Blue Bell

I've been a bad blogger... I didn't make a special post for my son's birthday.

Shame on me.

We have visitors in and lots of fun activities for John's birthday.... some fun for him and some fun for me (like date night with Steven & getting compost for our gardens).

However, I HAD to share this immediately because it makes me laugh so hard (as you will see in the video).

We went to Blue Bell today because I wanted John's first ice cream to be there ... and well, I wanted to go! Anyway, here is an AWESOME video of the experience!

Fishing

We went fishing out at Lake Somerville on Good Friday with Manly & Christine. Since it was Good Friday I guess everyone had the same idea that we had... the dock was PACKED! We were fishing for Crappie because it's that time of year, but we really would take whatever we could get.... we just want practice catching & cleaning fish... oh yeah, and eating :)

We headed out around 7am (we meant to head out earlier but Steven and I were dragging everyone behind) and got to actual fishing around 7:45am. We first tried the dock (with John in the stroller with a life jacket), but since it was packed (and windy) we decided to move to a little cove. This was a much better idea for multiple reasons. 1) The wind was being blocked by tall grass & small trees. & 2) The baby could get out of the stroller and explore (which really means eat) rocks and sand and even the shallow water.

John did excellent the entire time and we were out there about 4 hours. He did take a little nap while in my homemade ergo thingy... but when Manly caught the second (huge) fish, I got too excited and woke him up. I was also equipped with mad amounts of cheerios. I think next time to make it even better I might bring more snacks, some toys and a blanket to put over the pack & play. I think he would have taken an even better nap if I put him down in a pack & play.

So back to actual fishing. Not long after we first got set up, Manly caught a bass. It wasn't big enough to keep, but if was fun to watch him reel it in. Then I think Manly got the next hit... he had found a sweet spot that only his rod could reach really well. This fish was more of a fighter and it took him a while to get him in. Once we could see it we understood why. It was a big catfish! About 21 inches. I got the next bite... a smaller catfish, 14 inches. And then Christine got the next one... 16 inches. Christine's fish was fun. We were sitting together (probably talking about wedding stuff) when all of the sudden we saw a fish jump out of water and watched her bobber sink down! I was quite exciting. I was kinda surprised it was a catfish when we pulled him out because I've never seen them do that... but I guess he really wanted her minnow.

Around lunch time we cleaned them up and headed home. Christine & Manly had other plans, but that night at dinner I cooked all our fish. It made quite a bit. Enough to feed Steven and I three meals. The smaller fish were harder to clean, but Steven said they tasted better. I have never really tasted the dirty water taste that people talk about when it comes to catfish, but Steven said some parts of the bigger fish tasted that way. So I guess around 15 inches is ideal eating size. I also soaked them in milk to try to get the taste out (I've heard that can make them taste better).

It was a great morning! Here is a slide show of all our pictures.

Playset

So this is really fun and, honestly, I think I'm more excited than John is.... haha.

We got a playset for the backyard this weekend! It's not new, but it is new to us!!!

Some friends originally bought it at a garage sale a few years ago. They gave it to some friends when their kids outgrew it. And those friends gave it to other friends when they move. And we got it when the last group of friends moved this weekend. So, if you followed that correctly, we are the 4th owners of a set bought at a garage sale. I think we definitely get points for re-use in this situation.

The reason this excites me so much is that John now has a 'positive' place to play in the back yard... something to distract him from my gardens. Did I share this photo?



So after we went to pick it up we worked on assembling it. The first photo is of Steven working on the lawn mower... which could be an entire post on it's own, but we are going to go there.















Ah! Done! Next we needed a baby who thinks he's a toddler.

Found one!







Like every child in the world, he must try to go UP the slide...













I'm sorry I'm camera happy and I'm not ashamed. John is only going to be 10 months old once, right!?!

I took a video as well. Warning: I say 'John' and 'Cutie' about 100 times in this video. I love my kid. Enjoy!



And yes, you are welcome to come over and drink tea with me while our kiddos play in the backyard.

Backyard Movie

Our backyard was a movie theater for a night! It was GREAT! And cold... but Great!

Some of our friends set up their projection screen and we watch Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. We did it as an outreach to get to know some of our neighbors. We know a few (and they are great!) but we wanted to meet more. Unfortunately only a neighbor we already knew came. BUT it was still a blast. I think it I would have timed it a little better (i.e. not during finals) we would have had more of a turn out. Oh well, next time!

