Milestones

I just spent the past few minutes poking my baby girl just to make sure she was breathing. I know, rediculous, BUT I don't understand how babies sleep so quietly--ya know...except for when they don't sleep in the middle of the night. Anyway, we're on our way home from my aunt and uncle's house. Yes, right now at 11 pm.

I didn't even realize it was so late, but that's probably because tonight was the first night that Isla was one of the toddlers. She already moved from the baby class at daycare to the toddler class, but I haven't really gotten to see her in toddler action. She's still a bit apprehensive in unfamiliar situations, and she started out that way tonight. I started playing peek-a-boo with her to get her to cheer up. Well, her cousin Ellie picked up on it, because when I brought her to the movie room, to see if she wanted to be around the other toddlers, the three older girls made it a game to sit on the other side of the room and run up to Isla to say "boo"! In turn. With 3 toddlers, that's a never-ending cycle of boos. The boos eventually turned into "happy Halloween trick or treat". From that moment on, she wa ready to run around with the girls ... Today is also the first day that walking became her preferred method of transportation.

Before we left, I cut up some chicken so she wouldn't get hungry in the middle of the night. I think she gets distracted while eating, and it's been cutting into her sleep. We went and sat together at the toddler table while she ate. Of course, part way through, she looked like she was straining a bit, so I asked her if she wanted to potty, and she gave me the biggest smile ever. They have a baby/toddler seat that you just sit on top of the big potty. We got her on it, and sure enough she went #1&2. It was the first time that she has done that on a flushable potty.

I didn't get any pics tonight, but there were a few times today that I thought, 'I want to remember this moment forever.' It's so gratifying watching her learn and grow.

And now, it's off to bed for me. Good night!

A day for me!

So, pretty much any mom who has EVER pumped for her baby will feel for me here.... 

Yesterday I was super anxious to get all of the leftover milk from daycare in the fridge. And then I just collapsed on the couch. Fridays are exhausting! This morning when I got up, I was going about my business trying to get the house in somewhat reasonable condition. Let's just say that it had looked like a hurricane hit it, with flooding and everything. While I was tidying up, I realized that I had forgotten to refrigerate everything that I had brought home from work. It didn't dawn on me then, but I think at that moment I decided that today was going to be about doing things that I needed for me.

I spent most of my morning watching photography lectures while I folded laundry and cleaned the house. I even got to those areas that I usually pretend don't exist when I'm cleaning. Isla napped relatively well, and Branden replaced the breaks and rotors on the car. I took that opportunity to snap a few photos while he did that, and I think they turned out well. 

In the afternoon we all piled in the car (while Isla napped) and headed to a picnic for my work. I have to admit, two things stood out to me. 1) there are a LOT more parents with young kids than I imagined there were (I sometimes feel like I'm the ONLY working parent on the planet), and 2) the teams have changed more than I realized. I didn't recognize nearly as many people as I should have. 

After the picnic, B and I went shopping at the outlets in Park City. Ever since I made a ring sling to carry Isla, my life has gotten incredibly easy. Even when she's tired, she'll be happy as a clam when I put her in the sling. She fell asleep twice this week while I carried her around shopping (side note--it's the middle of the night right now, and boy do I hope she doesn't wake up in an hour).

Once we got home, I put Isla down for the night, and worked on more cleaning and more laundry -- is it just me, or does laundry really never ever end? I feel like I'm washing whites every other day. Anyway, I finished up the day with a nice tanning session and a quick workout.... at midnight, and that brings me to now. All I have left to do is fold those darn whites, dry the cool colors in the washer, and wash the rest of them in the basket. I know I'm crazy but at this point it's just nice to finally have some time to myself. 

I was thinking this week about how I really give my best to everything I do. It's never as much as I would like to give, and I usually carry around an intense guilt that I'm not doing enough. But while I was cleaning today, I realized something. My life is relatively balanced. It's not perfect, but I work hard and always try to put my family first. And I hope from now on, I'll offer no more apologies for taking care of those things that matter most.

On that note, enjoy a few shots from today that I took and edited instead of making food (I gotta have some time to myself, right? After all, that's what beef jerky, yogurt, fast food, work picnics, and eggs are for)

 

Current September Challenge count is 19. Until next time.

