Abounding Abundance

Pizza Braids

2012-01-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

Pizza braids are one of my go-to recipes for when I bring a meal to a family. Generally they are well received because they involve warm bread and pizza flavors. I like them because they are a bit different than the standard casserole or pasta dish and pretty easy to assemble. The hardest part is planning well enough in advance to let your bread dough rise.

Here are your ingredients: a loaf of frozen bread dough, your choice of spaghetti or pizza sauce, Mozzarella & Parmesan cheese and whatever pizza toppings you fancy. When I'm making them for a family who I don't know their toppings preference, I usually go pretty standard like pepperoni.

The first thing to do is to follow the standard instructions for thawing and letting the frozen bread dough rise. You'll need to grab a loaf pan, spray it with cooking spray, set the bread dough in the pan, cover the pan with cling wrap that has also been sprayed and place it in a warm place to rise for a few hours. Once the dough has doubled in size, it's time for action!

Sprinkle flour on your counter, rolling pin, and dough ball. Roll out the dough into a rectangle. This will take a little elbow grease, but you'll be fine (less of a workout than playing airplane with my 20 lb baby!).

Spread your sauce down the middle, not going all the way the ends. You will want to leave 2.5 inch space all the way around so you can cut strips. Follow with your pizza toppings, then the cheese. Sometimes I'll sprinkle on a little pizza seasoning too. Don't get crazy with toppings otherwise they'll leak out the sides.

Next is the cutting of the braid strips. Easy! Cut approximately 10-12 strips total on each side, around 1 inch apart. Cut pretty close to the toppings, but not too close otherwise you'll have leakage. You can leave wider strips on the ends.

Your finished product should look something like this.

Now for the braiding. Don't be afraid, it's really easy! All you have to do is start on one end, folding your end piece in. Now taking a strip from the left side, stretch it across the toppings to reach the other side. Repeat on the other side until you almost reach the base. Leave 2 or 3 strips on both sides because you need to fold the end piece up and then braid/cover with the remaining strips.

When you are done it will look like an papoose all wrapped up. Get a friend to help transfer to a baking sheet. It can be a little tricky ...

Easy peasy, lemon breezy. Bake at 375 degrees for ~20 minutes. Add an additional 10-15 minutes if baking frozen.

House of Fifty Winter/Spring Issue

2012-01-25T12:13:00.002-06:00

Check out the new issue of the House of Fifty here. I love this online design mag, it's got lots of inspiration for what I'd like my house to look like. Which also means a quick reality check of what my house really looks like. Meaning toys, papers and s0cks strewn everywhere because Lance's feet inexplicably get hot in the most inconvenient places.

2012 Resolutions: Korean Food

2012-01-23T08:28:00.002-06:00

I think I've figured out why my Korean food resolution keeps reappearing year after year. After a quick google search of Korean food recipes, they all sound gross to me. Things like "Fish Cake Stew," "Squid Pancakes,"and "Uncurdled Tofu Stew" sound awful. I like to think that I keep a pretty open mind about things, but these sound a bit beyond what I can handle and I know that I don't have a chance of convincing Lance to try them. I don't cook seafood (Lance hates it and it can be expensive), I'm not overly fond of seaweed (okay, I don't like it AT ALL), and I really don't like having huge bottles of Asian ingredients that sit in my pantry for years. Case in point: I recently discovered that I own three bottles of sesame oil and two bottles of rice vinegar, as well as a bottle of mirin, hoisin, fish sauce, thai curry paste, and umpteen bottles of soy sauce. I really don't feel inclined to buy kelp, bean curd, or seaweed. It also creeps me out by the number of sunnyside eggs I see in pictures of Korean food. I think it's weird. Going to Asian markets can be tiresome too. Don't get me wrong, the foodie in me enjoys wandering and looking at all sorts of ingredients and things I'm not familiar with, but I do not enjoy the inevitable heritage conversation I will have to have at some point. Why Asian women are so nosy (myself not included in this racist umbrella statement) is completely beyond me. I cannot go and get a pedicure without having to have to explain why I don't know any Korean and why I can speak English without any trace of an accent. Of course I had to go through this same litany last Friday when I went to pick up a couple of ingredients I couldn't find at Fareway. It just really irritates me. I know my friend Shannon has had similar experiences too and it takes every ounce of grace I have for me to not make some snappy comment that Jesus would not be at all impressed with.

Okay. Enough on my tirade. I digress.

After amending my search to include American Korean food, I came across a blog that may have a more realistic approach to finally getting this resolution crossed off my list:

Gungjung Tteokbokki (Stir-fried Rice Cake with Beef and Vegetables)

Hoddeok (Sugar Pancake)

Korean Stewed Short Ribs

The recipes all come from a blog titled Korean American Mommy. Her kids are cute. Granted, I have a certain affinity towards Asian babies :) But her blog might be the reason I get to cross this ongoing resolution off my list.

2012 Resolutions

2012-01-20T13:46:00.005-06:00

I haven't posted 2012 Resolutions. I reviewed 2011 Resolutions and it appears that I didn't do so hot.

1. I haven't learned how to make any Korean dishes yet. Opps. That's 2 years running that I haven't managed to achieve this resolution. I guess there's always 2012.

2. Walking twice a day, 15 minutes a day. I did do this pre-baby, but haven't really since. I do think the walking helped with the labor and delivery process, along with the regular practice of yoga.

3. Grow a more expansive and varied garden. We did try, but were hindered by the rabbit who, unbenost to us, took up residence in the garden and proceeded to eat all of my edamame and green peppers. I have never hated one adorable, small, furry creature more.

I have 4 resolutions for 2012. Based on prior resolutions, 4 is probably ambitious.

1. Learn how to make a Korean food dish.

2. Incorporate more vegetables into our diets.

3. Pay down 1/3 of my student debt.

4. Be content, but be fearless.

I'll being doing separate posts expanding my reasons for each resolution, but I wanted to end with this clip from the comic strip Calvin & Hobbs. I loved Calvin and Hobbs growing up, I think it had something to do with Calvin being an only child with a big imagination. I can relate as an only child with an imaginary friend named Bobby who lived in my bedroom closet. But I think Calvin is a hoot :)

View from Daycare

2012-01-14T08:00:00.000-06:00

We started at a new daycare this week. One of the biggest hurdles being a working mom is finding the right caregiver for your child. In talking with other moms who have faced this challenge, I know that I am not alone. Daycare is EXPENSIVE, but it's an investment in your child. I think it is all parents' goal to find a caregiver who will love and care for your child the same way as you. Is that realistic or fair? Probably not. Whenever anyone would ask us how we liked our daycare person, we would both respond with "eh. She's fine."

Upon reflection, Lance and I both think that we were never a great match with our first daycare provider. Don't get me wrong, for many parents she's probably fine. But Lance and I wanted to know what Lucan was doing during the day and hear about his moods, etc (yes, we both acknowledge that we are sort of heliocopter parents). But we were never going to get that type of care with the first one. She was there to make sure Lucan was kept out of harms way and report about his poops. Communication was also an issue.

With our new provider, she does all sorts of developmental programs and all sorts of fun things with the kids. She has just 2 kids that she watches and she's a germ nazi. I like that. And the best part - she only allows 30 minutes of TV a day! That was Lance's sticking point. The first day I knew things were automatically off to a better start when I got a mid-morning email with these pictures:

"I took a couple of quick pictures this morning. He isn't smiling, but still is adorable. I have the crib next to the window and he likes to look out at the trees and ducks in the pond. Have a great rest of the day and see you later. "

Isn't that precious?

Lucan: 7 Months & Counting

2012-01-10T07:47:00.006-06:00

The title means that Lucan is 7 months old and we continue to observe his progress as he gets older. Not that Lucan is 7 months old and is COUNTING. I love my child and basically thinks he poops candy bars (Glee reference anyone?), but he's not so advanced that he's counting.

Lucan weighs 20 lbs. I'm glad that we have a Chicco KeyFit 30 carseat, otherwise with some of the other ones we'd already be buying a new one. With his BundleMe insert on the carseat, it is a snugfit.

Still in size 3 diapers. They go up to 28 lbs, so Lucan better be in them for awhile now.

Still nursing. After the tumultuous beginning, I'm still amazed every single day.

We are eating quite a variety of foods now. Butternut squash, avocados, applesauce, carrots, rice cereal with prune juice, rice cereal with pear juice, and sweet potatoes. Last night we started peas and Lucan chowed down on those too. Basically, Lucan hasn't met a food he doesn't like. According to others, this is not uncommon with babies. It's when they move to finger foods, that likes and dislikes become more prevalent. Super. So excited for that day to come.

However with the onslaught of a more varied diet, comes the inevitable. Poop problems. Oh how my child grunts and cries and makes the most sad face when he tries to poop. It will break your heart. I did manage to snap a blurry picture of Lucan making his poop face one day. But Lance says that I'm not allowed to post it as someday Lucan will be mortified by his mother's antics. I had a friend tell me that I should try administering acidophilus to Lucan. Does anyone have any experience with that?

We survived the holidays with travel and the Christmas tree. Lucan really liked hanging out and rolling under the Christmas tree. Fire wasn't impressed as Fire has deemed the tree his special place. Lucan also like pulling on the lights and branches of the tree. We have a fake tree, so when we were disassembling the tree it was interesting to observe how all the bottom branches was misshaped.

Lucan made out like a bandit with Christmas gifts - lots of toys and TONS of clothes. More clothes than Lance and I received combined. For this very reason, Lance and I didn't get Lucan a single gift. I don't think he cares.

We also survived Lucan's first Santa encounter. It actually went pretty well, Lucan only looked like he wanted to cry at the beginning. I'm not sure how we will approach Santa in the coming years, we are leaning more towards telling L that Santa isn't real early on. Because if we lie about Santa, who isn't to say that we are lying about Jesus?

After I made an appointment with my hair stylist for Lucan to have his first haircut, Lance threw a mini-fit and said that he wasn't ready. We then proceeded to have countless number of people tell Lucan he needed a haircut. So I had my friend Katie do a mini-trim around Lucan's ears. His hair is much improved, but still needs an allover cut.

One of Lucan's biggest developments this last month has been how mobile he's become. While he is not crawling, he is rolling. Nothing is off limits or out of reach. We need to start baby-proofing soon. I've already had to move one plant as I continually would fear that he would knock the 10 lb plant and ceramic pot on his head.

It's fun to watch Lucan roll onto his belly and then "dry-swim" meaning he'll lay on his tummy and attempt to move by swimming on the floor.

His second biggest development is laughter. Lance is still the one person who can be counted on to make Lucan consistently laugh. Laughter can be elicited by throwing Lucan in the air and by tickling. Lucan seems to have inherited all of our ticklish spots - tummy and neck. Oh it's so fun to make Lucan laugh!

Lucan also seems to be taking more of an active interest in Fire. Fire, not so much an interest in Lucan. Lucan thinks that Fire is hilarious. He'll laugh when Fie walks by him and has the best time when Fire is playing with one of his toys. Lucan also wants to pet Fire, but Fire isn't really all that interested in being petted by Lucan :)

Third development: a tooth! I see him, wiggling on through, center bottom! So far teething has been fine, but I'm not holding my breath.

Fourth development: no more 10 pm feeding. Thank the Lord. It's done. Our routine is solid food at 5:30 pm, nursing somewhere between 7:15 and 7:30, and then down for the count for the night. Yippie! Just a slight problem with Lucan waking up at 4:45 AM every morning and chattering to himself for a half an hour. SO.NOT.COOL.

Lance and I fight on the weekends as to who gets to go and get Lucan out of his crib after naptime. Lucan is SO smiley and thankful for someone to be rescuing him from his nap. It's really precious. Unless it's the morning and I have determined that Lucan's nap hasn't been long enough because MY nap hasn't been long enough.

All smiles :)

Favorite Christmas toy - the talking/singing puppy dog.

Lucan trying to maul Christmas puppy by pulling off his face. Lucan often times tries to do this to me too. Super fun.

Peanut Butter Fudge

2011-12-31T08:00:00.001-06:00

Be still my beating heart. I think this was my favorite Christmas treat I made this year. Let's just say that I made a batch for cooking club at the beginning of the month and proceeded to have the rest of the pan consumed before Dec 10. Fudge is super simple and addicting. I shouldn't limit fudge to a Christmas only treat. It was much too good for a once a year appearance!

Peanut Butter Fudge by Bakerella.com

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter

2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla
6 oz package semi-sweet chocolate pieces (I used chocolate chips)
7 oz. jar Marshmallow Creme

1/2 cup peanut butter

1. Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, 6 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup evaporated milk in a medium pot.
2. Bring to full rolling boil which is 230 degrees, stirring constantly.
3. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate pieces until melted.
4. Add 1 cup (1/2 jar) marshmallow creme and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until well blended.
5. Pour into greased 13 X 9 pan.

Repeat with remaining ingredients substituting peanut butter and spread over chocolate.

Then, cool at room temperature and cut into squares.

The missing sock.

2011-12-29T11:56:00.005-06:00

Lucan is sneaky. If you aren't careful, he'll try and eat one of his socks. See below for proof.

Foot and sock have been presented to mouth for tasting.

Sock has been removed from foot for further taste testing.

Taste affirmation has come back as positive.

This is everyday life and what happens when mom has a week off with Lucan.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T07:56:00.001-06:00

Feliz navidad!

Merry Christmas from you favorite, local shopping mall Santa!

2011 Christmas Card Letter

2011-12-23T08:00:00.003-06:00

Top 10 for 2011

We had a bouncing baby boy in June. Apparently that's a pretty big deal. His name is Lucan. He's pretty cute!

Lance and I took an insurance class together and gained our life insurance designations. I also added my accident and health insurance designations too.

Lance took a new job in June. June was a big month (see #1)!

We actually managed to grow tomatoes this year. Garden fresh tomatoes = garden success for the us. But at the same time, we didn't get a single green pepper and our eggplant only grew 3 leaves (and no actual eggplants).

After 6 years of unsuccessful attempts to purchase a replacement vehicle for Lance, we were finally able to buy a Chevy Traverse. Except somehow Lance managed to trick me into keeping the LHS and now we are a 3 car family (Lance keeps talking about Lucan as a future driver of the LHS). At 256,000 miles, the LHS is still tooling around Des Moines. If you are lucky, you might catch a glimpse of the LHS' doppelganger in downtown Des Moines.

Lance, with the help of a contractor friend, finished installing the 2010 wood floors in October of 2011. Only 10 months late.

Talk about baby boom in 2011– for every month of the year, at least one of our friends had a baby. Boy babies are currently leading in numbers at 9, leaving girl babies trailing with 3. 2012 predicts 2 girl babies and 1 boy baby by February!

Our canning adventure this year was tomatoes and salsa. I'm not necessarily convinced that the canned tomatoes taste any better or are cheaper than store bought tomatoes. We'll see if we can tomatoes next year.

Lucan fell in love with his giraffe lovey, Gerry, his index and middle fingers, and his socks. Lucan's favorite past-times include sucking on Gerry, his fingers, and his socks (sometimes all at once). His second favorite past-time is a game called "Fire Feet." This entails kicking his feet and heels as hard as he can. Lucan's third favorite past-time is rolling, but in only one direction. If rolling counts as a means of transportation, than we are now a household with a mobile child.

Lance completed Calculus 1 this spring and navigated his way through Calculus 2 this fall. One look at his book reminded me why I hate math and have a communications degree. This is also why he calculates our budget and I blog and write our Christmas letter.

Peace on earth friends and family. Jesus is the reason for the season!

Keep up with us all year long at aboundingabundance.blogspot.com

Me versus Lance

2011-12-21T22:20:00.004-06:00

For my ridiculous Christmas present I said that I wanted a 10 gallon, $200 Simple Human Trash Can. Totally worth the money for me to get rid of my nasty, grubby, white plastic trash can that we currently own!

I mean, can a trash can get any more gorgeous? I think not.

Lance, on the other hand, said that he wanted to build onto our garage so he could have a place to store his tractor.

And that my friends, is why Lance and I are different, but the same.

He wants a place to store his trash and I want a place to hide it :)

Please note, we both realize that these are our ridiculous Christmas present wishes.

Lucan: 6 months and counting!

2011-12-17T07:44:00.000-06:00

I'm just really behind in posting Lucan's monthly updates. Gads.

We had his 6 month check-up on Tuesday. It went well! Shots break my heart every time. But Lucan is so brave, he just cries for a moment and then he is okay. I wish his momma could be as brave as he is.

L is tipping the scales at 18 lb 12 ounces and is in the67th percentile for weight.

He is 27 inches long and in the 64th percentile for length

Lucan's head is 45.1 (cm? inches seems extreme) in circumference and in the 81st percentile for head size (yikes!)

I hope he stays in size 3 diapers awhile. They go up to 28 lbs, so lets hope so.

Two weeks ago L started rolling both ways - from belly to back and now he is also doing back to belly. But the problem is that he'll only roll over his right shoulder, so Lance and I will often have to pick him up and turn him the other way because he's ran out of room. I discovered him under the Christmas tree the other night. Lucan appeared to be secretly pleased with himself because Fire has reserved the tree as his special domain. Poor Fi Fie, mobile baby means his life is in for some changes.

Lucan is eating a lot more different foods: butternut squash, avocado, applesauce, and the latest: carrots and rice cereal with prune juice. But he seems to be a little bit constipated as he just cries and cries when he's pooping and his poops are more solid than they should be. So now we've also expanded his diet to include a daily dose of prune juice. Ughhh...

Speaking of food, to date I've made all of Lucan's baby food. It has been a relatively painless process as we already had squash that had been scooped, seeded and baked; homemade applesauce from 2010's canning adventures; and avocado jsut requires mashing. I had Tuesday off and spent some time steaming peas and green beans and then pureeing them and then freezing them into ice cube containers. I also baked a giant sweet potato and pureed it too. We will see how long this lasts. While it really wasn't difficult and is much cheaper than buying baby food, it certainly is not as convenient. But I did enjoy pulverizing and pureeing to my heart's content. It's also fun to think about veggie and fruit combos. And then I thought about pureeing everything and then sneaking the veggies into unexpected places. But that's the evil person I am.

Lucan hasn't been nursing as well. When he was 4 months old, he would eat as much as 7-8 ounces at his first morning feeding. This morning, for example, he had about 4.5 ounces. I'm not really sure what to make of this, but I don't like it. It's doing screwy things to my milk supply.

Lucan likes to stick his fingers in his mouth. Like when he's nursing. Yum, milk is good. Fingers are good. Both ... well that must be even better! Nursing doesn't work too well with fingers.

We've started to be more intentional about Lucan's bedtime routine. We read "Time for Bed," sing a lullaby and then pray with him. Then we lay Lucan down and turn on his sleep sheep. Sometimes Lance gets confused and calls it a Sleep Polar Bear. Really?! 1) The sheep only resembles a polar bear in the fact that it is white. 2) What kind of branding department would call it a "Sleep Polar Bear"? It certainly doesn't roll off the tongue.

