lemon madeleines

This pan has been sitting on my counter ever since Mindy gave it to me a couple weeks ago.

I finally had time to make some madeleines yesterday morning. They were quite easy. I followed the recipe that can be found here. They turned out light and cakey with just a hint of lemon. Next time I might try the orange zest instead of the lemon and dip the tips in chocolate.

Not much to say today. I have an insane amount of yarn and fabric to put away from my trip to the big city yesterday and lots of projects to start. But it's Saturday. And Ryan's home. That means we are working on the addition while trying to stay warm:)

remembering

It's crazy how when I least expect it, I hear or see something that reminds me of my dad. Take last night for instance. Ryan and I were watching Friends on our laptop (we don't have a TV:) and when it was over I decided to check my email before going to bed.

I had an email notifying me that a subscriber had unsubscribed from my blog. I opened it and there was my dad's email address staring back at me. It was his work email and I am assuming that they closed the account. Then the tears just started falling (much like they are now as I type this). I miss him so much. I miss him reading my blog. I miss him seeing pictures of Mason and calling to tell me how cute he is and how he can't wait to meet him. I miss him commenting on all my cooking/baking posts. Whenever we talked he would ask me what kind of bread I was baking or what recipe I was going to try next. And then he would always joke that I should send him some.

I spent most of last night and this morning thinking about: my dad. And cooking. And his comments on my baking posts. And my dad. I made madeleines (post tomorrow!) and thought about how great it would be to tell him about them. Or send him some.

Then I remembered that I use to cook for him when I was little. Ok, not really cook, but more like make. When I was little, I loved to make my dad special sandwiches. I would open the fridge and take a little bit of everything (and I mean everything) I could find and slap it between two slices of bread. Then I would proudly carry it to my dad and wait for him to take a bite. He always acted like they were so good. Umm....gross. Sorry dad. But, thanks for making me feel so special as you ate my sandwiches that I lovingly prepared.

I wish I could make you another one.

beginnings

This might not look like much to you (it barely even resembles a scarf) but it is the humble beginnings of an afghan. Shocked? I am. But I am going to finish this. I've been wanting to crochet a big, fun afghan for about forever and now I have the perfect excuse.

It will be making it's way to a dear friend as a wedding gift. Now, if you'll excuse me I have some major work to do:)

prep

This is how I spend a least two of my nights each week. Making baby food for the little one. Ok, it doesn't take a whole night...but it does take some planning and preparation. I love making his food though. I love giving him new things to try. And call me crazy, but I love seeing all the different foods lined up in the freezer. Ready for him to devour so we can start all over again:) Tonight's menu: acorn squash, broccoli with potatoes, and zucchini. Yum!

be mine

Have a happy love day:)

wordless wednesday

8 months

Dear Mason,

How does it feel to be 8 months old? Yeah, I thought so. You are loving life. And doing a pretty good job of keeping us on our toes. We just can't get enough of you and we are so thankful for the joy you bring to our lives.

At 8 months, Mason, you

~scoot all over the floor and our laps

~are still toothless:)

~can pick up foods and feed yourself

You love your bathtime. When we lay you on your back you love to kick both legs at the same time. When you are sitting up you love to splash and play with your toys. When you grab your washcloth it goes straight into your mouth.

And you are such a bundle of energy when you get out of the tub. It's one of our favorite times of the day. We put you on the bed and play and play. You are so much fun, giggling and squirming all over the place.
It takes forever to get your lotion and your pajamas on, but we don't mind.

~you love all foods

~you can say dada and mama (but don't really know what they mean...except for mama of course:)

~can get up on all fours, but haven't figured out that you can crawl

~love to point to things with one finger

~are obsessed with anyone with buttons on their shirt

~smile almost every time we get out the camera

~are a happy, mellow baby

~talk all day long

~are known to cry when I leave the room (it's ok, dude...I will be right back)

~sleep in the car

~love to be outside

~love to look at all the new things surrounding you

Mason, you are such a sweetheart. Your smile melts my heart. I love you so much and am so thankful for you.

xoxo,

mommy

winter

Ryan and I spent Saturday on this little trail. We finally squeezed in a snowshoeing trip. Snowshoeing is one of my favorite things about winter. We went with our two friends, Tim and Megan, but Tim has all the group pictures on his camera.

