My mom used to make this delicious breakfast treat for me every Saturday morning before my basketball games. I remember looking forward to Saturdays for the relaxed way they started and getting excited about playing in my game as I would smell the french toast cooking on the stove.
Now that I am a wife and mom, I realize what a treat it is to have food brought out to you, fresh and ready to eat, and know that cooking special meals for us was just one of the ways my mom served and loved me sister and me when we were kids. Lucky us to have a mama who loved to cook and did it well. :)
This breakfast treat is great for dinner too. We love breakfast-for-dinner nights! And it can be changed a million different ways- add in your favorite fruits, switch out the flavor of fillings, etc.
I should also mention that french toast is really hard to mess up. I listed specific measurements for the ingredients, but I have never actually measured this recipe. A sprinkle of cinnamon, a splash of vanilla, and bigger splash of milk... you really can't mess this up!
Ingredients:
10 pieces of bread (I used Publix 5 grain italian, but just use your favorite kind)
4oz cream cheese (1/2 package)
4oz favorite jelly, jam, or preserves
3 eggs
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 tsp milk
Directions:
Warm/soften cream cheese in microwave to make it easier to spread.
Spread a layer of cream cream on 5 pieces of bread.
Spread the jelly on the other 5 pieces.
Place the sandwiches together so that each sandwich has a jelly slice and a cream cheese slice of bread.
Mix together the egg mixture with a fork.
Dip each side of the sandwich in the egg mixture and place on a skillet.
Repeat for other 4 sandwiches.
Cook on low to medium heat until toast is lightly browned and the inside is warm.
Serve with bacon, eggs, grits, fruit, or your favorite breakfast side.
I am such a sucker for a good love story and love Nicholas Sparks' books. I have read just about every book he has written and have loved almost all of them.
This book told the story of two different couples, one old and one young (similar to The Notebook) and intertwined their stories at the end. I don't always like when books switch back and forth between plots (why I have a love/hate relationship with Jodi Piccoult and Mary Higgins Clark books), but it really didn't bother me at all in this book. I felt like he spent enough time on each plot before switching back to the other one, so it never felt choppy. I also felt like I knew the characters so well by the end and wanted to know the whole time I was reading how he would tie their stories together.
This is a light read, perfect for the beach, or reading before bed. It's a little predictable and cheesy at times but that's kind of quintessential Nicholas Sparks, right? If I'm reading a love story, I want a little cheese in it. And I want their story to be a happy one.
Tonight, Matt and I are going to watch the movie and have a date night in. Which means I might should pour myself an afternoon cup of coffee while Ryan finishes up his nap. Movies and I don't usually do well past 9pm (sad but true I'm afraid).
And since Matt's being so great to watch this movie with me, I'm making a steak dinner for the two of us. This one, to be exact:
With a side of my favorite homemade mac & cheese (because this girl's gotta have a little pasta with a steak meal) :)
In regards to our current house we are living in, I've been bouncing back and forth lately between a state of contentment and appreciation for this stage of life we're in and feeling antsy, impatient, curious and ready for what will come next.
The facts on why I should feel content and appreciate this stage:
(aside from the obvious that every stage should be appreciated and I, in general, should feel content with what we have rather than look ahead to what we hope to have or even plan to have in the future)
...right now we live in a great little house that's just right for us, where Matt and I can talk to each other from any room and hear what the other person is saying without a problem
...there are no stairs for Ryan to climb up and down all day
...there is no need that I've discovered as of yet for even one baby gate
...Matt can mow the grass in a short amount of time
...I can keep our house tidy with very little effort, and when we do use a cleaning a service, it doesn't cost much because there's not a whole lot of space to cover
...our location is close to everything we could possibly need (4 Publixes alone in less than 3 miles from our front door, not to mention the Kroger, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Fresh Market and Target that are all right here as well)
...we have a fenced-in backyard so we've never once had to take Tally out to go the bathroom, and the area is flat and small enough that picking up after him is easy (for Matt) ;) to do
...the window in our kitchen overlooks the backyard, so when Ryan is older, I can picture him and Tally playing out there together while I cook dinner and watch them through the window.
...we have neighbors who are so super sweet all along our street who are in the exact same stage of life as we are (the three couples closest to us are all expecting their first babies this year), and our other closest neighbor is a grandmother who asked to walk Tally every day when Matt and I were both working because she missed the golden retrievers she grew up with; she also closed in her backyard so that Tally could play back there while she painted in the afternoons. I mean really sweet neighbors.
