Conrad Turns Three

Our little Conrad turned Three last Monday.

Planning for his day this year has been noticeably different from the last two years, since I'm less concerned about making things picture perfect and much more interested in making his eyes light up all day long.i wanted his day to be full of all the things he enjoys,and one of Conrad's favorite things is animals.This darling boy will pet, hug, squeeze,lick and pick up just about any animal or bug without hesitation. We should get a dog. Ha! We are fortunate to live in a city where you not only find a zoo, aquariums, exhibits etc.. you are also lucky enough to enjoy an outdoor adventure into the wildlife. The most beautiful safari in all California. We are grateful to have met wonderful friends on this adventure, ones we will have gatherings with and play dates. We lunched all afternoon until it was time for nap. A wonderful day was had. The next day was his birthday, we decided to keep it intimate and simple. A beautiful picnic table was decorated with winter greens, such as eucalyptus because Conrad and i love the smell. A handmade garland was made using eucalyptus leaves and feathers. A simple basket for small gifts, his favorite toys, and my favorite snaps of my little sweetheart hung using clothes pins on twine, and three white balloons. We played games,sang songs on his new guitar, barbecued mini turkey burgers and ate cake. A special day for our little Conrad Fitzgerald.

Recipe// soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies

 The winter days are long and while it doesn't feel like winter in Northern California, it sure has given us cabin fever. I have my go to recipes when we feel like baking, which we do a lot of, but I had Chocolate chip cookie on the brain, maybe because its Chocolate or that it's a certain little gentleman's favorite cookie. There are thousands of recipes out there for a good ole fashion Chocolate chip cookie but I've found the softer, chewy, gooey ones to be our favorite. I want to share this recipe with my dear friends and family who love a good chewy Chocolate chip cookie. Grab a tall glass of milk and enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups of all- purpose flour (I used 1 1/4 cup of all purpose & 1 cup of Organic whole wheat flour) 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 

1/2 cup of granulated sugar (I used Turbinado raw cane sugar) 

1 cup packed light -brown sugar 

1 tsp salt

2 tsp pure vanilla extract 

2 large eggs

2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet / or milk chocolate chips 

(I used semisweet) 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. 

2. Drop a heaping tablespoon- size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (I used an ice cream scooper for the dough balls) 

3. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack,  (cooling rack) and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to a week.

out with the old in with the new/ Happy New Year!

Hello! it sure has been awhile, hasn't it?  What i mean is, since my last blog.

so much has transpired throughout the past few years with our little family and i am finally ready to share it all with you in detail here in this space.  i do wish, however, i would have been able to connect here sooner. it seems life gets in the way. alas, here i am.

first and foremost, Happy New year friends, My 2015 resolution is just a continuation of this past year-- to live simply, less is more. less clothes, less expenses, less stress. quality over quanity. quality friends, quality belongings, quality time. to prioritize and take things slow, appreciating life's little blessings one would normally overloook. excited for another year where trying our best and living by his grace is plenty.  as many as you know my little family and i have traveled quite a bit in the last year. first, moving from our home in Atlanta,GA where we lived at a faster pace for 13 years to the quiet yet charming santa fe new mexico. in October 2014 my husband Jason was presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity to work at a relais et chateaux property in st Helena Ca. and here we are living simply and slowly in good ole Napa valley. our holidays were lovely despite being away from home and we miss Christmas already, well, atleast our little one does.. he's still singing Christmas tunes and asking "when is santa coming back"  love him so! speaking of  our little one, as of yesterday he seems to have come down with a terrible cold. i am cooking the healthiest wellness recipes known  to man to try to fight this bug..luckily, he rarely gets sick.  one of my favorite comfort soups to make him is Gingered carrot Orange soup and oh he loves it! Hope our little feels better soon. we always start the new year planning birthdays, on the 3rd was my dear husbands and boy did we have a great time. Happy 40th to the love of my life! we now start to  plan our sweet little conrad's 
3rd birthday and as i write this i am in tears.. it seems like just yesterday i held him for the first time, he will always be my baby boy and i cant wait to celebrate his special day. xoxo