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Jonathan | Birthday Weekend

megan — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:34:50 +0000

This weekend was full of fun for Jonathan as he celebrated his 1st Birthday!

We did a lot of fishing out tissue paper from his mouth.

He knew the proper gift etiquette to read/eat the card first.

Very excited about his customized luggage.

A little unsure of why he’s just in his diaper and people are watching.

Breaking out in song.

Look who’s one!

Thanks to my friend Emily for making such a cute banner!

Enjoying his new tunnel!

Jonathan | Almost 1 Year!

megan — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:35:59 +0000

Wow, in looking back through these images it’s absolutely incredible how much Jonathan has changed from the little baby boy we met just a year ago! Our family will never be the same. It’s been such a joy to see him grow, develop and get glimpses into his personality. These last 12 months have certainly been memorable for us and for the most part haven’t passed by too quickly. We both cherish so much the amount of time we are able to spend with Jonathan as a result of being small business owners.

Here’s a quick visual recap of how he’s grown and changed:

Working with Your Spouse | Setting Priorities

megan — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:34:48 +0000

Living together, let alone running a business together takes effort in coordination. Lack of communication or joint vision of priorities can easily lead to two frustrated people. (and that does happen at times) One way that Tim and I try to keep tabs on everything and make sure the most important things get done first is making task lists and then prioritizing them together. Some items get designated T for Tim or M for me.

Then we put them into 3 categories; A-must be done today, B- should be done soon (today would be ideal), C- great ideas but if not gotten to in a few weeks should be delegated or put on hold

Following the A, B, C’s we put them in order; 1,2,3, etc. We usually stack the front of the list with smaller quicker things to accomplish (email so and so, check on…) so we feel like we build momentum and are getting things done.

It’s easy to make two lists; both household (personal) and business. Things to be cautious of are; being unrealistic in your lists, not being specific enough about tasks (for example picture editing- does that mean culling, editing, exporting, blogging?), or letting your list dictate you so much you forget very important things (like read Jonathan stories before bed).

The next day, re-evaluation what’s left on the list and make a new one.

Hope this helps! Using the ABC’s is something we picked up at EntreLeadership this summer, definitely more helpful than just numbering tasks.

Now to highlight, check or cross off those items!

Jonathan | First Snow

megan — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:17:13 +0000

In anticipation of snow coming later today, I thought it was a great chance to share the images of Jonathan’s first experience with snow. While he did come home from the hospital last year in the middle of an ice storm, this was his first chance to explore the snow. Two days after Christmas we finally got snow and lucky for Jonathan he just opened a snowsuit present earlier that morning at his grandparents. He only sat still a few minutes before he realized he could crawl in the snow and then baby tracks everywhere.

Most hilarious face ever.

His reaction when we put a small bit of snow in his mouth.

Looking Forward | 2012

megan — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:12:49 +0000

Hard to believe that in the next year we will likely see Jonathan walk, begin to talk and become his own person. Last year at this time we were just waiting out the last few weeks of pregnancy. It’s amazing what has happened in a year, not only with Jonathan but the ways we have grown as well; as a couple, business owners, parents and people following after Christ. I have a feeling that 2012 will be no different. Life will continue to change and we’ll continue to grow as we adapt. While there is definitely something peaceful about constancy, the adventure is lying in the new and changing for us right now.

Our little explorer, looking for what’s outside of what is known.

Extreme Porch Makeover | House DIY

megan — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 15:11:38 +0000

Tim and I are DIY. A project that has been on our back burner for quite some time is what to do with our screened in porch. There were several repairs in the screen to be made as well as the more pressing issue of “pre-1950 type” paint chipping off. Not safe for a certain cat or cute curious boy. When the forecast in December called for a 55 degree day we decided to make this project happen. Right here is a one day transformation, a long day, but just one day. Personally we are a huge fan of the change in the curb appeal. House numbers will be put up soon. Now what to do with the lame landscaping?

Deck the Halls | For Little Ones

megan — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:10:38 +0000

In the past we have always had a fresh tree in our home for Christmas but this year we have a 4′ artificial tree sitting on our dining room buffet. Jonathan is crawling and cruising and climbing everywhere and a real tree just didn’t make sense. The good news is even though we choose to downsize our tree, all of our favorite ornaments still fit! We began a new family tradition of making an ornament together. For our initial attempt we went to a ceramic studio and made a fingerprint family. Any suggestions for next year’s ornament? (we aren’t really planning on a ceramic theme)

Baking | Christmas Cutout Cookies

megan — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:09:48 +0000

Perhaps one of my favorite Christmas activities throughout the years, making cut out cookies! As far back as I can remember I can remember making and eating these. Hands down the messiest part, but often the part I enjoy the most, is decorating them. I love the opportunity to be a little creative and am really happy to just sit and come up with designs for cookies for much longer than the normal attention span. This year I used a new technique for rolling and cutting them out, which I was impressed by. I rolled the dough in between two sheets of wax paper, then refrigerated them on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes before cutting them out. The recipe for the cookies is top-notch so I’ll share it with you: (props to the Watkins Cook Book)

Vanilla Sugar Cookies

2 1/2 C all purpose flour, sifted

1 t baking powder

1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened

1 C sugar

2 lg egg yolks

pinch of salt

2 t vanilla extract

In a large bowl, stir flour and baking powder, set aside. With electric mixer in another bowl, beat better and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, then salt and vanilla. Gradually beat in the flour mixture to form a smooth dough. Divide the dough in half and roll between 2 sheets of wax paper to 1/8 in thick. Put in refridgerator for 30 min on baking sheet. Then, cut our cookies and bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes in upper third of the oven. Cool on wire rack. (makes approx 3 doz)

Make icing of your choice, decorate and don’t skimp on the sprinkles!

Jonathan | 10 Months and Moving!

megan — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:10:38 +0000

What isn’t Jonathan into these days? Not much. He is crawling, cruising and climbing everywhere in our house! Life is just a learning lab right now with him touching and tasting everything in reach. He is quite the social baby, babbling and waving at everyone (which makes for interesting trips to the grocery). He is showing his enjoyment of music by waving his hands and wiggling around, much to his dad’s delight (Tim is a great musician). He likes walking around with someone holding his hands for assistance. Despite having 6 teeth, he prefers his baby food and cereal puffs over tiny peices of food or even textured baby food. Maybe soon he’ll figure out what to do with peices of food and not just gag and spit it out.

We are all so happy to have the sicknesses of the last two months finally out of our house. Healthy babies and moms just make for much easier days. I can already tell it will feel like a long winter with a mobile baby in our small house. It’s pretty incredible the effort it takes to bundle up a 22ish pound 10 month old and yourself to go out and run any errands. Going to the grocery and Target this morning felt like a huge accomplishment. I took just a few photos today of what the first 20 minutes of his day looked like.

Baking | Holiday Goodies

megan — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:44:57 +0000

I was a very young girl when I first became fascinated with baking. I always looked forward to makes lots of delicious sweets in the oven for the holidays. I even had a special Christmas time apron. If it still fit I would still wear it. (but it was made for a 4 year old version of me, see below photo)

Although I plan to branch out into more seasonal treats as the season progresses, I thought I’d kick off the baking with my tried and true classic. I’ve been working on the perfect chocolate chip cookie since about the age of 8. I’ve landed on a recipe that can’t be beat, unfortunately for you my readers, I was given the recipe under the condition that it not be shared. However, I hope this post will encourage you to preheat your ovens and enjoy some yummy baked goods this season!