Java had a blast. She spent most of the time eating the snow and running ahead of us. She is an awesome trail dog. I love that she gets to go with us.

I thought I would be really cool and venture off the trail into some really deep snow so Ryan could take my picture with Java. I totally fell down and could not get up. Each time I tried I just sank further in. I ended up just "swimming" back to the trail so I could get up.

I can't wait until our next trip! Bring on the snow:)

love. limes.

Have I mentioned that I love this guy?

Have I mentioned that he loves limes? And all things sour?
He's all about the lime. And I'm all about a few minutes to make dinner. A win win I'd say.

Well, after school today I am off to CCIRA (a reading conference in Denver) with my friend Stephanie and some other teachers from our school. It is always a good time and I'm looking forward to it. I get so many new ideas for my classroom. That, and some girl time. Mason gets to stay with Nana. Steph and I are also going to meet up with Mindy and her little pregnant self:) A fun couple of days for sure:)

sick day

I woke up this morning at 4:00 am feeling pretty crummy. I'm known to be an early riser...but this was a little too early. I had a bad headache and a terrible sore throat. My whole head hurt so bad, I called a sick day. Oh, that's right. It's my weekend. Ryan and I have a knack for getting sick over breaks and on weekends. You know, when you're supposed to be having fun. I did have to cancel on a few friends though. Luckily, they're pretty understanding people. My friend Hillary even suggested I get some wellness tea. What a friend. She's looking out for me even though I cancelled our scrapbooking day.

And instead of taking my cousin out to breakfast, I got to visit the doctor. My little munchins at school have been coughing, blowing their noses, and going home with stomach aches all week, so I thought I better get it checked out. I have myself a sinus infection. Lovely.

I think Mason knows that I'm not feeling like myself today. He's been a little extra cuddly.

He's even sharing his toys.
He only laughed once when the nurse told me my face was puffy. Um, thanks. I'm not feeling well, remember?

And he took a 3 1/2 hour nap. That was the best part of all:) Thank you sweet boy. I'll be back to normal soon.

girly girly

Mason spent the weekend surrounded by girls. There was pink everywhere. He's such a good sport. You see, it was the weekend of my best friend Mindy's baby shower. In just 6 short weeks she will get to welcome her little girl into the world. I'm just a little excited about this:) We've been friends for so long....since 7th grade...and it's going to be awesome to journey through motherhood together. I'm so thankful for her friendship. Here are a few pictures from the shower.

Ok, this little snowsuit is just about the cutest thing ever.

No, wait. Maybe her pregnant belly is the cutest thing ever!
Mason spent most of the shower with Nana.

If he looks a little tired, it's because he totally missed his morning nap. There was too much going on and he didn't want to miss a thing. Plus, he was loving being passed around and everyone giving him so much lovin'! He was so good...despite all this. He was just his usual mellow self. He can't wait to meet his new friend.

cinnamon rolls

oh.my.goodness. My mom and I set out to make cinnamon rolls with the recipe by Pioneer Woman. After we made the dough and started rolling and cutting, we quickly realized that we did not have enough pans. We should have known when we started with 9 cups of flour. Once we got the pan situation figured out they started baking. The house smelled amazing. A mix of maple, cinnamon, and homemade bread.
We brought two pans to church, and sent one pan home with my mom. We still have plenty to share, so please...come on over!

breakfast

I love breakfast. I love to make breakfast. I love to try new recipes for breakfast. Ryan and I almost always cook breakfast on the weekends and eat together. Sometimes I make it (usually on Saturday) and sometimes he makes it (usually on Sunday). A few weeks ago, my best friend Mindy reminded me of the importance of slowing down and enjoying the morning. This is easy for us to do on the weekends, but not so much during the week. During the week we get up at different times and Ryan is usually heading out the door while I am just starting to make my breakfast. So, we don't get to eat together. And usually when I am eating breakfast I have the laptop in my face taking a moment to catch up on things. But, I've been trying to take a little time for me in the morning and enjoy our view out the window, pray over my day, and just have some quiet time. It's been wonderful. Of course, I still love our weekend breakfasts together.

