Happy Birthday Vinny

Mason's friend Vincent is 2 today!

Mase was actually due February 26th, so they would have been almost exactly a year apart. 11 months is close enough though. As Mason grows it is fun to watch them interact and begin to play together. (P.S. Jaime, I totally jacked this picture from Al's Facebook.)

For Christmas Vinny got a Home Depot Work Bench and as soon as I saw it I knew he needed a personalized tool belt to go with it. To say Vince's family is "into sports" would be an understatement, so of course the tool belt had to include something sporty. Here is the tutorial I used. We hope he likes it!

Bran Flax Muffins

I realize "Bran Flax Muffins" doesn't sound enticing. How about we just call them "Blueberry Breakfast Muffins"? I'm not much of a cook (as in I rely heavily on recipes) nor am I one of those, "it needs a little more ___" people. Thank goodness for the internet. I can pick an ingredient from the kitchen and find something to make with it. In this case it was 3/4 c. of oat bran. Random, I know. I can't even remember why I purchased the oat bran in the first place but it has been driving me nuts in cabinet and I can't throw anything away. Ever.

The recipe for these muffins was adapted from one on the side of the Bob's Red Mill Flaxseed Meal package:

1 1/2 c, whole wheat flour

3/4 c. flaxseed meal

3/4 c. oat bran

1 c. brown sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 c. shredded carrots (I used some parsnips too)

1 c. frozen blueberries

3/4 c. milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients.

Mix in shredded carrots and blueberries.

Whisk together milk, eggs and vanilla.

Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients.

Fold together (don't over mix).
Spoon into muffin tins (makes 12).

Bake 15-20 minutes.

I substituted the carrots, parsnips and blueberries for raisins, apples and nuts from the original recipe because Tage isn't a fan of nuts in food and I really like carrots and blueberries together. They turned out great! The muffins taste really rich and almost buttery. Make sure to enjoy them warm with a little *real* butter or fresh jam.

Combined with a big cup of green tea, it was the perfect start to my day off.

I ♥ Wednesdays

Weekend Fun

The advice nurse said cool, moist air is good for babies with croup.

So why not a drive to San Francisco? (The Golden Gate Bridge is in the picture, you just have to look closely to make it out.)

This was about the only half hour of "fun" we had the entire weekend.

The rest of it looked something like this.

Ever have...

One of those mornings?

One of those days?

Maybe it was a week.

Or a month.

Or more.

This morning I dumped my hot Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte in my lap. In the car. On the freeway. Thankfully I had already dropped off Mason and was only one exit from my house. I was able to swing back by, change my pants and get a towel for the drivers seat.

It has been one of those mornings.

Last night Mason woke up at 12AM and could barely breathe. He had one of those "seal coughs" you hear about and when he coughed he cried. It sounded painful. When I held him he calmed down and his breathing was a little less labored-- but I couldn't sit there and hold him all night. At 1AM we called the advice nurse. For an hour we sat in the bathroom with the hot shower running, squirted warm salt water into his nose while he was swaddled in a towel, suctioned gobs of goo out of his nose and coaxed him to drink hot vegetable broth and hot water with agave sweetener. While I was on baby-duty in the bathroom Tage had gone out to the drug store in the middle of the night in search of a humidifier. That was after he dug ours out of the garage and attempted to get it to work without any luck. Finally, some time after 2AM we all three got back into (our) bed, humidifier running, and slept.

It has been one of those days.

I am in the process of applying for a teaching credential program and finally finishing my credential after 8 years. It is about time. The deadline is March 1st and I still need 3 letters of recommendation and a subject matter competency letter (there is more but those are the most pressing items on the list). I received an email this week from a former professor who can write me the SMC letter as long as I don't have any C minuses in my transcript. If memory serves, I have one D. All I can do is submit my transcript and hope for the best. If I don't get the SMC letter I'll need to take a test to prove I am competent enough in the subject I have a Bachelor's degree in to teach it to middle school and high schoolers. My subject is Physical Education. Go ahead, laugh. I've heard it before, "Anyone can teach P.E." Apparently the state of California does not agree.

It has been one of those weeks.

