So I decided to make Eric a treat last week and put together an amazing meal that tested my skyllz. I tried a bunch of new things like roasting the garlic before I added it into my mashed potatoes, and cooking fillet mignon and getting it to medium rare and wrapped in bacon! Then I thought it would be fun to try to make my own kind of lava cake with the compote fruit topping that Eric always loves. For the compote I just chop up strawberries, mangoes and add some orange juice and sugar. Then I just simmer it down while I cook until it is a tasty sauce. I guess that is a compote? I dno, I just made it up. Anyway, check out the photos and click on the mini galleries to see their captions! 

This Christmas was so special for us. It was the first official Christmas that we could spend together and it was also the first Christmas that we spent in our new house. The spirit of Christmas was so strong this year! The snow, the icicles on our roof, the smell of baking cookies and the family we were able to be with all blended together to create an amazing Christmas spirit. This is our blog post documenting all of the awesome times we had during "Our First Christmas," 2014!

I kept my presents a secret from Eric by wrapping them at work! My OCD goes a bit crazy when it comes to gift wrapping...! We decided to spend the morning of Christmas Eve alone together. It was the first time that we had actually been together on Christmas! 

As part of Eric's Christmas present I splurged and bought bacon to have with our Christmas breakfast. I also scrambled some eggs, seasoned with a dash of garlic salt, chopped onions, some pepper and melted sharp cheddar over the top. I made whole grain pancakes, plain for the first batch and chocolate chip as a special surprise when he wanted second helpings. And on the side I put out some yummy diced peaches! 

Below is a pic of Eric's face when I served the food. Gotta love that bed head and those sleepy eyes!

Now for presents!! I got Eric some great Nautica dress socks because I LOVE how it looks when he wears a clean dark suit, but has that flash of color when he crosses his legs and his socks show. Is that weird? I also got him a super awesome tie that can work in any season! Eric was ALWAYS complaining of how his wallet was uncomfortable to his bum, and lately I had noticed that the compartments were literally only held on by a thread. So I found this gorgeous bifold wallet by Kenneth Cole. It still had tons of compartments and a flap for his ID, which I know he likes. He LOVED IT! Yay! I also gave him some great indoor-outdoor slippers. They're great for when he has to take out the garbage in the snow. You can see those on his feet in the picture below.

For Christmas Eric got me a whole suite of ski gear!! He got me a matching set of gloves, hat and neck gaiter by Columbia. They are so fuzzy and gorgeous! He also got me a ski suit that fit perfectly and ski socks! (Pink of course)

He also got us a Groupon for an Ice Skating double date, because he knows Ice Skating is my favorite! Last but not least, he framed a photo from our honeymoon. Over all it was a wonderful first Christmas in our first home together <3

Above is a peppermint chocolate chip milkshake for a treat before we headed to his parent's house. (made in our new ninja blender. Get one. They're amazing)

We had to buy all new ornaments for our cute little fake tree (which was also new) P.S. Being newlywed is expensive! The angel on top of the tree was given to my by my grandma when I was just a little girl. Bailey is afraid of it because it's arms move. lol 

All in all, we feel so blessed to be where we are in life right now. We have wonderful friends with beautiful hearts, loving families with warm welcoming arms, and a beautiful home that we can call our own. Thank you to everyone who celebrated the beginning of our new life with us. The love and celebration surrounding our wedding has helped kick off what has become the best four months of our lives. Love to all!

Today is Eric's birthday! Woohoo! lol
Cynthia, Gary, Michelle, Mathew and Aubrey all came over to celebrate Eric's day and to enjoy a super yummy dinner made by Cynthia. Eric is NOT very into birthdays, but I thought it would be nice to take a break from wedding planning and make him his favorite dessert: Skookies! I used the uh-mazing recipe on the underside of the Quaker Oats lid and instead of nuts or raisins I just added chocolate chips! Pulled them out of the oven while they were still soft and gooey and quickly scooped a big dollop of vanilla bean ice cream on top. The finishing touch was a drizzle of melted chocolate over the Ice cream, which hardens to be a yummy crunchy treat! 
Since he totally deserves a cake, I made a HUGE cookie with happy birthday wishes on it in chocolate :) He may not like a big fuss, but when it involves s huge cookie covered in ice cream I think he was willing to make an exception!