BLEUBIRD BLOG

STITCHED.

the incredibly talented lucky jackson from 365 lucky days, who i posted about here, stitched me yesterday. i am so incredibly honored that she would want to stitch me and i love how it turned out. lucky, you are so incredibly talented! thank you so much and of course you can stitch my little family any time you want to. xoxo.

BITS + PIECES.

bits + pieces from our week at the ranch...

most of our days were spent just like this one... outdoors, always together and having fun. the first few days we were there, it was just the five of us. a little quality family time before our friends and loved ones arrived. the ranch is one of my favorite places and this trip quickly became one of my absolute favorite times we have spent together. the entire week was full of smiles, laughter and making memories. we were so far away from the fast paced, everyday hustle and bustle of regular life, out in the middle of nowhere with only each other and our imaginations to keep us company. i wished that week could have lasted forever. it was such a beautiful and wonderful experience. i feel like my little family grew even closer and more connected than we already were over the days. i cannot wait to go back.

GUEST POST - SHUTTERBEAN.

Dear Miss James & Aubrey,

In honor of your special day, I've concocted a fancy LOVE potion for the two of you! This cocktail has the perfect balance of sweet, bitter, bubbles and tang--much like a healthy marriage. I hope the extra gin makes you DRUNK with LOVE.

Let's raise a glass and CHEERS to your new life together as husband & wife. I wish you all the love & happiness you deserve.

Love always from your friend,

Tracy Shutterbean

GIN & POMEGRANATE LOVE POTION

(makes 2 drinks)

-4 oz. Hendrick’s Gin

-1 1/2 cup sparkling water

-1 oz. pomegranate syrup (recipe below)

-4 lime wedges

-2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

-ice

1. Fill both glasses with ice.

2. Squeeze 2 lime wedges into each glass & drop them in.

3. Add 1 tablespoon pomegranate seeds to each glass and pour 2 oz. of gin, 3/4 sparkling water then slowly pour 1/2 oz. pomegranate syrup on top.

4. Stir well & garnish with more pomegranate seeds and a straw. Enjoy!

POMEGRANATE SYRUP:

-2 cups pomegranate juice (sweetened)

-1/2 cup sugar

-1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. In a saucepan, combine pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice over medium heat.

2. Stir until sugar has completely dissolved. Allow to cook over medium high heat for 20-25 minutes, or until juice has reduced to the consistency of syrup. 

3. Remove from heat and let cool. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

LITTLE WORDS.

this little girlie has been talking up a storm. she says "hi" or "hi-yeeeee" to everyone, especially complete strangers. she says "oh noooo" when she drops something, trips or stumbles a bit. she says "papa" and her first two word combos are "whass dat?" and "hi mum-mah" which she usually says right after waking up. her newest word is "buhbuls" (bubbles). we went and played at our friends house friday evening and blew lots of bubbles outside. she had the best time chasing and popping them with her little pal baxter. she has started to mimic everything she sees or hears... animal sounds, kiss noises, laughing, dancing, expressions... she is such a sweet and smart little lady. fifteen months is my favorite age so far.

photo by zach mcnair.

THANKFUL.

i am truly thankful for all of the amazing people and loved ones in my life. i have never been this happy and i attribute that to the people i surround myself with on a daily basis. i am thankful to my new husband for his incredible support and heart of gold, to my three children who brighten each day and fill each moment with laughter and fun, to my friends, who have stuck by my side all of these years and been there whenever i needed them, to reconnecting with some of my family members after far too long and building a new, stronger relationship with them. i am thankful for the many people i have met over the years through this blog and the friendships that have resulted. i have so many things i could list out here today that i am grateful for, but i think i've noted the most important ones. i am so lucky and will never take these things for granted, ever.

happy thanksgiving my friends! i hope yours was lovely. our thanksgiving this year, as opposed to last year, was pretty laid back. it was just aubrey, myself and gemma bird. the big kids spent the holiday with their dad in florida so we cooked a very small feast, watched the parade and stayed in our pajamas all day. we did a little christmas decorating, listened to records and ate a lot of yummy food. it was really nice. we were all supposed to head up to the dallas/fort-worth area today to spend the weekend but i decided last minute to stay home to catch up on some things around the house.

i can't believe it's officially christmas time. my absolute favorite time of the year. the kids come home from vacation on tuesday and then we will go pick out our tree. we put up the silver tinsel tree the other night, but i like to get a real one as well because it just doesn't feel like christmas if you don't have the christmas tree smell. we went without one year and i will never do that again.

happy thanksgiving and happy black friday y'all! xo, james.