Lucan is usually in bed by 7:30 pm. He gets crabby and just can't control his emotions after 7:30. Christmas with Lance's family should be interesting as festivities are starting at 7 pm.

Still no signs of teeth. I'm not looking forward to it.

Lucan got his first cold. It was the first time he was sick. Snotty daycare kids. Man, the cold was a doozy. We took him to the doctor twice and he was on two different antibiotics.

Lucan still loves bath time. Let's just say: water everywhere. Usually I'm soaked.

We started baby sign language after Thanksgiving. We are working on "milk," "more," "food," and "all done." Sometimes I remember to do "kitty," "mom," "dad," and "diaper change." I like to imagine that Lucan is recognizing the sign for "milk" as he get's the biggest smile and gets really excited. Lance is having some difficulties remembering the sign for "more" so finaly I told him that it was two dinosaurs talking to each other. Now it seems to be sticking.

One game that Lucan loves is having us wrap him up like a baby burrito in a blanket and then for him to try and throw the blanket off of his head. Lucan runs into problems when he's laying on part of the blanket and can't get it off. The only way L can get it off is for him to pull it down off of his face. But it does keep him occupied!

One of my favorite developments is Lucan will reflexively smile back at you. It's so rewarding.

Omigoodness, this child is obsessed with his feet. If he isn't wearing footies, he'll pull off his sock and suck on it. And sometimes he'll even get his foot his mouth. But often times I'll have to take his socks off because one of them will be SOAKED. Sometimes I'll walk into his room and he'll be stretching in his crib with his legs in the air. I'm sure if they weren't enclosed in a sleep sack, they'd be in his mouth.

Our child sleeps with his arms straight out and snores. It's actually pretty cute and at night I have to restrain myself from picking him up and hugging him. Sleeping babies can't be beat for cuteness.

Thus ends Lucan's 6 month updates. I had an older woman who was aghast that I wasn't keeping up on Lucan's baby book. But I blog! It's basically the same thing. But now I'm on the hook for actually keeping up on Lucan's development. Crap.

All that glitters, is not gold: Sparkly gift guide

2011-12-16T10:22:00.003-06:00

If you are me, you haven't quite finished up your Christmas shopping yet. The problem being that you always come back with a gift for the person you've already bought something for (mom!) and still haven't gotten anything for that hard to shop for person (dad!).

Here are a few ideas for the person who loves a little glitz and glam. So obviously not ideas for something for my dad.

Ivory glitter Toms - $54

Toms are a pretty cool idea, for every pair of shoes you purchase, they donate a pair to a needy child. Awesome. I need me some sparkly good-doer shoes.

Minted Necklace - $25

I've had my eye on this necklace on etsy.com for 3 years now. I should just buy it. I love the coral, aqua, iridescent combination.

Mercury Glass Candlesticks - $25-$42

I've been wanting to redo my mantle decorations for a little while and I've always thought that some statement candlesticks would be a great addition. Mercury glass, even if it's fake, is just cool.

Grand Band - $39

This is one classy money clip. The monogramming adds an extra special touch. And finally something that you could give to the man in your life (all the rest of the items in this guide are things on my Christmas list!)

Aquamarine & Freshwater Pearl Earrings - $27

I recently chopped 6 inches off my hair and fun, dangly earrings are a great way to show the accessory and the hair do!

6 month pictures

2011-12-14T14:13:00.005-06:00

The pediatrician called Lucan square. I think this was in regards to the large head size and Lucan's healthy weight. He also said that Lucan needed a haircut. I'm not sure if I like this different pediatrician.

Without further adieu, Lucan's 6 month pictures, 2 weeks past due!

"Mom, I really like my feet. Do you like my feet? I think they're cute!"

"Mom, I know that you are mad at Dr. John for saying I needed a haircut. But you said the same thing yourself 2 days ago and daddy was the one who said 'no haircuts!'"

"Do you smell poop? I smell poop. Who smells poop? Oh wait ... that's my poop. Nevermind."

Gift Guide: The Quirky Foodie

2011-12-07T08:00:00.005-06:00

Here are a couple of ideas for the foodie who has a sense of humor. Or for someone like me who is just a tad bit weird :) I personally think all of these ideas are really fun. But then again, I would - it's my blog!

Pizza Boss 3000: Power Saw Pizza Cutter - $15.00

The perfect gift for the husband who borrowed his friend, Josh's, power saw for 11 months.

Engagement Ring Measuring Spoons - $15.95

Needing to drop a hint to the man in your life that he's not getting the milk for free anymore? I'd say these measuring spoons send the message loud and clear.

Floral Sculpted Nesting Bowls - $33

According to Martha Stewart, presentation is half the battle. These bowls would definitely help you get to 50%. (side note: I'm not really sure that Martha Stewart said that. But for the last 12 years, I've quoted Martha as saying this. This doesn't count as defamation, right?)

Pizza "Pi-e" Cutter - $19

I'm sure pizzas will taste 3.14% better if you cut your pie with this cutter

Table Saw - Cake and Salad Knife - $6.95

The tactful way to tell someone their cake is a little on the dry side.

Shark Bite Oven Mit - $16.50

Protect your hand from oven burns. But not protected from sharks. ooohh my hand, my hand!

Gift guide: Outdoor Settings

2011-12-02T11:49:00.005-06:00

I'm doing a little mini-series of gift ideas. Lance says I'm the toughest person to shop for. But he's wrong. Why? Because I'm the only person he has to shop for at Christmas. I take care of everyone else that we buy presents for. Silly Lance.

Here are a few quirky items for a fun outdoor setting:

Magnetic Pallet Chair - $250
I think the recycled pallets are cool. I'm guessing Lance would say that the chair is a waste of money on someone else's junk.

Cattail Bird Feeder Yard Stakes - $20
My aunt lives on a acreage and has a large picture window facing out to an area where they have placed several bird feeders. Her cats love watching the wildlife that passes by. These bird feeders would be a fun addition!

Toad House - $50
Okay, I realize that toads don't really need or want houses. But I think this is kind of fun! They are positioning it as a nice cool place for toads to come and hang out at. I really can't imagine toads buying into this.

Bullseye Suncatcher - $55
This would be really pretty hanging in a large window.

Spiky Owl Balancer Stake -$42
These owls really don't have any functional purpose. I think they are whimsical. Lance would probably think they are a waste of sheet metal.

Spoon Cornbread

2011-11-29T08:08:00.003-06:00

Happy post-Thanksgiving friends! Did everyone get their bellies full? My family lives about 40 minutes south of Lance's family, so we have the pleasure of doing two Thanksgiving meals on Thanksgiving. Which typically makes me feel like I'm going to puke. It's no one's fault but my own, so I can't really moan and groan about it.
Every year I bring something different to each of our family's respective Thanksgiving celebrations. The trick with Lance's family is that there are some picky eaters. Namely, Lance's dad. He is the pickiest eater I've ever met. More picky than my friend Erika's husband, Ryan. Lance's dad doesn't even like cheesy potatoes! He announced during the meal that the reason America is fat is because of cheesy potatoes ... Moving on. In the past I've brought a few things that have been more on the "wild" side (hot pepper jelly chesse dip, sweet potato casserole, cheesecake with raspberry sauce) and my FIL has refused to try them. Then I thought that I would make something less "wild" like pecan pie bars and still he wouldn't try them. This year I made a classic spoon cornbread and to no avail, my FIL still wouldn't try it. Even though it's delicious, not at all threatening and contains a key ingredient from his list of "acceptable" vegetables. Whatever. Everyone else really liked it and had several requests for the recipe. I guess I'll just have to try harder at Christmas!

But spoon cornbread is yummy and is a great addition to any holiday meal or to a chili feed. Take my word for it. Not my FIL's.

Ingredients
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
2 eggs, beaten
1 can of corn, drained
1 can of creamed corn
2 sticks of butter, melted (this is not a health recipe!)
1 cup of sour cream & chives dip
Cheese

Combine all ingredients, except cheese. Pour into sprayed 9x9 square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove pan, sprinkle on cheese and bake for another 10 minutes or so, until golden brown. Enjoy!

5 Months

2011-11-14T08:10:00.006-06:00

There are several reasons people blog. Some people are talented and are gracious enough to share their talents. These talents can be things like photography, sewing, remodeling, cooking/baking, saving money, building things, etc., etc. Some people blog because they are oversharers. I obviously fall into the latter category. The tendency to word vomit and the world's cutest baby combined with the opportunity to blog, well ... you can only imagine the endless opportunities to overshare!

So I apologized in advance, but to be fair, you were warned.

Lucan- 5 month update (2 weeks behind)

Lucan is a solid 18 lbs. Solid being the operative word.

I shouldn't have bought so many size 2 diapers. Really.

We started you on cereal and he actually seems to like it! People keep asking when Lucan will get other foods, but your momma isn't ready to start dealing with that reality. So for the time being, rice cereal it is. The first time that Lance fed L, L proceeded to drool the cereal out of his mouth and then slurp it off his bib. Not the most efficient way to eat ...

I'm still breastfeeding L. I'm really proud and happy that we've made it this far. There were so many times in the beginning where I thought this feat would be impossible. But as we are nearing 6 months, the impossible suddenly seems possible. If you would have asked me this when Lucan was one month old I wouldn't have believed you.

With the introduction of solid food Lucan's poop is becoming, well, more solid. He has to exert a lot more effort and I can see it in his face. Pooping is a lot of work!

I really hate Gerber onesies. They are so tiny and such a waste of money. There's no way you can fit into any of them.

He has the fastest kicking legs north of the border. When Lucan is really happy, he kicks his legs furiously.

This past month L started laughing. He smiles a lot, especially when someone is playing with him and L has learned how to reflexively smile back at his momma. But when someone is flying him through the air (ie: daddy or Josh V), L's will start laughing. And it's such a fun, bubbly sound. I can't wait for him to start discovering more of the world and laughing more.

We have several songs that we sing to L that we've altered the lyrics to. I imagine that we are quite annoying to the average person :) Lu-can, Lucan Richard. King of Harvey Street (sung to the tune of Davey Crockett) Lu, Lu, skip to my Lu. Lu, Lu, skip to my Lu. Skip to my Lu my darling. As well as the classic "Shake, shake, shake. Shake, shake, shake. Shake you booty, not your baby." One time I got the lyrics wrong (Shake shake shake. Shake shake shake. Shake your baby, not your booty) and Lucan got upset. I had to apologize.

L and daddy have several fun games they like to play. The newest one is called Startle. Lucan lays on the changing table and Lance drops down where Lucan can't see him. Lance then pops his head up and startles Lucan. Lucan acts surprised and smiles, smiles, smiles. Apparently it provides hours of entertainment.

Rolling over. What a hot topic. Lucan won't roll over from his back to his front. He'll roll onto his side and hang out there for awhile, especially so he can see the TV better. But that darned shoulder keeps getting in the way! On the flip side (pun intended), Lucan is rolling over from front to back. Which I guess is the harder of the two to do. Lucan doesn't really enjoy tummy time, so it's not entirely surprising that he figured out how to get out of it. He is consistently rolling over, since last Friday 11/11/11. He did it twice for me and also did it for Lance and for my parents who were visiting.

Lucan had his first Halloween costume. He was the most adorable pumpkin.

We're no longer swaddling Lucan, but he does get a sleep sack blanket as our house is cold. L likes to sleep with his hands up by his head. Lance sleeps the same way, which leads to me getting elbowed in the face.

No sign of teeth. That's fine by me.

L has more control of his limbs and will pass things from hand to hand. He also likes to grab his feet and roll around a bit. Very happy-baby-pose from yoga.

Without further adieu, his monthly pictures.

"Mom thinks I may need a haircut soon. Especially around my ears."

"But I'm so cute and smiley. I don't need a haircut!"

"Oh no you did not just take my picture?!?! I wasn't ready!"

"Sometimes in the morning I like to catch up on my daily farm news."

"It keeps me up to date on my tractors and livestock."

"Don't take my Gerry!" (Gerry is Lucan's giraffe lovey)

Work Food Days

2011-11-11T10:04:00.004-06:00

They bring out the best and the worst in me. The really do.

The best of Kara

1) I get to demonstrate my culinary prowess. Let's be frank. This gal can cook (except for chocolate chip cookies, but that's a story for another day)
2) I get to taste all sorts of fun things from everyone else that I normally don't take the time to make or buy (Krispie Kremes!)
3) I don't have to pack a lunch
4) I get to nibble all day long
5) Free food! Free food!

The worst in Kara
1) I get super annoyed by people who don't bring in food and proceed to eat everyone else's food
2) I get even more annoyed when someone signs up to bring "ketchup." Really!?!? Does one single bottle of ketchup even count as a contribution? According to Lance, not even a single bachelor can get away with that. Not unless they bring all of the condiments.
3) I wonder about people's common sense when they bring creamed herring. Again, quit being stupid and bring something that people actually want to eat.
4) I see random people from other departments stopping in the conference room and filling up a plate for themselves. This morning, I even saw a person filling up a plate of food who doesn't even work here!

You can stop reading now. Obviously this post was of utmost importance :)

Thank you notes: a ranting

2011-11-07T07:00:00.002-06:00

There are some things I'm a little old fashioned about, things like properly written thank you notes and holiday cards (more to come on holiday cards). It's not like thank you's are hard or expensive, but it's the simple courtesy and acknowledgement of the nice thing that someone else did for you. My definition of a properly written thank you is one that is handwritten, includes a mention of the item that was gifted, and is longer than 3 sentences long. It also needs to be completed within an appropriate time frame. Personally, I will admit that I struggle with the timeliness part. Thank you notes should be personalized. If the person took the time and effort to give you a gift, you should take the time to thank the person properly. That means a real message and a real signature.

There are lots of great websites for custom thank you's, here are a couple of nice options:
Tinyprints.com

Papercoterie.com

Shutterfly.com

Rice Cereal versus Rice Krispies

2011-11-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

Two Saturdays ago we started Lucan on rice cereal. According to the nutrition and food pamphlet our pediatrician gave us, if your child has doubled their birth weight, is somewhere between 4-6 months in age, can turn their head away when they are full and show an interest in table food, they may be ready for their first foods. Lucan is just shy of 5 months old, weighs a solid 17 lbs, and shuts his lips tight when he's full. Recently he's been intently watching me when I've been eating, going as far as sticking out his tongue and smacking his lips. Based on all of those things, we determined that Lucan was ready for his first solid foods.

Now some parents skip rice cereal altogether and go just for foods like mashed up avocados or bananas. But we're starting slowly and the rice cereal seems to be going pretty well so far.

A funny story about when Lance and I started discussing starting Lucan on solids. We had both read the pamphlet and agreed that it was probably about time to try cereal. When I told Lance that rice cereal is what is typically recommended he said "What, so like Rice Krispies that you let get really mushy in the milk? Is that what we're feeding Lucan?"

Oh good heaven's Lance. It's a good thing we're in this together! Baby rice cereal is more akin to Cream of Wheat and less Snap-Crackle-and-Pop.

"Feed me mom! I'm ready!"

"What? I'm supposed to swallow and not just put everything in my cheeks like a chipmunk?"

"I think I'm done."

Lucan's First Halloween

2011-11-02T07:00:00.003-05:00

Originally I thought that it would be ridiculous to get Lucan a Halloween costume and dress him up. Based on the sheer number of pictures on facebook of parents and their kids in festive Halloween dress, I was wrong. So I'm glad that I went against my first instincts and purchased a Halloween costume for Lucan. Besides, a $5 consignment pumpkin costume is hard to beat!

We didn't actually go trick or treating, but we did take Lucan to our church's Fall Festival. He got to exhibit all of his cuteness there. Lucan also got to model his costume for Grandma and wear it at daycare for their little Halloween party. Lance also put Lucan in his pumpkin costume to wear for the trick or treaters that came to our door. You can imagine Lance's vast disappointment when no one visited before Lucan had to take off his costume and get fed (as it's really challenging to breastfeed a baby dressed in a pumpkin costume!)

Lucan's cheeks are so chubby that his little hat could barely contain them.

Happy Fall Y'all!

Gobble gobble

2011-10-24T08:45:00.003-05:00

I did a trial run of our Thanksgiving turkey this past weekend. Not that I'm actually hosting Thanksgiving, but ya know, in case of an emergency, I can make a turkey. Are you all in awe? I've actually made a full turkey one other time, about 3 years ago. There are times when I get overly ambitious and this was definitely one of those times. I decided that I wanted to host Thanksgiving for our small group. While others contributed side dishes, I still managed to squeeze 13 adults and some 5 odd children into our kitchen/living room. It was a little manic. Lots of fun, but more than what I could handle on my own now.

And the turkey I made was much more intense than the one I did this past weekend.

Here's instructions on the intense version, complete with brining, compound butter and aromatic vegetables and herbs.

Brine recipe:

2 c brown sugar

2 c kosher salt

2 lemons

Handful of whole allspice

Water

Add enough water to dissolve the brown sugar and salt. Place turkey in a large container (I have a stock pot that will hold a turkey) with enough room to cover the entire turkey with water. Throw in the allspice and squeeze juice the lemons and add rinds. Cover turkey with water and place in the fridge. The turkey should be rinsed and thawed before this process begins. Don't forget to remove the bag of gizzards and misc turkey pieces from inside the body cavity. You can brine your turkey up to 24 hours ahead of time.

Compound butter:

2 sticks of unsalted butter

1 tablespoon of each, rosemary and thyme

Soften butter to room temperature and mix in rosemary and thyme. Using a small spatula, shove the butter into random places between the skin and meat. This is somewhat gross. This is done after you've brined your turkey for the allotted amount of time.

Aromatics:

1 lemon

Roughly chop 1 onion, 2 celery stalks, 2 carrots, and 4 cloves of garlic.

Stuff all of these into the empty cavity of the turkey. You won't eat these later, they are just used for flavoring the turkey. Salt and pepper the turkey and then start the baking process.

That's the labor intensive version. This past weekend, the shortened version. My brine was composed of 2 c kosher salt, 2 c dark brown sugar, water and some lemon juice out of the bottle. The turkey sat in the brine for about 5 hours. No compound butter, no aromatics. Just brine and some S&P. Easy stuff and the turkey was fantastic. It wasn't super dry like some turkeys can be and it had a nice flavor.

Now I always use a turkey bag, I think that it really shortens the cooking time and it doesn't really hinder the flavor at all. With the turkey I made this past weekend, the actual cooking time was right at 3 hours for a 12 lb turkey. I'm mythbusting the concept that turkeys take the entire day to prepare.

Let's get it through everyone's heads right now - turkeys are friends, not foes! Everyone can make a delicious Thanksgiving turkey without spending all day in the kitchen. Don't be afraid, I believe in you!