Isla's Monthly Series Preview

One of my friends gave me a collage frame when Isla was born. It has a spot for a photo from each month, and let's be honest, it has been the main motivator for me to take a photo of her each month. I'm so thankful for that gift.

Part of my newfound lightroom skills means that I'm editing all of my photos from Isla's monthly series to have a similar style. While I'm really enjoying photos with vibrant colors, these are some of my favorites.... and they're soft just like she is. The first photo is from her newborn session... except it wasn't a session. I think I just started snapping shots of her during a nap in those early days home. The second is from our 4 month shoot, and has been my favorite shot until this weekend--when I did her 9 month photos. If anything, I believe I may have added some contrast to the photos, but they were pretty low on the edits. The last photo is from Isla's 9 month shoot that we did yesterday. Seriously, learning to use Lightroom has been like a paradigm shift for me, and I'm was able to edit this photo to match the mood of the other two. It still needs some fine tuning though... but not bad for someone who's only been editing photos for a week!

Newborn

4 Months

9 Months

September Challenge: Oquirrh Mountain Temple

In honor of Sunday, I decided to go ahead and edit my Temple photos first. I have included 7 photos below. Left is the cropped original. Middle is an antique edit. Far right is a more vibrant edit.

For the longest time I couldn't decide which editing style I liked better. The antique edit is warm, and is closer to the style I used for Isla's 9 month photos. But, when I got to the fountain photos, I LOVED the more vibrant edit. It was in that photo that I was able to see how true the colors are. I guess true color photos are one thing I'm loving right now. But, at least for this month, I'm going to keep trying different things. I want to improve my skills during September, so that means styles will be all over the place. Ultimately, I'm really looking forward to developing my editing style.

It's interesting seeing how photos look once you export them. I feel like some of the editing is too harsh. Which style do you like better?

September Photos

Last week I was able to take a Lightroom class. It was simply incredible. I've been able to rescue so many photos that I had thought were unusable. I mean, I was always a little proud of the fact that I didn't edit my photos, but now I have so many more shots!

I did a Christmas shoot with Isla last year. I was going to use the photos for a birth announcement and send it out as a Christmas card, but I didn't really like how any of them turned out in the lowlight of that early December afternoon. Now I'm playing around with them to see if there's something else I can use them for.

In any case, I took the class because of my September challenge. And, in some ways Lightroom has derailed that challenge. I have imported all of my photos since 2010, and I'm discovering so many that I had forgotten I had. When I first set my September goal, I never thought I would edit photos, but my new goal for September is to post 30 edited photos on the blog. Maybe next month I'll try taking a photo a day...if Month End doesn't get in the way.

Since taking the class, I have also been following photo blogs, trying to figure out a style that I like. When B and I got married, I was really into the slightly antiqued look that still has plenty of color. Crickett and Kirstin were my wedding photographers, and they had the exact style I was looking for. And, if you hang out on Crickett's website long enough, you might even spot one of my wedding shots.

But right now, I'm completely enjoying the style of the Laho Wind blog. Kim is a professional photographer who is living in Puerto Rico on her sailboat right now.  But it's SUCH a different style. I wonder if I can marry the two?

Anyway, here are two shots from Isla's 9 month portraits today, edited in different styles, but I do like both!

It's funny. Looking at them now, they don't look very different, but BOY did I feel like they were worlds apart when I was editing!

Photo a Day September

I figured I would start strong. This is what every Sunday evening usually looks like.

I know it's not Sunday today, but we went over to my aunt and uncle's house for Labor Day dinner. These days there are 3 babies and 1-3 toddlers around. And Isla is slowly moving out of the baby and into the toddler category. I can't believe it. 

It seems like every day she learns something new. Today on the way to Provo, she played peek-a-boo with me. And she was all about holding her blanket in front of her face. She also shared her snack with me. That's a new one as of today.

I hope I will always rember the joys of these days.

September Goal

September is right around the corner. I can't believe this year is almost over, and I have very little to show for it in the blog. That also means, that I have very little solid documentation of Isla's first year of life. I have a coworker who is living her new year's resolution every day. She came up with a goal for each month, and she posts her progress on instagram every day for that month. Things like #MayNotWatchTV - where she didn't watch TV for a month. Or doing yoga every day. It's so inspirational, because she works just as much as I do... and while it's easy to use the excuse that because I'm married I don't have as much free time, she's married too (if you want to check out her awesome Instagram feed, it's here).

