Etsy Finds

I have fallen in love with terrariums lately. I have been shopping for "the perfect one" but I have yet to commit. I go online at least once a month to daydream about where I would put it in the house and how often I would water it and whisper sweet nothings. I haven't figured it all out yet. Would I put it out on our back porch? Is a hanging terrarium right for us? A beach theme? We love the beach. Would I want a few? I do want some tiny ones to set up on the dinning room table or maybe just the coffee table. I don't know. The possibilities are endless. What I do know is that I need some freshness sprinkled in this house. Here are a few designs that I love:

1. I love this Jellyfish Air Plant. I love that it's a bit whimsical and a bit creepy crawly. I can see these hanging from the roof of our porch.
2. This succulent picture frame is awesome! This would be perfect near a front door. It's a whole lot of life and it's looks like an instant spirit lifter. Don't you just feel alive looking at it??

3. This little lamb is the cutest guy ever! This terrarium paints such a fun world. Can you see it? Don't you just want to take a nap on that moss and snuggle noses with the little lamb. Do they nibble?

 

4. This blown glass terrarium is perfect for a open book case. I bet it would look great as a book end.

 

5. The ruler planter is so dainty and perfect size for a work desk. I love it. Are you a teacher? Do you know a teacher? I bet this would make a great addition to any teacher's classroom.

 

 

6. One miniature forest terrarium coming right up. I think this one is great for the fellas. It speaks of strength.

 

 

 

**This is not a sponsored post**

Living in the Moment

Sometimes I beat myself up about not blogging often enough. What is enough? What is too much for that matter? I wonder if I am documenting enough. Then today we went through our daily bed time ritual. Howie got his bath, lotioned cuddled and fed bananas and then we snuggled up with each other to nurse. Usually I read on my phone or tablet until he finishes and falls asleep. Then I usually pick him up and let him sleep on my shoulder for a few minutes. Then he nuzzled his little nose against my cheek and it snapped me back into reality. I want to share everything with my friends and family that are near and far and but I want to live fully in each moment and absorb it all in...and keep it for myself.

I am making a promise to myself to share what I can, when I can but I will honor the time that I have with my family the best way that any mother can, by being there. I want to be present in every single moment and to breathe every single feeling and inhale every piece of every experience with my family.

The first month after Howie was born we ignored calls, let emails pile up and we didn't really take visitors. It was for the same reason that we don't typically answer cell phones at home. When spending time with someone, one should spend time with them. We all owe it to the people who we chose to spend time our time with. I wanted to spend those three months with Howie without any distractions. He deserved all of our attention. He deserved to be the priority. So even though I  became a distant friend instead of a better friend, he deserved it. He will always deserve it.

I won't photograph everything and I won't write about each of our experiences because I plan on living them. Between working, and volunteering, and activities there will be plenty of smiles that will be missed. There will be a day when he doesn't want to hug mom and when my kisses will embarrass him, so for as long as I can, as long as he will let me - I will put the phone down, turn off the computer and live in the moment of now.

wouldn't you?

Meal Planning

I think we have covered me the topic of me being a greed monster before, so I am going to work with the assumption that this is common knowledge. I can't imagine coming home without knowing what we're having for dinner. I'm too hungry for that nonsense. I started meal planning just after college when I was working two jobs and had no time to spare. Cooking my family a good meal is pretty high on my list of priorities. Meal planning streamlined my kitchen and helped me make smarter decisions about food. When you cook your own meal you know exactly what you are eating. No hidden chemicals and fillers – unless of course you’re into that sort of thing. Recently I have noticed a lot of friends on facebook commenting that they have begun or are having trouble meal planning so I thought I'd share some tips that I have found useful over the years. Most of this stuff is obvious as hell, but hopefully you will find a few things that make the process easier.

1.       Identify how many days a week you want to cook and be realistic. Some people hate leftovers, some people love them. My husband enjoys leftovers more than any person I have ever met (EVER). My father, on the other hand, will not eat a meal more than once. So, figure out where you stand on the issue. I only cook three times during the week, two if I am doing it correctly. Sunday and Wednesdays are usually my cooking days. My mom thinks I'm disgusting for eating the same meal day after day, but it works for us. It may not work for you.  

