Our Little Lady Turned One!

A dear friend once told me that when it comes to motherhood and raising babies, "The days drag on but the years zoom by". Some of the most truthful words ever. Time does fly by but you just don't realize it because it feels like time gets stuck in the day to day routine. But then you look back and wonder where did the time go from this...

to this?

Like when did I go from holding my baby girl in crook of my arm to holding her on my hip? There was never a distinct moment. It just happened.  Instead of not wanting time to feel like it is flying by too fast, I just want to enjoy each new stage with my precious baby girl. Like her very first birthday!

We knew all along that we wanted to do a "bug" theme because she has been our baby bug since day one. I knew I wanted a sweet party at home because I know that one day she will want a party elsewhere. So we invited some of our dearest friends and babies included to celebrate.
I went to work planning and trying to make her day special. I was teacher by day and Martha Stewart wannabe by night. We had tulle, tissue paper and ribbon all over our house.

 But we did it and had everything to go in the knick of time. Everything was as perfect as it was going to get and....then my little "perfect" bubble popped...(God does this often to keep me humble and focused on the most important things:) Our birthday girl woke up on her birthday morning with fever and sick as could be and the weather turned freezing and rainy which meant that our guests would be stacked like sardines in our tiny house. But you know what...it still was perfect, in the most important ways. Not because of the Pintrest banners, party favors or whatever else our culture has told us we need to have for a successful party but because we were surrounded by so many loved ones, new friends and old, far and near and we were blessed with a happy and precious although sick baby girl.

We are blessed and our CollinsCatherine has given us more love and joy than we could have every imagined and she has lots of love.

All of my south favorite Louisiana girls drove to us to celebrate! 

(Yes, Kelly, you are a Louisiana girl now and I am so thankful!)

Tim and precious Ro!

My beautiful Sunshine girls and CC's Sunshine aunts!

Best friends and small group mommas raising our babies together!

Uncle James came too!

Love from her Aunt Mary Rachel and Uncle David!

Pattison teachers and future Pattison Colts!

Bebes got to come too!

Aunt Gabey and our precious babies!

It meant so much that my sister came and wouldn't miss CC's first birthday

Aunt Jess was there for her birth and birthday...what a blessing!

Matthew and CC=Best friends since day one!

All the babies minus three! 

And a fun new ride from Sunny and Paw Paw that we made the best of in cold weather:)

And the birthday cake was delicious and beautiful and I think our birthday girl loved it! She had a quick lick and then went in face first!

And we did have some really good food, too...not going to lie. It was kind of my favorite part. One of my favorite chili recipes to this day (and we even had a chili bar), a snack recipe that is like Chex Mix but a thousand times better and amazing spinach dip. I was pretty darn proud of the menu:)

Steakhouse Chili

1 tablespoon EVOO

1 pound bacon, finely chopped

2 pounds ground sirloin beef

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 tablespoon chili powder

salt and pepper

1 (15oz) can tomato sauce

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoon hot pepper sauce

2 cups beef stock

Garnish: Sour cream, shredded cheese and parsley

In a large pot,heat the EVOO over medium high heat. Add the bacon and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring, until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and chili powder, a little salt and lots of pepper.

In a bowl, stir together the tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and hot sauce. Stir in the the chili powder. Stir in the beef stock and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cook until thickened, 6 to 7 minutes. 

Spinach Dip

1 (16oz) carton sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

1 package Knorr vegetable soup mix

green onions (optional)

2 pkgs chopped frozen spinach

Mix sour cream, mayo and vegetable soup mix and chill. Thaw and drain spinach well. Mix other ingredients and serve. 

Nuts and Bolts

1 pound butter (seriously, but worth it!)

10 drops hot sauce or to taste

12 oz. Rice Chex

13-20 oz nuts

12 oz. pretzels

salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder

5 oz. Worchestershire sauce

12 oz. Wheat Chex

Melt butter, add seasonings and mix well. Blend dry ingredients. Pour butter mixture over cereal and mix. Put in large baking pan and bake at 200 degrees for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Stir every 20 minutes. Stinking amazing!

