8 Month Update

Katie Belle is 8 months old! She is so incredibly active - yesterday she easily climbed a flight of stairs! No doubt she will be an early walker too (although I'm just not ready for that!!!) Here's a look back at the past 8 months. These pictures are getting harder & harder to take! You should see the outtakes. (Most involve the paper being eaten.)

And months 1-4. Love that girl!

Before & After - Kid's Bath

Okay Karina. Here's one that we added to the "While We're At It" list. We finally renovated the kid's bathroom. We painted, added beadboard & got a new vanity. I also love the new little mini vase I found from boyanmoskov's etsy store. I've never known what to put in that 2nd little bathroom cutout! I couldn't find a wallpaper or shower curtain that I really loved, so finally I just made one using some fun little fabric from Heather Ross. Any of you ever put in your own grommets before? So much fun. And Ethan helped me paint the stool orange. That boy loves orange. The in-laws should be proud.

Before & After - Site of Impact

Here's where the whole process began, when a drunk driver rammed into our house at 3:30 in the morning last April. Before: Here's the after:
The past year has been a big ole headache in some ways, but exciting in others. It is surprising is how time consuming all the decision-making can be. The hours I spent pouring over decisions about grout color, appliance, hardwood stain, hinge type, and on and on and on...It's good to have some free time again! We love our new kitchen, so we can't complain at this point.

The Veggie Game

I started a new game with Ethan. When we go to the grocery together, he can pick out a vegetable that we will cook together. So, Ethan looks around, and picks out...A Rhubarb?!?!?

Well, I got myself into this mess, so we get our rhubarb and off we go. Much to my surprise, I found this recipe for Banana Rhubarb muffins which was very tasty! Ethan keeps asking "More Rhubarb, Please!"

So if you are feeling adventurous, give these a shot: (P.S. The muffins have "pink" speckles of rhubarb in them, so little pink-obsessed girls might like them!) Recipe adapted from RhubarbInfo.com.

Banana Rhubarb Muffins
2 Egg whites (or 1 portion egg replacer)
2/3 c Skim milk (or milk substitute)
1/4 c Vegetable oil
2 c flour
1/2 c Sugar
1/2 c Mashed ripe banana
1 tb Baking powder
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 ts Nutmeg
2/3 c Chopped fresh rhubarb (about 1, chopped very fine) or frozen rhubarb, thawed and well drained

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray bottoms of 12 muffin pan cups with vegetable cooking spray or line with paper baking cups. In medium-sized bowl beat egg whites with fork; stir in milk and oil. Add remaining ingredients except rhubarb, mixing just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Fold in rhubarb. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling to top. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Immediately remove muffins from pan; cool on wire racks.

Things that Make You Go "Hmmm"

I wonder what was going on right before he fell asleep. Hmm...

Baby Food Jars & Craigslist

I love craigslist. I've gotten some great deals, and also given away tons of stuff - empty moving boxes, remote controls, ceiling fans...We even got rid of a huge hedgerow of nandinas, which we gave to anyone who would dig them up. So today, I posted a listing for "Free Baby Food Jars." Within a couple of hours, I had 4 people who wanted them.

And now, this is my public service announcement that if you have something not worthy of Goodwill, but too good for the trash, don't forget Craigslist.org!

So here's the question...What do YOU do with old baby food jars??? I've been saving a ton since Ethan was a baby, thinking I would come up with something. I never did & have finally decided to get rid of them!!!

CSA's Begin Soon!

Another season of the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is soon beginning, which will mark year #3 for our involvement. So I'm reposting an old post to give you a run down of the pros & cons of our experiences. So is anyone else joining one this year? Are you a big fan of your farmer's market? How will you be getting your freshest of produce this year?
For those of you who are considering joining a CSA next year, here’s my final thoughts from the last 5 months:

THE GOOD
1) Breaks you out of a cooking rut and forces you to be creative.
2) As a result of #1, you will become a much better cook
3) You learn about all sorts of fruits/vegetables that you never knew existed.
4) You discover things like “I like eggplant after all!” and other disappointing things, like “Turnips are as gross as I thought they’d be.”
5) You learn about your local agriculture and what grows when.
6) As a result of #5, you can buy produce in the grocery cheaper & fresher, because you are more keenly aware of when foods are at their height in taste & production.
7) You’re eating more fruits & veggies! Better for the planet and better for your body.
8) You’re supporting your local farmer.
9) If you play your cards right, the CSA can be much more convenient, since you just pick up your box right from the delivery truck.
10) You learn how to freeze foods. (And some attempt the canning route as well.)
11) Many CSAs are organic.