The other night I received a call from my OBGYN with the results of my latest pap. Abnormal cells. Again. In the past few months I've been through two paps and one colposcopy. Each time the results have shown abnormal cells. I have had several friends say, "That happened to me too and it was just HPV." Maybe it's just me, but having HPV doesn't sound like much of a relief. I guess when you consider the alternative can be cervical cancer, HPV doesn't sound that bad. The next step is another colposcopy. I'm young. The abnormal cells can be removed if my body doesn't heal them. The thing is, the more biopsies and colposcopies and whatever-ies I have to have, the more tissue that is removed, the more "damaged" the integrity of my cervix becomes. Then you get into infertility issues and early labor issues and a whole mess of other issues that come into play if Baby Valone wants a Brother (or Sister) Valone.

It has been one of those... you get the idea.

In my small circle of friends (who are mostly 30-somethings) we have dealt with marriage, divorce, infidelity, pregnancy, infertility, miscarriage, labor and delivery, colic, sickness, health, learning disorders and more. All in less than 10 years. That is life though, right? That's what it's all about. It's not easy for anyone. No matter which "one of those" I'm going through, I always know I have someone who will return a text (thanks Rose), return a phone call (thanks Kim) or who will meet me for a drink (thanks Linds). Regardless of what these next test results reveal, whether or not this year is the year I finally get my credential, how much sleep I forgo until Mason is feeling better or if the latte ends up staining the seat of my car, I just keep repeating this:

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.'" - Jeremiah 29:11

God is so good.

Weekend Fun

Second Saturday Art Walk - Church - Thrifting - Dinner with Friends

Happy Valentines Day!

Before and After: Laundry

Before: Once a week
After: Once a day

Before: Whites, colors, sheets and towels.
After: Whites, colors, sheets, towels, diapers, baby clothes, wash rags, rugs, curtains-- basically any fabric that can fit in the washing machine because it is covered in baby goo.

Before: A scoop of Oxy Clean to get out any stains
After: Constantly having to refer to How to Clean Practically Anything (how exactly do you get out spaghetti sauce when it is mashed into sweet potato and soaked in blueberry juice?)

Before: Wash. Rinse. Dry.
After: Pre-soak. Wash. Soak. Rinse. Dry. Touch up.

Before: The feeling of accomplishment when all the laundry is done and put away.
After: The feeling of accomplishment when there is more than one pair of clean, matching socks in the drawer.

Need a last minute Valentine?

Or just a delicious one?

I found this idea for White Chocolate Popcorn with Valentine Candies here and tried it this week. It turned out sweet, salty and a little spicy (thanks to the Red Hots). Yum!

These are a little "thank you" to our amazing families who watch Mason for us during the week.

We are so, SO blessed to have you!

Weekend Fun

Mason's first visit to the zoo!

(And yes, Mommy and Daddy were way more excited about it than he was.)

The animals were out (albeit lethargic) despite the gloomy weather.

Church

(This is Mason's "Please get me Mommy" face!)

And then his goofy "Look at how cute I am" face in the funny mirrors.

Mel's Green Chili Corn Dip (minus the green onions) with homemade pita chips-- YUM

Super Bowl at Grandpa Jack and Grandma Dee's

(Heart)gyle

There are about a zillion adorable Valentines Day projects out there.

For girls.

You know, things like tutu shirts.

Things I will someday get to make.

(Thanks to Ella and Madeline I do get my girlie craft fix once in a while.)

While I'm not above sticking Mason in a ruffle butt onesie, I got the urge last night to make him a little something *sweet* to wear next Sunday.

I used the same idea as the argyle shirt I made for Mase's birthday party but with a heart shape instead of a diamond.

I think the black t-shirt makes it a little less girly.

At least that's what you had better tell Mason (and Tage) when you see him wearing it. :)

Have a great weekend!

In case you were wondering

It's not always this neat when Mase uses a spoon.

In fact, it looks a lot more like this.

And this.

(Notice his hair sticking straight out on the left there, thanks to the brown rice and lentil mixture.)

Independent

My weekly "your baby this week" email came yesterday and it referred to my child as a toddler.

What?!

 

 I guess this is evidence.

Food actually made it from the spoon into Mason's mouth this morning-- several times in a row!

The funny part is he stopped to clap after each bite (can you tell I was cheering him on?)

It's not a good idea...

to have a picnic...

in the park...

unless you have enough to share...

with everyone!

That is our picnic blanket in the picture there.

We had to vacate.

We were surrounded! (And those geese were much larger than Mason.)