Thursday, February 25, 2010

Two Weeks!!

We have just two weeks until the movers come to pack up our stuff! I cannot believe how quickly the time is flying by before we get to Colorado and we are so ready. It feels like there is just so much I need to get done and so little time to finish everything on my to do list. I’m actually sitting here writing while I procrastinate – I need to clean the bathrooms – which is probably why nothing is getting done. Oh well, I think I deserve the occasional procrastination day. I’m just really enjoying the quiet. Snuggle Bug has officially entered into the terrible two’s with a vengeance. Yelling “no!” at everything, throwing fits over the smallest things and just generally feeling very unpleasant. It is taking some real getting used to. I just keep reminding myself that this is all a phase and should end in, oh, the next 16 years or so. Definitely loving motherhood.

Okay, that nagging in the back of my head telling me that I need to get up and clean is winning me over. I’m off to get a few things done around here.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Did I set a new vomit record?

What a weekend! This is the first time since early Sunday morning that I’ve been able to crawl out of bed after being very sick. Vomiting six times in six hours… yeah, no fun. I think its a new record. The hubby took over all the house duties, took care of Snuggle Bug and kept a close eye on me. He is such a good hubby!

Saturday started out as a good day. We had a photo shoot planned for later afternoon with a bunch of local photographers meeting to take pictures and exchange ideas. After braving the cold for about an hour we all met at a restaurant down the street to continue chatting and have dinner. We finished there around 7ish and a few of us met for drinks at a small bar. The hubby and I so rarely get to go out together it was nice being able to be out as a couple. See? Good Saturday. Then 4am Sunday morning rolls around and I’m awakened by a horrible feeling in my stomach. I knew it wasn’t good and it all went downhill from there. After the third trip to the bathroom I knew it was time wake up the hubby because I was feeling pretty bad. He brought me a cool washcloth, rubbed by back and tried as hard as he could to make sure I was well taken care of. Around 4pm yesterday evening I managed to make it out of bed for about an hour before I needed to lie back down. It was a very long day. This morning I’m still feeling under the weather but well enough that I don’t want to be in bed anymore. I’m just so ready to feel back to normal.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Vomit and Toddlers

Good morning! It is a cold and dreary day today; I’m very ready for spring. Snuggle Bug is sitting next to me having her breakfast after a long evening/night. It started out as a good day, went to the grocery store, played, and cleaned, the usual stuff. Towards the evening I noticed that she was starting to act like she was tired. She kept walking over holding her arms up to be held. I finally decided that she must still be tired and put her down for a small nap before dinner. About 10 minutes later the hubby and I hear her crying and assume she is just annoyed about being put in her crib and figured she would fall asleep shortly. 5 more minutes go by and she is still crying. Hmmm, okay. A few more minutes and we couldn’t stand it anymore so the hubby went upstairs to get her. Suddenly I hear “Liz!!” as I’m in the kitchen making dinner and I drop everything to run upstairs to see what the problem is. I walk into Snuggle Bug’s bedroom and I see it… a very upset two year old covered in vomit and clutching her favorite bunny. Oh my. So I started piling puke stained sheets and crib toys onto a towel before getting Snuggle Bug into the tub. Okay, she is clean and her things are in the wash. We must be good to go, right? Yeah, not so much. I check her for fever and no fever. That’s good at least. She wants to play with her toys. Another good sign. She wasn’t interested in dinner which I assumed was because her stomach was still upset. The hubby and I have our dinner while she plays and life seems good. Then she toddles over to me looking upset and wants a hug. Just as I reach to pick her up, BOOM, vomit. All over my couch. Luckily, very little actually got on her so she only needed a new shirt.

She has puked on me more times than I can count in the last two years. Then add in her pooping, peeing, sneezing, drooling, or wiping her nose on me and I can safely say I’ve been covered in some sort of baby bodily fluid much of the last two years. Ah, the joys of motherhood.

Anyone know how to get vomit out of a couch? I’ve apparently forgotten.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Happy Birthday to my Snuggle Bug!!

Today is Snuggle Bug’s birthday!



I cannot believe two years have gone by! It feels like just yesterday I was pregnant and now my Snuggle Bug is becoming a big girl. It all goes by so quickly!



We spent the last 5 days with family back home and just got in from our long drive last night. Man was I tired. 9+ hours in a car with a toddler can be very exhausting but I will say she did very well. We only had a few minor meltdowns so it could have been much worse. The Hubby was originally planning on going with us but had to make an impromptu trip to Georgia to fix some issues we’ve been having with our rental home there. He was definitely missed.






Since we were there so close to Snuggle bug’s actual birthday my family decided to give her a small birthday party so that we could all celebrate together. It was really nice just being able to relax with family and chat. The trip went by so quickly but I wanted to make sure we made it back today so that we could spend her birthday with the hubby since he missed it last year.



Tonight we’re going to have some well needed family time, play some games, have a yummy dinner and just enjoy a great birthday!

