....Laugh Now....

This is what happens when I try to get chores done while the baby sleeps...she wakes up and distracts me with her cuteness. <3 U Miss Katelyn.

Loving the Winter/Spring Weather

Oh, Goodness. Today was one of those days when I didn't really feel like going much anything. The weather was so nice that I couldn't resist taking Katelyn for a stroll around the block. We passed a neighbor from the next block, and after a short chat we agreed to arrange a brunch date soon. She homeschools her children (I think she has 5), and the oldest one had gotten married this past year.

However, I also did a slight amount of work.. laundry, put the rest of my scrapbook stuff away so that I can get the sewing stuff out tomorrow, and soaked, washed, and then ran over 70 Mason/Canning jars through the dishwasher for Chris. They have just been sitting in tubs in front of the house since just after Katelyn was born. We bought them all for $20 from a lady cleaning out her father's garage after he passed away. She shared a delightful story of remembering she spent hour after ofter in the garden with him, and hopes that the jars get to continue being used. We plan on it. This is the year that we begin to plant our Vegetable Garden.

I did put the food menu together for next week, so I guess that can be counted as work too. It does take some time now that I am putting the menu together to match the items on sale at the grocery. It is not much, but we have saved $23 in groceries (only spending $53) for the first 2 weeks of January. Next week will be a little more because it is a stocking week with ground beef on-sale for $1.89/lb. Last time I bought about 15lbs, and there is still some left in there, but we just can't pass up a good deal anymore (that's what we got the deep freeze for).

I think I can muster the energy to finish cleaning my mess from cleaning the jars, and with a little a little more energy get the donation bags out to my car. I hate that I never remember them, and then when I am driving around I think, "Darn. Again, I forgot!" I am taking the nicer clothes to a donation site called BASICS that allows people to come in and just take what they need for nothing. It's really great. Kind of llike the Hope Chest that Heartland has going.

New Orleans Pictures

I forgot to post a link to the New Orleans vacation photos. We had a great time celebrating Grandpa West's 60th Birthday. This was the third year in a row that Chris and I have enjoyed this beautiful (though sometimes smelly) city. CLICK HERE to be directed to the Walmart Photos Album to see lots of fun pictures.

Thinking about a trip to New Orleans? Where We've Stayed:

2011: New Orleans Marriott @ 555 Canal St.

My mother-in-law chose this one, and if you enjoy all the luxury of big-brand hotel right in the heart of the hussle of the city, then you'll really enjoy this hotel. The rooms have that familiar hotel feel that keeps you close to all the places you want to be. Breakfast is pretty pricey, but Arby's is right there out the front door with a McDonald's down the block, and numerous restaurants around every corner.

2010: St. Christopher Hotel: Best Western @ 114 Magazine St.



My sister-in-law chose this one, and if you really want the amenities and the staffing of a big hotel, but want that rustic feel of the New Orleans spirit, then this one might be a good choice for you. It is just off Canal Street, and still within walking distance of every where you want to be in that downtown area. It offers a delightful breakfast, but again, fast food is only a block or two away.

2009: Prytania Park Hotel: 1525 Prytania Street

If you really want that simple 'old time' New Orleans feel with exposed brick walls without the fancy hotel flare, than Prytania Park is one you may want to consider. It is off the beaten path of Downtown located in the Historic New Orleans Garden District, but the St. Charles StreetCar picksup and drops off right out front of the hotel making transportation from here to Canal St or the French Market quick, simple, and hassle free. It offers a free breakfast (but there is a BK just down the block) and free parking which will have saved you $28 - $32 dollars a day in comparison to the other two we stayed at.

Prytania Park was my favorite of the three that we have stayed at. I loved the location which made me believe that I was really experiencing New Orleans and not just a tourist in the city with all the noise. It was quiet and easy to sleep. It was not staffed like the bigger hotels, but there is a front desk attendant 24hours, and we had no problems.

Sloppy Joe's

The decision for what to make for dinner last night was pretty simple. I had a taste for Sloppy Joe's all weekend, but Chris likes to cook on Sunday's - so I got my Sloppy Joe fix as soon as I could.

