29 and counting...

So, on Black Friday I turned the big 29. Wow. In celebration, I decided to do 29 of my favorite things! :)

29. Getting excited about hunting camp and seeing all the family
28. Saying "Hello!" to all my Target friends and family bright and early (my first Black Friday shopping at the store since leaving Target)
27. Staying up late and getting up early for shopping (3 hours sleep might not have been enough, but it was fun!)
26. Matt spending the day with me instead of working on the basement :)
25. Having enjoyed a week-long celebration of my birth ;)
24. Isabella's platypus lip!!
23. Laughter
22. Chinbacca
21. Taking my relaxation time in the tub while Matt played with Isabella (this is golden time now!)
20. A nice glass of Nissley Fantasy Wine
19. Taking a walk
18. Pumpkin Spice Coffee
17. Listening to Christmas tunes
16. Putting up a few decorations to finish the indoor decorations
15. Drinking a big, ole' glass of sweet tea from Pal's! (sweet, sugary bliss!)
14. Taking some shots of Isabella, just because
13. Black Friday shopping with Matt and Bella (she slept through the whole thing- does that count?? ;) )
12. Eating dinner at Miyako- SUSHI!! :)
11. Watching Isabella and Alec hold hands and talk at dinner!!!
10. Giggle time on the changing table 
9. Digging into a yummy pumpkin roll
8. Watching my all-time favorite movie: Pride and Prejudice
7. Downloading a Disney book app for Isabella
6. Watching Isabella's face when she started reading the book!!! :)
5. Birthday wishes from friends and family
4. Talking to my mom
3. Playing with my new IPad
2. Taking a nice, long nap after shopping, snuggled up with Belle
1. Spending the day with my family- Matt and Isabella

I am already starting my list of "30 things to do before you are 30", so feel free to suggest things to add to my list.  I only have 360 days to accomplish these 30 things...that is 1 'thing' every 12 days....hum, guess I better get started! ;)
Be Blessed!

Pear Pandowdy

In preparation for Thanksgiving, I thought I would post some of the recipes that I made for our Thanksgiving with Southern Nana (and the Dresslers) plus what I will be making again for Thanksgiving!!  Well, Martha Stewart has outdone herself this time!  This dessert is primo [and watch out ladies- it isn't gonna help you cut any weight! ;) ]!!

Martha Stewart was on the Today show a while back and she made this pear pandowdy recipe (which, on a TV show, looked fairly easy).  So,  I headed to the internet and found the recipe on her website.

First, genius thinking, Martha has you make the crust in double (you freeze the 2nd 1/2 for the next time you make the dish), so you are already forced to eat this delicious dessert TWICE! :)  Way to go Martha!

Second, make sure you have a little time to make this- the 3 hours on the recipe is pretty accurate.  Not in terms of you standing in the kitchen the whole time, but in terms of cooling/freezing the crust so you can manipulate it for the patchwork crust.  Both parts (the crust and the pie) are easy to make- honestly- it is just the wait time for the crust that adds to your time.

Last, I haven't made any modifications to this recipe (a testament to the lovely Martha Stewart and her never-ceasing ability to amaze me!).  It turns out GREAT, delicious, and a true test of a good recipe:  there isn't any left after one sitting!

One note, instead of using a food processor- if you don't have one- you can use a stand mixer (it works basically the same).

Pear Pandowdy Prep: 25 minutes Total: 3 hours This pear-and-fig version of a deep-dish pandowdy trades the traditional spiced-apple filling but keeps the patchwork crust.
Ingredients Makes one 8-by-11-inch pie; serves 8. FOR THE CRUST 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup blanched hazelnuts, toasted and finely ground 1 teaspoon granulated sugar Salt 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon heavy cream, for egg wash Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling FOR THE FILLING 4 pounds firm, ripe pears such as Bosc or Bartlett, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 -inch wedges 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup chopped dried figs 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg	Directions Make the crust: Pulse flour, hazelnuts, granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor until just combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, slowly add 1/4 cup water and process until mixture just begins to hold together. If dough is too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse. Shape dough into 2 disks, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 disk until firm, about 1 hour. (Freeze remaining disk for another use.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough to a 1/8-inch-thick rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a piece of parchment. Cut dough into 2-by-3-inch pieces. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the filling: Combine pears, granulated sugar, figs, lemon juice, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Transfer filling to an 8-by-11-inch baking dish. Arrange dough pieces in a patchwork design, overlapping slightly and leaving holes in between as steam vents. Brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until top is golden brown and filling is bubbling in the center, about 55 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Copyright 2010 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

