our first strawberry!

mia rose bush

my parents have a lady banks rose bush that blooms every year right around mia's birthday, so we call it the 'mia rose bush.'  we like to take pictures of her by it each year...

pre-easter fun...

last wednesday, mia and george spent the morning with papa steve (he took the day off work to spend it with them!) and grandma jill doing lots of easter projects!  they made lilies out of their handprints (i will be keeping them forever!) and colored easter eggs.  

bacon-wrapped jalapeno thingies...

i made these appetizers for a family dinner, and the were scrumptious.  here's the recipe if this looks like something you'd like:

jalapenos

cream cheese

bacon

cut jalapenos in half lengthwise.  with a spoon, gently scrape out the seeds and white membranes.  if you want them spicy, go ahead and leave a little membrane and/or a few seeds inside; otherwise, clean them out really well!  cut bacon slices into thirds.  spoon the cream cheese inside each jalapeno half.  wrap a slice of bacon around the jalapeno.   slide a toothpick through the middle to secure the bacon.  place all the jalapenos on a pan with a rack (i used my roasting pan and lined it with tinfoil).  bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until desired bacon crispiness is achieved.  

photo shoot with jamie...

for my final photography project, our assignment was a creative composition assignment.  i asked my sister if i could take her photograph at a burned down home in my parent's neighborhood.  she very willingly obliged, for which i'm grateful!  she is SO photogenic!  isn't she hot?  these are a few of my favorite shots.  i ended up turning in the 2nd one and will definitely be framing it for my home.  i just love that picture.

31 dates in 31 days!

okay, so my friend, janelle, is trying something new!  she wants to go on 31 dates in 31 days!  soooo, she's asked her friends to put the word out that she's looking for potential dates.  if you're interested or know someone who is interested in going out with a super cool and adorable girl, let me know!  janelle has a website:  http://funwith31.wordpress.com/ if you want more info!

great grandparents really are great!

this week i took mia and george to visit their great grandparents.  a few weeks ago, grandma bea was hospitalized for some heart problems.  after visiting her in the hospital, mia came home and made her a necklace to help her feel better.  my dad made the delivery, and grandma bea was just tickled.  she thought that was the sweetest thing.  she has been wearing the necklace every day and says that it really has made her feel better.  my grandma absolutely hates for us to take pictures of her.  for her to even allow me to take this picture is miraculous.  i think it's so special that mia and george have gotten know their great grandparents so well.  i never had that opportunity.

my dad stopped by while we were there, and of course he got 'em all riled up!

grandpa abe loves his little rascals!

i couldn't get a decent shot of george because this is what he did the whole time we were there!

russ's work is super close to my grandparents, so we stopped by to say 'hi.'  it's tax season, so we literally stayed 5 minutes.