With that introduction my goal for September is going to be to take a picture every day. I really want to be an overachiever and take one with my DSLR every day--but lets be realistic here, I just don't carry it everywhere I go.  I won't necessarily make a blog post every day, but I will be required to post at least one photo from each day of the month. I'm crossing my fingers that that means I will post more in the blog too. It's always nice to have some positive collateral damage.

As a jump start on September -- I actually cleaned my back-up make-up brushes last night. I haven't used them since I did Ally's makeup for her wedding.

On on My Day Off

Today was a very "on" day for it being my day off. This morning everything was pretty normal. I recently realized that a "day in the life" for me would involve me waking up to my husband letting me know that my alarm is going off. Yea, let's be honest, I still sleep like a rock, which means that waking us up really is a two person job. At that point, I get up and start getting myself ready. 

Sometime during the morning routine, Miss Isla lets out a whimper to let me know that she's awake. At that point, I drop everything I'm doing to go in and see how she is. These days I'm greeted with a cautious smile from a baby standing at the end of her crib. She grows more and more toddler-like every day. This morning, I got Isla ready and sat down to feed her while doing my make-up. It's amazing how multi tasking becomes more necessary when you're a parent.

Around that time I started getting nervous that Branden wasn't going to get up in time. I interrupted his sleep a few too many times in a quiet panic. Usually I just expect that he needs more time to get ready than he really does, but today was the exception. I wanted to drop him off at work early so that I could get my hair done, and like anyone asleep, he had forgotten that today was an early day. Ultimately though, we got ourselves out of the door just in time. 

We dropped Isla off at daycare on our way out of town. I really wish I would have been able to keep her with me today, but these days she's a little wiggle worm, and wouldn't make it through a 2 hour hair appointment. For the first few months of daycare, dropping her off was a lengthy process, and could turn traumatic at a moment's notice. These days, however, she practically jumps out of our arms to go play with her friends in the mornings. That made my day without Little Miss Isla a little more bearable.

As we headed to Branden's work I calculated that I would only be about 5 minutes late to my appointment... but it turns out that Google let me down by about 5 minutes every time today. I scrambled to get downtown and quickly sat in the chair. There was a 92 year-old lady getting her hair done at the same time I did. She talked about the food that her mother used to make. Apparently they lived somewhere in the midwest far away from stores. It was interesting to hear her talk, and now I'm dying to find out what tomato jelly and mustard pickles taste like.

Earlier in the day, the scramble to get out of the house left me mascara-less. So the moment that my appointment got out, I headed over to target before heading south to UVU. I had agreed to judge a mock pageant for one of my friends from back in my Miss Provo days. It's crazy to believe that was 7 years ago. Unfortunately, the start time got changed on me, and I only made it half-way before I realized that 1-I was going to be late, and 2-I was out of gas. In the decision to risk it or not, I decided late was better than stuck on the side of the road. One thing that added to my stress was the fact that this was at a university that I'm completely unfamiliar with. That meant, driving around until I found the building and then trying to scout out a parking spot during a hectic first week of school. 

Photo by Tierra's Photo Blog

When I walked in the doors I was greeted by the view above. I pulled out my phone to figure out where I was going and I was happy to see that it was the lecture hall immediately on my left. I had every intent of being the "difficult" judge. After all, what better way to prepare someone. The only thing I was difficult with were my questions. I've been out of the pageant world for about 6 years now, and my pageant skills are a bit rusty. However, despite my pageant stale-ness, I was able to contribute some things to think about for the interview, and I think the contestant will be strong competition at her pageant on Saturday.

Photo by Rick Satterfield

I had made plans to meet my cousin for a afternoon at the Provo temple. Unfortunately, she never explicitly RSVP'd, so I wasn't 100% sure that we were going. I called her to let her know that I was running late, and may not be able to make it, but we managed to get there just in time. For anyone not familiar with LDS Temples, they are a place that we go to ponder about God, Christ, and our life here on earth and in heaven. I went to the temple on Monday of this week too, when I was having a particularly hard day. I left feeling so comforted. It was exactly what I needed. I didn't expect such a profound experience today, but I left feeling inspired and even more comforted than before. If you want to learn more about temples, I have included a couple of videos at the bottom of this post.

