Her First Steps 11/30/2009
  This morning started off with two children awake in their room with the light on playing Legos at 6am. Normally the kids are fast asleep at this time. Something woke big brother up and instead of closing his eyes and going back to sleep he decided he would rather play and wanted someone to play with. What better way of waking your baby sister up than turning on the bright lights. Surely if the room is all lit up she won’t be able to sleep through that! Legos must have seemed like the best close by toy solution. By the time I started to hear little bits of noise here and there, and decided to go and check out what was going on, the two children were deep in Lego towers. The baby, in her crib of course where she cannot yet escape, had her own set of Legos to play with that her brother so nicely shared with her by shoving them through the bars. They were perfectly content, playing and talking with one another. Time did not matter in the least to them. Even though I was tired and unprepared for 2 awake children so early in the morning there was something peaceful and so very loving seeing the 2 of them enjoy being together quietly, sneakily in their room. The day came to an end earlier than usual with 2 very tired children, and my baby girl...she took her very first steps today, hooray! Grandpa and Daddy got to share that special moment with her. We are so proud of our little girl!  Add Comment Carrots with Shallots 11/30/2009
 Carrots with shallots are one of our all time favorite vegetable side dishes for a special occasion. It is an indulgent recipe with lots of flavor. Hubby says it is really good, and I agree! The best part, it is pretty simple to make. The recipe also comes from MarthaStewart.com. Here is the recipe: Carrots with Shallots by MarthaStewart.com 2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 large shallots sliced in rings ¼ cup honey 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon coarse salt Steam the carrots for 10 – 15 minutes until tender. Drain carrots and put aside. In another skillet melt butter, and add shallots, cooking until lightly browned about 2 – 3 minutes. Add honey, mustard and salt stirring until combined. Add carrots and cook until warm throughout. In my version I steamed the carrots, however, the original recipe calls for boiling the carrots in salted water so you could give that a try as well. This year instead of regular Dijon mustard we used Jack Daniels Dijon and it was extra, extra yummy! The kick from the Dijon along with the sweetness of the honey, and the browned butter with shallots is a delicious combination! Have a fantastic last day of November J Mashed Sweet Potatoes 11/29/2009
 On Thursday for American Thanksgiving one of the sides that I made was mashed sweet potatoes. I found this recipe on MarthaStewart.com. I highly recommend you give this website a try if you are looking for a recipe. There is a huge index of recipes, along with photographs of the food. This was the first time I made mashed sweet potatoes, as opposed to the traditional garlic mashed potatoes I usually make. The family and I thought it was a great recipe. They were sweet and delicious, but not overly heavy. They made great leftovers the next day as well. Mashed Sweet Potatoes by MarthaStewart.com 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 2inch chucks ½ cup half and half 3 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons brown sugar Salt and pepper Steam the potatoes for 15 to 25 minutes until soft. Drain. In another small pan combine half and half, butter, and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer and stir until the ingredients are combined. Remove from heat; add to the drained sweet potatoes and mash. Season with salt and pepper. Tomorrow I will share another side dish we love and make most holidays at our house. What are some of your favorite side dishes for the holidays or a special meal? Emotional Saturday 11/29/2009
 For our family today was a day of mixed emotions. We lost a dear family friend today, who was such a gift to this world. It is hard to let go and our hearts ache so much for the wonderful family he leaves behind. When sadness like this hits you hold your loved ones a little bit closer, and treasure the blessing they are to you even more. This is something that we should all strive to do each and every day. To truly cherish each other always, not only when reminded by grief. Today we went to a birthday party for a very sweet 2 year old girl. It was a lot of fun! The kids had a blast. The party started out with painting. My son painted a plate and I painted a mug for my daughter. It was such a clever idea, and we all really enjoyed it. Now we have a special memento to remember that time together. After the party we stopped by the mall to get the children some winter boots. Surprisingly the mall was not as busy as I expected. I didn’t even have to wait in a line! When we arrived home we had dinner, than started decorating our house for the holidays. Tomorrow we will work some more on decorating in between a couple of other things we have planned. I will be sure to share pictures soon. I hope you are all enjoying your weekend!
