homemade ice cream

7/16/10

Ice cream. I swear it's my addiction to it that is making Owen so chubby!

I've been wanting to try making it at home for a long time. Well today I finally did it. I made it with the kids for "baking friday". Okay so no baking was involved, but it was a dessert, which is kind of what our baking friday is all about. The recipe I used was very time consuming but ooooohhh so worth it! It's delicious! I just wish it had made more. I started the process at 10am and didn't finish until 4:30! If you're patient enough I would highly recommend trying it yourself. I found the recipe on the food network's website. It's an Alton Brown recipe. You can't go wrong with him. You can find it here.

baby firsts

Tonight Owen had his first solid food dinner.

This is the first time I've offered him solid food and he didn't spit it right back out. He ate the whole bowlful (an ice cube size serving) and seemed to love it!

This time I'm only using homemade baby food for a few reasons...

• Quality control. I love that I can control exactly what is in his food. I know it's fresh and there are no additives when I make it myself. I can even make my own combinations based on what I know he'll like, or just puree what we're having for dinner which makes the transition to eating regular food down the road smoother.
• Economical. Making my own baby food will save me so much money, plus I won't be using all those glass jars. Saves on waste.
• It's easy! I can puree what we're having for dinner, or I can make batches of baby food ahead of time by cooking and pureeing (in our food processor) a bunch of fruit or vegetables. (in combinations or individually) and freezing them in ice cube trays. Then when it's frozen you just pop the cubes out and organize them into freezer bags. Label them and stick them back in the freezer until you need to use them. Each cube is about 1 oz. I just stick a cube in a bowl and microwave for a few seconds until its melted enough to stir up. It's so easy, and convenient when you have them ready to go in the freezer.

I'm looking forward to trying different combinations of fruits or vegetables. I'm excited Owen is entering the baby food stage. It's fun to see him do new things.

He's growing up so fast!

dream come true

7/15/10

I love to bake.
I've been baking since I was very young. I remember using my "kid" measuring cups and spoons to make a chocolate cake with a powdered sugar stencil design. I wasn't as good back then, but I kept at it because I enjoyed it so much. I love sharing my treats with others, making them for myself, and enjoying a spoonful of batter (ok several spoonfuls!) after I'm done. I prefer to bake from scratch and love to try new recipes. For me, baking is just another artistic outlet. A delicious outlet!

I've always thought it would be fun to work at a bakery, but didn't really think I'd ever get the opportunity because I'm home with the kids all day. Well, this week my dream came true. I am going to be baking for an delicious cupcake shop called Cupcake Chic!

They opening their first shop ever, here in Orem. The early morning hours work out perfectly for me to work and then get home in time for Kart to get to his job. I couldn't be happier to be working for them. DeAnn and Trista, the owners (mom and daughter), are such fun women and really make amazingly delicious cupcakes. They use nothing but the best ingredients and you can tell. Their cupcakes are bursting with flavor and aren't sickening sweet like other cupcakes. If you live in Utah you'll have to come visit the shop and try some! I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be paid to do something I love for a company I'm already a big fan of.
I can't wait to start!

The best quesadilla...ever

I love quesadillas. They're easy, cheesy and quick! Well today I was scouring the internet for dinner ideas and found an amazing looking recipe for Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Quesadillas here. It was love at first bite!

I left out the jalapenos and added slightly cooked onions, and it doesn't show it in my photo but I drizzled bbq sauce on it too before adding the top tortilla. Grilled pineapple is oh.so.good. I could've just eaten that and been happy! It's really one of the best parts of this quesadilla. Trust me, you want to make this quesadilla. You can thank me later!

last week

7/11/10

Sorry I've been kind of absent. I didn't feel like I had much to say last week, but here's what we've been up to...

I decided to reintroduce the potty chart at our house. We haven't done it for weeks, and potty training isn't going well because I haven't been pushing it. So I thought I better renew my efforts if she's ever going to get out of a diaper. (which I'm so ready for!)

I didn't get fancy about it this time, just "Emma's Potty Chart" written on a piece of paper, but she loves it. (Aiden had to have one too. He didn't want to be left out of the sticker fun.) I figure she likes to put the stickers where ever she feels like on the charts with specific spots, so I'll just make it easier for us both and she can just fill the page how ever she wants to.

The chart helps a little, but I still get resistance from her. She doesn't always want to try. So we just take the successes as they come and celebrate those. We'll keep trying with her. I know she'll get it one day & I can't wait!

Aiden and emma enjoy our sidewalk chalk. So much so that they'll use it on things they shouldn't (like lamp posts and doors). Good thing it washes off!

