We went to see the pediatrician today for C's 6 month appointment. He is a big boy at 17lbs, 14oz and 26 inches long!! He had to have 2 shots, but he took them like a champ. He's on track for development and doing really well.
Tomorrow for Thanksgiving we're going to visit my dad's side of the family. My grandparents have met C, but nobody else from my dad's family has. I'm really excited for them to meet him, especially because C looks just like my dad.
Happy Turkey Day everyone!!!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
What to cook when there's nothing to cook
Today is the start of my family's weekend, because my husband has Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off work. Last night, there was nothing to eat because it was the end of the week and I desperately need to go grocery shopping. I generally wait to grocery shop until we can go as a family, or I can leave C with my husband and go on my own because trying to haul groceries and a baby upstairs after a shopping trip is a pain in the butt.
I was scouring my pantry, fridge, and freezer, trying to find something that would make a decent meal. I grabbed brown rice (found a great tutorial on how to make good rice on the stove here- though I add a bit more water than the recipe says), frozen, cooked chicken breast strips (make sure you read the label, many of them have seasonings/coatings that contain allergens), and a head of broccoli.
I put the rice on, and thawed the chicken in the microwave. When the chicken was thawed and it was almost time for the rice to be done, I heated some olive oil in a pan along with onion flakes and garlic powder (I didn't want to chop onions and garlic for a quick, single-serving meal). Once the oil was hot I added the chicken and my chopped up broccoli and tossed it around until the broccoli softened a bit (but not mushy) and the chicken had a nice golden brown color.
Throw the chicken and broccoli on top of the rice and BAM! Stir fry. Of course, you can use whatever vegetables you like; broccoli is the only thing I had on hand (like I said, empty fridge). It turned out surprisingly good, and outside of the time it took to cook the rice (only 30 mins total), it took all of 10 minutes to put together. You can just use the microwave to heat the chicken, but the saute does so much for the flavor, it's totally worth the extra dirty pan.
I was scouring my pantry, fridge, and freezer, trying to find something that would make a decent meal. I grabbed brown rice (found a great tutorial on how to make good rice on the stove here- though I add a bit more water than the recipe says), frozen, cooked chicken breast strips (make sure you read the label, many of them have seasonings/coatings that contain allergens), and a head of broccoli.
I put the rice on, and thawed the chicken in the microwave. When the chicken was thawed and it was almost time for the rice to be done, I heated some olive oil in a pan along with onion flakes and garlic powder (I didn't want to chop onions and garlic for a quick, single-serving meal). Once the oil was hot I added the chicken and my chopped up broccoli and tossed it around until the broccoli softened a bit (but not mushy) and the chicken had a nice golden brown color.
Throw the chicken and broccoli on top of the rice and BAM! Stir fry. Of course, you can use whatever vegetables you like; broccoli is the only thing I had on hand (like I said, empty fridge). It turned out surprisingly good, and outside of the time it took to cook the rice (only 30 mins total), it took all of 10 minutes to put together. You can just use the microwave to heat the chicken, but the saute does so much for the flavor, it's totally worth the extra dirty pan.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Background
I just wanted to tell the story behind the inspiration for this store. I love sewing and creating (heck, I got my college degree in fashion design!), and I love being at home with C. Since he came along, I've been scouring the internet looking for things that he would like that I could make myself. By making them myself, not only would I save money, but I also get to customize everything, from fabric colors/patterns, to how it fits, to size, etc. I love taking a basic pattern and making changes to it (improvements, in my opinion, lol) to make it my own.
My first foray into baby stuff was the crinkle tag blankets. How neat is it for a soft, fuzzy, cuddly blanket to have ribbon loops that C can grab onto (I can confirm that the ribbons mean this blanket winds up on the ground a whole lot less than other ones do), and, best of all, to make a fun crinkly sound! I found super soft bumpy chenille fabric for one side, and cozy cotton flannel for the other side. I chose ribbons of different widths and textures; one was satiny smooth, one was sheer and had that netted texture, and the other was thick and woven. I wanted to include as many different mediums as I could so baby can explore and learn through touch.
