In the Still of the Night

Well, this is a song title post!  I didn't even plan it :).

It's a rare thing, but I'm sitting here watching an episode of Wings while my babies are asleep and my husband is at work.  I should probably be getting into bed while Corbin is sleeping...  But the need for mommy time is just too great.  I can sleep when I'm dead.  (Haha, not really... this sleep deprivation thing is rough!)

Corbin had two nights where he slept a 5 hour stretch.  I got hopeful.  And then he changed his mind and decided he didn't want to continue the trend.  Of course, he also has a cold (the second one of his life.  Lynnaea didn't have her first cold until she was around 7 months old.  I'm thinking this is the joy of having an older sibling who is more than willing to share her germs!)

Well, the still is over, just in case you wondered ;).

Oh how I love this girl!!!  She is getting so big!

Catching some smiles!!  Check out those dimples!!

I went with some friends and their kids to the Children's Museum in Tacoma.  It was awesome.

Lynnaea had so much fun there.  We didn't even scratch the surface, so we will be going back.  And then, because we were in Tacoma...  This happened!!!

Washington finally has a Chick-fil-A!!!  Woohoo!!!  It was ridiculously hot in Washington that day... Hence my red face.  Blah.  But what a great day!

My beautiful girl and I painted our toes for our activity for Family Night.  Woohoo!  She picked blue ;).  She thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Just another smiley shot before we say goodnight :).

Alabama Trip 2014: Installment 2

My how the time flies.  One more day in 2014, and I'm still updating about our Alabama trip a month ago!  Nevermind all the fun stuff that's occurred since we've been back!  Like Christmas...  Ah, but I'll get there...  Eventually ;).

So, after our awesome Scrubs party and a night at April and Greg's (with a delicious breakfast cooked by April on that Saturday morning), we headed to Dothan around noon on Saturday.  The drive is about 3 hours.  We made good time.  Lynnaea did pretty well for the most part, but started melting down inconsolably around Midland City.  So we stopped at Publix to pick up some groceries and allow her a little break from the car.

We reached my dad's house around 4:30.  He was thrilled to see us and re-meet his little grand-daughter.  Like usual, she took a bit of time to warm up.  But before long, she was running all over the house and trying to get into all his goodies laying about (and by goodies, I mean tools, etc, not food ;)). 

Because it was so cold there this year (an rather unseasonable freezing snap!), Lynnaea slept between me and Jeremy while we were at my dad's, to make sure she stayed warm enough.  Let's just say it wasn't the most comfortable sleeping arrangement for the grown-ups.  I think Lynnaea, on the other hand, slept just fine!

We attended church with Dothan 2nd Ward and were able to see many friends and acquaintances.  It was nice to be back there -- though much has changed over the years (people, is what I mean...  Lots of faces I didn't recognize).  But I guess that happens as life moves forward for everyone.

On Monday, we met up with my dear friend Stacy and her cute son for some pictures at the Botanical Gardens.  Just a few quick shots.  And a chance for Lynnaea to run around outside and drink the water out of the fountain.  Gross.  She's still alive, so I assume she either didn't drink enough to catch anything, or it was better than it looked.  (I swear, it amazes me children ever survive to adulthood!)  Naturally it ended up being a warmish, muggy day, so my choice of sweater was not the best...  We continued our visit with Stacy at Panera Bread.  Over some delicious mac and cheese.  Fortunately, they have Panera bread locally here...  Because I have a sudden hankering for that mac and cheese.  

