First haircut

Our big girl got her first haircut today! She was so good. I talked it up yesterday: "We're going to Rebecca's tomorrow to get your hair cut. Will you sit in her chair like a big girl? Your hair will be so pretty!" (And the promise of a treat if she was a good girl helped, too.) The last thing she said to me last night before bed was, "Go Becca's. Becca cut my hair. Sit in chair like big girl." So I knew we would have a good time this morning. She did sit like a big girl and was so proud to show her haircut to her daddy. Caroline's first haircut was really fun for both of us! I forgot to select save on my cell phone and lost a cute picture of Caroline and Rebecca. Argh!

An al fresco recipe

Here's a perfect recipe for you to enjoy on your back patio. It's so easy and I guarantee it will be delicious every time (even if you don't like bourbon!). It's one of my Papa's favorite grill marinades.

Bourbon flank steak

1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c bourbon (Maker's Mark, Jim Beam, whiskey will do in a pinch)
1 flank steak

Mix brown sugar, soy sauce, and bourbon well. Put steak in a marinating-worthy vessel (sometimes I use a large ziplock bag). Pour over flank steak. Refrigerate and marinade at least 2 hours, turning meat once or twice. Grill steak to desired doneness. (We love ours medium rare. So that's about 8 minutes on each side, depending on how hot your grill is.) Let steak rest for a few minutes. Slice very thin and enjoy.

It will make your tummy so happy...

Al fresco

We love eating lunch on the back patio!

Visit with the Dales

We were so excited to spend Monday with my dad's brother and parents! They drove all the way from Oklahoma to visit. We had a wonderful time!

Zoo day

Last week the weather was so nice. We had to go to the zoo!

Thank you, Crayola

Crayola has so many neat products for kids these days. The Color Wonder things are fantastic for toddlers. Last week I picked up some Crayola paints for Caroline. I thought about getting the fingerpaints. But my little princess is a bit skittish about getting her hands dirty. (Wonder who she gets that from?) So I decided to pick up the washable paints instead, which will work fine for fingerpainting or stamping. At one point I looked up and noticed that she had gotten a little dramatic with the paintbrush and there was paint on the wall. Eeek! But I got a moist rag and it came off immediately. And it didn't stain her clothes, either. Impressive. These get a 5-star rating in my book!

Bird watchers

Now Caroline can watch birds with Daddy using her new binoculars (or "knockers", as Caroline says)!

Put a smile on your face

Not too terribly much going on around here lately. We're waiting on the sunshine to come back!

We love this video - particularly the forced, "Everybody happy!" She's becoming quite the little comedienne. I have to make a point to write down some of the things she says because I know 10 years from now I'll never remember.