I've moved

I've moved HERE.

I have decided to make the switch and move over to wordpress... it seems to allow me to have a little more control over what it looks like (for a novice at blog design) and I like how easy it is for people to sign up to receive posts in their e-mail... a must for family members who don't peruse blogs the way that I do!

I hope you'll join me as I continue to post about life, projects, recipes and our kiddo!

New blog address:  undertheredwoodtree.wordpress.com

Crepes

This morning I am wondering why on earth I haven't made crepes before.  They are SO easy and have been one of my favourite indulgences when I go out for breakfast for some time now.  This morning when I woke up, I decided that I needed crepes to go with the strawberries and whip cream that I had in the fridge so I got to work.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour (I used Gluten Free Pantry Flour)

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups of whole milk (I used mostly skim with a bit of half and half)

4 large eggs

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into a blender.  Puree until mixture is smooth and has bubbles on top (20 to 30 seconds or so).  The batter will be runny.  Let batter rest at least 15 minutes.  (Apparently you can make this the day before and let it sit in an airtight container in the fridge).  Whisk before using.

Heat a large frying pan over medium.  Lightly coat with butter, and I mean lightly.  I used too much on the first one and the crepe didn't turn out well!  Add about 1/3 cup of the batter and swirl to completely cover the pan.  Cook until the crepe is golden brown.  Loosen with an offset spatula and quickly flip.  I found it easiest to lift the crepe with the spatula and then grab it with my fingertips and flip.  Everyone will find their own method that works best.  Just be careful if you try my method, the crepe will be hot!  Once both sides are golden brown, remove from the pan and repeat.

This crepe had strawberries, raspberries and blackberries with a dollop of whip cream.

This is a ham and egg crepe and it was delicious... better than I expected.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  On a baking sheet, put a single crepe with a few slices of ham in the middle.  Crack an egg on top of the ham and fold the edges of the crepe over to hold the egg in.  Add a little salt and fresh cracked pepper.  Bake for 10-15 minutes until the egg white is cooked and the yolk is as solid or runny as you like it.

Enjoy!

Mother's Day... I mean weekend

The title should read: "Mother's Day Weekend" but it wouldn't allow the strikethrough.

This morning I decided that this whole weekend should be a celebration.  Basically, it is the calm before the storm as the students have just finished class and next week the flurry of finals and students moving out.  We woke up this morning to the sound of our neighbours voices and music as they began their roommate's bachelor party.  

We also woke up to the sweetest sound I have ever heard.  Will called both of us by our names.  The words mama and dada (pronounced da-ga) have never sounded sweeter.  We had a delicious gluten free crepe breakfast and Grant gave me my mother's day gift a little early.  I'll give you a hint (or three):

That's right, the camera lens has been replaced.  It was one of the best gifts I have ever received... twice.

What are you doing to celebrate this weekend?

Bringing Up Bebe

Since having Will, I have barely read anything.  (Unless facebook from my phone with a sleeping baby in my arms counts?)  If I start reading, about a page in I can't remember what I read the sentence before and not long after I am usually asleep.  Soon after Will was born I ordered this book on Amazon and if I hadn't been so sleep deprived, I would have had a hard time putting it down.  Luckily, I had a lot of time to read when feeding Will at that point and in about a month I had finished this book.  Yes, I do believe that was a huge accomplishment.

I loved this book!  It was honest, funny and very helpful.  So much so that I'd like to read it again now that Will is a little older.  Since I finished it, Grant and I have conversations where I bring up "the french book" often.  It put into words some of things I want to do and be as a parent and gave me a lot of new ideas to think about too.

"The French book" says that in Paris kids eat a wide variety of foods, they sleep well and are well behaved.  Eating is the only area where I've really been able to test out some of these theories because Will is still pretty young, so I'll focus on that.  

