pensacola dreaming.

we sure do love vacation...

we woke up every morning to the sound of ocean waves

rode our bikes for popsicles, bushwackers and the best chicken caesar ever at native cafe

read books and surfed while our precious baby took naps at the beach

danced and drank wine at bands on the beach

went out on the town in downtown pensacola

indulged in our favorite tradition with lunch at surf burger

caught a shark deep sea fishing

had beer and oysters galore

spent time with our family

spent time with each other

loved every single second.

sweet & sour

the sweet:
the realization that a new jack johnson song came out. the race between me and husband afterward to see who could download it first. (i won, duh).

sometimes when i hold my baby, she pats me on the back to let me know everything is okay. man that girl gets me.

realizing the salt water and the sea are only seven short days away.

lemon ricotta pancakes...i want to stop talking about them, but i just can't.

my nightly ritual of picking up toys, books, kitchen utensils and anything else skylar has gotten into throughout the day. makes me really feel like a mom. makes me feel really happy.

the sour: 
my dvr cutting off the last ten minutes of the season final of game of thrones. noooooooooooooooooo.

the swimsuit situation.

accidentally buying an $8 fathers day card at target. they make cards that are $8!?

letting my kid play with the sugar packets at a restaurant to keep her from having a full blown breakdown. as a former server, this is a full circle moment people. i would like to note that i did put the sugar packets back in the container in color coordinated order. thank yew.

lemon ricotta pancakes

sunday morning, i got up and did something i never (but always aspire) to do. i made breakfast this morning. ever since i pinned the recipe for lemon ricotta pancakes it has been all i can think about...so i made them this morning and man, are these guys amazing. and easy! make these asap, but make sure its a weekend...

because you are going to be really full,
and need a nap, 

and have a baby and not be able to take a nap...

lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry sauce

recipe adapted from food network

¾ cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
vegetable oil

in a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. whisk to combine and set aside. In another bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, milk, lemon zest and lemon juice and stir to combine. add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk gently until just combined.

heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and coat with vegetable oil. for each pancake, pour approximately 1/3 cup of the batter onto the pan and cook on both sides until golden brown.

blueberry sauce 

4 cups fresh blueberries
¼ cup cold water
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch

place ingredients in a saucepan and stir to combine over medium-low heat until the sauce bubbles. cool slightly before serving.

uno.

a month ago my little girl turned one. ONE. i can hardly believe it. i feel like saying the past year has been the best of my life, doesn't even give the year justice. its has been better than that...truly. I have grown with this child and become a better version of myself, for her.  Thank you sweet girl...for being such a dream, and for showing me how much i can truly love. 

a few pics from her fiesta themed birthday party:

 {the invitations, while adorable, took forever...so naturally mimosas became involved}

 {photo booth}

{of course we had mini layer dips in mason jars...}

{...and sangria}

{me and my big girl}

 {another labor of love - diy pinatas}

 {i loved the favors - instragram cookies...of course, i had too much sangria & forgot to give them out}

{family}