Handmade Gifts

I made some Clutch/Toiletry Bags for a couple of Christmas gifts. I hand embroidered Renee's name on hers. I hope they get to use their bags. I love using the one I made for myself!

More Ways to Recycle

The good folks at Co-op America, a non-profit organization working to harness economic power for social change, has found some great ways to give some of your household throwaways a second life. So if you are already doing some good by recycling your glass, paper, plastic & aluminum, here's even more ways to keep your garbage out of the landfill....

Recycleplace.com pays 10 cents to $10 each for used up ink & toner cartridges.
Collectivegood.com recycles old cell phones and PDAs. Some are refurbished for use in the developing world.
Ikea recycles compact florescent bulbs.
Oneworldrunning.com distributes gently used running shoes to athletes in Africa & Latin America. Shoes that are beyond salvaging can be turned into athletic flooring at nikereuseashoe.com.

Love Him

There are times when I'm going bonkers, and I just take a look at a photo like this one. How can I stay mad for too long?

Bye-Bye Curcios!

I guess I only bring a camera around friends when someone is moving away. Anyway, our Life Group said goodbye to the Curcios, who are moving away to Colorado. We'll miss you guys!

Hallway - Before & After

Whew! Finally finished with the painting of our hallway. We've painted most of the rooms in the house, but put this one off. This was a big project, because the wall color extends to the hallway on the 2nd floor. The walls were a very, very dark purple, which looked almost black, due to the lack of lighting in the hallway. It was just too dark for our tastes, so I'm so thrilled with how the lighter color (Porter Paints, Umber Cloud) makes the hallway feel. Next project? Nursery!

New Curtains

I finally made some new window valances for the playroom. I found this drapery fabric for $4 a yard at a store that was closing. Matches my rug & "B" painting well!

Teen Style

We all know that trends are always changing. You know you're getting old when you don't connect with current trends anymore.

We own a rock climbing gym. While we have patrons of all ages, male and female, we have a large concentration of teenage males. Anyway, this brings me to my point...I'm feeling so out of touch as I see these teenage male trends that I know my peers won't be wearing anytime soon.

Like sweatbands. I don't understand this teen trend. And skinny skinny jeans (on boys). I'm baffled by that one too. We have so many teenage males walking around looking like the Jonas Brothers.

Is it just me? Do any of you see kids (oops, i went and called them "kids") wearing some trends that you just don't understand?

Toddler Feeding Tricks

With the help of my mom & Lance, I have some new tricks for feeding my little boy. They revolve around three things he loves...

Idea #1 - Noodles: The kid LOVES noodles. So now that he’s refusing to eat steamed broccoli, lentil soup, etc., I just put these things on top of a few noodles. So far, he’s gobbling them up!

Idea #2 - Toothpicks: My mom made him some little treats beautifully presented with a little toothpick. Again, he didn’t have a second thought! These had carrots, papaya, blueberry & peas. He won’t touch peas or carrots, but has no problem with them on a toothpick!

Idea #3 - Juices: Okay, I’ve mentioned this one already, but it’s just so easy to throw in some spinach, carrots, etc. for a delicious little juice!

YEAH! I feel like just these three things is really getting us back on track with some good food in my kiddo’s tummy.

Recipe - Vegan Cookies & Royal Icing

I found a good sugar cookie & icing recipe to make some little car cookies for E's birthday. I'm new at the fancy-cookie thing, but it was fun to do. (I'm not quite patient enough to do this again for a LONG time though. It took quite a while!)

VEGAN SUGAR COOKIES
2 cups butter substitute (like Earth Balance), softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 portions egg-replacer
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

Cut four 14X12-inch pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap; set aside. · In a large bowl, cream margarine & sugar. · Beat in egg replacer, vanilla and lemon extract until light & fluffy. · In a large bowl, combine flour and baking soda. · Gradually stir flour mixture into liquid mixture until blended. · Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. · Shape each piece into an 8-to10-inch roll. · Wrap each roll in 1 piece of waxed paper or wrap. · Place wrapped rolls in a plastic freezer container w/a tight fitting lid, or wrap air-tight in a 14x12 piece of heavy duty foil; label. · Place in freezer for at least 1 hour. Use within 6 months.

BAKING: · Preheat oven to 350F. · Lightly grease 2 large baking sheets. · Cut frozen dough into 1/4-in slices. · Place on baking sheets 1/2-in apart. · Sprinkle sugar on each cookie, if desired. · Bake 8 to 10 min. or until edges get slightly brown.

VEGAN ROYAL ICING
7 Tbsp water
4 Tbsp Ener-G egg replacer
7 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Playgroup Celebration

This year we decided against a birthday party for Ethan, opting to simply have a little cake at Playgroup at our house. We had some lunch together, topped off with a tasty egg/dairy-free cake from Whole Foods. The kids are entertaining, becoming more independent. There were two times when they were all too quiet - one time they found the lunch spread & were helping themselves, and the other time they had all gone upstairs to jump on a mattress that was on the floor!One kid can make a really good mess by themselves, but four kids can make a playroom look like this in minutes!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Child

Happy Birthday, little one. I can't believe it's been two years! You have been such a joy & blessing in my life. No one could have prepared me for how many smiles you'd bring me throughout a day. Although our first few months together were a challenge, we got through it and I'm so proud of you. You are such much fun to be around. I know you will be a great big brother next year. Thanks for joining our little family! Love, Mama.

