A Most Random Catch-Up Post

I am still in reluctant blogger mode, so I'm just going to mash all the recent happenings into one random post.

Here goes.

This has been an odd winter. I fully expected that moving further north & east, and to a state surrounded by water on 3 sides meant we would have more snow & cold, but I have been wrong. Detroit is actually down about 30" of snow from last year. It's been cold (sub-freezing), but I don't think we've dipped below zero at all. Currently we have just patches of snow on the ground, and I don't think we've gotten more than 1" of snow from any of the "storms" that have come through. Wonder if that means we are in for a fierce summer?

The kids have been sick for about a month now. It started on Christmas Eve when Big J woke up with croup. Although he recovered pretty quickly, there were some lingering sniffles between the two of them. Then, 2 weeks ago, we were invaded by Rotavirus. If you don't know what it is, google it, as I am choosing to not relive the horror of it. Let's just say that in the past few weeks I've easily tripled the loads of laundry, toilet paper, diapers, carpet cleaner, & Clorox wipes that we usually use. First Big Sis suffered through it, then when she recovered, she passed it to Big J. Although I love it when they share I would have been happier if they had not shared this. I THINK they're fully on the mend now and hope that we have healthy times ahead.

I am still working on Big Sis' birthday quilt. It was supposed to be a Christmas gift, then it turned into a Birthday gift. Now it may be an Easter gift. Possibly Valentine's, but I'm not making any promises. I like how it's turning out, but it's been A LOT of work. And with sick kids, birthdays & life to work around, I just wasn't able to knock it out like I had hoped. I will post pics when it's all done.

Next on the crafting docket are: a birthday banner for Big J, a duvet cover for Big J, Cars birthday cake for Big J, silhouettes of the kids, and to finish off the chair I am painting/ reupholstering for my craft area.

Thanks to Christmas gift cards, I've been able to upgrade some of my kitchen tools. I am now the giddy owner of a 7" Wusthof Santoku knife and a set of All-Clad French Skillets. And yes, they are as amazing as I had hoped they would be.

I DO find it ironic that almost as soon as I purchased these skillets, All-Clad discontinued their basic stainless line and replaced it with the far more expensive MC2 line. Bummer. BUT I have also found Cookware & More for All-Clad irregulars at excellent prices. I have not yet purchased from them, but I plan to save my pennies and invest in more new cookware. I love to cook, and it's SO much more pleasurable when you have the right tools.

We recently joined the local Y and I've been trying to go 3-4 days each week. I love the 2 hours of free childwatch, and so do the kids. It's super, super clean & they always have fun there. I'm back on the Couch-to-5K program & plan to participate in the Detroit Race for the Cure in May. Big Sis starts swim lessons at the Y in just a few weeks & we're hoping this is going to get her ramped up to hit the pool/ beach this summer.

We finally entered the 21st century & tried out Skype with the Grandparents! The transmission was a little spotty, but it was really neat to be able to see & hear them. I can see us relying more heavily on Skype as we continue to be far from family for the next 5-6 years.

We split up the kids. When we moved to MI, we had kept the kids paired up with the idea of using the spare room as a playroom. Well, turns out our kids want to be with us - wherever we are in the house - and really never used the playroom. A few days ago we broke down and moved Big J into the playroom. Big Sis is happy to have her own room again - where she can shut the door and keep him out. They've made the transition really well, and now I just need to finish cleaning out the toys and reorganizing their spaces. I think it may be about time to be done with the changing table and transition to a dresser. My baby isn't a baby any more! I'm thinking of sprucing up his room with these:

I LOVE this print. It's from falldowntree's Etsy shop, and it's part of the My New Robot series. I think the little guy in the print looks so much like Big J. I've had my eye on this for months, but I can't decide if I could/ should mix robots & dinosaurs & airplane prints. They all have the same look, but are the subjects too unrelated?

Ikea Aneboda dresser

A little basic & boring, but within our budget.

Land of Nod Strapping Storage Bins

These look great for big toys & as a laundry hamper.

Big Daddy is heading back to Oregon for a week & he's taking Big J with him. I'm excited for them to have this adventure together, but miss them both already. Fortunately, Big Sis has a Winter Break over the exact days they will be gone, so we'll get to spend some good girl time together.

That's all for now.

