August's Up-And-Coming Blog of the Month!

Today I'd like to introduce you to a blog that I instantly fell in love with. I love the picture-perfect layout, I love the name, I love the photography, and most of all I love the posts!

Holli's Full Hands, Full Hearts has it all- delicious recipes, fun activities to do with your family, product reviews/recommendations, ways to be Earth-friendly, Holli's adventures with her family, and more! Her latest post features some gorgeous and adorable pictures of her family's encounter with a hot air balloon; just to see the sweet pictures she caught is worth the look! Another recent post that she linked up to my Sweet Saturday hop sited 10 different fun activities to do with your toddler. I especially liked the "Letter of the Day" idea :)

Holli takes great pictures and writes posts worth reading. I always look forward to seeing what she has to share. She's also super sweet! Please check her blog out!!!

I have some blogs in mind for the next Up-and-Coming Blog of the Month, but if you would like to nominate one, please do so in the comments. The only requirements are that the blog has 200 or less GFC followers, is continuously updated, and has to do with parenting, health, crafts, cooking, and/or creativity.

Sweet Saturday #16: Sweet BBQ pics

So, despite not having the best week last week, I had a great weekend! The family BBQ was a success full of good food, good people, and good fun! The day after, Paul, Lily and I hit the beach and had another great day in the sun and surf. For this Sweet Saturday, I'm sharing some sweet pics from that weekend, and hopefully I'll be sharing some recipes from that day soon enough...

 Note: all photos from BBQ were taken by members of my family. We took a lot more, but I specifically chose images that would keep my family's identities private ;)
 

Me manning the grill (I wasn't doing a very good job, so Paul's uncle and cousin took over)

We roasted marshmallows and made s'mores

Slip-n-slide action

Who's next?

My sweetie :)

One of the only food shots I took: leftover Indian-spiced chicken made by my mother-in-law with rice, peas, and bean salad made by my cousin-in-law

Daddy and Lily

Pouring water on her Spongebob pals

My brave girl. It makes me so happy to hold her hand :)

OK, now it's your turn! Our guest-hostess today is Linda from With a Blast! Follow these simple rules:

1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 

2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow me and With a Blast. Leave me a comment if you are a new follower so I can follow you back!

3. Hop around and say hi. 

4. Share my button to get more people to join us (not required, but it would be nice!)

<a href="http://jessica-healthymommyhealthybaby.blogspot.com/search/label/sweet%20saturday" target="_blank"><img alt="Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby" src="http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z327/ruffandcut/sweetsaturdaybutton-1.jpg"/></a>

Thanks so much for linking up, I really do love Fridays even more because of this :)

P.S. After a few people mentioned to me that they don't like the word verification setting on my comments, I turned it off. The only reason I had it on was to prevent spammy comments, but I can just remove them myself. If I have any issues, I may decide to turn it back on, though. This just means that I'll be expecting more comments now, so don't hold back!!!! Thanks!!!! 

Thinking of my Grandmother

I was just thinking about my grandmother; I was thinking how everything she makes always tastes so good. Cookies, pancakes, tomato sauce, stew, tuna fish salad, pulled-pork sandwiches- she always does it just right. I was thinking how even when I try to replicate what she makes, it never tastes as good. I've followed her recipes to a T, even gone so far as to cook with her, and still my dishes just never measure up. What is that? I think we all know.

When a grandmother cooks and bakes, she does it with love. It's like she has a pastry injector filled with magic that she uses to fill those cakes and pies right up so they taste as wonderful as you know you will always remember. That taste that makes you remember chasing butterflies in Nana's backyard in the midst of summer, that reminds you of Thanksgiving back home surrounded by all your family, that makes you reminisce about spring time in Grandpa's garden enraptured by the scents of young tomatoes growing on the vine. When I taste one of my grandma's famous cookies, I'm suddenly transported back in time to days of carefree childhood, sitting around the kitchen table in North Carolina with my sister and cousins joking and laughing and passing the funnies around from the Sunday paper. These are feelings that I just don't get when I bite into one of my own creations.

Sure, I like what I make, otherwise I wouldn't be writing a food blog. But, I can only hope that my cooking will one day transport Lily and my possible future children/grandchildren to a place of love and warmth and happy tummies. My husband already tells me my cooking is like no other, my special "Mama" cooking he calls it. Clean plates and satisfied smiles let me know when I've done good in the kitchen.

Lily's first chocolate chip cookie, taken a few weeks ago

But, nothing will ever come close to the enchanting sense of hominess that my Grannie Annie's cooking brings. I hope that my mom's and mom-in-law's cooking will feel the same for Lily one day, too. I'm sure it will, it already does for me.

Me and my grandma, picture by Kristen Thorne