a happy heart day.

as i've said before, i love valentine's day.

i love doing special things for my loved ones and making fun memories with my little chickadees.  i had grand plans in my mind of how the day was going to go.  let me start off by saying that nothing really looked the way i had envisioned.  some moments better, some... different.

we woke up wednesday morning and i got the girls in their valentine's outfits.  i'm such a nerd, i know, but i saw these pretty pink frilly skirts on clearance at target for five bucks.  i mean, how could i resist that?!  and just look at the cuteness:

i planned on us taking a morning trip to target to pick up a few items that i needed, and then surprise my mom at work with some candy from the grandbabies.  i finally got the girls in the car and we headed out.  our target trip started off without a hitch.  until bella saw a gift bag with disney princesses on it.  yes.  a gift bag.  apparently she had to have it.  she began a major meltdown while i rushed to gather the rest of my necessities and get in the check out line.  people were staring, i was trying to remain calm, cool and collected while inside i wanted to die.  then she began taking off her shoes and throwing them on the ground.

feel the love?  not the valentine-sy outing i had imagined.

i got to the car, plopped her in her carseat while i began telling her how disappointed i was.  got all my stuff unloaded, buckled emmy in her carseat and before i knew it both of the girls were screaming at the top of their lungs.

we made a quick stop at my mom's office.  as we were walking in, i told bella how lucky she was that we were stopping to visit meme with how she had acted at the store.  "bella, what do you say to me for behaving that way?" i said.  "i'm sorry, mom.  i didn't mean to!"  hmmmmm.

i get the girls home and emmy proceeds to scream all through lunch, refused her bottle and didn't stop crying until i finally put her in her crib and shut the door.

i like making valentine's treats every year for our family and for bella and i to bring around as "special deliveries".  this year, we were making heart-shaped red velvet whoopie pies.  i sit her up on the counter to help me, and as i'm scooping ingredients into my bowl, i realize she had been unscrewing parts to my kitchenaid and putting them in my mixing bowl, unbeknownst to me.

as the whoopie pies are baking, i shoo her into the dining room while i clean up.  after a few minutes i discover that she has scribbled all over the keyboard of our laptop with a hot pink magic marker.

holy cow.

it was an insane day.  topped off with a visit to my grandfather who has been in the icu after a fall he took on tuesday night.

while i love holidays and enjoy doing what i can to make them special, i'm learning to hold my expectations loosely.  i did come home wednesday evening to nick and the girls standing by the door holding tulips and a sweet card they made for me.  it was the most precious sight.  bella came running toward me, so excited to give me their gifts that she fell over her own two feet.  nick told me my aunt was on her way over to babysit and we were going on a date.  i cried.  it was the best.  there's a new restaurant downtown we've been saving a gift card for.  there was an hour wait, so we gave them our name and went next door to an italian market and had a latte (me) and a beer (him) while we waited.  it was a *great* date, the best gift i could've asked for.

thursday night we had my mom and a friend of our family's over for dinner.  i made chicken piccatta, and we ate by candlelight with glasses of wine.  the day ended up much better than it started, and i went to bed with a full and thankful heart... and reminded of how my own expectations can rob me of the joy of the moment.

so grateful for the people in my life.  my cup runneth over.
happy valentine's day (a few days late).

what's for your sweet tooth {red velvet whoopie pies}.

i am such a sucker for holidays.  valentine's day is no exception.  i totally get that people dislike it for the commercialism and aisles upon aisles of pink and red that flood stores on december 26th, but still.  i love it.  each year, i try to do something special for our family.  little craft projects and baking goodies.  candlelit family dinners and special deliveries.

this year, i came across this recipe on pinterest and i knew i had found my valentine's day goodie.  whoopie pies are a huge thing in maine.  huge.  if you aren't familiar with them, the traditional version is two round chocolate cake flats sandwiched with thick, white creamy frosting.  super yummy.  there have been several variations of these treats, but you will find them in gift stores, bakeries, cafes and even gas stations all across our state.

delish.

i also {heart} red velvet cake.  who doesn't?  after living in texas for seven years, this southern delight has totally made it's way into my dessert favs.  so, this recipe is the perfect marriage of my maine heritage and nick's texan one baked into a delicious valentine's day treat.

here is the recipe, taken from the fabulous site, annie's eats.

red velvet whoopie pies

* 2 c. all purpose flour
* 2 T. cocoa powder
* 1/2 t. baking powder
* 1/4 t. salt
* 8 T. butter, softened
* 1 c. light brown sugar, packed
* 1 egg
* 1 t. vanilla
* 1/2 c. buttermilk at room temperature
* a few drops of red food coloring

- whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
- in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together butter and brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy; about two minutes.
- beat in egg until incorporated.  then add vanilla.
- with mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the dry mixture, followed by half of the buttermilk, beating just until incorporated.  repeat so that all of the buttermilk has been added and then mix the final third of the dry ingredients.  do not overmix!
- add red food coloring until desired shade.
- transfer batter to pastry bag (or a plastic bag and cut the corner for a tip).  pipe heart shapes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- bake 7-9 minutes, or until cookies are set.  allow to completely cool.

frosting:
* 8 oz. cream cheese
* 5 T. butter, softened
* 2 t. vanilla
* 2 1/2 c. powdered sugar

- cream together cream cheese and butter.  add vanilla.
- add powdered sugar and combine until creamy.
- either pipe or spread frosting with a knife and sandwich heart cookies together.  makes approximately 12 whoopie pies, depending on how big you make your cookies

so delish.  definitely an indulgent treat, but it's valentine's day right?

note: the original recipe instructs you to trace a heart template with a pencil onto parchment paper.  flip paper over and use the traced heart as a guide to pipe your batter.  but, really...who has time for that?  i just winged it.  which is probably why i gave up on hearts halfway through and resorted to just doing plain ole rounds.  either way, equally cute, equally delicious.

enjoy!

handprint valentine.

on monday, i had a valentine craft day with my little valentine. i would say "littlest" valentine, but that's not entirely true: that would be emmy :) i knew i wanted to incorporate her little handprint because there is just something about seeing it that makes my mama-heart melt. i also came across this recipe on pinterest for "world's best peanut butter chocolate chip cookie". world's best? shoot. those became a must for a gift for daddy and a few other special valentines.

(i'll post the cookie recipe soon).

but here is our cute little valentine gift for daddy:

bella loved it when i painted her hand and when she saw it's little print on paper. we went to joann's yesterday and picked out some scrapbook paper and cardstock to finish making the valentine. while she was napping, i got to work cutting out the pieces and putting it together. i always have a supply of paper doilies on hand from the dollar store, which came in handy for this project. i made up a cutesy little poem to add as well:

"i made for you my handprint
on this special valentine's day
to tell you that i love you
and in my heart you'll stay."

valentine complete.

we had fun making the cookies. bella loooooves to help me cook. whenever we bake together the rest of the day she walks around the house proclaiming "i help mama cook". such a proud lil peacock.

unfortunately sometimes she's a bit of a distraction. the first batch we made i burned half of the cookies because i forgot they were still in the oven. ooops. so yesterday while she was napping i whipped up another batch. when she woke up, we (or i) wrapped stacks of them in waxed paper, tied with twine and embellished with a little circle we cut out of scrapbook paper.

daddy's bundle of cookies had a special note: "to the best daddy in the whole WORLD! love, bella"

:)

i'm excited to do many more little projects like this one with my two little girls!! hope yall had a wonderful valentines day. my two valentines (the ones who aren't living in my belly) aren't feeling the hottest today, so i'm going to go rest while i can. this mama needs a vacation!

things i {heart} today.

i've always loved valentines day. a whole day set aside as a reminder to be intentional about doing nice things to those we love? yeah, i'm in. today my heart has been heavy as i think about those struggling with this day of love. friends who have lost husbands, others who have sick children, others who are reminded today of the ache of unfulfilled desires, and my own sweet mom as she faces this day without her husband of nearly thirty two years.

no matter where we find ourselves today--feeling completely blessed, or being reminded of all the ways in which we feel alone--we can be blanketed by the infinite love of jesus. a love we will work our whole lives to imitate here on this earth, but will still somehow be left longing for more.

my prayer is that no matter where you are today, blessings will shine through and the love of jesus will feel a little bit closer. if you're feeling lonely, sad or depressed... try doing something for someone else. you'll be amazed at what good it does your heart. after all, this day is all about love... not just receiving it, but giving it too.

things that i {heart} today:
- my sweet husband. he is sick. i went upstairs to check on him and tell him my valentines gift to him was a big ole pot of homemade chicken noodle soup that was down on the stove. he looked at me and said apologetically through an almost non-existent voice: "your gift will have to wait." i laughed. yeah, i kind of figured seeing as he hasn't gotten out of the laying down position in almost three days. oh, how i love him.