6

My girl is 6! Sometimes it seems like just a few years ago that we were getting ready to head to the hospital to meet our baby girl. And now she's 6. I feel old.

We gave her the option to stay home and relax on her birthday & she CHOSE to go to school.

We all got up a little early to open presents and partake in her birthday breakfast (donuts & fruit smoothies). One of the few things she asked for was a new dress-up box. She LOVES to dress up and often saunters around the house in her princess high heels. A girly-girl all the way.

My girl is very susceptible to the power of the infomercial, and that, combined with our slightly chilly house, led to a fascination with the Snuggie. She thinks it's pretty awesome.

I am not a scrapbooker or a stamper, but after seeing so many adorable birthday banners on the craft blogs I read, I had a notion to give it a whirl. She thought it was GREAT.

Triple Layer Red Velvet Cake with Swiss Buttercream Frosting.

Recipes from Smitten Kitchen. It turned out good (not great), but I think it was clearly due to my lack of practice in cake baking, NOT the recipes.

Noming on cotton candy at Chuck E. Cheese. She was SO excited to go to CEC for her birthday. Thank goodness her birthday was during the week, as I don't think Big Daddy and I could have tolerated a weekend visit.

I wasn't sure what she'd think about the cake, but she loved it.

(Note: 6 year old girls can be a touch persnickety).

Blowing out candles.

She wore that crown all evening, and puts it on every day. Nothing says birthday girl like a blow-up crown!

Fab Friday: February 5

The D has been fortunate to have a very mild winter this year. My friends in the DSM have not been so lucky. So, in honor of cold, frosty weather, I give you one of our favorite recipes. It's cheesy, it's warm, and it's super easy. Although this is from my Cooking Light cookbook, I am going to give you the recipe the way I make it. If you want to use the lower sodium, lower fat mods, go for it. It's good either way.

Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole

(adapted from Cooking Light)

1 package chicken flavored Rice-A-Roni

1 Tbs. butter

2 1/4 cups hot water

Cooking spray

1 1/2 lbs. chicken cut into bite-sized pieces (tenderloins or breast)

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup

Shredded Cheese

1. Spray 2-quart casserole pan with cooking spray.

2. Cook rice according to package directions, using the butter and the hot water. When done cooking, place mixture in a large bowl. Wipe pan with paper towel.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4. Coat skillet with cooking spray. Place over high heat until hot. Add chicken, mushrooms & garlic powder. Saute 4 minutes or until chicken is done. Add chicken mixture, sour cream, pepper, and soup to rice mixture. Stir until well blended. Place mixture into casserole dish.

5. Sprinkle with cheese - as much as you'd like.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

(image from Finecooking.com)

Note: Have you seen the cover of The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook? I think I purchased it simply because of the delightful looking Blueberry Pound Cake on the cover..... with Vanilla-Buttermilk Ice Cream!! One of these days I'll get around to making it. Being the only blueberry lover in the house is rough. Real rough.

End of January

Whew! If January is indicative of how 2010 is going to go for us, I am looking forward to the next 11 months. Despite the hiccups of a little sickness in the house (10 days of Rotavirus - once was enough!), this was a good month for us.

This little guy is keeping us busy. He's always on the go, and loves coloring, running, playing with his trucks & Legos, watching Cars, and snacking.

Anytime he can, he will grab my phone and start "playing" Monopoly.

We don't usually allow "Porky Pigging", but he wouldn't take off his boots. Can't say I blame him.

Big Sis lost TWO teeth! She's had several wigglers, but when Big Daddy saw the new ones pushing through on the bottom he decided it was time to pull out the hemostats and finish them off. She was very brave, and the Tooth Fairy rewarded her with $5 tucked into her new Tooth Fairy pillow!

Tooth Fairy pillow accented with vintage buttons. It matches the quilt I am making for her birthday.

And finally, Big Sis went rock climbing! We happened to be at REI on a weekend day, and she immediately insisted on trying the rock wall. She waited patiently for over an hour, and was able to observe several other climbers before her turn arrived.

Getting roped into her harness.

Listening to instructions.

Finding footholds & handholds. I think she has a bit of a natural talent for rock climbing.

Monkeying up. About 3/4 of the way up she froze for a minute, but she shook it off & touched the bell up top.

