Lately I've been on the search for the perfect ornament for Penny's first Christmas. My mom started the tradition of getting each of us kids a special ornament for the tree, and the year Adam and I got married she passed on all of my ornaments for my own tree. This year, I get to start this tradition for Penelope!
Baby Bianca's first Christmas ornament
One of the main things I looked for when choosing Penelope's first ornament was quality. I want this ornament to last a long time, something that I dream to pass down when she gets married as well. It'll need to withstand tipping trees or over-eager helping little fingers. I also wanted it to be eco-friendly and unique.
So least to say, when I came across Smiling Tree Toys I knew my wishes had been answered! When this darling elephant ornament arrived in the mail, I gave a huge sigh of relief - this little pachyderm will last through the years.. my own poor pink elephant has definitely seen better days. But then again, this will be her 26th Christmas so we've got to give her credit for lasting this long!
Now Baby P gets her own elephant ornament!
This ornament is so beautifully crafted. It's not super heavy (so it won't weigh down a branch), but not super thin either. It's sanded down to silky smoothness so I don't have to worry about stray splinters. The engraving is clear and has a year stamp on the back too - not like I'd forget, but hey - maybe Penny's granddaughter will inherit it! "Hey Grammy P, what year were you born? 2012? Holy cow that is ANCIENT!"
One of my favorite things in working with family owned companies is learning their very distinct stories. Doesn't it make it just that much more special to know that the things you own have a face behind them?
Justin and Kathleen's commitment to literally making the world a better place, one toy at a time, by donating to various Peace Corps worldwide youth development projects is so inspiring! I love that I don't have to worry about if Penny's ornament eventually does make it to her mouth that it won't be met with chemicals and plastics, but instead ingredients straight from Mother Nature.
So this holiday season, why not gift a handmade ornament or toy from Smiling Tree Toys? Check out their store for a great variety of toys from teethers, rattles, blocks, wheeled cars to puzzles..they even have a little wooden camera for your aspiring photog!
And now for the fun part.. Smiling Tree Toys has agreed to giveaway one personalized ornament for The Pierogie Mama readers! This giveaway is open worldwide, and one winner will be notified by December 14th, 2012.
This giveaway is over - thanks to all for entering!
You can go ahead and bypass my stocking, Santa - I've already gotten what I asked for this year! Isn't that convenient?
Our living situation over the last year was a little outside of the norm. Living with my parents while our house sold has definitely been a huge blessing - it was a TON of help during Penny's first couple months and I know that the grandparents have appreciated getting to see every day for most of her first year. And now the fun can step up a notch! My biggest hope for this holiday season was for us to be settled into our new home - and although it is not ours on paper, I'm still so thankful for the rental situation.
There's nothing like getting to decorate your home for the first time, and I think it's even more special this time around because it is right in time for the holidays :) I also get to do it all again when the Christmas decorations come down and get settle into our "every day" style. And if my heart isn't content then, I will get to think of fun decorations for Penny's first birthday in March! Hold up- I am getting waaaaay ahead of myself.. I am not ready for my little girl to turn one yet.
But since I've technically gotten my Christmas wish.. can I sneak in another one, Santa? Just a small one. Come close so I can whisper in your ear -
Gerard Butler.
I hope my husband doesn't read this post ;) But then again, maybe I do?
There's a new Gerard Butler movie coming out this holiday season- Playing for Keeps. I'm pretty interested because not only does it feature my heart throb but it also has other big movie stars like Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Dennis Quaid and Jessica Biel (now Timberlake).
That isn't too much to ask for, is it? Go ahead and find a way to wrap Gerard up for me, Santa baby. What are you wishing for this holiday season? Spending more time with your family? Spending less time with your family? ;) A new bag, a date to the movies?
It's a little late coming, but it's sort of hard to try to photograph and/or video inside an infant's mouth without her pulling the lens into her mouth ;)
About a month ago, I was letting Penny try some of my homemade applesauce from my finger and felt something in her mouth that I hadn't felt before.. something sharp! Whaaat? I quickly checked again, because I initially thought it might be some toast crumbs from my snack a few moments before. Lo and behold, there really were some little teeth buds just broken through.
The discovery was immediately followed by some mama snuggles and the inauguration of her new terry teether.
The weird thing was that there wasn't any indication that she was teething - she wasn't fussy or drooly over the last few weeks. I guess I'll be giving that amber necklace she's been wearing a lot more credit...
Since the eruption of these two bottom teeth, there hasn't been any indication of more teeth coming through. But I'll definitely be more prepared this time around!
