Curried Cupcakes

30 by 30

2012-02-12T13:52:00.000-06:00

I'm turning 30 soon. In 30 months to be precise. I'm at a point in my life where it is easy to become stagnate. When I'm with friends, I've found we mostly talk about our kids. Which is normal because our lives mostly revolve around them. But I'd really like to rediscover some interests in myself that have been on the back burner for a while. To that end I've decided to give myself a challenge. To accomplish 30 goals before I turn 30 years old. I've tried to pick goals that are things I have enjoyed doing in the past, things I've wanted to do but never made the time for, or things that need changing in my life. I've also tried to pick things that would challenge my mind, body, and spirit just to keep some variety.

Mind

Learn 10 hymns on the piano
Make perfect fudge without "cheater" ingredients
Slip cover the couches, or anyone's couch really
Build a dining room table
Reupholster dining room chairs
Sew a garment for myself, designed by myself.
Paint a picture for the house
digitize personal artwork for embroidery
Create a digital cookbook of my favorite recipes.
Kill 30 different bugs and start an entomology collection.

Body

Practice piano 3 hours a week for a month
Run a 5K
Learn to do a hand stand
Do 60 push-ups in a row.
Go Skiing with my dad.
Go rock climbing
Learn to do a back walk over
Be in bed by 9 and up by 6, 5 days a week for a month
Go to the dentist and optometrist
Get neck waxed

Spirit

Play piano in front of an audience
Read the standard works cover to cover
Memorize 100 scriptures and references.
Keep a dream journal for 30 days
Take new wedding photos
Travel somewhere I've never been before.
Have 10 no kid dates.
Donate hair to locks of love
Have at least 30 FHE nights
Print blog posts into a hard bound book. One per year.

I know I may not accomplish all these goals, But I am going to try. Every 12th of the month I will post my progress.

Petite Cake

2012-02-03T19:07:00.000-06:00

For christmas I recieved 2 6" cake pans. Now, instead of making 1 large cake, I can make 2 small cakes.

I have been having fun making some fancy cakes.

For these 2 I used this recipe, and added about 10 minutes to the recipe to have them baked all the way through. It was really tasty, and I will use that recipe again.

Turbo Hork

2012-01-31T21:15:00.000-06:00

Today Cecilia looked at me, smiled and said,"buh buh buh."

Which, I can only assume means, mama I really didn't like eating those beans.

In all fairness, this did help me decide whether or not my jeans were dirty enough to merit washing.

I do suspect sometimes she does thing like this just for the clean up afterwards. Baby girl loves her some shower time.

All clean.

Oatmeal Creme Pies

2012-01-28T10:52:00.003-06:00

Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies.

Ingredients:
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tb hot water
1 1/2 cups flour
3 cups oatmeal
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°.
Dissolve baking soda in water.
Combine flour, oats, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
Mix butter and brown sugar till fluffy. Add in honey, egg, and vanilla. Mix till combined.
Add baking soda to mixture.
Slowly add flour mixture to butter until fully combined.
Spoon rounded tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough onto parchment or silpats; no more than 12 to a jelly roll sized sheet. These cookies spread.
Bake 8 -10 minutes or until center is no longer pasty.
Let cool for 2 minutes on sheet before moving to a cooling rack.
Cool completely before frosting, about 30 minutes.
Sandwich buttercream between 2 oatmeal cookies.

American Buttercream
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup crisco (or more butter)
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tb milk or cream

Directions:
Beat butter and crisco till combined.
Sift in powdered sugar in 2 batches. Mix and scrape downs sides of bowl between batches.
Add in vanilla. Add milk till buttercream reaches desired consistency.

Notes:
I made these for National Pie Day. They are very delicious. Feel free to increase the cinnamon. You can substitute corn syrup for honey if you are out of honey, but they taste better with honey. Also, I tried baking these at 350, tried smashing the balls flat, and chilling the dough, but nothing really seamed to change how they baked up.

Enjoy!

Anachronistic

2012-01-24T12:21:00.001-06:00

I found some more photos from our vacation that I wanted to share.

We visited with the Bahr Grandparents while we were there. It was everyone's nap time so the kids were a little fussy.

But Granpa Cecil took us out to see the calves. He calls them babies. I think that is adorable.

After that we went to the Smith Granparents' home.

We played with puppies and Uncle Marshall. This is Gideon, the sire of the puppy coming to live with us next month.

Harvey, Captain and Uncle Marshall also has fun playing with the marshmallow guns. Harvey never did get the hang of shooting them though. We'd place a marshmallow for him to shoot and he'd just suck it back into him mouth. We also had no problems with marshmallows left around the house. Between Harvey, the dogs and the cats they were all picked up.

Captain and Marshall also introduced Harvey to the wonders of ice bowling. I wasn't there for this, but it seems like he had fun.

These are some photos we took after feeding the ducks.

Both kiddos were having so much fun they didn't want to leave.

Winter Crafts

2012-01-19T21:04:00.001-06:00

These are some of the projects I've been working on recently.

This is the famous cake We made for Captain's final.

Harvey and I made these paper heart chains for Valentine's Day. He enjoyed handing me the paper strips and stapling the hearts together.

He calls them "trees." I have no idea why.

This is the thing I'm proudest of at the moment. Do you remember that big long list of things I wanted to finish over the summer? Well this was one of them. I knew it needed to wait till Cecilia was old enough to hold her head up. I did take some artistic liberties with the shape of Harvey's hair. If I had gone with what was really going in in the photo it would look like he had dinosaur spikes coming of the back of his dome. Anyways, I just printed out photos of the kids and traced the edges. Then cut them out of black cardstock and glued it to paper.

Also, I would love to get input as to what color to paint the frames. Captain likes them the way they are. I originally was thinking white, but now I think maybe a bright color like red or yellow would be better.

That's it for now. I hope everyone else is keeping busy this winter.

Home and Counting

2012-01-12T21:24:00.001-06:00

Everyone is happy to be back at home, where things can return to normal.

I gave the kids hair cuts today. It is not terribly obvious though. Harvey just had a trim up around the edges, and Cecilia literally only had 3 hairs cut.

It still took 1 and a half viewings of Lightning McQueen to get through though.

And here is a video to show you all how cute Harvey is counting all on his own.

The Little Things

2012-01-08T00:51:00.001-06:00

On this vacation, the kids have been enjoying the little things.

Things like feeding the ducks.

If you have a change, get some cracked corn and go feed some ducks.

It will be more fun than a matinee. Watch out for the geese though, they can be persistent.

Cecilia didn't care much for the ducks to be honest.

At one point, I threw out some corn to the ducks and they were startled. They all flew up at once, which made Cecilia scream for a few minutes.

She did, however, LOVE her first cookie.

She loved it to bits. She may have cried when it was gone and we whiped the remains from her clutched fists.

Cecilia also enjoyed falling asleep in people's laps.

So those are the little things we have been enjoying recently.

Vacation Photobomb

2012-01-03T23:11:00.005-06:00

Ce-cilia, You're Breaking my Heart.

2011-12-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

My baby girl is growing up way too fast for my liking.

She can sit up, sometimes on her own, now.

She eats real people food daily, and is just as picky as her brother.

Cecilia can roll over if she has a good enough motivator. Harvey likes to "share" Lia's toys, so motivation is not a problem here.

Lia even prefers to sleep in her own bed instead of my arms. She also has taken my second favorite bed warmer. Life just isn't fair sometimes.

Scenes from Thanksgiving

2011-12-12T19:51:00.000-06:00

Here are some shots from our thanksgiving. Which, Yes I know, was nearly 3 weeks ago.

Harvey and Lia getting ready for our politically incorrect walk.

Uncle James reading to baby Lia.

Some down time from cooking.

Auntie Rachel bonding with the baby.

Lia admiring a well done braid.

Hugging out grievances.

Playing settlers. I'm pretty sure I lost this one.

Cecilia trying her hand at the game.

Captain making sure Harvey's latest fall didn't result in anything too serious.

