2015 in Review

Happy 2016! This year was a big year for us. We had a baby. The baby meant less blogging and less cooking. I miss my daily interactions with all of you out there but Mr. J and I have enjoyed unplugging and spending more time with our little one. Boy does she change every single day. No joke. But I will write more about that later. Today we are reviewing the year. 

Here are some of my favorite posts from 2015.

January - This month was my baby shower. There was a Hungry Caterpillar theme. It was so cute and I make sure to read The Hungry Caterpillar to Olivia frequently. As for the blog my favorite recipe for the month was Salted Caramel Sauce.

Salted Caramel Sauce

February - Waiting was the game in February. I was huge and uncomfortable. I was convinced and horrified that Olivia would come early. I was done being pregnant but I wasn't ready for the baby just yet either.  One Sunday morning we got ambitious and made our very first Dutch Baby.  We devoured the whole thing within minutes.

Vanilla Dutch Baby

March - Miss O arrived on the 12th.  

Chocolate Coconut Granola

April - We were still learning all the ins and outs of a baby. My mom came to visit for a week and I became a Pro at quick recipes that would be easily grabbed for snacks.

Garlic Flatbread

May - Did May happen?  It got warm and I tried to walk outside as much as possible.  I dreaded going back to work in June.

Easy Fudge Cake

June - Arg! I had to go back to work. In some ways I was very ready to start a more normal routine and get some none baby time.  However it would have been nice to have like 2 hours a day of this and not going back to work full time. Chocolate cake helped!

S'mores Brownies

July - Miss O got sick for the first time and I thought I just might lose it. My best friend came to visit. We decided to do a full gut renovation of our kitchen. Yes, it was craziness. Of course we didn't know how crazy for another couple of weeks. 

Seared Pork Tortas 

August - No kitchen. We lived off the crock pot surprisingly well. Washing dishes in the kitchen sink wasn't quite as easy. 

Cinnamon Chocolate Zucchini Bread

September - I turned 31.  Birthday celebrations were pretty low key, except for an epic journey to Prince Edwards Island.  If we were crazy for gutting the kitchen with a 4 month old, going on a 12 hour car ride was pure insanity.  We were back to a functioning kitchen although most things were still packed away and we were living with only the basics. 

Oatmeal Maple Scones

October - The Fall. Oh the leaves and the apple picking. Miss O started sitting up and eating solids.  She started making the cutest facial expressions and her personality really started to come out. At this point I couldn't remember my life before her. 

Sweet Potato Pie

November - Thanksgiving. And we celebrated twice. My brother and his family along with my mom and dad came to visit for a week in early November. We had a wonderful but hectic time with 3 little ones and 6 adults. The kiddos certainly did a number on us even though we out numbered them 2 to 1.  For the actual Thanksgiving holiday we went back to Maine and met much of Mr. J's extended family.  It was a short trip but so nice to see everyone.  

Almond Toffee Sandies

December - I had my first few nights away from Olivia early in the month. It was so hard but easier than expected. We all survived.  Then Miss O started on her ear infections. We have been fighting them ever since.  However, Christmas was all around. We got a tree, decorated the house and then hosted both families. The kitchen finally got done just before everyone came.


So there you have it.  Like I mentioned earlier 2015 was quite a year. I think we are finally back in our groove.  We have the work/baby schedule semi figured out, the house is back together again, and we aren't rushing to get a million things done for the holidays.  I am ready for a bit of cold weather to force us to snuggle inside together. Cheers to 2016!