Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!!

In honor of the day, I am sharing my Snowy White Owl Cupcakes. 

They are a variation of the Owl cupcakes from Pinterest, but when I started thinking about them, I realized two things...

 #1- I don't like chocolate icing

 #2- the only owl I truly care about is a snowy white owl that became one of Harry's best friends in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone- Hedwig!

These were a super quick treat. I used chocolate cake mix and a can of white icing. Crack open some Oreos (the hardest part.. it's so difficult to get the icing to separate smoothly!), place brown M&Ms in the middle, and finish with a piece of candy corn! We brought some to a party on Friday night and plan to bring the rest to a party tonight- so much fun!

Speaking of candy corn...

Isn't my little piece of candy corn adorable? :)

Happy Halloween friends! Have a spoooooooky day!

Emily Ann is an Auburn Tiger

Yesterday, Brian, EA, and I headed down to the Loveliest Village on the Plains (Auburn) with my parents and Brian's parents. Though we didn't have tickets to the game, I really wanted EA to experience Auburn during her first year of life, so we made plans to tailgate, see the sights, and shop. 

We started our time in Auburn with a quick feeding. It was much colder and windyer than we originally expected- EA really hasn't been outside much except for some jogs in the stroller, so she kind of had to get used to it!

After we finished eating, we headed downtown to see Toomer's Corner and do some shopping. Toomer's Corner is one of my favorite places on Auburn's campus- after Auburn wins a game, all of the fans head down to the tree and roll it. It is a great tradition and is a fabulous way to celebrate a win. Last year after the National Championship, some jerk decided to be spiteful and poisoned the tree, so they are not sure how much longer the trees will last. This was one of the major reasons I wanted to get down to Auburn this season- so EA could have a picture at Toomer's Corner!

Next, we headed to Samford Hall. This happens to be very close to where Brian and I had our first kiss :)

Auburn themed kissy picture- we might make this one a habit until she gets too old and makes us quit :)

Here are Brian's parents (left) and my parents (right) with EA.

Group pics with my parents

Group pic with Bri's parents

Finally, we headed to Tiger Walk, another big Auburn tradition. Fans line up along Donahue as the players and coaches walk through to the stadium. If you get there in time, you get to slap hands with the Tigers- it is so much fun. The band is always there and there are always a ton of people. Yesterday was no exception.

As I was standing at Tiger Walk, holding my precious little girl and talking to my sweet husband, I got emotional (shock, I know.) Brian and I met at Auburn. We fell in love at Auburn. It is where he proposed and where our story really began. I love Auburn football, but so much more importantly, I love the memories that we have at that school. Very few of my memories from Auburn do not include Brian and that makes it all the more special. It was such a joy to be able to bring Emily Ann down there so she could be part of those memories. 

After Tiger Walk, we saw some friends, stopped by the bookstore, then headed back to the 'Ham. We listened to the game all the way home- Auburn won 41-23!

War Eagle everyone!!

Football Friday- Peanut Butter Cupcakes, plus an extra!

Happy Friday everyone!

I hope you have had a fabulous week!

Today's football Friday recipe is a new one for me- I found it in a cookbook and couldn't wait to try it for the Auburn vs. Ole Miss game. Since Ole Miss's coach is Houston Nutt, PeaNUT butter seemed an important ingredient! They are delicious!

Feeling Nutty? Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Ingredients (For cupcakes)

1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
11/2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
2/3 c. milk
1 t. vanilla

Cream shortening, peanut butter, and brown sugar. Add eggs and beat well. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Add milk and vanilla. Combine shortening and flour mixtures. Pour into 12 sectioned cupcake pan. Bake for 25 min. at 350*.

Icing

1 stick butter

1/2 c. peanut butter

6 t. milk

1 lb. powdered sugar

Bring butter, peanut butter and milk to a boil in a saucepan. Add powdered sugar. Spoon mixture over cupcakes.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, we are headed to Auburn tomorrow for some tailgating with our families- I can not wait!!! I plan to bring these scrumptious cupcakes and some fabulous looking Sourdough Bacon Cheddar Pulls to enjoy while we are down there. Here is the recipe for the pulls from Plain Chicken- such a great blog!

Pull Their Tails Bacon Cheddar Pulls

via Plain Chicken

Ingredients

Sour dough bread

6-12 oz. cheddar cheese

3 oz. real bacon bits

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 T. ranch dressing mix

Cut the bread going both directions. Place the slices of cheese between each cut. Sprinkle baking bits on bread, making sure to get between the cut. Mix the butter and ranch dressing mix. Pour over bread. Wrap in foil and bake at 350* for 15 min. Continue baking until cheese is melted.

Have a great Friday everyone!

13 on Thursday

13 thoughts on this lovely fall Thursday....

1.

2. Instagram. I am sad that I just discovered it a few weeks ago because it means I missed out on it for ALL THOSE MONTHS! I love that I can post pictures of EA through the day and Bri can see them at work. I feel like it lets him keep up with what's going on at home, plus it reminds me to document the every day. Such a fun app.