THE NOT-SO-GOOD: I recognize that a CSA is most certainly not for everyone. Here are a few of the down sides.
1) You’re in it for the long haul. Most (not all) CSAs require a full-season commitment.
2) Price – It may turn out to be cheaper than a grocery, but may not. You pay a per-week price regardless of how full or small your weekly share is. If there is very little rain (like this year), your baskets may be small for a while.
3) Repetition – I must say that I got very sick of okra and cucumbers. You might get a large load of a certain food for several weeks. In our society, we’re used to variety. I try to remind myself that farmers across the world for generations have dealt with this and been just fine.
4) Picky Eaters – Need not apply. There are things that I don’t like for certain, but I’m willing to give it a shot. If you are not interested in trying out some new foods, then you may need to pass on the CSA.

Food Sites of Interest:
Eating Organic on a Food Stamp Budget
Cook's Thesaurus
Slow Food USA
AllRecipes.com
100 Mile Diet

Here are a few of the Local CSAs:
Long Hungry Creek Farm
Delvin Farms
Fresh Harvest Co-op (You pick the vegetables of your choice as needed.)
Avalon Acres

For a CSA near you, click here.

Recognize Me?

Yesterday, I sent out the following email. Read below to see the entertaining response from Drew.My email read, "Hey Friends. I am trying to find the owner of the below white plate. Is it yours? We're cleaning out our goods, and I can't figure out whose this was! Thanks."

Here's what Drew (I mean the sauceplate) has to say...Oh My darling. My sweet, sweet china white. Your pattern completes me. I have been searching far and wide for you since we were separated at Macy's so long ago. I never gave up hope my beautiful, flawless wedgewood, 27cm of ribbed perfection. It is I. My place setting has never been complete since you were ripped from my gaze during that 4th of July bonanza sale. I have given myself to no other table since that moment. Return to me and I will give you a silver napkin holder as a symbol of my undying devotion. Let's make little porcelain teacups together. I want you.

Love,

Your white hot saucer plate

On The Move

Time to lower the crib! Katie Belle is now crawling & pulling up. 2 months earlier than her brother did! Let the competition begin! :)

Flour Sifter Light

Thanks to Mary Alice's clever idea, we have a very unique new lighting fixture, original to our house! Here's the before picture.

Still waiting on the glass fronts for these upper cabinets, but we're getting close to finishing!

PS: All you lefties out there notice anything about the sink? I had the lever placed on the left-hand side!! Something so simple is one of my favorite things about my kitchen. :)

Sample Rugs & Babies Don't Mix

Note to Self & Other Blogger Friends:

If you are bringing home a sample rug to see how it looks in your home, do not let your baby sit on it - even for a minute. Even if baby has not spit up in forever, she will spit up, right on aforementioned rug. And you will become owner of new rug, regardless of your affection for it.

Just a reminder, folks.

Settling In

We've moved back in our house (yeah!) and are getting settled in. We're loving the house, and...the quilt is done! Whew! I'm so glad I did it, but that is definitely not going to become a hobby of mine anytime soon! I thought it would save a significant amount of money, but I still spent $200 on materials. I've learned that sewing is not a moneysaver.


We're still waiting on kitchen cabinet doors, and the flour sifter lighting fixture (remember this?), but I'll post pictures of the kitchen when it's all done!

Upcoming Consignment Sales!

Consignment Sale season is upon us! My neighbor sent me this list, and I thought I'd share. Just leave me some good stuff. And let me know if you know of others coming up!

Consigning at the Creek - March 6-7, Otter Creek Church of Christ at 409 Franklin Road

Wee Wares - March 5 -- 8 7 15115 Old Hickory Blvd. (Old Rhodes Furniture Bldg) corner of Old Hickory and Nolensville Rd.

Hannalooms - March 4 - 7 Janie's Antique Mall 114 George L. Davis Blvd. Between Broadway and Church behind Nissan

Kids Bargains - March 27 - 28 Forest Hills Baptist Church

Reruns are Fun - Feb. 24 - 26 Factory at Franklin

Encores and More - Feb.21 - 27 Highway 96 Franklin at Former Trees N Trends Store

Baby is Nearly 7 Months!