Fall in Love

2011-10-11T06:00:00.001-05:00

Here are some items I'm currently fall'ing in love with (I love a bad pun as much as the next person!)

Women's Mossimo Supply Co. Kailey Tall Boots - Brown

Love these boots. And if you hurry, they're $5 off!

Oregon Vanilla Chai Tea Concentrate

I think every fall I get on a chai tea kick. One thing to beware of, chai does have caffeine. I didn't know that at first and spent one restless night wondering why I couldn't sleep. I can't have caffeine after 4 pm otherwise I can't sleep.

Kashi GoLean Honey Almond Flax Cereal

Target recently ran some good coupons and specials on Kashi products. I really love this cereal because it contains so much protein and fiber, I actually stay full for most of the morning. Granted, it's so crunchy I often think I'm going to break a tooth.

Fossil's Stella Resin Watch - Tort with Gold-Tone

I love this watch. I need watches that actually contain markings for all the minutes otherwise it' becomes just an arm piece. Maybe for Christmas Mom? It's at Younkers!

Kindle Fire
I recently won a $100 Amex gift card at work (Yes Rae Rae, I know I'm lucky). The Kindle Fire is akin to an iPad, but without the hefty price tag. It's wait listed until November. I'm still debating if this purchase falls within the "cut back" mode of Lance's budget decree.

Love Gloss by The Body Shop

This is my new favorite lip gloss. It's sunset colored and sparkly. The only problem is getting it off of my coffee cup.

Cider from Iowa Orchard

This is one of Lance's favs, but I'm digging it too. Nothing says fall like cider.

And the last one is a link to my favorite Wild Rice Soup recipe. I know that it's been in the 80's recently (annoying if you ask me, I'm ready for crisp, sweatshirt weather), but I'm ready for comfort soups!

Lucan: 4 Months Old

2011-10-06T09:11:00.009-05:00

My baby boy is 4 months old. It breaks my heart just a little bit. It also surprises me how much I still don't know, but yet how much more comfortable I get with being a mom with each passing day. It's a good thing that Lucan doesn't realize his parents have no idea what they are doing.

Lucan continues to be a healthy, growing baby. He weighs over 16 pounds and is close to doubling his birth weight.

We moved into size 2 diapers as the 1 1/2 were starting to make Lucan look like a sumo wrestler.

I think we're at the tail end of his 3-6 month clothing already. A little ridiculous. We have all of these long sleeved sleepers he's never worn because it's so hot outside and our daycare provider keeps her house on the warm side (side note: can I dictate what temperature she keeps her house at or make her get a flu shot? I kind of want to. I have to reign myself in sometimes)

His hair in the front is growing in thicker. Lucan kind of looks like he has old man hair with some strange comb-over thing going on. It's getting long on the sides and the top of his hair sticks straight up. My mom says that my hair always stood straight up too :) Must be an Asian thing.

Lucan made his longest road trip to date: a weekend trip to Minneapolis and a stay in a hotel! He did fantastic, despite getting really irritated about being in his carseat for so long. He went shopping with me and my mom, but Lance is convinced that Lucan needs to start his training as a Twins fan early on and should go to the game with the boys next year. We'll see. I can't see how a 14 month old is going to have a great time at a baseball game, but maybe that's just me ...

Because we could never convince him to take a pacifier, it appears that Lucan is substituting his fingers as an object to suck on. I used my thumb, so maybe this is a hereditary thing.

Lucan has become incredibly drooley. Drooley enough for me to put a bib on him during the day just so he doesn't get a wet spot under his chin and on his clothes.

We introduced Lucan to his first lovely, Gerry the Giraffe. Lucan really enjoys drooling on him.

Bath time continues to be fun time! Meaning, I get soaked. Lance is always concerned that all the water Lucan splashes out of his bathtub is going to warp the wood flooring.

I've become the queen of booger patrol. Me and the nasal aspirator, we're BFFs. Of course this also means that Lucan doesn't want to be my BFF when he sees me pull out the snot sucker. I'm not sure if my baby is just extra special or what, but his nose always seems to be clogged up.

Lance put Lucan in nursery at church for the first time last Sunday. He put him in there against my will. We thought we had given pretty clear instructions to page us once he woke up so we could feed him, but I guess there was some miscommunication because I went back after Sunday school, Lucan was just hanging out with the old ladies. It ended up being kind of bad because by the time he got fed, he was bordering on starving and crabbiness.

Lucan has really good neck control, but doesn't appear to have any interest in rolling over. Lance tries to encourage rolling, but Lucan just gets stuck on his side. And then he gets tired, so he just lays on his side awkwardly. It's actually really funny.

Up until recently, we had been doing Lucan's feedings at 6AM - 9AM - noon - 3:30PM - 6PM - 10:15PM. We're in the process of trying to drop Lucan's last feeding of the day and it's been a little rough. We are trying to move his feeding schedule to 6AM - 9:30AM - 1PM - 4PM - 7:30PM. So far, Lucan gets unbelievably cranky after I pick him up at 5PM and won't go down for a nap. Once he reaches the point of no beyond, he has a hard time settling into nursing and eating without wanting to cry in between gulps. We're at a loss as to how best manage his feedings. I do know this - 12 hours appears to be too long in between feedings for him. This morning L was up at 5 am. Yippie. If anyone has any suggestions, send them my way!

Here's a funny story: we were out to eat and I took Lucan into the restroom to change his diaper. A complete stranger commented about how adorable my daughter was and offered to hold her while I used the toilet. Okay, so 1) Lucan was wearing blue - head-to-toe. 2) What kind of mom lets a complete stranger hold their baby while they go to the bathroom? Well meaning woman, but completely wrong. On so many different levels.

All in all, Lucan is a lovely baby and a blessing. Despite his post-work crabbiness, he's easy-going and mellow. He must get that from Lance. We can't go anywhere without someone telling us how cute he is. I would start to think the world is filled with liars, but it's true. Lucan is adorable. Just ask complete strangers.

Without futher ado, Lucan's 4 month pictures.

He's getting more rolly-polly, chubbier chipmunk cheeks, longer, and crazier hair.

The only smile we got the entire time.

Here's an idea of the great lengths Lance goes to try and elicit a smile.

"Weeee!"

"I'm falling!"

"I'm flying through the air ..."

"Oh, Dad caught me. Thank goodness."

"Ugh ... I feel a little sick now. The room is spinning. I'm falllingg over..."

Semi-Homemade Pizza

2011-10-04T14:05:00.000-05:00

It's somewhat pretenious of me to label this as "homemade" as we bought pre-made pizza crust and used jarred alfredo sauce. But my oh my, was this tasty in a non-healthy way. If you've ever had Papa Murphy's Gourmet Vegitarian pizza, it's very similiar. You can load it up with as many vegetables as your husband will allow. If it were up to me, we'd have artichokes, broccoli, and zuchinni on this. But since it wasn't up to me, we edited the veggies, added chicken, and it was still great.

Chicken & Veggie Alfredo Pizza
1 pre-made pizza crust
1/4/- 1/2 c. alfredo sauce
cooked & diced chicken
diced tomatoes
fresh basil
fresh spinach
mozzerella cheese

1. Start with your pizza crust and layer ingredients in the following order: sauce, toppings and then finishing with cheese.
2. Bake according to package instructions
3. Enjoy!

Easy-peasy, lemon squeezy. Fantastic pizza.

Outdoor photo session

2011-09-29T08:09:00.001-05:00

Last Sunday after church and after Lucan's afternoon nap (which consisted of 45 minutes - not nearly long enough if you ask me), we had a little fun backyard photo session. Lucan had his Sunday best on, a Ralph Lauren outfit courtesy of Josh and Nicole. Let me tell you, all of Lucan's super cute clothes are gifts from Josh and Nicole. Nicole took it very seriously when I proclaimed that if I wasn't going to have a girl that I could dress in pink tutus, that at the very minimum, I was going to dress my son like a prepster. They've definitely aided in this endeavor. My son has yet to wear John Deere clothing.

My work BFF, Kristen, is obsessed with trying to figure out if Lucan looks more Asian or Caucasian at any given time. In these pictures she said that she thought he looked more Caucasian. She's a funny girl.

We started out with Lucan on his tummy. We were really impressed with his head control. This picture was taken early on - you can tell because L is still smiling and not annoyed with tummy time.

"Hi Mom! I'm adorable!"

After 5 minutes or so, Lucan was tired. So he laid his head down to rest and then Lance proceeded to try and convince L to roll over. It didn't work so well.

"Help! I'm a turtle stuck on it's side! Save me!"

"Is no one going to help me? Fine. I'll just lay here on my own."

"Sweet relief. Someone flipped me over."

"Oh Daddy, you are so funny. There's no one else who makes me giggle like you do!"

"Uh oh. I'm sitting up again. Time to demonstrate my awesome neck control."

"Awww thanks mom. I know I'm precious."

"AHHHH! Mom is trying to eat me!"

The last picture is compliments of Lance's awesome photography skills. I said I wanted a new mommy-baby picture and instead Lance decided to take a picture of what looks like a carnivorous mom trying to devour her young. Thanks honey. Obviously the best picture of the day.

Tomato Bruschetta

2011-09-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

One word. Yum.

We made tomato bruschetta several times this summer and enjoyed it every time. I really love making this because it really lets the tomato and fresh basil shine through. And it got rid of some of the tomato and basil abundance.

I remember, early on in my cooking endeavors, thinking that bruschetta was kind of time consuming to put together. The tomato dicing must have intimidated me. But now, in all my kitchen glory and experience (ha! you should have seen the mushroom reduction sauce I tried to make last night, it looked vaguely reminiscent of cat vomit, anywho ...) I find bruschetta to be one of those easy appetizers to put together in 10 minutes. Dice a few tomatoes, chiffondale some basil, throw in some minced garlic, add a splash of balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Easy peasy, lemon breezy. Toast some french bread that has been lightly sprayed or brushed with olive oil. Let the tomatoes sit a minute before topping each slice of toasted french bread and you have a 10 minute appetizer! (okay, in all actuality it probably takes closer to 15 minutes, but 10 minutes sounds so much more appealing)

A fun take would also be to include a little bit of Parmesan cheese to the mix. Non-think-ahead Kara never remembered far enough in advance to grab some before all the prep work was basically done.

We've taken this to meals at a friend's house and had this as a stand alone meal when we've felt lazy. There's no reason you have to spend $8.99 to have this at a restaurant when you can easily throw this together at home - enjoy friends!

Tomato Adventures

2011-09-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

This is our first summer we've had any sort of tomato harvest to speak of. I guess when you've prayed for five years for tomatoes, God answers. Interestingly enough, in our answered prayer, God decided to deduct green peppers from the equation. Perhaps he knew that we are having a hard enough time keeping up as it is. I've had two bags of green beans sitting in the fridge waiting to be blanched for who knows how long. I do miss green peppers though. They're probably second after tomatoes for things we use the most of out of our garden.

Getting back to tomatoes though. While we haven't had a "bumper" crop to speak of, we've had more than we've ever had before. We were given a yellow tomato plant from one of Lance's co-workers that did quite well. It produced large, perfectly shaped tomatoes. The only difference I really noticed between your traditional red tomatoes and the yellow ones, was that the yellow ones might be slightly sweeter. Slightly. Out of the garden we were also able to harvest roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and your traditional large red globe tomatoes. Our cherry tomato plant did amazingly well. Picking hundreds of cherry tomatoes starts to feel like punishment after awhile, especially when you are hunched over, standing awkwardly between plants, trying not to crush tender roots while leaning precariously trying to get that one cherry tomato just out of reach.

This year we decided that our canning adventures would be limited to diced tomatoes and salsa. We never really had enough large tomatoes at one time to can, so we had to supplement with tomatoes from Lance's parents' garden and my parents' garden. Combined, we had tomatoes coming out of our ears.

In true Lance and Kara fashion, we devoted an entire weekend to tomato canning, following the recommended guidelines from Iowa State extension. It made me hate life just a little bit. The kitchen was sweltering with gallons of boiling water and tomatoes simmering on the back burner. I felt like I blanched mountains of tomatoes. We don't use a pressure canner, so one batch, start to finish, probably took close to 2 hours. For a jar of tomatoes that I could purchase for around 70 cents. Yep, I'm still weighing the cost savings on that one. We did applesauce last year because you can noticeably taste the difference between homemade and store bought. Diced tomatoes? Not so much. On the second day we also did salsa, following a tested recipe from Ball. It did not call for salt. It needed it. Now I have quarts and quarts of salsa that needs salt. Fantastic.

What will we can next year? No idea. Some sort of fruit? Green beans? Or maybe ... we won't can at all. Shhh ... don't tell Lance (actually I can't even blame Lance. I seem to always get this itch to try something new every summer, so it's always partially my fault too)

Up next in tomato adventures - bruschetta.

Matchbook Magazine

2011-09-14T09:11:00.001-05:00

Here's a link to the latest style e-mag, Matchbook Magazine. Check it out for some fun finds!

Lucan: 3 Months Old!

2011-09-11T21:12:00.003-05:00

Here are Lucan's 3 month pictures 10 days late :(
Lance and I both had insurance exams to cram for and pass last week, so I'm a little behind on things. Lance is also taking classes again and hogging the computer so I have limited access. (Just kidding Lance, I fully support your pursuit of higher education!)

My little man is getting so big and I love this stage of his life.

Lucan weighs a little over 14.5 lbs approximately.

He is getting so much hair! All of the hair he does have stands straight up! It is growing in thicker in the front too. I love his hair, it makes him so cute!

He's wearing 1-2 sized diapers. We're at the end of that size, I'm sure we'll be moving into size 2 diapers shortly.

He is fully into 3-6 month clothing. I can't believe how much sizes vary from brand to brand - Gerber 0-9 month onesies look like spandex on him. Lance jokes that they cut off Lucan's circulation. Lucan is long too, some of his footie pjs are already too short.

He is still sleeping through the night (I recognize we are very blessed). We did move him up to the large Swaddleme sized blanket.

We're still breastfeeding and have made strides over the last month. Persistence pays.

My favorite time with Lucan is when I've finished burping him and he just sort of snuggles on my shoulder. Lucan gets lots of kisses during this time.

Lucan is getting so strong and has so much more neck and head control.

He loves kicking. I'd list it as one of his favorite things. At Miss Cindy's house she has this toy where Lucan lays on his back and when he kicks the base, the toys on top make musical noises and flutter. This has translated into him madly kicking in his bouncy seat. He has to get strapped in otherwise he'll basically slide himself half-way out of it.

Lucan is really enjoying bath time right now too. I think him kicking in the water is very entertaining and he likes to see the splashes and his daddy's worried face when water is going everywhere. I just happen to think it's really precious. I also think that Lance is worried about Lucan wanting to play soccer someday!

Lucan is fairly consistent about pooping. Lance recently got pooped on and Lucan has produced some major blowouts - one which desecrated his car seat. Unfortunately Lance was by himself for that blowout and I think it made him a tiny bit spazzy :)

We are still doing 6 feedings a day - 6 am - 9 am - noon - 3 pm - 6 pm - and 10:15 pm. Lucan averages about 4.5-4.75 ounces per feeding.

Lucan has made a couple of roadtrips - one to Sioux City, another to Sioux Center, one to Omaha and this weekend we'll make the longest trip yet to Minneapolis. Needless to say, I'm worried about this weekend as it will also be the first time we've stayed with Lucan in a hotel. But he's done really well with the past car trips, so let's pray he keeps it up!

He has really found his voice and there have been a couple of occasions that we've found him laying in bed chattering to himself. Looks like this guy is going to be a talker!

Lance and Lucan watched a Baby Einstein video for the first time on Sunday. It was the baby's first sounds video - I think that Lance learned more than Lucan (he learned how to say hello in multiple languages) and was more entertained than Lucan. Lance gave me a play by play recall about one of the puppets Lance found very funny.

We gave Lucan his first lovey - Jerry the Giraffe. Except Lance keeps getting it wrong and calling Jerry, Gerome. Sigh... it's probably a miracle Lance gets Lucan's name right :) Lucan does love Jerry and will hold on to him tightly with his little clutched fist.

Lucan does this funny thing of raising his right fist into the air and just holding it there.

We've started using his ErgoBaby carrier and Lucan seems to like being toted around in it. I'm planning on using it some this weekend when we are shopping at the Mall of America, so I suppose that's the true test.

So without further ado, here are the pictures of my squirmy, non-smiley baby. Lucan really smiles quite a bit, but only when I'm not trying to take his picture. Go figure.

"Hi. I'm Lucan."

"Mom, I've fallen over! Save me!"

"If I stick out my bottom lip and be cute will you stop taking my picture?"

"NO MORE PICTURES!"

(that seriously was the last one I took. I tried to catch him smiling on three separate occasions. Obviously it didn't work out so well)

Sneak Peek: Lucan's 3 month pictures

2011-09-11T21:02:00.003-05:00

Oh good Lord. Trying to convince Lucan to not fall over and get him to look at the camera is proving to be quite the challenge. Going through this month's film has been quite the trick. I have newfound respect for those photo people who take kids' pictures at Target.

Here's one of my favorites, but not really suitable to document his growth.

"I'm falling! Someone please save me!"

Black Bean Salsa

2011-08-30T08:33:00.000-05:00

One of my firm beliefs is that dried cilantro tastes nothing like fresh cilantro. Dried cilantro is gross. Fresh is fantastic. I can accept dried basil and thyme in most things. I cannot accept dried cilantro. There is a drastic taste difference in the two and this recipe would taste less like summer freshness with dried cilantro.

This salsa is the epitome of summer yumminess. Juicy ripe tomatoes, bright lemon zip, the firm crunch of green peppers and the tang of fresh cilantro. The only thing that doesn't sing "summer" is the canned black beans. I have no idea how to get fresh black beans out of my garden - actually there's no way to get a lemon out of my Iowa garden either :)

Without further ado, black bean salsa!

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 lb tomatoes, diced

1 large green bell pepper, diced

1/2 c. onion, diced

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 t garlic salt

cilantro, to taste

Mix all of the ingredients together and then let sit for about an hour to fully meld flavors. Enjoy with tortilla chips!

Like mother, like son

2011-08-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Who can turn down a foot long corn dog?

Not even baby!

One of my Iowa State Fair staple foods is a corn dog. They taste the best at the State Fair for some reason. Really, I have lots of ISF staple foods. If given the opportunity, I'll get a taco salad from the Cattlemen's Tent, a cup of chocolate chip cookies, strawberry taffy, and a peppermint ice cream bar from Bauders. However, I do not recommend eating a foot long corn dog and an ice cream bar in the time span of one hour. I felt like throwing up afterwards.

Lance and I did the mega-fast forward version of the State Fair this year, spending only 2.5 hours one evening after work with Lucan. The whole thing was a little nerve-wracking as the moment we stopped moving, Lucan would scrunch up his face and get a look of "I'm-really-tired-and-I'm-not-sure-why-I'm-still-awake-but-I-am."