On Tuesday, Lynnaea and I headed out to Troy Dothan to visit Donna.  It was a nasty drizzly day, but that sort of thing doesn't keep a munchkin down!  She was all about sitting in the swing and swinging.  And running through the puddles and wet grass.  Then we joined Donna for lunch at Cheddar's and enjoyed some yummy chicken fingers, french fries, and some mac and cheese which doesn't hold a candle to Panera's.  Not even a flicker.  It was a lovely visit with Donna.  I love that we are able to see each other every now and again when I visit -- or on the off chance she comes to Seattle!  (Hey, it's happened once -- in 2009 -- so it's possible ;)).  Around 3:00, Lynnaea (who took a 20 minute nap in the car) and I met up with Anne at Atlanta Bread Company and enjoyed a little dessert.  That was another wonderful visit.  I love meeting up with the dear friends I've had for ages.  Yes, life changes for all of us.  But there are still those ties, and it's wonderful to sit and visit with long-time friends.  Even if only for a short while.  On Tuesday night, after dinner, my dad, Jeremy, Lynnaea, and I watched some of Fantasia.  We didn't make it all the way through, as Lynnaea's attention span doesn't last that long.  But she enjoyed the parts she watched, and it was nice to do that as a family.

Wednesday was a nice day, and Lynnaea and enjoyed the must-have-when-in-Dothan roast beef sub from Italian Express!  We met up with Kristin there.  Oh my goodness.  My only complaint is that, like with everywhere else, the serving is getting smaller.  But oh what delicious goodness it is while I devour it.  With gravy on the sandwich and on the side, of course ;).  Afterwards, we went by the new public library.  And the ever-awesome Kristin checked out books for us on her card so that Lynnaea could have new books to read for a few days (not just the same boring 2 we brought from Washington...).  Lynnaea loved visiting the new library and it's awesome Children's Section.  She loved being able to play on the computer.  And we also got to visit with my former boss Bettye and Charlotte with whom I also worked.  Pretty much everyone else is new, though.  So many changes.  Including the fact that there is now no building where there was once a massive library.  No more page rec room.

True, change is good.  But there will always be a part of my heart that aches when i see the empty lot -- with the Indian standing alone in the corner.

But it is a nice new library!

Oh yeah!  Lynnaea and I also stopped off at the Visitors' Center and picked up a couple peanut ornaments (it's my new tradition:  to have a Christmas ornament from the places we visit) and for Lynnaea to have a little chat with the King (peanut-ized).  She thought he was cool.  On Wednesday night, we fulfilled Jeremy's one request:  that we at a buffet!  I was shocked when he made the request when we landed in Birmingham (because I'm the foodie in our family, not him!).  I thought he was joking.  He assured me he wasn't.  So when I asked why, he said, "Because we don't have them in Washington!"  True.  So we took my dad out to Golden Corral.  If you ever want to go to a buffet and not have a ton of people there...  Go the night before Thanksgiving.  Seriously.  We had no wait for anything.  It was pretty bomb. 

Thursday was Thanksgiving.  We were just having a small dinner at my dad's.  I went down and visited Julie and her family during the day and was invited to eat Thanksgiving with them (they ate mid-day).  It was wonderful to see her dad and brother again.  We had a great time visiting and sharing what we are grateful for.  Julie's family will always have a special place in my heart for a number of reasons.  I'm grateful for them.  At my dad's house, I was in charge of the cooking.  And the turkey breast took longer than anticipated.  I was annoyed a bit.  But we got through it.

Friday was a mellow-ish day.  It was a nice day outside too.  So Lynnaea and I took a walk down my dad's street.  It's beautiful in Alabama at this time of year when I go.  It's why I always choose to go at this time ;).

Lynnaea loved all her outdoor time while we were in Alabama.  This walk was no exception.  Check out this happy face!

Friday for lunch, Lynnaea and I tried out Chicken Salad Chick with my friend Karen.  It was yummy!  And a nice visit :).  Friday evening I met up with several friends at Chill, a frozen yogurt shop.  I got there a little early, so I went into the store next door because it was new and different, so I thought I'd check it out.  As I was about to leave the store, I heard someone say, "Hila?"  I looked up to see a guy I used to work with at the public library.  So we visited for a few minutes and caught up.  According to him, I look the same as I did way back when.  I'm choosing to believe that means I still look young -- and not that I looked old back then ;).  Hahaha.   So anyway, we said our good-byes and I headed next door to check out the frozen yogurt selection.  And met up with these fabulous ladies!  Let's just say the conversation was awesome and funny.  As always.