Lately Aiden's learned how to draw something recognizable. People!

This is Aiden's portrait of my husband Kart. I LOVE it!

My favorite part of his drawing is how he does the eyes; big and swirly circles.

The round thing on his head is his hat, and the blue spot on his belly is his clothes. I think the rest you can figure out. I love to see my kids be artistic!

It makes me happy.

I decided I want to try out having a theme or tradition for each day of the week.

I decided to make every friday "baking day".

We'll bake something together, give away some, and enjoy the rest.

This week we made chocolate crackles & boy were they good! It turned out to be a great cookie choice for the kids because they loved rolling the dough in the sugar, and they were pretty good at it too. I rolled the dough into balls and they rolled it in the granulated sugar, then the powdered sugar.

A perfect chewy, dark chocolately cookie with a sweet powdery outside. YUM!

I wish I could give you all one. They were so good. So good that they didn't last long in our house! In case you're having chocolate cravings too, here's the recipe.

Independence Day

7/4/10

I hope you had a blast this weekend.

I'm grateful to live in a land where I'm free to practice my religion and live in freedom.

I love America!

Thank you to everyone in the military that helps protect that freedom and keeps us safe.

little Owee

6/29/10

Owen turned 4 months this week and I'm loving this stage of his life. We're finally past the hard part! He's discovering his hands and feet, babbling constantly, it's so easy to get a big grin out of him and even a giggle now and then, but best part of all...he sleeps through the night! Rest! It does a mama's body good. Life is good.

It's so interesting how life works though. How you start to forget. Forget how much it hurt to give birth, or how many times I wanted to give up breast feeding. (thanks again Alisha- you really got me through that!) Or how hard it was to muster the energy to shower or cook or do anything other than nurse and sleep. Or getting mastitis- TWICE. I'm so grateful to every friend and family member who got me through those early days; especially my wonderful husband who would do anything for me and was a huge support even in my most hormonal moments!

Now I'm at the point that I'm able to forget the hard parts about labor and caring for a newborn, and just cherish the good parts. Like the first time I held Owen after giving birth while Kart held us both. Having no other worries but to sleep and nurse and eat. Watching my other children love him so much they almost smother him with their hugs and kisses! Having him sleep all curled up on my chest and not wanting to move. All the wonderful meals friends made us so we didn't have to cook. Getting that first smile out of him!

When things were hard in the beginning, each day felt like an eternity. 6 weeks old seemed like it took forever to get to let alone 4 months, but now here we are. 4 months old and life is good! He's getting so big so quickly- both in height and weight. He's already 16 pounds. (that's 75th percentile- in case you're curious about that sort of thing) It's a lot more wearing on my body to carrying him in the sling now, but I'm still doing every day.

Lately I've been thinking about what I've learned about being a mom and about children after having 3 now and thought I would share some of my knowledge with you. Maybe it'll help a new mama out there somewhere.