Maybe next year we can be a bit more leisurely with our State Fair adventure. It seems impossible to believe at that time Lucan will be toddling around and trying to steal my corn dog from me! Maybe we can even do Little Hands on the Farm. If you get a chance, ask Lance about his experience with that endeavor :)

Is it fall y'all?

2011-08-24T10:55:00.009-05:00

According to Lance and some of my co-workers, I'm not allowed to start whining about how I'm sick of summer and ready for fall. However, it's 88 degrees right now with waaay too much humidity. I'm tired of heat.

The only good thing about this time year is the fresh produce oozing out of our garden. In one of my movie favorites, "You've Got Mail", Meg Ryan waxes poetic about the start of autumn in comparison to receiving a bouquet of sharpened pencils.

Here in central Iowa, the only thing you can wax poetic about in conjunction with the start of the school year is the Iowa State Fair. You don't get a bouquet of pencils at the ISF, maybe a sugar coma instead ...

But this is the time of year when I am entirely sick of summer. The start of the school year has never coincided with fall. I remember being younger and having new, adorable long-sleeved shirts that I had gotten school clothes shopping and not being able to wear them. I want tangy apple cider with a dash of cinnamon, cozy sweatshirts and football games, and most importantly to eat SOUP without being lectured about seasonal appropriateness! One of my favorite things about fall is shopping at the fall farmer's market here in Des Moines. Squash, golden mums, steaming mugs of coffee, all while wrapped up in fleece jacket. Oh fall - where are you?

What are you looking forward to this fall?

Just my boys

2011-08-16T11:13:00.002-05:00

Aren't they handsome? Our family pictures may include just Lance and Lucan in the future. Using the timer option, it proved nearly impossible to snap a picture with everyone looking at the camera. I suppose someone has to the photographer! By the end of all of it, I had about 35 pictures with Lance and my head cut off, someone looking away, Lucan looking like he was trying to escape, or pictures that were just plain blurry. Gads. I suppose that's why people hire family pictures out.

Favorite Things: Pandora versus Jango

2011-08-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

versus

Here's a new one of my favorite things!

On a random search for Taylor Swift music (quit judging), I came across a music website that I was unfamiliar with - jango.com While I've only been using jango.com for a couple of mornings now, I'm pleasantly surprised. It works on a similiar concept to pandora.com, but has a couple of features that I'm really digging.

First off, you can setup a station based on a particular artist or song - and then they actually play that song. Pandora won't do that. It's rather irritating. Meaning I can listen to Taylor Swift's "Mean" right off the bat. (Side note: Lance and I have both decided that the song would be a great music-hold option for crappy people we have to deal with at work. All you are is mean. And a liar, and pathetic, and alone in life. And mean, and mean, and mean, and mean)

Jango.com does not appear to have a limit to the number of listening hours per month. I appreciate that. When I was in school and sitting in front of the computer at work, I would routinely burn through Pandora's 40 hour-free monthly maximum. With jango.com, that I have yet to encounter, does not have this limitation. Yay! Both music stations pre-populate your station with similar artists and songs and you can rate songs that you like or dislike.

Does anyone else have any other music streaming stations they like to listen to? How about experience with Jango.com?

Here's what's going on at the Knaack household

2011-08-11T21:19:00.002-05:00

Tomatoes. Lots of tomatoes. Granted, these ones come from my mom, but lots of tomatoes. Tomatoes that are going to be turned into canned tomatoes. Once again, I embark on another canning journey. A journey that keeps me up to 11:30 at night. Not cool. Especially when you can buy a can of diced tomatoes for 69 cents. These better taste freakin awesome.

This is stuff out of my garden. About a hundred cherry tomatoes, some good sized regular tomatoes, a few yellow tomatoes and some nice cucumbers.

Sounds like gazpacho to me! Too bad I think it's waaaayyy too much work for something that tastes like salsa :)

Lucan Wall Art - Birth Announcement Info

2011-08-10T07:12:00.001-05:00

Back in April, I went through a nesting phase that included many sewing and art & crafts projects. Surprisingly, I got through a good chunk of them - not all of them, but an acceptable number. Now it's all a matter of putting together posts about them :)

This was a project that I was able to do during maternity leave. I had seen several cute birth announcement wall hangings on Etsy, but me, being me, wanted to do it on my own. That way I could a) save money b) do something creative c) have something to blog about!

I think that the results turned out fairly well. It's not the fanciest announcement art in the world, but I'm proud of it. And I saved a considerable amount of money too. Most of the personalized birth announcements I've seen on Etsy have ranged from about $18 to $30 in price, not including a mat or frame. I made mine, including the print and mat & frame, for around $12. The most expensive part was the frame. I'm sure if you shopped around you could do it even cheaper, but when you only have an hour before you child wakes up and wants fed, you'll take what you can find. I printed it through Walmart.com and spent about $2.50 for an 8x10. All in all, easy-peasy!

I used the photo editing program, Picnik, to put this together. But rather than re-invent the wheel, I'm going to link you to the post that I followed to do this project. Picnik is relatively user friendly and it's free options are pretty comprehensive. You could do several variations of this program - you could do something family oriented or holiday themed - the options are endless!

House of Fifty Fall Issue

2011-08-07T08:01:00.001-05:00

House of Fifty is a great online/e-magazine. It's got great decorating and style features, along with entertaining ideas and recipies. You will love this e-magazine. It's remniciscent of Real Simple, Elle Decor and other great decorating magazines. Give it a chance and I guarantee you'll love it!

Balancing Life Part 2: Breastfeeding

2011-08-05T07:32:00.000-05:00

***WARNING: IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR MY BREASTFEEDING TALE, QUIT READING!***

Last Friday marked my first day back to work, the end of an era. I remember my conversation with HR. At the time, 8 weeks of maternity leave seemed like an eternity. I foolishly told my boss that it was my summer vacation and I was sure that I would spend endless days on our deck getting a tan. How foolish I was. Those first weeks were a wilderness of bewilderment and doubt. I had spent so much time preparing for the baby by gathering baby gear and making freezer meals, that I had no idea what to actually do once I got the baby home. Breastfeeding was not going well (and is still something I loathe). When you spend a third of your day doing something that wants to make you tear your hair out, it was no surprise that every single day for the first three weeks, I cried. There was an evening when my parents were still here that we went out for supper on our own. I remember sitting in the driveway after supper, weeping, because I was so tired of trying to breastfeed unsuccessfully and didn't want to go back in the house.

I had prepared myself for the challenge of labor, but there was nothing in my arsenal that prepared me for the challenge of breastfeeding. After my prenatal breastfeeding class, I thought that breastfeeding would just be another one of those things that would come naturally. That my body was designed to produce milk and that it would be one of the best gifts I could give my child. They made it sound so easy. Boy, was I wrong. I had heard one or two horror stories about cracked nipples and getting mastitis, but no one mentioned how breastfeeding might not come naturally. I have one friend who had told me her tale of low milk supply. No one talked about having a child who is the slowest eater on the face of the earth or having a child who has a short tongue. Both of which I'm convinced are genetic - Lance has a short tongue and so does his father and my entire life I've been accused of being a slow eater.

Breastfeeding from day one was hard - even at the hospital. Lucan is a baby who, from the moment he entered this world, has sucked in his bottom lip. He barely opens his mouth up enough to latch. He likes to flail wildly and will sometimes anger himself and spit out my nipple. It took almost 6 days for my milk to come in. By that time my child was starving and had lost almost a pound since we had left the hospital. We started giving him a bottle of formula before he was a week old. I was taking a pound of Fenugreek pills and drinking gallons of Mother's Milk Tea everyday. I don't think it made any difference.

I remember at the end of two weeks thinking there was no way I was going to be able to breastfeed a month, more of less the entire first year of my child's life. The best piece of advice a friend (Carrie - that's you!) gave me was to make small goals and take it day by day. At the end of two weeks, I told myself to hang in there another week. There was a point at the end of the third week I almost gave up. I had gone to a Mommy & Me breastfeeding class at the hospital and Lucan refused to breastfeed there. I ended up giving him a bottle at the breastfeeding class. I was mortified and at the end of my tether. I ended up crying in the parking lot and decided then and there I was done with breastfeeding.

If you are acquainted with me, you know that I am stubborn to a fault. Even though I had vowed to be done with breastfeeding, I really wanted to make it to a month. I wasn't quite ready to give up. The lactation consultant that I had called everyday (yes, I realize that I'm annoying) suggested that perhaps I make an early move to my "work" schedule - meaning breastfeed first thing in the morning and then again in the evening and pump in between. That suggestion is the only reason I am still breastfeeding and still sane.

Now that I am back to work and pumping here, I'm finally grasping what everyone warned me about - that it's hard. It's hard to force yourself to leave your desk to go and pump. Most of the time I feel like I'm a bad employee.

I'm continually struggling with balancing plugged milk ducts, a child who just does not breastfeed well and the hassle of pumping with the pressure I feel from other moms to breastfeed. How long will breastfeeding last? I have no idea. But just like Carrie told me, I'm taking it one day at a time, setting one small goal after another. At some point I may be forced to examine the balance of breastfeeding Lucan versus our family life and what is the best for everyone. It will also force me to accept that I am not a horrible mother if I end breastfeeding early.

Now the biggest challenge may be is convincing myself that I am not a lesser mom if I give my child formula. Formula will not kill Lucan, nor will it give him a lower IQ or automatically ensure he will get ear infections. I was a formula baby, am relatively intelligent and had very few ear infections as a child. Motherhood, for me, is about finding balance and letting go of my preconceived expectations.

Lucan: 2 Months Old

2011-08-01T12:05:00.007-05:00

My teeny, tiny little man is growing up to be a chubby little guy! Happy birthday to Lucan, he was 2 months old yesterday. It never ceases to surprise me of how much he has have grown in such a short period of time!

Here are his two month statistics:

Weight: 13 lbs 6 ounces - 85th percentile - up from 50th percentile at 2 weeks
Length: 24 inches long - 85th percentile - down from the 90th percentile
Head Circumference: - ? (I need to check this out) - 75th percentile - down from the 90th percentile

At about 4.5 weeks, Lucan started sleeping through the night until 7 am or so. I know. We're spoiled. Our routine is to put him down at 8 pm-ish and then wake him around 10:15 pm for his last feeding. Then he's good to go for the night!

Our schedule, pre-daycare, was pretty scheduled. We would do a routine of 3 - 2.5 hour feedings with feed time - awake time - nap. Typically Lucan would be up for about an hour with combined feed and awake time and then nap for around an hour to two hours. I know that I've gotten some flack about his routine, but I absolutely believe that this has contributed to him sleeping through the night at 4.5 weeks. Read Baby Wise. While I don't agree with things 100%, the basic concepts are really good. Babies need routine. Now that he's started daycare with other little kids running about, his schedule is going to be a little rough for a few days. Not excited.

Lance and I have managed to survive a few outings. We went to Harry Potter and left Lucan with some friends' parents while we were gone. That was our first long outing with leaving Lucan in the care of others. It went fine. Since then he's had a couple of our friends watch him while I have had doctors appointments. Our friends have said that Lucan is a great baby and we should consider ourselves blessed - we do!

Happiest Baby on the Block - it works. Lucan has his routine crabbiness at 7:15 pm every night. So we'll swaddle him up, shush him and then throw him in the swing. Works every time.

Lucan is routinely swaddled for naps and bedtime. If he does his "superman" (this is what Lance calls when Lucan breaks out of his swaddleme wrap) he'll inevitably wake himself up by hitting himself in the face. Swaddling works and we'll keep doing it as long as it is effective.

A day and a half before my first day back to work, we got a phone call from our daycare provider stating that she had an unavoidable conflict come up and she wouldn't be able to watch Lucan. Panic. Fortunately, we have good friends and were able to con one of them into caring for Lucan for the day. Now he's at an in-home daycare ... Mom is probably having a harder time adjusting than Baby K. I have to stop myself from calling and checking-in and being a crazy first-time mom.

He apparently like to poop infrequently, sometimes waiting almost 6 days before going! As a result, we have some monster poops. Our pediatrician recommended giving him a couple teaspoons of Dark Karo syrup to get things moving, which in my opinion, is better than some other, more uncomfortable options. One word - Oxyclean. It works.

Slowest eater. Ever. Doesn't matter if he's breastfeeding or taking a bottle, he's slow. This hasn't improved with age and in fact, I think he's regressing. Really.

Lucan is gaining more neck strength. He holds his large head up quite well when he's being burped.

Knock on wood, Lucan is not a spitty baby. His original ped (which we are not going to anymore because she annoyed me) told us that he has acid reflux. He does not. He doesn't fuss or cry when he's being fed and rarely does he spit up. That ped didn't know anything.

Lucan is growing like a weed, he was out of his newborn clothes at three weeks and at 2 months is outgrowing his 0-3 months clothes. It makes me a little sad, my baby is getting so big! It also makes me sad that these clothes are hardly getting worn at all. There's a small part of me that hopes for another boy just so the clothes go to waste (just a small part of me - there's a very large part of me that aches to go to Baby Gap and buy the store out. BTW: why aren't the Baby Gap boys clothes as fun as the girls clothes there?)

He is a smilie baby. Lucan especially loves to smile at Lance. I read somewhere that babies smile more at their dad's because they associate dads with fun and moms with soothing. But his smiles will melt your heart, he's sooo cute!

Tummy time is going so-so. Lucan either gets annoyed being on his stomach or he falls asleep. Silly baby.

He's ticklish, especially on his feet.

I love how much hair he has on his head! I firmly believe that all his hair makes him even cuter!

And now for the good stuff - his two month photo. I took these yesterday morning after his feeding. I think both Lucan and Lance were annoyed by the sheer volume of pictures that were taken. It's hard to get a good picture of a squirmy baby!

His boppy pillow still dominates him. I use it to prop him up but someday Lucan won't need it. I'm enjoying the time that he still needs it.

Half-smile. "Mom, quit taking my picture."

"Look at me hold my head up for my 2 month pictures! I'm awesome!"

I'm putting together a brief post that will include how to track your baby's growth through their own developmental onesies!

Balancing Life Part 1: A New Rhythm

2011-08-01T10:07:00.007-05:00

This is my first full week back from maternity leave - last Friday was my first day back to work. This transition is being met by mixed emotions that I'm finding hard to clearly articulate. I've loved my time off with Lucan and would not turn down another 4 weeks off if you offered it to me. However, because of the way our leave is setup here at work, that wasn't an option unless I wanted to use all of my vacation by the end of August. I found that to be a dangerous option, leaving me no sick days - for me or baby. Hence, I am back to work.

Maternity leave flew by. I loved my moments of cuddling with Lucan and getting to know him and know exactly how he spent his day. I wouldn't have traded those weeks for anything - even the early weeks when I was overwhelmed. It's too bad that I had to go back at 8 weeks because we were finally finding a rhythm to life. I was able to feel like I was keeping up on house stuff and be a wife and mom.

Now we have to find a new rhythm. A rhythm that includes a flurry of feeding, diapering, lunch and coffee packing, and getting myself out the door all by 7 AM (it's a good thing Lance does drop-off, there is no way I'd ever make it to work by 7:30 AM). It's a rhythm that includes me trusting someone else to the care of my baby. It's a rhythm that forces me to accept that while Cindy, my daycare provider, might not do things exactly the same way as I do them, it will be okay. It's a rhythm that is forcing Lance and I to work as one flawless team. This is our new rhythm. And while I'm not really enjoying this rhythm right now, I'm adjusting to it. We all are.

Our new rhythm also means that I'm learning how to accept letting some ideals go. Dinnertime is going to be less spectacular. If I forget an ingredient at the store, I'm going to have to learn how to accept it and move on. There will be more crockpot food and casseroles that are shoved into the oven with little thought. With a baby who takes almost an hour to breastfeed and a husband whose new work schedule means he'll get home close to 6:15 pm every night, supper will be less interesting and served closer to 7 pm.

Furthermore, in addition to adjusting to working and having a baby, Lance is also starting classes again. Hard classes. Like calculus 2. Mind-boggling math. As a result, honey-do projects will linger longer than I prefer. I'll have to do most of the nighttime feedings and more house chores. My husband will be stressed out and probably sleep-deprived most of the time (I'm basing this on the previous experience of the spring semester). While this isn't a life I enjoy, it's a life that I will endure for our family's sake. Someday Lance would like to be able to have a job that fulfills him, so in the meantime, we'll all gird our loins and struggle through together. Would I like to stay-at-home with Lucan full-time? Perhaps. Is it a choice for us right now? No. Someday in the upcoming year, Lance will have to try and negoiate a change in his job schedule so he can take classes during the day. This may or may not be an option and Lance may have to find other means of employment. All in all, it comes down to tightening our belts, holding our collective breaths, and trusting in God to provide.

So here's to finding a new balance with our new rhythm!

Motherhood: what I've learned so far

2011-07-18T08:00:00.001-05:00

6 weeks into the game, I am by no means an expert at motherhood. But here are a few things I've learned thus so far:

If people ask how they can help you, tell them food.

The moment you buy a rectal thermometer, your child will poop

Earplugs are a good thing when sharing a room (husband and baby)

It is important to learn how to forget unsolicited/unwanted advice and or snide comments (in this particular instance, earplugs will not due)

There is no manual that tells you how to make your child happy

If you choose not to breastfeed, you are not a bad mother. Sometimes I forget the fact that I was raised on formula and darned it, I think I turned out pretty good :)

Urine is sterile. You don't have to use a wipe if the diaper is only wet

Maternity leave will fly by and then, if you are like me, you'll have mixed emotions. You'll crave adult interaction, but you'll miss your baby. Then a new problem presents itself: how in the world are you supposed to trust another person to care for your child in the same quality and manner you are presently providing?

Voicemail messages will take an average of 3+ days to be returned

People who bring meals in containers that don't have to be returned are smart

Carseats are freaking heavy, especially with a child in it

First-time moms are a little psychotic. I recognize this in myself. The question remains though, how I do remedy this?

Time out of the house, without baby, is necessary.

The immediate days after having the baby, you will be emotional. Blame it on a combination of sleep deprivation, the stress of being a new parent, and hormones. All of it together will equal tears. I had three weeks of emotional anxiety. Part of it was the stress of breastfeeding not going well, but I think part of it was feeling completely out of control. While I am definitely not in control, or even close to it, life has fallen into more of a pattern.

During wee hour feedings or in the middle of a wailing baby's cries, it has been helpful to remember this passage: "Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

I am continually surprised and deeply grateful for the generosity of friends and family.

Abounding Abundance - garden

2011-07-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

Part of the Abounding Abundance blog is gardening. Since living in our present house, we have planted a garden every year. It allows my farmer husband the opportunity to play in the dirt. It gives me the opportunity to dream up new ways to use the produce in our menus.

