Five on Friday!

I have a random assortment of things for you today -- recipes, school pics, and more!

one. A few weeks ago the kiddos had school picture day. Normally I don't buy the photos but this year I caved and purchased a few digital prints. Side note, can we talk about how absurd the digital and print photos cost? My goodness. Anyway, these were too cute not to buy...

Yep, totally worth $35 for this one.

I cannot get over how much they've changed since last year's school pictures. Pass the tissues!

two. Over the weekend Caroline helped me make some Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup. This recipe was SO easy and the whole family loved it. Highly recommend!

Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients

1 bag (30 oz) frozen hash-brown potatoes
2 cans (14 oz ea) chicken broth
1 can (10.75 oz) cream of chicken soup
1/2 C chopped onion
1/3 tsp ground black pepper
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
Garnish: minced green onion, Cheddar, shredded, and bacon

Instructions

In a crock pot, combine potatoes, broth, soup, onion, and pepper. Cover, and cook on low for 5 hours. Stir in cream cheese, cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until combined. Garnish with green onion, and/or Cheddar and bacon if desired.

three. We finished our New Year's Marriage Resolution strong with an incredible night out last weekend. This was definitely one of my favorite date nights of the year. For December we decided to check out a cozy bar in our old neighborhood -- The Workman's Friend. Our goal was to not be rushed through dinner and instead snuggle up next to the fire with beers in hand for a long night. 

Throughout the evening we ordered almost every appetizer off the menu, from brisket sliders topped with quail eggs to the goat cheese beet tower, the food was absolutely incredible. Back in April we stopped here for a drink after our Comida date night and made a note after seeing the food to come back to Workman's Friend for dinner...and I'm so glad we did!

four. I recently put together a really fun family movie night Christmas gift. I started by personalizing a large bowl (using a Sharpie Paint Marker) as well as small bowls for each family member. Then I added in a box of candy per person, a box of popcorn and a movie. The trickiest part was picking a movie for a a family with five kids ranging from ages 3-8 (yes crazy -- two sets of twins!) that everyone would enjoy. The family loved the basket and appreciated that everyone got the same blue bowl so there were no disagreements over which kid got which bowl. Ha!

five. You may have noticed that Caroline is really into accessories right now -- necklaces, scarves, etc. So for Christmas I've been looking for a necklace to hide in her stocking so I asked my neighbor, who is the owner and designer of White Sapling, to design something special for Caroline. I was SO excited to receive this adorable necklace for Caroline that I had to shout her praises from the rooftops! If you are looking for unique, beautifully custom made jewelry, make sure to check out Melissa's shop! 

Happy weekend, friends!