• Be Consistent. As I type that I groan a little inside because I'm not always the best at this. BUT! I do have a testimony that it makes a positive difference in the way your kids act. They love consistency and need it. This applies to so many areas- like sleeping, your daily/weekly schedule, potty training...and more.
• Sleep is important. when sleep schedules (naps and bedtime) are consistent, kids sleep better & longer. Happiness all for all! Just do your best to have the same sleep times every day and stick to it. Be tough! I recommend the book "Healthy Sleep Habits Happy child", but I'm sure there are other good ones out there on sleep habits. And try to nap when your baby does. I realize that's common advice but it's worth repeating. No one thinks clearly when they're sleep deprived. Get as much rest as you can.
• Get outside of the house at least once a day if you can. Ever since having kids I live for summer just so we can play out side a lot. It's so good for the soul (theirs and yours) and for the body. I think it's vitamin D that you get from the sun. In the colder months get a membership to a museum or some where like a trampoline or bouncy house place. Gotta get those wiggles out somehow when it's too cold to go play outside.
• Wear your baby. Not only does research show that babies that are carried in a sling a lot sleep better, but it keeps your hands free! (essential if you have more than one child) Now not every baby loves the sling, but I would at least try it. There's lots of different kinds, but this time my favorite has been the sling that goes diagonally across the chest. It's super quick to get on and get the baby into and you don't even have to put the baby down to do it. But I love the Moby wrap too. (really easy to make yourself and comfortable to wear.) This time around I've worn a sling pretty much every day and he loves it. It almost always puts him to sleep, and when it doesn't he's happy to be watching what's going on around him. So learn to make your own or buy one. Etsy is a great place to get one.
• Don't forget about your husband. It's so easy to let yourself get into mommy mode and focus all your attention, and energy on your baby and forget about your wonderful husband who supports you. As soon as you can, try to get out at least once in a while and go on dates. Try not to talk about the kids (that's hard!). Mainly just make sure you're still making time for each other, whether that's at home or away together.
• Sing and listen to music together. Music has a profound effect on the way you, and your children, feel. I use Pandora a lot when we're home for background music while we're eating or playing. My favorite station for kids music is Elizabeth Mitchell. I love her folk-rock style, and that her children songs are as enjoyable for the kids as they are for me. I like to sing to my children too, whether that's at bed time, nap time or even potty time! I can't tell you how many potty songs I've made up to try to get them to go to the bathroom while we were potty training. Your kids don't care how well you sing- they just love to hear your voice. Now my kids sing all the time on their own.
• Read together. If I could only give my kids one thing to play with it would be books. We read together every day and my kids love to "read" on their own too. They have so many of our books memorized now that they read (recite from memory- or make it up) them to each other or even by themselves sometimes. I think reading is a great way to bond. It gives us a chance to get all cuddled up on the couch on in a bed and spend some quality time together. It also teaches them to use their imaginations, some teach life lessons, it helps them learn letters and numbers and eventually how to read on their own.
• Document the day to day. You can do that how ever you want. I have never been good about the baby book and I'm not into scrap booking, but I love to photograph my kids and blog about them. It's a great way to remember what life was like when your children were little. It's hard to imagine ever forgetting those precious moments but it happens. I know I'll forget so I'm grateful to have record of it.
• Remember you're not alone. No matter what you're going through as a mom, I can almost guarantee you're not the only one that's experienced it. If you don't already have a group of friends that are moms too try to find one. Join, or start, a play group. Play group has been the easiest way for me to make friends since I tend to be shy. I love having friends that are going through the same stage of life that I am and can relate to what I'm going through. We share advice and give support to each other. We even trade baby sitting. It's great! There are also a TON of mom bloggers out there. (as you probably know if you're reading this) Their stories and advice can be very helpful and validating as well. And of course, prayer is a big one for me. I know my Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ, understand completely what I'm going through and can help me get through anything. I know that I'm never truly alone because I can always pray and I know my prayers are heard and answered.

So there you go. Just some of the things I've learned along the way. I'm sure there's much more to learn still, but I'm getting there.

vegetable gardening

6/28/10

Well folks, we did it! Kart and I planted our first garden! We had to do a container garden, mainly because we're moving at the end of the summer and want our veggies to come with us. I didn't want to spend money on containers so we got creative and made planters out of storage totes and file boxes that we weren't using anymore. (Ok one tote I had to empty of some holiday things, but I'll figure out somewhere else to put it.) Kart drilled holes in the bottom and we lined the bottom with a window screen we cut up that we no longer needed. They worked perfectly as containers and I love that they have handles for carrying when we need to move them. So they look kinda ghetto, but I don't care. This year was all about function, maybe next year we'll make it look good too.

So meet our new babies!

Our veggie line up includes....

The rocks and flowers in the containers are Aiden's contribution. :)

Seeing as how we've NEVER gardened before I'm just praying that they thrive and produce lots of delicious veggies for us. I'm doing my best to make sure they stay watered enough. (It's so hard to tell) Wish us luck. I can't wait to pick our first vegetable!

Workin' at the carwash

6/25/10

Yesterday the kids kept cool by running through the hose while I sprayed it like a fountain.

Then, since we had the hose out, I figured we might as well wash the van. The kids loved it!

Emma bossin' Aiden around.

Aiden's wash cloth "tricks"

At the end of it all Aiden said to me "Mommy, this was FUN!"

Happy official first week of summer!

little bunny foo foo

6/23/10

Remember how I said I was working on making a gift for a baby shower?

Well here she is...

A handmade bunny.

I think she turned out pretty cute!

What do you think? Should I add some to my shop (coming soon)?

*********

On another note-

Owen is getting so big and strong!

When ever I put him in his swing he tries to sit himself up.

He thinks he's so big, but he's not quite ready to sit up on his own yet.

He's practicing and getting those abs ready though!

Gosh I love that cute cubby boy!

For my dad

6/20/10

Dad,

I wish we could be there to give you a big hug and tell you this in person but for now this will have to do...

(and miss you TONS!)

busybusybusy

6/16/10

Sorry my posts have been so foodie lately and not more personal. I haven't had the time to pour into blogging like I want to lately. There are many things keeping me busy at the moment.