Tree Hunt 11/27/2009
Today our family went on a Christmas tree hunt. After visiting a couple of local stores and not finding anything we decide to drive out to a tree farm. I am glad we did! It was a fun time for all of us.  The name of the tree farm was Oh Christmas Tree Farm. It was 17 acres with about 20,000 trees. That is a lot of trees! We tried not to look too closely at all of them because otherwise the decision making process would be too hard.  We hiked to the back of the farm, and up and down a few rows when we decided to head back towards the entrance. Luckily the nice man working there drove my son and I back in a golf cart. My husband was left to drive the stroller with the baby over the bumpy path. My favorite tree variety blue spruce has been very hard to find. No luck with that this year, but we got a cute tress with pretty spacing. I like to showcase some of my favorite ornaments in the large gaps so they can hang nicely. Here is our tree  The farm had some pre cut trees as well for those who prefer not to cut their own.  After finding our tree we stopped by the warm, beautiful fire and enjoyed hot chocolate and candy canes.  Instead of singing Christmas carols on the way home the kids napped instead, which was just fine by me! J  A fun time! Happy Weekend
Pizza at Home 11/27/2009
 One of our family’s weekly dinners is pizza. We all love it and have found it pretty simple to make at home. I thought I would share the pizza dough recipe we use. This recipe is adapted from homemakers.com Whole Wheat Pizza Crust. Using half whole wheat flour increases the nutritional value of the dough from all white flour. My favorite way to make the dough is in our bread machine on the dough only cycle. Our machine actually has a pizza dough cycle that we use but dough only would work just fine. Although the original recipe is not intended for a bread machine it still works great. I will list the recipe in the order you would put them into the machine. Whole Wheat Pizza Crust 1 ¼ cups warm water 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil 1 Tablespoon honey 1 ½ cups white flour 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon salt (if using bread machine poor in the corner) 2 teaspoons yeast (for bread machine put yeast in a well in the center of the flour) Tip: use the same measuring spoon for the honey that you originally used for the olive oil without cleaning it first. This way the honey does not stick to the measuring spoon and slides out easily. One ingredient I leave out that the original recipe calls for is ½ teaspoon pepper. I like the dough better without the pepper. In addition the recipe calls for cornmeal to sprinkle on the baking pan to keep the dough from sticking. Instead of cornmeal my favorite thing to do is to lightly spray a piece of waxed paper with olive oil. I spray both sides to keep the paper from sliding around the pan when spreading the dough. As well the dough when cooked doesn’t stick to the paper and the olive oil gives the dough some added flavor. Using waxed paper makes it super easy to lift the pizza right out of the pan and onto the cutting board. With the waxed paper underneath your cutting board doesn’t become a cheesy, saucy mess so it makes for an easy cleanup. If you are not ready to use the dough yet lightly oil a bowl, cover, and store in the fridge. You can even make the dough the day before, or store it tightly wrapped in the freezer. Sometimes I will make a double batch of dough and store half in the freezer for the next week. 1 or 2 days before I want to use it I let the dough thaw in the fridge. Chilled dough for me has always been easier to spread in the pan. It is less sticky and stretches better without ripping as much. Tip: it is easier to stretch the dough some working with gravity first, and then place into the pan to finish stretching it. Just add your favorite sauce and toppings! I use a tomato based pizza sauce, and my son’s favorite topping is pepperoni. I also like to use a blend of mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Pizza seasoning on top of the cheese is a great addition as well. For this dough recipe I use my 17.25 x 11.5 inch baking pan. Cook the pizza at 425 degrees F for about 10 – 15 minutes. Look for the cheese to be completely melted and slightly browned in spots. Happy Thanksgiving America! 11/26/2009
 Saying thankful is not a strong enough word for how I feel. Really there isn’t a word big enough to describe how blessed I feel. I am thankful for my husband and children. For my family who I miss very much today and every day. For my friends that mean the world to me. For all those who love and care for us and send us their wonderful energy. For all those who were once in our lives and I know are still looking out for us. I am thankful that everything I need in life, I truly already have. I am thankful for you taking the time to read my blog and share in my life on this amazing journey together. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone with Love! Wendy Irene & Family