More Fashion

2011-11-27T08:00:00.000-06:00

Peanutbutter Truffle Brownies

2011-11-25T08:00:00.000-06:00

Peanutbutter Truffle Brownies

For the brownie base I baked up brownies from a box.

Peanutbutter Layer:

1/2 c. butter softened
1/2 c peanutbutter
2 c. powdered sugar
2-3 tsp milk

Mix together and spread over cooled brownies.

Ganache:
1/4 c. peanutbutter
2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 c. butter
2. tbl heavy cream

Microwave and mix together. Spread over top of peanutbutter layer.

These brownies are absolutely delicious and don't take much more effort than standard brownies. Plus, they are so rich you can cut them up into tiny pieces and serve more than you would with regular brownies.

If I Fits, I Sits.

2011-11-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

Economy's So Bad, Even Clothes Are Too Expensive.

2011-11-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

Finding nudity in odd places.

Harvey climbed into the bucket of future fish tank water. He was pleased with himself.

On a different day he climbed into the sink to take a bath. I decided it was a good place to keep him out of my hair while I cleaned in the kitchen.

Here we find Harvey brushing his teeth with two fists... in the middle of the day no less. he climbed up onto the sink so he could see his teeth in the mirror.

Not to be outdone by her brother, Cecilia frequently insists on some diaper free time. Every time we do this she manages to wiggle off her waterproof pad. Also, she has recently learned to roll over and is surprised when it happens.

6 Months and Counting

2011-11-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

Cecilia is 6 months old today.

She can sit up now, if you prop her just so.

Though, most of the time she falls.

She can grab things on purpose, but it takes a lot of concentration.

She is easily distracted.

She has 1 tooth, and one more about to break through.

Consequently there is oh so much drool.

Cecilia really likes being part of what is going on, even when she can't participate.

She is just a very happy drooly little girl right now.

In case you want to know Lia's current stats are 15 pounds and 22.5 inches.

Death by Cheesecake

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

Introducing the Peanutbutter cup Chocolate Cake Cheesecake.

Best Ever Cheesecake:

no crust, split in 2 pans

Cheesecake:
3 sticks cream cheese, 24 oz total
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp vanilla
30 mini recces peanutbutter cups (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Boil some water for a water bath

Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and blend until smooth and creamy. Add peanutbutter cups, optional.

Pour batter into the pan and tap on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan, i used a jelly roll pan, and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

Chocolate Cake that was Only Okay, and was in fact originally intended for my birthday cake, but was too light and fluffy to make the cut:

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup hot coco

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare 2 x 9″ (or 3 x 8″ for slightly shorter layers) cake pans with butter and flour or parchment paper. In bowl of electric mixer, sift all dry ingredients. Add all remaning ingredients to bowl with the dry ingredients and with paddle attachment on mixer, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed (you may need the plastic splashguard that comes with mixer) and pour into prepared pans. Batter will be liquidy.
Bake for 20 minutes and rotate pans in oven. Cakes are done when toothpick or skewer comes clean–approximately 35 minutes. Try not to overbake. Cool on wire racks for 20 minutes then gently invert onto racks until completely coo

Honey Caramel Sauce that I over cooked:

1/3 c. honey
2/3 c. sugar
2/3 c. heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tablespoon butter

Heat honey and sugar over medium heat to 305 degrees. Meanwhile heat cream till bubbles form around the edges. When sugar and honey reach 305 turn off heat and add butter. Mixture will bubble so be careful. Gradually stir in hot cream and cook till 235. Turn off heat add vanilla and let cool. *note* if you plan on eating this frozen, don't continue cook after adding the cream and butter.

Easy Peasy chocolate ganache:

1/2 c heavy cream heated in microwave for one minute. Add 1 c. chocolate and stir till combined. Chill.

To put the cake together. Spread caramel and peanuts over each layer of cheese cake and chocolate cake. Alternate the cheesecake with the chocolate cake and stack them. Pour ganache over the top. This cake is easier to cut when frozen, or chilled very well.

I will; say this, this cake is HUGE. If i make it again every I will only use one layer each of chocolate cake and cheesecake.

Harvey's 3rd Birthday

2011-11-13T20:21:00.001-06:00

Last weekend we celebrated Harvey's 3rd birthday. We had a dinosaur themed party that was Dino-Mite! (that one is for you dad)

I made a chocolate banana cake and filled it with a roasted marshmallow frosting. To make the filling you take 1 10 oz bag of marshmallows and toast them under your broiler on both sides. Blend 1/2 c butter and 1 cup powdered sugar in your mixer, then add in the marshmallows. It's okay if you want to eat some of the marshmallows first because 10 oz was really more than enough. You could probably start with half a bag - 3/4 of a bag and be fine. Anyways, add the marshmallows to the butter and sugar and ad in 1 tsp vanilla and enough honey to get a nice smooth consistency, about 1/4 cup. You could use corn syrup instead of honey, but honey tastes better.

The kids all had their own dinosaur tail, and we had a freeze dance with them. We also did a fossil dig, which was a fail even though the kids loved the sand box. I made salt dough dinosaurs for them to dig up, but the sand was so moist they became soggy and gross.

Harvey was fairly tired by the end and needed help blowing out his candles. I'm not even sure he ate any cake at the party! Don't worry he ate the leftovers later.

We also had a pinata to kick open, but it was too strong for those little feet to break. Also, a kicked pinata equals kicked candies. We were able to break it open in the end though. Though, to the dismay of the kids, it was filled with only a little candy and a lot of pretzels and play dough.

So that was our party for Harvey. Remind me to never plan one without Captain again. These things need 2 adults!

Frog

2011-11-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

When Captain mows the lawn he frequently finds frogs.

Cecilia is more interested in people than animals at the moment.

Harvey and Chloe however, were very intrigued.

I hope you enjoyed a bit of our summer.

Tired Out

2011-11-06T08:00:00.000-06:00

Some days you just need a nap. Even if it is only 9 am,

or in a completely uncomfortable position. Naps just can't be avoided.

More or Less Fashion

2011-11-03T17:00:00.000-05:00

Harvey's making some statements these days.

Dia De Los Muertos

2011-11-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

First I would like to say,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOGAN

❤ we love you very much ❤

In honor of this day I would like to dedicate these photos to you. For those of your who don't know our Logan, her favorite holiday is Halloween.

Friday was our ward trunk or treat party.

This year, the kiddos wore hand me down costumes. Yes, I could have made them, but I didn't. They still looked adorable. Cecilia went as a bear in hibernation for most of the evening.

Harvey dressed as a dinosaur hopped up on way too much sugar. Having braved the activity myself this time, I now have a greater appreciation for Captain. He normally is the one who follows Harvey around during these things.

I only did my hair and makeup for the party. It was because I knew Lia would be in her sling for most of the evening. The makeup is a stylized skeleton done in the sugar skull style that is popular in Mexico. The ringlets were accomplished with rag curlers. It took 2 hours to put them in, 14 hours to dry and forty five minutes to let them down.

Ha so, seriously Cecilia wasn't concerned one bit about the way I looked. She was all, "Hey mom you have something on your face. I'm gonna eat now. Nom nom nom." Harvey on the other hand, backed away slowly before hiding in his bed. He was mildly concerned about the odd person opening his bedroom door. Oh and Harvey learned a new word today; Scary. He kept telling me things were scary. The cows were scary, my face was scary, the scarecrow was funny scary. The scariest thing for him was when he was trick or treating. Something grabbed his hand as he reached into the candy bucket. It was just a friend, but Harvey was totally freaked out. He wasn't willing to reach back in there even for a handful of candy.

So that was our Halloween.
Happy Birthday Logan.

Drive By

2011-10-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

Captain's brother Marshall drove a friend out to school back in August. We were able to meet him along the way and have lunch.

It was Cecilia's first time meeting her Uncle Marshall.

We hope to see him again soon. Also, he made that hat.

Chocolate Almond Cake

2011-10-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to me! Yes, again, I know, it's late. We all know i'm behind on posting. Deal with it.
That being said. this cake was wonderful. If you would like to make it yourself, here are the recipes.

