We're off!

Hi folks...

We've been busy packing and planning for a vacation around here. The weather has been gorgeous, but we've been dreaming about sand and sunshine. This girl is getting excited about a trip to visit her great grandparents in sunny Florida.

So of course, we got new suits and shades for the occasion. I haven't taken a vacation since before Caroline was a twinkle in my eye, so I can't wait to relax on the beach a bit and take it easy. Caroline hasn't flown since she was a little baby, so we'll see how this flight goes.  Wish us luck!

Read more...

Better late?

I am finally getting around to posting Caroline's 9 month portrait. Better late than never, I guess. I had a few people recently ask - where is that 9 month portrait?? Well, it's not that I haven't tried to take it, but Caroline has been quite squirmy lately and has been way too busy to sit still...see for yourself.

Take 1

Take 2

But on Take 3....

...Caroline was quite the peach and finally cooperated and sat still.  Well, still enough for me to get a couple shots in. We had just taken a morning bath, so she was all loosey goosey, and was still holding on to her bath duck. So even though we are a couple weeks late, I got a photo that's worth keeping. And that's all I care about. Happy Monday!

Read more...

Baptism party planning

Hi all! Things have been busy around here, as my little girl grows bigger by the day. So I figured it was high time that we get around to having her baptized already. Like a good little Catholic, I would have scheduled the baptism promptly after she was born. But being that I am clearly not a good little Catholic, I procrastinated.

But I felt really guilty about it, so that probably makes it okay. Us Catholics are comfortable with guilt.

But I didn't want Caroline to be the old broad getting baptized along with a bunch of fresh hatchlings, so I figured I should get my rear in gear and hop to it. I knew if she was old enough to say "amen", I was pushing the limits.

It's going to be a small affair, after all, I am simultaneously thinking about a first birthday party. But since her birthday is just a couple short months away, I figured it might be nice to borrow some supplies from one party for the other. So you might see some of the below pop up in another party come June.

I am planning a pink and gold theme, using stripes, polka dots and other fun textures. I know many baptisms are sprinkled with crosses and other religious symbols, but I'm just not into that. There's nothing wrong with it, but given that I have waited roughly 9 months longer to have Caroline baptized, than most diligent parents, I figure why start with the religious symbolism now?

So we'll see how this all comes together. It's going to be a small crowd, so I am planning to do most of the prep myself and hopefully won't have to rely on a caterer. But with the baptism only 4 weeks away, and an impending family vacation on the calendar, things are starting to look...squeezed.

Have you thrown a baptism party for your child? Any recommendations or traditions in your family for this type of gathering? I'm all ears!

Read more...

Yey! It's Friday!

Caroline is crazy excited it's Friday, she could barely contain her glee...




We have big plans for this weekend. Caroline is looking forward to her swim class tomorrow morning, and we are going to visit Nana and Grandpa this weekend, too.  What fun.

Do you have any big activities planned?  Happy Friday friends!

Read more...

I'd like to live there

Are you addicted to House Hunters as much as Hubby and I? I bet you are. Before we bought our house, I had visions of being on House Hunters, meeting Suzanne Wong and hearing her say something like, "Will Shannon and Hubby purchase the fixer-upper in the nice neighborhood, or will they keep looking?"

But even after we spotted our future home to be, and even after we moved in, we still love playing the "House Hunters" game and searching the market for diamonds-in-the-rough and complete gems. And before you get ahead of yourself - no, we are not moving. Not even close. We just like the search. I love to browse listings in other parts of the country, just like I'll watch House Hunters in Omaha and drool over how much house the family can get for their dime.

So here's a house I would die to own, back in my hometown...

First, I should say that I love, love the mixed use materials - wood shingles, heavy white trim, rustic deep stained garage door. I think Hubby and I could probably trick out our house a bit, to make it feel like this place....only smaller.

 

I love that you walk into the house and can see all the way to the back yard. Unlike our current house, where you need to walk through four rooms, the peer out a bitty window.

Seating for six - and then some? Oh, the luxury.

I love the open concept living room, but I really spy the icing on the cake, there in the background...

Whoever did the design of kitchen should be my new best friend. Or my future decorator.

I'm sorry, I think I just drooled a bit all over my keyboard.

Soft gray walls, wide-plank floors, large over-sized soaking tub, and white wainscoting to boot? Why, yes please.

I don't know which part I love best - the shelf and canisters for display purposes only, or perhaps the farmhouse sink with commercial grade spray faucet? Or is it just the neat cubby and cabinet system to keep things all hidden and tidy?

Why hello there finished basement. Don't you look lovely? Would you mind swinging by my place on your way home and showing my house how things are done?

So what do you think? Would you love it or list it?  Oh sorry...wrong HGTV show...Suzanne Wong would probably say something like, "After looking at many houses, did our couple just find the one?"

*If you are planning a move in the MN area, you can email me for the link to the actual listing if you are interested.

Read more...

February meal plan

Yes, yes, I know that the month is almost over and my goal in creating a meal plan was to help you plan for the upcoming month. But frankly, things this past month have been a little crazy with being sick and all. And to be honest, I was a little disorganized myself. But I figure, better late than never, and who doesn't love a few new recipes? Either way, maybe this can help you figure out your meals for March?

Plus, I have a confession to make. I cannot do it all. (ahem.) I know, I know. It's hard to believe, right?  : )  But in an effort to make my life easier these days, I recently signed myself up for this. It's only been two weeks on this new "service", but let me tell you - it makes my life easier. Much, much easier.

