for every holiday. Or, maybe I just spend too much time on www.etsy.com. (Or, as Ryan calls it, "etsing")
Here are some pics of the valentines I made for Teddy's class
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day!
Here is a pic of my new bunting that is on the way from the UK. This is the third bunting I've purchased from this little shop. Obviously, they are so cute that I might need one
for every holiday. Or, maybe I just spend too much time on www.etsy.com. (Or, as Ryan calls it, "etsing")
Here are some pics of the valentines I made for Teddy's class
for every holiday. Or, maybe I just spend too much time on www.etsy.com. (Or, as Ryan calls it, "etsing")
Here are some pics of the valentines I made for Teddy's class
Arugula and Romaine Salad with Apples, Oven Roasted Potatoes and Sugar & Spice Pecans
About a month ago, we went to The Flying Biscuit for dinner. To my surprise, my side salad came with roasted potatoes in the salad. Why hadn't I ever thought of that? Genius. So, I recreated the experience with this salad.
Even parts Romaine and Arugula, rinsed and chopped
1 McIntosh Apple, sliced thin
Potatoes:
4 Idaho potatoes, diced. Cover in olive oil, salt and pepper and Herbs de Provence. Bake at 400 till brown.
Sugar & Spice Pecans:
1 bag whole pecans. Toast in a medium hot pan with salt, pepper, 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder, pinch of cayenne pepper. Once toasted, add 4 tablespoons of sugar and a little water. Cook till water absorbs, stir constantly. Cool on a baking sheet.
Assemble salad and dress with Balsamic Vinaigrette. Yum!
Even parts Romaine and Arugula, rinsed and chopped
1 McIntosh Apple, sliced thin
Potatoes:
4 Idaho potatoes, diced. Cover in olive oil, salt and pepper and Herbs de Provence. Bake at 400 till brown.
Sugar & Spice Pecans:
1 bag whole pecans. Toast in a medium hot pan with salt, pepper, 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder, pinch of cayenne pepper. Once toasted, add 4 tablespoons of sugar and a little water. Cook till water absorbs, stir constantly. Cool on a baking sheet.
Assemble salad and dress with Balsamic Vinaigrette. Yum!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Blueberry Coconut Banana Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
4 ripe brown bananas, mashed
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped and toasted
1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (thawed), plus some for sprinkling on top
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and table salt. Set aside.
Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixture alternating with buttermilk. Start and end with dry ingredients.
Stir in mashed bananas, coconut, vanilla, 1 cup blueberries and walnuts.
Lightly grease or line with parchment two 8 x 4 loaf pans. Fill both pans with batter and sprinkle a handful of blueberries on top.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with only a few crumbs.
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
4 ripe brown bananas, mashed
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped and toasted
1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (thawed), plus some for sprinkling on top
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and table salt. Set aside.
Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixture alternating with buttermilk. Start and end with dry ingredients.
Stir in mashed bananas, coconut, vanilla, 1 cup blueberries and walnuts.
Lightly grease or line with parchment two 8 x 4 loaf pans. Fill both pans with batter and sprinkle a handful of blueberries on top.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with only a few crumbs.
Pacifiers & Potties
Today we are struggling with both... Teddy will not go poop on the potty. So, if he goes in the diaper, we've decided not to let him use his pacifier when he sleeps. Little does he know that he has about a month until all pacifiers are gone. Ryan says Matt needs to give them up too. We'll see how that goes!
Next week I'll be at the Board of Ordained Ministry all week interviewing candidates for ministry. Afterwards, I'll need to decide whether or not to keep this commitment into the future. When I accepted the invitation, Ryan wasnt working full time. So, what to do with the boys while I'm gone is a bigger deal than I thought it would be. Thank goodness for Uncle Manny who graciously offered to come up and help while I'm gone.
Next week I'll be at the Board of Ordained Ministry all week interviewing candidates for ministry. Afterwards, I'll need to decide whether or not to keep this commitment into the future. When I accepted the invitation, Ryan wasnt working full time. So, what to do with the boys while I'm gone is a bigger deal than I thought it would be. Thank goodness for Uncle Manny who graciously offered to come up and help while I'm gone.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
So, I'm not too good at this...
Yes, its been far too long since I've posted. But, there is no time like the present to start again.
So, here we are, one more blue-eyed boy to add to the clubhouse. Matty, Matthew Ryan, entered our lives on March 5th of last year. He is an adorable and easy going little guy who smiles at everyone and adores his big brother Teds. Hard to believe he'll be one in a little over a month!
We are still living in Gainesville and figuring out our life here. Ryan is wading slowly into a possible career in teaching. He is currently serving as a teacher's aid in a special needs multi-age class at Littlewood Elementary and thinking about certification in K-6th.
I am still trying to figure out what it means to be a mom, wife and minister. Though, I know I've found my calling in children's ministry and am glad to be serving at Trinity UMC. Though I can't spend as much time as I'd like to with all my boys, I'm glad to be able to create the sort of childhood for Teddy and Matt and the whole community through the ministry we do at the church.