Friday night, Lynnaea and I played with her monkey hat.  She thinks I'm hilarious.

Saturday arrived, and it was time to get ready to head out.  Back to Birmingham. Before going, though, my dad, Lynnaea, and I went out to visit the grave of my grandparents. 

I just felt it was an important thing to do.  Then it was time to go.  It's always sad to say good-bye.  Always. 

As you can see, it was a beautiful day.  Our drive back to Birmingham was good.  We stopped for food.  Made good time.  And actually watched the Iron Bowl at Julie's house.  First time ever for me to watch it.  I am not attached to football, but I have to say it was a fun experience.  And I realize I probably should have given it a fair chance years ago.  But, you live, you learn.  Oh, and in case you were wondering what Jeremy does while I go out visiting and eating a bunch of delicious food with friends...  Well, he helps my dad with stuff around the house.  He's happy doing that while I socialize.  It works out well for all of us ;).

Binder Recipe #6

 

Cookies-and-Cream Pudding Parfait

 

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 large egg

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 cup chopped chocolate sandwich cookies (about 8 cookies)

 

In a medium pan, warm milk and sugar over medium heat (do not boil), stirring until sugar dissolves.  In a small bowl, whisk together cream, egg and cornstarch.  Slowly whisk cream mixture into warm milk, whisking constantly.

 

Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat back of a spoon, 4 to 6 minutes.  Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and butter.  Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing plastic directly onto surface of pudding.  Refrigerate until cold, 1 1/2 hours; pudding will thicken as it cools.

 

Divide half of pudding among 4 parfait glasses.  Sprinkle with half of cookies.  Repeat, layering with remaining pudding and cookies.

 

Recipe from allyou.com

Personal Notes:  I only had fat free milk on hand, so I used that (but still had the heavy cream).  I also used some regular oreos and some cookie dough oreos, just to change it up.  Perhaps because of the fat free milk, it took a little longer than 6 minutes before the pudding could coat the spoon -- probably 8 to 10 minutes.

Verdict:  Discard.  It wasn't what I was expecting.  I enjoyed making a home-made pudding, but wasn't as impressed with the results.  I can't put my finger on what I didn't like about it exactly, but I know I don't want to make it again.

Binder Recipe #1

Okay, truthfully, this isn't really the first binder recipe I've made.  But I have now decided to blog the recipes I try. 

A couple reasons for this:

1.  To document it and note if it's worth keeping or not.
2.  To actually update this blog more.
3.  To include things in this blog that demonstrate I actually do stuff not baby related (not that there is anything wrong with all the baby focus.  She is my joy and pretty much the focus of my time.  She is why I am home.  But I still think it's good that I have other interests.  Moms need those!)
4.  I can keep these recipes digitally and clean out that darn binder.  Or something.  I haven't really decided how to go about that, because I do plan to actually compile them in the binder -- the "keepables."  So, eh... We'll see how I do things. 
5.  To drive my dad crazy.  He loves my food blogs. 


So here we go!

Traditional Macaroni and Cheese

 

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

1 cup water

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

1 2/3 cup dry small elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

 

Combine cornstarch, salt, mustard, and pepper in a medium saucepan.  Stir in evaporated milk, water, and butter.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil.  Boil for one minute.  Remove from heat.  Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted.  Add macaroni, mix well.  Pour into a greased 2-quart casserole dish.  Top with remaining cheese.  Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and light brown.  Yield:  6 servings.

 

Personal notes:  I used medium cheddar, because I don't like sharp and never buy it.  I also only used 1 1/2 cups cheese, as I opted not to sprinkle any extra on the top.  I also taste-tested prior to baking and think this could just as easily be eaten as a stove-top only mac and cheese and skipping the baking step.

 

Verdict:  Keep.  It's decent.  I prefer my mom's, but Jeremy really liked the sharp tang of the mustard in this recipe.  Which probably would have been sharper if I'd used sharp cheddar, so I'm really glad that I didn't!  This is very creamy, which Jeremy also really liked about it.  Creamier than the one my mom makes.  I think it will nice to make this as a change-it-up type thing every now and again.

