an adoption sip and see

a couple months back, i had the privilege of helping throw a lovely little sip and see (think baby shower after the baby has arrived) for a friend and her sweet new little guy. my contribution for the celebration was the cake and some decor.  we went with a travel theme in honor of the adoption.  my kiddos and i folded lots of paper airplanes for buntings  - such an easy and eye catching pop of fun!  a few of the airplanes were also attached to wire and combined with these beautiful flowers for the cake topper.  one of my favorite final products ever.

it was my first attempt at a naked cake (no exterior frosting).  not too shabby, but i learned a few tricks for the future, like using more frosting next time for better squish factor.  and i imagine it will take a lot of practice to conquer some of the crumbling issues when baking gluten free.  the powdered sugar masked that well though.

these were a few of the pics i grabbed before heading over to the party.  (yes, i quickly attached some of the paper fans and buntings on the chalkboard for effect.  blogger habits die hard.)  just mentally add some globes, a hand cut "welcome home" banner, loads of yummy food, fawning friends and one bundle of joy.  now you have an idea of our night.

we are so glad you are here, gorgeous baby boy!

xoxo

thanksgiving 2013

 

it has only been a week since thanksgiving, but we are in full advent mode at casita hart.  before beginning an influx of holiday/winter inspired posts, let me spend a moment on one of my favorite holidays of the year.

i think i love thanksgiving so much because it is the start to a sweet season of celebration that lasts through the new year.  also, i love to eat good food.  and to spend time with others.  and to pick out a christmas tree the next day. 

for our first new mexican thanksgiving, we hosted a friendsgiving feast for 18.  it was so so great.  lots of cooking, lots of eating, and lots of thankfulness for these new relationships.  it is still crazy to think how much has changed in the past year.  this holiday almost felt like the start to our rooted life in the southwest.

the brined roasted turkey was so pretty and even tastier.  so much yumminess was brought and enjoyed.  through the use of danielle walker's thankful i was able to make all of my dishes paleo or gluten-free, which was quite an undertaking, but not as difficult as i imagined.  i highly recommend the recipes in that ebook.  the smoky candied bacon sweet potatoes may be my favorite.  i could eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

thank you, friends, for sharing this meal with us.
and for humoring me with the chalk hand turkeys.

san francisco with sonya (night 3)

tea tasting, souvenir shopping, and a super yummy dinner spread amidst the vibrant color and sound of chinatown made my final night pretty much the best.  those lanterns! i want to print out these photos and plaster my walls with the red gorgeousness.  they would just transport me back to those streets.

this was the last of my visit with my girl sonya.  thank you, friend, for inviting me to join you in beautiful san francisco.  it was truly a sweet time.  muah!

i am joining the nester and will be blogging every single day in october! 

full list of posts here.

san francisco with sonya (day 3)

the third - and last - day of my getaway in san francisco started off fabulously. my first ever blog friend lives in the bay area and nicole came downtown to meet me for brunch. it was basically amazing. one of the highlights of my year for sure. we could have spent the entire day chatting away.

over the afternoon, sonya and i took another tour bus ride.  the weather had definitely reverted to more typical sf june. we stayed bundled up inside from the wind and cold, watching the sights through the windows.  but the change outside meant fog!  it was as gorgeous as i hoped.

a stroll down haight street was a mixed bag. neat shops and fun culture, but also. . . there was a heaviness there.  it just felt wrong.  both of us were moved to leave early. 

i can't wait to share my final set of photos.  one word.  chinatown!

i am joining the nester and will be blogging every single day in october! 

full list of posts here.

san francisco with sonya (day 2 and night 2)

can you take too many photos of that bridge?

i think not.  i mean.  it is just so darn pretty.

i cajoled miss sonya into walking across with me. the only problem was the complete lack of fog.  i really wanted fog.  oh and sausalito was such a fun destination.  those drinks about did us in though.  the laughing so hard as our bus bounced back across that golden gate.

then just me and a blueberry croissant for a moment.  halfway through the trip and time to reflect on this little break from the everyday.

after dinner and a bite (or three) of free chocolate, there was this scary encounter on our way to the hotel which made me remember that i am not a city girl and had me praying for God to open my eyes to the darkness and remembering that the war has already been won, even if the battles of brokenness wage on.

friday ended with more laughing at the movies - a form of therapy really.  good friends know when you just need some owen wilson in your life.

i am joining the nester and will be blogging every single day in october! 

full list of posts here.