Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Peaceful Waters




Over the weekend, we celebrated my cousin's 40th birthday in Newport Beach. They took us on a yacht touring the waters of Newport Bay, and it was such a beautiful day. The weather ended up being perfect for the occasion. Leah had the best time hanging out, playing with the other kids, and exploring the boat. My cousin gave an emotional speech thanking everyone, and I couldn't help but tear up remembering the hardships as well as joyful times she's experienced. Family means so much. Happy 40th Birthday, Florence!

Monday, February 25, 2013

Mom Meals (and baby too): Pancakes!



One week in, and I already failed at my Mom Meals challenge to myself! Although, not because I didn't cook, but because I keep forgetting to take pictures!

Anyways, my friend Joy shared this with me, and Leah loves it (and I do too!). It's just 1 ripe banana, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, and 1 egg. Mix it together and cook it like you would regular pancakes. Like Joy, I also add half a tablespoon of flour to thicken it up a bit. It's so easy to make, there isn't an excuse to try it.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

15 Months!


Leah is 15 months! This past month has been crazy since she started walking, and everyday she gets better at it. She's trying really hard to run now! And just this past week was so much fun watching her learn new things constantly and finding out things she already knew!

Not Everyone Needs a Hug

Sorry for the blurry photo. She won't keep her head still!


Leah loves to hug other kids even ones she doesn't know. Usually, the other kids don't care or will hug her back, but at Gymboree yesterday, one little boy was not happy! Girl got her face all scratched up! haha My poor baby. She was just trying to show some love!

Monday, February 18, 2013

It's the Simple Things


Last night, Leah did this for a good 15 minutes. It was great entertainment.

Happy President's Day!

Friday, February 15, 2013

Belated Valentine's Day

1) hamachi tostada, herbs, fish sauce vinaigrette, peanut & 2) pig ear, chili, lime, fried egg

Smoked Turkey Leg
1) barbeque pork belly sandwiches, slaw & 2) page mandarin sherbet, cheesecake, sour grass, meringue
Happy Belated Valentine's Day! On the 15th, we were lucky to have my parents come up to babysit so we could celebrate at the restaurant Animal. I've been wanting to eat here for awhile, and it was definitely worth the wait! Matt and I have been fortunate to have gone on several date nights the past couple months, and I've definitely been loving it!

Hope you're having a wonderful long weekend!

*not pictured: fried brussel sprouts, soft egg, parmesan, pancetta

Monday, February 11, 2013

Suit and Tie

Photo by Yue Xu

Photo by Yue Xu
Timbaland and Jay-Z
Photo by Yue Xu
Signing up for Twitter a few weeks ago ended up being a great decision! I followed my bf, Justin Timberlake, and found out about a special post-Grammy concert he was having! I was fortunate to score tickets on 2/10, and needless to say, the concert was UH-MAZING!!! It was at the Hollywood Palladium, and it was total madness when we went. We waited 2 hours outside in the cold and another 2 hours inside. I bought a bacon wrapped hot dog from a street cart to help keep me warm! JT came on at 11:30pm, but the minute he started singing, those 4 hours were totally worth it! Jay-Z and Timbaland were guests that came on for the last two songs. I still get excited just thinking about how awesome this concert was! {Sorry for the blurry pics, but you know you still appreciate it. :)}

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Mom Meals: Caprese


Lately I've been making the same things for dinner, and I'm starting to get a little bored. I'm sure my family is too. I'm going to try to mix things up a bit, and I'll try to post a Mom Meal once a week to motivate me to try new recipes. 

Caprese

This dish was inspired from the recipe "Mozza Caprese" in Nancy Silverton's book "The Mozza Cookbook." Osteria Mozza is one of my favorite restaurants, and when I went to The Taste LA, I was fortunate to meet co-owner Nancy Silverton. She's amazing! This recipe is more of an appetizer, but it was so easy and delicious!

1 1/2 pounds fresh burrata
Sea Salt
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Basil Pesto {the book has a recipe, but I just bought premade pesto}
30-40 Cherry Tomatoes {I used grape tomatoes since my grocery store only had those}
Fresh Basil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. Preheat the oven to 300 F
2. Place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet
3. Place the tomatoes on the rack, brush with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper
4. Place the tomatoes in the oven for about an 1 1/2 hours until the skins shrivel a bit. Remove from oven and allow them to cool
5. Cut the burrata and lay a segment, cut side up, on a plate
6. Season with sea salt and spoon 1 teaspoon of pesto over the cheese
7. Place a cluster of tomatoes over the cheese.
8. Drizzle with olive oil 
9. Scatter chopped basil over each salad
10. Serve with toasted thick bread if you want to make it a little heartier

Enjoy!

Sunday, February 3, 2013

We have a Toddler!


What a difference a week makes! For the past couple weeks, Leah would very cautiously stand up on her own and take a couple steps, then sit back down and continue to crawl. This past week this girl has been determined to walk! Now, she refuses to crawl or be carried and is enjoying walking around. She's still perfecting her technique, but she loves her new found independence. While I was happy to see her finally reach this milestone, I can't help but be slightly emotional when my little baby didn't want me to carry her!! Even today at church, the director of the kids program said she was starting to lose her baby-ness! ACK! She's only 14 months!! 

Social Media

I've been a social media junkie this week and signed up for both Twitter {i know, i'm at least 5 years late to the party} and Vine. Come follow me! I'm still trying to find the balance of not always being on the computer/phone and living life. They're so addicting!

Twitter: @viv_kelly_
Vine: Vivian Kelly


{Video taken through Vine}
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