Monday Updates!

Hey guys!  So happy to be here today!  It feels like I've been playing catch-up since the holidays and I'm happy to be posting on a regular basis now.  So what's up with you?  All good I hope!

I have a mash-up of things to post today, but I'm starting with something to make you hungry.  Superbowl snacks.  We kept it low key around here, but that didn't stop me from making some snacks for us!  I've been wanting to try out a few pinterest things (more on that soon!), so here is what I ended up with...

All were awesome and easy and now, definitely in the 'go-to' pile.  The sandwiches are ridiculous - you won't believe how ham and cheese gets transformed, I swear - it seems like magic.

Speaking of good food, our photo was featured on the WeddingWire blog!  So neat. You can check out the article on food trends here.  Our photo (bottom left) features appetizers by Lola's Catering from Samara + Brian's wedding last year.  Love Lola's!

 

Sophie's 3rd birthday was this past weekend.  Unbelieveable that she is three.  I'm going to put together a longer post for that too, but I had to show you this cake that I made.  It was awesome and a little..tedious..to make, but came out good in the end and totally worth it.  Sophie asked for a rainbow theme and I think this delivered!

And, here is the birthday girl, after she woke up :)

We also went to Florida last week for a little break - the warm weather was wonderful.


Love this shot that Tim took of us.

And, last but definitely not least - I shot a wintery engagement session last week too!  These guys were so awesome and didn't even complain - it was freezing and it took about an hour for my fingers to come back to life!  #fingerlessglovesdontwork

This is one of my favorites!


And, some interesting links for you today (some serious and some not :)

• So, I recently found out that kids pajamas contain flame retardants.  Am I really the last person to know about this?  The same chemicals that can cause/influence/lead to cancer and hormone issues?  Just my opinion, but I'm much more worried about influencing my child's chemical environment with products (especially during sleep, which is half your life!), than her leg accidentally touching a candle (which is under my control). We dumped all of our pj's that have the chemicals and will only buy snug-fitting cotton or other chemical-free alternatives.  Hundreds of dollars and all of those fleece pj's I love so much wasted.  I can't believe this hasn't hit the mainstream media hard.  Just an FYI, chemicals also heavily present in carpet, furniture and other baby items.  This kind of stuff really gets to me.  Why should Tim even work towards solving the mysteries of cancer when day to day life keeps infecting us without us knowing.  Ugh.  Don't get me started.
• On to lighter topics, I know a lot of you guys are runners. You need this hat.
• I love this poster.
• Merry Meri posted this article and it is pretty hilarious.
• Awesome DIY cleaning recipes from Cuddles and Chaos
• Love this photo set - super cool.
• My 2013 mantra.