I liked planning meals, I liked figuring out what to make each week, but frankly, it was hard to find the time. Maybe that's why I was such a slacker with the monthly meal plans around here. Maybe I could pick out meals during one of Caroline's nap times. Or maybe I could even squeeze in that grocery list, if she was really sleepy that day. But there was no way I could do all of that - and then blog about it. I simply was not that organized, nor do I ever have that much free time in one "block".

So when I heard about the meal planning service, I had to sign up. Now it takes me a total of 30 minutes to get my meals set for the week, go online grocery shopping (yes, I get my groceries delivered), and call it a day. That's a lot of time saved, and these days every minute counts.

But back to February's meals. If you are looking for a few new recipes - here's what we had this past month (well, two week's worth, anyway), before my fancy new dinner service.

M: Veggies with walnut dressing and pitas

T: Turkey salad

W: Pot sticker salad

Th: Quinoa with strawberries (I used this recipe, but substituted quinoa for wheat berries)

F: Order take out (mom needs a break!)

S: Turkey chili

S: Tomato tortilla soup

M: Hoisin chicken and rice with veggies

T: Broccoli and chicken sausage pasta

W: Veggie fried rice

Th: Frozen pizza (I had mom's group!)

F: Asian Burgers 

S: Basil and tomato spaghetti

S: Apple pasta salad and chicken tenders

M: Chicken bundles

T: Gnocchi pesto

W: Mustard Chicken with egg noodles

Th: Baked ravioli with chicken sausage

F: Take out - it's Friday, let's treat ourselves!

Hopefully this will give you a few good ideas for March? If not, at least you can see I am human and sometimes I take shortcuts. Not always, but sometimes.

Read more...

Oh, hey there.

Hi friends. Before I forget to tell you, we have a new trick these days. Caroline has learned to wave. And feed herself puffs. Sometimes with more success than others (with the puffs I mean. She's already become a waving pro).

Sorry for the silence lately, we've been a bunch of sickies in this house again. And I've been busy trying to work, mother an ever active (and sick) 8-month old, take care of household "stuff", and try to climb out of this miserable sickness-hole - while not letting any of the balls drop. That didn't work so well, and with my attempt to keep things running business-as-usual, I got less and less sleep, while driving myself further and further into illness-misery.

The past week+, Caroline and I have had a nasty chest/head cold. Luckily, this time, Hubby was spared. I was sick for over a week and Caroline is, just today, starting to seem "normal" once again. I love her little baby coos, but boy - how I wish she could tell me how she was feeling and what was wrong.

Okay, but back tracking...where to start and what have you missed? Hubby got me some lovely flowers for Valentine's Day, which over a week later, were still looking great.

He also made me a lovely dinner for the lovey-dovey holiday. He claims it was nothing fancy, but I consider it quite the occasion when I don't have to cook dinner. It could have been frozen pizza and I would have been as happy as a pig in mud.

In addition to waving and puffs, Caroline has been quite the little monkey.

She might look cute, but man - she wiggles and squirms these days and is totally interested in everything.

She loves climbing all over the sofa and all over whomever is trying to contain her.

And although I thought I was being so prepared by lowering her bed two weekends ago, little did I know that it would be short lived.

Caroline learned that the bumper pads are great tools for holding on and trying to stand. So with that latest revelation, my gorgeous nursery crib, the one that Caroline welcomed on her very first days - is now officially as low as it can go and totally un-foofey. (The head of her crib was raised temporarily to help with nighttime congestion.) I switched the fancy bumpers out for the breathable ones, which are decidedly less helpful when it comes to using them as leverage. I feel like although it seems like a pointless landmark, switching the crib around a bit is a small, but sad, milestone.

...which brings me to another thought. Another milestone will likely pass soon enough, that will undoubtedly make me shed a tear.

Her gummy smile. Still no teeth, and I can't say I'm bummed. I can't clearly see any either, but I know my gummy-smile days are likely numbered.

I have been taking countless wide-mouth-grin shots for the past couple weeks, with the hope of freezing time and capturing that adorable toothless mug once more. I know I will be excited for her when she finally gets her first tooth, and we will start talking up the Tooth Fairy when the time comes. But until then, I am loving this baby face more with each passing day.

But you know what regularly reminds me that I still have a young baby that needs my constant love and care - and not some pre-teen on the verge of dating?

Caroline is still almost totally without hair. That bald beauty is my reality check - that even though she may be growing up so fast, seemingly overnight, she is still too young to be growing much hair. Emotional crisis temporarily averted.

This little girl was also spoiled a bit lately. Her mommy and daddy bought her not one, but two new pairs of shoes.

We are planning to visit Caroline's great grandparents in Florida, so what better excuse is there to head out shopping for fresh summery clothes?

We also picked up an inexpensive drum for Caroline to bang on. She loves slapping the top to hear the fun noise.

What else? Oh, how about the terrarium that I received for Christmas? I promised I would post photos of my very cool gift.

The plants have made significant progress since December, and I imagine soon I will need to divide some of them up or it may get too crowded in there. I love looking at the little plants each day, growing quietly thanks to the never-ending watering cycle. It's by far the healthiest and most thriving plant I own, mostly because it requires zero intervention on my part, I imagine.

And for those who might be wondering, Riley is not dead. She is alive and well and has been loving her little sister. Each day, she gets better and more tolerant of Caroline's attempt to strangle her and pull her ears. Riley just sits there like a champ, and tries to sneak in a smooch when Caroline's not looking. It's such pure love and acceptance on both of their parts. I love to watch the two of them "hang out".

I should really have "Riley" post on the blog sometime soon, it has been awhile.

So that's all for now. Sorry to give you the silent treatment lately. But I will be back tomorrow, as well.  Promise.

Read more...