My 28th Birthday

This year. My first birthday as a mama. Something I thought a lot about for the first time was the different between a birthday--as I've always thought of it--and a birth [space] day. I found myself thinking a lot about Nancy's birth day, which led me to thinking about my parents on my actual birth day in the hospital. I concluded that birthdays are especially sentimental for mamas and daddies too. On any given child's birth day, however many years ago, parents end nine months of anticipation and welcome the newest love of their lives into the world. And you know what? That's pretty darn special. I think I'll never look at birthdays the same again. Now that I know that love between a mama and a her baby, I'll have my mommy to thank for every birthday I celebrate from here on out. Just for loving me the way she does. (Thanks, Mommy. I love you!)

A lot of mamas told me that this birthday would be my best yet...because baby snuggles. And being a mama. My dream come true, you know? Well, they were right. Best yet. It was simple in style but grand in my heart. 

 Exactly what I wanted for my birthday--a love note. :)

 Free birthday Starbucks + Bachelorette + baby snuggles = afternoon perfection

I mean...these little moments are everything to my heart! Her favorite place to be. The sweetest part of my day.

Nancy wore an old outfit of mine. Straight up 1987. I love it! Also: see that #judgybaby on the left? Always judgin'.

And--just for fun--yours truly in that same outfit almost 28 years ago. :)

We had a pre-dinner beer or two on the porch.

And lots of baby snuggles. | Harper and Hope (and Tina!), Mal and Nancy

 My dinner request? Mellow Mushroom. And my hubby got out the selfie stick for the first time since Nancy's birth day. (And next up...my sista will take it with her to Antigua!...this weekend!)

Ben & Jerry's ice cream cake perfection -- cookies & cream and carmel blondie inside. YES.

 My little family. The reason why this bday was the best yet. 

 ...And because of her too. My mama. Who I adore and appreciate in so many new ways now that I'm one too. 

 Any cake called "Sprinkle Explosion" is a friend of mine!

Cheers to 28, to pizza and ice cream cake, and the simple joy of being with family. I look forward to whatever God has in store for me this year!!

P.S. Don't forget to enter the Simply Made with Love giveaway for a $25 shop credit!

Twenty-Eight

Via

I love this week. Birthday week is fun because I share it with my husband. I catch up to him for 4 whole days, and then he's a year older than me again. :)
This year I told Marky not to get me anything again. Remember? We commonly skip the gifts when it comes to each other. He already got me a rockin' push present a short bit ago, and we have some fun adventures on the horizon. Instead I asked for a love note (No, really. I did. Maybe my #1 love language is touch, but #2 is words of affirmation)...and for him to try to put his clothes in the hamper this week or hang them back up if they're not dirty. It's the little things, right? :)
Today I plan to relish in countless minutes of baby snuggles, watch the Bachelorette, and I look forward to breaking my cookie cake streak (3 cookie cakes in the past month calls for a change, maybe? They're so good but I've definitely eaten proooobbbaly over one cake to myself sooo...). My request? An edible arrangement of fruit!!!! Kidding. I love me some fruit. For real. But pssshhh not for a birthday. I went for the real deal (duh): Ben & Jerry's ice cream cake. Okay, okay...I specifically requested one in the shape of a heart called "sprinkle explosion." CANNOT. WAIT. FOR. THAT. RAINBOW. SPRINKLE. GOODNESS. 

Cheers to year 28...and to the fact that each year as Elise Houston gets better and better. I love being married, I love my growing little family, and goodness gracious how I love this life! Thank you, Lord, from whom all blessings flow!!!! 
And--just for fun--last year's posts:Twenty-SevenBirthday Reflections [She Designed a Life She Loved]Birthday Paddleboarding 
P.S. You know what else is fun about birthdays? Giveaways. So check back tomorrow for a little birthday giveaway fun...and perhaps the cutest blonde baby model you've ever seen...

Funfetti Cheesecake

Could a cheesecake get more fun than this?!

Since Mark and I are skipping gifts this year, I decided to bake him a special cake instead. His request? Cheesecake. I scoured my Pinterest "Desserts" board and found this lovely recipe from Wine & Glue.

Any day that I actually attempt one of the hundreds of Pinterest recipes I have saved is a good day. Any day that they turn out well?! Winning. A fabulous day.

 

Ingredients
2 12oz containers of cream cheese
3 eggs
1 14oz can sweetned condensed milk
1.5 tbsp vanilla
2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles
Optional: Whipped cream and additional sprinkles
...And don't forget your springform pan! 

Recipe
Source Credit: Wine & Glue

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. With mixer on low, beat together the cream cheese, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and almond extract for five minutes.  (Not completely smooth after 5 minutes? Don't fret. It's okay!!)
3. Slowly mix in all the sprinkles with a spoon.
4. Pour the batter into a springform pan and bake for 45 minutes. Let cool completely, at least four hours in the refrigerator.
5. Optional: Adorn with whipped cream and extra sprinkles. (Because who doesn't love extra sprinkles?)

 The cake after cooling. Not too shabby [if I do say so myself]!

 Confession: those are matches holding up the sign. No toothpicks or skewers are currently in our home. ;)

Voila!