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Sisters and Margaritas Just Go Together...

My sister made my whole month when she told me to block off a weekend in November (yes, I am that behind!) because the whole Courville family was coming to town. I don't think I could have a better Friday knowing  my sister and her precious crew were on their way. The wine was ready and beer "fridge" was stocked. Time to celebrate the weekend and solve all of the worlds problems while managing to keep the babies, kids and hubbies happy and alive;)

Jen and I have been simpatico forever, not just sisters but best friends. God has blessed me with beautiful sisters and a special relationship with each. Jen and I have always been so close...well, after those young years where we fought all the time but definitely once we got to high school together. She was a senior and I was a freshman. She drove me around all around that year, bless her heart. We went out together and then we had the best time living together in college. Now we are both teachers (kinder for me and 1st for her) and then it was only fitting that we had babies(my first and her third) just a few days apart.

 Jen rushed to the hospital (3 hours away!!) just a few days before her own due date to be there when Collins was born and was also there for CC's first birthday party. I know I am blessed and I cannot imagine a world without my sisters.

So our weekend was a fabulous time, as always! The men drank their beer (and scotch) and helped us with the babies and kept us mommas happy. We had fun dinners out, photo shoots and we brought the kids to the Houston zoo.

The weather was gorgeous and apparently everyone else in Houston had the same idea for the zoo but we made it in! The kids loved it and it was Collins first time to go. She kept pointing at everything...it was so fun seeing it through her eyes. I never knew how easy it was to because a fool of parent making the biggest deal out of everything we saw to our baby who barely knew what was going on. But we did and she seemed to enjoy her little self, as much as we did!

That night called for a "night in" where we cooked and laughed for hours. The men drank more scotch and I made a mexican fiesta with Cranberry Lime Margaritas for us girls. We had Spicy Queso Dip to munch on while we made Southwestern Chicken and Rice Soup (so easy!). The dip was so good and so bad for us so we had to behave with a delicious but relatively healthy main course. We ate ourselves silly while we kept the margaritas flowing. You know nothing goes better together than margaritas and sisters...

Cranberry Lime Margaritas

1 cup sugar

1 cup fresh lime juice

2 cups tequila
1/2 cup orange triple sec
1 (64 oz) bottle cranberry juice
Lime wedges
Kosher salt
1. Stir together sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Pour into a large pitcher, cover and chill 20 minutes.
2. Add lime juice and next 3 ingredients to sugar syrup in pitcher. Chill until ready to serve. Rub rims with lime wedges, and di rims in salt. Serve margaritas over crushed ice.

Spicy Queso Dip 
(SLOW COOKER RECIPE! YAY!)
1 cup milk
8 oz. queso cheese, cut into small chunks
8 oz. white cheddar cheese, diced
2 Tbsp. butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can finely chopped tomatoes
1 4 oz. can diced jalapeno peppers, drained

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a glass bowl. Microwave for 5 minutes or until creamy stirring often.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, saute 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in tomato, and saute 2 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in peppers.
3. Stir vegetable mixture into cheese mixture until blended. Transfer dip to a slow cooker. Heat on low or warm setting for up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
(Adapted  from Southern Living Christmas Cookbook)

Southwestern Chicken and Rice Soup
1 bag seasoning blend
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cans chopped fire roasted tomatoes
7 cups chicken broth
1 jalapeno, chopped and seeded
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 avocado, chipped
Tortilla Chips
1. Saute first 3 ingredients in hot oil in a large pot over medium heat until vegetables are tender. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.
2. Stir in chicken and next 5 ingredients. Stir in chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in cilantro and lime juice. Garnish with avocado and tortilla chips.
(Adapted from 2006 Southern Living Annual Recipes Cookbook)

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