I'm sorry that I don't have any real measurements for you. I just throw a little in, taste, and then improve where I can. There truly is not a better way to cook than to just taste, taste, taste. If you're like me then you really just use a recipe as more of a 'guide' anyway, tossing in more of the stuff you like, and less of the stuff you don't. (Plus, you really can't screw up Sloppy Joe's.)

Ingredients You'll Need:

Ground Beef  

Onions (diced)

Peppers (diced)

Ketchup

Brown Sugar

Garlic

Worchestire Sauce

Salt & Pepper to taste
Yellow Mustard

(to offset if you make it too sweet like I did) 

Bread

Step 1: COOK your meat, onions, and peppers then drain.

Step 2: ADD lots of ketchup, garlic, (a little) brown sugar, worchestire sauce, (a little) Mustard, and salt & pepper. Mix to taste, slap on some bread and enjoy.

If you find that your mixture is tooo sweet for you, add a little more mustard. (Don't go crazy, but I don't suggest going hog-wild with the brown sugar. Just add a little, mix, taste and repeat if desired.)

Three Months

Katelyn passed the 3 month mark last Friday. I can not believe how big she is getting. She changes and grows everyday. She loves to sit and play in the Evenflo ExerSaucer we bought for her. She hasn't been able to actually sit in it for very long, but she's getting the hang of making the toys talk to her. just a little more practice needed.

It sells for $119.00 at Toys R Us, but we bought it from one of the nurses in ours doctor's office for $30. It is brand-spanking new clean. Chris was surprised that she even took it out of the box, because it looks as though it was never used. There is also a bar with a hanging Butterfly and Koala Bear that arches over the birds in the back, but it is on the matching play mat right now, along with a dragonfly the hangs out in the open spot you see there on the side. This saucer is designed for birth - 2 years. It has the mat that you put the Koala Bear and Butterfly over, then they grow into the saucer itself as she is pictured in above, and then you "unwind" it for when they start toddling around as shown on the website. http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3420756. With a little care, this toy could be around for a long time....exactly the way we like to spend our money....smart.

Weekend Round Up

This weekend was a busy calm. We cleaned, went grocery shopping, and Chris made my homemade noodles for his Beef-N-Noodles dinner. I am planning on Making Zuppa Toscana soup this week for dinner, but we still found ourselves at Olive Garden for the $6.95 Soup & Salad. Chris loves the Chicken & Gnocchi soup - We'll be trying to duplicate this recipe soon!

We also had a great time at the John's house. They don't eat red meat, but DiOnna makes some killer Turkey Burgers that I can not wait to eat again. She grounds the Turkey meat and mixes it with onions, garlic, salt & pepper. We took a Creme Pie for dessert (of course). They also cook their own sunflower seeds, because the store bags have too much salt. How Yummy they were. We'll be baking up some seeds in no time here.

The Dairy Blues

We've been noticing that every time I eat a dairy product Katelyn will projectile vomit it out within minutes of nursing. So, to keep her beautiful smile happening - I've been learning to like Soy milk...-Or should I say WE to some extent. We have been using it for cooking, so in a sense Chris is adapting to it as well... even though there is no taste difference in the cooked meals that we have noticed so far.-

I had a coupon for $1 off Silk brand - I bought Original, but have read that Vanilla is apparently the best thing ever. Original has done alright by us, but I suppose I will break down and by a Vanilla carton on our shopping trip this week with the coupon from this weekends paper. The Pros and Cons of Soy Milk still seem to be up for debate from what I have read, but from what I read it all seems to wash equally. Plus, if it allows me to drink milk and not cause my baby girl to toss her lunch, I'm all for it.

In my research on Soy Milk I found a simple recipe for making your own Soy Milk. It's not something that makes me want to jump-up and get-to-making, but I may try it at some point, plus, it may interest you.

Making Your Own Soy Milk

Here are some basic steps:

1. Clean the Soybeans.

2. Soak them in water for several hours.

3. Grind the soaked Soybeans with some water in a blender.

4. Filter the mixture through cheesecloth by squeezing and keep the soy milk.

5. Boil the soy milk for about 10 minutes.

6. Let the soy milk cool.

Happy New Year!

Wishing Everyone a Happy New Year!

