The Wreath is Up...

... so it's officially Christmas.

This is one of my favourite parts of our place. The huge door. It's about 9 ft tall. I have to stand on my tip toes just to edge the wreath holder over the door. I adore this cranberry wreath. It's always the first decoration up and the last to come down.

Happy first day of advent!

Teachable Moments for Thanksgiving

Things I learned at Thanksgiving this year:

1) Green bean casserole is the best thing to make for Thanksgiving... so yummy and easy!

2) Tall crock pots tip over easily in a moving vehicle.

3) Crock pots don't care if it's a new car or if you technically aren't even turning a corner. They choose to fall at will.

4) Burp cloths make excellent scooping devices when needed.

5) Jeff can get green bean casserole out of anything. Well done, babe!

We're Cooking!

This week was a cooking week for me! I think I made too many new things. Thankfully they all turned out well!

I started the week with baby food making. We've got rice cereal, bananas (on sale), and pears (on sale) in the freezer. I need to get some green foods to start with. I'm going to get some peas from Trader Joes tomorrow. My dear friend Laura has a new house with an avocado tree in the back. So as soon as they are ripe, E's having her own (single ingredient) guac. So I guess that would just be avocado.

Then I made chocolate chip scones for the International Bake Sale I ran at my school. Last year we made $60. This year we made $288! Praise God! All funds are being used to purchase Bibles for next year's new kids for my program. So excited.

I started off the week making my own buffalo popcorn chicken. They cook fast! I don't have a deep fryer, so I just used oil on the stove. Some had too much breading, but it worked. Only bummer with this new recipe... it made the house smile like the kitchen at Ruby's... grease. (And I still love Ruby's food even though I worked there for 4 years.) Jeff had to get up just as we went to bed to take the container of oil outside to the trash. I think I'll keep the recipe on file, but try again when I have an actual deep fryer. So much easier.

Then I took on a new chicken meatballs with tortellini recipe. I made the sauce a bit spicy, so I wasn't sure if I would like it. Jeff took one bite and LOVED it. That makes me happy. We had the spicy tomato sauce left over and he must have really liked it because he saved it in the fridge for spaghetti later. Hmmm... think I found a winner!

Now I just remembered that it's a potluck lunch at work tomorrow. Darn. I have nothing to make off the top of my head. So, I'm going with cupcakes. They are presently baking.

Wednesday, I'm taking on mash potatoes for 35! That's a lot of potatoes. I have twenty pounds on the kitchen table as they were $0.69/lb at Ralphs but the limit was two. I'll go back tomorrow and buy some more. Anyone have any good potatoe recipes? I think I'll bring two kinds. I love Thanksgiving week. I can never have enough stuffing, gravy, and potatoes. Yum!

So for tomorrow, I'm making Chrissie R's easy brisket. Love that recipe. Jeff can make it! Ha!

There's the timer. If you've got a good new recipe... I'm feeling adventurous!

You know you're a mum when...

... you walk into a meeting with your boss' boss, realize you're humming "Do You Know the Muffin Man" and don't really care to stop because it's just so catchy!

... not only do you do laundry more often, but it takes twice as long because you have to play peek-a-boo using every piece you fold.

... spit up on a shirt doesn't mean you can't wear it in public, it just means don't let people get a good whiff of you.

... you can rock baby and yourself to sleep at 3am while still maintaining a good rocking rhythm.

... you call your husband "daddy" when the baby isn't around.

... trying out the new high chair is the highlight of your week.

Sigh... I love my life.

(Note: all following items on this list actually occurred today!)

Earplugs and Baby Food Making

So today I decided to start making rice cereal for little E. It was time to break out the food processor and start cooking. However, I did not know that using my food processor would require ear plugs. Yes... ear plugs. The way my kitchen is shaped, the only available plug is under the overhead cupboards and in between the stove and fridge. That is irrelevant if you've not seen my kitchen, however, in short ... it made the biggest echo ever and the sound kept reverberating around the kitchen. I needed ear plugs... literally. Regardless, I "pulverized" the brown rice. That's what it called for... pulverize it. I made the powder added some liquid and there you go... rice cereal. I made it a little watery so E can get used to the thicker consistency. We're going to try it next week over Thanksgiving. Very excited!

However, as soon as I made it. I was reading my blog list and someone recommended a coffee grinder to "pulverize" the rice. What a brilliant idea! Perhaps it wouldn't be as loud as my food processor! I'll make another batch this weekend. For some reason.... I think I make things difficult for myself. Oh, well. This is an attempt not a formal commitment!

Saturday We Say Goodbye

Needing Something to Smile About

Ginny Smith

Please pray for my dear friend and our pastor's wife, Ginny. She is in critical condition in the hospital and the outlook is not good. She has been an amazing mentor for me through the past few years in our Titus 2 group for Pastor's Wives. She was so positive that things were turning around and that her cancer was on its way out.

Unfortunately, she fell ill again on her trip back east with Pastor Don.

Here is a link to her blog being updated by her daughter.

Baby Food Central

So, for my birthday this past week, my lovely mother (and dad too) got me a food processor! I am so excited. (At what point in my life did a food processor become exciting? Perhaps I'm aging.)

Anyway, I'm thrilled. E is getting ready to start trying some real food and I'm determined to make it. After I read about that baby food recall a few weeks back, I just thought... why not make it in my kitchen so I know what's going in her mouth.

I have been following this Babywise blog, and the author pointed out a book she loved in regards to making her own baby food. However, upon further review of this book, I've discovered that the medical community frowns on it because the author suggests feeding nuts to babies in addition to making some babyfoods (such as carrots) at home, even though the high nitrate content deems it unsafe to prepare at home for infants. This made me a bit nervous. The author had over 600 reviews on Amazon and most pointed out flaws in her suggestions for foods, but raved about her step-by-step

methods for cooking and preparing the baby food.

So, on to find something new. I saw at Williams-Sonoma (as recommended by my sister) that they have a baby food book called "Cooking for Baby". The reviews are great! It looks like it might be something of interest for me. Then, I saw these little gadgets (photo on right). They

are two ounce freezing trays for baby food with a sealable lid. Oooo.... love, love, love. I did get a giftcard for my birthday to the mall!

Now I know why when I was a kid and went shopping with my mum, she always bought stuff for her girls. I just want to spend my birthday money on E. Oh... and a new dress for me!

Any suggestions on homemade baby food recipes? Throw them my way please!

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And One Year Ago Tomorrow...

Skinny Jeans

Today is a good day.

I woke this morning and was getting dressed into my khakis that I wear to work and a cap sleeve sweater when Jeff asked why I was getting so dressed up if I didn't have to work today. It's true, I'm a jeans and t-shirt girl on my days off, but since baby came, I only have one pair of jeans that fit -new Gap jeans I bought in a size higher than I wore before baby. (Although those new jeans seem to be sagging a bit now.) I told him that nothing else fit, so I've been stuck with the same three pairs of pants for the last three months and none of my skirts sit right on my hips anymore. Such is life.

Then it hit me... when was the last time I tried on my old jeans? So, I hauled the box out of the closet. Sure enough... I'm in my skinny jeans again. It's a great day in the Jennings' household. 15 weeks later and I'm back to my regular clothes... well, pants anyway!