Almond Cake adapted from here

1 1/3 cups sugar

8 ounces almond paste

3/4, plus 1/4 cup flour

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

6 large eggs, at room temperature

Mix 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, set aside. In a food processor mix sugar, almond paste, and 1/4 cup flour till well blended. Add butter one cube at a time and extracts. Add eggs. Slowly add in flour mixture.

Preheat oven to 352 degrees. Grease and flour two 9 inch circle pans and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Bake for about 45-55 minutes or until it is light brown and feels set to the touch.

I only used one of these cakes in my layer cake, and I froze the second one.

Chocolate Cake

8oz unsweetened chocolate chopped

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2/3 cup milk

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup sour cream

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line a 9" springform pan. Over low heat combine chocolate, butter and milk in a saucepan. Remove from heat and add sugar and vanilla. Set aside to cool. Mix egg yolks and cream in a bowl then mix into the chocolate mixture. Sift the flour and baking powder together, then fold in. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff and then fold into the chocolate mixture.

Bake for 45-55 minutes.

Italian Meringue Buttercream adapted from here

5 large egg whites (real or dehydrated, I'm not picky)

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 sticks soften butter cubed

1 tsp almond extract

1 tsp vanillia extract

1/2 cup water

food coloring (optional)

Make a simple syrup with water and 1 cup sugar, bring to a firm ball stage, 245 degrees. While that is heating up, whip eggs and 1/4 cup sugar till you can turn the bowl upside down and the meringue doesn't slip out. Don't over whip. Add syrup to eggs slowly and steadily. Once the syrup is fully incorporated, beat 10-15 minutes until it is cooled. Add butter one cube at a time. Add extracts and food coloring.

Chocolate Ganache

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Place cream in glass container. Microwave till cream starts to bubble. Remove and add chocolate chips. Stir till combined. You can add corn syrup if you want it sweeter.

Assembly:

1 9 inch almond cake

1 9 inch chocolate cake

1-2 portions of Italian buttercream (or other frosting you like)

1 jar apricot jam

Chocolate Ganache

Carefully slice your cakes in half. Spread 1/4 jar of jam on each one. Heating the jam can help this spread nicely. Alternate layers spreading frosting between. Frost outside. Chill, then drizzle chocolate ganache over the top.

Note. These cakes are very dense and heavy. So, you have to like that kind of cake to like this.

Coming home

2011-10-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Just a few shots from our 14 hour trip home.

Harvey trying on Cecilia's hat.

Harvey zoning out to Monsters Inc. I'll tell you what, that car dvd player was worth it's weight in gold. Okay maybe not quite that much, but certainly worth going to the store twice to pick it up.

Washington DC Temple

2011-10-23T21:51:00.001-05:00

I know you all are probably tired of seeing pics from our trip to DC, but I'm not done sharing. Yes I'm aware that these are over 2 months old, but you are just going to have to deal with it. One good thing about waiting htis long to see them is that you only see the really important pics and not all the fluff pieces! So yea! on to more photos.

These pics are from the whole reason for our trip to D.C. My grandparents were sealed in the temple this August, and we went there to witness this special occasion.

My lovies in front of the temple.

Harvey wanted to play in the water.

The visitor's center was a nice break from the heat outdoors.

My grandparents, Congrats Granma Jo and Granpa Mikey!

Another shot of the temple with some more of our family.

The temple was a wonderful place to visit. After the sealing we went to an ice-cream social to celebrate. I don't have any pics from that, but you just picture mountains of icreeam with all the toppings you can imagine. It was terrific.

Museum of Natural History

2011-10-14T20:17:00.003-05:00

So somebody today reminded me that I haven't posted new phots in a while. Sorry about that, but life became busy for a while. Still kinda is actually, but I can't keep grandmas waiting any longer. So without further ado, I give you photos from our trip to the Smithsonian.

Harvey and Captain looking the rear end of a T-Rex.

Cecilia and I standing in front of a GIANT moose.

Poor kiddos were all tuckered out by the end.

D.C. Monuments

2011-09-21T10:07:00.003-05:00

Day 2 of our trip to Washington D.C.

We spend about 4 hours walking around looking at all the neat buildings.

Harvey enjoyed watching for airplanes overhead, and Cecilia most enjoyed the gentle swaying of the stroller.

We stopped for a snack before taking the train back to our hotel.

During which, we attempted a family picture.

The picture may not have turned out well, but our outing was very fun.

Dino Kiss

2011-09-15T20:32:00.002-05:00

We interrupt our regularly scheduled vacation posting to bring you something that actually happened today.

Sometimes, instead of a prince, the dinosaur gets to wake the princess. Also, if you click on the photo you will have a nice desktop sized picture to use. You know, if you want a green dinosaur on your desktop.

DC Splash Pad

2011-09-13T09:59:00.003-05:00

One of the days we decided to just walk around DC near our hotel.

Lia and I getting ready to go out.

How Lia spent most of our walk, hiding from the sun.

Harvey was very excited to play in the water.

I chased him around while captain took pictures and watched Lia.

DC Hotel

2011-09-10T21:03:00.003-05:00

About a month ago, our family took a trip to Washington DC. It was a fourteen hour drive and we left at 7 pm. Consequently no one slept well, so when we arrived at the hotel we all just kind of crashed.
I love seeing my babies snuggle.

Lia was squashed between the two of them, but she didn't seem to mind one bit.

Instead of champagne on ice we had apple juice.
Anyway this is how we spent our first day, relaxing and drinking juice. More posts about our trip to DC to come soon.

Sun Hats

2011-08-24T10:06:00.000-05:00

Two more things finished on my list o' chores!

That's right I made Harvey and Cecilia sun hats for our trip to dc.

Harvey LOVES his hat, Lia... not so much. In her defense, it is hard to keep a hat on ones head when one is lying down all the time. Harvey on the other hand grabs his hat every time we run out the door.

Hat hair. hehehe

Summer 2011 Projects

~~Lia Blessing Gown~~

Teepees for gulbrandsons

~~Sunbonnet~~

Sundresses

Rocket ship backpack

Car backpack

Grey & yellow bag

Hobby horse

Roman shade

~~Bucket hat~~

~~Captain Sling~~

Captain Quilt

Car blanket

Finish dresser

Silhouettes

Button Monogram

Cupcake tee

Octopus tee

Ruffled diaper covers

Refashion Captain Purple Shirt

Refashion Captain Blue shirt

Diaper bag snack pouch

Wet bag

Refashion old white skirt

Refashion prom dress

Air mattress Bag

Crib sheet

Porta-crib sheet

Joke

2011-08-22T07:25:00.000-05:00

"Hey Lia, ask me if I'm a truck."

"Okay Mama, Are you a truck?"

"NOOOOOOOOOOO"

"HAhahahha, you're so funny mama."

MacGeyser

2011-08-20T23:19:00.000-05:00

We were stunned as we watched Harvey use the sprinkler as a cup and use pool water to rinse his mouth. At least he didn't drink it right?

Outside

2011-08-18T11:17:00.000-05:00

Snapshots from our afternoon outside while Grandpa Doug was visiting. If you click on the photo you can see it full sized.

We decided to stay home rather than go to the park because 1. Captain might have been called into work and 2. It is inappropriate to go out in public with balloons in your undies.

Dress up

2011-08-16T11:04:00.001-05:00

The whole time Granpa Doug was visiting, Harvey kept trying to take his glasses.

When he finally got his hands on them he played for about a half an hour. I think the glasses make him look like my brothers, not that i can find a picture to compare it with.

He thought they were the bombdigity. People still say that right? Either way Harvey liked them a lot.
Captain placed the book in front of him for the photos. I love how Harvey added the whole "live long and prosper" sign into it.

Gate Escape

2011-08-14T16:02:00.000-05:00

Harvey has learned how to open the gate. We need a sign that says "Beware neked toddler."

Walking

2011-08-12T10:52:00.000-05:00

We try to go for walks 3 times a week out here. It is good for this mama's figure. Plus it is a whole hour without Harvey running around like a mad man trying to get into everything he should stay out of. Harvey loves his walks and tries to initiate them by climbing into the stroller.

Harvey climbing in.