Before We Fly

I figured I'd update with a few pictures before we fly tomorrow :).  Just so you can see our cutie this week ;).  Haha...  Jeremy says he expects me to take 1/10 as many pictures of our next baby as I do of Lynnaea.  I have taken him up on that challenge.  :).

Her first time in a high chair!  At a restaurant.  I met up with a couple former co-workers for lunch and she was a total ham most of the time.  Everyone oohed and ahhed over her and she grinned away.  You wouldn't guess it from that picture though.  Haha...

 We had a Halloween party this year again.  It was okay.  I made way too much food, as usual.  And there's my munchkin in her Baby's First Halloween outfit.  She was content to watch the chaos from a distance.

And because I always take a picture of food for my dad...  Because he loves it :).

Lynnaea with her cousin Desiree.

I was so excited about my "touch" boxes!  They had monster eyeballs, Frankenstein ears, tarantula legs, and guts inside ;)...

Emily wanted to hold Lynnaea too.

Loved the way the sun was hitting this tree this evening.  It was so pretty.  Picture doesn't do it justice.  This is what Lynnaea and Jeremy will look like tomorrow evening when we are at the airport :)!!

 

This baby loves her baths!  Tonight we put her in the little blue tub and filled it pretty full of water.  She started touching the water.  She like that a lot.  Then her daddy started squirting her with her bath toy and she thought that was hilarious!  She laughed every time he did it.  I can't wait until she can sit up on her own in the tub, because I think she's going to have a blast!!!



 

 

And last, but not least!!  My friend April sent me these for my birthday!  Throwback 80s cereal!  It was so totally awesome!!  I've never had the mummy one and the brute one, but I sure am excited I get to enjoy the experience in the near future!!! 

 

And that's it for now :).  Look for Bama pictures to come!



A Two Poop Kind of Week

Lynnaea had two baths today:  one at noon and one about 15 minutes ago.  She decided to have two especially nice diapers today.  She's in her 3rd outfit of the day...  I think it's sort of amusing that the only time someone would actually write about such a thing is when it's their kid.  Poor kid.  That aside, it has been a rough week.  Well, honestly, it's been a rough couple of few weeks.  But we've survived them. 

Anyway, I would love to one day write more.  There have been a ton of ups and downs.  But life is passing fast.  My little girl will be 2 months old in less than a week.  She's 8 weeks old today.  And she is just awesome.  She smiles.  But she always stops smiling once I get the camera in front of my face -- or even just near it.  Stinker ;).  She smiles a lot at Jeremy.  She's starting to "talk."  And you can tell when she gets excited, because she does her smile and waves her arms and kicks her legs frantically.  I love it. 

My dad told me that I haven't posted any pictures lately.  True.  So I have a few moments while Jeremy is rocking our sleeping baby.  These are from this week (well, the first couple aren't...).

Okay, now the ones from this week :).

I find she sleeps better on her tummy.  Sigh...  But it's a big no-no.  So she doesn't, unless she's on me.  This was my attempt to find out if she would stay asleep during her nap.  And she did.  But oh well.

 These two pictures are from Wednesday when three of us ladies that were all pregnant at the same time in our Ward got together.  We are all now in different Wards, but it was pretty neat all experiencing it together.

 Darn the blurry one...  It would've been great.

 Here you can sort of see her smile. 

Grandma came by to sit with Lynnaea so Mommy could get some stuff done. 
And these are the cell phone pictures:

She sleeps best when she sleeps on me for a nap.  And so I usually nap with her :).

This was earlier this evening (prior to her 2nd pooping incident).  Love this baby.  And love her hair :).

And yeah, so life has been rocky in some ways lately. But here was a happy discovery while shopping today :)...  It wasn't on my shopping list, but who cares?  In fact, I think I'll go eat one now!

 Happy Friday :).

