old watching our children grow up.

I hope so many great things for her, like any parent would for their child.
To be confident in who she is, confident in her relationship with the Lord. To smile, laugh, be goofy, and never think she's too good to say "Hello", "I'm sorry", or "I forgive you". I hope Josey realizes early on that life is not about herself. I hope she can be a good friend, listener, and a strong woman .... Just to name a few :)

Casey and I are so proud of Josey, we love being parents. She is such a fun, giggly, determined, crazy little girl.

One day old

One Month

Two Months

Three Months

Four Months

Five Months

Six Months

Seven Months

Eight Months

Nine Months

Ten Months

Eleven Months

Two weeks ago.. this melts my heart :)

Cheese Cranberry Bread

There are certain things that really remind me of Christmas. Forget the tree, decorations, and hot chocolate, this bread is IT for me. It's worth baking for the smell in your kitchen alone. All the different flavors are delicious! So here it is:

Cheese Cranberry Bread
1 1/2 cups cranberries, halved
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup nuts, finely chopped (I used walnuts)
2 teaspoons orange peel, freshly grated
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, finely shredded
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted

(1) Mix cranberries and 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl.
(2) In a separate bowl blend together the next four ingredients flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
(3) Mix in sugared cranberries, nuts, orange peel, and cheese.
(4) Beat eggs, milk, and butter together in a separate bowl. Add wet mixture to dry mixture. Stir just until ingredients are moist.
(5) Turn batter into buttered (bottom only) 9 1/2 x 5 1/4 x 2 3/4 loaf pan. Spread evenly into corners (can use wax paper)
(6) Bake at 350 degrees about 1 hour or till toothpick comes out clean. Cool loaf on cooling rack. Refrigerate.

Mmm! This was breakfast this morning. I almost put butter on it, but then you wouldn't be able to see the great colors this bread has. Hope you bake this! And if you do, hope you enjoy it as much as I do!