We've had so much happening around here, that I haven't posted a picture of my sweet baby in a while! KB is nearly 7 months old & such a sweetheart!

Yes, I know she has no socks. I have yet to find a pair of shoes/socks that stay on. So leave me alone. She had an extra blanket draped around her feet.

Walls Without Cracks All Over

Ahh...It's nice to have walls that look like this Instead of this (blue tape all over our house marked cracks from the wreck):We inherited the wall color, which many people loved, but was too dark for me. So I'm glad to finally have a new coat of paint on the walls as well.

Playgroup Valentine's

This is the third year we've celebrated Valentine's day (a bit early) with our playgroup. How they've grown! Here
are pictures from the previous 2 years. You might notice that we have 3 new ones - Mary Michael, Cash & Katie Belle! We had fun, like always!

Egg Test Results - YEAH!

We're still in the doctor's office waiting. Another 4 hour appointment (!) and we're still waiting for our final approval, but everything looks great for us! Big things in our future. Ethan has eaten all the foods, and we just have to wait another 20 minutes and get to go home!

Here's how the oral challenge works & why it takes so long, for those who are interested: Ethan eats one bite of muffin. We wait. Ethan eats the rest of muffin. We wait. Ethan eats a bite of french toast. We wait. He eats rest of the french toast. We wait. He eats scrambled egg bite. We wait. He eats the rest. We wait.

I hope I never take eating for granted. Since this problem came our way, I've realized that food allergies is the Biggest, Smallest problem ever. Thank goodness, it never has to be a problem that affects one's livelihood if you work really hard at controlling what you eat. But it is a part of your life that you can never forget about. Food is a part of every social situation, and you never get a break from thinking about it. Already I feel such a load off, but I never want to forget what so many people have to deal with every day to avoid allergic reactions.

If food allergies are the reason you started coming to my blog, stay strong! It may not be easy, but hopefully your days of dealing with this are limited. I hope my story has been an encouragement to you & I'm sure it will not be the last you hear from me on the subject. If you ever want to post a question or need some encouragement, feel free to send a post my way!

Edited Note: We got home, and he was very uncomfortable, with trouble breathing, saying "I can't breathe!". I did notice his congestion a bit at the dr. after the scrambled egg, but didn't think much of it because he didn't complain. I guess we'll avoid the eggs in scrambled egg, deviled egg, etc.

Oral Challenge for Egg

This week was one of the best weeks ever. I felt like a parent taking pictures of their first born trying his first bite of rice cereal or mashed banana. Except for us, it was photos of Ethan's first ravioli, pizza, chocolate kiss, grilled cheese, ice cream, cheese cubes, yogurt, and on and on. It was the first week we have ever just walked into a random restaurant and ordered off the menu. There are 3 (yes three) restaurants we've ever taken Ethan & felt comfortable with the food. Other than that, we bring his food, or just don't go out. No more!!!

Hopefully, tomorrow will be the start of an even better week. Ethan's egg oral test is at 8:30 am. He will eat a muffin with egg, followed by french toast, and then scrambled eggs. He had a higher reaction to egg on the skin test, but got a "0" on the blood test. I'm very optimistic! We'd love your prayers!

In other good news, we move in one week!!! Yeah for February!

Oh Boy

We fell in love with an old house. Now, just in time for Valentine's Day, we are falling in love all over again with an old house modernized. The crash fast-forwarded a ton of upgrades to our house that we wanted to do in 5-10 years. (Since we had to tear out the plaster, we went ahead and rewired the house; since we had to put down new hardwoods, we refinished all the floors to make them match; since we had to rip out the ceiling for repairs, we added lighting; since we had to rip out our back steps, we added a deck instead of replacing them, etc, etc.) Here are some current pictures of why I love it so!
Current picture of our kitchen. The grout isn't on yet, so it won't be that dark between the tiles, although I did go with "Mushroom" color grout, instead of white.We made this room larger by including some attic space & unused dormer space & made a built-in bed nook.We love the phone nook, but had it wired so that we could put an actual phone there! Found this cordless vintage-style phone from Pottery Barn on ebay.

