so much thanks.

here was my thanksgiving...

 i made these amazing and crazy simple cookies...

andes mint cookies

-1 box devil's food cake mix, 1/2 cup oil, 2 eggs... mix them together and scoop onto cookie sheets (it made 24 cookies for me).

-bake at 350 for about 7-8 minutes (i took them out at 6 minutes and flattened them a bit)

-move to wire racks and put an unwrapped andes mint on each, wait until it melts and use a spoon to spread it around!

seriously delish.

 my mother in law found a fun pinterest fruit treat, so i created it! cute, eh? (the eyes are chocolate chips held down with peanut butter and the beak and feet are cheese that i cut)

 micah during thanksgiving dinner.

 lots of nieces and nephews!

 notice micah is wearing a different outfit? yep. someone enjoyed his thanksgiving meal a little too much.

the stocking that stays at grammy and grandpa ebright's house. with a baby behind it.

and as if thanksgiving isn't enough,
the next day we had the ebright tradition: asian invasion!
homemade deliciousness.



oh, and this was our baby boy at one month. no big deal.


a lot to be thankful for.
thank you, Jesus.

easy cooking + decorating.

well, my life has obviously drastically changed.

my world now revolves around a 10 pound (probably more like 11 pound...) human who can't talk to me or interact, but somehow commands all my actions.

thus, i need things to be more simple.

until i figure out how to be more productive.

so, first: a simple and delicious meal. 

have i mentioned that i now love frozen bread dough? 

because i do. 

cheap. simple. easy to use.

matt and i have discussed me trying to use it for as many meals as possible.

i wouldn't hate that.

check this out: a mix of calzone and stromboli and made up meal.

 oh yum. 

all you do is thaw the bread dough in the fridge overnight, then roll it out, add pepperoni, salami, sauce and cheese.  

seal it back up, put it seal down on a greased pan, egg wash the top, slit it and sprinkle parmesan.  

cook it at 350 for about 35 minutes and it's delicious--and huge!

more easy... christmas decor!

 i'm loving the merry. 

and it was so simple to make. painted letters? thanks pinterest.

and this is the stocking that i splurged on from pottery barn. whoops!

 oh, and this is our christmas tree. 

in front of a big window at the front of the house. 

that's always been a dream of mine--i love trees in front of windows so we can see the tree from the road!

i have to add the matt addition to decorating... lights up the stairs.

i love it when matt adds his touches. 

check out where it's plugged in...ha!

 

more super easy... micah's room decor!

i didn't want to poke holes in the wall, since it's not our house, so i made these to match his bedding and just used command strips to attach them!

(it's just foam core covered in fabric that's hot glued on, then i painted letters and hot glued them to the fabric!)

oh, and some simple things i'm going to make tomorrow/wednesday/thursday?

simple monkey bread. recipe to come. (thanks pinterest)

simple andes mint cookies. recipe to come. (thanks matt buying andes mints)

huge thanksgiving sugar cookie. recipe's already on my dessert page!

side note: we got micah's newborn shots. crazy cute.

check them out (feel free to judge for how many i put up. i couldn't choose.):

happy thanksgiving, all!

scrapbooking it.

well, i'm going to make a scrapbook.

but i am thinking it would be fun to make it more graphic-designer-y.

so, here's a sample of the template i'm going to use.

that matt helped me make.

the blank space is where i'll put a picture of him.

not too shabby, right?

yeah, buddy.

life with child.

life with a child is a lot different than life without, that's for sure.

some things i've realized...

1. i miss being pregnant in no way. being able to sleep on my back is a joy that i previously underrated. being huge and getting stares and comments everywhere is also something i can live without for a while.

2. while babies are predictable, needing very simple things, it's incredible how much time it takes to get those things done. i literally feel that i spend my days feeding him, changing him, and attempting to get him to sleep or keep him awake. 

3. showering + coffee = survival.

4. even though it's tiring and a weird life change, i sure do love him. to the point that thinking about it makes me tear up. oh, which makes me think of another thing i've realized...

5. HORMONES. out of control. yikes for matt... and my parents. whoops.

6. i've come to love ellen.

7. i wish starbucks delivered.

in other news,

i have super fun christmas crafting ideas. but i can't share them. but here are some i'm not using that are awesome!

painted wooden blocks from here

cinnamon stick christmas wreath from here

or a gift i made last year and was my favorite ever...

(look back here to find the tutorial on this sucker...)

and for meals, well, i haven't been cooking a ton, but i have been watching sports with matt. and a commercial had a great recipe!

BBQ chicken crescent rolls

basically, you just make barbeque chicken and roll it up in a crescent roll with a little cheese. cook for 10 minutes at 375, and holy delicious! it's a great cold night meal.

and i have to put up some pictures of the one who i spend all my time with...

 halloween!

 bathtime... hooded towel style. 

(right after we put him in this, he peed all over the place. for the 19538015938 time.)

next blog, i'm going to put up pictures of micah's room. finally.

as if you care. just pretend for me.

also, i'll hopefully make some fun things--baking, cooking, and hopefully crafting!

oh, and one more thing. i've been reading this book on my kindle. and i love it. and you should read it.

jim cymbala is awesome.