10.10.10: first pumpkins...

A beautiful fall morning called for an outdoor activity...the search for the perfect pumpkin. Or, at least the perfect spot for fall photos with our own little pumpkin. I think he might have enjoyed himself, just a bit...

It doesn't get much better than this!

wordless wednesday: nine months captured, finally...

mom-friendly meals monday: turkey, sweet potato & cranberry stew

This is my first time joining Mama Insomnia in this weekly posting. She's asking Mommy Bloggers to join in and post their favorite easy recipes to help each other in menu planning and to make preparing dinner a bit less stressful. Couldn't we all use some help in that department?

Last week I adapted this slow cooker recipe that I had seen in Prevention magazine and it turned out to be a hit with my little family, including G.

Turkey, Sweet Potato and Cranberry Stew (Slow Cooker)

3 lb turkey breast (boneless, skinless)
1 lg onion, roughly chopped
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 C chicken stock
2.5 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1" chunks
1/2 C dried cranberries
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp cold water

Directions:
1. Combine turkey, onion, honey, vinegar, ginger, salt, pepper, and stock in large slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 5 hours.
2. Add potatoes and cranberries. Cook until potatoes are tender, 90 minutes more.
3. Drain liquid into a bowl and set aside. Whisk together cornstarch and water until smooth (adding more water if needed). Pour mixture into reserved liquid and whick together to make a gravy.
4. Toss meat, potatoes, and cranberries with gravy and reheat if necessary.

This turned out delicious! I made a few adjustments from the original recipe published in the magazine and was happy that I did. 1 pound of potatoes would not have been enough and I substituted turkey breast so that I would not have to remove meat from bones. The result was very flavorful and moist. This is one I'll plan to make several times this fall and winter.

wordless wednesday: the mess i never envisioned but now love...

itching to get back to it...

Mr. Boom and I have been talking for weeks about both of us needing some "me-time" and with the way we have filled our weekends in the past couple of months, it's been impossible.

What now? One weekend each month we will decline any invitations, refrain from travel and just keep things low-key and close to home. If we can accomplish this then we will devote the weekend to switching off with one-on-one time with G, while the other indulges in a hobby, reading, a nap or whatever we'd like to do.

My itch? Scrapbooking. I've been a scrapbooker since 1996 and have albums upon albums brimming with pages of my single life, my family, travels and the story of my relationship with Mr. Boom. There is one huge, glaring hole in those albums. I am ashamed to say that I have not created a single page for G.

Not. One.

It's certainly not for lack of photos. Got those. Not even for lack of printed pics. I have some of those too, and more on the way as I type. The lack of time is the kicker. Since no one has yet come up with a way to add more hours into the day, my hobby is the thing that is constantly pushed to the bottom of the to-do list and is never crossed off.

So, what's the plan?

1. Organize: my on-hand supplies are in G's closet. This Sunday, I will carve out some time better organize what I have so that I can easily pull from my stash when I find the time to scrap.
2. Make page-kits: On days I am home from work, I will aim to put together 2-3 page kits while G plays next to me in his room. I can use his dresser/changer as a makeshift workspace. If page kits are handy (with photos, too!), I'll likely be much more productive when I can actually sit down to do a page.
3. Create space: Dedicated space? Not happening now but, that's okay. An on-going goal is to keep our kitchen table free of mail, baby stuff and general clutter. Today a large part of the surface is covered with boxes of everything leftover from G's baptism. Need to find alternative space and re-claim the table.
4. Scrap: Whenever I can steal 15-30 minutes (at night, while watching t.v.) and those low-key weekend days. I am not going to strive for publication worthy pieces of art. My goal is to create nice, simple pages that tell the story. Likely, many of them will be scraplifted from my existing albums or magazines. It's okay! G won't care and, really, I won't either in the long run.

Got it mapped out now, just need to set things in motion. And...go!

oh hello, september 28th! i've been waiting for you...

