18 months

Well summer came and went, and I didn't post even once!  I'm not sure if I'll try to catch up a little with a summer post or not.  But, I did want to post about what Quinn has been up to lately.  She reached her 18 month milestone this summer and I don't want to forget all of th fun things she is doing at this stage!

Favorite foods: bananas, grapes, clementines, pasta, pizza, black beans, corn, anything with cheese, pb&j, waffles

Favorite words: banana ("nana"), kitty, no, yeah, shoe, uhh-oh, mommy, "woooooowwww!", snack

Favorite activities: sweeping with her broom, reading books, pushing her mini stroller, going through wallets, "snuggling" with Beacon (she is getting better at being gentle!), being silly and walking around with a blanket on her head, opening and closing doors (waiting to pop out and say "Hiiii!!"), giving hugs and kisses, watching Mickey Mouse or "shows"

Least favorite activities: stopping something fun=50% chance of a tantrum depending on the circumstances, road trips (hah), doctor visits, four teeth have been pushing their way through allll summer---they are all just about broken through now! Yay!!!!

We also left Quinn with my parents for 5 days and I was a mess.  It was so nice to have a break and Quinn did great with them.  But, it was so weird not to have her with us!  She has such a presence in our family and her personality is so defined now that she is getting bigger.  It can be a tiring job but they sure are cute at this age!

Quinn had surgery to get tubes in her ears in August.
It was a rough morning on surgery day but the recovery has gone really well!

lake michigan & a wedding // summer vacation

After nearly two weeks of spending time with family and friends up north, I am finally back!  It feels nice to be home, which is a good sign that I was truly able to get rejuvenated while away.  I am not going to even TRY to document all of the fun things we did.  But, here is a glimpse...

Caught up with my best friends from high school at a favorite spot...Rose's.

 This sums up Quinn on vacation.  There was a lot of stimulation!

It was so nice to have my mom around to help with Quinn, especially for the first part of the vacation when Matt wasn't there.

We brought Quinn to the beach for about an hour on most of our days at the lake.  It was very convenient that the cottage was so close to the beach.  Even when Q was napping, there was usually  someone at the cottage willing to keep an eye on her so we could still enjoy the lake and sunshine.

 Grandma Polly stopped by for a day on her way to Chicago!

Papa had neck surgery right before we arrived, so we enjoyed the extra time with him while he was at home recovering .

 

Quinn spent a lot of time with her cousins too.  They are the best! 

Pool time.

We celebrated Gigi's **th birthday.  (Like how I did that, Mom? :)  We went for a low key party this year.  "No major surprises" was the theme as a result of last year's shenanigans.

Matt and I took a mini road trip to Chicago for a wedding.  It was the first time I have ever been away from Quinn overnight.  Gigi did a wonderful job looking after her while we were away.

 

I hadn't been back to the Chicago area since we moved, so we had fun walking around and eating at our favorite places.  While we missed our sweet Quinn, I have to admit it was very liberating to be able to run around from place to place, baby-less.   

THIS was the dessert ROOM at Mark and Ellie's wedding.  Mind blowing!  

Their wedding was beautiful.  The best part...totally Christ centered.  It was so sweet to see these two get married.  We also enjoyed seeing some good college and Young Life friends, as well as some of Matt's family.

 

 

Goodbye, Lake Michigan.  I will see you again soon, I hope!  Speaking of Lake Michigan, did you hear about the three college students who paddle boarded across Lake Michigan?  They started in Milwaukee and ended on Maranatha beach! 

 

Yes, that was the short version of our vacation.

 

I am writing a post on "flying solo part II."  It was a little different this time around now that Quinn is almost six months old.  Let me know if you have an specific questions that I could address!







meals for many: baked ham & cheese sandwiches with pasta salad

Whether it's for entertaining or making a hospitality meal to bring to a friend, it's hard not to make your typical casserole or lasagna dish (which are both perfectly fine, by the way!)  I thought I would share some recipes I have used lately to feed "many."  I made this meal for our bible study last week and they LOVED it.  I think it works well for summer because it's not too heavy and the ingredients are very easy to round up.  The complete recipe can be found HERE (also on my Pinterest board under "Party Ideas"). 

Very simple ingredients.  The recipe makes 24 sandwiches.  I used the smaller buns, so most people ate two mini sandwiches.

I cut up the cheese slices into smaller squares so that they would fit on the sandwiches.

Layering them up with ham and cheese.

The last step is to combine the melted butter, worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder.  You drizzle the mixture over the sandwiches and then top them with poppy seeds.  Let the sandwiches chill in the fridge for at least a few hours, and then pop them in the oven at 350ᴼ for 20 minutes.

