Drink of the Month: Champagne Cocktail

As much as I love brunch we don't make it at home; it's typical scrambled eggs for breakfast daily around here.  I decided to try to elevate our egg breakfast at Valentine's Day by making a brunch beverage...The Champagne Cocktail.  

A Champagne Cocktail is one of those things that isn't a set recipe.  There are dozens of ways to make a Champagne Cocktail, there is just one rule, it must have Champagne.  

Step 1: Find the right Champagne.  I went with a Cava, much more affordable than champagne, and easy to find.  (I personally like a drier Champagne, not a sweet one).  

Step 2: Add a splash of juice.  I like grapefruit juice because it adds a nice tartness and pucker without the sweetness.  But, you can use any juice you like.  

Step 3: Add a raw sugar cube to the bottom of the glass.  If you like your cocktail sweeter, you can stir it until is dissolves.  If you are like me and prefer just a hint of sweetness, you can leave it on the bottom and let it dissolve just slightly.  

Step 4: Top with a little more Champagne and a cute garnish.

Cheers! 

DIY Valentine's Photo Shoot

Since my baby is still in his first year of life, I want to capture every moment of it, especially his 'firsts.'  I take a picture of every new food he eats, new face he makes, new outfit...everything. So of course, I wanted to capture his first Valentine's Day. 

While doing my weekly scan of my Pinterest feed I found an adorable photo of a baby sitting on newspaper, butt-naked, wearing angel wings, with hearts hanging all around him.  LOL.  I immediately took inspiration from it.  

The first thing I did was go on a newspaper hunt.  We don't subscribe to the newspaper so the free local city paper had to be stretched to do the trick.  With the help of my mother-in-law I covered a large piece of cardboard with newspaper and wedged it between the kitchen table and two chairs.  Then I covered the tabletop with newspaper.  

Next step was to string some hearts up.  I enlisted the help of my MIL for this one; all of my hearts looked like butts.  I attached the cut-out hearts to string, using clothespins, and strung it across the top of the newspapered-covered cardboard.  

Finally, I put baby boy into his outfit, a clean diaper, and propped him up on the table.  Don't worry, we watched him like a hawk.  I kept one arm on his feet most of the time so I could catch him if he started to wobble.  He isn't crawling yet, but he is a wobbly little one so I wanted to make sure he was safe and didn't bump his head.  

He immediately grabbed the newspaper he was sitting on and started playing with it; hence the heart cut-out he 'eating' in all the photos.  

It was so much fun taking pictures of my little guy.  Hmmmm, what will I do for Easter?  

Stripes & Chucks

Once upon a time I wore cute skirts and dresses on a daily basis.  Now, I am all about comfortable.

Having an eight month old requires me to be on my hands and knees on the floor most of the day, so skirts and dresses just aren't practical anymore.  I live in stretchy jeans, slip-on shoes, and shirts that can take a little baby tugging and drool.  

This particular day I wore my favorite stretchy-skinny jeans with my new Chucks.  I have never owned a pair of Chucks before but when I saw their new slip-ons with suede laces I knew I had to get a pair.  They were a little snug at first but I am slowly breaking them in.  (I seriously love these shoes).  

Paired with a comfortable striped shirt and fringe scarf, it's the most comfortable outfit that I have felt cute in for quite some time.  

Stripes are a classic, and never go out of style.  Plus, the slouchy fit is perfect for moving around in.  The scarf has to be my favorite component; not only does it keep me warm while being the perfect accessory, but it gives my little one something to hold on to when I am holding him.  

I know I have over-worn this outfit, but you can't have too much of a good thing right?  

Casual Christmas

I can't believe how hot it is this Christmas?!?!  My car yesterday said it was 79 degrees outside and I don't think it was lying.  Wearing a simple t-shirt, jeans, and flats I was sweating and had the AC blasted in my car.  

Given the heat and the fact that I have a baby boy, this is not a boots and cute shirt kind of Christmas, it's a casual one.

What's the best way to dress casual for Christmas?  T-shirts of course, but not just any t-shirts, Christmas ones; particularly those quoting Christmas movies. 

Hands down Christmas Vacation is the greatest Christmas movie of all time.  

Quiz time!  Who said, "You Serious Clark?" in Christmas Vacation, and why was it asked?  

Paired with my cutest pair of red pointy-toe flats and my Kate Spade bow earrings, this green holiday shirt is my absolute favorite.  

Baby boy on the other hand went with an ugly sweater Home Alone onesie donning, "Merry Christmas You Filthy Animal." It was kind of perfect for him during this photo shoot because he was a tired little thing and not in the mood to smile.  