Katelyn was wide-awake celebrating the ball drop and ringing in the New Year with us. We first celebrated the EST time zone, hoping we would all be asleep by the Central timezone midnight - but she was still wide awake come midnight.

Chris found a Latin America tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight. One for each month of the year. If they are sweet it will be a good month, if they are sour that is going to be a "sour" month. It is kind of funny that while we were eating our grapes we BOTH had sour ones for May! I don't think I'll be getting on any plane with him for Germany in May now. I'm kind afraid since the 5th grape was sour for both of us. I guess we'll keep you updated come May.

The Lengths He Goes

Nothing is better than a daddy who loves to entertain his precious baby girl!

Katelyn loves to be hauled around the house in her Baby Bjorn. Usually we stick her in this or the Moby Wrap while we clean and cook.

Final Post of 2011

2012 will be here before we know it. I've made some New Year Resolutions - an act which I think is becoming more of a stereotypical cliche than long-term goal to attain. However, I've sat down and written a few ideas out just-the-same. I don't like setting myself up for failure by setting unattainable or unmeasurable goals. For example: "To become a better person"is an unmeasurable goal. My goal "To become a Big Sister" is measurable, attainable, and specifically fits my plan to...(drum roll, please)... be a better person. I hope that makes sense. Anyhow, here's the list (in no particular order):

1. Become a Big Sister
2. Improve my Sewing Skills
3. Grow a Vegetable Garden
4. Make a monthly donation to Sandy in Romania
5. Host at least 4 brunch/dinner gatherings

That's all I've got, but here is what each represents:

1. (Strengthen my Character)
2. (Challenge Myself)
3. (Build Self-Sufficiency)
4. (Give to the Lord's Work)
5. (Become more Social)

The year 2011 wasn't all the bad to us. A few of our highlights include:
1. Katelyn Rene
2. Having Emilia till June
3. Meeting Maria, Donna, Trevor - and several other people from other countries
4. Two Amazing vacations together - Orlando, New Orleans
5. Chris went to Germany - Lara went to Tennessee with mom and dad to see family
6. Colts games
7. Meeting Nicholas Sparks (lara) Josh Turner (Chris)
8. Learning lacrosse and canning 
9. Two new cars
10. More than 10 billion smiles and laughs!

It was good to know 2011, but here's to 2012! *Raise Glass*

I heard it...

Katie gave daddy a fair warning that if he put that thumb anywhere near her mouth where she could get it, she was going to take it....and she did. I had to teach him the technique I learned in the breastfeeding class on how to unlatch the baby, because she was sucking so hard. HAHA!

Just Showing Off

Chris and Katie searching for Black Friday Deals.

PUDDING FACE!

We're starting to get REAL smiles and Giggles now

"What you doing back there?"

Haha, PIRATES! Arrr...hide your gold.

Ashley built Miss K a Fort!

 

Daddy and Katelyn like to watch The Wiggles together. We think it is sooo cute how she already tries to dance and sing with them. (She talks at the begining and again at the end, arms a-swinging.)

Family Photo Time

We road tripped it to JCPenny today (a whole 3 miles) - and got some family photos taken. Click here to see them all!

Nicholas Sparks & a Book Club

Saturday has left me all kinds of motivated! I was blessed to be given the opportunity to go to Chicago and promote a new classroom tool that uses the most popular classroom books by Nicholas Sparks  to prepare students for standardized testing, but most importantly it helps the teacher by already being aligned with the Common Core Standards. It truly will be a great tool for any high school teacher to have, and I was honored to be able to share it with many, many teachers at the NCTE convention. You can check it out at www.novellearningseries.com  

An added bonus was that Nicholas Sparks showed up for a signing. I had the pleasure of getting to meet him, and he gave me two signed books for volunteering. =) (The Notebook and The Best of Me)

I must say that him and his brother are very excited for this new project... and oddly, I find myself very excited about it too.

I'm back in the book club gang. Well...I'm in a new book club. The library in City was just too much of a hassle, there were never enough copies of the book, I hate driving through the tiny downtown streets, and there were just too many people wanting to hear themselves talk - so I stopped trying. Well, now the events on Saturday has me motivated to get back to it...Out of sheer luck, the County Library book club just so happens to be meeting NEXT Tuesday and did have a copy of the book available, plus the book club is meeting at the location that is less than 3 minutes from my house.. boo-yeah. I had to go to Laporte last night to get the book after Chris got home from work, but now I'm ready to read and discuss! I'm excited to meet the people in this book club next week.