Our favorite plants are tomatoes and green peppers. Much to our chagrin and annoyance, tomatoes and green peppers are typically the two plants we struggle with the most. We have never been able to pinpoint what the problem is as it seems to vary year to year. Some years we get stem rot from too much rain. One year we put the mulch down too early and everything molded after more torrential rain. Sometimes I wonder if it's our neighbor's black walnut tree that is causing so many problems. I've read that when rain water runs off a black walnut tree, it's toxic to garden plants. Really, it's hard to tell. We've done soil testing and countless other experiments to try and make the garden better. Things ranging from crushing egg shells and planting them with the tomatoes for extra calcium, planting marigolds as a bug deterrent, to making an au natural mixture of milk and water to use as a fungicide. We haven't had stellar results with any of those experiments.

My friend Katie asked if we were going to plant a garden this year - heck yes! Just because we had a baby, doesn't make us less hungry. Besides, planting a garden is a money saver if you make the most out of it. And true to Team Lance & Kara, we not only planted a garden, we expanded the garden. I guess we're always trying to test the limits of our sanity :) And if we manage to produce a successful tomato crop, I've already agreed to canning tomatoes. Lance and I also have plans on putting up sweet corn too. And probably drying apples again. Yep, I've confirmed it. I'm nuts. But like we always do - go big or go home. It's always an all or nothing game with us. Hit rewind of previous summers: Strawberry jam ... Applesauce ... Lance would say freezing breast milk.

Anyway, getting back to the point. Our garden. Each year we try and plant something new. Last year it was eggplant (which never did anything. We got our first blossom in late September) and onions (the onions got toppled in a windstorm and never really grew). In fact our garden was planted super late to begin with. My memory is hazy, but I think Lucan was born before anything was planted. I'm not sure, those first days were tumultuous to say the least. As far as new things go, we have a yellow tomato plant. We replanted eggplant again and it never came up. I wanted to do garlic, but we ran out of time. So the only true new item in our garden this year is spinach. The garden this year is pretty standard for us:

Cucumbers. I love me some girlie cucumber sandwiches.

Green beans. We really didn't need to plant more as each year I freeze gallon ziplock bags full of them. Lance was digging at the bottom of our freezer and found 2009 ones. Opps.

Sugar snap peas. Perfect for snacking and stir frys. Once the peas are done, Lance is going to plant late season carrots. Carrots will be a first for me.

The peas climb quite well on the fence. The peas, green beans, and cucumbers share three sides of this fence.

Some Early Girl tomatoes peeping through. I cannot wait for my first tomato of the season. It will be a banner day!

Edamame. Much cheaper than buying it. Ours is from special order seed as seedlings aren't mainstream enough to be found in a local green house.

Hot pepper plant for salsa. I learned my lesson last year - use rubber gloves when dicing. Otherwise you could be left with one on-fire eye from inadvertently rubbing it.

Cilantro trying to take over my basil. Cilantro and basil are my two favorite herbs in the entire world. You cannot substitute dried for the freshness and quality of garden picked cilantro and basil.

I really do need to cut back my cilantro.

Cherry tomato. We're also growing Roma tomatoes too, which is my favorite variety. They are the perfect cooking tomato.

Spinach. Yum. We also planted lettuce, but it didn't come up. Bummer.

Baby zucchinis. I'm sure in two weeks I'll have them coming out of my ears and I won't be able to get rid of them or sneak them into any other foods without arousing Lance's suspicion.

See what I'm talking about? This zuc is one plant. It's a monster. Just think if we'd plant multiples. Bad idea.

Very weedy onions.

Butternut squash. Speaking of which, we still have two from last year. They really do last indefinitely. Regardless, we need to get rid of them. I think we've already roasted three and frozen them. Last year we had a bumper crop of butternut squash - the plant jumped the fence and was halfway across the yard.

Mary, Mary quite contrary - this is how my garden grows!

One Month Old!

2011-07-08T13:15:00.006-05:00

Lucan was one month old on Sunday, July 3. Mind boggling. That one month ago our lives were turned upside and flipped on it's head. Here are a few updates:

Lucan no longer fits into his newborn clothing - in fact, he only wore them for about 3 weeks before they started looking like spandex.

Speaking of being finished with newborn clothing, Lucan has also outgrown his newborn diapers. There were too many occasions which I found him peeing out of them.

At his 2 week appointment he was in the 50th percentile for weight, 90th percentile for head width and 90th percentile for length. Looks like this little guy will be long and lean - just like his daddy (heaven knows that's not the description I would use for myself!)

We are no longer exclusively breastfeeding. We have moved to more of a mommy's work schedule. I nurse twice a day, once in the morning and then again around suppertime. I'm pumping after every feeding. Lucan takes a bottle, in comparison, to nursing, like a champ. He is still a super-slow eater (nursing can take 35-45 minutes) and I discovered that short tongues must be hereditary. Lance has a short tongue as well as his dad. Stupid genetics. But not breastfeeding exclusively has helped me to regain some of my Kara-ness. Since giving it up, my stress levels have decreased dramatically and I've stopped crying everyday. We've been supplementing with some formula, here and there.

For the first month Lucan had his days and nights confused. He would fall asleep at each daytime feeding, refusing to stay awake for his "wake" time and then fuss and be wide awake at night. This appears to have straightened out some. At least for the time being. I'm sure it will change again!

He survived his first roadtrip. We went to our parents' houses over the 4th and we all managed to survive. Lucan slept like a pro the entire way there and back. The only challenge was having him sleep in our room with us. Babies are noisy sleepers and this little one is no exception! So much grunting, whimpering, and sighing. Goodness!

We've been blessed by lots of visitors and friends who bring meals, prayers, and encouragement.

We've managed to make it to church every week since bring home baby. Major accomplishment!

Lance was able to take two weeks off of work when Lucan was born which was a huge relief. The following week my parents came down and spent the week working on projects around our house and being supportive. Then came week three. I was on my own. And I was scared, but it's been good. The biggest challenge has been getting out of the house. What used to be a quick trip to Fareway is now a big undertaking!

Our little peanut has went from this:

(He was minutes old!)

(picture taken by Sarah F at the hospital)

To a little man in his one month old onesie!

Lucan we love you and can't wait to see what next month brings!

Baby Hiatus

2011-06-27T14:23:00.006-05:00

I've been on a baby hiatus taking care of this little guy:

Lucan Richard was born on June 3rd at 4:46 am. 8 lb 7 oz and 20 1/2 inches long. He was a healthy baby! I had two things on my birth plan that I was fairly adamant about - I wanted an epidural and I absolutely did not want a cesarean unless it was a medical emergency. Everything else was negotiable. I only got one out of the two - I did not have a cesarean. Which means I didn't get drugs. :( We ended up waiting too long at home before heading to the hospital and by the time I was admitted, they checked me and I was fully dilated and ready to start pushing. After 3 hours of intense pushing, baby K made his appearance into the world!

Motherhood, by far, has been the most intense and life-changing adventure I've ever embarked on. Never have I felt less in control of my life. Never have I doubted myself so much. I also don't think I've cried this much in a decade. And yet, never have I loved something so richly.

We have been struggling with breastfeeding. My life seems consumed by it. Weigh - breastfeed - weigh again to check his intake - bottlefeed - pump. Repeat the 1 hour process again in another 2 hours. Add in a couple of wee hour feedings and middle of the night crying (Lucan - not me, although sometimes I feel like crying) and you've got a good picture of what my life looks like presently. I've found myself wondering when life will ever feel "normal" again. Lance typically tells me when Lucan is 18 years-old. I don't find it helpful.

In the midst of all my doubting, anxiety, and exhaustion, I know that our feeding struggles are God's plan for us. He has humbled me and shown me that my story will be used for someone else's encouragement in the future. The most important thing is for my baby to be healthy and happy. This can take the form of breastfeeding or formula feeding.

And Lucan is thriving and robust. Since birth 24 days ago, he has gained a solid 2 lbs and 2 oz. My little man is doing well.

So please excuse the sporadic postings and absences. Hopefully life will settle into a pattern soon!

Freezer Meal Update

2011-06-02T06:22:00.000-05:00

After a solid weekend + a few additional weeknights, there's a part of me that hates being in my kitchen. Really, I do. Too much at once. Here's a run down of everything I did with the help of my sous chef:

3 lbs of diced onion

2 lbs of sliced celery

6 lbs of sliced carrots

2 lbs of shredded cheese

4 lbs of fried hamburger with diced onion

4 lbs of fried hamburger

taco casserole

meatloaf

2 chicken cacciatore

2 pizza braids

vegetable beef stew

2 shepherd's pie

chicken santa fe rice

cheesy chicken and rice

rosemary penne chicken and broccoli

southwest chicken wrap filling

6 stuffed green peppers

3 dozen blueberry muffins

9 c. of granola

Yes and no, to feeling adequately prepped and ready. I really wanted to make multiples of all of those meals, but I didn't. I think I'm going to feel hoarder-esk and not want to actually eat the meals until we are in dire straights of hunger. Per the advice of my friend Erika, I may save some for when my maternity leave is up and I go back to work. I'm sure that will be a rough transition.

Strawberry Trifle

2011-06-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

A few years back I decided I needed a trifle bowl. Really, no one needs a trifle bowl. But I enjoy it and the few times I use it a year makes me happy. Trifles are one of my favorite spring desserts to make. Typically fruit is in season, readily available, and not crazy expensive. Trifle desserts present themselves very well. They are always very pretty with layers of fruit, pudding, and cake.

The type of trifle I made here is what I call a cheater dessert. I have a few of those up my sleeve. It's a cheater dessert because I didn't actually have to bake anything with it - all I did was assemble it. I prepped the fruit, the angel food cake and the pudding the night before and then assembled it about an hour prior to serving it. Definitely a cheater dessert :)

Ingredients
1 small package instant vanilla pudding mix (I used cheesecake pudding instead)
2 cups cold milk
1 (9 inch) angel food cake, torn into cubes
2 bananas, sliced
Fresh strawberries, sliced
Fresh blueberries
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions
Prepare pudding with milk according to package directions. Gently fold in whipped topping. Refrigerate until set.

In a trifle bowl or other glass serving dish, layer the cake pieces, the pudding mixture, and the fruit. Repeat layers. Cover and chill before serving.

39.5 weeks

2011-05-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a couple of photos of my torpedo shaped body. My friend Sarah said that I would be amazed by the shape of the changes my body would undergo - she wasn't kidding. I definitely think that the baby has dropped too. We'll see what changes this week brings! We are so close to the end.

Lance also insisted that Fire wanted his 39 week photo taken too. Neither Fire or myself are convinced.

Nursery Reveal!

2011-05-28T16:21:00.004-05:00

From the very beginning I had visions of a nursery that wasn't overtly "baby." I wasn't keen on pastels or anything overly cutesy. With our available budget and the size limitations of the room, I didn't have plans of grandeur or anything too over the top. Our nursery, in my humble opinion, is exactly what I hoped it would be.

I wanted wainscoting early on, which Lance was firmly against. But it's really hard to tell your pregnant wife no, especially when she happens to be a very determined individual bent on staging an attack from all sides. This would include recruiting various friends to tell Lance wainscoting was awesome, classic, and never goes out of style as well as me emailing Lance various blog posts about how great wainscoting is and then "browsing" for wainscoting at Home Depot. Like I said, determined :)

I think the results are awesome. Lance can now consider himself to be a real DIY man!

The nursery is a happy medium, of something old, something borrowed, and something new.
The blinds were actually in our guest room and were swapped out and put in the nursery.

The hanging wall shelves were already in here. Do you see the Twins teddy bear on the shelf? It was a shower gift from some dear friends who know Lance well. Lance has already started brainstorming about how he can properly introduce the baby to baseball and how to root from the Twins (even when they are having a terrible season).

The short bookshelf contains books that were gifted to us at one of our baby showers. The left bin is a tiger bin from Target, which was a baby shower gift from my cooking club friends. It contains extra bedding. The monkey bin on the right is also from Target and contains a few infant toys.

The crib and mattress were from Target. The bedding is from Pottery Barn Kids - their Bright Stripe bedroom collection. I purchased the bedding off of craigslist in March. There's a funny story about that purchase, you'll have to ask me about it if you want the whole story though.

The dresser/changing table combo was purchased off of craigslist too. My parents gifted us the rocking chair. The floor lamp in the corner was another craigslist find too. You can't tell from the picture, but it has small star cut-outs on the top and bottom of the shade. The brown and cream clothes hamper was a baby shower gift from Target.

The table in the corner was a reject table from my mom and dad's house. It used to have a yellow table cloth covering it. I had my own unsuccessful adventure in navy blue Rit Dye which resulted in a dingy gray tablecloth. Needless to say, I ended up buying an entirely new tablecloth from K-Mart (who knew those tablecloths were so hard to find!)

The prints on the wall are an Etsy find. They are probably as "baby" as I got with the nursery. They feature pictures of animals in various classic colors and prints.

One of the trickiest things I found was finding the right shade of neutral tan/beige. I know, it's beige. How hard could it be? I didn't want it too dark, too gray, or too pink. Believe me, beige is hard! We ended up going with Sherwin Williams' Urban Putty. I really like it. I was very pleased with the choice. One thing to note - I am a better painter than Lance. He really is slow :)

The finishing touches on the mop board were concluded Wed night. I think the OB put the fear of God in Lance when the doctor said that he thought there was a 50/50 chance of me making my next appointment. When we got home, Lance hopped to it and finished it all up!

I love our nursery. The base is neutral enough where with a few switches it could easily become a nursery for a girl or, better yet, just be a regular bedroom for whoever lives here next. I hope you enjoyed the tour and I hope our baby likes sleeping in here!

Sneak Preview: Baby K Nursery!

2011-05-26T20:01:00.003-05:00

Look for more pictures this weekend!

The view from 38 weeks

2011-05-19T12:11:00.010-05:00

Here's me and all of my 38-week glory. I'm feeling large.

I'm one of those blessed women who have a relatively complication-free pregnancy. No real morning sickness, no problems, nada. Yes, I am fully aware that I'm lucky, feel free to hate me a bit. I have had some sciatica issues and lower back pain, but even still, not a huge issue. I did fail my original blood glucose screen (note to self: don't down two packages of fruit snacks prior to the screen, it will cause a spike - big surprise!) and I did have to do the full-blown blood glucose test complete with 18 hours of fasting, dehydration, and 4 blood draws. That was not fun. But that's been the only real issue so far. I have some fears that this means my labor is going to be no picnic or that this baby is going to never sleep. I need to just trust in God for the strength to get through those things.

At 38 weeks I'm still going strong - for the most part. I'm getting uncomfortable, feeling more bulky and achy after sitting for prolonged periods of time as well as being tired, but I'm not entirely over being pregnant either. I think this is mostly due to the fact that my mile long to-do list isn't complete. I'm getting a little nervous about my stamina when it comes to my superhuman freezer cooking. Maybe my super special sous-chef (aka: Lance) will throw his pregnant wife a bone and help. I'm sure he will. My husband is great like that. It's good to remind myself about his Godly helpfulness.

My doctor appointments are uneventful, which I'm thankful for. Normal weight gain, normal blood pressure, normal heart rate. Normal, normal, normal. I spend more time waiting for the doctor than I spend with the doctor. All in all, baby K and I are doing well.

I think that we are getting pretty ready to bring this baby home. We're going closer to settling on a name, the nursery is almost complete (meaning all the essential items are done, I still have some non-essential sewing to finish), the crib is up, the pack n' play is assembled, the bouncy seat is assembled, all of baby's clothing is sorted and laundered, our hospital bag is mostly packed. I keep trying to find a sane balance of over packing and having the right balance of what we need. I have a good chunk of my shower thank you's written. One of my favorite places in our house is the nursery. It's perfect and serene. Especially without having a crying baby to put in there :) Once the last of the decorating is complete, I'll post photos.

Freezer cooking

2011-05-12T09:13:00.000-05:00

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you realize that Lance and I have a problem with our refrigerator, freezer and pantry. At any given time, they are stuffed to the gills. It would be completely unfair to place all the blame on me - just ask Lance about the great chicken shortage of 2011 along with the great bacon shortage of the summer of 2010. During those "shortages" Lance picked up several pounds of chicken breasts, whole chickens, and huge freezer bags of chicken breasts. Any time bacon is on sale, Lance picks up at least 5 pounds of it. While I could be the one to blame for my pantry, the freezer isn't completely my fault. And we have half a side of beef at the bottom the freezer to boot. Again - not my fault there are times when I have problems closing the lid. I do contribute to the problem as I like to buy several varieties of ice cream and don't like to finish any of them :) (somehow I've inherited my father's closure issues, even though I'm adopted!) Our friend, Ryan, the other night asked us if we even know what is in our freezer. The answer to that question: yes and no. Lance and I "audit" our deep-freeze twice a year and take inventory of everything that's in there. Not at all surprising, we are always a little bit astounded by the contents. It's probably time to do another audit, especially as I embark on some pre-baby freezer cooking. Here's my list of everything I'd like to cook or prep prior to Baby K's arrival on ~June 2.

Prep:

Carrots

Celery

Onions

Zucchini

Hamburger

Chicken

Roast a turkey (he's old. He's begging to be roasted)

Shred huge blocks of costco cheese

Chicken stock

Grind round steak into hamburger

Prepare:

Spaghetti sauce

Taco casserole (2)

Granola

Spaghetti pie (2)

Meatloaf (2)

Meat balls (2)

Taco meat (5 lbs)

Chicken cacciatore (2)

Chicken fried rice (3)

Shepherd's pie (doubtful as it's super labor intensive and let's be real, I don't have that kind of time!)

Chicken Santa Fe (2)

Enchiladas (beef & chicken)

Chili (2)

Vegetable beef stew (2)

Beer stuffed cheese burgers (10)

And maybe if I'm lucky I'll do a few loaves of bread or some cookies. If only I had a cook or a friend or family member who would just finish this list for me ;)

I have this feeling I'm being slightly ridiculous and more than a little unrealistic. But like one of my favorite sayings "Those who fail to prepare, prepare to fail" I might as well give this my best attempt as there's nothing like being too ready. This coming from the woman who hasn't finished her birth plan or packing for the hospital (truth be told - it's only Lance's stuff that still need to be packed)

Heroes

2011-05-05T14:13:00.003-05:00

2,000 bid Iowa soldier farewell - Omaha.com

Our neighbor, James Justice, died in Afghanistan last weekend. Please keep his wife, Mandy, and their daughter, Caydence, in your prayers. Be proud of those serving overseas, they are making the ultimate sacrifice.

James was a good guy. He worked hard and was a good neighbor. You could find him mowing his lawn at 10:30 at night and two winters when we got piles and piles of snow, we would periodically find our driveway already shoveled by James. We would have neighborly chats over the fence about our lives. When James left to serve earlier this spring he told me that he had mixed feelings about leaving. A part of him longed to be in the action, serving alongside his military family. The other part of him was torn as this would be the first time since Caydence was born that he would be away from her. But like any soldier who loved his country, James eventually found himself back at the front. James died just one day prior to the death of Bin Laden. The timing seems ironic to me, but who am I to argue with God's timing?

