Beach Baby!

Last week we took Annabelle on her first official vacation and first trip to the beach.  We went down to Myrtle Beach for 3 nights and thankfully my sister was able to come down and take a vacation with us.

Day 1 - It took us about 3.5hrs to get there and when we did we couldn't check in yet so we went to a local restaurant from some lunch/dinner at a place called "Mr. Fish."  While we ate we watched it pour like cats and dogs out.  The rain continued for a while and then it broke to leave clouds with a threat of rain.  The food at Mr. Fish was very good though I didn't care for my fish tacos because they were to spicy for my taste.  Jerry and Holly loved their food though.  Annabelle was very fussy as she had been stuck in the carseat for a good part of the day and had, had enough.

After eating we checked to see if we could now checking and sure enough we could so they gave us our room number over the phone as they had done all the other necessary paper work and given us keys during our first attempt to check in.

We went to Springmaid Beach Resort, our room was nice and had two beds, a small sitting area, two TVs one near the beds and one in the sitting area, a ocean view balcony, a full size fridge with a microwave and granite counter area (perfect for keeping Annabelle's cereal and formula handy).  The sink was outside the shower and toilet area (that shower/toilet area was cramped but manageable).

Being exhausted from the drive we didn't do much, I unpacked while Annabelle napped and Jerry and my sister went to pick up a few things we needed at the store. Once they got back and she woke up we took a quick walk around the property and the pier before calling it a night.

Day 2 -  Annabelle's first experience with the beach!  Jerry and I had this image in our head of her giggling and playing in the water and in the sand and her just loving it.  WRONG!!  After packing up our chairs, sun tent, umbrella, towels, camera, boogie board, and bag of food and bottles and good stuff we headed down to the beach.  After getting setup I sat with Annabelle for a few minutes, she was not a happy camper, she looked miserable. I took her down to the waters edge to put her toes in the sand and as soon as the water touched her toes she started crying.

Annabelle was not happy

After taking several pictures of her and trying to cheer her up we went and sat down with her in the shade.  She was still not happy at all.  After determining she was not going to be happy I said I would take her to the room.  Jerry and my sister said no to sit and relax that they would take her for a walk but when they returned she was still not happy.  So my sister and I took her to the room while Jerry watched our things on the beach.  I got her down for a nap and my sister stayed and watched her so I could go swimming.  Jerry and I both needed to relax a bit.

After about an hour we packed up and and Jerry and I took everything back to the room.  After that we agreed we need to get a beach mat and leave the chairs at home next time and just use the umbrella and her tent.  God that was a lot of stuff!

I really think her teeth were bothering her and she had a tiny temp because later on we gave her tylenol and oral gel and she was much better.

Day 3 - Take TWO on beach baby attempt.  We brought nothing but the camera, towels, a bag and her tent along with the boogie board.  Instead of taking her down to the waters edge we went to a location that had a warm tied pool for her to play in and she LOVED it.  Then we took to the water and let her get used to the waves and she still liked it.

Now that's our happy baby!

Our little family at the beach.

She was so excited!

She was still happy here she was just giving me a serious look.

She graduated to the waves.  This was all fun and games until Daddy mis judged a wave and she got it in the face.  She didn't let it bother her though.

Laughing it up with Auntie.

All tired out from having fun in the sun and she took a nap.

That night we had an AWESOME dinner at RIOZ

Then we took a walk on the pier her bib says "My Aunt is Hot and Single"

That's us!

That night Jerry and Holly went fishing on the pier and Annabelle and I went back to the room so she could sleep and I could rest and pack.  I wish we could of had one more day with our Happy Beach Baby at the beach but all good things must come to an end.  The next day Jerry and I took a walk on the beach after breakfast while Annabelle napped and collected shells for her scrapbook and then we hit the road.

What did we learn - There is no need to take a bunch of chairs to the beach when you have a baby to carry too.  Her sun tent I got on Amazon was very easy to put up and take down and it folded right back up into the bag.  Also, having a 3rd set of hands and eyes is VERY useful when it comes to vacationing with a 6 month old.

We had a nice time and I can't wait for our next vacation!

Slacker Alert!!

Ok well not really just a slacker on this blog.  We have been very busy and I will be sure to update you very soon!  We had our first vacation to the beach with Annabelle and I will have lots of pictures to share.

Stay tuned!

Remembering How Small Annabelle Was

This past weekend as I was going through Annabelle's little outfits that she was to big to wear anymore :-( I came across the only outfit that fit her when she was first born.  It is a up to 7 lbs. outfit that I bought because it was so darn cute, it was on clearance, and just in case she was that tiny.  I really didn't think she would ever wear it when I started looking at it compared to the NewBorn outfits we had.   But even though she was one week late my little peanut was still just under 6 lbs. and she got to wear it several times.

Holding it in my hands I realized I couldn't cut it up for a quilt I am going to make her so I held it up to a frame that was in our guest room and realized it was a perfect size to frame it.  So I took down that picture and found some left over fabric I had and put together my own little memory peace of art.  As she grows she will be amazed to see just how small she really was when she was born, when she was my our little peanut.

Annabelle's outfit framed to hand on her wall

So Much Has Happened!

I am going to give you all a quick update using pictures and videos.

Laughing:  Annabelle is starting to laugh more and the other day I was able to get it on video.

Play Date:  We have been making new friends at play dates and Annabelle is really starting to be able to play with her toys now at 5.5 months old.

Annabelle at a play date the other day!

