The Easiest Berry Sauce

As previously mentioned, I love pancakes.  I also love berries.  I love fresh whipped cream.  In case you haven't figured it out yet, I love food.  

A couple of years ago, I figured out how to make the world's easiest berry sauce and have since been intermittently enjoying it over pancakes.  Here is the recipe if you can even call it that.  

Easy Berry Sauce

Berries - frozen or fresh, any variety or even a mix

Throw the berries into a small saucepan and put over medium heat.  Cook until soft and the juices run out of the berries.  Serve over pancakes, ice cream or whatever else your heart may desire.  

That's it.  Seriously.  Nothing else.  I love the combination of tart berries with sweet pancakes and freshly whipped cream.  I suppose that if you felt it was too tart, you could throw in a little sugar.  

I should have taken a picture before I ate most of my breakfast.  Oops.

Kira is definitely a huge fan. 

Too Skinny for the Skinny Jeans

So it isn't much of a secret that I've lost a lot of weight these past 4 months.  It feels wonderful!  I love being relatively skinny again and being able to wear some of my favorite clothes.  This past week I wore my skinniest pair of jeans for the first time in about a year!  I also went out and bought my first pair of real skinny jeans.  I'm officially only 5 years behind the style!

Before 

After

While I wouldn't be too disappointed if I happened to lose another pound or two, I thought I'd mark this occasion by posting some of my favorite things to eat when I'm feeling super skinny.  So if you happen to being feeling a little too skinny for your skinny pants, give one of these things a try!

1.  Pecan pie!  My favorite pie and it is almost Thanksgiving which always reminds me of it.  I have never actually made a pecan pie because pecans are ridiculously expensive and I'm scared I'd eat the entire thing by myself.  
2. Cheesecake.  I'd take just about any kind especially if it includes dark chocolate.  Just sayin. 
3. Talenti Sea Salt Caramel Gelato.  It is like eating butter.  So rich.  So salty.  So sweet.  So amazing.  One of the best date night treats around!
   
4. Fresh from the oven homemade bread slathered with butter.  I could seriously eat 1/2 loaf by  myself when it comes out of the oven.  I've been making this bread recipe recently.  
5. Pancakes!  Our normal breakfast in this house is oatmeal.  I like to make it a variety of ways.  We also eat a lot of homemade Greek yogurt, granola, and eggs.  My true love is pancakes.  I love them with fresh whipped cream.  They are also yummy when a fruit sauce.  To make a fruit sauce just dump some fresh or frozen berries in a small pan over medium high heat and wait until they turn into a lumpy sauce.  Much better than syrup! While I'm not super picky about my pancakes (though no mixes please), these are my two favorite pancake recipes: pumpkin pancakes and banana blueberry pancakes.  
6. Fruffy coffee!  I love occasionally splurging on super girly coffee. 
7. Finally, I leave you with one recently discovered savory item.  I don't know if it makes the favorite list yet because I've only had it once, but the recipe is definitely a keeper.  I'm hoping to make it again for the holidays.  Check out this butternut squash and cheddar bread pudding. We had it as a vegetarian main dish but it would also work great as a side or even for breakfast. 

What are your favorite indulgence foods?

Christmas List

So I've been getting my elf on.  I already have completed one handmade Christmas present, completed a second but decided it was a failure, and put several hours into a third present.  I've also made about half of our Jesse Tree ornaments.  I love it!  I'm super excited about Christmas this year primarily because Kira will finally be old enough to enjoy starting some new traditions with us.  I finished my Advent calendar last January so we'll get to use it for the first time this year.
Here is my Christmas list:

Because let's face it, I need help as a mother. 

New rain boots.  I not super particular about the design but I need, need, need new rain boots.  

I don't know that I really need a dutch oven, but it sure would be fun to have one in a pretty color.

Last but not least, I'd like to refill my supply of dark chocolate.  A little goes a long way as I like to eat it slowly and enjoy small bits of it during the day.

Life With a Toddler

Here are a few little snippets from our crazy life.

During a diaper change:
Kira: I have poopies!
Me: Yes, a lot of poop.
Kira: I did good job poopsies!
Me:........uh..........a good job would have been if you had done your poop on the potty.

 We've been attempting to teach her the sounds that the different letters of the alphabet make.  Aaron was trying to use songs that she knew to help with this.  For instance, whenever they would see an "A", they would start singing Amazing Grace stressing that "ah" sound.  When they came to "E", Aaron asked for a song suggestion.  I volunteered Everybody Wants to Be a Cat as Kira had just watched Aristocats.  Now every time Kira sees an "E", she loudly proclaims, "Evybody be a cat, Mama!"

This is what happens when daddy picks out Kira's "pjs"

 Me: Please stop crying now.
Kira: I want to cry!

She kept wanting to sit in Will's bumbo and then would get stuck.

Me: Please don't smoosh your brother. 

Kira in a whiny voice: "But I want to smoosh him." 

Things I've had to tell my daughter not to lick: 

1. The dustpan

2. A package of raw bacon at the store

Finally, I just found Kira holding a blanket over Will's face.  He'll be lucky if he makes it to his first birthday at this rate.  

The Finished Project!

A long, long time ago (somewhere around a year) I started collecting old jeans to make a denim quilt for Kira's toddler bed.  I finished the project about 6 months ago and here are some pictures to prove it.  My quilter friend Leah pointed me in the direction of this tutorial which worked out quite well.  I did do a couple of "crazy" blocks because I had so much left over denim that I didn't want to waste.  I'm not sure that I love the hand quilting but there is no way I'm going to do it all over again.  These pictures aren't the best pictures but they'll give you a good idea of how it works.

I sewed on a button flower which Kira adores.  

I chose to not add any batting and to use this flannel for the back.  It is appropriately heavy and warm.  Kira is a fan.  

Peas in a Pod

My son and daughter couldn't be more different in a lot of ways.  He weighs around 16 lbs which is more than Kira weighed at 9 months.  She insisted that she had to be laid down in her bed to sleep, he wakes up as soon as you lay him down and screams until you snuggle with him.  Despite their differences, it is a blast watching them become friends especially now that Will is starting show some interest in toys and interacting.  

The other day I was busy when the baby woke up from his nap.  I asked Kira to go amuse him and this is how I found him a few minutes later.  

This is the kiddos waiting for daddy to get home from work.  

Morning just wouldn't be morning if we didn't start it off with a few snuggles.  

Here's to hoping that they'll stay good friends for the rest of their lives. 

Life on the Funny Farm

Sometimes we have fun here.  Sometimes we just try not to go crazy...like when both of your children want to stay up till around 11.

Sometimes moms save a special button up shirt for their baby to wear only to discover that they've waited too long and their baby is too fat to button it up. 

And sometimes we make the silliest faces and sounds just to get our baby to laugh and coo. 

Other nights we are super cool parents and let our child eat pizza and ice cream on the couch while watching a "Muffin" (Muppet) movie. 

Other days we dump out 200 hundred or so pennies just so our daughter can put them in her piggy bank.  She likes the piggy bank more than the money.  

Finally, we did this to our son.  I don't know if we did to keep ourselves from going crazy or because we've already gone crazy.  

They may be a whole lotta tears in this house, but we definitely still manage to have fun.  Feel free to drop by for some hot tea and freshly made banana bread anytime.