Here are some bad pictures. I couldn't quite get a good shot... just use your imagination. You can't see it but there are about six kiddos snuggled under all those blankets.

Who needs hair gel...

... when you have BANANAS!!?!?!?!!!

A new trick!

I've been trying to teach John how to do this for quite a while now, and he finally got it! Oh happy day!!! It gives me hope that he will eventually start to interact with me more... especially in the sign language department. Enjoy!

Presenting....

.... The Elf-dells!!!

Merry Christmas, Ya'll!

A post about a quote I thought was great...

Hahaha... I should have probably thought of a better title...

Anyway.

I read a ton of blogs.

Well, I don't actually "read" all blogs I subscribe to. With the exception of people I actually know, I usually skim the pictures, titles & subtitles and then decide if I want to read it. It's how I navigate the 71 blogs I am subscribed to in Google Reader.

I found a new food blog a couple of days ago... I was probably looking for a recipe for dinner or something when I came across it. The writer lives in New York and has a little boy who started solids around the time John was born. The main site is called Smitten Kitchen. What intrigued me was her "side blog" on baby food called Smitten Kitchen Baby. I really like her attitude when it comes to feeding her little boy. Not only does she believe in very little tools (a food processor and some ice cube trays) and she strives to get her kiddo to eat what her and her husband eat, but this was on her about page:


“You’re doing it wrong!” Sad but true, sharing bits of parenting on the Internet doesn’t always bring out the most supportive community responses. “But my doctor said that if you introduce fruit before vegetables, baby will get a sweet tooth and become obese!” “This book says that if you feed your child eggs before they’re one year old, they will never get into Harvard!” and the all-encompassing, “I can’t believe you would feed your baby that! We wouldn’t feed it to our dog!”

People, I’ve heard it all and so I can nip any of this in the bud before we begin: It’s okay. You’re okay. I am not here to tell you how to feed your kid, nor do I have any desire to impart judgment. All I will be sharing here is how we started our little guy on the path that we hope will lead to him enjoying the variety of foods that we do. Also? I think you’re doing a great job.

That said, I’m a realist and fully understand that it will not matter how many hours we spend cooking down seasonal, organic, local Greenmarket produce and how delighted our little snowflakes are to slurp it up, they will eventually come into contact with a Chicken McNugget and they will find it to be delicious. And we will be doing no less of a good job because of it.

Shall we continue?


A side note: I have tried the granola bars and they were great! (so great I almost wrote a post about it, but decided this counted instead). I'm going to try the lemon cranberry scones and the apple muffins next (can you tell I'm looking for some fast breakfast options for around here?). Also, I would LOVE for someone to make this cake for me someday! And finally she does have a "tips" blog as well.

Grilled Pizza!

We're currently obsessed!

This was the first pizza we made. It was a chicken, spinach, sauteed onions & garlic, feta & mozzarella pizza. Here is Steven taking it off the grill...


The crust was prefect! Our stove just can't produce an authentic Italian pizza. On the grill, however, the pizza crust bubbled and even got slightly charred... just like in Italy. And even better, we did it outside so it didn't heat up the house! (I know, it's the end of October, but it's still in the low 90s here)

I had heard of grilling pizza, but didn't have the courage until I found this website. My friend had the first book and I borrow it from her. This book has changed the way I make bread. I really want the Healthy Bread version now (it even has Gluten Free Recipes, Mom)!

A friend asked me how much it cost to make a loaf and I calculated it because I was curious. A simple loaf of bread is only 20 cents! The same dough can be used to make a pizza crust... 10 cents for pizza crust! Unbelievable!!!

Making this pizza goes really fast. You can turn raw dough into a pizza ready to eat in 20 minutes. It's cheaper AND faster than a pizza out of a box... and tastier! I really wish I knew about this while in school!

This is how we've done it...

5:15 - Get dough out of the fridge, roll/stretch it out to a small circle (like a thick pita) and leave it on the counter to rest.
5:16 - Prep Toppings. Saute things and cook meats. Put cheeses, meats & other toppings on a plate to transport outside.
5:20 - Steven gets home and lights the grill (aim for a temperature of about 450).
5:25 - Stretch/roll rested dough into desired size (it will stretch very easily after it has rest for 10 minutes) and take it to the grill. Put the raw dough right onto the grill. Close the lid and wait for it to bubble up.
5:30 - After the dough bubbles, flip the dough over (uncooked side down). Quickly top the pizza and close the lid.
5:35 - Enjoy a yummy pizza!