After I made C's blanket I posted pictures because I was very proud of myself. I had a few people interested in some for their kids, and I thought that I could sell a few to make a little extra money (or at least to support my addiction to buying fabric). I always buy WAY more fabric than I need because I'm paranoid about not having enough for my project, which means I always have plenty of leftovers hanging out.
My second project was an owl. C has big, round, brown eyes that he got from his mommy (seriously, I can't even tell you how many comments we get on his eyes; they're his most prominent feature). Our friends started calling him "Owl Baby," and it just stuck. I ordered him an owl hat with big brown eyes from a fellow crafty momma, and from that moment on, I knew that C and owls would always go together. Being a crazy first time mom, I started looking around for ideas for his first birthday party when he was 5 1/2 months old. I happened upon this blog and thought, "OWLS! Duh! This is genius, why didn't I think of it before?" An adorable stuffed owl on that page led me to this one, and I was ecstatic! This was absolutely perfect for C, and I want to create an entire stuffed owl army with different sizes and colors!
I tweaked that pattern a bit; changed the eyes, added a "butt" so the owl sits up on its own, and started with neutral colors (that just happen to match his owl hat!). And here we are. I've purchased the creator's commercial use license, which means I am allowed to create (by hand) and sell items using their pattern without infringing on any rights. I think legally I would've been ok because of the changes I've made, but I want to give credit where credit is due and I don't want to step on any toes.
Currently I'm working on making pajama pants for my whole family to wear when we open Christmas presents (that's 9 pairs that I need to have ready in a month, oh boy), I have C's stocking to make, and I want to try my hand at making some cloth diapers (another very expensive habit of mine is buying diapers). Right now my store is bare bones and pitiful with only two items, but soon (after the holidays, perhaps?) I'll be trying out new things, adding new items, and *hopefully* expanding. I hope you enjoy my creations!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Aaaaaand, we're mobile!
C has figured out how to get around.
"B!!! Is he crawling?!?!" you say? No, no he is not.
C's mode of transport is a combination of rolling, scooting, and the worm. He'll mash his face into the carpet and get on his knees/feet to scoot his butt up, then wiggle forward a bit. Then he'll pull with his arms, then he'll roll a couple times, until he finds the corner of the couch and chews for a bit.
In between his rolling and worming, he lies on his belly and just relaxes on the floor for a minute (I'm sure that big head gets heavy!), then he's back up, finding his way around the living room. It's really exciting and I am a super proud momma, but it does kinda suck that if I run to the kitchen to get something to drink or switch the laundry real quick, he's in a completely different place, facing a different direction, than from where I left him.
Crawling is just around the corner!!!
Oh yeah, and he says "Mama" when he cries. Not so much when he's happy, but I like to think that he just really needs me when he's sad so he saves his special word for when he needs that extra comfort. <3
"B!!! Is he crawling?!?!" you say? No, no he is not.
C's mode of transport is a combination of rolling, scooting, and the worm. He'll mash his face into the carpet and get on his knees/feet to scoot his butt up, then wiggle forward a bit. Then he'll pull with his arms, then he'll roll a couple times, until he finds the corner of the couch and chews for a bit.
In between his rolling and worming, he lies on his belly and just relaxes on the floor for a minute (I'm sure that big head gets heavy!), then he's back up, finding his way around the living room. It's really exciting and I am a super proud momma, but it does kinda suck that if I run to the kitchen to get something to drink or switch the laundry real quick, he's in a completely different place, facing a different direction, than from where I left him.
Crawling is just around the corner!!!