Ethan's First Ice Cream

"It's Pretty Good!"

Good News!

We are still at the doctor's office (added note: from 1:30-5pm!), but I wanted to give an update to tell everyone that ate his muffin & pizza with flying colors! He did say, "My Mouth Hurts" after eating his first bite of pizza, but quickly said, "It's Better!" and proceeded to eat 2 slices. (I don't know - maybe he bit his tongue??) He drank chocolate milk, and seems fine, but has hives on his mouth (He also had some nasal inflammation). So we've been cleared on baked goods & cheese, but have been told to wait 6 months on whole milk & try again later. We'll be keeping an eye on him tonight to see if his eczema flares up also.

Anyway, I just wanted to update those of you who are checking on us! I can't wait to go to an actual restaurant and get a grilled cheese tonight!!! And tomorrow, my boy is for sure getting his first ice cream!

We still have an egg test coming up next week, and nuts/shellfish are tbd, but milk has been the biggest deal so far! YEAH!!!

Countertop

Today, they are installing countertops! Kashmir White, for those of you mulling over your own home renovations...

Climbing at PB Teen

Since we own a climbing gym, I was especially interested to see this rock climbing decor on sale at PB Teen! Click here for the wall mural, marked down to $99 from $199. And this Carabiner Rope System, marked down to $19, from $59. Climb on!

Workshop

Now here is a man who is proud of his workshop. He added this area to our basement, complete with cabinets pulled from our old kitchen. Does every man desire his own workshop? Or is it just my husband? This is his favorite area of our house. He has more tools than I have shoes!

Bittaba: If this post doesn't get a comment from you, Lance will be very sad.

Felt Fortune Cookies

Here are the fun little Valentine's Fortune Cookies I made last year, for those who might need a cute idea. Click here for instructions from Martha!

Top 10 Lessons Learned About Insurance Claims

I figure we should pass on what we've learned about insurance over the past 9+ months. If you've had a large claim too, do you have others to add to the list?

Below: A current view of our kitchen, which looked like this a few weeks ago! For those of you new to my blog, here's where our claim started. More updates also found under "Big Mess."1. Insure Yourself - Insurance is Important. As disappointed as we were with our treatment, I can't imagine if we had no homeowners insurance at all. If possible, talk with friends who had large insurance claims to find out how they were treated. Also, check the national reputation of your insurance company. Unfortunately, ours has a national reputation for not settling quickly or fairly.
2. Picture This - First of all, take pictures of your house. Right Now. Inside & Out. Don't take a close up picture of every tiny houseplant, but take shots of each room. When we were burglarized a couple of years ago, I wish I had taken snapshots of things like my CD rack, inside my kitchen cabinet, etc.
3. Every Little Bit - It all adds up. If you have a claim, make sure you account for everything possible. We were burglarized during a renovation, and had no idea what was piled up in our POD & backside of the house. If I had taken pictures, it would have jogged my memory. But instead, months later we would think, "Oh, what happened to that globe we got for our wedding?" (Really, I can't believe they stole that, Liz!) For months we would remember things that added up to several hundreds dollars in the end. We never claimed all of this stuff with our insurance.
4. Document the Process - Right away, get yourself a calendar & write down dates of important phone calls, emails, etc. Who was at meetings, what they said. Take tons and tons and tons of photographs of the incident & repairs. They incorrectly laid some brick on our house, which didn't meet codes, but quickly covered over it. We only got them to redo it because Lance had documented it.
5. Hire The Right Guys (or Girls) - Just pay what it costs to hire someone you trust. We were locked into a decision, because the insurance only approved the guys who low-balled the estimate. We ended up having to fire them & redo a bunch of their work on our own dime.
6. Be Insistent - Unfortunately, we learned that it doesn't always pay to wait around for the guys to do the right thing. We waited about 6 months without a settlement. Finally, Lance made dozens of calls in one week, going over each persons head. Once he got to the highest in command, the issue was resolved that same day.
7. Put Your POD Away - Don't leave a POD in your yard. Ours was broken into. Plus, they are a huge red flag for folks looking to break into a uninhabited house.
8. Get Folks to Back You Up - Hiring a lawyer, engineer, architect may be necessary. Fortunately, we had a structural engineer (and family friend) at our house on Day 1. His documentation & reports were invaluable. We also expect his reports & assessments to help in the eventual resale of our home. And we ended up having a lawyer (and friend) represent us to move our situation along. And since I married an architect, his services were free. :)
9. While You're At It - If there is additional work done to your house, consider doing it now. Depending on the market & how long you plan to stay in the home, it could be a cost-effective time to get other work done that you have been considering. Due to the wreck, we had to install a new staircase going out of our kitchen. We had been talking about adding a deck, so we decided to go ahead and make the upgrade now.
10. Go With It - This one's really a bummer, because it really could mean that the good guy doesn't "win". But in the end, you have to realize that it's just "stuff." Maybe you truly won't get what you are owed (we didn't.) But you have just got to let it go. Otherwise, it will eat you up.