2.       Once you have decided on which days you want to cook, pick out your meals. I have a ton of cook books that I flip through but usually I end up finding something awesome on Pinterest. I am also addicted to food blogs. It's my porn. I email pictures of meals to B when he as at work and we vote on which foods we would like to bathe in. I pick two meals for dinner and one for my lunch. I eat oatmeal every day for breakfast so I don’t need to make a plan for that. I suggest you plan your breakfasts and snacks the same as your dinners.

3.       This is something that probably doesn't apply to everyone but it's a really big deal to me. I know it sounds like I will shovel almost anything in my mouth (gross), but I actually really care about having a well-balanced meal. I try to eat a low carb and low sodium diet. I also try to maximize my vegetable intake and minimize my sugars. When I decided to make more conscious food choices I had no idea what exactly I should eat. I read that I should have x servings of grains and so many of diary, blah blah blah. I found a website called Calorie Count and it changed everything! It takes a while setting everything up, but it's totally worth it. First you plug in your weight, your dietary goals, and your goal weight if you have one. The site will automatically populate your daily intake goals in various categories like carbs, proteins, fats, cholesterol, sodium, fiber, etc. You will have to enter your meals onto the website and it will track the nutrient levels. This really helped me to reach my daily targets for carbs, proteins, and the big vitamins. The website also taught me accurate portion sizes. I learned that calories aren’t the end of the conversation, but it’s rather the ratio of carbs to EVERYTHING ELSE. I don't use it all the time but when I do it’s telling me to put my second helping of mashed potatoes back. The website also taught me that yogurt is full of shit. It's all sugar. Check it out. So tip 3 ultimately is double check that the meals you choose fit into your health goals.

4.       Make a list of all ingredients - for all the meals. Make sure that you check your pantry so that you don't buy duplicates. I don't think you really need too much explanation on this step so we'll move right along. If you do need further explanation of this step please refer to step #12.

5.       Go shop. I get really excited at the grocery store. Never go hungry or you will buy everything. I try to limit myself to the perimeter of the store and away from the aisles as much as possible. When I have my meals planned I don't have to worry about buying snack food or things to "hold me over." It also cuts down on my grocery bill because I'm not buying random things. Seriously, how did I make it before meal planning?? Oh that's right; I ate ramen noodles and hot dogs.

6.       Get a food processor. Seriously. More time is spent at my house chopping onions than is spent actually cooking the meals. A food processor cuts down on the prep work and let's be honest the prep work discourages a lot of people.

7.      Be realistic about your meals. Don’t go selecting a meal that will take 45 pots and 6 hours if you know you don’t get home from work until 8 at night. Set yourself up for success not failure.

8.      Spend a day getting your shit together. Unfortunately it’s going to take much longer than a day to get all my shit together but that’s for another day. Seriously, spend a couple of hours of your weekend to prep for the week. I suggest making your more complex meal on your off day and the easier meal during the week. Pretty simple. I don’t like to commit to anything on Sunday afternoons because it’s my prep day and I like to lay around the house with my lovies afterwards. I also make Howie’s baby food on Sunday’s.

9.      Go cook something already and stop wasting your money on crap. There is no step #12.

Here are a few of my favorite food blogs:

• Skinny Taste
• The Pioneer Woman
• Smitten Kitchen
• The Fearless Homemaker
• A Farmgirl Dabbles

Nine Months

The Rundown:

· We have teeth. That's plural people, we have two. Yes and yes if you're wondering.

· Howie recently graduated (excuse the hell outta me) to the "walker’s room” at daycare and he all of a sudden became a fan of food. This kid is eating everything. I guess he didn't want to be the only baby in the class that only wants mama's milk.

· We spent the majority of December cuddled up because of the cold weather.

· The Tyrant has arrived people. Apparently the other thing he has learned in the walker’s room is the art of throwing a tantrum.  And let me tell you, he has mastered it. This kid will whip out that bottom lip faster than you can roll your eyes, and that’s a promise. I’ve tried it.

· In stark contrast to his tyrannical ways he also holds my face to nibble on my chin which I think is just the cutest thing ever.