Trying New Things

Last week was a rough week.  Very busy!  And for some reason stressful.  I'm glad it's over :).  The baby shower I hosted went well.  We did a storybook theme, and played about 4 different games (guess how many m&ms in a baby bottle; The Price is Right; Baby Shower Bingo; and a guess the book quote game).  The food was all based on books.  And that's pretty much all I took a picture of at the shower.  Haha...  So here are a couple pictures of the food.

 The food was:
"Chicken Little" Salad Sandwiches
"Dragons Love Tacos" doritos
"Three Little Pigs" in blankets
"Green Eggs and Ham" deviled eggs
"Peter Rabbit's" vegetable garden
"The Very Hungry Caterpillar's" fruit
"Blue [Green] Fish" Punch (because it didn't occur to me that the orange juice would change the color of the blue jello to more of a slime green...)

I did chocolate chip cookies as the party favor from "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" and used a quote I liked: "Children are made readers on the laps of their parents" -- Emilie Buchwald

And dessert was cheesecake, courtesy of "The Stinky Cheese[cake] Man" ;). 

Sunday was Easter, and the girls wore their pretty Easter dresses.  And I didn't take any pictures.  But I did take a picture of the dreamsicle trifle I made for dessert :).  It is a total keeper recipe!  I found it on pinterest and I will definitely keep it to make again.  Yum!  And definitely tastes like orange creamsicle :).  Which I happen to love.

You can find the recipe here.  And it's not really hard to make :).  A few steps, but not hard.  We enjoyed a delicious Easter dinner at my grandmother's house.  My mom made a crock pot ham (it was good -- and way easier, which was the goal!), her delicious (and bad-for-you) mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, and jello salad.  I made the trifle, creamed spinach (on my facebook 3M cookbook... soooo good!), and biscuits (that looked more like cookies, because when I wrote the recipe from pinterest, I accidentally wrote 1 cup instead of 1/4 cup of water!  Aaach!  I plan to try those biscuits at another time -- the right way :).  And I took punch from the baby shower (it makes a ton and you freeze the base of the punch in 2 parts...).

And this is my newest thing...  I'm learning to knit.  I went to a little sewing group with some of the ladies from church yesterday.  They have it weekly, but I don't think I can commit to that often, so I'm planning on every other week.  Mondays are pretty busy for me.  But anyway, one of the ladies there (she gave us the bunny blanket buddy and ball I showed in a previous picture) is teaching me how to knit.  So now I'll spend the next couple weeks working on this so I don't forget the technique :).  And then she'll show me some other stitches!  Knitting seems like a practical skill.  I cross-stitch, and I enjoy cross-stitching and giving gifts like Christmas ornaments.  But it's less useful -- whereas with knitting, you can make a hat or something :).  Anyway...  We'll see how I do with it and if I stick with it :).  For now I'm excited to be expanding my horizons!

Because Who Doesn't Want Another Pregnancy Post?

Yeah, it's all I blog about.  I know.  But it's what's going on in my life.  That and food.  Haha...  So I'll even include a food picture.  Just to shake things up a bit ;).

Today marks 31 weeks.  It really is weird to think I've been pregnant that long.  Baby goes from being really active for several days to not as active.  And then repeat.  Actually, I think baby is still active, but I'm not feeling as much depending on how Baby is situated.  Because I can look down and see my stomach moving and not be feeling much of anything.  I think this is due to the fact I have an anterior placenta.  Oh the things you learn...

And look!  There's sunshine in Washington!  Today was rainy then sunny then rainy, then finally sunny.  And very windy. 

I have decided that my inability to sleep well at night may be the whole "your body is helping you get ready for when you have a baby" thing.  I wake up at least twice during the night and it takes me forever to get back to sleep.  And then I make up for it the next morning after Jeremy leaves.  I always get a good solid two-hour early morning nap in.  Part of me feels guilty for sleeping in so late.  The other part of me says, "Eh... Enjoy it while it lasts."  The latter part wins out every time :).  But yeah... This morning I actually got up with Jeremy at 6, because I'd already been laying there awake for an hour.  Good times.