Bean Skirts for Girls

Here's another etsy seller you should really check out before February 10. A friend-of-friend (remember Kate from The Bachelor?) started a line of little girl skirts on etsy called...Bean! How adorable! Hopefully, she'll be able to stay around after February, but who knows what this law might do! Click here for more from Bean.

If you have ever bought a smocked dress, handmade blanket, baby hair bows, embellished burp cloth, etc., you really need to be concerned about this new law! It requires manufacturers to spend upwards of $20,000 to make sure their clothing (100% cotton...Hello!) doesn't have lead. Isn't something wrong here? Have you taken action? Are you tired of hearing me talk about it?

Buy Before February 10!

I meant to share this "I Spy Bag Travel Toy" that I bought for our long Christmas road trip, from etsy seller aebaby. It's fun and very easy to pack away to buy you some quiet time on your travels. There are a variety of different fabrics, we have a dinosaur pattern.

Thanks to that nasty CSPIA law, you will no longer be able to buy awesome gifts like this, or a number of other cute handmade products and clothes for children.

Remember when I told you about these cutie shoes? This etsy seller is already closing up her shop!

If you want to buy handmade clothes, toys, and gifts, do it soon!!!

#3 Racing Birthday Party!

i felt certain about two things for Ethan's birthday. First: All food there would be E-Safe. Second: Cars would be involved. So I went with the race car theme, embraced the "slanty 3" and the rest is history.
A friend who is an awesome graphic designer owed me a favor, so he threw together the cute party invite with awesome Ethan illustration. Then, I got some great car themed goodies for the bags from Oriental Trading. Other fun racing decorations came either from here or here or here.Sis-in-law Jeanie makes amazing cookies, so she whipped up these cuties, using this vegan cookie recipe. (Last year, I vowed never to attempt this type of cookie ever again.)
Ethan's cars filled a corner as our "race track." Easy enough, right? Toddlers don't stay in one place too long, so they quickly moved on to...The DMV. Where they could make their own license plates, from craft foam, stickers & glitter glue. We also had some of these guys - first drivers license, perhaps?
Next, off for paint jobs & work in the body shop! At the Body Shop, they got to paint & color wooden cars. 
Or color pictures of cars.
For the food, we had bagels (Tires) with flavored cream "cheese." I made strawberry and veggie flavored cream cheeses from using Tofutti brand. Plus bananas and coffee (Fuel!!!). We topped off a good breakfast with some checkered vegan cupcakes.Then, it was off to do some climbing & work off those cupcakes! I have no intention of putting on a party like this every year. I am actually a big advocate of simplicity. But I figure I have it in me to throw a small handful of good parties during their lifetimes. Maybe in another 5 years we'll do it up again!

Birthday Report, Part 1!

More updates to come, but Ethan's 3rd birthday party was such fun! Thanks to our friends for coming!! Now, I think I will take a nap. :) Since we were booted from our home, we had our party at our gym. And since we had the place all to ourselves, we decide to do it up! It was a car birthday, but we had to squeeze in a little climbing!
Happy Birthday!
The kids had fun with car crafts!
I think the belay lesson was a bit over their head. Can you say, "belay on"? (Okay, I love Drew in this picture.)
The mezzanine has never seen this many toddlers!
Running on the bouldering pads is strictly prohibited!

Big Time Celebration

I've been feverishly baking & icing vegan cupcakes for the biggest celebration of all times. Well, not really, but that is alot of cupcakes, right? Stay tuned for the 3rd birthday rundown! My boy turns 3 in just a few hours!

Click here for the dude at birthdays Number 1 and at Number 2!