As far as blogging, my goal is to post the milestones and funny happenings of our family. So, this is where we are these days...
Teddy: Still a huge love of all things Thomas the Tank Engine, race cars, bounce houses, "hiding under the bridge" (making tents), helping Daddy, etc. He lives for "seeing friends," his own term for going to school at Stepping Stones preschool. His teacher is Misty who is wonderful and his best little buddies are Ben and Mallory whose Mommies also work at the church. If Teddy could ask for one thing to eat it would be cheese sandwiches (grilled cheese) at any hour of the day or night. He is a typical almost three year old who is wonderfully sweet and stubborn all at the same time. As always, he waits until the last moment when I start to question him before he hits milestones. Potty training is turning out not to be the exception... All the same, he is as happy as could be and can make friends with the wall. I'm sure those traits will take him far in life. Like me, he makes up with attitude what he lacks in smarts. I can see a lot of both of us in him. Though, I can now see he is more like me and his brother is more like Ryan.
Matty: Speaking of his brother, Matty is just a great little guy. Always smiley, the childcare girls at the church just love him. He crawls all over the house chasing after his brother and getting into the dog bowls. He is waving, clapping, giving kisses, eating his weight in cheerios and, unfortunately, getting every germ his brother brings home. We are on the third trip to see Dr. Mas in three weeks with double ear infections and a killer diaper rash from the antibiotics. All the same, he stays happy and easy going as I cart him with me most days to the church. One day a week we have a wonderful lady, Ms. Jackie, who watches him at the house. She adores him and thinks he is super smart and the best baby ever. I can't believe he'll be starting Summertime Fun and Stepping Stones this summer and fall. Like his Dad, Matty seems to be a little even more easy going than his brother. Yet, he not as snuggly as his brother and hard to console when he is sick or hurting. He loves Teddy's little kitchen- my hope that I'll have someone to cook with someday. Like most little siblings, he is faster to reach most of the milestones (minus teeth) and seems to be more aware of his surroundings.
So, that is us... (for now) Hopefully I'll write more later! :)
So, here we are, one more blue-eyed boy to add to the clubhouse. Matty, Matthew Ryan, entered our lives on March 5th of last year. He is an adorable and easy going little guy who smiles at everyone and adores his big brother Teds. Hard to believe he'll be one in a little over a month!
We are still living in Gainesville and figuring out our life here. Ryan is wading slowly into a possible career in teaching. He is currently serving as a teacher's aid in a special needs multi-age class at Littlewood Elementary and thinking about certification in K-6th.
I am still trying to figure out what it means to be a mom, wife and minister. Though, I know I've found my calling in children's ministry and am glad to be serving at Trinity UMC. Though I can't spend as much time as I'd like to with all my boys, I'm glad to be able to create the sort of childhood for Teddy and Matt and the whole community through the ministry we do at the church.
As far as blogging, my goal is to post the milestones and funny happenings of our family. So, this is where we are these days...
Teddy: Still a huge love of all things Thomas the Tank Engine, race cars, bounce houses, "hiding under the bridge" (making tents), helping Daddy, etc. He lives for "seeing friends," his own term for going to school at Stepping Stones preschool. His teacher is Misty who is wonderful and his best little buddies are Ben and Mallory whose Mommies also work at the church. If Teddy could ask for one thing to eat it would be cheese sandwiches (grilled cheese) at any hour of the day or night. He is a typical almost three year old who is wonderfully sweet and stubborn all at the same time. As always, he waits until the last moment when I start to question him before he hits milestones. Potty training is turning out not to be the exception... All the same, he is as happy as could be and can make friends with the wall. I'm sure those traits will take him far in life. Like me, he makes up with attitude what he lacks in smarts. I can see a lot of both of us in him. Though, I can now see he is more like me and his brother is more like Ryan.
Matty: Speaking of his brother, Matty is just a great little guy. Always smiley, the childcare girls at the church just love him. He crawls all over the house chasing after his brother and getting into the dog bowls. He is waving, clapping, giving kisses, eating his weight in cheerios and, unfortunately, getting every germ his brother brings home. We are on the third trip to see Dr. Mas in three weeks with double ear infections and a killer diaper rash from the antibiotics. All the same, he stays happy and easy going as I cart him with me most days to the church. One day a week we have a wonderful lady, Ms. Jackie, who watches him at the house. She adores him and thinks he is super smart and the best baby ever. I can't believe he'll be starting Summertime Fun and Stepping Stones this summer and fall. Like his Dad, Matty seems to be a little even more easy going than his brother. Yet, he not as snuggly as his brother and hard to console when he is sick or hurting. He loves Teddy's little kitchen- my hope that I'll have someone to cook with someday. Like most little siblings, he is faster to reach most of the milestones (minus teeth) and seems to be more aware of his surroundings.
So, that is us... (for now) Hopefully I'll write more later! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)