Prom has gone to the dogs

I work at a Pet Resort and do some freelance photography on the side, so when the two jobs happen to coincide, I am delighted! We hosted a Doggie Prom this year for our Day Camp pets and the photos turned out pretty hilarious. Imagine all of these dogs sitting still in their prom attire, posing for the camera. (I'm pretty sure the scenario you just imagined was not at all realistic. It was HARD. WORK.) But in the end, I got some cute shots and the puppy parents were over the moon. I thought I'd share some of those photos here!

You can find the rest of the pictures at my Jennifer Dawn Photography page!

Creamy Ranch Chicken Pasta

Tonight was one of those super lazy dinners nights where I just start grabbing random items out of my pantry, and try to decide what may or may not work. My husband went to see a movie so it was just Willow and me (Liam was content chowing down on some squash). I had two thawed chicken breasts and no time for a crock pot meal, so I decided to throw together this chicken dish on the skillet. It came together pretty good and my daughter asked for seconds (rare. occurrence.)

I did not take pictures of the cooking process because, frankly, looking at raw chicken grosses me out. I was a vegetarian for four years and I still have some issues, apparently. The veins, the stringy fat globs, the slimy texture... just no.

So now that everyone is good and hungry, on to the recipe!

Creamy Ranch Chicken Pasta

Ingredients
4-6 chicken breasts
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning Mix
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
8oz cream cheese
Veggies of your choice (peas and carrots work great)
1lb egg noodles

Cut your chicken into chunks and cook in an oiled skillet. Cook until golden brown, then add your veggies (I admit, I used a bag of frozen veggies this time. Next time I will use fresh!). Stir in packet of ranch dressing mix, along with your cream cheese. Cook until cheese is melted and gooey. Then add your cans of soup and stir until hot and bubbly.

Meanwhile, cook your egg noodles to your liking. I like al dente. Drain noodles, then combine them with your skillet ingredients. Coat noodles in mixture and serve!

This dish would be great with some dinner rolls and a side salad. And it could not be any easier!

Enjoy!

Little Willow

I recently changed my blog title to a name that has a lot of meaning to me. It is named after a beautiful Paul McCartney song that I discovered shortly after giving birth to my daughter. Paul McCartney is my all-time favorite artist (we are Beatles fanatics in this household!) and my daughter's name is consequently Willow, so, it was kind of a perfect name for my little space on the web. You can find the lyrics to "Little Willow" here. I used to sing this song to my daughter while rocking her to sleep when she was just a baby.

It's so hard to believe that was three years ago.

Summer, 2011

Sleep, little willow
Peace gonna follow
Time will heal your wounds

First day of summer dance class, 2013

Grow to the heavens
Now and forever
Always came too soon

House Progress

We try to swing by our house once a week. It's amazing the little differences each week makes.

After we drive by sit in front of the lot taking pictures until the workers start giving us dirty looks, I bring the kids over to the neighborhood park. It happens to be on the same street as our home, which is very convenient. We love the park!

It's a surreal feeling knowing that this is the park they will grow up playing at. I have so many fond memories of my own park when I was little and I can't wait to re-create the fun and innocence with my children. I'm looking forward to summer nights on the swings with Willow and basketball games with Liam.

September 30th cannot get here soon enough!

Re-vamp

I've decided to give this blog a fresh, new look. I aim to update this regularly with recipes, DIY ideas/activities, family fun, and adventures in home ownership. Our new house is being built this summer and I can't wait to start designing and decorating (as in, not just staring at Pinterest for hours on end). Stay tuned!