I'm not sure I'm totally convinced that getting kids to have a mature palette is one hundred percent the result of the kinds of food that you feed your child (we all know or have been picky eaters ourselves), but it definitely can't hurt to feed your child a wide variety of things, right?  The rule is that they need to try everything.  If they don't like it, fine but at least they've tried it.  I also liked the point she made about snacking.  Kids that snack all day are not going to be hungry at meal times and as a result, they won't eat their meals..  Makes sense, right?  I'm the same way.  (Que my mum: "don't ruin your dinner.")

One of the ways we have incorporated some of these ideas is that Will only gets one snack per day in the afternoon.  He eats a good amount of solid food at meal times and usually has 3 or 4 bottles per day (about 24 oz total).  He is a great eater and loves food!  There are only a few things that he won't eat but we've also found the packaging to make a difference too.  If it's a veggie on a spoon he may not eat it, if it comes from a pouch that he can suck on, the likelihood of his eating it increases quite a bit. (We have tried the Infantino Fresh Food Squeeze Station for his veggies and so far so good.  It means I can make the pureed veggies myself and he will eat them.  It also means we don't have to buy quite as much pre-made food which can get expensive quickly).

For a while, even after he started eating solids, we would have to give him bottles every 2-3 hours.  I wondered if we would ever get into more of a normal routine but before we knew it, we had established a pretty good schedule.  He i s 9-months old now and this has been our routine for the last month or two.  Between 7:00 and 7:30am Will wakes up and has an 8oz bottle.  We have to be quick with getting the bottle ready, or he gets very upset! Around 8:00am he has cereal and fruit.  We try to sit and eat with him during meal times too and he usually eats his bottles sitting on our laps.  An hour to an hour and a half after he wakes up, Will goes down for his first nap.  This is the only consistent nap of the day because Will says so.  (He is a terrible napper, always has been.  But this morning nap is super easy to get him to do.)  He sleeps for about an hour and a half.  Around noon we have lunch.  He usually has a fruit and a vegetable for lunch and dinner.  We've started incorporating some meat and eggs into his diet in the last week or so.  After lunch at around 1:00pm we attempt to get a second nap in.  Some days this works, others we spend forever trying to get him to sleep.  If he doesn't sleep we will go for another walk or run errands.  Getting out of the apartment is a must later in the afternoons.  All I can say is I'm thankful he sleeps well at night.  At 3:00 I give him his second bottle of the day, another 8oz.  For now, this is his snack.  A few times I have given him some teething cookies or cheerios as a snack too, or maybe a slice of apple in this teether.  Dinner is usually at 5:30 or 6:00pm, and we are working to try and all eat dinner together at the same time.  This has been tricky simply because it has been hard to prepare dinner before Grant gets home and the poor kid gets hungry.  Will also goes down for the night at 7pm after polishing off his third 8oz bottle.

We are still novice parents and have a lot to learn about raising our kiddo.  I enjoy that there is advice to be found from friends, family and books, blogs, etc.  At the same time, my mum always says that being a parent and nurturing a child is instinct and that I need to trust that too.

Easter Sweater

This is a long overdue post that I had forgotten about until I just found the photos on my camera!

We spent Easter here in the dorm and Grant's dad made the trip out from California to see us.  Will had a lot of fun spending time with his Gramps and we enjoyed celebrating Easter with friends from church.  It was Will's first Easter complete with egg dyeing (that Gordon and I did most of), an Easter basket and of course, a new knit Easter sweater!

Easter egg dyeing

Will's Easter basket had eggs filled with puffs and jelly beans, the letters spell his name (I have plans to make the whole alphabet as fridge magnets, but didn't have strong enough magnets) and stuffed bunny that I had made a few weeks earlier.  Will's Nai Nai also sent him Grant's old Beatrix Potter books which were some of my favourites as a kid.

(Basket, Basket Liner, Bunny)

I fiished Will's Easter sweater over Spring Break and I love how it turned out.  It fit well but with a lot of room to grow.  It's a little slouchier than I had imagined, but still love it nonetheless.