Last weekend we tried a few new things. On the menu:

mushroom and onion tartlets

fruit salad (with grapefruit, oranges, figs, and kumquats)

orange cranberry bread (sooo good, a little gift from mindy).

We had never tried fresh figs or kumquats before. They were a fun addition. The figs were slightly out of season (who knew they were a summer fruit?) but still sweet and delicious. I can't wait to try some when they are in season. And the kumquats were a burst of sweet and tartly sour at the same time. Fun! Take some time to enjoy your breakfasts this week, friends.

saturday plans

This is where we will be spending our weekend. Out in the addition. It's a little cold out there. (Ok, after a couple hours it's a lot cold out there.) There's no insulation yet. But, that's ok because there's work to be done and we have a warm fire in the wood stove waiting for us in the "old" part of the house. And the sun is supposed to be out today. And we have lots of coffee.

These are a few pictures from last weekend. Ryan was finishing framing out the closets in the bedrooms. Today we have some long pieces of lumber to unload from the trailer and some ceiling joists to hang. Then it will be time to run wires for the electricity. We thought we would get to that last weekend, but everything takes longer than you think with a baby in the middle of it all:) I'm sure Mason will be a big help again today. Gotta love that little guy.

7 months

Dear Dad and Mom,

Mason here. You know, the little guy that has rocked your world for the last 7 months. I just wanted to let you both know that I love you so much. That's why I smile and laugh when you walk into the room. That's why I cry so you will hold me.

I hear that there are going to be a few new little ones around here soon ( a friend in March, and a cousin in May). I can't wait because I'm pretty sure that you two don't really understand what I'm saying, even though I talk and talk. It's ok that they will both be girls. I'm getting pretty used to it since I get to hang out with Ruby all the time. Pretty soon I will be able to pull her cute little pigtails. Oh, and would you please tell her mom that I'm sorry about the major blowout the other day (daddy told me to do it....something about her making fun of the way he says puree:) Oh, and another thing...mommy....I'm pretty sure I saw daddy leave that bag of dirty clothes in the back of the truck. He said something about a frozen surprise for you.

This is me contemplating a life surrounded by girls.

Daddy says when I'm older, it will be a good thing.

Thank you for all the new fruits and vegetables you are feeding me. I haven't tried one yet that I don't like. But of course I'm a lot more interested in what's on your plates and in your glasses. Won't you please share with me? This time I'll only drool a little bit into your cup.
Thanks for all the fun baths. And they really are fun now that I can wiggle about more and reach for my toys. Splashing is pretty fun too.

I'm pretty sure that Daisy and Java have figured out that I'm their new master. We have a great way of communicating. I tell them what to do and they lick my hand in submission. I taught them to guard my toys, blankets, and pillows while I'm napping. It's ok. Really. I don't mind sharing with them.



What do you think of my new game? I call it "Guess What Position I'll Wake Up In." I love flipping, flopping, rolling over and sticking my feet up in my sleep. Hey, at least I'm sleeping. Thanks for such a big crib to move around in. It's fun to make you laugh in the morning when you see how I've landed. You really should take some pictures so you don't forget.

Can you believe how much I'm moving around? Since you're rookie parents (I put in to be the youngest, but oh well...I guess I can teach you the ropes) I should remind you not to leave me unattended unless I'm on the floor or buckled into something safe. You see I'm forever toppling over, reaching for things, and just trying to figure out exactly what to do with my arms and legs. I'm glad you find me so entertaining! You keep laughing and I'll keep being the center of attention, ok?

You really are the coolest parents ever. (Mommy told me to say that.)

xoxo,

Mason