I've been waiting on this morning since mid-summer, when my Google search turned up the fantastic news. Finally, months of enduring the same few scenes and sounds over and over would come to an end. There was an end in sight. New things on the horizon!

This morning when it was time for my shower, I turned on the DVR, scrolled to yesterday morning and turned on...

...a brand-new Sesame Street season!!!!
Something I never thought I would say, let alone look forward to or get excited about. But, there it is. PBS Kids played the same 15 or so episodes from last season in a loop all summer and I was over them. They weren't fooling this mama. I know that they have thousands of episodes in the archives. Thousands. Remember, PBS? I was a consumer once before when I was a wee one. Haven't you heard that vintage is in vogue?

G didn't seem to mind but, I couldn't stand to see Abby and her gang upcycle the genie's lamp one more time, or hear the "Murray had Little Lamb" rap. Over it.

So, this morning G and I welcomed Super Grover into our living room and breathed a sigh of relief for something new.

nine months of you...

My precious boy,

You have been with us now for three quarters of a year. In the last month you have really begun to show us more of your personality and are keeping us on our toes, quite literally, as we try to keep up with your crawling and cruising.

At nine months you:

• have two teeth, your bottom, front two.
• are an incredible eater. You will try anything we put in front of you and are less and less interested in purees as you discover new tastes and textures of table food.
• are crawling (at lightning speed), pulling to standing on anything and everything and cruising along furniture.
• are tenacious and persistent. If you can't go through it or around it, you'll find a way over it. When you set your sights on something, it's very hard to distract you from that goal.
• have quite the memory. If we take something out of your sight and you happen to see where we've hidden it, you'll come back to that spot an hour later to retrieve your prize. Amazing.
• are making lots of pre-verbal sounds and will 'talk' for long periods of time in your incredibly sweet little voice. Most of your sounds consist of "da-da", "ya-ya", "ma-ma" and lots of cooing and hissing.
• said your first word on 9/12/10 at 1:45 pm. Baba walked in the door from work, you crawled right over to him and said, "Da-dee". He thinks it was a fluke but, I'm counting it as the real deal.
• love your Mama and Baba. When one of us has been gone (for a few minutes, or hours), we return to your squeals of delight, big grins and you'll crawl right to us with arms extended, asking us to pick you up.
• way hello and good-bye.
• point to things that interest you.
• weigh 19 lbs, 10 ozs (35th%) and measure 28.5 inches long (55th%). Our long, lean boy.
• are wearing mostly 6-9 month clothes but, those pants are getting short so we'll be moving you into 12 months soon.
• love the park. When we head out for a walk, you squeal with delight as you see the park and the swings in view.
• love to swing and the back-and-forth motion rocks you right to sleep at times.
• love watching animals and other kids.
• are very social. You are fine with being held by anyone we hand you to and are a merciless flirt when we are out and about, smiling and waving to anyone who pays attention.
• are still nursing, mainly mornings and nights. You have dropped a couple of bottle feedings during the day in favor of foods. When Mama is at work, you now get one bottle of infant formula. It took you a few days to get used to the different taste but, now you will drink your bottle with no problem.
• are happy! It doesn't take much to get a smile out of you. You have a ticklish tummy and sides and give us great belly laughs when we do 'raspberries' on your belly or neck.
• love, love, love bath time! Whenever we open the bathroom door, you make a bee-line for your bath toys and the tub...ever hopeful.
• were baptised on 9/18/10 and Father Nick was astounded that you were not only calm and happy but, splashed around in the baptismal font. That may have been a first for him.
• make diaper changes quite challenging. As you are so mobile, you'll spin around and don't like to lay still long enough to get a new diaper on. Bribing you with toys and singing works...sometimes.
• love the sound of Mama's singing voice (for some odd reason!). If you get fussy in the car, I just need to start singing to you and you settle down in a moment.
• are a little explorer. You love checking out every inch of our home and any new space.

I know it's your job but, you are growing far too fast! We are enjoying watching and loving you upevery day. You bring so much joy to our little family, little guy.

Love you to the moon and back,

Mama