Life is A Journey...Come Follow Our's

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Wine and Cheese

This past weekend we had our 3rd Annual Wine and Cheese Party.  Unlike in years past, we decided to scale it back this year, cut our guest list in half, and cut back on the amount of food (definitely not the amount of wine though, right?!?!).  I must say, it was our best Wine and Cheese Party yet!

After last year where I spent the majority of the time in the kitchen, I decided to revamp my food plan and eliminate any hot food items.  My thought was that if I could only have foods that could be served at room temperature, I would have a lot more time to spend with our guests, our dearest friends.  I made stuffed mushrooms and peanutbutter fudge, and had plenty of cheeses, dips, and spreads.  I decided that my main dessert was going to be shot glass desserts and I must say, I am still impressed by them.  I ordered shooters (the tall shot glasses) from a company called Kegworks and filled them with homemade chocolate mousse (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chocolate-mousse-recipe/index.html), Paula Deen's Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/pumpkin-gingerbread-trifle-recipe/index.html), and baked apples with caramel and graham crackers (my vegan dish for our vegan friend) that tasted just like apple pie!  They looked so pretty lined up on trays and tasted even better...especially the chocolate mousse!  I also ordered a chocolate fountain and what a part saver that was! Can you possibly get any easier than that?  Have a look for yourself at about hald of our party spread:



And that was before everyone brought all their dishes!  Needless to say, we had plenty of good food, good wine and good company.

A few pics for your viewing pleasure:

Maria, Quinn, Brenda, and Sara

Quinn and his Arkansas Aunts B

Daddy and Quinn

Johnny, Maria, and Angie

Martha and Quinn

Brad Gets The Fire Going

Carlie and Jared

The Girls

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

10 Days As a Single Parent

Brad has been quite the world traveler this past month.  Not more than 4 days after returning home from an amazing trip to Cozumel, he was off to Shang'hai, China for a 10 day work trip leaving Quinn and me to fend for ourselves and honestly, we had a blast!  The hardest part was definitely trying to get us both ready in the mornings and out the door by 6:30am, but we did it and I was never more than 90 seconds late for work.  I give major accolades to single mothers because I now understand how much they must sacrafice to be able to be a good parent and provide for their children.  How in the world they manage to work, raise a child, play with their children, eat well, exercise, keep their house clean, and still sleep is beyond me!

Luckily for us, I was only a single parent for 2 days before my mom and her friend Joy came down to visit/lend a hand.  Thanks to them, I was still able to work out (I'm training for a half marathon on January 16th), keep my house clean, eat well, and enjoy my son.  They also got to witness Quinn on the move!  He is up on all fours, scooting backwards, and is FAST!

Here are a few pics from their visit:

Quinn Happy To See Joy

Fascinated By The Christmas Tree

This Is What Happens When You Can Only Go Backwards

Quinn's First Meeting With Santa Claus

Overall, it was a great week, but we sure were ready for Brad to get home.  Thank goodness for Skype (we were able to talk and video chat at least twice a day), e-mail, and awesome friends and family who are always willing to help out.  Luckily, we are done with business trips for awhile!