This pasta salad paired well with the sandwiches.  Nothing fancy here, but fresh and tasty! 

Ingredients: cooked bow tie pasta and tortellini, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, red onion, green pepper, a dash of ground pepper, Light Italian Dressing

I just eye balled it with how much of each veggie to use.  Some other veggies that might be good to swap out or add in could be peas, cucumber, and/or carrots.

I made this in the morning, let it chill in the fridge, and then added Light Italian Dressing right before I served it.  To complete this "summery" meal I threw in some Ruffles, pop, and Publix Bakery chocolate chip cookies ;)

I made everything in the morning and then baked the sandwiches right before we had to leave.  I could see myself using this meal for a birthday party in the future too.  Enjoy!

 

s'mores bars

recipe source 



I am a big s'more lover, so I was pretty excited when I found this recipe on Pinterest.  These treats take s'mores to a whole new level!  I made them because I wanted to bring in a summer inspired treat from some of the teachers on the last day of school.  Let me break this down for you...

 

Taste: cookie cake-esque

Ingredients: simple, only thing I had to look for was graham crack crumbs

Time & Ease: easy

Notes: I baked these for 20 minutes, just like the recipe directed, but they didn't really look done.  I took them out anyway and let them completely cool, and they ended up being perfect!  Also, making the graham cracker crust was a little messy, but it still turned out just fine.

 

into the oven!

sprinkled some extra mallows on top at the end

 

final creation...the Hershey bars are just for looks (they were added last)

Let me know if you try these!  They won't disappoint!

Floral and Fudge

It's always fun when I come across a new blog that I enjoy reading.  About a month ago I started following along with Rachel at Floral and Fudge.  It turns out we have a lot in common!  First off, Rachel loves to bake (she sells her own hot fudge...how cool is that?!).  We both went to small colleges in the Chicago area, which happen to be rivals!  And, we both have a little one that we look after at home.  Anyhow, this creative mama put together a yummy treat that I CAN'T wait to try.  Mint, chocolate, Oreos, whipped cream?!  I'm in!

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I’m honored to be guest posting for Marissa today on Our Little Family Blog! I’m Rachel from Floral & Fudge. I blog about my family, desserts (mostly chocolate ones), and a little bit of fashion. My husband Steve and I have been married almost four years. We have the sweetest little boy named Nolan, and he has kept me busy every day for the past 20 months! I hail from Chicago, but we are currently enjoying small-town life while Steve finishes his PhD. Blogging has become my favorite creative outlet. And a perk is meeting wonderful people like Marissa!

This dessert is perfect for a hot day. It is a minty mix of cream cheese, marshmallow cream, and whipped cream with a crunchy Oreo crust!

Ingredients:

1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs (about half a package of Oreos, without the cream, crushed)
2 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 package cream cheese (8 ounces) cubed and softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract (or mint extract)
3 Tablespoons milk
1  1/8 cup marshmallow cream (5.25 ounces from a 7 ounce jar)
¾ cup whipping cream

Directions:

Line an 8x8 inch pan with foil, folding the edges over the sides of the pan. Spray with cooking spray. In a bowl, mix cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter. Press evenly into the pan.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, vanilla extract, mint extract, and milk with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Next, add marshmallow cream, and beat until well-mixed. Refrigerate for 45 minutes.

In a chilled, large bowl, beat whipping cream with the mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese/marshmallow mixture until blended. Add a few drops of green food coloring if you want the dessert to be green instead of white. Pour over the crust. Freeze at least four hours before serving.

Remove from the pan, lifting up the foil to help. Let it sit for a few minutes in room temperature before cutting. Optional: garnish with a dollop of whipped cream or mint candies.

Keep remaining dessert tightly-covered in the freezer.

Thank you for letting me share this recipe on your blog, Marissa!

Come visit Floral & Fudge for more dessert recipes, and adventures of our family! Feel free to follow along!

Rachel

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Yummy!  I'm so glad that Rachel was willing to share one of her dessert creations on our blog.  Don't forget to check out more of her dessert recipes and cute family at Floral and Fudge!

Summer is in the air!

Today officially felt like summer time. Although, it was a bit of a tease when I realized I have school tomorrow! Matt and I have been wanting to buy a grill for a while now, and today we finally bought one! I got a little bored during the whole ordeal and ended up wandering around the store, when I found some cute cushions for our patio chairs. To top it all off, I bought some flowers, and now it feels like we have another room in our apartment (but just outside!)

Matt's contribution

My contribution

dinner time!