3. Tonight we had a date night. We went to Johnny Rockets, then Sam's and Target. This is the second date in a row that we went to a superstore. I feel like we are back at Auburn and have run out of inexpensive dates... except now they are expensive dates and are more necessity than fun outings. 

4. For the past several months they have been doing construction on the interstate near our house. The past two weeks they have been busting up the road. Every day I hear *bump.... bump.... bump....* all day long. It's enough to drive a person crazy.

5. So far, I am through season 5 of Friends. I feel like I am catching up on history.

6. We are going to Auburn on Saturday. I can't wait to smell that Auburn air, to tailgate, to shop, and to take about a zillion pictures of EA surrounded by the beauty that is Auburn. Aaaah. War Eagle.

7. Today my little girl is 8 weeks old. Her 2 month appointment is drawing closer and closer. I am dreading those shots.

8. Gifted is one week from today. I have 300 Christmas napkins and 160 bottles of water in the back of my car. My house is covered with banner, ponytail holder, and earring materials. I can't wait!! Birmingham folks, let me know if you are interested in coming!

9. We recently made reservations to go to the Grand in December. I can't wait to bring Emily Ann! Their Christmas decorations are gorgeous and it is so one of my favorite places!! We have been for the past 3 years and I am excited to continue the tradition.

10. I don't particularly care for baseball, but I have decided that because of Chrissy from Everyday with the Jays, I am going for the Rangers in the World Series. Thanks Chrissy for giving me someone to cheer for!

11.  In one week, EA's mobile and swing batteries died. C and D batteries are pricey!

12. A cold front is coming into the 'Ham tomorrow! 

13. EA was the last of 4 sweet babies to be born of our friends. Lily was born in May, Johanna in early August (on my birthday!), Laylee Claire in late August, then Emily Ann on the 1st of Sept. Last Friday night, all four families got together so the girls could begin to get to know each other and so we could introduce them to our friends Ryan and Brittany, who moved to TN a few years ago. It was so much fun to see our friends and to see the girls together!

Wordless Wednesday

The Pumpkin Patch

Today after church, Brian, EA, and I headed out to the pumpkin patch. I can't swear that I had ever been to one before- and if I had, it was nowhere near as legit as this one.

After parking and going in, we road a hayride out to this huge open field of pumpkins of the vine. It was so fun... and fally! I must have looked for the perfect pumpkin for at least 30 minutes. The options were endless- orange pumpkins, green pumpkins, striped, multi-colored, big, small, flat, tall, skinny.... you get the idea. We both ended up with orange/green pumpkins that were just the right shape and size. After we picked our pumpkins, we jumped back on the hayride to head back. We then made our way through some fair foods (fried pies and boiled peanuts!) and a huge corn maze.

EA basically rocked the pumpkin patch. She got a bit fussy once we got out there, so we hid behind a shrub and fed her and she cheered right up! She was definitely the cutest baby there :)

It was an absolutely perfect fall day. I can't wait until she is a bit older so she can enjoy it as much as we did!

 Surrounded by pumpkins

I have been dying for her to wear these boots, and I almost waited too long... the left one keeps trying to fall off! I love this picture though... so cute!

The fam with Brian's pumpkin. I was still deciding at that point.

Be still my heart.

Have a great week my friends!

Football Friday- Caramel Brownies

Happy Friday everyone!

This week's football Friday recipe is another classic in my family. My mom doesn't like chocolate, so this was a great dessert that EVERYONE could enjoy. It is so tasty and is a nice change of pace from some of the ordinary brownie recipes.

Tomorrow, Auburn is playing #1 ranked LSU at Tiger Stadium. As a former member of the Auburn Marching Band, I still remember driving onto campus in Baton Rouge in our buses and seeing every LSU middle finger up, including those of toddlers and senior citizens. They are serious about their football. All I know is that our team keeps making gains every week so we can hope for the best! War Eagle!!

Cream the Cajuns Caramel Brownies

Ingredients

2 sticks soft butter

2 eggs

2 t. vanilla

2 c. light brown sugar

2 c. self-rising flour

2 c. nuts (optional, but I love them with pecans!)

Cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, flour, and nuts. Bake at 350* for 25 min in a 9x13 dish.

Delicious!

Have a super night!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I'm linking up with Jamie at This Kind of Love for What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm loving the show Friends! I know that I am 10 years late, but I recently started watching it and just can't get enough!

Source

I'm loving Beth Moore. Just in general. I am working on my third of her Bible studies and I continued to gain insight on God's Word. God is so faithful and His Word is the Bread of Life.

 

 I'm loving Chai Tea Lattes. I have a giftcard to Starbucks and plan to treat myself sometime today!

I'm loving this adorable little girl...

And her handsome daddy...

Have a great Wednesday my friends!

Infinity scarf

Earlier this week, I was looking through some favorite blogs and found the infinity scarf via Kelsey's blog. It sparked my interest. So very cute. 

See...

After exploring a little more, I found a few great tutorials on an DIY infinity scarf. Turns out, they are really easy to make! I grabbed an old shirt of Brian's and made my own. A cold front is coming through tonight and I can't wait to pull out my new scarf for the change in temp!