It was James' wish to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The military will only pay once for the body to be shipped back home; therefore the family is having to raise funds to have James buried in Washington DC. If you feel led to help the family - donations can be made to Veridian Credit Union: James Justice Benefit Account, 5910 University Avenue in West Des Moines, 50266.

"God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you" -St. Augustine

Be at rest James.

Not fair.

2011-05-02T16:40:00.002-05:00

Lance says I don't get a mother's day this year present because I'm not a mother. Really? Should he argue with his 9-month pregnant wife about the infinitesimal detail of whether or not she's technically a "mother?" I think not. (Besides I'm a cat mother - I have Fire) This seems especially unfair as, more than likely, he'll be a father in time for Father's Day and will be eligible for a Father's Day present (although if I have anything to say about it, if he's skipping me, I'm skipping him).

Based on all of this knowledge, I'm treating myself to a pedicure. I'm 9 months pregnant. It's May, the start of pedicure season. I need a fun dose of summer color, like one of the OPI colors below. My pregnant belly prevents me from painting my own toes. I think that in itself is a good enough reason.

Happy Mother's Day me!

PS - Lance told me the other day that pregnant ladies would make the perfect mall Santas because they already have the belly. Yet another inappropriate comment by dear husband :)

Homemade lemon bars

2011-04-27T09:21:00.005-05:00

Do you know that I've never made lemon bars not out of a box mix before? I know, a little shameful. Not as shameful as ... being a bandwagon Iowa fan or something else equally ridiculous :)

I knew I needed to make these lemon bars after a stunning write-up in the USA Weekend a few Sundays ago. I knew they would be a fun spring addition to our Swap Party munchies. They were everything a lemon bar should be - sweet, tart, a little tangy with a rich buttery shortbread crust. I've previously enjoyed Krusteaz Lemon Bars Mixes, but of course the homemade version far surpasses the box mix. If you are feeling the itch for lemon bars - this is your recipe. It wasn't too hard either, Lance and I assembled these at 9:30 pm with little difficulty. However, I did have a moment of panic when I didn't think the lemon filling was setting up properly because I failed to measure out the lemon juice when I was juicing the lemons. But all's well that ends well and the bars were perfection! One thing to keep in mind - this does not make a huge recipe.

Recipe by Three Many Cooks

For crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
½ cup confectioner's sugar
1 stick (8 Tbs.) butter, melted but not hot

For filling:
2 large eggs
¾ cup sugar
1½ Tbs. all-purpose flour
6 Tbs. juice from 2 lemons
2 tsps. finely grated lemon zest

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray an 8- by 8-inch baking pan with vegetable cooking spray. Fit an 8-inch by 16-inch piece of heavy-duty foil across pan bottom and up the 2 sides as foil overhangs to pull bars from the pan. Spray foil with vegetable cooking spray.
Mix flour, salt, confectioner's sugar in a medium bowl; stir in butter to form dough. Press dough into pan bottom (the bottom of a measuring cup dipped in flour helps). Bake until pale golden, about 20 minutes.
While pastry bakes, whisk eggs, sugar, flour, lemon juice and zest in a medium bowl.
Remove pan from oven. Add lemon mixture and continue to bake until just set, about 20 minutes longer; let cool in pan for a few minutes and then using foil handles, pull bars from pan and set on a wire rack. Cool until room temperature. Cut into squares and serve.

Swap Party

2011-04-22T09:25:00.003-05:00

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A couple weeks back my friend Nicole and I co-hosted a swap party together. Nicole was the perfect co-host as she has a beautiful home and is probably one of the few people who is more organized than I am! (side note: it would be a fallacy to say that I'm not an organized being; however, I have a husband who is the exact opposite of me. The concept that everything has a home and should be put back in it's respective home is a foreign concept to dear husband. But he's thoughtful and God knew what he was doing when he brought us together. We're a good yin/yang balance. That being said, don't ever come over to my house unannounced and expect tidiness!) Anyway, Nicole does a great job of balancing being an English teacher at two colleges, being a freelance editor, and making time for her husband, energetic 4-year old son and their Boston Terrier. And of course being a very talented blogger with an eye for the aesthetic.

It was a lot of fun and something new for our friends. The swap party idea was something that I had seen floating around the internet and in several blogs. I had been kicking it around in my head for months and it took partnering with Nicole to finally bring the party to fruition. She's good at the details. I knew that all of us would have at least one item to swap, but I thought it would be an even better reason for everyone to get together without any of us spending a lot of money. The trickiest part of the whole thing was probably convincing people their stuff was good enough for the swap - many of our friends thought their stuff was too trashy. None of us are Kennedys or Rockafellers, so I don't think anyone expected any of the items to be of large scale grandeur :)

Nicole and I organized the swap into three catagories: clothing/accessories, home furnishings, and kitchen items. Originally we had told people 5 items per person, but as we started getting mixed feedback about the number of items people were bringing we decided to not limit the items. We also had originally requested that people try and get their things to us ahead of time. This was causing some difficulties for people, so we allowed everyone to bring their things with them prior to the swap. I think that if we would have had a huge number of participants or items, this choice might have been a little chaotic, but it worked for our party. Any unswapped items at the evenings end could be left in a tote by the door for Goodwill or could be reclaimed by the owner.

We initially sent a save the date email about one month prior to the party and then sent an official Paperless Post email invitation about 10 days before the actual party. We followed Real Simple's suggestions for hosting a swap party and I think it worked pretty well. Everyone drew numbers as to the order in which they got to pick their items. This number correlated with the number of items they brought to swap. For example, if you brought five items, you got to draw five numbers, thus getting to take home five items with you. Some wives were given strict instruction from their husbands if there were any flat screen televisions or Blueray players, to make sure they got those items first. Husbands are silly :)

Nicole and I also provided munchies: Mint Milano cookies, Jelly Belly jelly beans, mixed nuts, pita chips, chocolates. Nicole made some yummy raspberry shortbread bars and I made classic chocolate chip cookies and a new lemon bar recipe (I'll post the recipe for the lemon bars at a later time). We also provided decaf coffee with some fun creamers and pink lemonade. Nicole and I followed a black/white/pink party theme, so we had some pretty pink accents. Nicole's husband, Josh, said that it clearly was a girls party. Apparently pink is abhorrent to guys :)

All in all, it was a fun evening. We all stood around the kitchen mingling and chatting and seeing what each other picked. Household items proved to be the hot items of the evening - we had everything from huge potted plants, decorative bowls, to shower curtains. Clothes proved to be a little tricker. The party served as a great excuse for spring cleaning and I look forward to doing another swap party in the future, perhaps with different swap catagories. One woman's junk is another woman's treasure!

The photo collage is courtesy of Sarah Franczky, of Franczyk Photography

Be a yogie

2011-04-12T11:43:00.010-05:00

I'm in my third trimester of my pregnancy. I'm feeling bulky and uncomfortable to say the least, but yoga has helped alleviate some of the traditional body awkwardness that comes with pregnancy.

One of the things that both my OB-GYN and my chiropractor have agreed upon is my continued practice of yoga. In my first trimester I experienced some lower back pain associated with pregnancy. Yoga has helped relieve some of this pain and has helped me learn how to stretch some of the muscles that have limited mobility. Another benefit of yoga is the regular practice and focus on breathing techniques. I'm sure this too will come in handy in the future. While there are some poses that I'm not able to do anymore, I can feel a difference in my body and my energy levels when I'm not doing yoga regularly. I feel sluggish, my muscles feel tight, and overall I feel somewhat unbalanced.

I'm thankful that I'm given the opportunity to do yoga at work during lunch twice a week. It's a great chance to take a break from my cubicle and spend a little time stretching and getting recentered. Our yoga instructor, Emily, is fantastic and makes sure to include different variations of the poses for people at all levels. So if you are thinking about starting yoga or are looking for something else to add to your workout, yoga is the place for you.

One of the many benefits to yoga is the engagement of core muscles that might otherwise get ignored. If you are a runner, you can benefit from the practice of yoga as yoga utilizes smaller muscle groups that don't regularly used. For example, my husband, a seasoned runner, had encountered chronic knee pain that have sent him to a physical therapist. The physical therapist's diagnosis? Under- developed IT bands. The physical therapist gave him several stretches and strengthening exercises to do, things that I was already doing in yoga! Yoga can be the perfect complimentary exercise that you might not think you need, but your body knows it needs.

I often hear people say they can't do yoga because they aren't flexible. This statement, to me, seems like an easy excuse. Just like with any technique or skill, no one started at day one as an expert. People can't hop out of bed and decide they're going to a star-Olympic athlete without a little work. To be able to do anything well takes consistency, perseverance and practice. I'm sure on that first day of yoga, you will feel a little awkward. But with a little time and patience, practice makes perfect!

This is a prenatal yoga video I've also done to supplement my classes. It would be a great starting point for the new-to-yoga and the mother-to-be.

Pregnancy photos

2011-04-11T13:26:00.005-05:00

Funny story. Here I thought that it was my idea to have a couple of pregnancy photos taken my my talented friend and photographer, Sarah, when in actuality, I was tricked by my friends into having these taken for my baby shower invitation! Regardless of whose idea it was, the photos will be a precious memory in the development of Baby K. I can't wait to have Sarah do a newborn session with our little guy so we can savor those memories too.

I make the best oatmeal raisin cookies on the face of the earth.

2011-04-06T08:02:00.002-05:00

Yes, it might be boisterious of me to say that I make the best oatmeal raisin cookies, but gosh golly, it's true. I really do make the best oatmeal raisin cookies on the face of the earth. I don't make them often because in the words of Phobe Buffay from the acclaimed comedy Friends "it's not fair to the other cookies." Please disregard the fact that according to this picture, it looks like there are zero raisins in the actual cookies ...

The thing that makes these particular cookies so special is their texture. An oatmeal cookie should not be overly crunchy, nor should be it overly soft and doughy. No pillow cookies here. An oatmeal cookie needs slightly crunchy, but not break your teeth crunchy. These cookies are perfect. They are the perfect Martha Stewart cookies (they really are Martha cookies - they are her recipe!) Like many Martha recipes, there is a fussy and long list of ingredients. No cheating, every single ingredient on this list is important. Lance and my dad adore these Oatmeal Raisin cookies. They will both attest to the lovliness of them.

Without further ado, here's the recipe to Martha Stewart's perfect Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ

1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light-brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups raisins

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together oats, flour, wheat germ, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add oat mixture; mix until just combined. Mix in raisins.

2.Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly.

3.Bake until golden and just set, about 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks using a spatula; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days

Nesting that includes sewing

2011-04-02T08:00:00.003-05:00

Each pregnancy is different for each woman. Apparently my nesting instincts also include a desire to sew. And I've been sewing up a storm - Kara version of sewing up a storm. Mostly this includes straight line sewing with no patterns to speak of (because I can't follow or translate a pattern to save my life). I've lopped off the sleeves to 2 night shirts and 2 dresses (full length sleeves transformed into 3/4 length sleeves) and taken up the hem of one dress along with taking the dress in about 4 inches (which perfectly illustrates the point that I really had no idea of how to purchase maternity clothes that fit correctly).

Now I'm moving onto baby items. I've already made one taggie blanket based on this tutorial and some sage advice from my mom. My original intention was to make just one blanket, but along with my inability to follow a pattern, it has also come to light that I have no idea how fabric is actually in a yard. So ... now I've been given the opportunity to make multiple blankets!

I've also purchased some cloth diapers and some fabric and some quilt binding to make some cutie burp cloths. I'm not really working from a pattern. We'll see how that one goes :)

I also think these onesies are adorable. I'm registered for some plain ones, so if I'm gifted those, it will be the perfect opportunity to add these animals as a decoration.

This isn't a baby item, but I'm recovering a pillow that is on our couch in a material that is more contemporary. Again, given my lack of understanding of how much material a yard encompasses, I might have enough leftover fabric to sew a new valance for the kitchen window too!

I would like to sew my own Boppy pillow cover. However, it requires me to follow this pattern. We will see if I'm able to make head's or tails of it. Maybe I'll enlist Lance's help. Pattern reading is much more his style and less of mine.

I'm not particularly enthralled by the crib skirt that came with the rest of the bedding. I'm thinking about sewing one that better suits my fancy, but again, I'm plagued with the planning stage of it. My friend Nicole, author of this fantastic blog, wrote a very detailed, instructional post about how to sew a table skirt. It was so detailed that it made my head whirl a little bit. Maybe I can con her into helping me with the planning portion of the bed skirt. I'm confident enough that I could do the physical sewing part, it's the planning portion and measuring portion that might kill me :)

And while we're on the topic of skirted tables, I do happen to own a round table that could use a different skirt on it for the nursery. But I think it's lower on the list of sewing priorities.

People have told me that the nursery doesn't have to be done when the baby arrives. I'm choosing to ignore these people. It's just not me to put something like this on the back burner.

I think this alphabet art project would be perfect for the nursery. Add something else to my list. At least there is minimal sewing involved!

This is also another project that I'm interested in doing for the nursery (I know, I think I have some disease that is making me slightly project crazy. Although well-intentioned people might tell me that disease is called pregnancy). I actually would put this project off until the baby arrives, so I could design this with the baby's birth details.

To buy or not to buy, that is the question.

2011-03-29T10:09:00.011-05:00

Here's a question for all of you "experienced" parents out there. What items do you recommend buying new, what items would you buy used off of Craigslist or some other venue, what items would you borrow and what items would you skip? Here's my list of what we've purchased new/plan on purchasing new:

Crib & mattress (actually I purchased two cribs, but that was not my fault!)

Car seat

Breast milk pump

Stroller

Here's my list of things I've purchased used:

Bumbo seat & tray
Ergo baby carrier
$5 worth of baby clothes (in which Lance promptly told me that I had to stop buying clothes for the baby. My frugal husband is going to take all the fun away)

Dresser/changing table

The cutest Pottery Barn baby bedding

Here's my list of things a friend offered to let us borrow:

Activity mat

Exersaucer

Bouncy seat

Here is my list of things I'm skipping:

Diaper Genie

Separate changing table (our nursery is not large)

Full size swing

Jogging stroller (I hate running and I don't think that it's worth the extra money or storage space to get one that Lance might use)

How do I not let my house get overcome by unneeded baby gear and avoid debt by buying unneeded baby items? Let's hear it folks!

Baby Lusts

2011-03-16T17:02:00.009-05:00

I should stop reading baby blogs because all they do is bring out the baby gear lusts in me ....

A Petunia Picklebottom Diaper Bag retailing for a cool $170.

This super pricey baby book

This adorable wall decal if Lance puts his foot down and refuses to put in wainscoting.

Some fun monogramming for the nursery

Basically anything from Pottery Barn Kids, even a nautical rug for this land-locked nursery.

But isn't this vespa print adorable? Especially since there's a more likely chance of mini-vans in our future, rather than vespas?

Basically, I need to stay off of etsy.com and away from Pottery Barn Kids.

Pregnancy update

2011-03-16T12:23:00.009-05:00

I've been on a temporary hiatus due to catching my first pregnancy cold (I'm completely blaming my co-worker, he was coughing last week and lo and behold - I now have a cold!), a long weekend of traveling to both of our parents' homes, and sleep deprivation. I'm right in the middle of this cold and am digging deep to find inner strength. I miss having the option of taking cold drugs. It's just me, my neti pot, Vicks Vapor Rub, and an occasional Sudafed (Sudafed is approved for pregnancy - surprising!) I figured that it was about time to post my first pregnancy picture for the world to see. I think that I've hit the point where people are going to stop telling me I look great and will now be asking how much longer I have to go or if I'm having twins. I would like to address that question - it is never, ever, ever, ever appropriate to ask a pregnant woman if she's having twins. It's the equivalent of telling her she looks fat. It is also akin to asking a non-pregnant woman if she is pregnant. Neither are appropriate and will warrant a swift kick in the shins. I don't care if you are 80 years-old. You would still deserve a kick in my opinion.

Here's me and my 29 week pregnancy glory.

Here's Lance too. I used him to originally setup the shot, but we still had to adjust as I failed to account for our 9 inch height difference :)

I had my gestational diabetes test yesterday. I don't know the results yet, but I'm not too worried. My body didn't overreact or spaz out about all the extra glucose. I didn't even think that the drink was too horrible either, it tasted like flat Sprite. The worse part was trying to down it in under 5 minutes.
The doctor's appointment was rather uneventful - I'm measuring right on track as far as baby growth goes and my blood pressure was normal. They never really tell me if I've gained too much weight, I only get a comment if I've lost weight (which only happened in the first trimester, I seem to be making up for it now). Right now I'm assuming that my weight gain is on track too.
Baby Boy K is very active, but that's not surprising as the 7th month is typically one of the most active months for movement. My belly feels like a small lap pool every night around 11 pm or whatever time I get around to going to bed. Sometimes I push back on my belly. Baby doesn't like that :)
I've been getting up about once a night to go to the bathroom. Sometimes I tell myself no and try to go back to sleep.
Sleep is getting a little more challenging. Between struggling to breathe through sinus congestion and feeling like I'm dying of heat (I think it's partly due to having a cold), rolling over in the middle of the night sometimes feels like an acrobatic feat. And poor Lance, there's not much room in the bed with all the extra pillows. I feel a little bad for the man and then I remember he doesn't have to give birth and hasn't had to deal with hip pain for the last 4 months. And then I don't feel so bad for him. My doctor yesterday told me that I should feel exhausted all the time. Similar to a four-year old, who is going through massive growth and needs 12 hours of sleep each night, is my body. Except as an adult you get a fraction of that amount of sleep.
No movement on the nursery front. It's still being staged as a bedroom/office. Maybe next weekend ... I told Lance he couldn't come home with me because he had to stay home and work on the nursery. He pouted for a moment and then realized I had a point. Next weekend is his only weekend off of school. Enter in Mr.DIY.
I've dropped my water bottle twice at work in the last week. 16 fluid ounces of water all over the floor. I guess it's true, pregnant women do have the dropsies.
I'm still dealing with lower back pain and a partially numb/painful left leg. That's one thing I will not miss about being pregnant.
I will miss my pregnancy belly. It's rather fun to rub my belly and feel the rock-hardness of it. Ha, pregnancy is the only time when I'll use the adjectives "rock-hard" to describe the state of my belly!
Sadly, I'm getting increasingly out of breath going on my afternoon walks and going up and down the stairs at work. Yoga isn't pretty. It's hard to feel zen-like when you feel like a lumbering elephant.
I don't think I've had any unusual food cravings, just really liking my typical cravings - popcorn and Hot Tamales. I've also been craving 7-Up which is a little unusual for me as well as lots of salads and fresh fruit. I read in a pregnancy magazine that something like 31% of women crave fresh fruit during pregnancy.
I've had to make sure that I don't carb load in the mornings and that I have some protein, like peanut butter or egg whites or protein powder in my smoothie. I learned the hard way that if I don't get adequate amounts of water and protein in the morning that I will get nauseous and will pass out. (side note: protein powder is a little weird for me. On the jar it says "Made from 100% organic grass-fed beef!" Does anyone else get the willies about the fact that my vanilla protein powder is made from ground up cow?)
Childcare is the bane of my existence and one of my top 3 prayer requests. So, if you get a chance, mutter a prayer for us to find someone or some place for this baby.
And one last little funny if you've stuck it out this long. I guess I've been making little mmmm... noises when I've been napping. I'm not sure if I'm doing this when I sleep at night too because Lance is out as soon as his head hits the pillow. Lance observed me doing this in the car on Friday night and Lance's mom again observed this on Sunday when I was napping at their house (don't judge the napping). I was telling Lance about this on our way home on Sunday and he proceeded to tell me that cows, when they are super pregnant and getting closer to giving birth, will make the same mmmm... noise. My husband just compared me to a super pregnant cow. Not cool.