The major thing that is different about this pizza is that you definitely can't over load the cheese. It doesn't take long to cook the dough, so the cheese won't have time to set if you overload it. I'm a big fan of this new style of pizza... my cheese loving husband it's as excited. Also, it's important to precook all toppings... but we already did that for homemade pizza so it's not a big change for us.

I mentioned that this book has changed the way I make breads and it is a change for the better. The idea is bread in five minutes (of prep work) a day. That doesn't include the resting/baking time so you kinda still have to be around... but at least you can fold laundry or write a blog post (he he) while the bread is resting/baking.

The best part is that for a little amount of work (5-10 minutes) once a week, you can have pizza dough or bread dough ready to use right in your fridge. Do you know HOW much you can do with pizza/bread dough? A ton! The idea that this dough can KEEP in your fridge for up to 14 days is liberating! Have something come up and can't get to the dough that night... no problem, just do pizzas tomorrow night. Don't know what to make for dinner... well, you have fresh yummy dough in the fridge; go make a pizza! LOVE IT!!!!

If you are really interested you don't have to have a copy of the book to start. There are a lot of recipes and ideas on the website, but I would still recommend a copy of the book; it really shows how much variety this dough can have.

Main Recipe (with instructions)

Healthy Recipe (with instructions)

Gluten Free Recipe (just for you Mom!... try it... I want a food review!)

Grilled Pizza Idea.

Bread While Camping?

Baking a loaf in a dutch oven.

Crackers! This is done on the grill, but could also be done in the oven.

Happy Bread Baking!

Can you believe this is the same kid?

My sister-in-law took the picture on the left this past weekend. It reminded of how I so carefully put together our sock monkey friend in hopes to take pictures of John each month with it. Well, I guess I fell off the wagon around the month 1 mark because I didn't make it past his newborn picture. I think it had something to do with the "tiny" nursing crisis we were having in our household at that time (I say tiny because it totally wasn't... I was really torn/sad/discouraged/upset/confused/mad/frustrated/annoyed that nursing wasn't working for us... despite my efforts... and tears... but I was going crazy... and that is another post).

Anyway! I'm kinda glad I missed some months of pictures with our sock monkey friend, because now the difference is quite dramatic! I must say, they look completely different... but I promise it is totally the same kid. He is four months in this picture, so if I take one at eight months & one year then we will have a series, right? Well... I may do it, I may not... but for now I'm just in shock over this picture.

John's Little Smile

Here is a video of John's first little smile. He usually smiles after he has eaten... I guess he's really happy that he is full. This video was taken on June 13th so he was about 5 1/2 weeks old. Since this video he has developed a lot more... he's only 6 1/2 weeks now but after he eats he looks around and will follow faces and the sound of our voices.

John's first day

I thought I would post a few videos we took during the first couple of days of John's life. They are mostly at the hospital and our great expedition from the hospital. I'm not making any promises of grand entertainment... but here they are for what it's worth.

Updated Baby Guessing Game

I probably won't keep updating, but here is the latest on the guessing game.

Baby Guessing Game

Next week I will be considered "full term"... WHOOP!

While we wait we are playing a little game. If you haven't already guessed you are more than welcome to guess the day, time, weight and length of our little one. You can win the pride and joy of guessing correctly! ;)

Here is the line up so far... it's organized by day. First guess is up in TWO weeks!

Snow Day

The snow is still coming down here, but it's getting dark and the fun will melt away in the morning. :(

This afternoon, Steven came home early (we were worried the road would freeze over) so we bundled up and headed outside. Unfortunately they received more snow on the north side of town, but we still had enough to make a couple of snow men. There is so much grass in them, but that's a "Texas" Snowman for ya.

We started in our back yard so that we could still look out our front door and see the pretty blanket of snow.





Initially it started as one snowman, but we couldn't lift the second ball on top of the first one... so we made two!

Saying Goodbye! Sleep tight little snowmen...

We are totally doing this!

I thought this was adorable. And we will most definitely put our baby in a pumpkin... it just seems like us!

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This is just horrible... but made me laugh

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And I wish this was sitting in front of our house!

I know... I'm a child at heart

So I found some fun projects that I want to try. I feel kinda like a forth grader... but no one said I can't act like a forth grader on the weekend?

Rock Candy (video)
My Uncle Dudley is coming out in me (video)
My Uncle Dudley coming out in me AGAIN!
This could be fun for Christmas
Just so I can watch this happen
Incase you are ever on an island by yourself
Just to see what it feels like

An important ingrediant to any crock pot meal

Yesterday I worked really hard. Well, today I worked really hard... and the day before yesterday... still.... I worked really hard.