I also realized on Saturday how much I miss volunteering at events such as this. If I could make a living doing canvassing work I would do it in a heartbeat. I love it. I'm comfortable with it (once I get familiar with the product) and there is just no better work to do. So.... to try to find more canvassing opportunities I went back to my roots. I contacted Rock the Vote in hopes of being able to slide into some events in the Chicago Region. I have a conference call on THANKSGIVING night to discuss details. I am hoping that something fun can be worked out. =D

Mmm... Cheap and Delish

Chicken and Broccoli Rolls:

 This is a great dinner that turns the leftovers into a quick and simple snack without doing anything else to it! It takes minutes to prepare and even less time to cook. (Also, youcan slap the extra mixture on bread for lunch the next day!)

Ingredients:

1 Cup Shredded Chicken

½ Cup Broccoli (finely chopped)

½ Cup Carrots (finely chopped)

½ Cup Mayonnaise

1 tsp Garlic

½ tsp Dill Weed

1 pkg Crescent Rolls   

Directions:

1      Preheat Oven to 375*.

2     Cut Broccoli and Carrots. (I use organic shredded carrots and then just chop into pieces.)

3     Mix Chicken, Broccoli, Carrots, Mayo, Garlic, and Dill Weed in bowl.

4     Unroll Crescent Rolls onto cookie sheet and spoon mixture on pieces then roll.

5     Bake for 12-14 Minutes or till golden brown.

 

Katelyn Cheering On Her Colts

Maybe we're crazy for taking our 5 week old baby to a professional football game, but as you can see... she loves the Indianapolis Colts. She cheered them on when the cheering was bleak from the rest of the crowd.


FYI: If you are nursing a baby - Lucas oil Stadium is not very accommodating. The "Family Restroom" is literally just a little larger than a handicapped stall. Maybe I was expecting too much when I expected a family restroom to have a little chair like most every other one I've been in has. Thankfully the handicap section chairs are just folding and Chris was able to carry it in there so I didn't have to spend 20 minutes or better sitting on a open toilet seat! ha-ha!

Visiting Danville

Oh man! I've said it time and time again... If I have to be old, please let me be old and healthy like my grandma! Here Katelyn is with cousin Ashley and Great-Grandma Knowles.... does anyone believe me when I say she is 93 years old?? (and that's her REAL hair, no wigs going on...no botox... just absolute youth.)




Here Katelyn and I are with Ashley and Rachel. The girls loved seeing Baby K, and they wouldn't put her down for anything. In fact, poor little Miss Ashley started crying when her mommy finally stole Katelyn from her baby loving arms. I'm so proud of the amazing Preteen and teenager these two are growing to be. You'll notice I'm representing Sweden in my big yellow sweatshirt. =)

Aunt Marianne and Uncle Andy stopped by to meet Katelyn and she just adored them. I think Katelyn could feel the 'baby vibes' coming from them both as TODAY is the day that their Daughter-In-Law gets induced to deliver thier SECOND granddaughter, going to be named Reese. They pick such cute names. Their oldest daughter is Blaike...it took awhile - but it has truly grown on me as a girl name and now I think it's totally cute and it fits Blaike perfectly.

I have some videos that I will poste later today since I am on a husband-ordered BedRest because my incision refuses to heal....he thinks I am moving around too much. =P

Katelyn at the Doctors

Katelyn had her 1 month appointment with the Doctor. This is actually an appointment that we wouldn't have needed, but since the doctor was out of the office both times we went and we had the NP both times, he wanted to be sure that he got a chance to see her soon... so today it was.

Cathy went with us to the appointment, and it was as fun as a doctors can be. She has gained more weight coming in at 8.7 pounds. They did not do her length this time... I think because the exam rooms were full when they did the weight and temperature the nurse may have forgot once we actually got into the room.