Getting everything situated. "Let's go mom!"

Harvey is proud as a peacock, and excitable as a puppy sitting in the front of his stroller.
Lia would rather be held, but is content with the gentle rocking motion.

Blessing

2011-08-10T22:45:00.002-05:00

Cecilia Loraine Smith was blessed by her father on July 24th 2011.

Lia was a trouper and didn't fuss once during the blessing. She actually slept through the whole first hour of church.

She Also kept her gown free of spit up, poo, sweat, or any other baby fluids.

In fairness, we didn't put the dress on her until we arrived at the church.

She did wake up in tie for nursery though, and had a pleasant time chillin' with granpa.

She still kept her dress clean though.

Lips

2011-08-08T10:43:00.001-05:00

I have a pretty baby.
My pretty baby has her daddy's lips.

Kitty Kitty

2011-08-06T21:25:00.001-05:00

Behold! Our rarely photographed cat made it into 3 pictures this month.

Chloe atempting to prove that she is indeed more cuddly than the baby.

Irritated that I want to put wet clothes into her dryer.

Same shot without the flash, I think it turned out much nicer. Seriously though, our cat tries to get inside the dryer every time it opens. She is a bit of an oddball. She and Harvey make great companions with their desire to be places they shouldn't and co- obsession with opening doors.

Siblings

2011-08-04T09:21:00.000-05:00

Awww they love each other.

Baby Shower

2011-08-02T19:59:00.003-05:00

Exactly one month ago today (yes I am that far behind in posting) we had a baby shower for little Lia. It was the perfect way to introduce her to our friends.

There was wonderful food.

We played games. In one we guessed the contents of a baby diaper. Don't worry they were just candy bars.

Lastly, Lia received lots and lots of pretty outfits.

We had a wonderful time even if Lia did sleep through the whole thing.

Captain's Sling

2011-07-25T11:38:00.002-05:00

Finished another summer project! This time it was a sling for Captain. These are super easy to make by the way. Follow this link for instructions on how to make one. I purchased my rings at Rural King, but you can buy them at any store that has horse equipment.

I really needed to make this sling, because our other one is cut for a short person. The tail only stuck out about 2 inches for Captain, and that isn't as safe for the baby.

Captain is pretty pleased with it, though truthfully he really would have been happy with anything. The giraffe embroidery is from the Stuffed Animal cd by Anita Goodesign. I wanted to put a clever saying with it, but was unable to think of one. The giraffe is cue enough on its own anyway.
The fabric I used was on clearance at JoAnn fabrics. It is a linen cotton blend that will stay nice and cool in the summer heat. I like it because the print is woven into the fabric so it is pretty no-matter which way you load it into the rings. Lia likes the sling because she gets to be carried around even when her mama is tired now.

Summer 2011 Projects

~~Lia Blessing Gown~~

Teepees for gulbrandsons

Sunbonnet

Sundresses

Rocket ship backpack

Car backpack

Grey & yellow bag

Hobby horse

Roman shade

Bucket hat

~~Captain Sling~~

Captain Quilt

Car blanket

Finish dresser

Silhouettes

Button Monogram

Cupcake tee

Octopus tee

Ruffled diaper covers

Refashion Captain Purple Shirt

Refashion Captain Blue shirt

Diaper bag snack pouch

Wet bag

Refashion old white skirt

Refashion prom dress

Air mattress Bag

Crib sheet

Porta-crib sheet

Water Fun

2011-07-23T21:35:00.001-05:00

We had a church pool party today. Captain and Harvey had a blast. Lia went in the pool too and only complained when it was time to eat.

Cecilia's Blessing Gown

2011-07-23T11:29:00.002-05:00

So, the first project on my summer to do list was Lia's blessing gown. And I'm happy to say it is finished! Finished in time for the blessing too!

The pattern came from an old magazine I had laying around, and I had to alter it a bit since she isn't 6 months old yet.

It did wind up a little small, but if i had finished it when i fitted it (3 weeks earlier) it would have fit perfectly. I forget how fast babies grow. Luckily, it ties in the back so there is room for expansion if we put a onesie under.

I promise more pictures to come of Lia actually wearing the dress, probably covered in spit up.

Summer 2011 Projects

~~Lia Blessing Gown~~

Teepees for gulbrandsons

Sunbonnet

Sundresses

Rocket ship backpack

Car backpack

Grey & yellow bag

Hobby horse

Roman shade

Bucket hat

Captain Sling

Captain Quilt

Car blanket

Finish dresser

Silhouettes

Button Monogram

Cupcake tee

Octopus tee

Ruffled diaper covers

Refashion Captain Purple Shirt

Refashion Captain Blue shirt

Diaper bag snack pouch

Wet bag

Refashion old white skirt

Refashion prom dress

Air mattress Bag

Crib sheet

Porta-crib sheet

Summer Projects

2011-07-21T11:00:00.005-05:00

So I have this problem. It involved buying fabric for future projects and then never ever sewing said project. This is the current fabric I am lusting over. Isn't is beautiful? I mean it is classic with the ticking pattern, but modern with the yellow color. I want to reupholster my dining room chairs with it. Unfortunately for me, I can't justify spending $100+ on fabric that I might never get around to using. SO, I've made myself a deal. When (if) I finish all the projects on my list that I already have fabric for, then I can start this spendy (for us) new project.

So with that in mind, I have started working on things I've been meaning to do for a while but was distracted by a baby.

But I mean, come on, as far as distractions go she is pretty stinkin' adorable.

Right so with my list in mind I set out to start when Harvey brought me this.

Somehow he ripped a 4 ft long section of his blanket. Actually, I think he only broke one thread and then the rest just unraveled.

So I set my projects aside and re-raveled it for him. I was tempted to just let the blankie fall apart so that we wouldn't have to deal with the stinky germ trap anymore. But Harvey loves it, so we love it too.

I did a mighty fine job too.
The only thing you can see is where I had to tie the ends together, and honestly I think there might have been there to start with giving the blanket a weaker spot to tear from.

So Anyways, I'm going to keep you guys all updated with the smaller projects I intend to finish. This is the list I must accomplish before moving onto the dining room chairs. Wish me luck!

Summer 2011 Projects

Lia Blessing Gown

Teepees for gulbrandsons

Sunbonnet

Sundresses

Rocket ship backpack

Car backpack

Grey & yellow bag

Hobby horse

Roman shade

Bucket hat

Captain Sling

Captain Quilt

Car blanket

Finish dresser

Silhouettes

Button Monogram

Cupcake tee

Octopus tee

Ruffled diaper covers

Refashion Captain Purple Shirt

Refashion Captain Blue shirt

Diaper bag snack pouch

Wet bag

Refashion old white skirt

Refashion prom dress

Air mattress Bag

Crib sheet

Porta-crib sheet

Family Photos

2011-07-18T10:52:00.003-05:00

We took some pics while my mom was here and I just wanted to share them. I will warn you that my camera was low on batteries, so they are not the sharpest images.

Grandma with her grandkids.

Trying to get Harvey to cooperate was tricky, but sniffing his nose is one of the quickest ways too make him laugh.

Grandma, myself, and the kiddos.

Three Generations of girls.

Our first photo as a family of four.

Knee high by the 4th of July

2011-07-15T10:31:00.000-05:00

Every time it rains here my plants grow 3 inches, so by the time these are posted I imagine everything will be at least half a foot taller.

My cherry tomatoes are taller than I am, and the romas are doing their best to catch up. We already have some that are turning red, so I expect to be making salsa very soon.

Only half my peppers are doing well, but the basil and onions are taking off like crazy. Does anyone know when onions are supposed to be picked? I figured i'd just pull one up and check soonish and if it wasn't ready put it back and wait some more.

the lettuce we grow here is very bitter because of how hot it gets here. Honestly though unless you are eating it straight up it is hard to tell. What i'm most excited about though is what's growing over the lettuce.

Yep! we have softball sized watermelons hopefully soon to be basketball sized ones. Harvey thinks it is amazing we are growing balls, and sometimes it is hard to keep him from playing with them. I'm excited to see if the trellis continues to support the melons as the get bigger.