Frugality

2011-03-08T13:58:00.003-06:00

As baby K nears his arrival, Lance and I have been embarking on some major discussions as to how we can cutback on our expenses. With impending childcare costs, diapers, etc. the "cutback" discussions have taken a turn for the serious. More so than Lance telling me to shop less and me telling Lance that he has to stop losing at his monthly church poker game. We're digging deep with talk about canceling (gasp) DirectTV after I'm finished with maternity leave. The major problem with canceling is Lance's love for ESPN and my love for Top Chef. Somewhat frivolous reasons, but in our minds, still important!

I recently read this frugality article and was pleased by the fact that we're doing everything they suggest as to how cut costs. But I guess that's not enough to please Mr. Money Man (aka: Lance). He's a handy mechanic and I'm good with a needle and talented in the kitchen. Together we're a great team with sharing gardening and canning tasks. And we so rarely travel, baggage costs aren't really a big deal.

According to the wise words of Sophia Kinsella, author of the Shopaholic Series there are two money philosophies in the world: make more money or spend less. My personal philosophy has also been make more money. Lance is sort of a combo person - make more money while hounding your wife to spend less. I always think that God has our personal balance sheet figured out, I shouldn't spend too much time stressing over money, God always provides in a pinch. :)I'm open to suggestions here, what are your money-saving techniques? What is your money philosophy?

Book Review: The Dirty Life

2011-03-01T09:16:00.003-06:00

I became a voracious reader the summer of my third grade year. I was being ostracized by a group of mean girls at my summer daycare and had nothing to do the entire summer but read. I believe that summer changed my entire academic path. I've never been academically brilliant, but I know how to persevere and utilize my resources. That was the summer that my brain caught fire to the escapist world that fiction provides. I read anything that I could get my hands on. This love of literature has followed me into my adult life. Again, while I would never categorize myself as "gifted" I have excellent reading comprehension skills that can be traced back to my summer of reading . One of the first series that I devoured was the Little House of the Prairie series. I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder's vivid word pictures about a life that was so foreign to me.

One of my favorites from the series was "Farmer Boy."

My parents can attest to the fact that I would read and re-read this book, even into my high school and college days. Truth be told, I enjoyed her descriptions of all the food and the harvest process. I never could read this book without having to stop and get myself a snack. I mourned the fact that my snacks never sounded as good as Amanzo's - no freshly made bread, spread with sunshine yellow butter and served with a tall glass of farm-fresh cream. No, my snacks were more along the lines of microwave popcorn and a Diet Coke. :)

Recently I came across a modern day version of "Farmer Boy" in the non-fiction work of Kristin Kimball's "The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love."

The author regals her transition from being a freelance written in Manhattan to a farm wife in upper New York state. She meets a man on a writing assignment who has abandoned modern farming techniques - chemical fertilizers, tractors, hormones, etc - and has started his own CSA program using conventional farming techniques - compost piles, horses, free-reign farm animals, etc. This man dumps her world upside down as she leaves her old life behind and joins him in his farming adventure.

It reminded me of my childhood favorite with a modern day twist. I highly recommend "The Dirty Life" if you have even a slight interest in farming, food, and love!

True Confessions - Oscars

2011-02-24T12:09:00.001-06:00

True Confession Thursday - I am not a movie buff. I admire those who are and I've always thought that it would be super fun to host an Oscar party, complete with paparazzi and a red carpet with fancy appetizers. It is my opinion though, that in order to host a legitimate Oscar celebration, one must actually have a vested interest in the Academy Awards. More so than being overly excited by viewing the glamorous dresses of the actresses, which truth be told, is one of my favorite parts! As far as Best Picture nominees go, I've only seen two of the films. Maybe a little disgraceful to those of you who maintain an avid interest in the film industry, but not too shabby for me. I enjoyed both of the films and I hope to get a chance to see Toy Story 3 and The Social Network before Sunday.

I loved Inception. Did I necessarily understand it? No ... honestly, it was a little challenging for me to follow which dream level they were currently placed in. I've seen the movie three times, so I think my comprehension problems is solely my issue. I must be slow. Or have a mind that isn't cut out for the abstract. I do love a man in a suit. Joseph Gordon Levitt is good eye candy and I love his gravity defying fight scenes.

We saw The King's Speech last weekend. I really enjoyed it. I actually had no idea that the movie was about a speech impediment. Blame it on me for thinking the title must be some abstract play on something thematic. Nope, it's actually about the king's speech. Foolish Kara. I thought Collin Firth was brilliant, witty, and funny. Granted, on any given day, whether or not he's portraying Mark Darcy or King George the Sixth, I love Collin Firth. What have I said - I'm totally British!

I think that The King's Speech and Inception will clean house on Sunday. I'm sure that Natalie Portman will walk away with Best Actress. I can't bring myself to see The Black Swan. I don't do well with creepy. Which is too bad. I'm a typical dancer girl who loves ballet movies.

2011-02-23T11:51:00.004-06:00

"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport.

General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere.

Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy,but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the twin towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love.

If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."

Taken from the film "Love Actually."

Sometimes we all need a reminder to choose love.

Photo credits

It's a British thing

2011-02-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

I think that Kate Middleton would be so proud of how British I am. Really, can't you tell? I mean, I love big hats, Harry Potter, bank holidays, and I take my tea with milk and sugar. I'm practically British. One of my British things are scones. Scones are a basic component of a traditional, afternoon, high tea. As an American, I prefer my scones as a breakfast pastry. Scones are my favorite form of breakfast pastry, second only to a well-made blueberry muffin. I like the fact that scones are sweet but aren't overly sugary like a doughnut. This recipe takes a little time to prepare in the morning, but the results are well worth it.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup granulated sugar

Zest of one orange

1/2 cup unsalted cold butter, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup half and half

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup dried cranberries (I presoaked these in orange juice to plump and soften them)

Topping:
2 tablespoons half and half

Turbinado sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, rub the sugar and orange zest together with your fingers. Whisk into the flour mixture.
3. Add cold butter pieces to the flour mixture. Cut in butter using a pastry blender, fork, or your hands. I prefer to use my hands. Mix until you have pea size chunks of butter.
4. In a small glass measuring cup, whisk the half and half, eggs, and vanilla extract together. Pour over dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until moist. Gently stir in the cranberries (drain the juice off them first if you've chosen to pre-soak). Transfer dough to a floured countertop and knead until dough comes together.
5. Shape dough into a large circle. Use a floured rolling pin to roll out the scone dough. Cut dough into wedges and place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush each scone with half and half and sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until scones are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Makes 10-12 scones
*Note-these scones are best eaten the day they are made. Serve with jam, butter, or enjoy plain.

True Confession Thursday.

2011-02-17T14:02:00.003-06:00

If you've been to my house or read my blog, you know this much is true: I'm a food hoarder. I really am. If there's a national disaster that involves a food shortage, head for my house. I've got you covered. There's no other way around it. This is better than being a animal hoarder (that show FREAKS me out). Lance discovered last night, safely tucked away in our deep freeze, is last year's Girl Scout cookies. He came across 1 box of Peanut Butter Patties, 1 box of Peanut Butter Sandwiches and 2 boxes of Caramel Delights. Opps. I'm fairly certain that is last year's order in it's entirety. How? Because it's pretty much the same order as this year's, with the addition of a box of Thin Mints and the reduction of one box of Caramel Delights. How is it that we haven't eaten any of our Girl Scout cookies from 2009? I was probably saving them for when the mood struck me. Or it could be due to the fact that I'm always adding to our deep freeze and hardly ever deducting from it. I think I might have some sort of disease that involves "saving" food.

Cinnamon Candy Popcorn

2011-02-14T11:39:00.004-06:00

In honor of Valentine's Day, I made cinnamon popcorn. For myself. Because Lance doesn't like cinnamon and the visions of individually cellophane bags with pink curling ribbon filled with popcorn turned into more of a headache than I would have imagined. Would I make this again in the future? Maybe. You see, the end result was too buttery for my preference and not a strong enough cinnamon-candy flavor. I had to walk a very fine line between over boiling the candy mixture and making sure the Red Hots had melted down. In the future I might try and tweak the recipe to include less butter. It was also a challenge to get all of the popcorn evenly coated. This combined with stirring it every 15 minutes for an hour, made it for a somewhat annoying Valentine's Day treat. By the time it was all said and done, tasty-enough treat, for the pregnant woman who wants popcorn and Hot Tamales.

Ingredients:
8 quarts plain popped popcorn
1 cup margarine or butter
½ cup light corn syrup
1 package ( 9-oz ) red-hot candies

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Place popcorn in a large bowl and set aside. In a saucepan, combine margarine or butter, corn syrup and candies; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Pour over popcorn and mix thoroughly. Turn into two greased15-inch x 10-inch x 1-inch baking pans. Bake at 250 for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from pans and place on waxed paper to cool. Break apart; store in airtight containers or plastic bags.

Remodel update

2011-02-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

Here is an update on the flooring project. Basically, it's still NOT DONE. Yes, at one point Lance jokingly said that competition date would not be until after my birthday. Which is March 7th. Please keep in mind this project was started the weekend of Thanksgiving. 2010. We're rounding on 75 days. I foolishly (I admit, I was stupid) thought Lance would be able to complete the entire project in the time period of 4 days. I was so confident of this that I invited 8 of our friends and their children over for supper at the end of the weekend. Big mistake. Another set of our gracious friends ended up hosting that dinner.

The majority of the flooring is done. The living room, hallway and kitchen are done. The stairs, however, are not done. They still have the nasty berber carpet and Lance has a finish strip that he needs to add to the doorways of all the bedrooms and the bathroom. I have this nasty gut feeling my baby might have seen his first Christmas before this project is completely wrapped up. Hopefully the pressure of returning a saw in a timely fashion that Lance is borrowing from a friend will help speed things up.

This is the type of nursery energy I'm channeling. I'm not really feeling the total cutesy baby theme. I'm thinking more bedroom, less nursery. I don't want the room to feel outgrown in a two years. I might be a fool, but I really want white wainscoting for the nursery. I might have to call in reinforcements in the form of family members and out of town friends. I think Lance has exhausted the goodwill of all our in-town friends :)

I've already purchased bedding and a crib. It's pretty cute. Stay tuned for more nursery updates in the coming months! And hopefully an announcement that the flooring is 100% done!

In honor of the Superbowl ...

2011-02-08T08:27:00.002-06:00

In honor of the Superbowl I made Potato Slabs. That was really the only thing I did to acknowledge the existence of the day where millions of millions of dollars are spent on 30 seconds. Please excuse the lurid green plastic plate (really Kara, stop photographing with that plate) that correlates with the green onions. Blech.
I really like this recipe. It's akin to Potato Skins or Potato Boats, but without all the unnecessary scraping and wasting of potato insides. The trickiest part is slicing the potato evenly. Keep these easy appetizers in mind the next time you need a simple, hearty, man-approved appetizer!

Potato Slabs
Ingredients
2 russet potatoes
Salt, to taste (I used Cookie's Seasoning Salt as a substitute for the salt, pepper and paprika)
Black pepper, to taste
Paprika, to taste
1/3 cup colby-jack cheese
5slices of bacon, cooked and diced
Green onions for garnish, if desired
Sour cream, if desired

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375. Clean and scrub potatoes well. Slice the potatoes into 1/4" thick slices. Place potatoes on a lightly buttered (or use cooking spray) baking sheet and season each side with salt, black pepper, and paprika. Cook for 30 minutes. Flip potatoes over and cook for an additional 15 minutes.
2. Remove pan from oven and place a pinch of cheese and bacon on top of each potato slab. Return the pan to the oven and cook until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Serve with green onions and sour cream, if desired.

Weekend!

2011-02-04T10:09:00.002-06:00

Some people might call me lame because I'm excited about being home this weekend with only one scheduled event. In fact, there's a part of me that wished I didn't even have the one event (tickets to the ISU game) and that the whole weekend was unplanned. (I suppose this makes me a little bit of an disloyal ISU fan. We have tickets to the ISU vs K-State Men's basketball game. I know that ISU is going to get stomped, so it doesn't make me very apt to be enthusiastic about watching the slaughter in person.) I'm even boycotting the Superbowl in lieu of not wanting to give up any more of my time to "wasteful" time drains (yes, I think the Superbowl is a waste of time). After traveling half of the weekends in January, nothing excites me more than the prospect of getting caught up on laundry, organizing and cleaning.

Here's my idea of a fun weekend:

Scrubbing the bathtub

Cleaning out 4 junk drawers (count 'em people, that's disgraceful!)

Organizing my maternity clothes

Intentional blogging

Nursery furniture research

Decreasing my mending/hemming pile

Doesn't that sound like fun to you? Anyone who wants to come over and help me with the bathtub scrubbing, give me a call :)

Gender Reveal Brunch

2011-01-31T20:52:00.003-06:00

Lance and I had a good time this last Saturday at my parents' house. My mom made lots of yummy food - homemade cinnamon and caramel rolls, two different kinds of breakfast casseroles and fruit. I made a very small contribution of homemade blueberry muffins (the key is using frozen blueberries). Lance's mom made some very cute pink and blue pinwheel sugar cookies to boot!

But the moment you've all been waiting for ...

Baby K is a boy!

I was surprised. Lance was also surprised. But we're thrilled, a baby boy is a great way to start a family and a big brother is always a good thing! Lance has visions of endless hours of bonding through sports and tractors. He's such a boy :)

Overpriced Items.

2011-01-27T16:05:00.002-06:00

I want this. It would be the perfect Valentine's Day gift for this foodie like me. Too bad I'm getting bacon for Valentine's Day instead. That and the $160 price tag. Somewhat of a spoiler too :) You might be tempted to get a fake one, but trust me, fakes aren't the same. I got a fake one two years ago and now it's bubbling and flaking. Not worth the money. So pull out the big guns, go for the gusto and shell out a crap load of money for something the French do really well.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-01-27T08:00:00.000-06:00

What? Are you confused? Don't be. I know that I'm ahead of the curve.

This year to commerate our love, Lance and I will be going to the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival! Nothing says "I love you" than pounds and pounds of bacon! Right?!?

I've been told that bacon is good for pregnant women and their baby. What? You haven't heard that from your ob-gyn? Okay, well now is as good as any time to start that rumor :)

Tickets sold out last Friday in four minutes flat. Gone. Poof. 1500 tickets vanished in four minutes. I think it would be accurate to say, Des Moines residents love their bacon!

Cheap. Healthy. GOOD!

2011-01-25T08:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I think that we had one of the world's easiest, fastest, homemade lunches. And no, it was NOT popcorn and fudge (ha! that's what I had for supper). After spending 4+ hours at church (service, Sunday school, nursery), we were starving and in need of nourishment. On our menu plan for the day was "Beans & Rice." Lance, resident carnivore, was skeptical. Trick: if your husband is concerned about a meal's lack of traditional protein, try and sell him on the fiscal attributes of the lack of protein for the meal. You really can't get much cheaper than beans & rice.

I made up one cup of white rice (no 60 minutes available for brown rice for these starving tummies) and used a bunch of leftover ingredients in my fridge. What I found was a smallish container of black beans, some homemade salsa from earlier in the week, some cheddar cheese and some sour cream. I made the rice according to the package instructions, stirred in the black beans, and then seasoned both with a sprinkling of cumin and chili powder. I then added to the rice concoction the rest of the ingredients and served with tortilla chips (note to self: you do not have room for Costco's 3 lb bag of tortilla chips, no matter how cheap they are). Lunch was hot, done, and served in 25 minutes flat. And I cleaned out some leftovers from my fridge and made the world's cheapest lunch.

Kara Baby Pictures

2011-01-20T09:08:00.004-06:00

My mom emailed me a couple of baby pictures for a work project. I can't help but be reminded of how cute little baby Asian girls are :) I'm sure that baby boy Asians are just as cute, but they just don't get to wear adorable ruffled dresses.

This is me when I was 4 months old. Look at those chubby cheeks. Oh wait. I still have those same chubby cheeks ...

This is my one-year picture. I look innocent. Ha!

Does God have a cutie Asian boy or cutie Asian girlie for our future?

If I had baby pictures of Lance on hand I'd do a little photoshop magic and see what sorts of horror I could produce with the power of technology. Alas, no readily available baby pictures of Lance. Who told me the other day that he preferred to not be called "Chubby Hubs" here. Apparently the world's thinnest, fastest metabolizing, junk food eating man thinks the endearment "Chubby Hubs" is some sort of attack on his weight. Pshaw. Foolishness. Lance is absurd.

Groupon Deal of the Day - Bath & Body Works

2011-01-18T08:54:00.004-06:00

Here's another great Groupon deal - $30 worth of Bath & Body Works products for only $15!

I used by Body Shop Groupon certificate last week and got a huge tub of Cocoa Butter body cream, some Mango body wash and a nice quality hair brush - $40 worth of product for only $20! I read online that Cocoa Butter can diminish stretch marks. While I have not yet gotten stretch marks, I suppose preventative care has some merit to it! I didn't need the body wash but I needed another $5 to tack onto my total. My favorite purchase, hands down, was the hair brush. I've been using this skanky one I got for free 6 years ago. It's gross, but I never could bring myself to shell out money for a better one (note to self: Aveda really isn't the place to contemplate how much one should spend on a hair brush. One will never be able to bring one's self to part with money for a hair brush there). I love my new Body Shop hair brush, it's like a fun scalp massage every morning :)

Moral of the story. Groupon has some great deals. Check them out.

Personalized Momma's Necklace

2011-01-17T11:50:00.001-06:00

Alas. If only I knew the name or gender of my baby. Or knew that there isn't the chance that I would change my mind by the birth of aformentioned baby. Because if the name was a "sure thing" I would purchase this sweet necklace today on GroopDealz.com for $32.50. I'm pretty sure that all momma's would like this for Mother's Day!