I'm starting a new etsy shop, Laura Barnett Handmade, and am shooting to have a grand opening sometime next week. (I'll keep you posted.) It will mainly be handmade child related items. I have some finishing touches to work on before I can make the big reveal though. I'm getting excited and you should too! I'll be having a giveaway. So stay tuned!

I'm still working on potty training Emma. I say "working" very loosely. She's mostly in a diaper still but we're encouraging her to go as much as I can. Tonight she told me she had to go and she did! That's great to know she can recognize the feeling ahead of time. I hope she continues to improve and show interest; for all our sakes!

I'm also making things for the many women I know right now having or who have recently had, a baby. I'm excited about the sewing projects I have in mind for a couple of them! I can't wait to show you the results of those soon.

I committed with a friend to start practicing yoga 3 times a week, so as soon as I finish this post I need to do that tonight! It's a goal I've been talking about forever and am glad to finally be starting.

I've been in a major food rut lately and need to do some menu planning that is inexpensive but more interesting than taco soup and spaghetti!

I also need to figure out what the heck to do for Father's Day this year. The kids are old enough to make something so I hope to think up some idea that involves them. And I need to bake cookies to contribute to the ones we're making all the dads in my Ward.

Plus I've got that long list of summer activities to do with Kart and the kids!

How's a girl suppose to fit it all in!? Less sleep I guess.

Well I better go do some yoga.

Namaste!

Chocolate Eclair Cake

6/15/10

This is a recipe that I got from my sister-in-law last summer and we quickly fell in love with it. It really does taste like an eclair! It's a cool, no bake dessert that's perfect for summer. You should definitely give it a try.

Chocolate Eclair Cake

adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 (3 oz) pkg. vanilla pudding (get the good brand)
• 3 C. milk
• 1 (8 oz) container of frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 (16 oz) pkg of graham crackers

topping--------

• 1/2 C. milk
• 2/3 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 C. sugar
• 4 TBSP butter
• 2 tsp. vanilla

---------------------

Directions

1. In a large bowl combine 3 cups of milk and pudding. Fold in whipped topping and mix 2 minutes.
2. Butter a 9x13 in. baking dish and fill the bottom with a layer of graham crackers.
3. Spread half the pudding mixer over the layer of graham crackers. Place another layer of graham crackers and spread the rest of the pudding on top. Add a final layer of graham crackers on top.
4. To make the topping: in a sauce pan over medium heat combine milk, cocoa and sugar; allow to boil for one minute. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Mix well and cool slightly.
5. Pour over your top graham cracker layer.
6. Refrigerate until set. (best if made a day ahead but should be set in a couple hours.)

peek a boo

6/9/10

Today I woke up from my nap to see Owen's little head peeking out of his moses basket.

It was so cute!

He was just happily checking out his space.

He's getting good at pushing himself up and can almost roll over.

I love watching him learn new things.

6/6/10

Many of my family's favorite recipes come from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine, which is where we found this incredibly delicious peach blueberry cobbler recipe. With berry season upon us I thought it'd be a good one to share.

Happy Baking!

Peach Blueberry Cobbler

Crumb Topping
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. packed light-brown sugar
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 c. (2 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter,
cut into small pieces

1.In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt.
Using your hands, a pastry blender, or two forks, work in butter until
mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Squeeze to form large clumps.


2. Cover with plastic wrap or lid; freeze at least 30 minutes before using.

While you wait for your topping to get cold, you can start on the filling.

Filling

1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
2 cans (15 oz. each) sliced peaches in light syrup, drained
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 lb. frozen blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, and salt.
Fold in peaches, lemon juice and frozen blueberries.


2. Divide evenly between six 6oz. ramekins or custard cups.
(or you can bake it all in one big pan, like a 9x13"- it may just need a little longer to cook)


3. Sprinkle with cumble topping; enough to cover the entire top.

4. Place ramekins on a cookie sheet (in case the fruit boils over) and bake until the top is golden
and the fruit mixture is thick & bubbling; about 40 minutes. **Check it around 30 minutes to make sure
the tops aren't getting too dark. Depending on your oven it may be done before 40 minutes is up.

Enjoy!

saturday at the park

One of the things I love about where we live is that there's is no lack of beautiful parks to go to. So on Saturday we packed a lunch of sandwiches and fruit salad and headed to the park to enjoy the gorgeous weather.

I was feeling creative and had fun making labels on our bags with sharpie markers.

Owen was in a happy mood while the other kids ate.

Then it was off to play!

I hope you had a great weekend too!