So thats everything we have growing right now. Feel free to stop by and enjoy some.

Life

2011-07-13T16:02:00.002-05:00

Short clips from life around our house this past month.

Visit from Grandma

2011-07-12T22:16:00.006-05:00

My mom came to visit us last week and we had a blast with her here. Harvey was thrilled to have his own personal playmate.

Things around here will never be the same.

I think my mom might never bee the same either after I walked her around this town in 80+ degree weather. But she was a trooper and played with Harvey every single time he asked to go "side?"

Because you know, 2 year olds have no concept about heat, bugs, humidity, or any of the other ucky things we have going on right now. They just like to play.

Let me tell you something, there is nothing quite like watching your mom play with your son. It warmed my heart.

Tee!

2011-07-04T09:02:00.003-05:00

No, Harvey isn't sick.

We are brushing his teeth.

He spits in the toilet, because we use real toothpaste now.

He asks to have his teeth brushed every morning...

And just about every other time we enter the bathroom. Harvey really loves to spit.

Packages

2011-07-01T19:47:00.002-05:00

My new stroller arrived today.

Can you tell I'm super excited?

Here we are after our inaugural walk. FYI Lia is still passed out in the back of the stroller as I am writing this.

hmmm... After typing "the stroller" so many times, I think we need to name this sucker. Any suggestions?

SO As exciting as the stroller is, it was NOT the most exciting package we received today.

Check out this gorgeous quilt sent to me from Juline Badaja. It is absolutely beautiful and we (Lia, Chloe, and I) are just in love with it. She made the whole thing, and it was her first baby quilt. Thank you Juline, I feel loved.

6 weeks

2011-06-30T12:19:00.003-05:00

Surprise! Lia is now 6 weeks old. Here are some things you should know about her.

Lia kinda likes her baths, at least she doesn't scream through them like Harvey did.
She is a great sleeper, wakes up to be fed at 10 pm, 2 am, and 5 am. If I got up at 5 that would only be one meal a night! but I don't.
Lia has 4 distinct cries. The goat like bleating when she is hungry, the grunt crying when she has gas or poop, the sad little "La"s when she is lonely, and the all out shrieking when she is being ignored.
She is currently a whopping 9 lbs 5 oz and 20.5 inches long.
She loves to be held, and to nuzzle in your neck.
Lia gives kisses and smiles at people.
When she is awake she is doing one of 2 things, glaring at everyone and everything or completely surprised by what is going on.

Of course, if I was feeling stubble for the first time i might be surprised too.

Rooms Revealed

2011-06-17T22:09:00.005-05:00

Okay, so you all know I fixed up a set of bunkbeds for Harvey a while back, but I never did get around to showing them to you. So here you go.

See? They are red and pretty and Harvey sleeps on the top. Eventually there will be a vinyl train on the wall above his bed. Also, they are never every made like this. I did that just for you guys. Usually the blankets are wadded up on that top bunk. Recently they are thrown on the floor because Harvey has been sleeping on the rug to show how much he misses his dad.

I figured I'd show you the rest of his room too since I'm showing off Cecilia's. This is his changing table. It also holds all of his toys books and puzzles. I bought that dragon painting at radcon. I love it.
This is Harvey's dresser. I purchased it at an antique mall. You've seen it before. It is sturdy and big and holds everything I need Harvey to stay out of. Or in other words, it holds the diaper cream. Okay I'll admit it, Harvey's room is kinda boring right now. The truth is the drywall needs to be replaced and I'm hesitant to decorate as much as I want until that happens. Lia's room on the other hand is adorable if I do say so myself.

You already know I made that sheet, I also sewed the dust ruffle. The fashion drawings were a project I did in college. A good friend suggested I hang them, and I'm very glad I took her advice.

I have my handy hook for the sling. Harvey plays with that blue elephant every chance he gets. Also, please notice the very unhappy baby.

There is the curtain I made up. I LOVE how it turned out. I will be making a coordinating shade for the window eventually, but seeing as Lia sleeps in my room currently, I am in no hurry. Captain made those shelves in the closet, and actually did all the drywall, trim and flooring in both rooms.
I hung some vintage dresses I've been storing since college. I'm really glad I didn't throw them out when i did my big purge this winter.
The dresser and vanity are from my mom. They were her grandmothers, I believe.

That is Chloe's special spot. I promise to wash the blanket before you stay with us. I can't promise to keep the cat out of your face while you are sleeping.

Harvey and Cecilia both love their rooms.

Big Brother

2011-06-14T13:45:00.003-05:00

Harvey, for the most part, love his little sister. He gives her kisses, and shares his toys.

Saturday he tried to teach her how to High-Five. She didn't cooperate.

Later he tried showing her how to avoid nap taking. She didn't cooperate with that either.

I made that sheet. There is a matching curtain. Eventually I will show you Cecilia's room. It is pretty sweet.

Toddler Friendly Yard

2011-06-10T09:49:00.002-05:00

Well, Captain has left for his 2 week National Guard training. We knew it was coming up though, so we prepared accordingly. We put in a 5 foot fence so that Harvey could play in the back yard more. (More accurately, so Harvey wouldn't run into the street and force his mam to chase after him with a 3 week old in her hands) And of course as soon as the fence went up, Harvey wanted on the other side. To give him more things to do while we are outside, yesterday I went to our Walmart and picked up one of these.

Harvey's first words upon seeing the new swing set were, "Oh! What's that?"

He then had to wait nearly 10 whole minutes while Captain finished the last few bolts. It was pure agony for this 2 year old.

The neat thing about this swing set is one of the swings is meant to be stood upon. Harvey doesn't understand that yet, but he uses the foot holes to help maintain his balance while swinging. He is almost able to swing himself because of the way it is designed. Of course, he is too short to get on the swing without help, but I'll take what I can get.

In other news, Lia is awake more and more every day, usually right when I am trying to get something done, like now. It is very hard to accomplish anything with this face in your lap though, but we manage. Lia is unimpressed by the swing and the fence.

Language

2011-06-07T21:44:00.004-05:00

Harvey's vocabulary is growing exponentially right now. His pronouciation however, still leaves much to be desired. These are some of his new words, let's see if you can figure out what he is saying.

Maymen
Ganket
Deet Do
Waa-er
Ress Oo
Deese
Shruck
Cuh-er

Of course he says things like "Stop it," "no," "cookie," and "chip" just fine. You know, all the important words.

Although I will say this, as cute as his pronunciation is right now, some of his phrases crack Captain and I up daily. Recently when he needs he diaper changed he runs around saying "Where's the poo?"

Even though this post is about Harvey, Lia wanted her picture included. I kinda think she looks like a Vulcan baby here, but hey whatever works for her.

Harvey's pronunciation guide

1. Amen 2. Blanket 3. Thank You 4. Water 5. Bless You 6. Please 7. Truck 8. Color

Outside

2011-06-03T07:42:00.003-05:00

Harvey LOVES to be outside. It does not matter one bit what he is doing, he just loves to go outside.

Case and Point.

If you take Harvey outside, you can get him to do almost anything... well except go back inside.
We had a hole that needed filling, so Captain put him to work.
It was tough, but they finished in the end.
Captain may have helped a little.
They watered the garden for me when they were finished. I think most of the water wound up on Harvey.

Baby Comparison

2011-06-01T11:29:00.002-05:00

In case you were wonding whether or not Lia looks like Harvey...

She really doesn't.

One Week

2011-05-26T20:38:00.002-05:00

Well, Lia has been in our home for a whole seven days now. So I'm going to share 7 thing about her with you today.

Lia has a hair line like her daddy, a ring around the back and a tuft on top.
Lia sleeps 23.75 hours of the day, even when she is eating. Especially when she is eating, actually it is so bad I have to remind her what she is doing to get her to finish and not let milk dribble down my belly.
Lia has my feet, long narrow with curled under toes.
Lia's jaundice is going away, YEAY no more blood draws!
Lia cries when Harvey is crying. Luckily Harvey doesn't cry much anymore.
Lia does not like diaper or clothes changes. She screams every time her diaper comes off.
Lia had her first bath at home today. She screamed during that too, but since I did not knock her brain into the cabinet like I did with Harvey's first bath, I'll consider it a successful event.

