Isabella's 5 months old...so let's celebrate with a Christmas session! :)

Well, as you can tell, Isabella is 5 months old!!  It is awesome that she is growing so fast and becoming so active!  Like I previously posted, I have been blessed to be able to spend all of 5 months with her, and this makes our first session with me as a working mommy all the more fun!

I hope you enjoy these shots I got of her-- stay tuned for our Christmas card--it should be in your mailboxes shortly.  Thanks to everyone that voted on Facebook to help us decide which picture to use as our 2010 Christmas Card!!  :)  My clients and family are fabulous!!!  And there is a surprise picture at the end that I think y'all will LOVE! ;)

Surprise!!!

Yes, that's right folks!  You guess right-- she is SITTING UP! :) 


Enjoy!

Thanksgiving!!!!

We have been blessed enough to be able to have many Thanksgivings. The first celebration we had was at our house with my mom and Matt's family. I was so exciting to get to cook our official first Thanksgiving at our house, now that both of us actually have the tie to host events!

I made my own centerpieces this year. These were made from a white pumpkin and a floral arrangement that I chose from our local floral provider. I made two: one for the buffet and one for our table centerpiece.

 We had turkey(I will spare you the gory details since you already know my love affair with dead bird carcasses), corn casserole, stuffing, squash, mashed potatoes, breads, pear pandowdy, and a pumpkin roll.

It was nice to be able to have Thanksgiving with my mom since she was able to come up, but we weren't able to make it to Tennessee. Now Isabella was able to have Thanksgiving with both sides of her family on her first Thanksgiving!

There were so many things going on that Isabella couldn't decide what she wanted to do!  So, instead, she decided that she would just take a nice little nap. ;)

After she woke up, she decided it would be best to hang out with cousin TJ and watch a little TV.  :)  They were so cute together!!



Everyone had a great time, and I was so thankful that we were able to celebrate with all of our families. :)

Then, on Thanksgiving, we went to Meg and Bill's house where she had made a wonderful spread.  So, we were able to get delicious Thanksgiving treats two times in one wonderful, holiday season!!!

After dinner, everyone took a nice little nap, a Thanksgiving tradition for just about everyone in the family! :)

For dessert, we went to Aunt Toot's house- and as usual, it was LOADS of laughs and fun times had by all!  There wasn't any Bingo playing this year, but there was a puking dog (don't ask), shouts across the room, laughter, and lots of little baby snuggles and hugs!

I couldn't have asked for a better Thanksgiving celebration for my daughter's first Thanksgiving! :)

Returning to work

Wow.  It is hard to believe that it is finally time for me to return to work.  Reflecting back on my time spent at home, I think that in the beginning (July and August) the time went by fairly 'slowly' if you want to call it that.  We were busy changing diapers, learning our new little baby girl's ways and communications.  But too soon she began to hop, skip, and jump through the stages (September, October and November), and I felt the wind on my face as my time home with my baby began to FLY by.

Matt and I did a lot of praying before Isabella was born, that we would be okay while I was at home with her, since it was something that we both wanted desperately for her during her infancy.  Well, an update on that:  God is Great!  He has blessed us in so many ways; he has opened doors neither of us thought possible; and we have been able to enjoy our time with her the way God intended for us to enjoy.  I couldn't have asked for a better scenario with my sweet, sweet little child!

It is a bitter-sweet end to an awesome journey.  I am blessed with a job that I like, with great hours, and great coworkers- no complaints there!  I am really going to miss waking the baby, feeding her all her meals, and having our awesome play time.  But, I am comforted to know that there is a nice video camera close by and that she will be in loving hands until I return. :)

Say a little prayer for me today that I will be a strong Godly working momma for Isabella, as I return to work today. :)  Be Blessed!

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!