The recipe can be found here:  Martha Stewart Living- Pear Pandowdy Recipe.

Baby Sign Language

I have been fascinated with baby sign language and its benefits for a long time.  

There are a lot of articles citing the positives about using sign language with your child before they can fully talk, which allows them to communicate easier (along with following their cues).  It is shown to increase their spoken, and eventually written (reading) vocabulary.

I definitely plan on using these with Isabella- funny: Matt and I are already doing these signs occasionally with her now and we just laugh at each other, but I know that it will eventually pay off!

Websites:::
Parents Magazine several articles about various types of words

Baby Sign Language 

Baby Sign Language Dictionary  


Articles:::
Journal of Nonverbal Behavior

Q&A Question on Sign Language Negatives 

These are a few of the resources I have used- there are TONS of other sites out there!  I will post more updates as we go along and teach her more signs.  I hope you enjoy reading more about this unique way of communicating with Isabella! :)  Be Blessed~

Simple Living

"For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you." 2 Corinthians 1:12

For a while now I have been making our lives as simple as possible.   Why be complicated when things can be easy?  Now, please don't mistake this for obsessiveness, because it can easily turn in that direction!!

Here are a few of the things we have changed or decided to do in our home. Look for more posts in the future about our 'simple life'! :)

Gardening- We planted a garden this year.  It yielded soooo much!  I can't believe we haven't been doing this longer.  I was able to make enough  breads and other frozen items to use later that I swear, we will have bread until the second coming...or at least until I am ready to make more next summer!  I didn't have to buy hardly anything at the store this year, and next  year Matt promises it will be an even bigger garden (Yikes!).

Making my own baby food- since our garden yielded plenty, I am off to a good start and believe it or not (yes, some of you guys think I am crazy) it was SUPER easy!  On top of that, it saves money and I know exactly what is in the food, since we garden pesticide-free.  I will post about our baby food making adventures one of these days!

Glass baby bottles- I started out thinking it would be nice to be 'retro.'  But, after further research and though, plus a long discussion with Matt we decided that glass was the way to go.  They are very inexpensive, not made of plastic, and can be recycled when the day comes that they will no longer be needed (shedding a tear or two).

Couponing- Now some may say that this complicates, rather than simplifies my life, but I disagree.  It makes me feel awesome about the 5 minutes I spent clipping and printing, when I walk through the easy check out (see next post) and saved my family $31.00 (all items we actually use).  So, to me 5 minutes= $31.00......you decide if it is worth it for your family or not. :)

Easy Scan Checkout- Now I realize not every grocery has these, but if your grocery does, TAKE ADVANTAGE!!  All they require is a bonus card.  You pick up this handy, dandy hand scanner to take a long with you while you shop.  You find something you want, scan it, toss it in your bag (or in my case, put it in the bag organized by type of packaging or food--yes yes, I know I know...) and the lovely little scanner keeps track of your purchase total.  PERFECT for easy checkout (hence the name) and the budget friendly shopper.  I always go to the store with our bi-weekly budget and this little gadget adds it up, so I know exactly what it will be when I get to the checkout machine- PERFECT!