Big Changes Little Girl 11/25/2009
 LS (little sister) is going through some big changes right now. She is standing up all over the house without pulling up on anything. The smile on her face is incredible when she stands up. She is so proud of herself, and sometimes she even gives herself a little clap. This is a sign that not long from now she will be taking her first step and a whole world of new discoveries will open up for her. LS’s 8th tooth is on its way in, giving her 3 on the bottom and almost 5 on the top. We see # 8 starting to peek through. Her little jack o lantern smile with the spread of teeth is to die for. LS loves to feed herself these days and those cute little teeth are really helping. On top of that she is not sleeping in Mommy and Daddy’s room anymore, and tonight will most likely be her first night together in the room with her brother. We shall see how that goes. Daddy has tomorrow off for Thanksgiving so we thought it would be a good night to try them together in case it is long. Her baby talk is getting faster and faster with much more meaning behind it. You can see the thoughts running through her head. Her favorite thing to say “Get Out!” When BB (big brother) takes a toy away “Get Out!” When she doesn’t want you to change her diaper “Get Out!” When she is tired of being in her car seat “Get Out!” The expression on her face to go along with when she says it makes me smile from ear to ear. Now how to keep her out of the decorations and ornaments this year...? Sleep Better and More of It 11/25/2009
 Here are some tips that I have read and seen in various places. As I am feeling tired today, it is a good reminder for me too! 1. Set a specific bedtime. If you are like me and 30 minutes after that time comes too quickly you might want to play games with yourself, and make your set bed time a little bit earlier. Kind of along the same lines as setting your clocks 10 minutes fast to help with being on time. 2. 1 hour before your bedtime turn the lights down low, or off to help your body adjust for sleep. 3. Keep your room as dark as possible. Light actually effects the quality of the sleep you have. To get a better, deeper night sleep get rid of as much light as you can. 4. Minimize electronics in your room. Keep the ones you need in your bedroom as far away from your bed as possible. I need to work on this one. My baby monitor and alarm clock are right next to my head. In keeping with #3 make sure your electronics are as dim as possible. If I remember correctly I think I saw on the doctors blue light is the worst, green is medium, and red is the best in terms of an alarm clock. It is better if you don’t need one but I definitely do! I have not mastered the sleeping without an alarm yet, or maybe I am just too tired. 5. This is not a recommendation I have read anywhere but for me white noise is helpful. It helps me quiet my mind by concentrating on the noise. 6. Turn down the thermostat. Our bodies like to sleep in a cooler environment, so make sure your room is not too warm at night. I hope some or all of these tips help. Sleep helps us cope with our day to day activities with a much brighter outlook. A good night sleep can really lift your spirit. The more rested we are the more patience we have, and the better ability we have to deal with stressful situations. When your mind and body are rested it is easier to stay centered and avoid getting as overwhelmed. Although it is much easier to say than to do, when your set bedtime rolls around put the to do list down, and tell yourself you will be healthier and better off tackling some of those challenges tomorrow. Do you have any tips to share for a better night of sleep?
Reuse your Corks 11/24/2009
Cork Place Card Holders On Home Made Simple I saw a great idea that I would like to share. For a cute and budget friendly Place Card Holder use old wine corks or inexpensive ones purchased from your local craft store. Cut a slit in them horizontally and insert a card with your guests name on it. To add to this while brainstorming about the place card holder I came up with an additional idea if you have a little more time. You could print a photo of your guest and place it in the cork place card holder. The sillier the better! It would make for a great conversation starter. With the ease of sharing pictures now through social networking I am sure you could find some great photos of your guests to use. Click here to see the picture on HomeMadeSimple.com Two great places Home Made Simple suggests to put place card holders are on top of a folded napkin centered on the plate, or on the table centered above the place setting. This website is a new favorite find for me. I got another idea I may or may not use for my kid’s birthday party. Stay tuned!
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