Group 10 in Arrowhead!

We took our small group to Arrowhead for the weekend last month and had a great time!  We started the weekend off right with this amazing breakfast!  

The Snowballs and the Tafts hit it out of the park with this one!  I don't have the official recipe, but I'll try to explain it.  They took a loaf of Artisan bread from Trader Joe's and cut a hole in the middle.  Then placed the bread in a pan, cracked and egg into it the hole and let it cook - then flip it.  You can also scramble the egg before putting it into the pan.  The egg/bread was put on a baking sheet and topped with a piece of cheese (Swiss I believe).  Baked until the cheese melted.  Put on a plate and topped with a light arugula salad with bacon bits.  DELICIOUS!!

There was a big chunk of ice on the driveway, which was perfect for skating.  Well, not really..but Mac sure did try!

One big happy family!

and we might be a little silly too!

She's adding an arrow!

Melissa is going to have another baby!  We are so excited and can't wait to meet our niece/nephew in September.  God is blessings us in big and fun ways!

An afternoon at the Farmer's Market

When we started talking about a shower for our sweet friend Kristin the first thing that came to mind was a Farmer's Market.  Kristin was the first person I knew to get a canvas bag for her groceries, so it seemed fitting to me! The planning crew had such a great time gathering items to make this shower come together.  

Our table was simple ... daffodils in milk jars with bags of farmer's market pretzels.  Each bag had an idea for something fun to do with the pretzels.  (I found this idea in Martha Stewart - oh Martha!)

Grow Baby Grow!  Kristin has been on bed rest for a good portion of her pregnancy - so this has been our prayer for her and the sweet baby girl growing inside!  

The drink station. 

Mason jar mugs with straws, BURLAP (oh how I love burlap), twine and yarn! 

Some of my favorite decorating items :)

This was our table!  I loved how it came out.  Fresh produce canvas bag with produce coming out the top, galvanized watering cans with heather, crates, burlap (of course), baby food jars as votive candle holders and a "Come and Get it" sign.

My sister found this idea on a website and it added such a fun touch.  Each set of silverware was wrapped in a napkin with a radish and some twine.  We used a lot of twine that day!

Melissa had the idea for a flower station for a shower we threw a couple of years ago, but it didn't work out. It was the perfect idea for a parting gift to go along with our theme.  We were super excited to make it happen for this shower!  Here is what we got:  

- 8 bunches of different flowers (from the local Farmer's Market of course)

- seed packets (sweet peas) to tie up the bunch with

- newspaper from our hometown to wrap with

- a sign "Furst's Flowers"

-BURLAP!!

And there you have it!  Your very own flower stand and a great take away.  Each guest came and picked a bunch to wrap up and take home.

The game: "What's for lunch?" 

Guests had to guess what was in each jar of baby food.  The ground rules were you could look and smell but you couldn't taste!  Believe it or not - our guest of honor got them all right!  Confirmation that she is ready to take on this mom thing!

Our menu!

- cucumber cups filled with a shrimp mixture

- caprese salad skewers

- chicken pesto pasta salad

- fresh fruit

- fresh bread

and for dessert ... individual blueberry cobblers

This is Katie! I changed her diapers and now she is a beautiful high school freshman.  

Funny how that happens...

The girls!  The Momma-to-be is second from the right.  Kristin and Melissa were in the same first grade class when we moved to Oak Park.  They became friends and then our parents became friends and now 25 years later they are family! 

The planning crew, the Momma-to-be, the Grandma-to-be, and one very cute little boy who was along for the ride.

- Melissa, Kristin and I - 

Grade school friends to Mommas with babies!

Lil' Peanut

Here is the peanut.  The size of a mango this week and growing each day!  I know - my pants don't fit anymore...The top pic are two little feet.  See the toes? I can't wait to eat them :) The middle is the head resting on its shoulder.  See the ear?  I can't wait to tell it the story of God's grace.  The bottom is the face...a little alien..but cute.  See the nose, cheeks and lips?  I can't wait to give it kisses. 

We made it through the sonogram without seeing if we have a little rambunctious boy or a sweet and sassy girl on our hands!  

Any guesses?

Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken

Over the summer we had dinner with our friends the Zuetels and Lacey made this chicken that we loved!  It ended up being so easy and Matt and I have enjoyed it a number of times since then.  So, I'm sharing it with all of you!

Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken

4 chicken breasts (pounded - for even grilling)
1 package prosciutto - or 2 slices per breast
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

That's all!  Pound the chicken and brush lightly with olive oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Wrap the prosciutto around the chicken.  Grill over low heat until prosciutto is crisp and chicken is firm.  The recipe says you could do this with halibut too - sounds yummy!  Another variation - I used chicken tenders and wrapped one pice of prosciutto around each.

Bon Appetit!

Breckenridge, CO

Breckenridge... It was...

- cold..to cold to take any good pictures -

- relaxing -

- a place for lots of games of hearts -

- yummy..we ate at some great restaurants -

 - good skiing for Matt -

 - cute shopping town -

and that about sums it up...

 Here is Em with her homemade apple pie she made for Dad's birthday

Notice the shop sign - CHEESE and CHOCOLATE!

One store with both of our favorites..pretty amazing. 

 Lunch with Katie and Eric - they live in El Segundo and we had to go to CO to meet up for lunch.

And here we are..just a tad bit frozen

Even though it's the new year it's not too late to remember Christmas!

It started with shopping for a tree..the perfect tree!  Louie came too. 

We got it up and decorated..then left for 2 weeks!  Oh well - we really enjoyed it while we were home

On Christmas Eve we went to dinner with my dad's side of the family.  The cousins were sneaky this year and had photos taken for Gram.  She loved it!

Gram's FAMOUS brisket!  It would not be Christmas without it..it just wouldn't.

 All the Mama's got pictures of their kiddos.  

We then headed out to spend the rest of the evening with the extended Poladians and started a new tradition.  Gift exchange with stealing and everything!  It was definitely fun and entertaining! 

Christmas morning was a different experience with this cute toosh joining us.   

 Matthew read us the Christmas story..my favorite part of the day.

The preggo lady loves Ice Breakers Sours hidden in her stocking..BUT 

 She LOVED even more and was SURPRISED by the jewels the hubs secretly put in the bottom.  I think the line was something like "my goodness, mom really stuffed my stocking full this year" before pulling out the box only to find the most beautiful necklace.  LOVE HIM!

 Mama and Pops got creative this year with a gift for their girlies.  Their neighbor is doing a renovation on their home and mom found they were going to throw out parts of their old french doors. She asked if she could have them and put my dad to work roughing them up, taking out the screen and replacing it with cork, adding a back and hooks for hanging. What a cool gift!  So fun, creative and thoughtful. Kind of wish I could steal my sisters and have two. Still deciding on the perfect spot. Babies room??

The next morning we had a precious few moments with our friends the Burdetts, in town from Chicago. Danice, one of my oldest friends, is so dear to me and it was such a blessing to see them. These are her cutie-patootie kids (minus one)! Totally bummed we didn't get a group shot...

And for the last event! Matt's mom's side of the family.  We posed for a picture.

THEN right before the next picture, Nathan, Matt's cousin said "Marie is pregnant!!!" So that is the chaos you see below.  What a fun way to tell the fam and capture the moment!

The three preggos.  Due in August, June and May.  There is one more too..but sadly she isn't in the pic.

Isn't that fun - 4 little babies all within 4 months..destined to love their cousins as much as we do!  

As if that wasn't enough...we left the next day for Breckenridge, CO!  That will be the next post.

Merry Christmas!! Can I still say that in the new year?