Cleaning with Vinegar- I long ago ditched the Swiffer for my sweet fur-children's safety, but I have now decided that I am ditching just about every cleaner known to (wo)man.  I don't see the necessity in using cleaners (not any easier since you are STILL wiping away the grime...now if someone invents a safe household product that wipes for me, all the better!).  I also have found that vinegar cleans better than some household cleaners that are 3 times as costly.  Now, don't get me wrong, on occasion I do miss the Clorox wipes, but only briefly, when I remember how much safer my home is becoming. :)

Baking- Again, some might disagree with my thoughts, but hear me out.  I have loved to bake and cook since I was young- always trying random new things, well, since diving back into this over the past year (its so much easier when you don't work in retail) I have found it to be very therapeutic, and rewarding (often judged by how much my husband likes the dessert-- i.e. how quickly he gobbles it up).  Plus, again it is a lot cheaper than buying a generic cake at the store and it sits all week because Matt doesn't like them too much.

Making our own Laundry Detergent- So, I have found this to be quite interesting, and with all the positive feedback from friends, I am delving into the world of detergent.  I have always wondered what chemicals are in our detergent (sure it smells good...but what's in it???) and now I can add the cost-effective side of it all!!  I will definitely blog about this one once it all said and done!  Prior to posting this post, I have already created my own fabric softener and I am happy to announce that it works GREAT!  :)  Hopefully the detergent will too!

This is all I am putting on this blog, look for more things we are doing around our house to be more simplistic, as well as the funny tales we can tell about the ones that don't work so well!  ;)

Be Blessed!

Isabella's Fun Life

Isabella has had lots of fun times recently!  We have been busy with the basement and the recent holiday times, so I am just now able to post about what is going on in her life.

First, Halloween was a great success!  We went to Meg's house to hand out candy to all the little trick or treaters- I guess we probably had 30-40 kids by the time it was all said and done!  My favorite costume was the little boy with the Buzz Lightyear Costume.  He had wings that popped out like Buzz does- and it lit up!  AWESOME!

Isabella was a caterpillar :)  She was sooo super cute in her little outfit. 

She got to trick-or-treat with her buddies Alec and Olivia.  They also got to see the huge ladder truck from the local fire company come through the neighborhood, flashing its lights and running its siren!!  They stopped just so her good buddy Alec could see it and say trick-or-treat!  He loooves trucks!  The police officer riding the neighborhood also stopped and gave out glow sticks to all of the kids, so that they were more visible!  Thanks Lower Paxton Township!! :)

As you read from the previous post, she just turned 4 months old!  She is growing sooooo fast!  And, love her, she is so active now, it's great! :)

For her 4 month photo shoot I decided to document all of her newly found 'talents'...i.e. touching feet, playing with Paisley, fingers....so you could see her world, through her eyes! :)

 Enjoy!

After playing during her photo shoot, she was definitely tired, and ready for a nap!  Here's a little sneak peak at Isabella's nap time! :)

 And, what post isn't complete without a post about her food progress!!  She is getting ready to hang out in her high chair permanently.  We have been working with her to sit up in the chair, but I do still feed her at the table in my lap.  She isn't quite ready to sit in the chair and let us feed her, but she will be there soon enough!  :)

She is eating rice cereal and oatmeal cereal 2 times a day for the past week or so. 

I have also been preparing baby food for her and freezing it in preparation to shortly start her one those yummy, delicious goodies. 

She is regularly grabbing at plates and food while she is at the table with us, which is cute, but becoming more aggressive, so I know it won't be long until she is gobbling goodies all on her own!  Where has the time gone?? :)

Isabella Marie is 4 Months old!!

Well, you guessed it!  She is 4 months old!!  YAY!!! :)

Today was her well-baby check-up at the pediatrician and she did WONDERFUL!

Here are her stats from the check-up- she is growing nicely!

Length: 25 inches (74th percentile) long tall Sally.
Weight: 12.3 pounds (19th percentile) bless her, she is a skinny Minnie.
Head Circumference: 15 7/8 inches (30th percentile)

She had two shots today, one in each leg.  She also had an oral vaccine- which by the way she LOOOOVED the taste of it!  :)

She was a real trooper for her shots today.  A little whimper each leg, then a hug from Mommy and Daddy made it all better!!!

She was also cleared for Rice and Oatmeal Cereal (which she has been eating for the last week) and she can also start her vegetables- green then yellow, and so on!  Yay!  She is growing up so fast!