a little madewell love

Just some things I'm eyeing over at Madewell.

georgia's dedication

Today was a special day for us. Georgia was dedicated. Paul and I made a commitment in front of our friends and family that we will teach Georgia to know and serve Jesus. We feel privileged and thankful that God has entrusted us to be her parents. This, by no means, is Georgia's salvation. That is a decision she will have to make on her own. Hopefully our living and teaching of the word will guide her in the right path.

The service was beautiful. I had the opportunity to sing today and my parents played too. Georgia did great during the service. She had her own little conversation up on the stage. It was adorable. After the service, Paul and I hosted a luncheon at our house. We had a great time visiting with family. Georgia did great all day despite cutting her first tooth today! Yes, her first tooth. What a wonderful and memorable day it was!

" You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Deut. 6:5-9

Below is a gown that Paul's mom had made out of her wedding dress. It is beautiful! What a lovely treasure for all the Summerville babies.

Here is Georgia's dedication bible and my dedication bible.

Banana-cinnamon muffins for our guests.

beef and carrot ragu

Here is a slow cooker recipe that you have to try. It is delicious and super easy which is what I need these days. My mom made this Better Homes and Gardens recipe one day and I liked it so I decided to try it myself. I think you'll like it too!

What you need:

1 lb boneless beef short ribs

10 cloves garlic (ok, I used 1/4tsp of minced garlic b/c that's what I had)

1 8oz pkg. peeled fresh baby carrots, chopped

1 lb roma tomatoes, chopped (I used 5)

1/2 6oz can tomato paste with basil, garlic and oregano

1/2 cup water or red wine

1. Trim fat. Cut beef in chunks and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place beef in slow cooker.

2. Smash garlic cloves. Place garlic on beef. Add carrots and tomatoes to slow cooker.

3. In bowl, whisk together tomato paste and water or wine. Pour over meat and vegetables.

Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours.

I served it with extra wide egg noodles. We plan on having it again this week!

By the way, you may have noticed that I have rearranged some things on the blog. I hope you find it easier to navigate the recipes now.

the week after Christmas

As I mentioned in a previous post, we spent a couple days in the mountains after Christmas. We just went for a long weekend. It was unseasonably warm up there for this time of year. We had a great time visiting family. One night, our parents watched Leighton and Georgia so we could go see a movie. Paul and I hadn't been to a movie theater in 6 months. We saw Mission Impossible. It was a good action film. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

We enjoyed Facetime with Uncle Andrew and Aunt Danielle while they were in California.

I think that gets me caught up on our Christmas adventures. Lookout for a new recipe in the next post. Happy Thursday to you!

ballard and pb

Oh Ballard Designs and Pottery Barn! I enjoyed your new catalog today. Here are a few things that caught my eye.

from Ballard Designs:

From PB:

first christmas

Well hello and Happy New Year to you! I hope you had a great Christmas too! We just got back from spending a few days in the mountains so I'm catching up on some blogging, laundry, cleaning, etc...before the work week starts up. Here are some pictures from Georgia's first Christmas! Our Christmas was wonderful and extra special this year.

We celebrated Christmas with the Summerville's a week early this year! What a fun and special night it was.

Georgia with Granny B and Pops

Christmas Eve

Santa came and boy was he good:)

Christmas morning (yes, I fixed my hair and put on make-up for the pj pics:)

Christmas Day with my family