The pointed hood is definitely my favourite part.  That, and the hand dyed yarn I chose.

Pattern: Wee Austin Hoodie (Pattern is also available in adult sizes: Austin Hoodie)

Yarn: Madelintosh Tosh Merino Light in Betty Draper's Blues

Size: 9 months

The only thing I am planning to change is the buttons.  They are little trucks and I really like them, but they're a little heavy for such a lightweight sweater.  I'll just have to make something else to put them on!

Spring at last!

Spring has finally made its way to Minnesota and we've been enjoying every minute of it.  The windows are open, the birds are chirping and the tulips are about to make an appearance.  I don't think I have ever enjoyed the first days of spring quite so much as I have this year.

Grant had to work on Saturday so in between naps Will and I ran errands and went on a walk to the park.  I discovered that it takes a lot less time to get out the door when I don't have to bundle up myself and a baby (who always seemed to poop right after we put the snowsuit on).

On Sunday morning we went for a our first family bike ride with Will in the trailer.  We made another stop at the park and Will went down the slide for the first time (in our laps of course)

The first batch of cold brew iced coffee has been made.  I used the Pioneer Woman recipe and it turned out.... okay.  The recipe is fine and tastes quite good, but is not the "coffee concentrate" I was going for.   This weekend a friend from Wheaton sent me the recipe I used to use from I Have a Bean (that was lost in the move) as well as another method to try.  It is the best iced coffee I have ever had and I'll be sure to share that when it's time to make the next batch.

Putting the miles on the stroller.

Baby legs in the sunshine.  He just LOVES the sun and the fresh air between his toes.  The view of his feet as we walk is precious as he stretches his legs and spreads his toes, all while chattering away.  Maybe Will has inherited my dislike of socks and my love of the sunshine.  Poor kid has also inherited my need for sunscreen and shade though.

I hope the warm weather has found you too.  What are you doing to enjoy the spring?

Warby Parker

It was time for some new glasses and I decided to try Warby Parker.  I am incredibly indecisive when it comes to purchases like this so the home try on was perfect for me.  You choose five frames you like and they send them to you for a week to try out for free.  You can even upload a photo of yourself to get an idea of what they might look like right from the website.

The five frames I chose.

I narrowed it down to two.  I loved that I could wear them around the house and see how they felt.  I also loved that I could ask for more opinions.  :-) Once I ordered the frames, the glasses came in less than a week and they're very reasonably priced.  I was also pretty impressed that when I called them, a human being answered the phone.  Next time I need new glasses, I know where just where to look.

Phoenix

Last week Will and I went to Phoenix to visit my mom and sister.  Spring had yet to arrive in Minnesota, so we went looking for it, and it was glorious.

Nap time has a whole new meaning with a pool and sunshine.

The little man was so relaxed and happy in Phoenix.  I think the fresh air and sunshine was good for him too.

New summer clothes from Granny.

Flirting with his auntie and sitting in my highchair from when I was a kid.

Delicious desserts (and in large quantity)

New t-shirt (and fitting with the name of the blog)

My sister's house was in the Modern Phoenix tour and a rendering of it was on the poster!  It's a beautiful house and was fun to see it be a part of a home tour.

Favourite Salad

We've been trying to eat more veggies around here so last night we made a salad that we haven't had since the fall.  It is my favourite salad and was inspired by one that someone from our church brought for us shortly after Will was born.  It's super easy, the dressing is essentially homemade and it is delicious.  Here is how we make it, but obviously you can add or take out anything you want!

Ingredients:

Romaine and Iceberg lettuce

Cherry tomatoes

Mini sweet bell peppers

Cucumber

Rotisserie Chicken

Greek Salad Dressing

We make this with rotisserie chicken.  I don't quite understand why, but it is cheaper to buy a whole rotisserie chicken at the grocery store that is seasoned and fully cooked than it is to buy an uncooked one.  We get these chickens often and use them in a ton of recipes like soups, salads, and quesadillas.  

