at home with ann

Way back in the beginning of January, my little boy turned 2.  In the blink of an eye he's suddenly a whole grown up person.  He's hilarious, a ton of fun, and full of opinions.  I hear a lot of "What's this, Mommy?," "I can do it myself.  Colin does it!," and "Oh, dump truck, I love you so much, would you like to play trains with me?"  That last one might not be typical two year old behavior, but it's pretty funny to hear.  To celebrate his birthday, we had a brunch with family and friends.  This year's theme was trains, as the birthday boy loves "chookin chookin."  He is also of the opinion that it's not a party without balloons and cars, so both were included in the day.  I didn't do a good job taking pictures of the food or the dining room because I was a busy bee and enjoying the celebration, but here are a couple glimpses from the day. The menu had some repeats from last year, and a couple new items.  

You know how when you get so far behind on something you can't even think about it because it's just too daunting to start?  That's part of how I was feeling for the past six weeks.  I have pictures and recipes and stories to share, but I felt like I needed hours to get back on track.  Of course starting and doing anything is always the best way to get back in the swing of things, so we'll ease in nicely with one of my absolutely favorite sandwiches. I'm hoping I can keep the momentum going since Jon is busy renovating our half bath and we have finally caught up on Game of Thrones.  Wow, we are old and boring. I served this on Christmas Day, which is why you see my festive decor and bloody marys in the background.  It takes a bit of prep work, but once everything is ready to go, they are easy to assemble for a crowd. Fancy Roasted Butternut Sandwich Crusty Sourdough or French Bread 1 Butternut Squash, sliced and roasted (directions below) 1 Granny Smith a