- all things bella. except for when she's being naughty. but still, that girl just steals my heart. on our way home from a playdate this morning, she was talking on the phone to her little buddies (the children of two of my best friends from high school) "goodbye, olivia. goodbye, wyatt. nice to see you! see you tomorrow. i love you! so much." ohhhhh my dear little daughter!

- walking through downtown this cold winter's morning, carrying bella, and discovering someone had taped white papers with painted red hearts on every.single.window of every.single.building downtown. how adorable is that?!

- delivering valentines treats to my mom at work today. dad always used to get her date-filled cookies from a little bakery downtown for valentines day. bella and i bought those, along with some cream horns, and made a surprise delivery to mimi today. oh, how it made me miss my dad (as just about everything does).

- bringing my sister her fav: coconut flavored dunkin donuts coffee to her office. it's also my dad's old office. it's the first time i've been able to think about walking in there. i don't know how she does it every week. but i'm so glad we visited today. again, i felt his presence.

- toasted bagels from the bagel shop. aaaaand their iced coffee: hazelnut to be exact. what a *perfect* valentines-y breakfast.

- getting to hang out with two of my high school girlfriends and watching our kiddos play and laugh together. it's so special i could cry (remember how sentimental i am? oh yeah... and pregnant).

- the little craft bella and i have been working on for a few special valentines. i'll post pictures later.

- warm peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies that we made for daddy. and a big glass of milk. heaven.

just a few things that i am loving today. and last, but not least, this song that i kept on repeat in our car today as we drove around... it's a worship song by jared anderson that nick&i had played during a slideshow at our wedding reception. just give it a listen. and remember whatever love you find yourself blessed with or longing for today, nothing compares to just how much he loves us.

happy valentines day!

thursday three.

it's been a good week. nothing extraordinary, but good. spring is in the air... after a couple of weeks of snow&ice, it's been in the 70s the past few days here in dallas.

crazy.

there's something about valentines day that i love, even though i think it's annoying it's become such a commercial "holiday". i still think its fun. i've had to convince nick of this fact a little bit... he always says he'd rather show me he loves me every day, rather than one day dictated by the pink and red aisles at target and flowers-chocolate-and-candy-businesses. true, but i'm still a fan. i've been real nostalgic lately... amazed and thankful at how our life has changed in the past year. this year, i had two valentines; last year one of them was hiding out in my belly:

can't believe how fast time flies... so thankful for where we are right. this. moment. here is this week's thursday three.

nick
as usual, i forgot to ask him about his highlight this week. but i like to think i know the mind of my husband so well that i can figure it out on my own. here goes. nick was the assistant coach for the second year in a row for the girls varsity basketball team at his school, first baptist academy. while he enjoyed it, and it was fun for bel&i to go to his games, the season ended on saturday and i know he was relieved to have a bit of a break! his girls were so sweet and gave him a big bag full of gift cards and other goodies, which was really nice. seriously, i think my husband has gotten close to $100 in starbucks gift cards over the past couple of months. crazy. and he loves it, that coffee addict that i married. i would also guess that another highlight for nick would be our date night on saturday which we used as our "valentines date". we dropped bella off at his parents, went and got take out from our fav sushi place, brought it home and watched a movie on our couch. we've done this alot lately for date night, but it is our favorite. with our weeks being so busy, it's so nice to be able to relax together, baby-free, at home in our pj's. our idea of a perfect date night.

meg
definitely date night would be a highlight for sure (goes without saying). we also wrote each other letters this year for valentines day... which is always the *best* gift ever to me! another highlight for me was some "me" time i was given this past weekend! on saturday afternoon, nick took bella to his sisters while he was at his game and i got to go have some great time with my girlfriends. it's such a blessing for me to have time to myself, and i was so excited! even better: we had an "anne of green gables" marathon. can we say blast from the past?! so fun. i grew up on those movies, so it brought me right back to being an eight year old girl watching them with my sister. we ate snacks all day and got lost in the world of prince edward island. it was pure bliss. so thankful for my girl friends!

bel
baby girl is changing *so* much. it's pretty unbelievable. she has her four front teeth, is eating chicken and toast and graham crackers, and loooooves people; mostly when they're giving her attention :) if she could tell me what her highlight was this week, i think she would say getting to see so much family. she spent the afternoon on saturday with her aunt jessica, uncle james and her favorite: her cousin wyatt :) then, she got to spend the night at her nonni and papa's saturday night, which she loves! and sunday she skyped with her grammie and grampy in maine, smiling, shrieking and kicking her feet with excitement! such a fun weekend for our little social butterfly.

there you have it, friends. this week's thursday three. so much to be thankful for.