Reaching for the bell.

Rappelling back down.

She liked it enough to ask to go back and do it again.

We're so proud of our girl!

Fab Friday: January 29

And so with the advent of another year, I once again begin the tedious pursuit of better health & wellness. While I have been reluctantly consistent with my physical exertions, my dietary intake continues to torment me (particularly after 6:30pm).

But lo! What is this tiny treasure I have unearthed in the freezer section of the local grocer? Skinny Cow Chocolate Truffle Bars? With just 100 calories per bar?

Glory Be & Sakes Alive! My cocoa cravings can now be soothed with the sweet nothings of such delicious bars. Now if I could just motivate my midsection into re-discovering its long lost musculature......

Chimichurri/ Aji/ Mojo Sauce

One of my simple, go-to meals of late is Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce. Serve the sauce on the side, or if you're brave, drizzled over slices of the steak. Usually we have extra steak & sauce, so a few days later we use both to make quesadillas. As with many recipes, I think the sauce gets better overnight. It can be very strong/ spicy, will thicken in the fridge, and is really, really yummy.

Chimichurri Sauce

*based on a recipe from Bon Appetit/ epicurious.com

• 2/3 - 3/4 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 3/4 cup (packed) fresh cilantro
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 3-4 Green onions, white part & some of the green
• 1 Jalapeno, seeded & with ribs removed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• A few dashes of pepper

**Use the above as a starting point. I don't usually measure the olive oil or vinegar - I just drizzle it in until it looks right to me. I've also made it with white onion instead of green & find it is VERY strong.

Puree all ingredients in food processor until combined.

Happy New Year!

(photo from iStock Photo)

Yes, yes, I know it's the 4th already. I'm not much of a "Happy New Year" kinda gal and yet here we are.

I have high hopes for 2-0-1-0. '09 was an awful year for us, but we've already been over that.

I've decided that I am not writing resolutions this year, but have 5 goals for myself. Seems like a doable number.

I've spent much time reflecting on the close of the old and the beginning of the new. The year ended well for us. Good food, happy family, fun games, restful sleep, healthy bodies. I am hoping that this quiet end is a portent of what we can expect for the next 12 months.

I noticed that I wrote 30 less posts in 2009, and the drop occurred after our move. You make the connection. Blogging is not included in this year's goals, and I don't want to taint things by making sweeping statements like "I will post every day!". We both know it's not going to happen. I WILL try to make my writing more meaningful, and share more of what I love.

Know what I love today?

6pm.com. They are the clearance site for Zappos. And come on, discounts + shoes + shopping from the comfort of your own couch? Yes, please.

Let me be clear. I have no shortage of shoes. And when Big Daddy sees this he will not be happy. But come on, a girl needs shoes!

Specifically, I have had boots on the brain. Tall, short, black, brown, purple, leather, vinyl, rubber, sexy, snuggly, winter-iffic, BOOTS. I am a girl with {ahem} healthy legs, so boot shopping is often challenging. At best. I have had no luck lately, especially since I have been desperately seeking the ultimate trifecta of fit, color, and price. Yes, I do have some boots that I love, but Jack Frost is a treacherous beast and sometimes the Uggs are just not a match for the wintery mess of slush, ice, and salt. And while the Sorel's are toasty and rugged, they are not fit for the gentle company of restauranteurs and church-goers.

But the New Year seems to be bringing me luck, as I DID find these beauties:

(photo from Zappos.com)

Keen Kaley

I've wanted some boots that were a cross between the comfort of my beloved Uggs, and the ruggedness of my Sorels. With a durable sole, a cozy faux-sheepskin lining, and a below-calf height, these are sure to be my go-to boots for Kindergarten drop off.

(photo from Zappos.com)

Franco Sarto Canopy

And these. These! About 10 years ago, I bought a pair of similar Franco boots, and they carried me through the evolution of many, many looks. There was actually a time in my life when I wore nothing but skirts. But that's a tale for another day.

I believe they will pair nicely with skirts, jeans, and everything in between. My favorite part is the stretchy, pull-on styling. No more worries about healthy calves battling with unwilling zippers.

Although my cheap side balked at paying shipping, I have to say that I ordered these on a Saturday & they were delivered MONDAY. Seriously, now THAT is service!