The Name

I keep changing the name of the blog. I'm trying things on to see what works for us. So be patient and I promise that I'll probably change it again.

I will make sure that you can always find us though!

Don't like it? Whatevs, deal with it.

Etsy Finds

One of Howie's favorite toys is a crocheted mama sloth that my good friend made for him. I love that it isn't covered in advertisements of one sort or another. I can't stand those toys. Those all in your face toys, those hard plastic toys that the television told me I had to buy. Maybe it's not the toys so much as the commercials, and maybe it's just that need to buck the pressure that makes me frown. I know that one day he is going to ask for some god awful action figure that has all of the latest gadgets, and that I will eventually give in to the unbelievable weight of the marketing gods, but not yet!

One of my favorite things to do online these days is hunt for awesome handmade finds on Etsy. I love that whatever I find on etsy is made by hand. I love that someone, somewhere is spending their free time making something they love. I support those artists because they have chosen to create something where there was previously nothing. The prices are definitely higher than what you buy in the store, but your I chose to spend my dollars with those artists.

I'd like to share some lovely stuffies that I found. Here are my top ten etsy finds this week:

Do you know how hard it is to find a black baby doll?? This one
is the cutest! His name is Uri, click his name to follow the link.

This purple wool rhino is made by the same artist. I can't
wait for Howie to fall in love with him.

This little red fox is just begging to be drug around
behind a very happy toddler.

This polar bear just wants a hug.

Feeling tropical?? This chameleon is sure to brighten any grumpy
toddlers day!

My little brother loves penguins. I think he'd love these guys.

The cutest chevron elephant.

A perfect trio of owls.

A wool pig.

This monkey is looks like a pretty good friend. I see him cuddling
in on rainy days.

I love that every little girl can have a doll that she can relate to, she can have
a doll that looks like her and all of her friends.

Okay, so I really listed eleven but who cares?? I got carried away and I couldn't delete anyone. That would just be cruel. I hope you find something for your special baby, whether it's your child or your niece, nephew, cousin, or even a sibling.

Most importantly, help support a small business! 

The kindness

I'd like to tell you about something magical that happened after we had Howie. All of a sudden strangers started approaching us...everywhere. I expected women to say things like "congratulations" or "how old is your baby" maybe even "is it a boy or a girl". What I didn't expect was for husband and wives to come up to us together to give us well wishes and good vibes.

All of a sudden people we didn't know, people we KNOW wouldn't have spoken otherwise went out of their way to approach us at restaurants, parks, the grocery store, and basically everywhere we went. They welcomed us into parenthood in a way that took my breath away. There was sincerity, there was warmth and there was understanding.

I normally don't really like strangers, but this was something different. They didn't offer any overbearing opinions or advice. They simply acknowledged that our lives had changed and that we were equal parts excited, terrified, and exhausted. There were men that came up to shake B's hand and congratulate him on becoming a father.

Now when I see brand new parents (like we've been doing it for thaaaaat long ha!) I think about that time and how kind everyone was to us. I am going to make a point of paying it forward, because really, whether you like it or not it's a whole new world after a baby and its nice to be welcomed into the club.

Stop coughing in my mouth

Want to know how I spent my New Years?? I spent it inhaling the germs of three men (howie is a grown man btw). True, it was three men that I love - but let's be honest snot is snot.

Uncle Lion came to town (riding on a pony) to visit this year and we all got sick. Every time Lion comes to visit he gets injured. One year it was an ankle, the next it was a knee, this time it was his immune system. I don't know what we did to deserve this curse but it's for real bitches. So we spent a week coughing on each other and wallowing in self pity.

The plan was for me to get time to spend time with my girlfriends so that the guys could hang out and do manly things like not showering (which probably still happened) and drinking late into the night catching up on summers past. What actually happened was couches littered with blankets and noses full of snot.

B got sick first which almost never happens, then Howie. I usually get sick immediately, so when it was just the boys I felt pretty invincible. Then we went to San Antonio to take a Riverwalk boat tour in 30 degree weather. So it could have been the cold wind whipping through my sinus cavity that took me down, but I'm pretty sure it was the numerous times Howie coughed directly into my tonsils.