Want to make your own Infinity scarf? Here are fabulous and did I mention, SUPER EASY, directions!

Have a great night!

Door decor

I need to begin this post by informing you that I have a Pinterest problem.

It's so incredibly addicting and I continually find projects to work on- though they take much more time than they used to.

My most recent find was the yarn wreath. 

It all started at the hospital. The day after EA was born, I was dying to get out of the room, so I took a stroll around the halls to look at all the door hangers. Some were cute, some were subpar.... 

then I found this jewel..

So so cute. Classy. Simple. Ahh and the obsession began.

When I finally began functioning again, I decided to see what I could find on Pinterest and online in the way of yarn wreath tutorials and found some precious wreaths. See...

 This week, I finally got started making my own and found it was so easy! All you need is a straw wreath form, yarn, and hot glue, plus whatever embellishments you want. Wrap and glue, wrap and glue. 

Here is my version of the yarn wreath-

And on our door...

Happy Saturday!

Linking up to Tatertots & Jello!

Football Friday- Candy Corn Bark

Happy Football Friday guys!!

I found today's recipe through Pinterest- aaaahhh what I ever did without it :)

This candy corn bark is a fabulous treat for those October football games! I actually made this for a high school tailgate  (Hoover vs. Vestavia Hills High- Go Bucs!) with my Sunday School class tonight and everyone really enjoyed it. Because of my sweet little darling, we didn't stay for the game, but really enjoyed hanging out with friends leading up to the game.

As a Hoover alum, I had to dress up with my precious little girl- I kind of love that we are matching here!

Auburn plays Florida tomorrow at home. We generally have a good track record with beating Florida, but there is no telling this year. Hopefully this treat will *scare* the Gators off!

Spook the Gators (or Rebels!) Candy Corn Bark

(As found on The Girl Who Ate Everything)

Ingredients

Broken up Oreos (I used about 15)

Candy corn

Broken up pretzels

16 oz. almond bark or white chocolate (I actually used an 11 oz. bag of white chocolate chips which seemed to work okay)

Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Spread broken up Oreos, pretzels, and candy corn over the sheet in a thin layer. Melt the white chocolate in short increments in the microwave on 50% power. Stir until smooth. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the candy corn mixture and spread so that it covers the mix. Place tray in the refrigerator until firm. Remove, break into small pieces, and enjoy!!

Have a great night friends!

Emily Ann- 6 Weeks

Today, my little girl  is 6 weeks old. I can't believe it. I feel like she is doubling in size every day. It is amazing how alert and active she is getting! She is definitely the apple of our eye- she is absolutely precious. Her little disposition is beginning to come out and we love it!!

(For some reason, my photo software isn't working. The fact that this isn't formatted like the other ones is kind of stressing me out.)

Firsts: First bath in the big bathtub, meeting Great-Mam Maw Gaston, first play date with Johanna, first time at La Fiesta (Mommy's favorite Mexican restaurant!)

Milestones: You've started smiling! You are also getting pretty good at tracking things with your eyes.

Measurements: Close to 11 lbs, 23 inches long, 0-3 month short sleeved clothes, 3-6 month long sleeved clothes, size 1 (Huggies, which apparently fit smaller than Pampers, which do not yet fit) diapers

Like Mommy: As of right now, your big blue eyes :). And your love for bath time!

Like Daddy: A lot of your facial expressions

Food: You are eating 5 oz. at every feeding. You eat every 3 hours during the day and between 4-5 hrs. at night.

Sleep: Your nights are getting much more stable- you finish your nighttime meal between 8:30 and 9, then sleep until about 4:00. After your early morning snack, you sleep until about 8:00. You are still snoozing at random times during the day, but usually staying awake for 1-2 hours between several feedings.

Challenges: Getting a consistent schedule with set times.

Our Days: We usually get up between 8:00 and 9:00 and have breakfast. You go back to sleep until your next feeding at 11ish. We continue to eat every 3 hours, though it varies in whether or not your stay awake :) During the day, we love to go out and see friends, play on your playmat, swing, and hang out on the bouncer. You can't decide if you prefer the bouncer or the swing more... it tends to rotate on a daily basis. When Daddy gets home, he spends most of his night cuddling with you, then we put you to bed between 8:30 and 9.

Favorite Moments

Mommy's Favorite: Taking baths in the big tub- You LOVE it!!!

Daddy's Favorite: You smiling at him

Nicknames: EA, Doodle Bug

Upcoming Events: First time in the church nursery, first tailgate party (Hoover High School vs. Vestavia Hills High School- Go Bucs!), first Auburn football game!!

Photo Ops

Storytime with Daddy

Tummy time on your playmat

Your first time at La Fiesta- you didn't actually eat the chip :)

Your new Auburn pillowcase dress! Annie made it for you the week she hung out with Mommy.

Some mornings, you come hang out with Mommy before it is actually time to get up. You look so pretty with the sun coming through the window.

What a precious smile!!! Mommy got lucky to catch this one on camera!

We love you Emily Ann!!!