For the dressing we use Penzey's Greek Seasoning.  Never been to Penzey's?  You MUST go and smell the vanilla extract.  Yum!  Anyway, they have a greek seasoning and on the back is a recipe for salad dressing.  All you need is olive oil, red wine vinegar, water and a little of the seasoning and voi la, delicious homemade dressing.  For the two of us, I make half the recipe and it's the perfect amount for two large salads.

9 Months!

Our baby is 9-months old!  

He loves to eat almost anything we'll put in front of him (and in large quantities) except for peas, he is still long and lean (50 percentile for height, 20th for weight), has been on 13 airplanes, hates diaper changes (can't lay still long enough) and loves the tupperware toys that were mine when I was a kid. He is one spunky, determined kiddo.

And.... a little of what these photo sessions are really like these days.

Spring Shawl

The weather over Easter was beautiful and had me wanting a new lightweight scarf.  I have this yarn that I bought a few years ago that is a merino wool and silk blend.  I had yet to find the perfect thing to make out of it but once I saw this shawl and thought it would be perfect.

I modified the pattern a little.  There are several charts and the pattern changes slightly every few inches (a textured ombre is the best way I can think of to describe it) but I liked how the first chart turned out and not the second so I backed up repeated the first chart pattern throughout the whole shawl.

It's now off the needles and I love how it turned out!  It's so light and soft, I'm wondering why I didn't make one of these a long time ago!

Yarn: Heritage Silk

Pattern: Sempervivum by Jerod Flood

Ravelry

Instagram can't always make this look good

I was reading an article today called "Stop Instagramming Your Perfect Life." (In case it doesn't come up clearly, the title of the article is a link to it).

Although I wouldn't necessarily recommend everyone read the article, I did find it challenging.  I look through my own blog at all the posts about things I've made and photos of our cute son.  It probably looks like I have a never ending amount of free time, always have a delicious dinner on the table when Grant comes home or that Will's clothes always match and that he must not spit up all over the place like other people's babies.  The photos I post either have a blurred background or are taken when our apartment is tidy.  The photos don't show the smelly diapers that need to be washed, the never ending pile of dirty dishes, the toys strewn all over the place or the spit-up on sweat pants I wear almost every day.

I think I have a great life but that it's hard too.  I am married to an incredible partner who loves and supports me.  We also have stupid arguments and sometimes feel like we're on opposite ends of the teeter-totter.  I have a the most amazing son who brings an incredible amount of joy to our lives.  I've also never felt busier or more tired in my entire life and the phrase "there's only a little bit of poop on it" actually left my lips as a valid reason for Will to keep wearing a t-shirt.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want to show a more accurate picture of my life, including the parts that instagram can't make beautiful.  I want others to know the great and the hard parts, to be known by others and to know them as well.  As a good friend and co-worker used to say, I want others to see the beauty and the pain that are a part of a real life.

Broken Lens

Back in October, Grant gave me one of the best gifts I've ever received.  (See this post).  I loved this camera lens.  I had wanted a portrait lens for a long time and always had one in my "wish list" on Amazon, but had never broken down and bought one.  He got this for me as a gift after the birth of Will.  A completely out-of-the-blue gift that was so thoughtful and has allowed me to take so many photos of Will, things I've made and other things I've shared on this blog.

Well, on Saturday, after a last hurrah, my camera fell off the table and smashed my beautiful gift into pieces.  I suppose I can look on the bright side that at least my camera seems to be doing just fine.

8 Months!

Taking these monthly photos has never been more difficult!  

I have a feeling that my days with Will are about to feel a lot busier.

Grant tickling Will (and holding him down) with his foot.

He flipped and rolled around and off of the mattress we use to take photos.

We enjoy that they're a bit blurry and that you can see Grant's legs in the background trying to wrangle Will.