Oh yeah, and he says "Mama" when he cries. Not so much when he's happy, but I like to think that he just really needs me when he's sad so he saves his special word for when he needs that extra comfort. <3
Friday, November 12, 2010
Stuffed Owl
C is my little owl baby. I got him an adorable owl hat, made by Jessica over at Playin' Footsie . I decided that for Christmas I wanted to make him a stuffed owl! I'm really happy with the outcome :)
The body is thick fleece, the eyes are felt. The eyes and beak are stitched on by hand, and I used my machine for the rest.
I can make different sizes and colors, just let me know what you want!
The body is thick fleece, the eyes are felt. The eyes and beak are stitched on by hand, and I used my machine for the rest.
I can make different sizes and colors, just let me know what you want!
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| Owl |
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| Close Up |
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| Next to a standard Sharpie to show size |
Tag Blanket
I originally made one of these blankets for C, and he loves it! It's bumpy chenille on one side and comfy flannel on the other. The ribbons are different colors, widths, and textures, and the blanket makes a fun crinkly noise. It's approximately 12"x12"
I've made a few for friends, and they seem to be a hit among babies!
I've made a few for friends, and they seem to be a hit among babies!
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| Boy |
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| Girl |
Yay, I'm crafty!!
I made C a stuffed owl! It's going to be a part of his Christmas present. I found the pattern on the Toad's Treasures blog, and tweaked it a bit. I changed the eyes to have an iris and a pupil, and I added a "butt" so it can sit up by itself. I'm really excited about it, I think it turned out great! (Plus, it matches his owl hat I got from Jessica!) I need to get a picture of C in his owl hat next to his new owl friend, but that will have to wait for now. Here it is:
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| Close up |
And now, to give an update on C. He is doing so awesome! He's getting so big, smiling, laughing, babbling, and being super friendly. He can roll from his tummy to his back and from his back to his tummy (which is making diaper changes pretty interesting lately). For the most part, he is a happy, friendly, laid-back baby. I can't believe he'll be half a year old in just over a week!!!
Since he's almost 6 months old, we'll soon being exploring solid foods, which is exciting. I'm so excited for this holiday season, and to experience it all with C. Here's a picture I took yesterday of my happy little guy in his monkey jammies:
Happy Friday everyone!
Roasted Veggies!!
Ok, this is a quick, easy, and delicious side dish. You can use pretty much any vegetables you have on hand, I used a few of my favorites. I don't have measurements for anything; it differs according to what you use, how much, and according to your taste. It's super simple, so don't sweat it! (I used all fresh veggies)
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Broccoli (you can get just the florets, but the stems are delicious, so I got the big heads of broccoli)
- Zucchini
- Yellow Summer Squash
- Baby Carrots
- Potato
- Onion flakes (or powder, your preference)
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Rosemary
- Olive oil
Directions
- Heat oven to 430* F
- Chop veggies (except baby carrots) into bite sized chunks and put in large bowl:
- Add enough olive oil to coat, and add spices to taste:
- Toss everything together to coat evenly
- Spread out on baking sheets in a single layer, and bake for 20-30 mins
- Enjoy!!
I had more pictures, but my computer isn't agreeing with me right now. Like I said, you can use any vegetable or any spices you like, use stuff up that's about to go bad, get stuff on sale, etc. This would be a GREAT side to steak or BBQ. I hope you like it!!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Sad day :(
Recently, C has been fussy, gassy, had diarrhea, and other symptoms that we had when he was teeny tiny and we hadn't figured out his allergies. I tried to credit it to teething, since he's at that age. Well, this morning he had blood in his diaper, which means it's another allergy.
So corn is going. That's the next big, common allergen I know of, and like dairy and soy, it's hidden in everything (corn syrup, anyone?). This calls for a complete reassessment of my diet, and getting rid of the few cooking shortcuts I have. Any recipe submissions would be greatly appreciated :-)
So corn is going. That's the next big, common allergen I know of, and like dairy and soy, it's hidden in everything (corn syrup, anyone?). This calls for a complete reassessment of my diet, and getting rid of the few cooking shortcuts I have. Any recipe submissions would be greatly appreciated :-)
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