Harvey is adjusting to having a baby in the house very well. He has only sat on her once, and that was an accident. He really loves all the new toys that we have brought in for her, particularly the swing. It is a very good thing this swing was already broken, because there is no way it would be working now after the abuse he has done to it.

Chloe sniffed Lia the first day she came home, and hasn't gone near her since.

This was Harvey today after no nap, going to the Dr's office for 2 hours, and then grocery shopping. The balloon was a reward for good behavior, and made up for all the other boring things though.

So, after one week, things seem to be settling down and we re getting back to normal. I'm excited to see what the next week brings.

First days home

2011-05-22T09:14:00.004-05:00

We came home from the hospital on Friday evening, but Harvey and baby Lia didn't really have any sibling time until the next morning.

Harvey is a very proud big brother.

Also, Lia doesn't do much more than sleep right now, but we did catch this video of her with the hicups.

Dr. Harvey

2011-05-17T21:40:00.004-05:00

There is a reason i'll never be a professional blogger. I have all these great serious face pics of Harvey and absolutely nothing to say about them. I mean.. They remind me of one of my favorite childhood books, but the book has nothing to do with the pictures. I have no idea where the association came from. But, i'm going to type it up anyway, feel free to ignore the words to this post.

Are you there Mr Punch?

Just a minute I'm putting my trousers on.

Here I am, but where is Judy?

*WAAAA*

What's that noise?
Baby's crying Mr. Punch.

Give that baby to me, I'll stop its crying.

It's my nose Dr., not my toes!

This medicine will build you up,

And this stick will knock you down.
That's the way to do it he he he.
The End, please clap loudly.

Baby Pool

2011-05-14T09:26:00.010-05:00

As of today Saturday May 14th, I am 36 weeks pregnant. So I would like to officially open the baby pool, where people can say when they think saby girl smith will Arrive, and how big she will be.

Here are a few numbers to help you make your decision:

Harvey was 8lbs 2.6 oz 20.5 inches long
I have put on 25% less weight with this baby (even extending weight gain out to 40 weeks)
Harvey was 10 days early
I was 3 cm dilated with Harvey at 35 weeks
I was 1 cm dilated with Baby Girl at 35 weeks
Both of my brothers are born in June.

May

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
15	16	17	18	19	20	21 37 Weeks
22	23	24	25	26 Hospital Pre-Op	27	28 38 Weeks Gary DD
29	30	31

Phases of the moon: 17: 24:

June

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
			1 Leslie DD 6 lbs 8 oz	2 Judy DD 7 lbs even	3 Captain DD 7 lbs 5 oz Logan DD 7lbs 3oz 17.4"	4 39 Weeks Daniel B-day Eva DD 7 lbs 3 oz
5 Chris B-day Heather DD 8lbs Jennie B. DD 7lbs 5 oz	6 JoAnn DD 7lbs 2 oz	7 C-section Ryan DD 8 lbs	8	9	10	11 Due date

You all can pick whatever day and weight you want, even if it is the same as someone else's guess. I will update the calender as guesses come in.

Also, I will send a plate of cookies to whomever's guess is the closest.

Goose Egg to Black Eye

2011-05-10T21:35:00.002-05:00

Harvey's giant goose egg above his eyebrow has mutated into a black eye. I've been told it happens because the blood drains down. I don't know if you can tell, but his right eye is still swollen somewhat. He can't open it as much as the left one. It's like the whole thing is kinda droopy.

Harvey is behaving perfectly normal though. He jumped on our friends trampoline like there was no tomorrow, even after his pants fell off. Seriously though, stitches and a black eye before the age of 3, What have I gotten myself into?

Like Father Like Son

2011-05-09T19:20:00.002-05:00

You may not know this, but Harvey has a rather large noggin. He comes by it honestly though, as his Dad's head is just as large. Normally, his overly large head isn't that noticeable, but recently something has changed.

You see, the combination of his over sized cranium combined with his developing toddler movements means that when he has accidents, his head is typically the first thing to hit the floor.

In the past week in fact, Harvey's poor gigantic head has tussled with gravity 3 times. It is also worth noting that the right side seems to be heaver than the left, as he keeps hitting hte exact same spot.
In case you missed it, I've highlighted the most recent injuries for you. The biggest one is the newest, the result of falling our of a cart at Sam's club. It resulted in a goose egg above his eyebrow. The one above that occurred at home a few days ago from falling off a chair. That one only bruised. The oldest one was more creative in execution. Harvey actually managed to jump up into a shelf resulting in a gash on his temple.

For the record, I've been told that the big head isn't the only thing Harvey has inherited from his papa.

Broccoli and Yogurt

2011-05-05T02:13:00.000-05:00

Just an example of trying to get Harvey to try new things. He does this with ALL new foods, even sweets. If we want him to eat a new food we literally have to pry his mouth open and shove it in. Also, my fish tank looks amazing.

Summer Cuts

2011-05-02T07:38:00.002-05:00

Harvey's hair was getting too long, so one day i put in Bolt and went at it with some scissors. I won't lie, there were times when i was worried we would just have to buzz the whole thing. But eventually (after google-ing how to cut boys hair) it turned out alright. I think the otter pops helped.

Before

After

Easter

2011-04-29T19:20:00.002-05:00

We had the Allen's over for easter last week, and it was a lot of fun. Other than the extraordinary amount of tornado warnings and rain, it was a typical easter weekend.

Jennie tried to explain to Harvey and Owen the true reason we celebrate easter, and how it relates to candy. She did a great job actually, but the boys really didn't pay any attention. They were much too excited to be in the "off limits" room.
Both Harvey and Owen received the same baskets they had from the previous years. They were high on little toys and low on candy. BOTH little guys devoured their cadbury cream eggs as soon as thy found them. We may have taken the rest of the candy away at that point to try and have some normalcy for church.
After church and well needed naps, we all went and had an easter BBQ at the Baers. We had an impromptu egg hunt that went over so well the boys kept throwing the eggs back out so they could "find" them again.

FYI Easter BBQ is SOOOO much simpler than an Easter ham. This may become a tradition here in the Smith house.

Fashions of a 2 Year Old.

2011-04-19T11:32:00.003-05:00

Harvey is pretty easy going when it comes to his clothes. For the most part, if it has a truck on it he will wear it. Sometimes though. he wants to do his own thing. These are somethings I've learned from my fashion bubbie.

Blankets go with everything.

Shoes should never match.

All you need is a good accessory.

Headbands are manly.

Long Day

2011-04-13T17:07:00.002-05:00

Some days I feel just like this.

Harvey played long and hard at the Gulbrandson's this morning. This was even AFTER his 2 hour nap.

Prepping for Plants

2011-04-07T12:37:00.003-05:00

We've been wanting to plant strawberries for a while now, but for one reason or another this year is the first one we've actually put them in the ground. Monday I picked up some random ones from Walmart. They were generic, and the package said 'strawberries.' I have no idea how they will turn out, but i figured for the price it was worth trying. Today however, I found the ever bearing variety that I have been looking for. I like the idea of having strawberries all summer rather than just in June. It is SO exciting!

Anyways, after I planted them, we tried out our new hose nozzle for the first time. Harvey thought it was amazing.

Harvey also liked that he didn't have to go inside to get a drink.

Spring Zoo

2011-04-05T19:32:00.007-05:00

The last week of March, we went up to St Louis to visit with the Allen's and go to the zoo. The week leading up to our visit was in the 70's. Saturday, however, was much colder. How cold do you ask? Lemme put it this way. Inside the penguin house was warmer than walking outside.

Regardless, we had a nice time visiting and to be truthful the zoo is more fun in the cold due to the fact that it is much less crowded. The only thing we missed out on was riding the carousel.

We started off by letting Harvey park the car. Or, at least letting him think he was parking the car while we waited for the zoo to open. I always forget that Captain arrives a half hour sooner when driving than I do.

Our first stop is always the penguins as they are everyone's favorite.