Since the beginning of my summer job, I have been outside sweating like a cow. I love that I am burning so many calories, but I get really tired at the end of the day. Not to mention that we go to the gym now after work. So add 30 minutes of cardio (swimming laps) onto a long day.... I'm ready for dinner when it comes around.

Anyway, yesterday morning I started a beautiful chicken with new potatoes in the crock pot. I added dried rosemary from the garden last year and garlic. My plan was to get the garlic all roasty like in the dish chicken & 40 cloves... then mash it into the potatoes. All during the day I thought about how wonderful the house would smell and how great it would taste. Then after I pulled myself out of the pool, I got really excited. Roasted smashed potatoes and chicken with rosemary... here I come!

We walked through the front door... and... "that's weird... the house doesn't smell like roasted chicken."

BUMMER!!!! I forgot to TURN ON the crock pot!

Such a disappointment. I was sad so we went to On The Border.... their chicken tortilla soup always cheers me up.

Anyway... that it is why the most important ingredient to ANY crock pot meal is the ON button!

Another Good Book

So, I guess I have a lot of time to read now... because I can't keep myself away from books. Here is my next favorite for summer/fun reading/cooking...

Steven showed up with this book about a year ago. He got it from his mother's kitchen. I picked it up and decided to browse through it. It actually has a lot of helpful instructions. They basically detail, exactly, how to do everything from starting a sourdough to making a basic white sandwich bread. Here it is on Amazon, it's really cheap if you buy it used.

Recently we have both wanted to be a little greener and more natural. Under, only one condition... it doesn't cost more than the budget already established. So I tried to make that basic white sandwich bread. We both enjoy fresh baked bread more and it has a lot less preservatives... so why not.

Turns out, it's fabulous! It seems like a lot of work, but I do a lot of other things around the house while waiting on the bread. If you have a time chunk of about four hours and you have some chores to do around the house... you can totally make this bread.

Plus this bread is great because it doesn't turn out with a thick shell like other oven baked breads.... I don't know how it works... it just does! I use it as a sandwich bread everyday. This size loaf is big enough to last us about 4 days. Steven eat more of it than I do, so it might take me a good 10 days to finish it off. The loaf will really only last about 5-6 days... because there are no preservatives.

Basic White Bread III (with fallon's minor adjustments... because I can't just leave a recipe only)
1 package dry active yeast (~2 1/4 tsp yeast)
1/4 cup water
1 cup milk or 3 Tbsp dry milk and 3/4 plus 2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp butter or oil
2 Tbsp honey or light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3 - 4 cups flour

Mix all ingredients except flour in a mixer (or by hand). The water/milk needs to be warm. If you use butter and melt it make sure that it is no hotter than 110 degrees. Otherwise you will cook your yeast and you will not have wonderful fluffy bread. Then slowly incorporate the flour by adding it in 1/2 cup increments. Let rise for about 2 hours. You can do it longer if you want... but you really only need two hours.

Punch it down and mold it into a loaf pan (aka stick it in a pre-greased loaf pan and pat it down with your fingers... clean fingers!). Let rise again for about 45 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees for ~45 minutes.

(Fallon's extra notes: On days I really need to the extra hour I use fast active yeast... the bread still taste great. You only have to let it rise one hour the first time, it still needs about 45 minutes on the second go around. I usually use oil and honey... the honey adds a lot of flavor. I like to do different variations of all white flour to mostly whole wheat. We haven't tried completely whole wheat yet, but I would like to. Anyway you do it, it turns out great! I don't bother kneading the dough after the first rise. I've done it both ways in the past and it turns out the same.)

I shall never again eat a store bought wheat thin!

Here is a recipe one of my friends posted. I tried it... and now I'm in love!!! This is the original recipe, but I only baked 1/3 of it to try it out. You have to try it! (sorry Mom, you will have to tweak it to make it gluten free.)

Wheat Thins

• 3 cups ground oatmeal (Just put it in a food processor or blender for 30-60 seconds)
• 3 cups wheat flour (I like King Arthur white wheat, if you can't find white wheat, you might just want to use part white, part wheat)
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt (plus more for topping)
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup warm water
  

Mix all ingredients and let sit for 30 minutes. Roll out quite thin. Sprinkle with salt and roll a bit more to embed salt in dough. Cut into squares and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until slightly brown around edges (depending on your oven and the thickness it varies quite a bit).