Happy Birthday to my sweet Snuggle Bug!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Quick Note

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I will be out of town until next week so you may not hear from me for a few days. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Storytime Pillow and a new purse

I have been in quite a creative mood lately! I love when I get into moods like this because I finally complete all those projects I’ve been meaning to finish.

Yesterday Snuggle Bug took an extra long nap so after getting my chore list finished I found myself with some extra time to fill before she woke up and that means time to sew!

One of Snuggle Bug’s favorite books is The Very Hungry Caterpillar so she woke up to a brand new story time pillow.



The night before the hubby went out on a nighttime shoot so I took that quiet evening to myself to attempt to make a purse. I had never done it before so there was a little trial and error but overall I’m happy with the result.




I embellished the front with beads and a bow to hide a flub up on my seam. Hey, at least I’m honest about it!



I’ve got one more project to post about; probably my favorite project in the bunch, but you will have to come back next time for that one!

So whats next? Maybe an apron or something new for Snuggle Bug? Maybe try my hand a smaller version of that purse and see if I can perfect my technique. I love crafting!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Quiet time for mommy

All is quiet on the home front. The hubby is away at a photo shoot and Snuggle Bug is asleep so I’m getting a rare quiet moment to myself. I’ve spent some hours working on a few different sewing projects but unfortunately my back can only take bending over my sewing machine for so long. Apparently my back has decided to get old before I do. But the quiet is definitely nice after last week. Snuggle Bug is just finally starting to kick whatever she’s been sick with. But unfortunately in the process she got accustomed to being catered to and isn’t thrilled that it isn’t happening anymore. This would probably be a good time to take a long hot bubble bath but realistically I’ll probably spend the time cleaning. I would never be able to sit too long knowing that there are things around the house that need to be done.

But during this brief interlude from my “alone” time I can finally show you the entire little special thing I made for Snuggle Bug a few weeks ago….


A tutu! Isn’t it adorable? I think every girl should have one.

It was incredibly easy to make, no sew and only cost a few dollars to make. Snuggle Bug liked it so much she didn’t want to take it off.



With luck I should have the purse I’m working on finished soon and maybe the newspaper bead project as well. I think that’s my problem, I always start so many projects at once. I get overly excited when I see something I want to try and run out to get started. Then of course I get distracted with the project I had begun before that and it takes me forever to actually complete everything. That being said I should probably run off to finish some of those projects while I can, huh?

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Under the weather

Things that make you go awwwwww!



The hubby decided to make her a little place to lay down to watch TV since she doesn't feel well. Aren't they cute?

Snuggle Bug started coughing a few days ago and today my poor baby is just so under the weather. She is tired, has no appetite, and coughed so hard earlier that she threw up a ridiculous amount of snot. Sorry for the description but you get the idea. It is the worst thing in the world when your baby is sick. I just wish that I could do something to make her feel better.

Days like these make me want to call my own mother to say thank you for the countless days and nights she spent worrying about my brother and I when we got sick. Parenthood can really put things into perspective.

I wish I could make this post longer but as I type Snuggle Bug is starting to get a little bit whiney, which means she is probably starting to feel a little bit worse. I really hope this passed quickly so my sweet baby can feel good again!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Groundhog Day!

Its Groundhog Day boys and girls! What does that mean? Well, the famous Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his stump to make his predictions and tell us if there will be 6 more weeks of winter OR if spring is just around the corner. I know we’re all hoping for some warm weather around here!

So what did Phil have to say today?



Yep, 6 more weeks of winter. Boo! But if it makes you feel any better is has been said that Phil only gets it right about 30% of the time. I guess we’ll have to wait and see!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Smothered Pork Chops with polenta

The other night I tried out a new yummy meal that I think we’ll definitely be adding to our list of make again meals.


Smothered Pork Chops


2 bell peppers sliced, yellow and red
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 to 1 ½ cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
4 boneless pork chops

Heat two tablespoons vegetable oil over medium heat and brown pork chops on all sides then put aside. Add remaining vegetable oil, onions and bell peppers to the pan and cook until tender. Mix in flour, cook for 2 minutes. Add vinegar, capers, broth and pork chops. Cover and cook until sauce thickens and pork chops are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper, top with parsley and serve.

About halfway through making the pork chops it dawned on me that I hadn’t thought about a side dish. Oopppsssss! So I did a quick search online and decided on this yummy polenta recipe that can be customized to fit your purposes.

Polenta with rosemary and parmesan

2 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups milk
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, or more if desired
salt and black pepper to taste

In a saucepan, bring to a boil the chicken broth, water, milk, garlic, rosemary, and salt. Gradually whisk in cornmeal, set heat to medium-low, and simmer the cornmeal mixture until thick and creamy, stirring often to prevent lumps, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the Parmesan cheese until well combined.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 2-quart casserole. Spoon the polenta into the prepared casserole, adding more Parmesan cheese if desired. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper.

Bake in the preheated oven until the polenta is bubbling and golden brown on top, about 30 minutes.

For my purpose I cut the rosemary down and added some mozzarella cheese on top. It was so yummy! I served the pork chops on top of the polenta and the texture complimented everything really well. Then for our veggie I just went with something simple, steamed corn.

Enjoy!!