I had so much fun shooting the Drozd family’s portraits a few weeks ago! Three boys, THREE, kept this photographer on her toes. But honestly, anyone who believes girls are sweeter than boys are crazy. These guys did such a great job smiling for my camera and I really enjoyed my time with the family.
Happy birthday, Sweet Girl! Your mom and dad love you a million times over.
We had a good, good day, didn’t we?
It’s the night before Livia’s sixth birthday and I just botched an entire batch of M&M cookies for her school treat tomorrow. But before I get too frustrated by the botched batch—say that five times fast!—I have to remember that things could be worse. It could’ve been a botched cake, and that would’ve been bad news.
As it is, a heart-shaped cake awaits icing on the counter. Bags of decorations and unwrapped gifts rest on the living room couch. Our little white Coton snoozes in his kennel after a satisfying dinner of dog food. And my handsome web developer web-develops upstairs; surely he won’t mind eating the rest of the cookie dough for me.
Tucked in her bed, with a stuffed pink octopus nestled in her arms, lies my little girl on her last night of being five years old. Awake she is vibrant, chatty, imaginative and strong. Asleep she is only a breath away from that baby who slept peacefully with her arms behind her head, legs splayed like a little frog.
Praise God for this child who calls me Mama. Each day of Livia Raine is a blessing to me.
I’ve known Ashley since she was a peanut of a kid, so it was extra special to help host a bridal shower for her last week. I like these images of the party and wanted to share them here.
The square candies picture above are Raspberry Truffle Fudge. It’s the simplest candy recipe I’ve ever made (seriously) and it tastes amazing. I’ve posted the recipe on Needs More Butter, but wanted to list it here as well:
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
salt to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup raspberry flavored liqueur
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Spray a 9×9 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray, and line with wax paper.
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine 3 cups chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Heat in microwave until chocolate melts, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to let it scorch. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Spread into pan, and cool to room temperature.
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine cream, liqueur, and 2 cups chocolate chips. Heat in microwave until the chocolate melts; stir until smooth. Cool to lukewarm, then pour over the fudge layer. Refrigerate until both layers are completely set, about 1 hour. Cut into 1 inch pieces.
**Based on others’ reviews, I exchanged seedless raspberry jam for the raspberry-flavored liqueur. I simply melted the jam in the microwave and made the easy substitution. Also, I drizzled more melted jam on top of the fudge. Mmm, mmm good!!