Overview of a Year

This was an interesting year for sure. It's been a fun one, and I'm glad to get to know many of you folks out there! Let's see, In 2007, I...
..Started a blog
..Joined a Playgroup
..Moved 3 Times
..Joined a CSA
..Started Composting
..Witnessed a fatal car wreck
..Ran a Half Marathon
..Went from blonde to brown to blonde again
..Had some Fundraisers
..Learned to sew
..Had my 5-year anniversary
..Traveled to the beach
..and the mountains
..Got some stitches
..Took my boy in for 4 stitches
..Had a Miscarriage
..Got pregnant with a baby due in July!

Chickin Feed

Addie sent me a link to a great product, called Chickin Feed. The main product is this Tracking Board, which tells you how much protein, veggies, calcium, etc. your "little chickins" need every day. They also have a book coming out with meal ideas, along with some other cool products in their future. I'll take one!

Disappointing News

I am very discouraged. We just got back from Ethan's 2-year allergy checkup, and he is still allergic to dairy & eggs. I'm just so upset. Call me naive, but I just KNEW that I was going to be so great at feeding him for the past year, and we would be rewarded with the full disappearance of his allergies. Never for a moment did I doubt that they would be gone by now. So today is the first day that I've felt emotional about it. Previously, I was just so certain it would be just 1 challenging year.

To make things more frustrating, my once-awesome-eater has become terribly picky, even refusing to eat some of his most favorite foods. It's becoming a real challenge to get him the nutrients he needs.

And to further add to my anxiety, I've been told that I also cannot eat dairy/eggs/nuts when I'm nursing OR even in my third trimester of this pregnancy, so that the next child would (hopefully) not develop allergies.

I know, however, that things could be worse. We still have our overall good health, and a rich, full life. I'm also reminding myself that my upcoming restricted diet will just help me lose baby weight! If anyone has any advice/encouragement, or if you are a parent of a child with a restricted diet, I would love to hear from you. Thanks & Have a good weekend.

8 Things about Ethan

Sophie tagged us to share 8 things about Ethan. He's a funny kid, so this was easy! Here they are...

1. I love things that move, and can correctly identify a Jeep (“Yeep”), convertible (“Tah-bul”), Taxi, Fire Truck, Bus, Car, Train, Hummer, Tractor, Lawnmower, Mailman, Rally Car, Race Car & Plane.
2. I’m no good at playing by myself.
3. Even though I’ve been doing it every day for 2 years, I can’t stand to have my diaper changed. “No Diapey! No Diapey!!”
4. Every morning I eat “Oh-Meal” with “Ah ah Sauce” (oatmeal & applesauce)
5. My favorite hide-and-seek location is the dark closet, but I’m terribly unsneaky. This is how mom & I play…”I can’t find Ethan. Is Ethan in the Bathroom?!”….”No! (giggles follow).”
6. I love to peel all the paper off of crayons. I also like peeling onions.
7. I try to make my mom & dad get under the dining room table with me.
8. “Cars” is the only thing I’ll watch on TV or DVD.

So I'm supposed to tag 8 more. So your turn: The Stokes, Alys, Conleys, Blankenships, Avery T, Brooks, McHaney, and Will A. But I want all my BBFs to join in!

How are You Feeling?

Since this is the question of the hour, I'll answer by saying..."Medium." I never really got this morning sickness thing with E, and it's really a drag. Plus a whole month of colds/sinus infection/cough/strep did not ease the situation. My sleep quality is already declining. I'm very finicky about my food right now, which didn't happen to me before. Makes figuring out meals a bit difficult. But other than that, I'm having a baby & it doesn't get much better than that! Another thing I love about my first trimester...Appetite for Sweets? Totally Gone! And to answer another question, the due date is July 19 (I think. It's baby #2, so all the details are a bit foggier.)

I'm curious to see what pregnancy is like for this baby. It's so odd how they are all different. My first was pretty good, except for bad sleep, heartburn & middle of the night leg cramps.

Christmas Family Pics

This Christmas, we got to spend some great quality time with our families. Here we are with Lance's side of the family... and then mine...This is the most together my family has been since our wedding 5 years ago! We missed my brother David, though.

Juicing in '08

So one of my goals for 2008 is to actually use my Juicer. In 5 years of marriage, I've used the wedding gift once. It's a shame because it's such an awesome way to get in some good nutrients. So now that my hunger has kicked it up a notch, and Ethan is becoming pickier, I thought I'd give it another go...Ethan LOVED his Carrot/Apple/Cabbage/Kale Juice!! His nose was stuck in that cup for like 5 minutes. Victory! I'm very encouraged by all the possibilities & new ways to get some fruits & veggies in our tummies. Any of you have any good juicing recipes?

Engrish Train

Ethan had a great Christmas with lots of fun toys to play with. He loved this little train, but Lance & I found the box to be even more entertaining. Notice text that reads: "Let tear away in you fancy driveway the fond driveway doing yourself!" Hmm...Anyone know what that means? Anyway, it reminded me of a website that Genah sent me, full of "Engrish" translations. How yummy does this meal sound? And Beware the nuts here. Umm...Maybe I'll skip these tasty treats. Ahh...Engrish humor.

Kenyan Violence

Many of you have heard, but recent fraudulent elections in Nairobi, Kenya have fueled violence throughout the city. Anywhere from 150-300 people have been killed in recent days in a city that is near to our hearts. (You may remember that our cookbook is benefiting children who lived in the slums there. We also visited Nairobi in 2005.) Our friends there report that there is wide-spread rioting, and is at risk of becoming a large-scale tribal conflict if peace is not restored. 75,000 have already been forced to leave their homes. Please pray for peace & for our beloved friends in this country. You may read more at cnn.com, or other news outlets. (tony karubu photo)