Now, her belly button was bleeding and oozing after the cord fell off - and I thought that this was more than the the "little bit" we were told would occur. It stopped for a couple days, but then began to bleed again. I called the DR's office at that time and the girl told me not to worry it's fine... which it may have been in a sense... but now it is still out/open and inflamed and the DR said there is nothing he can do now we just have to let it heal on its own, where as before, if I would have been taken seriously, he would have been able to put some silver nitrate on it and help close it up, but now that will only hurt her. I don't think it is causing her serious pain, but sometimes she lets out this cry and I think it may be how her diaper rubs the belly button... Any thoughts??

We did get a huge pat on the back for using cloth diapers, so I was happy about that since it is more work and I was hoping that it really was a health benfit to her as well as a green benefit for the environment. Apparently, he thinks it is a big health benefit to keep the plastic away... but we do use the occasional disposable at certain times. =/

Everything else was in good shape as far as he/we can tell. =) Hooray!

Happy Halloween

Katelyn helped Daddy ... she is a great accessory.

Katelyn Pictures

Chris Plays Lacrosse

Bet you didn't know that Chris is an athlete now? He has been playing Lacrosse at the park with a lot of other people ranging from 12 years and up. He really enjoys it, and I must admit that it is exciting to watch him out there playing hard, knocking other people around. lol.

Katelyn Update

Katelyn has had 2 wellness check ups so far. Her next one is not till the 4th.

At birth she was 7lbs 7 oz - 19 inches long.
When we left the hospital she was 7lbs 1 oz.
At one Week she was 7lbs 8oz - 20 inches long.
At two weeks she was 7lbs 11oz - 20.5 inches long.

She falls in the "rapid growth" category for newborns, and it should have started to slow down already.

Ready for Recovery

Ok, I am having such a DIFFICULT time getting back to healthy. I know some of you may not want to know - but my breast have been engorged (now only 1 is all the time), my stomach is in like this weird almost-kinda of, sort of - numb feeling state --- except is just the fainest tiny bit painful to the touch at the same time (does the make sense?) - My body aches if I don't stay on top of the Motrin (perhaps the narcotics would have been helpful!) Sometimes I still can't stand up without pain near my incision, and I have to take a few steps before I can stand up right (it comes and goes) - NOW - I'm pretty sure I have Mastitis, and need to call the doctor. ANnnnD then this morning (my first day alone without Chris) - I rip my incision open at the end and it begins to bleed.

Everything with Katelyn is wonderful! She is not too much of a handful at the moment. Waking up every 3 hours like clock work for feeding, starting to smile (and not because of gas), and loves to chat with you. In fact, it's adorable because when I ask her if she wants mommy to read a story to her she'll smile most of the time. Chris usually plays with her and I go to sleep around 8:30, then I'm all rested up for that 11:30 feeding. Chris changes her for the 2:30 feeding and wakes me up once he gets her good and awake for a quick nursing session.

I'm exhausted, but hanging in there. Mom is ready to come help me this week if I don't get back up to speed and need some help. So, as you can tell - the recovery is not going as smoothly as I thought that it would. Everyone said 6-8 Weeks, but you know me...I can't just sit still and let myself heal. Here's to another week and hopefully - no more bumps in the recovery road. =)

Can-Can

Mom came up to lend us a helping hand because originally Chris had to go into work for some meetings, but that night actually - I went to wash my hands and found that there was no water. Mom was already on her way here by the time we called to tell her that the well-pump went out and Chris wasn't going in to work. So..she just finished the drive here since she was half-way. She ended up staying several days - and we all went to the Orchard (where Katelyn got her first pumpkin) and mom and Chris bought 14 pounds of apples for Apple Butter.

The Apple Butter was soooo good - and Chris had the ITCH so bad that he ended up going back to the Orchard with mom to buy 50.. YES!! FIFTY pounds of Apples - We have a ton of Apple Butter, and a lot of Apple Sauce.

Chris also canned Pickles, and is going to stretch his horizons by caning Green Beans... I think he may have trouble going back to work next week! He has taken full advantage of being home all-day, everyday.

Two Weeks Old

Whew! Life is so exhausting.

One Week Old

Grandma Hall bought me my very first pumpkin for Fall.

Introducing...

 Katelyn Rene' West

Born: October 6

7 lbs, 7 oz

19 inches