As you can see, the list is long.
And that was actually very therapeutic and much-needed I do believe.
So now, the honest reasons why I am wanting to move- some valid, and some admittedly very shallow:
...I'm ready for more space. I really don't hold on to things we don't need or aren't currently using, but baby and toddler items take up space and when you know you'll have more kids, you can't exactly take things to Goodwill when the first babe outgrows them.
...I'm ready for a neighborhood where we can ride bikes, go on walks, and maybe even swim and play tennis in one general location
...I want to renovate another house. We have one item left on our to-do list (a very simple to-do at that) and I'm itching for some new big house-related projects)
...I'd love a kitchen and living room that are made for entertaining. I love having people over and would love to have a house that is designed for hosting- whether it's playdates with lot of crawling babies and toddlers or adults-only dinner date nights. I dream of a large dining room table and a living room that comfortably seats friends and family when they visit.
The fact is, I know we will look back on these days with such fond memories. When life was simple, our house was just what we needed and nothing more, and we had so much life and adventure ahead of us.
I know this because it's how I feel when I think back to our days of living in our 980sf apartment where we spent our first three years of marriage and didn't have a single living thing to be responsible for- not even a plant.
So I know this, but yet, the struggle is real.
As silly and superficial and shallow as it is.
So today, I am going to choose to be thankful for everything we have, because I know that we have so much. And I am going to appreciate our little bungalow in the city with it's fenced in backyard and its bagillion supermarkets and restaurants nearby.
And in case you missed this amazing tribute on Monday, you honestly must take 8 minutes and 45 seconds to watch it. Talk about putting perspective on what really matters in life.
And if you are a Jesus follower, you might just burst into tears like I did at the powerful and touching way Kathie Lee spoke about her husband's faith and the lessons they hoped to pass on to their children. And if you aren't, watch it anyway, because man, we could all use a little reminder about what matters most in life, right?
It's hard to believe we have a one year old in our house. The amount of growth and change that one year brings is really amazing. Here's a look at some pictures from our last two weeks!
My cleaning helper... of sorts. ;) Trash bags are super fun we learned, so I let him go to town while I cleaned. It's a pretty easy cleanup for the amount of entertainment it provided!
These two follow each other around all day long. They are such sweet buddies. Ryan's new favorite thing is to go snuggle on Tally's bed with him. I was a little grossed out by it at first (that bed is covered with dog hair!), but it's just too cute to not let it happen.
sweet boo.
Ryan loved his birthday celebration at Mimi and Papa's house! Mimi worked really hard on cleaning up the swingset at their house, and it did not disappoint!
Birthday cake, banana pudding style :)
Ryan's first batch of banana bread! It look a little longer and was definitely messier, but this boy loved helping me bake! Recipe here.
First haircut! I love how little he looks in this picture. :)
This sweet buddy has been requested lots of outside time recently. He loves climbing these steps outside of our house and playing with his new car and water table.
(btw, that's a piece of a toy, not a sucker- ha)
I love watching these two buddies play kitchen together. ;) They are 6 weeks apart to the day and are starting to (sort of) actually play together, ha. Love watching them!
This is Ryan's new car that my friend Andrea gave to him. But before we took it to our house, the kiddos made a carpool line through Andrea's house. Somehow Ryan got the best end of this deal. ;)
Big buddy getting ready for his dinner at Nonna's house and sitting at the big kid table for the first time! I couldn't believe he was actually big enough for it already. And oh that face... this boy loooves him some meal time.
First trip to a Japanese steakhouse! He got a little nervous when the big flame went up but recovered quickly!
Sweet buddy :) Love experiencing these "firsts" with him!
He is loving his new legos that he got for his birthday. I love watching him figure out how to stick them together. This is such a fun age- so much to figure out!
Buddies at the park :)
Snuggle time with Mimi in the pool! I joked with Mimi that Mama was getting a little jealous of those snuggles! They lasted for a good 1-2 minutes! haha.. I'm glad I got a picture of the sweetness while it lasted.
When my mom came into town last week, she let Matt and I have a breakfast date before work- breakfast dates might be my new favorite kind of date!
Oh man I love these pictures. I love having a video monitor mostly because I like watching what Ryan does before he falls asleep and when he wakes up. He loves looking through his books and will chatter through the pages... and then sometimes, he falls asleep in the only space he has left after spreading everything out! Sweet buddy!
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