You know when something is good ...

2011-01-17T07:56:00.000-06:00

When there are no pictures or proof that the item was tasty. That's how it went with my Grasshopper Pie. Oh my, it was tasty. Even Lance, professed hater of all chocolate mint combos (seriously, how strange is that?) said that the Grasshopper Pie I made over the holidays went fast. NASCAR fast. I was unsuccessful in trying to locate a holiday/grasshopper pie, so I was forced to make my own. Trust me, not finding a pie had nothing to do with lack of effort. We checked several Hy-Vees, Costco, Fareway, Target, Dahls, Aldis and my mom checked Sam's Club. I also looked at Schwan's website. Nada. It was disappointing. This dessert was so quick and easy to assemble, we wasted more time at grocery stores than it took for me to make this dessert.

I've posted a picture below to something akin to what I made. I think mine was better. Not that I'm at all prejudiced :)

Grasshopper Pie

1 premade oreo cookie pie crust

1 carton of mint chip ice cream

crushed Oreos

Junior Mints, chopped up

Chocolate fudge Hardshell ice cream topping

Soften ice cream for easy spreading. Dump enough to make an even layer with the top of the pie crust. Top with crushed Oreos and chopped up Junior Mints and decoratively drizzle the chocolate ice cream topping on top of all of it. Place back into the freezer to let everything setup and cover with foil. Prior to serving, let thaw slightly. Enjoy!

Like I said, easy-peasy. And delicious!

Pecan Bars

2011-01-15T07:28:00.000-06:00

I made these ... awhile ago. Let's not talk about how long ago and how long they sat on my counter. I will say they do seem to keep indefinitely if you ask chubby-hubs. But then again, Lance has a very skewed sense of how long food should be kept for too. But these bars were a yummy twist on the traditional pecan pie. In fact, I think they were better than traditional pecan pie. I think that pecan pie gets a little ooey-gooey with all the filling. The bars have a nice pecan pie essence without all the goo. They are rich, so watch your waistline folks!

Pecan Pie Bars
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter or margarine, cut up
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation
Combine flour, sugar, and salt in large bowl; cut in 3/4 cup butter thoroughly with a pastry blender until mixture resembles very fine crumbs. Press mixture evenly into a greased 13" x 9" pan, using a piece of plastic wrap to press crumb mixture firmly in pan. Bake at 350° for 17 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Combine brown sugar, corn syrup, and 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring gently. Remove from heat. Stir one-fourth of hot mixture into beaten eggs; add to remaining hot mixture. Stir in pecans and vanilla. Pour filling over crust. Bake at 350° for 34 to 35 minutes or until set. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

Pregnancy update

2011-01-14T11:39:00.006-06:00

In the realm of pregnancies, I've had it pretty easy so far. I've had zero morning sickness and have been able to function in a fairly similar manner to pre-pregnancy. Having zero queasiness has been a big surprise as I am prone to motion sickness and car sickness. In fact, the act of just sitting in the back seat can sometimes make me feel nauseous. Especially if you are zipping around a mall parking lot during your 45 minute lunch break in the act of trying to get a free Chik-fil-a meal dressed as a cow in the middle of July (Don't ask. Some people will do anything for free food. Which includes myself :)

Anyway, I wander. My pregnancy, so far, has been blessed. The first trimester was a breeze. I was more tired than normal and thirsty 95% of the day. While I wasn't throwing up, there were definitely foods that sounded awful. Mostly meat. Which was especially troubling for my carnivorous husband. I found myself desiring more salads, fruits and vegetables and less processed foods. Probably not a terrible thing, but hard on weekly menu planning. I also had a reduced appetite which caused me to lose some weight and get some flack by my doctors.

Now I am well into my fifth month and I'm noticing more changes. First off, my appetite is back. I'm back to my normal weight, maybe just slightly over by 2 or 3 pounds. My body is shifting and I'm beginning to bulge in my mid-section. It is an interesting conundrum because while I want to react negatively to the addition of weight to my body, I know that it's a good thing too. Bring on the fudge!

I've also started to experience lower back pain and some numbness in my left leg that can be associated with sciatica. I think this is a bad sign of future back achiness when I actually am fully pregnant in my third trimester. To combat the back pain I've done a couple of different of things.

1. I've started seeing a great chiropractor that specializes in pregnant women and pediatrics. She is also a doula. And ... very close to my workplace so I can get there and back on my lunch break. I had a really poor experience last fall with a chiropractor and their office manager. Needless to say, customer service is important and don't doubt the power of word of mouth.

2. I purchased a pregnancy pillow to help get a better night's sleep. I like it, but it's taken a bit of adjustment as I'm not naturally a side sleeper and I have a tendency to roll around at night. I have a feeling once I'm more pregnant I'll appreciate this further. But it's helping keep my spine and pelvis aligned which was a concern of my chiropractor.

3. I've scheduled a pregnancy massage for next week at the Aveda Institute. It might be a little premature, but I'm hoping to do one once a month until Baby K makes an arrival.

4. My chiropractor has given me a couple of good stretches for my lower back and has reinforced my need to continue my twice a week yoga classes. I've also started this yoga dvd at home too.

Hopefully a combination of all of these things will help with the back pain.

As far as cravings go ... ice cream and popcorn. :) I love me some salty/sweet combo!

Boy or Girl?

2011-01-13T10:31:00.002-06:00

Lance and I had our 20 week ultrasound yesterday ... and we're having a ...

Actually we don't know if we're having a boy or a girl :) I know that it's killing people, but the world will have to wait until the end of the month. The ultrasound technician sealed the results in an envelope. Then we went home and promptly sealed that envelope inside another envelope and securely duct taped it shut. No peeking! Lance and I will be having a gender reveal brunch-party on 1/29/11 at my parent's house with both of our families. The rest of the world will find out then. Lance is hoping for a boy and I'm hoping for a girl. Regardless of what gender the baby is, we'll be happy. Baby K was being stubborn yesterday and wouldn't turn over for a good profile shot for the technician. Lance is convinced that it must be a girl because I'm the only stubborn person in our family. Whatever, we're both equally stubborn people. Therefore, no surprise that the baby is stubborn. I think it must be a boy who doesn't like having his picture taken - just like Mister Lance!

Patience people, patience. Time will tell if this baby is a boy or girl!

Resolutions

2011-01-05T10:10:00.004-06:00

Does anyone ever feel like the setting of New Year's resolutions is trite and just foolish? Or like you are setting yourself up for an automatic failure? Well ... I typically feel that way, but we are going to try to be optimistic anyways! I also suppose that I have a bad habit of setting unrealistic goals too. With a baby on the way, I think it is probably a good idea for me to set low expectations for 2011 :)

1. Learn how to make a Korean food item. This was on my list last year and did not get accomplished.

2. Walk twice a day for 15 minutes.

3. Garden expansion and healthly/green living from our backyard.

4. Closet downsize and/or reigning in of shopping budget (and if I could accomplish all of my resolutions and make my closet look like this, I would totally work my butt off for this closet as my prize!)

Four resolutions. That's manageable, however I have a really bad history of incompleting my New Year's resolutions. We'll see what 2011 brings

Absentmindness versus Baby Brain

2010-12-28T15:36:00.003-06:00

I've done a few foolish things in the last couple of weeks. I blame it on being rushed, distracted, and general disorder. It can't possibly be due to pregnancy loss of brain cells :)

1. The other day I went to get my normal Friday morning, end of week, reward coffee. As I ordered my coffee and breezed through the drive through, I came to the horrible realization that I had NO MONEY with me. I had left my purse, with every dollar I had, hanging on the doorknob of our coat closet. I shouted into the barista that I would be back in a flash, I had left my purse at my house. That's the first time I've ever done that. I blame it on last minute morning rushes out the door. Not baby brain.

2. Last week I was leaving a message at work for someone to call me back to follow-up on some information they sent in. At the end of the message, I thanked them for their time and then proceeded to say "Amen." After one horrified moment when I realized what had just come out of my mouth, I rambled a bit more with "Uh ...Imeanthankyou.bye." That one can be blamed on distraction. I was typing at the same time.

3. To save my life, I can't ever find anything I'm ever looking for in my house or refrigerator. I'm pretty sure this has more to do with the chaotic state of remodeling my house is currently in. My couch has been in my garage and our dining room table in our bedroom for a month.

4. Today I spilled ham & bean soup all over my desk. I mean ALL OVER. Can you even imagine the complete and total mess that spilled ham & bean soup causes? Call in the National Guard and Red Cross because we're going to need backup troops to get this cleaned up! I'm still finding soup crusties in the most unlikely places. And everything smells faintly ... bean-y. Ugh. Worse than my silver shoes I'm convinced smell like pepper. This can be attributed to sheer clumsiness. I don't think that anyone could blame baby brain on that one :)

Here's a webmd article published earlier this year that Baby Brain could in fact be real. Ask me in June and I'll give you my honest to goodness opinion if this myth is indeed fact or fiction.

HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

2010-12-21T07:54:00.000-06:00

I think these are great. I got this email forwarded to me at work, where I am on the Wellness Committee. Definitely wellness tips :)

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately.. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare.. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat.. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Holiday party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes, or that box of Cuban cigars. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day? 9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards. 10.

One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by: "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate and wine in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!" Have a great holiday season!!

These are a few of my Favorite Things

2010-12-20T08:31:00.000-06:00

Christmas has some of the best holiday treats and in no particular order, these are a few of my favorite things!

Peppermint Mocha creamer. I think that Coffeemate may have heard consumer pleas because this has become a yearlong shelf staple. No longer do I have to be the person who purchases 6 full-size creamers every time I go to the grocery store. You think I kid, but I kid not. You should see my hoarder-esk chest freezer. What can I say, they freeze well!

Be still my beating heart. Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Joe Joe's. I like to buy cookies from Trader Joe's. In fact I have yet to meet a cookie I didn't like from Trader Joe's. These are the best. Reminiscent of an Oreo with peppermint candy creme filling and peppermint candy cane shavings on top. (Are you hungry yet? Because I am!)

I brought these home after sampling them at cooking club (yes, I know, no one "made" these per say. We don't always cook at cooking club. We sometimes just eat). Lance really likes these too. My favorite are the cherry flavored ones, they taste exactly like an original hard candy Lifesaver, which is one of my favorite imitation cherry flavored candy.

Speaking of imitation cherry ... does anyone remember my past post about the Wildly Cherry M&Ms? I love me some Cherry M&Ms! Mars (or God) must have heard my not-so-silent wishes for a comeback tour because here are my beloved Cherry M&Ms!

One of my favorite Christmas desserts growing up was Schwann's Grasshopper Pie. Sadly enough, they don't make them anymore. In fact, it's really hard, as a whole, to find a pre-made Grasshopper Pie. Lance searched 4 different grocery stores for me the other day and came up empty handed. His poor, pregnancy-craving induced wife. She'll just have to make her own Grasshopper Pie this year :)

I picked this up on a whim at the grocery store the other day. This is Canada Dry Ginger Ale with Cranberry. It's fantastic. Especially if you are pregnant and seem to crave fizzy drinks much of the time. Canada Dry is made with real ginger, so it's good for nausea. And it's caffeine free.

Christmas speciality products give me the warm fuzzies :)

Minimalist

2010-12-18T21:42:00.003-06:00

At various times of the year and after reading different blogs and books, I think about how convenient and head-clearing it would be to be a minimalist. Just think, a simple, small home with a cozy reading nook, one small closet filled with mix and match clothing, a few pairs of choice shoes and a few well-loved books. I could almost be Parisian with that mindset :) However, I'm an American consumer who loves her freedom of choice and living by a Target within a 10 minute drive. Even when I was a college student and had to squeeze my life into a 12x12 cell, I struggled to pare down my existence. But it's always at Christmas when I'm up to my ears in Christmas cards, wrapping gifts, and baking that I think "maybe minimalistic is the way to go." And then I shake my head no and proceed to spend a vacation day being attacked by other shoppers at the mall, my evenings trapped in the kitchen with my rolling pin and a lunch break standing in line to purchase $50 worth of stamps for my Christmas cards. Nope, maybe next year I'll tell our families no to Christmas and yes to a minimalist Christmas we'll all just go on a vacation to Aruba and celebrate the birth of baby Jesus in the sunshine :)

Who's with me?

My Aveda Christmas List

2010-12-07T13:30:00.004-06:00

My husband thinks because he's putting in hardwood floors, that he is automatically exempt from giving me a Christmas gift this year. Ha! We've been together for how long now ... oh yes, 8 years. Has there ever been a year when I haven't wanted a Christmas gift?

One of the things that I love are Aveda products. My heart goes pitter-patter for Aveda. Sadly, my wallet chimes "empty, empty" for Aveda. But(!) the Aveda Institute is having 20% off this Friday and Saturday on all their products, which as far as discounts go, that's as good as it gets.

Here are the items that are on my Aveda wish list:

Smooth Infusion Shampoo and Conditioner plus their other Smooth Infusion Friends

Carribean Therapy Body Cream

Outer Peace Acne Spot Relief

And the Outer Peace Acne Relief Pads

Lance - if you are reading this, good! This post was meant for you. During my last Aveda facial they told me that the Outer Peace line would really help with my pregnancy breakouts. Thanks honey!

House Remodeling - Floors

2010-12-04T08:15:00.000-06:00

Goodbye stained, flawed, ugly burber carpet.

Goodbye cheap looking laminate flooring.

Hello nasty vinyl flooring found beneath the icky laminate in the kitchen.

Welcome stove in the middle of the dining room. I'm sure that your location won't be annoying or at all challenging when it comes to making meals.

Basically, welcome to my world of controlled chaos!

Peace Lily

2010-12-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

This is what happens when you allow your co-workers to care for your plant the week you are gone.

Okay. Fine. You guessed it world.

2010-12-02T12:00:00.001-06:00

I'm pregnant. I'm due in June. Go us! I've been very fortunate not to have any morning sickness and very minimal nausea. Food smells have been troubling and I never know what is going to sound good for supper. Hence, limited food posts :)

I'm approximately 13 weeks along :) Don't hold your breath for belly pictures, it's not really my thing.

Funny stories about announcing our upcoming child.
1) When we told my parents on Thanksgiving, I tried to steer the conversation towards what my dad and mom wanted for Christmas. Somehow the conversation turned to medical maladies. I tried to steer the conversation back to gift lists for my mom for her birthday and again, the topic went an entirely different direction. Sigh ... so instead of getting to ask one of my parents if they wanted a grandchild for a Christmas gift I ended up just announcing it.
2) Lance had to announce it to his family twice. His mom entirely missed the first announcement and I figured that it was an important enough of an announcement to be repeated :)
3) I took pink and blue frosted sugar cookies to work to announce my pregnancy. Sadly, no one put two and two together that pink and blue was significant. After 2.5 hours of nothing, I ended up sending a second email explaining to everyone that I was pregnant. One of my coworkers just thought I was confused about what colors are appropriate for Christmas.
Needless to say, this wasn't exactly how I pictured informing everyone about our upcoming baby!

I won again!

2010-12-02T07:43:00.001-06:00

My friend Rachael, believes that I win everything. Not so friend, not so. That being said, I did win a sweet giveaway from Isabella & Max Rooms. I won a $75 credit from Stella & Dot Jewelry, which I've been in love with for the last 3 years or so. I picked these earrings and these earrings. So much fun! I can't wait for these to arrive in the mail. Happy early Christmas Kara :)

Special Cookies

2010-12-01T19:54:00.001-06:00

Here's a picture of the last two sugar cookies left out of the batch that I took to work. Notice anything special about them?

Snowflake Soap Giveaway

2010-11-22T15:14:00.003-06:00

First Time Fancy is doing a cute snowflake soap giveway. Go here to check it out and try to snag a couple for yourself!

Truth be told, these soaps remind me of my first Christmas as a newlywed. I was a little crazy. I made 30 homemade peppermint candy cane soaps, 30 containers of hot chocolate and like 500 Christmas cookies. Second year, I toned it down. A little. Instead of homemade soaps and hot chocolate, I bought 30 packages of Paperwhite Lilies in September and had all of them planted and forced to bloom by the week of Christmas. And I probably made 350 cookies instead. Our guest room looked like a makeshift greenhouse. The year after I toned it down again. I made homemade Chinese take-out boxes and filled them with baked goods. And then year four happened. Grad school killed all expectations of splendor. I managed to get my Christmas cards out the first week of December, but no one received homemade gifts. Well, this year I am up to my old tricks. There's a small part of me that is itching to make some homemade gifts again. Of course this will be done in addition to 200 Christmas cookies, Christmas cards, and meaningful gift giving. I might be certifiably nuts. And of course I can't tell you what I'm thinking about making - I'd hate to ruin the surprise if you happen to be on the receiving end of all my craziness :)

Favorite Places to Eat in Des Moines

2010-11-20T07:12:00.001-06:00

I love food. I love eating out. If given the opportunity, I'd eat out every chance I get. But I can't. Because we'd be poor.

Here are my list of favorites (some glamorous, some not):

Centro - be still my beating heart, their Chocolate Creme Brulee
Flying Mango - Cajun Shrimp & Dirty Rice
Ban Thai - Cashew Nut Chicken
El Rodeo - Chicken Chimichanga
Noodle Zoo - love all their soups
Z'Mariks - Pesto bowl and their Teriyaki bowl
Hickory Park - sometimes with their mashed potatoes I feel like I've died and gone to heaven (yes, not DM, but still fab)
Dublin Bay - best and most wonderful Cottage Pie I've ever had (also not DM, I know)

Where is your favorite place to eat?

Work appropriate

2010-11-18T07:32:00.002-06:00

This shouldn't come as a huge surprise, but I've caused two separate emails from our human resources department about clothing. Keep in mind, nothing I wear to work (rather, nothing I wear as a whole) is skanky. On the first occasion, they addressed the issue of wearing shorts to work. This was just after I started. None of the shorts that I wear to work are inappropriate - they are all bermuda short length and in dressier fabrics. No denim cutoffs or daisy dukes. Really, I'm smarter than that. I would never wear that to work.

However, I didn't even consider my latest dress code issue to be a problem at all. As many women know, the leggings+tunic combo is all the rage. 1) Leggings are comfortable 2) Leggings are a nice alternative to tights or jeans or pants 3) Leggings, when paired with a tunic or other longer top that covers your derriere, is a cute combo. Unbeknownst to me, leggings are not workplace appropriate. At least not for my workplace. It makes me chuckle to think that I push the dress code to the extreme that HR has to send out scolding emails every time the season changes. Our dress code is pretty lax and I don't ever think that what I wear is inappropriate, however HR must disagree with me! Alas, if only our HR department had a fashion consultant to clue them into what's cute for the season :)