Oh, and in case you needed to know... I don't like our new upstairs neighbors.  We had a blissful month of nobody up there.  And before that, it was a single guy and our biggest complaint with him was that we could hear his video game music through the floor/ceiling when we were trying to go to bed.  But even that was pretty tolerable.  These new people stomp a lot and have a kiddo who doesn't walk -- ever.  He runs and jumps.  Jeremy says it's a good thing, because we won't have to feel so guilty about a screaming baby in a few months. 

I invited ladies over for crafting again this month.  I tried a new pinterest recipe.  Eh.  Not all I hoped for.  I love lemon.  Love it.  Love lemon bars.  Thought these would fit the bill, as they were really easy.  I should have gone for a chocolate recipe.  So if you want to know... you take one box of Angel Food Cake mix and mix it with 2 cans of lemon pie filling.  Then throw it in a greased 9x13 and bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes.  Cool completely then sprinkle with powdered sugar.  They are okay.  But I don't like the texture and they just aren't my favorites.  I won't make them again.  I also made a queso blanco cheese dip.  It was yum, but the link wasn't working when I needed it, so I went off my memory.  And my memory pretty much failed me.  I left out 2 ingredients.  And perhaps, with those two things in there, the cheese wouldn't have solidified so fast after being heated.  Boo.  That was my big complaint.  And like I said, probably my own fault.  I also made a punch that I got compliments on and I enjoyed.  However, it was really sweet.  And I should have read the reviews.  Had I, I would have turned the 1 1/4 cup sugar the recipe called for into 1/4 cup sugar.  Because everything else you add (except the water) also has sugar in it...  I didn't take pictures of the cheese or punch.  But here are the lemon bars :).

 

And now that you've had a break from pregnancy stuff...  How about I show you some exciting things I have gotten :)?  So...  One of the things I really wanted to get brand new was a boppy.  Women swear by them.  I was even told by a former male co-worker that -- if you have a two-story house -- you should get two of them: one for each floor.  Because you just don't want to wait to have to go downstairs to get it.  Haha...  But these things run $30 (if you get the one sans slipcover) to $50 (I'm guessing for special limited edition slipcovered ones?).  I was totally going to spend the money ($40 for a regular slip-covered one).  But I stopped into Ross last Friday, thinking I'd get the baby carrier thing (you know, those things you carry the baby around in so you can have your hands free) I'd seen there a few weeks earlier.  Well, they didn't have any more of those.  But I happened upon this boppy!  Brand new, with slip cover, for $25!  The only one!  I snatched it up.  Who cares if it's blue and we don't know what we're having (but we think we're having a girl...)?  That slip cover comes off.  And who cares anyway...  The baby won't.  And I have a friend who has already told me she can fashion me a new cover that could be neutral.  So there we go.  I saved $15.  I was so excited!

 

We also got a glider off Craigslist.  (Alas, this time it came from a stranger, so no cool stories there...).  I was excited to find this nice glider for $40 when all the other ones I have seen have been going for $60 to $75.  Woohoo!  I will take a picture when we have it all put back together (it's needful to disinfect things you know :)).  But it's a nice one with arm rest covers that have pockets :).  Woohoo!

And then a lady at church gave me these:

The bunny is a blanket buddy and the other is a cube/ball.  They are adorable and so soft!!  I'm not sure if they are knitted or crocheted.  I plan to learn to knit here soon, so maybe one day I'll know :). 

So yep, we're racking up the baby stuff.  That extra bedroom is filling up.  I've been told I shouldn't buy anything else until after the baby showers.  Just so people can get me something.  But I feel bad about people spending money on stuff...  And especially big ticket items.  I figure we should incur that expense.  Because I'll be needing diapers and wipes out the kazoo.  And all sorts of other odds and ends (who knew babies come with so much stuff!).  It's looking like I will have 2 baby showers... One thrown by church friends and one by Lea.  And they will be consecutive weekends:  April 27 and May 4.  And life is not going to be slowing down between now and then!  It's crazy. 

And guess what?  Jeremy and I will be celebrating one year of marriage on Saturday :).  Hard to believe it's been a year!  And what a year it's been! 

Well, ta ta for now!