Trying Cereal:  All week Annabelle has been getting up at around 3:30am - 4:00am starving.  She is now eating about 31oz of formula and I thought it was high time we try cereal.  I will let the pictures show you how much she disliked liked the cereal (not).  This is going to take some getting used to.

The first bite

That's not so bad

What there is more

Oh dear God what is that!

Please stop no more!!

Are we done??

As you can see there was mixed reviews on Annabelle's part on the cereal.  I think she was happy to be done with it that's for sure.

Well that's all for now!  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

The Best Red Sangria Recipe

Serves about 6 – start this the night before the party

·      1 bottle of red wine

·      ¼ cup of brandy

·      ¼ cup orange flavored liqueur

·      2 Tbsps. Fresh lime juice

·      2 Tbsps. Orange juice

·      ¼ cup sugar

·      1 orange, thinly sliced

·      1 lemon, thinly sliced

·      1 lime, thinly sliced

·      1 bottle lemon lime sparkling water, chilled

Instructions:

1.     Add the orange, lemon and lime slices to a pitcher.

2.     Pour in the brandy, orange flavored liqueur, lime juice, orange juice,  and sugar.

3.     Mix, cover and set in the fridge over night.

4.     2 hours prior to the party add your bottle of wine, stir, cover and add chill.

5.     Right before serving add the bottle of sparkling water and stir.

6.     When pouring be sure to add some fruit to the glasses and ice. 

Amazing 3 Layer Fudge Brownie Cake Recipe

Serves about 26 thin slices.   Make the cake the day before you plan to use it.

Step 1 Making the Layers - You will need to do this for each layer of the cake (if you want 3 layers you make this 3 times):

·      1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter cubed into 1Tbsp cubes

·      4 (1oz) squares unsweetened chocolate

·      2 cups white sugar

·      2 eggs beaten

·      1 cup all-purpose flower

·      1 tsp. vanilla extract

·      ½ tsp. salt

Instructions:  You can triple the above amounts and do it all at once or make one set at a time.  If you do it all at once it will be harder to mix up and make sure it is all mixed together.

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 9” round cake pan (or as many  pans as you plan to make layers) some softened butter works well and make sure to cover every inch so the brownie comes out of the pan with no problem.

2.     Chop the chocolate into smaller chunks to allow the chocolate to melt faster.

3.     In a saucepan over very low heat, melt the butter (mix constantly).

4.     Add the chocolate and melt on very low heat being sure to mix constantly.

5.     Stir in the sugar.

6.     Allow the chocolate mixture to cool slightly so the eggs do not cook when they are added.

7.     Add the beaten eggs into the mixture one at a time being sure to mix well after each, then stir in the vanilla.

8.     In a separate bowl combine the flower and salt making sure to stir to fully combine.

9.     Stir in the flower into the chocolate mixture a cup at a time.

10. Add the brownie mixture to your pan being sure smooth it out so there is an even layer (if making all 3 layers at once divide the batter evenly among the cake pans)

11. Bake in the oven 35 minutes.  The Brownie layer is done when you insert a tooth pick and it comes out clean (keep in mind you do not want it to over cook as it needs to be fudgy).

12. Cool the pans on a wire rack before taking out the brownie.

13. To take out flip the pan over onto the wire rack.  If it was greased well and the brownie was allowed to cool in the pan it should come right not

Step 2 Making the Frosting – This will cover the sides and top of the 3 layer cake.

·      4 (1oz) squares unsweetened chocolate

·      1 pkg. (16oz) powder sugar

·      ½ cup (1 stick) butter softened

·      2 tsp. vanilla

·      1/3 cup whole milk

Instructions:

1.     Chop the chocolate into smaller chunks to allow it to melt faster.

2.     Add the chocolate to a microwave safe bowl and microwave on HIGH for 1-1/2 min., stopping to stir every 30 sec. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted.

3.     Allow the chocolate to cool for 5 min.

4.     Add the sugar, butter and vanilla and combined.

5.     Gradually add the milk, beating constantly with a mixer on low speed until well blended.

Cover and leave the frosting at room temperature to make it easier to work with.

STOP – Do not continue on until the brownie layers are completely cooled and the frosting is completed

Step 3 Making Prepping the Cake

1.     Turn one of the brownie layers upside down on a cake plate or round cake board (for plain cake board cover with aluminum foil).

2.     Add about a half of cup of frosting to a piping bag.

3.     Pipe a line of frosting around the top outside of the cake.  This will make a well to add the Ganache filling to making sure it doesn’t spill out the sides.

Step 4 Making the Chocolate Ganache Filling – This will cover the sides and top of the 3 layer cake.

·      9 ounces of bittersweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

·      1 cup heavy cream

Instructions:

1.     Place the chocolate in a medium bowl.

2.     Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Bring just to a boil, watching very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil over the pot.

3.     Pour the heated cream over the chocolate, whisk until smooth.

4.     Allow the ganache to cool slightly before using.

Step 5 Putting the cake together

1.     Pour some of the ganache filling onto your first layer of the cake and spread evenly out to the edges being sure to stop at the frosting line  you added.

2.     Put the next layer of the cake upside down over the first layer.

3.     Pipe another frosting line around the outside layer of the second layer.

4.     Repeat adding the ganache filling and spreading out.

5.     Add the third and final layer of the brownie mixture upside down over  the second layer.

6.     Frost the cake and add any decorations.

TIP:  When cutting be sure to use a large sharpened knife as you will be cutting through 3 layers of brownie. 

DO NOT put the cake in the fridge it will get way to hard to be able to cut.