All in all, I give it a B. That's pretty good considering an A+ would be from the Cheesecake Factory...and this is my first ever solo cheesecake attempt. Pinterest for the win!

P.S. If you missed it yesterday, be sure to check out the Vestique Boutique giveaway that's up and running right now!!

Cheers to fancy birthday desserts!

Birthday Paddleboarding

I just want to remember yesterday. In pictures. So here's to documenting Marky's 28th birthday on the blog! :)  It couldn't have been more beautiful. Our heads still spin thinking that all of this is nearly in our backyard! Both Mark and I are about to embark on our best year yet -- we're sure of it!

 Morning paddleboarding thanks to Wrightsville SUP -- highly recommend them! They're awesome guys! :)

 We spent about an hour and a half paddling around. It was super fun.

 Sigh. We live here.

 Mark thought it would be humorous to leash our paddleboards together and pull me.

 Taking a little break to live the dream.

 Post-paddleboarding

 Then we headed to SurfBerry (one of my faves) for some breakfast. This is an acai bowl. I'm hooked and wish I could eat this every summer morning (and spinach and kale are even blended into this goodness!!!).

 From SurfBerry breakfast to the beach. Couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day!

 Crazy beach hair.

TINA! ...I cannot finish this post without noting how we woke up.Tina poked her head between our sleeping selves and ruffed some happy puppy birthdays to Marky.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend to all! My in-laws are on a flight from Heathrow to the USA as I type!!! SO EXCITED!

 Cheers to a fabulous birthday for Marky!  

Frankly, my dear...you should pop over here to visit my sweet sponsor, Jenni!

 

Marky

 Happenings of Year 27 via Instagram

(Top): June 2013 on our mission trip with Forest Hill Church to Bujumbura, Burundi. I cannot imagine having experienced something as majestic as this trip without Mark by my side. 

(Middle Left): Messina, Sicily 

(Middle Right): Ephesus, Turkey [The Grand Theater where Paul preached to the Ephesians!]

(Bottom Left): Our new stomping grounds

(Bottom Right): Big milestone...we bought a house!...within minutes of the beach!

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my hottie of a hubby! 

What a fun whirlwind this past year has been. There's no one I'd rather adventure through life with. 

I love you so much. 

Via

This month just keeps getting better and better. Mark's parents fly in from England to Charlotte tomorrow (YAY!!!! We haven't seen them since August!), and they'll make their first ever visit to Wilmington on Sunday. I cannot wait! I just know how much they are going to love our new town, our home, and the beach life. They'll stay with us until we all head back to Charlotte together later in the week for my sister's wedding! What a beautiful blessing to be surrounded by family so much this month. So much to celebrate!!! Praise the Lord for the gift of family!

Check y'all later...Marky and I have a birthday paddleboarding date at 10! Then we're beachin'. You know this picture queen will be updating via Insta! ;)

P.S. The final installment of the May Birthday Giveaway series will be up next week! It's from one of my favorite Charlotte boutiques...eee!
 

Frankly, my dear...you should pop over here to visit my sweet sponsor, Jenni!

Twenty-Seven

Via

It couldn't be a happier Monday! I'll have a little birthday pep in my step as I go to Pure Barre, snag my free birthday Starbucks, and head to pick up the kiddos from preschool. 

Oh, and then there's The Bachelorette premiere tonight. Perfectly timed? I think yes.

Via

Want to know what will be playing in my car nonstop as I carpool mom it around town today? Love me some Katy Perry. No shame.

Check back tomorrow for the first giveaway of the week! We'll celebrate together all week long. Cheers to that!

Happy, HAPPY Monday! :) 

Frankly, my dear...you should pop over here to visit my sweet sponsor, Jenni!

Why We Skip the Gifts...

Via

Is it normal that Mark and I skip the gifts for our birthdays/holidays more often than not? 

Scratch that. It doesn't matter that it's normal. It matters that it works for us. And it does, indeed, work for us.

I've mentioned before that Mark and I are both rather frugal. We're both savers and beyond the basics like groceries and toiletries, we don't feel tempted to shop a lot. But it's more than that. I think the reason this non-gift-giving-thing works for us is because of our similar love languages. (Do you know about those? Totally browse the site if you don't -- so fascinating and so true. Better yet, take the quiz to find out about yours ranked from 1-5!)

Source

Mark and I have the same #1 ranked love language (touch) and #5 ranked love language (gifts). [How cool is that?! I love it so much.] Our #2-#4s differ a little bit, but all in all, it's pretty dang cool that we feel most loved the same way, and we're both fairly impartial to gifts. Does that mean we don't like giving or receiving gifts? No! But in our relationship with each other, this is something it's okay for us to skip over. Without anyone's feelings getting hurt. (Seriously.) And without anyone saying "don't-get-me-a-gift-but-really-if-you-don't-get-me-one-I'm-gonna-be-upset." :)

So this birthday--since our birthdays are 4 days apart--we'll exchange cards. Just as we have for most other birthdays and holidays in the past. Truth be told, I just always request for my card to be filled with an extra long note. (Can you guess what my #2 love language is?) ;)

What about you? Do you and your love speak the same love languages, or do they totally differ? I'd love to hear more!

You are loved!

Frankly, my dear...you should pop over here to visit my sweet sponsor, Jenni!