So if you've been reading along for the last 9ish months or so, you've probably heard me mention that we've been living in limbo somewhat. To bring you up to speed, about a year ago Adam accepted a position which relocated us 3 hours north of where we owned our home that we had been renovating. He started at that job, while I stayed down south and finished working at my job until I went on maternity leave. In February, while our house was put on the market, we made the semi-permanent move north with my parents (the hubs *hates* it when I say "we live with my parents" but is there a different way to put it? not really.). This put our new home base about 1 1/2 hours south of where Adam works.
Then, in September OUR HOUSE SOLD and very soon after we had our offer in on a house that is much closer to his work. It listed as a foreclosure and was outside of our price range but it had been on the market for about a year and hadn't had any offers. So we suuuuuuuper lowballed it with little expectation to be taken seriously. But, we were and after a few counter offers we agreed upon a price. We learned that we were negotiating with a bankruptcy trustee who was in charge of the estate. We were even given a closing date. We prepared to move into our new home and then were hit out of left field. The house was not a foreclosure - but a short sale. The price we negotiated with the trustee was not the final say and that the bank hadn't even seen the offer yet. That closing date we were given - completely fabricated. At least it feels that way. There isn't any other way to explain it. Somewhere, someone (likely the listing agent) dropped the ball. Who lists a house as a foreclosure and allows an offer to go through as such and then 2 weeks before the closing date have something like this fall through the cracks?
We were told that the new plan is to wait til November 30th, where our offer will be brought to bankruptcy court for the bank to see our offer. Then we were told that it could be another 120 days until we hear a final decision. Frustration does not even begin to explain it. (2 second rant: WHY oh WHY can't there be like 10 routes for buying/selling homes? Why does each and every transaction have to be unique??)
Then we got the bright idea to see if the bank would be willing to rent us the property - after all, the house had been vacant for a long time and our personal interest in moving in (beyond having our own space) was that winter is coming - and the heat had been turned off long ago. Because we are under contract to purchase this home, it is in our best interest to keep that house safe during the winter.
So we proposed the idea and were quickly hooked up with the property manager who works for the bank and we negotiated a rental agreement and guess what? WE MOVED IN YESTERDAY!
Oh man. Words cannot explain how great it was! What made it even better was that typically Adam and I have very bad luck when having to deal with contracted work (such as our kitchen designer, title companies - on 3 counts - sellers/buyers, etc) but this time - everything went so smoothly. The movers were professional, polite and careful with our stuff, we got the water and electrical back up and running as it should. The house warmed up quickly and after cleaning up the floors, we let Penelope crawl around and explore her new home, while Adam and I basked in gratitude and accomplishment.
Penny and Daddy walking the property
This move was very last minute (like - less than 12 hours notice) so there was quite a bit that we left behind at my parents' (namely, the dogs!). I'll be here through the end of the week, finalizing our packing and we'll all be back up at the house this weekend. BIG SIGH of happiness. I even found my Christmas decorations - I'm totally putting them out before Thanksgiving.
It's a really weird position to be in, to rent one's home prior to owning it. Basically we've been told to expect sometime in early Spring for a closing date. It's even stranger because we're big DIY'ers - we renovate for fun. However, we won't be touching this house until it is ours.
And so there you have it. A little over a year and we're back to "normal life," as I call it. I'll be posting pictures soon... blogging will be somewhat intermittent because we don't have internet at the house yet, and apparently it is rural enough that Comcast/Century Link etc don't service out there (??? but it's really not THAT rural!).
Sour cream. One of my favorite condiments. And now, one of my favorite ingredients to bake with.
You've seen my post on sour cream banana bread. This is a rendition of that recipe, only with pumpkin instead of banana. So festive, right?
A few weeks ago we took a visit to the local pumpkin patch, where we picked our our family pumpkin and I also snagged a yummy sugar pie pumpkin.
Did you know that the canned pumpkin that you buy is actually winter squash? That's why when you taste something cooked or baked with actual pumpkin, it tastes so different (and better!). But, be warned, the carving type of pumpkin does not taste the same as the type of pumpkin you'd use for baking or cooking. You'd want a sugar pie pumpkin for that. The reason for that is because carving pumpkins have been cultivated to grow large quickly, and they really don't have very good flavor to them. But sugar pie pumpkins are soooooo delicious!
Now that I've really piqued your interest, you might be wondering how to prepare said pumpkin. Super easy.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Cut pumpkin in half (horizontally)
Scoop out the guts and seeds (save the seeds to roast them!)
Place halves face down on a tin foil lined pan
Bake for 30 minutes to an hour. The reason for the variation is that the thickness of the walls can vary. My first pumpkin this year only took about 30 minutes, but my second was much thicker and was almost the full hour. You will know when it is done by after 30 minutes, take it out quickly and flip one half over - stick a fork into the flesh and see if it is soft (like mashed potatoes). If it is hard at all, turn it back over and return to the oven for at least another 15 minutes.