As soon as I left the temple, I jumped in the car to go get Branden from work. Once, again I got there 5 minutes later than Google led me to believe. But we still got to daycare in time, and got to see Miss Isla's beautiful smile. After a quick trip to the grocery store, we all settled in for a quiet evening at home. Now, looking at everything I've done today, it's no wonder that even my days off feel like days on.

Grandma's Squash Casserole

2 lb squash - cook tender, drain and put in dish

3/4 cup grated cheese

2 eggs, beaten

10 Ritz crackers - crushed

Salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup sweet milk (1 Tbs heavy cream, fill the rest of the 1/2 cup measure with whole milk)

1 tablespoon butter

mix and pour over squash

sprinkle cheese over top

Squash casserole was one of my dad's favorites while I was growing up. I just wish I knew which recipe my mom made. When I saw that yellow squash was on sale this week, I decided to give this recipe a try. I am very fortunate in that I have been able told on to my grandma's recipe boxes since she passed. I have a dream of digitizing the whole thing, but it's tough b/c she has many different variations of each recipe, so here's hoping that the above is what I remember.

Woman's Work

My first zucchini has grown today, and we ate the first cherry tomatoes on Sunday. Unfortunately, I realized that I had neglected to take a photo after it was dark and the sprinklers were on. Still, there's just something about putting work into the garden that is so satisfying.

Tonight we ate steaks marinated in that yummy marinade I posted a few weeks ago. It is great for cheap meat! I put together a salad from yesterday's leftovers and Branden pulled some herbs from the garden.
After dinner, I ran some errands, preparing for the cupcakes I plan to make later this week, and prepping for fall by buying a cute pair of flats.

When I got home, I made some wheat-free cheese crackers. I now like them better than three store bought variety. Not to mention they have no preservatives, and don't last four a year and a half..... I mean, can you really call something that lasts that long food?

Now I'm tired and just remembered that I forgot to put the yogurt in the fridge. I unloaded and loaded the dishwasher, but my kitchen's still a disaster. We have guests coming over tomorrow, so I need to find a time to at least hide the mess. And to think, today's my kitchen cleaning day. Why is it so hard to stick to a schedule?

I'm sure that part of it is that I bring work home with me almost every day. It's tough getting it all done before Branden's ready to take me home. Today before I left, I heard someone at work say that she's a better mom because she works. She went on to explain that her children know what a woman's capable of. I don't think you need to have a career to teach your kids that. I think you can do it by teaching them heard work, and feeding them, and by leading by example as you love them. But then again, maybe I never doubted that a woman can do anything because my mom taught me that, and she worked before me. Today she may not be the person I turn to for ironing advice, and while I know I took her for granted when I was young, she did teach me how to care for a family while working. And I'm thankful for that! I just hope I can figure out how to give my family everything want then to have.

Housewarming

This weekend one of my coworkers held a housewarming open house. I didn't think we were going to be able to make it, but when it turned out that we could, I only had a couple of hours to put together a gift. After combing Pinterest for ideas, I loved the cute mason jars with cleaning supplies and similar items. BUT this family has been in their new home for about a month already, and the last thing I want to do is give people a bunch of stuff they won't use. After brainstorming, I decided to etch a monogram onto a glass canister and fill it with something more fun than cleaning supplies (not to mention, the cost can really add up). 2 batches of cookies later and we were ready to go!

Coming in December ...

And you wonder why I've been quiet. :-)

Chores

What a boring title, right? Well after scoping pinterest for weeks, I think I finally have a chore chart for myself that I LOVE. I've planned it around the days that I am able to be home with enough time to clean, and I have just as many make-up days as I do regular days. And it's kept me incredibly motivated.

Meals for this Week

Day of the Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Main Course	Spaghetti Squash with Italian Sausage Marinara	Pulled Pork	Leftovers	Grilled Chicken	Steak & Steamed Shrimp	Leftovers	Stuffed Bell Peppers
Side	N/A	Cole Slaw	N/A	Grilled In Season Veggies	Salad	N/A	Mashed Cauliflower

Photos to come!

