Craft Party!!

My friend Kate had an awesome craft party on Saturday and Amy had the foresight to bring a camera so she could blog about it.  So, check it out here!

They were so good we had Pretzels for Dinner. Uh huh.

 I've been wanting to make soft pretzels for a long time.  I was waiting for a good chunk of time (and to remember to buy yeast at the grocery store since it's the one ingredient I never have on hand-I'm not a big baker, obviously).  So, this snow storm was the perfect time! 

Last year during one of the blizzards we made doughnuts so we're carrying on the tradition of "let's make things we love but usually buy and never make."  So, since I'm currently in love with the Pioneer Woman's recipes I decided to try her recipe.  A decent amount of work but the results were phenomenal, spectacular, ahhhhmazingly scrumptious.  Mmmmm.  We'll be making these again for sure.  Possibly even before it snows again :-)

1.The first steps are to combine the first few ingredients and then let the mound of dough rise for 30 minutes.  We let it go about twice that then dumped it out on a floured counter.

 2.Next, we used a pizza cutter to slice off chunks of dough and tried various methods to make them into ropes we could then shape into pretzels.

the "roll between your hands" method

the "put some muscle into rolling it" method

 

 

 

 

 3. Eventually you end up with a bunch of sort of pretzel shaped things :-)  The next step is one of those things that seems like it'd be a "secret" step that changes everything.  You boil some baking soda in water and then dip the raw pretzels into the water.  Weird but apparently important (I think it makes them crispy on the outside not just soft and doughy).

4. Now, let the bored child rest since she can't participate in the hot on the stove step and is cranky because you won't let her eat spoonfuls of cinnamon sugar you got out for a topping when the pretzels are done. Oy.

5. Bake them for 8-10 minutes and voila!!!  Now just dip 'em in melted butter and add your favorite toppings! (this involved kid-friendly jobs like sprinkling and was getting very close to eating so the child-helper was miraculously revived!)

We made some with butter and salt...

 Pepperoni...

 and Cinnamon-Sugar...

SO good! We asked Ella if they were like Auntie Anne's and she said "Yes.  Just hotter!" Seriously, seriously tasty.

Home. A. LOT. I mean, Snow Day!!!

Snow has finally come!  I am a snow lover as everyone knows but I must say it was hard to get excited about this storm because I've gotten my hopes up so often this year and then been sorely disappointed with an inch here and there and a day off of school for ice.  Boo.  So, I am enjoying the snow but the usual anticipation wasn't enjoyable because I was too worried the meteorologists were screwing with me again.

We've been filling our time with playing outside, cooking a ton (I've made shredded pork with homemade BBQ sauce, a new guacamole recipe, pink banana pancakes, and homemade soft pretzels which I'll blog about next-they were ahhhhhmaaaaaazing), doing games and puzzles, reading, and watching some TV.  It's been 2 full days of this though and there have been a lot of fun moments but I am also very aware that I need my space-physical space, space in the form of quiet to think, space to be, think, talk...and my particular 5 year old doesn't like space.  Any space.  So, it's been a good couple days but my nerves are getting a little raw at this point.  I think I'm starting to twitch a little bit...nothing I won't recover from :-) Good thing she's awfully cute and pretty hilarious :-)

Sadie update 5 1/2 months

It's been invaluable to look back and see what Ella was doing at different stages so I want to make sure I document the goings on with Sadie...

Sleeping and Eating
*We're trying to get into a nap schedule but are having a difficult time either having her at home in the window where she's ready to sleep or when we do, she's only been napping for about 45 minutes at a time.  I'm hoping she'll naturally lengthen these times and start napping longer around 10am, 2pm, and a cat nap around dinner time instead of 3-4 45 min naps.
*She's had a rough week with my stomach flu messing up her eating schedule (my milk production dropped bc I was sick so she was wanting to eat more often and during the night for a couple days and it got her into a bad pattern of waking up during the night).  The goal now is to get back to where we were-sleeping from 7pm-7am with a dream feed around 10 or 11pm.  Then we'll try to drop the late night feeding. Before this week she was eating every 3-4 hrs and we're shooting for every 4 hrs now-around 8, 12, 4, 8

Development
*She rolling over really well from her front to back but not at all from back to front yet
*She's "talking" a lot!  She's started saying "da da da" this week-her first real consonant sound!

I stole the chart below from a website and the blue things are the things Sadie is doing and oranges are no-gos :-)

1 month	Lifts head when lying on tummy Responds to sound Stares at faces	Follows objects briefly with eyes Vocalizes: oohs and aahs Can see black-and-white patterns	Smiles, laughs Holds head at 45-degree angle
2 months	Vocalizes: gurgles and coos Follows objects across field of vision Notices his hands Holds head up for short periods	Smiles, laughs Holds head at 45-degree angle Makes smoother movements	Holds head steady Can bear weight on legs Lifts head and shoulders when lying on tummy (mini-pushup)
3 months	Recognizes your face and scent Holds head steady Visually tracks moving objects	Squeals, gurgles, coos Blows bubbles Recognizes your voice Does mini-pushup	Rolls over, from tummy to back Turns toward loud sounds Can bring hands together, bats at toys
4 months	Smiles, laughs Can bear weight on legs Coos when you talk to him	Can grasp a toy Rolls over, from tummy to back	Imitates sounds: "baba," "dada" Cuts first tooth May be ready for solid foods
5 months	Distinguishes between bold colors Plays with his hands and feet	Recognizes own name Turns toward new sounds Rolls over in both directions	Sits momentarily without support Mouths objects Separation anxiety may begin

Like/Dislikes

At least on this day, Tuesday January 25th, I can say these are true.  Tomorrow some of these may change but thought it was worth noting what my kids are into these days :-)

Sadie likes...
1.Laying on her back and kicking around
2.Her pacifier
3.Having a soft blanket to hold/cuddle
4.Her swing
5.Sucking on her fingers (or anyones)
6.Having shirts pulled over her head. 
7.When I sing the Choo-Choo Soul version of the ABCs
8.Being upside down

Sadie does not like...
1.Burping (and other less lady-like bodily functions)
2.Toys that squeak
3. When Ella is "too" loving and nearly smothers her (this happens MANY times a day)


Ella likes...
1. Baths
2. Olives.  Copious amounts of olives. Black, Green, Kalamata.
3. Staying at preschool for lunch once a week "like a big kid"
4. "Soft pants" (leggings, yoga pants) she wears them EVERY. DAY.
5. Pink and Blue
6. Sadie
7. Art projects of any kind.  Especially really tedious ones (like putting together mosaics with 200 stickers the size of peas)

Ella does not like...
1. Baths.  What can I say, she's fickle.
2. Shopping
3. "Cracky pants" (jeans, khakis), dresses, skirts
4. Cleaning up
5. Being by herself. Ever. ("it's boooooring")