BLEUBIRD BLOG

SUNDAY'S CAKE.

i got a little head start on my resolutions this afternoon. i made a maple cake. i don't think my house has ever smelled so incredible. the cake was quite good, but i will say that i am not a fan of the maple buttercream frosting that is suggested to go with this cake. i have never been much of a buttercream fan, but decided to give it another try today since i couldn't think of another frosting to compliment this particular cake. next time i will experiment with something else. have any suggestions?

tomorrow is new years eve! we are staying in and partying hard with the little ones. have fun and be safe my friends.

A FEW RESOLUTIONS.

with the new year sneaking up on me and being just around the corner, i thought i would take a few moments to share some of my resolutions with you. the new year always feels like a fresh start and a new beginning and a great time for change.

cooking - i need to spend more time in the kitchen. i am embarrassed to admit how much we have been eating out/ordering in over the past six months. we just started to do it more and more because it was easy but it is really such a giant waste of money and so impersonal. i got a few new cookbooks over the holidays and they have me really excited to jump back into the kitchen and do some meal planning.

family walks - i miss getting outside each evening with the whole family. it's a time to reflect on the day with no distractions and to get some fresh air. there just hasn't been a whole lot of time but it is a family tradition that i love and that i want to start again.

adventure - i want to be more spontaneous with family outings and road trips. we had so much fun with the last minute drive me made to nashville and it was fully of adventure and memories. i want to do this more often.

sewing - i have not sewn much this past year. another thing that i just cannot seem to find time for. i miss my sewing machine and plan on spending more time with her this year.

baking - sunday's cake was a lovely tradition that i am excited to start up again.

giving - i want to give more. i want to volunteer my time to help people and show my children the importance of giving back.

doing something for myself - maybe i will take a cooking class, a knitting class or a dance class this year.

those are just a few of the things on my list. i am really excited about them. what are some of your resolutions?

CHRISTMAS.

did you all have a merry christmas? we did. it turns out we caught a little bug while out of town and so we had to change our holiday plans at the last minute. we spent christmas eve and christmas day here at home, all cozied up in our jammies with our runny noses and husky coughs. i made soup, aubrey made chili, we watched movies and birdie made us lots of tea and baked imaginary cookies with the play kitchen that santa clause brought her. it was low key, relaxed and lovely.

i am happy to report that we are all starting to feel better now and the big kids had a merry christmas while away in florida. they will be home after new years and we will have a belated christmas celebration together. i can't wait!

i hope your holiday was merry and bright!!! xo.

THIS PLACE.

how cool is this house? it reminds me a lot of a house that we looked at here in nashville that i can't stop thinking about. the house does not have wood paneling and brick like this one, but it is big and open with vaulted ceilings, giant windows and is in the hills above the city. it is an option for us, but is not our first choice. it is a little too removed and i think it is important for us to be in the city for at least a year or so. i want the kids to be able to meet friends easily and there is a really great homeschooling community here in town. we are looking at another couple of homes today, but one of them is a little more than we are wanting to spend and the other is in an area that may not be great for kids. there just aren't a lot of homes available right now that are big enough for our family. we're hoping that a few more options will open up after the holidays. fingers crossed.

on another note, i cannot believe christmas is just three days away. we need to get home soon so i can wrap presents and prepare for christmas eve with our friends. we were planning on leaving nashville tomorrow morning but aubrey thinks it might be best to leave tonight and drive half way since it took us twice as long to get here as it should have. road tripping with a toddler and a newborn has been... interesting. :)