Let's all be honest here, I'm dramatic. I tried to be on my best behavior, but when I'm sick you might as well just assume I am dying because that's how I act. Luckily Howie was pretty sick too so he was down for longer naps than usual, so we cuddled under the covers in my room and he proceeded to cough in to my mouth for a week straight. Yum.

So New Years Eve approached and I had to drag myself and my snot down to the grocery store to get MORE soup. I don't even know if I put on a bra, I was hurting everywhere and probably would have gone barefoot to the store if it hadn't been buttfuck cold outside. Side note - I really don't notice my pottymouth. My brothers are pretty excited to see what words Howie picks up on first. Anyway, I go to the store looking like my worst nightmare and what do I see?? All the pretty people. They have plans. They have sparkly dresses and combed hair. I noticed the absence of snot. I imagined they didn't smell like death. They probably brushed their teeth. They were buying their bottles of wine, and their cheese spreads and they looked so freaking cute. I mumbled obscenities as I picked some suckass movie from redbox and carried myself home to my snot buddies.

Howie and I fell asleep together in a fog of mucous and B came to kiss me New Year at midnight. Such is life.

Swiss Chard & Sweet Potato Gratin

Here is the recipe for the gratin that I made for the potluck.  It's perfect for the cold winter nights. It's hearty, it's cheesy, it's good.

 I have experimented a couple of times with the recipe and I think I've got it down. My niece and I made this for Thanksgiving and everyone turned their nose up at the idea of sweet potatoes mingling in with the cheese. The suggestion alone seemed blasphemous as we normally make a kick ass sweet potato recipe every year. But lo and behold the pan quickly emptied itself into hungry mouths and there were plenty of "mmm's" to go around.

I haven't mastered the art of food photography (read: AT ALL) so you will just have to imagine how amazing this dish is. It's fab. Promsies.

Ingredients

3 bunches of swiss chard - chopped into 1 inch portions, stem chopped separately
4 sweet potatoes - peeled, sliced into thin rounds
2 large potatoes  - peeled, sliced into thin rounds
1 finely chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon of chopped thyme
1 tablespoon of chopped Italian Parsley
Salt & Pepper
8 ounces of Gruyere Cheese - shredded
1/2 stick of butter (about 1/4 cup)
Pinch of fresh nutmeg
2 cups of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of flour

**Things to note: You can substitute the swiss chard for spinach leaves in a pinch. You can also swap out the potatoes for other root vegetables like butternut squash and turnips if you'd like. Also, make sure to clean off the veggies very well before adding them to the casserole dish.




Prep Work

I would start off with slicing the potatoes first so that you can soak them in water for a few to soften them up just a bit. Get everything chopped and diced and sitting pretty on your counter top.


The Chard

 In a medium saucepan melt the 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat (medium is the word of the day) and cook down the onions. Add the chard stems, the pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Cook down until just tender then turn the heat up to medium-high. Start adding in a handful of leaves at a time. Cook until wilted. Be sure to keep an eye out because it only takes a few minutes to cook down. You don't want to overcook the chard.
Take off the heat immediately and put the chard in a colander to drain out the water while you work on the bechamel sauce. Use a wooden spoon to press out as much water as possible.



The Sauce

In a small saucepan warm the heavy cream with garlic. Keep the milk warm. Melt the remaining butter on medium heat in a separate saucepan and slowly mix in the flour. Whisk the flour for about a minute to create a roux. Slowly add in the warm milk/garlic and continue whisking for another minute. You don't have to whisk fast, a nice slow whisk is cool as long as it doesn't stick  to the pan.


The Layers

Preheat the oven at 400°F. Begin to layer the potatoes in a buttered, deep baking dish. Put one layer of a combination of sweet & white potatoes, sprinkle with herbs, and 1/4 c of cheese. Add in half of the drained chard to the top. Build two layers before spreading an even layer of half of the bechamel sauce. Build another two layers and pour the remaining sauce on the top. Sprinkle with the last bit of cheese.

Bake for one hour until golden and bubbly. Let the dish cool for a few before serving. You will do a happy food dance after your first bite. 

Promsies.