Love From the Kitchen

"Cooking is love made edible."  Our society is all about food......everything we do is centered around food.  I think most people would agree with this.  I mean, what do we do for others during times of grief & loss, recovery, or celebration?  One of the most popular things to do for people is to bake them food.  I have found for most of my life that when I want to do something for someone, I start thinking about what food I can prepare for them.  I tend to get more out of it than the people I'm fixing for. 

For the past couple of years my sweet Ava has really developed at love for cooking.  I'm so excited about this.  And while she's only 10 years old, I can see her following thru with this into adulthood.  I can already picture her with her own little bakery.  Because of this love for it, I try really hard to incorporate both my girls in the kitchen.

During the summer my girls did several day camps.  I believe Ava's favorite camp was culinary camp.  She's already planning to go back next summer.  This camp was Monday - Friday for 3 hours each day.  Each day was themed & they prepared a meal & dessert.  She enjoyed every minute of it & learned a ton of valuable information.  She even received a certificate of completion on Friday.

Right after culinary camp she was eager to share her recipes.  Thankfully Granna & Opa was excited to let her cook for them. 

I've decided to nurture this love of hers & get her in the kitchen helping me.  She loves when I ask her to help.  And Aubrey has even developed an enjoyment for cooking......not the same way as Ava, but she doesn't want to be left out.  

Our first bit of love from the kitchen was a delicious blueberry bundt cake.  I got the girls in the kitchen to get all the ingredients out.  They've learned quickly that it saves time & makes the work flow better if we have everything out & ready to go.  These girls couldn't wait to get started. 

They took turns adding ingredients & mixing them.  We preheated our oven to the convection setting 350*.  The girls greased the pan, then added the batter.

They were so very proud of what came out of the oven.

And don't tell my girls......but this is about so much more than baking.  At this point, this time together in the kitchen means a lot more to me than it does to them.  I'm cherishing every minute I have with them.  Everyday & in the kitchen.  Then one day, they'll be able to look back on our time baking & see what it was really all about. 

My First Baby's 10......Double Digits!!!

Last month my sweet Ava turned 10!!  Seriously.......double digits, 2 whole hands!!!  WOW!!! I'm gonna brag on her just a little.  I watch her move around the house & it is so hard to believe that that tiny baby girl we brought home from the hospital is now this beautiful & grown up looking (too much sometimes) little lady.  We've watched & treasured every milestone that she's hit & yet it still doesn't seem possible that we've had her for 10 years.  It feels like it was just yesterday we were at the hospital.  How does the song go??  "Time Marches On...."  And so it does.  
More & more often when I'm watching Ava I get glimpses of the teenager that's coming.  But even more than that I see this exquisite heart.....she has one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen.  She loves everyone & has a very nurturing "mommy" way about her, especially when it comes her little sister.  Ava, in the past few years, has developed a love for cooking.  She says she's going to be a baker when she grows up.  I can totally see that happening!!  She also LOVES her family.  She's a big time daddy's girl & have been since before she was two!!  She loves being at home together or taking trips together.  She says she's never getting married or even having a boyfriend.  Oh the beauty of being 10!!!  I know that will change in a few shorts years.  But for now we're going to soak up being #1 to her!! ;)  

A few years ago we stopped having birthday parties for the girls.  I'm talking about the big elaborate parties.  They still get a birthday cake of their choice.  This year Ava wanted cupcakes & she wanted them beach themed.  They were super cute & most importantly, she LOVED them!!  Instead of the big party we've opted to let them have their own birthday fun day.  We let them choose each year where they want to go & where they want to eat.  This year Ava chose to visit the Nashville Zoo.  This was followed by lunch at Rainforest Cafe.  This year we let her bring a friend along.  It was a super fun day!! But then again, it always is!!

After watching Ava's love for food & cooking the past few years, we've decided to really nurture that & let her pursue some things with that.  We gave her a personalized apron for her birthday.  It is embroidered with the quote "Cooking is love made edible."  Absolutely perfect for our little baker!!!

 I'd say she had a really wonderful 10th birthday!!  Here's to celebrating many more birthdays with Ava!!

Always Playing Catch Up

I find myself with so many thoughts in my way & I struggle to get them down in writing.  Because of this, I ended up having to play catch up on things like my blog.  Am I the only one with this problem?  Surely I can't be alone.  Well, I intend to do better.  We've had a busy first half of the year.  

The holiday season is one of my favorite times of year, second only the FALL!!  I love everything about fall.  But that is a post for another time.  We started this year by taking the girls to Walt Disney World again.  I've always loved WDW.  It is completely wonderful & spellbinding.  I went a time or two when I was a child.  Then we went for my high school graduation & three years later went for my brother's high school graduation.  After Jim & I got married, I could not believe he had never been.  So I talked him into taking me the summer after we got married.  I loved it every time I visited!! I always looked forward to having my own kids to take to WDW!! Well, let me tell you, it was NOT a disappointment.  As spellbinding as it was for me, it was even more magical & enchanting watching my girls experience for the first time. We took the girls for the first time in 2013.  At that time Ava was 6 & Aubrey was 3.  It was a blast & absolutely so precious. They were completely riveted & carried away with all the princesses.   Well, this past January we took the girls once again. I love watching my girls take it all in.  They have so much joy & excitement.  And this is a place where they can just be little!!  When it was time to come back home, I left already feeling a little homesick for Disney & trying to plan our next visit.

At the risk of sounding like an old fogie, my girls are growing up in a very different world than I grew up in. As cliche as that sounds, it is very true.  When I was little, I dreamt about growing up, but I wasn't in a big hurry.  I'm pretty sure I remember playing with my Barbies & dolls well past the age of 12.  These days, for girls especially, it seems that our kids are expected to act & look grown up so much faster than they need to.  Because of this, I'm very thankful for these trips to Disney & talking about Peter Pan & Neverland.  I want my girls to grow into beautiful & strong women.  BUT first I want them to relish & enjoy every moment of childhood.  It is so very important that we let them be little.  

During spring break we made a quick get away to Gatlinburg.  This has always been one of our favorite places to visit.

We hiked at old cabin, we visited lots of shops on the strip in Gatlinburg & in Pigeon Forge, we hit the Aquarium & The Dixie Stampede, we had an olde tyme photo made, & we visited the Island in Pigeon Forge for the first time. 

I love these little trips & I especially love spending quality time with my 3 favorite people in the world.