French Family Holiday Roundup

Our not-so-perfect holiday celebrating the birth of our Perfect Savior!

Happy New Year friends and family, near and far! (Please click on the picture to view the album). Love, Jamie

Fun in the Sun 2011

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Dane's Birthday Carnival

Thanks to all who came out to make our little man's day so special!

Looks like a case of the Sunday afternoon sillies!

Easter Eve, 2011

When photographing four little ones, it's nearly impossible to get everyone to look at the camera, let alone smile...but the outcome is still pretty darn cute! These shots were taken Saturday night at MiMi & PaPa's house. (I still can't believe I didn't manage get a pic of my three together on Easter Sunday!)

William: "Uh, Dane, buddy, I think your barn door is open!"

Dane's wardrobe malfunction fixed. As for the two in the middle....either they're doing the wave or someone may have asked if they were ready for an Easter egg hunt? I'd say that would be an affirmative!

"Awwww, Mom, can we get this over with and hunt for some eggs?!?!?"

Yep, Dane's pretty much done. Thanks for the save Will. ;)

Sadie leaning in to give Kyle a kiss! Or telling him not to try an escape move like that on her! ;)

Dane: planning another escape, Sadie: primping, Kyle: "Mom, why do I have to put up with these crazy cousins?!?"

Cheese!!!

Will: "Mom, I think you've said 'Just one more shot guys!' about ten times already!!"

Me: "Hey guys, let's try this angle and then we're done, I promise!!"

Dane: "She can't be serious!!"

AND, that's a wrap!!! Thankfully Dane did NOT actually make it to the ground!! LOL!! :):) Happy Easter everyone!!!

Somebody pinch me...

Can my baby really be a year old already??? Here's a just a peek at what a joy it is to have Dane Charles in our lives! We love you, Bubba!!

Sadie Turns 4!

Sadie turned 4 on the 4th of March! We celebrated her big day on the 12th-- Princess style! ;) Here's a slideshow of her party set to the tune of her favorite song! We LOVE you, Sadie Katherine French! Thank you for all you help with the party, MiMi! We LOVE you, too!

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What's For Dinner?

I enjoy cooking. Really, I do. I can't say the same for ironing, which I avoid like the plague, but cooking is another story. There's something about the chopping, sauteing, aroma and, hopefully, the finished product that's somewhat therapeutic. When I find a simple, fabulous recipe-- let's face it, it generally gets swallowed into the sea of recipes that I've printed off the internet or torn out of magazines. So, to simplify my life (and hopefully pass on some good recipes to you, dear reader), my goal is to periodically link to recipes that I consider keepers. To get things started, here's a link to a recent winner, straight from the Martha Stewart Living magazine: Crisp-Skinned Chicken with Rosemary Potatoes (The pic is from their website, too!)

What a I like about this recipe:

- Easy to make and not super time consuming (it takes a while to cook, but the hands on labor isn't that intense)

- It makes the house smell divine

- The chicken is fantastic and the taters: crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.. Mmmmm!

The only downfall is that I have to handle a raw bird, but the outcome it's totally worth it! ;)

Other notes:

-I've used a larger "family roaster" chicken (about 6 lbs) with a pop-up timer (love) and it's taken about 1.5 to 1.75 hours to cook. (I also add a bit more butter, cornstarch, & salt since the bird is bigger than the original recipe calls for)

-Add more potatoes. You won't regret it! :)

- I've served the chicken and potatoes with fresh green beans, caesar salad, and dinner rolls.

-If you're into a homemade, savory stock (which thankfully my hubby is!), freeze the carcass... You'll thank yourself later!

One final thought, so as not to give you the false impression that every night is a 'Martha Stewart Living" kind of night, I'm not ashamed to admit that Little Caesars' ready in 5 minutes, $5 large pizzas are 'da bomb. I'm just sayin'... :)

Y'all come back now, ya hear!