Wherever you are this Christmas, and whatever weather you might be having, I hope it's a great one.

Drink of the Month : Drunken Mallow-Nog

Once upon a time I did 'Drink of the Week.'  But, then I got pregnant and had a cute little baby boy.  Therefore, 'Drink of the Week' is now 'Drink of the Month.'

Oh Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year.  I love everything about Christmas; the lights, the music, the movies, and of course the drinks.  

We are an eggnog house from the time Thanksgiving rolls around until after the New Year.  Sometimes we make homemade egg nog, but most of the time we buy good old grocery store nog.  It's great as it right out of the fridge, but it doesn't hurt to spike it every once in a while.  Afterall, 'tis the season.  

Spiking eggnog is as simple as adding a shot of rum, whiskey, or bourbon.  But why not spice things-up a little bit to make it seem more merry?

Start with a simple combination of your nog and booze of choice. I myself prefer very little alcohol in my nog because a little goes a long way; to each his own.  

Most people stop there, but if you want to turn your simple drink into a beautiful one for guests, light it on fire....seriously!

Add a few marshmallows atop the nog (I used large mallows, but I think small would be better).  Then grab your tiny kitchen torch and light it up.  As you can see my mallows were a little too crisp, but it made for a great photo.  

Once you get your mallows to the perfect melty goodness, grate some fresh nutmeg over the top and sprinkle with silver sugar.  

That's it!  You turn a simple boozy eggnog into a pretty cocktail on Christmas morning.  If you want to make it even fancier, put it in a 'Christmas Vacation' Moose Mug. Ha! 

 Merry Christmas Ya'll!

A Distillery & Santa

Booze and babies do go together!

On one of the rare days the hubby and I had together this month we decided we needed to spend it taking our little baby boy to visit Santa for the first time.  Now, as all of you know, Santa is very well-traveled, and hops around from place to place in order to see as many children as possible.  ;) Lucky for us, Santa just so happened to be visiting a distillery that particular day.  

We loaded-up our little one in his cutest Carter's outfit- long-sleeve thermal and a soft plaid vest- and hit the road for Lewisville, Texas to Witherspoon Distillery. 

Witherspoon has been around since 2011, but had recently opened a brand-new beautiful location in the heart of Old Town Lewisville.  I myself had never been to a distillery before, so visiting Santa there seemed like the perfect idea.

With a mix of wood, brick, and industrial lighting, the facade of Witherspoon is beautiful.  I was impressed with the place before setting foot in the door.  The inside is beautiful as well.  With a large bar that wraps-around the room and comfy couches to lounge on, it's very inviting.

First on the agenda...meet Santa Clause.  We were so grateful to not have to wait to see Santa in a big long-line, AND we didn't have to pay to see Santa either.  We easily walked-up, introduced our little man in red to the big man in red, and... baby immediately grabbed a hold of Santa's beard and didn't let go.  Ha!  His first time meeting Santa and he made sure that he was the real deal; Santa didn't mind though.  Baby might not have been all smiles for St. Nicholas, but he didn't cry either.  My smart little dude just studied him, told him what he wanted for Christmas telepathically, and went on his merry way. 

After I went crazy with the picture taking of Santa and baby, we found a nice couch to set-up camp on, while daddy ordered adult beverages from the bar.  Witherspoon has a great selection of Whiskey, Bourbon, and Rum.  The best part?  They had a huge cocktail menu so I didn't have to drink straight liquor.  LOVE!  We wanted to try half of the menu but settled on one cocktail each. 

A little rum for me, whiskey for the hubby, and a bottle for baby.  

It was the perfect way to spend a day together, and to visit Santa.  I look forward to going to Witherspoon again, but next time without baby, so we can go on a tour and do a little tasting. 

From My Family to Yours

I can't believe it took nearly six months after my little butterball was born to get our family photos done.  It was a gloomier day than I wanted it to be, but my baby boys smile and bright blue eyes were all the sunshine we needed. 

I didn't realize how difficult it would be to coordinate outfits with a little one.  The first thing I did was find his outfit.  I knew I wanted something blue, to match his eyes, but finding something wasn't easy.  When I finally found the blue plaid button-up with cords I knew it was the perfect choice. 

From there I went on to find the hubby a shirt that would match baby.  I myself decided to go with creme to be the neutral one; it was a great excuse to splurge on a lace shirt I had been lusting over from Anthropologie. 

While the outfits weren't a perfect match, I loved how we all came together in these adorable photos. 

I am so thankful for these two boys in my life, today and always.

Happy Thanksgiving...from my family to yours!