Mashed Cauliflower

In the low-carb world, potatoes have a second cousin: the cauliflower. And I LOVE this recipe, though it doesn't keep quite as long as potatoes might :-)

Ingredients:

1-2 heads Cauliflower

1 T Steak Rub (we find ours at Winco)

2 Tbs Butter

1/4 C Heavy Cream

Steps

1. Chop cauliflower into florets
2. Steam cauliflower florets in microwave or on stove until soft when stabbed with a fork
3. Place into a mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients
4. Mix on medium speed until all ingredients are evenly incorporated

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Bell Peppers

This is a yummy low carb option, and we love it. I found it on Pinterest and it has become a staple in our repertoire. Of course, it always tastes better when my husband makes it. 

http://peaceloveandlowcarb.blogspot.com/2012/06/philly-cheesesteak-stuffed-peppers.html

Steamed Shrimp and Cocktail Sauce

Whenever I think of summer, I think of seafood. And as long as I don't think about peeling them, I love shrimp. The steamed shrimp recipe is a trusty recipe by Old Bay, and I couldn't get through the summer without it.

Old Bay Steamed Shrimp

From http://www.oldbay.com/Recipes/Shrimp/Appetizers/OLD-BAY-Steamed-Shrimp-with-Cocktail-Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup cider vinegar or beer1/2 cup water2 tablespoons OLD BAY® Seasoning1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, leaving tails on1 cup OLD BAY® Cocktail Sauce

DIRECTIONS

In a medium saucepan, mix vinegar, water and OLD BAY. Bring to boil on medium heat. Gently stir in shrimp, then cover.

Steam 2 to 3 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Drain well.

Serve immediately or refrigerate until hungry guests arrive. Best served with punchy cocktail sauce and lively conversation.

Homemade Cocktail Sauce

Ketchup

Horseradish (not prepared)

1. Mix ketchup with desired amount of Horseradish 

Steak Marinade

A few weeks ago I made this kebab recipe (with a slight oil variation):

http://www.food.com/recipe/sirloin-steak-kabobs-94818

It was so good, I'm planning on using the same marinade for steak this week. Yum!

Ingredients
1/4 C Wine Vinegar
1/2 C Olive Oil
1/4 C Ketchup
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
2 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 C Chopped Onion
2 Cloves Minced Garlic

1. Mix all ingredients in a gallon sized baggie
2. Insert steak and marinate overnight
3. Grill

Carolina BBQ (Pulled Pork)

One of the things I miss most from home is Eastern North Carolina Barbecue. There's nothing quite like it, and I'm always looking for the right sauce. Therefore, you can expect to find many renditions below. Last time I was in NC, I did find out form my favorite BBQ restaurant that they cook the meat with no sauce first, shred it, and then pour their delicious sauce over it. 

Sauce
Ingredients:
1 C White Vinegar
1 C Cider Vinegar
1 T Brown Sugar
2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp Tobasco Sauce
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Black Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a jar, shake, and store for 2 days - 2 months prior to using. I usually make a few batches and leave them in the fridge until I am ready to use them.

Pulled Pork

1. Place a pork shoulder in a crock-pot, or other slow cooker, with fat-side up 
2. Lightly Salt
3. Pour in 1/4 cup water
4. Cook for 6-8 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low
5. Remove pork from slow cooker, discard juices, fat, bone, etc. and shred
6. Mix with sauce and serve on a plate or as a sandwich on a bun

Spaghetti Squash with Italian Sausage Marinara

This is one of my favorite meals right now, and it's an easy for weeknight prep. Not very different from your traditional spaghetti with meat marinara, but it's a slightly lower carb alternative, and the Italian sausage lends a nice flavor to the marinara. I start out by getting my squash in the microwave, and while it's cooking I move on to the marinara.

Spaghetti Squash

1. Cut a spaghetti squash in half lengthwise
2. Scrape out all of the seeds
3. Place the squash cut side down in a dish big enough to hold the squash, but small enough to fit in the microwave
4. Fill the dish with about 1/2 inch of water
5. Microwave for 15 min each half (now is the time to start on the marinara)
6. Use a fork to scrape the meat out of the squash 

Italian Sausage Marinara

1. Brown a package of Italian Sausage in a medium pan
2. Pour in your favorite jar of marinara sauce (I tend to like sauces with garlic) and simmer until ready to use