Captain wante to take these foxes home with us. They were tiny! About the same size as a small cat.
The red pandas are my personal favorite. I love the stripy tails. For some reason though, the zoo does not make a magnet with these adorable animals on them.

After the Allens joined up with us, Harvey and Owen scrieked with delight that to see their best buddy. They spend all day holding hands and racing strollers.

The jeep in the children's zoo is Harvey and Owen's favorite thing. They would spend ALL DAY LONG in that thing. Seriously there were many tears shed when we told them it was time to let some other kiddo play in it.

We wound up staying the night due to a snow storm. (See I told you it was cold!) Harvey and Owen went to nursery together, and then showed us how to fold our arms for prayers.

Harvey may not have the whole concept down yet, but he gets an A for trying. While we were watching general conference, I told Harvey to fold his arms for the prayer. He did, but he continued to jump off the chairs while doing so.

Toddlers are a constant work in progress.

Diaper Rash Part 2

2011-04-01T12:40:00.005-05:00

I heard a thump followed by some crying. Not your every day tantrum crying, or painful screaming, but more like the dreadful moaning of the end of the world. So I went to investigate.

You may remember Harvey's horrible diaper rash. Well it has cleared up for the most part again. In case you were wondering the doc has no idea what it is since the cultures came back negative.

We have found, however, the best way to fight this rash is to prevent Harvey's sensitive bottom from getting the more ordinary kinds of rashes. Doing so requires lots of naked time, patience with accidents, but mostly a but load of diaper rash ointment. The best kind for Harvey so far has been A&D ointment, which is primary made out of petroleum jelly.

You may be wondering at this point how this all relates to the screaming. Tuesday I made the executive decision to try the generic petroleum jelly and save us a few bucks. It is about $.75 per ounce cheaper than A&D Ointment. So far it has been working fine and I was happy with my frugality.

That is, until I went to check on my poor moaning toddler. I was all ready to tell him to go back to bed and in doing so pick him up gently and set him on the bed. I wasn't prepared for what happened next.

Harvey was sticky, and not just on his face, but over his entire body.

That's right you guessed it. He had covered himself in the petroleum jelly. The generic stuff comes in a tub, which makes it easier for me to use, and apparently easier for Harvey to get into. He had covered himself in it and when I came in he was trying to remove it with his blankie.

For the record Harvey has no problem with dirt, food, or most other foreign objects on his body, but for some reason he can't stand being sticky. I think it has to do with how much cat hair we have floating around the house.

So Harvey happily took a bath, delaying his nap time while I went and cleaned up the room. Luckily for me, he didn't get any petroleum jelly on the carpet, so it was fairly easy to clean up. FYI if you are trying to remove petroleum jelly from a red Book of Mormon with spray degreaser the color will bleed off onto your rag. But other than that everything was fine.

Except for Harvey. After his bath was over he had to go back to taking a nap, only this time without his special blankie.

So the question for you all is, Do you think that if I picked up another jar of petroleum jelly, that Harvey will have learned his lesson and leave well enough alone? Or will this disaster just repeat itself? Honestly, I'm not sure it's worth saving $3 to tempt fate.

Daring Bakers: Mets la main à la pâte!

2011-03-27T07:45:00.003-05:00

The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.

Oddly enough this coffee cake contained neither coffee nor cake.

It was, however, delicious.

The recipe for the Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake can be found here.

A few things I would like to say if you are to make this. The sweet bread takes time to rise, so plan ahead if you want this for a breakfast.

Also, The instruction say not to be timid when making cuts into your wreath and i will second this advice. I was afraid all the meringue filling would fall out while it was baking, and it did to some extent. But the Spillage was the most tasty part. The meringue was crispy and chewy and I kept wishing there was more that had spilled.

I recommend this recipe to anyone who loves cinnamon rolls and other sweet breads. I will seriously be making it again but playing with the fillings. Toffee or Marshmallows will be first on the list.

Spring Break

2011-03-22T08:59:00.002-05:00

The weather has warmed up here, and we had a few days without rain so Harvey and I have been spending a lot of time outside. Last week we had visitors and it seems like all Harvey and Owen wanted to do was be outside. The noise in the video background is the wind.

Rashes

2011-03-15T10:45:00.005-05:00

For those of you who don't know already, Harvey has developed several serious rashes this year. And by serious I don't mean bright red skin, though he's had his share of that. No, I mean raised blisters about the size of peas that may or may not be full of puss and bleed if the diaper rubs too hard on them. They come for about 2-4 weeks, disappear for 2 and then return. I didn't think much of them at first because it is only diaper rash, it wasn't affecting his behavior, it was healing naturally and I do not enjoy taking a toddler to the doctor. Well now we are on round 3 of this, so I finally decided to bite the bullet and go see a doctor.

Harvey was a real trooper during the whole thing. The doc wanted to culture the pustules, so Harvey had to lay there for about 5 minutes, and by lay there I mean he was forcibly restrained by his mama, while the doctor proceeded to poke his little bum trying to get the pustules to ooze.

Naturally, we went and picked up Harvey a baloon when the poking was all done. Luckily for this mama, Kroger, our grocery store/ pharmacy, gives out free balloons to kiddos who ask. Harvey and I love Kroger. FYI they also give free cookies.

We won't find out what kind of rash he has for a week, but like most things kids go through, it will be either viral or bacteria. I'm hoping for bacterial because then the antibiotics he is on will make it go away permanently this time. In the mean time Harvey has been running around neked like a crazy fool.

For the record, Harvey's current round of blisters is healing up all on its own. I really hope we don't have to go through all of this again.

Car Crayons

2011-03-05T16:43:00.002-06:00

I recently won a set of mini spatulas from a blog called the Newlywed Chefs. Now this isn't something I would have ever picked out for myself, but let me tell you, they be well used here. It really is amazing how quickly my spatulas are used. Anyways, The Newlywed chefs is a cooking blog that I recently discovered. They have many yummy looking recipes and you should go check out their site if you have a minute.

On a completely unrelated note, but seeing as I don't want to wait to blog about it, I made Harvey some car crayons today.

Now Harvey LOVES to color, but he has this thing against crayon wrappers. And because he has such small stubby fingers, he tends to remove said wrappers with his teeth.

Which is fine because crayons are non- toxic and all. However, I am tired of picking up crayon wrappers and broken pieces off the floor.

So I started to look into making home-made crayons. I wanted to do them completely from scratch with beeswax, but wouldn't you know it, beeswax is expensive. So instead I took those broken up pieces and melted them in a hard candy car mold graciously loaned to me by a dear friend.

Harvey loves them, and now all I have to worry about is "tire tracks" on the walls.

Daring Bakers: Panna Cotta & Florentine Cookies

2011-02-27T10:27:00.000-06:00

The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.

So I was a little put out by the fact that they wanted us to make two different desserts this month. In fact, I had decided to skip this month, but boy am I glad that I change that decision. I haven't tried the panna cotta yet, but the floentine cookies are amazing.

Recipes here

I honestly haven't eaten this yet.. but it sure is pretty! Its basically a milk jello topped with fruit jello.

The cookies started like this.

The Florentine cookie dough was wonderful, and as an added bonus there are no eggs in it so you can lick the bowl as much as you want
The cookies ended like this.

For some reason, my cookies got progressively more burnt, even though I reduced the baking time for each batch. The ones with no browned edges were the yummiest, but the others were easier to work with. The cookies are suppose to have a chocolate backing on them, I may or may not get to that. It's been kinda a crazy day.
Harvey couldn't wait for the cookies to be done, and he really liked the dough, even though it is mostly oatmeal.

Sorry for the weird breaks, but I am new to this editing thing.

Brownie Stuffed Cookies

2011-02-24T16:33:00.002-06:00

I recently read a recipe over on Picky Palate for brownie stuffed cookies. Co ahead and click that link, they looked wonderful. Anyways, I was determined to make them. However, I decided to use my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, and then discovered that we didn't have enough flour. This was the result.

Very flat cookies. The dough I had chosen was too soft to stay shaped up around the brownies. I tell you what though, it didn't stop anyone from eating them. They were still very yummy. These things are huge though. Harvey took 3 days to eat his cookie.