When it's done, remove the pumpkin from the oven and turn the halves over and cover with a dish towel and allow to cool off. Putting the dish towel over the pumpkins will allow them to cook off but not overly dry out because of the steam escaping.
After the halves have cooled, take a spoon or ice cream scoop and start scooping out the flesh. It should be very easy. You can either store it in a tupperware as is (with a little bit of chunk to it), or you can puree it immediately and then store in a tupperware. It should last in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
One sugar pie pumpkin will produce around 4 cups of pumpkin puree.
Ok, so on to that awesome pumpkin bread recipe.
You will need:
non-stick cooking spray
1/4 c of sugar with 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 c softened butter (or 1/2 c Tropical Traditions Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil)
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 c of home made pumpkin puree (see above)
2 c sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 c flour *Optional: 1/4 c candied pecans
You will do:
1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
2. Spray 2 bread pans with your non stick spray.
3. In a small bowl mix the 1/4 cup of sugar with the 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon. Dust onto the greased pans.
4. In a larger bowl, cream butter and remaining sugar together. Add eggs, pumpkin, sour cream, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Blend until well mixed.
5. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly incorporate into the pumpkin mixture.
6. Divide batter between your pans.
7. Top with candied pecans.
8. Bake for about an hour (but check at 45 minutes), or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
I promise, just like the original sour cream banana bread recipe, this sweet bread won't last long in your house.
Sweet girl, you've got mama and daddy running around in circles after you this month. You've pulled so many new tricks out of your hat. You continue to be such a joy to us, you always make your needs known and there is so little guesswork when it comes to you.
Penny's new skills this month:
Food: because two of the weeks this month we were battling some sickies, there hasn't been a whole lot of new foods introduced. She loves steamed pumpkin and asparagus. She's tried a bit of home made jam, cucumbers, bananas (still not a huge fan), she's played with a spaghetti noodle but didn't quite connect that it could be eaten as well.
She started with scooting, then graduated to a few crawl-steps at a time, and now we're in full on crawl-sprint. She's even faster when uninhibited by clothes.
She pulls herself up onto everything - she insists on being Queen of the Mountain. No matter how tall or short, she's got to be on top of it. I tested just putting a piece of paper on the floor and no surprise, Penny bee-lined to it and had to land that cute belly on top of it.
In the last few days she's even shocked us when she simply chooses to let go.. luckily, that big fluffy butt of hers pads her fall ;)
She now loves to crawl around in the bath tub and splash with her hands.
In the middle of the month, her bottom two teeth broke though. I was so shocked because she didn't give us any indication that they were coming. She wasn't fussy or overly drooly. One afternoon, I let her taste some of our home made spiced pear jam from my finger and I felt something sharp.. I checked again and there were definitely some little white caps in there! It took about another two weeks for them to be visible above the gum line.
Her sleep has varied a lot this month. In retrospect, I should have guessed that her teeth were bothering her. Normally she likes to sleep between mama and daddy, but doesn't really need either of our warmth. The couple weeks leading up to her teeth breaking through, she needed to be snuggled up to me or sleeping on top of me (which hasn't been a requirement from her for a very long time - I usually pull her onto me in the early morning for my sake). Now that her teeth have broken through and we seem to be in a lull between the next set, she's back to needing a bit of her own space.
You might not see it in pictures, but her hair is starting to come in a lot more.. Maybe by her birthday I'll get to put it up with cute little hair clips?? Here's hoping...
We took her to a local park and found a swing set.. just couldn't resist! She had so much fun.
You might be noticing the super cute hat upon her noggin. Her crafty babcia whipped it up for her, it's a little giraffe hat. Just need to find the perfect buttons for its eyes.
I'm so especially excited for the coming months because the holidays are coming, which means getting to see the look of wonder in her eyes when she sees the Christmas tree lit for the first time, getting to try Thanksgiving turkey and getting to play with all of her cousins.
Some major growing up has been going on at The Pierogie Mama! Today I am hosting my very first review and giveaway. I get to talk to you about Barlean's Omega Swirl and Flax Oil - one of the ways that I make sure that I'm getting the proper amount of Omega 3's into my diet. Want to learn more about the importance of Omega 3's? Check out this truly adorable video!
Barlean's was first recommended to me by my midwife, and I found their gel caps at my local Fred Meyer in the organic vitamin section. I tried these with hesitation - I had taken fish oil in the past and was seriously grossed out by the fishy smell coming from the bottle and from my pores later. With the Barlean's gel caps, I was so pleasantly surprised! When you twist open the bottle, you're greeted with a citrus scent, which reminds me of squeezing lemon onto my fish chips! And I'm also sure you're dying to know - I never felt like I was sweating fish. Even for someone who does have difficulty swallowing larger pills, these gel capsules are very easy to take. More recently I've gotten the chance to try the Omega Swirl (which comes in many flavors). This is in liquid form so it's even easier for those of us who have difficulty with pills. Here's another cute video...
