BLEUBIRD BLOG

52/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

julian: this is his treasured hobbit sword that he received for christmas. by far the winning prize under the tree this year.
milla plum: my beautiful girl. so full of life. growing up so fast these days that i just want to push pause for a moment.
birdie: she rolls her eyes at me if she is not in the mood for pictures, haha.
sailor: i spy a tiny boy who has a thing for crawling under the table lately. i think he is copying frances the pug.

i did it. i completed my 52 weeks of photos. thank you all for joining me here each week. i am excited to continue the project again next year... next week. i am trying to think of a fun spin to put on it, but so far am coming up short with ideas. your suggestions are very much welcome.

have a happy new year my friends! please be safe. xx

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS

happy holidays! we had a lovely christmas break over here. i can't believe how quickly it came and went. on christmas eve we invited some friends over and had a relaxing dinner. artichoke dip, honey roasted ham, beer cheese soup, along with plenty of christmas cookies and a giant present shaped cake that our friends so thoughtfully made for us. after opening up our christmas jammies and watching christmas movies, we tucked the kids into bed and popped a bottle of champagne for santa duty.

the next morning the kids were up by 6:30 and rushing down the stairs to see if santa had come. good news... he did. i made a delicious soup inspired by the big kids grandmother. she makes a ham and bean soup with the leftover ham from the night before. i made a few changes, but it was easy and delicious. this is what i did...

you will need:

1lb white beans
3 quarts chicken broth 
the ham hock or shank
2 1/2 teaspoons herbs de provence
1 small diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 diced carrot
2 cloves garlic diced
tabasco or cholula hot sauce to taste
salt and pepper to taste
fresh parsley or fresh chopped onion as a garnish 

in a medium sized pot, cover beans with water. bring to a boil and then turn heat off. let beans soak for 2-2.5 hours.
meanwhile put the ham hock/shank in another large pot, cover with 2 quarts chicken broth. add herbs de provence. bring to a slow boil and then simmer for one hour. add vegetables, beans and half a quart of chicken broth. cook for another hour and a half adding more broth as needed. afterwards the meat should pull away from the bone easily. discard bones. add hot sauce and salt and pepper to taste. enjoy! it's really good.

i hope you are all enjoying the holidays. we need to take down our christmas tree and decorations which is always a little bit sad. i can't believe the year is almost over. i am excited though, my new blog site will be launching in just a few days. i will no longer be using typepad. may this little space rest in peace. i will keep you posted on the change.

have a good weekend. i will be back on monday! xx

51/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

julian: a big mug of hot cocoa.
milla plum: shaking presents under the tree. i loved to do that when i was a girl, too.
birdie: her hair has gotten so long.
sailor: the sweetest blue eyed baby boy.

only one more week to go! so crazy. many of you have asked if i am going to do something special with the photos that i have taken of the kids over the past year. i plan to, yes. i am thinking of making them into a book of sorts. our very own little family coffee table book perhaps. i will be sure to share with you once it is complete. many of you have also asked if i plan on carrying on with this photo project into the new year. i think that i will. i was looking through the photos from week one until now earlier and it was so beautiful to see the slight changes week to week and the memories that come along with each photo. i may do a different spin on it, but i will definitely be taking weekly photos again.

in other news, we are all feeling better, just in time for christmas! thank you for all of the well wishes. we are seriously behind with christmas wrapping and cookie baking though, so i better run and get to work. 

BITS + PIECES

1. he gives kisses now. all day long.
2. aubrey and i have been very sick with what has been going around town over the past few days. we are doing our best to keep the kids well.
3. beetlejuice pants and a fox tail.
4. cinnamon pine cones.
5. birdie's christmas tree art.
6. a dreamy baby.
7. a little green on our plum colored door.
8. in love with the new issue of kinfolk.
9. this morning birdie woke up with a cough and a low-grade fever. keeping her hydrated and resting today.
10. always trying to grab the camera.
11. lots of hot tea with lemon oil these days.

it's been awhile since i have shared some bits + pieces. it's a post that i truly love and will try to share more often. this week has been a rough one. aubrey and i have been very sick. in and out of the doctors office, on antibiotics and supplements, all while trying to keep the kids healthy. i thought we had managed to keep them clear or this terrible bug until this morning when birdie woke up warm to the touch and coughing. i suppose it needs to make it's rounds. i foresee a few more trips to the doctor in our near future. crossing my fingers that we are well by christmas.

hope you are all staying healthy during this cold and flu season. xx