New Video Camera

2011-02-18T15:12:00.003-06:00

Harvey plays with his shadow.

Sorry for the low light, Harvey was supposed to be taking a nap, but when I came in to check on him this is what he as doing.

New Hairdo

2011-02-10T14:08:00.002-06:00

A week ago, I broke down and took Harvey to the barber. It was quite dramatic. There were many tears, but none of them from me.
Anyways I took some pictures that evening, but he wasn't very cooperative.

See what I mean? Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this picture, it just doesn't show his hair off very well.
Half hour later and this was the best I could get. No smile, in a dark hallway, doing his best to ignore me. So I gave up and waited for a time when I knew Harvey would be happy.

Bath time is always the best time for smiles around here.

Laundry Woes

2011-02-07T11:38:00.003-06:00

Today I'd like to complain. Don't get me wrong, most days I enjoy a good complaint, I mean my life is currently filled with repetitive menial tasks. Today however, I feel particularly aggrieved about one thing.

Laundry.

Nobody warned me that by getting married my laundry duties would triple. That's right... not double... triple. Somehow Captain uses 2 times as much washable items as I do. After 5 1/2 years of marriage I am still not used to this.

Don't get me started about kids. How does someone that little go through so much?

Seriously. This is one week's worth of laundry at the Smith Family house hold.

Please note this does not include sheets or the 2 loads of diapers Harvey goes though weekly. Also, you will find that this has been non-traditionally sorted. Here let me help you see what i mean.

Here you can see the amount of laundry each person contributes weekly.

Notice if you will, that the towels are completely used by Harvey & Captain. I have a bathrobe that is washed when it needs it, but for this week, none of those were used by me. Captain goes through twice as much clothing a week as I do. And before you say, no Leslie, his clothes are just bigger, let me point out that tiny Harvey's pile is bigger than his dad's pile.

Also, Since introducing new people into my laundry duties I have discovered that most people feel laundry day should be a scavenger hunt. Just this morning I found a neatly rolled up pile of jammies, along with a random sock, on the play coaster.

I swear if Captain had to do the laundry every week, he'd be more apt to use the laundry basket.

What menial tasks have you been unappreciated about?

Boxed In & Giveaway Winner

2011-02-02T12:21:00.003-06:00

You may not be aware but Harvey loves boxes.

Also, Harvey dislikes clothing about as much as he loves boxes.

Seriously, Its amazing he still has all his toes and fingers. We keep our house a balmy 64 degrees in the winter, could enough for me to wear shoes indoors.
Harvey doesn't seem to mind the cold most of the time though. He just keeps stripping his carefully prepared outfits and runs around in his diaper... if we are lucky.

And now for the results of the Yoplait Delights Giveaway...
Congratulations to Wendy Miller! Wendy please leave your e-mail address on this post so I can get your info to have this sent to you.

6th Sense

2011-01-27T15:20:00.002-06:00

Harvey has a 6th sense when it comes to sweet foods, and not just when it comes to finding them in the cupboard. He can tell when I'm cooking and comes running every time to "help" clean the spoon. He's like a cat with canned food.

Seriously, it's uncanny.

Though one time, I was making mashed potatoes in the mixer and he came in demanding the spoon. So, you know, I gave it to him. He didn't trust me to hand him food for a week. Is it mean that I find this hilarious?

Loves

2011-01-24T11:08:00.001-06:00

Harvey would just like to say that he loves you.

He also loves cookies.

Harvey's New Dresser

2011-01-20T15:14:00.003-06:00

Went to a local antique market with a good friend looking for a dresser for Harvey. I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted a long & low 4-6 drawer solid wood dresser that was raised up on legs so that it would fit both under a window and over a heat register.

This is what I came home with.

Well it just goes to show that sometimes you don't know what you really want. It is solid wood and does have enough drawers, but that is where the similarities end.

This one turned out to be prefect for Harvey though, and he is loving it.

Turn out, those adorable dressers with the spindly legs are kinda top heavy. It makes them a tad wobbly, and there is no way they would stand up the the kind of abuse a toddler will put them through. Especially this toddler who has already tried to climb this dresser by using only the knobs.

Anyways, Harvey is pretty stoked to have his own dresser and not have to share with the new baby.

Yoplait Delights Giveaway

2011-01-17T11:24:00.003-06:00

I was recently asked to review Yoplait Delights by My Blog Spark. I love yogurt so I went for it. Yoplait, through My Blog Spark provided me with a free sample of their Yoplait Delights, and to be thorough, I picked up a second flavor to test and review for you all.

So here it is.

I tried the Chocolate Raspberry and the Triple Berry Creme. My first impression of both was that they were overly sweet. Which was odd for yogurt, so I checked the sugar content and low and behold the Yoplaits Delights contained more sugar than my son's Gogurt. That being said, they aren't bad so long as you expect them for a desert. They only have 100 calories and are individually packaged which is nice. You know, cause it's hard to measure out exactly 100 calories of say... ice cream.

Chocolate Yogurt takes a little getting used to, but the Triple Berry Creme tasted like berries and cream. I liked the berry one the best, but my friend like the chocolate one. So really, what you will like will depend on your tastes.

All in All, I probably wouldn't purchase this product again, but If it is something you might be interested in Yoplait & My Blog Spark are offering a $0.50 off coupon for you to go out and try some.

Now the Giveaway.
Not only did Yoplait & My Blog Spark provide me with free yogurt, but they sent a fun little gift to go with it. AND you all can have one too.

The Yoplait Delights "Indulgent Escape" pack contains:

chocolate scented Candle
Insulated tote bag
Aroma therapy eye pillow

If you want one, all you have to do is leave a comment saying which flavor of Yoplait Delights you would be most interested in trying. The Flavors are: Chocolate Raspberry, Crème Caramel, Triple Berry Crème and Lemon Torte, plus their 2 new flavors (which I didn't see at the store) Chocolate Éclair and Cherry Cheesecake. Also, make sure when you leave a comment I have a way to contact you, e-mail is preferred. Contest will be open for exactly 2 weeks from the posting time stamp. The winner will be randomly chosen. One entry per person please.

It's A...

2011-01-11T20:36:00.003-06:00

GIRL!

Yes, she is trying to suck her thumb. She also likes to kick with both feet at the same time, and really doesn't like to be squished.

And since I know you all are going to ask, No we don't have a name yet feel free to throw your favorite ones out there. Current front runners are Cecilia, Jessica, Miranda, and Emilja. (emilia... just ignore the j it's a family spelling) Apparently we only like girl names that end in "a." This may be a problem for future girl babies around here.

Due Date is June 11th, but since she will come via c-section the latest she will actually show up is June 7th.

For those of you who had no idea SURPRISE! Sorry we didn't tell you sooner, but I promise we don't hate you, we just are a little lazy this time around.

Also, for the record, We REALLY hope she looks more like me than Harvey does. Because, as cute as he is, he is one of the most male looking kids I've ever seen. I mean seriously this kid already is growing a mustache and back hair.

Lastly... I need to re-paint new baby's bedroom. Anyone want to help? Or... you know just help pick the color, because I'm really bad at that.

Love you guys!

FEATURED

2011-01-08T09:22:00.004-06:00

Hey guys I just want you to take a look at something. My island was featured on Ana White's DIY furniture website. If you have minute go check it out.

Farmhouse Kitchen Island & Bar

I updated the plans from when I posted them here, and made them easier to understand... and I fixed a few errors.

If any of you have never heard of Ana's website, it used to be called Knock-Off-Wood and it is a community site that has hundreds of free easy to build plans.

Right now I am finishing up this one RECLAIMED-WOOD LOOK HEADBOARD, KING SIZE

All it needs is some sanding and some polyurathane to finish it up. When this is done we are planning on building the Puzzle Bookcase and if we have enough leftover wood from the two projects I'd like to make up 2 of the simple nightstands. It will be nice to have bedroom furniture for a change.

***Also I'd like to mention real quick that we will have our first giveaway here in the upcoming week!***