Fathers Day Brunch & Pool Time

I was really excited for Ian to experience his first Fathers Day, and I wanted to make sure he spent it doing exactly what he wanted to do. To him, this meant a simple breakfast with his girls ... french toast being a must.

So, french toast we had. With a teeny tiny pitcher of syrup. Because even the most low-key breakfast can be turned up a few notches with a fancy little syrup pitcher.

I made the grape salad that has taken Pinterest by storm (recipe here) and it was good. Not as mind-blowing as I was hoping it would be, but not a dud, either. That's brown sugar sprinkled atop the bowl. I've found that I actually like mine with a little cinnamon mixed in, so next time I'll skip the brown sugar and just add in some cinnamon to the mix. Oh yeah, and I'll let my cream cheese come completely to room temp -- amateur mistake on my end. :)

We also had my FAVORITE kind of bacon, brown sugar baked bacon. All you have to do for this is add some brown sugar in a bowl and then coat your uncooked bacon on both sides with the brown sugar. I bake mine on a rack (that has been coated in Pam) atop a baking sheet. It only takes about 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees. It turns out like candied bacon strips. Divine.

Mimosas were definitely necessary! 

Ian had several cards to open, and I was super excited about my card for him this year. I used Treat.com (which is a branch of Shutterfly) and created a personalized card for Ian using photos of him and Camille. The card was $3.49 and an additional $0.99 to ship to me -- with most generic greeting cards nowadays costing $4.99, this still came in less expensive!

Another perk? Shutterfly has a location just about 20 minutes away from Charlotte, so my card arrived in the mail the day after I placed my order. Pretty fantastic.

When Ian opened this, he looked at it for a while before realizing that the daddy and daughter on the front? It was him and his sweet little baby! I took this photo of them in the hospital before we were discharged.

On the inside I also added a photo of them from our arrival day at home and a note. The card was such great quality, a thick cardstock with a matte finish.

I hope Ian wouldn't mind me sharing that this card brought tears to his eyes. Isn't that what we all hope for in a card for a loved one? I could not recommend more Treat.com (this is not a sponsored ad for them, by the way, just my opinion!). 

After breakfast, we just enjoyed a low-key day -- Ian watched the US Open and later we went to the pool with two other couples and their kids. 

It was a perfectly low-key day but a special day. It was an honor to spoil Daddy a little bit for all he does for us.