Fall :)

I LOVE fall!! I was feeling thrifty and crafty and this is what happened.

I did it all under $50!!



$3



$25

$15



Finished product



Vegetables with a side of steak



Life-long Vegetarian (2005)

Low iron stinks! What is a pregnant vegetarian to do? Fastest natural remedy?? Eat meat! Yes, vegetables and grains do offer iron, but animal sources offer iron that is easier for the body to absorb. 

 Good thing I'm not making this a habit.  Filet Mignon is expensive!!!!

Served it with a side of oven roasted seasoned asparagus and boiled seasoned rutabaga

 First bite!

 As I was chewing, there was fat from that particular piece.  The other pieces that I ate didn't have this thankfully.  Steak has an earthy taste that I did not expect.  Almost like a skin on a potato.  I thought it would taste more like butter, especially since that is what I cooked it in.  I did feel distinctly full after this meal, not something I usually feel after a plate of vegetables.  I probably will wait to try another filet at a nice restaurant so I can see if the cooking style makes more of a difference in the taste.  Overall, I'm glad I tried it and happy that I got a shot of iron. 

God Bless America! Doesn't the steak juice kind of resemble the US?

Meat Eaters: Thanks for all the helpful advice!

Our jumping jellybean

I am 10weeks 4days old

I had my appointment with my second doctor yesterday.  We saw the baby jump and wiggle around! The baby is doing well and all my lab work is normal! I have two high risk doctors monitoring me just in case.  It's nice to know that I only have a 2% chance of developing HELLP Syndrome again and even if it does show up again, it tends to be less severe than the first time. I know that the Lord is sovereign and He is in control and that makes all the difference! Since I'm high risk, I get to have lots of ultrasounds and that helps too:)

Click HERE to read more about HELLP Syndrome, especially my pregnant friends! Know the symptoms because it is fatal to both mother and baby if not detected early.

Sunday Morning

I was spending sweet time playing with Annabelle before church and I captured a couple photos before my camera ran out of batteries. 

Daddy and baby girl dancing:) This melts my heart!

One silly pic!

I laugh every time I see this photo of Annabelle! Still can't believe how blessed we are!   

Annabelle is ONE!

We are so blessed to be the parents of Annabelle.  Today she is one and even though she is approaching her toddler years, she will ALWAYS be my baby! Happy Birthday darling buggie! Mommy and Daddy love you so much and you have changed our lives forever for the better!

Recap of her birth story: Fled Egyptian Revolution at 36 weeks pregnant back to the US right before a blizzard hit, born 4 days later in emergency delivery due to HELLP syndrome, left hospital at 3lbs 15oz, and lived out of suitcases for the first four months of Annabelle's life.

Something Blue Wedding Shower

This is from my sister's wedding shower last summer, but I wanted to make it official on my blog!
Theme: Something Blue

Games/activities: Photo Age Game, Scrapbook table, and Photo booth

Photographer: Amberlee Sterling  

The cake was from Bakerejoice in Plano,TX which specializes in butter cream frosting-No fondant! It was such a yummy cake and I got the inspiration from this cake!

  

The Photo Age Game: I numbered several pictures of the bride-to-be at different ages (5 is a good number) and everyone guessed what age she was in each picture. The person with the most correct received a blue-themed gift (Anthropologie kitchen towel and a heart coffee scoop).   

I had a scrapbook table ready to go with blue-themed stickers, ribbon, and paper.  I filled mason jars with cutting utensils, pens, and glue. Guests took the pictures from the photo age game and made a quick scrapbook for the bride-to-be.  It was great because they were able to put their messages to the bride on their personalized scrapbook page.

 Guests also enjoyed a photo booth with blue props to pose with. It was so much fun! I hired a professional photographer and she put up a white backdrop and lights. Everyone really enjoyed being silly with the props and it was a great ice-breaker!

Annabelle's Sweet Shoppe First Birthday

So, here it is folks. The party of the year!

Inspiration: Palm Beach ice cream shops
Colors I used: Ocean mist blue, candy red, and bubblegum pink
Hours it took to make the food: 6
Meltdowns: 2 (one from Jordan and one from me 15 minutes before the party)

Let's start with the candy shop:

I made these oreo pops using the recipe from HowDoesShe blog

I got these glass jars at Homegoods. 

 The cake is from We Take The Cake.  It was so good! Maybe even better than my wedding cake!

The sweet shoppe table all finished:)

These red velvet cupcakes are so delish! I got the recipe from Martha Stewart 

 This was an easy theme for a party in February thanks to Valentine's Day.  All I had to do was go the grocery store and pick up pink and red candy. Simple:)

I made the banner out of scrapbook paper. I got the idea from Chickabug's blog and etsy shop. 

I got the invitations in Cherry Theme from Chickabug. Aren't they so cute?! I absolutely loved their products!

The smash cake:

 I made her hat out of scrapbook paper. The smash cake was also from We Take The Cake

She loved it!

 I love how the frosting is stuck in her eyelashes!

The party in action:

Thank you friends for making this such a special day for our family. On this exact day last year we were fleeing Egypt, scared for our lives and the safety of Annabelle who was born just 4 days after landing in the US.  We are so blessed to have Annabelle in our lives. She is a gift from the Lord and we are so grateful to be her parents! She's come a long way from 3lbs 15oz!!