When I squeezed the Omega Swirl onto a spoon for the first time, I found myself humming "just a spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down..." And again, Barlean's has proved me wrong. The Key Lime flavor was actually yummy! Would you believe me if I told you that I look forward to taking this each and every morning? It's the truth! When Penelope was born and in my bleary alertness in the first couple weeks, there were a few days that went by that I'd forget to take my supplements. One of her eyelids had a tendency for being dry and flakey, which I was treating with Aquafor several times per day. I soon found a correlation between whenever I was good about taking my fish oil supplement, the irritation went away. I talked to our pediatrician about it, and she agreed that taking fish oil daily would help with Penelope's skin as well. The other supplement that I've become more knowledged about since having Penelope is flax seed oil. Barlean's prides itself on having the freshest flax seed oil around, with a proprietary press that extracts the oil from the flax seeds without damaging the product. Their Flax Oil is also organic and non-GMO certified (this is important, folks!! Read more about why you need to know about GMO's here) Now, to be completely fair, I also tried the flax seed oil straight via tablespoon and I wouldn't liken the taste towards "yummy." It truly had a very fresh grain taste to it. The consistency is a little less viscous than olive oil but it looks very similar, and can be incorporated into many different recipes without anyone being the wiser, like salads, cookies or soups . I've mixed it in with my cereal, oatmeal and cream of wheat. For a list of recipes that you can use any of Barlean's organic oils with, check them out here. You might find yourself wondering, what is the difference between Fish oil and Flax Oil?
Both provide Omega-3 fatty acids that many of us do not have enough of in our diets. To get it the old fashioned way, one should eat oily fish (salmon and mackerel are good examples) several times per week, which is not feasible for many families. Getting your daily requirement of Omega-3's is so easy with Barlean's Omega Swirl or Flax Oil.
According to the Barlean's website, Flax Oil and Fish Oil have the following mutual benefits: Heart Health, Cholesterol Levels Already Within a Healthy Range, Joint Mobility & Bone Density, Energy & Endurance, Blood Glucose Levels Already Within a Healthy Range and Skin, Hair & Nail Health.
Flax Oil is a great way for vegetarians to get their Omega-3's.
Flax Oil is a natural lactogenic - meaning it can help increase your milk supply while breastfeeding.
Ultimately, you'll find that both oils have many similarities but a few key points will help you choose which is best for you.
Big, Scary Disclaimer: I am not a health professional! Please run any of your questions by your doctor!
Happy Disclaimer: Barlean's provided products for me to sample so that I could post my review to you, however all opinions expressed are my own. I promise you that I only give stellar reviews to products or services that I really love and think my readers will love too.
Bottom line:
I love the Barlean's brand because while Penelope is still relying on me for her nutrition, it's of the utmost importance that I can incorporate organic, GMO-free, and simply healthy ingredients into my diet. Barlean's goes through a lot of trouble to get ingredients of the highest quality and my family deserves no less. Another (albeit small) point is that Barlean's is based out of little old Ferndale, WA - a stone's throw from my college town. I love supporting local whenever I can. Now for the fun part! Barlean's sent me a bottle of the Omega Swirl and Flax Oil to try out - now you get a chance to try it out too! One lucky winner will have a choice of either the Omega Swirl or Flax Oil. Check out the giveaway details and enter via the Rafflecopter window below! You can also sign up for a free sample and check out their store for more of their great products. Fine Print: This giveaway is open to US residents only. One winner will be notified within 48 hours of the end of the contest and will have one week to respond with their mailing address. Good luck!
This giveaway is over - thanks to all for entering!
Here's Lil' P in her very first Halloween costume - an octopus. Her costume was super easy.. stuffed Baby Legs (another Seattle owned company!) and socks, a long sleeved onesie and a felt hat that I sewed for the occasion. I originally was planning on making her a pierogie costume, but I eventually decided that no one would get it..so many another year ;) I already have next year's costume in the memory bank though.
Halloween was pretty uneventful.. as in, really uneventful. We didn't have a single trick or treater..so Penny didn't even get to show off her costume to anyone! Thank goodness for picture texting and digital cameras because otherwise this entire event would have gone undocumented.
Penny's costume is a simple long sleeved onesie, an octopus head felt hat with eyes glued on and a skirt of Babylegs. I attached the legs to a ribbon waistband and tied it around her cute tubby tummy.
After all that playing around and dressing up,
our princess was close to turning into a pumpkin
so we called it a night.
We also did a pumpkin photo shoot a few weeks ago.. My husband is beginning to wonder why I love taking pictures of our daughter naked.. and my response is that this is the very short period of time in her life where it is appropriate and cute :) I just love her chubby rolls!
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