DIY Easter Basket

This year, I wanted Blake to have a very special and very cheap Easter basket.  Sure, there are very sweet and very cute versions out there to buy....but uhhh....well I'm cheap.  And crafty!!

Here's what I came up with:

Super simple transformation, I know, but I really like how it turned out.  The perfect Easter basket for my little gentleman!

All I needed was a $5 white basket from Walmart, some .69 cent black buttons, 1/8 a yard of $2 black silk fabric (so .25 cents there) and some black ribbon I had left over from another project.  I used the same technique I described in this tutorial to make the black bowtie (but I cut the fabric a bit larger because I wanted a big one) and then hot glued everything together.  My total cost was about $6, but you could do it even more on the cheap if you used a $1 basket from the Dollar Store.  I considered doing that, but decided to spring for a nicer basket that I could use year after year. 

And we're done!  I really like it.  Sometimes simple transformations can make a big difference!  

Pinterest Challenge: Food Edition

So for this week's pinterest food challenge, I decided to go with some good 'ole homemade bread.  Yum.  I have fond memories of my mom making delicious loaves of homemade bread growing up using a bread machine, but since we don't have one, I had to start from scratch.

The recipe I had 'pinned' (literally like a year ago) was titled 'Miracle Bread' and toted an impressive start to finish time of only one hour! 

It was so delicious!  And so easy.  Here's the recipe (I halved it, because I didn't want to eat wasn't sure what to do with four loaves of bread).

Here's what you'll need:

10 1/2 c. white bread flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. salt
3 rounded tablespoons instant yeast
3 T. liquid lecithin (I didn't have lecithin, so I used 1/3 c. oil as per the suggestion in the original recipe)
4 c. hot tap water

Mix dry ingredients. Add lecithin (or oil) and water. Mix for 1 minute and check consistency. If dough is too dry, add a little more water. Dough should be very sticky. Mix for 5 minutes. (Do not add flour to the dough after it has finished mixing.) Spray counter and pans with Pam. Shape loaves, place in pans and cover with a dish towel. Let rise 25 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

I decided I wanted to make whole wheat, which is just a tad bit different: 

For whole wheat bread, use the same recipe only with whole wheat flour; replace one cup of the hot water with applesauce, and add 1 additional tablespoon lecithin.

Note: When making the whole wheat, I added about 1/2 cup extra of hot tap water....my bread dough was way too dry after the addition of the applesauce

And that's it!  One hour, start to finish, and your whole house will smell like homemade bread!  YUM!  Check another pinterest recipe off the list... 

Finger Foods: Banana Pancakes

Lately, I have found myself entering into the foreign waters of baby finger foods.  We've been doing puffs for a while, but B was really seeming ready for something more, so I did what any self-respecting SAHM would do....I whipped out my laptop and checked Pinterest for some ideas.

And boy did I ever find some!  I decided to make some individual banana pancakes for B.

They were super easy!  I just sliced up a banana, dunked it in pancake batter, and then cooked them up like you would a (very tiny) pancake.  The verdict?  B loves them!  I cut them up into tiny little pieces and he smashes them with his hands tries his best to get them from the tray into his mouth.  Self feeding is still a work in progress.  We'll get there!

Pinterest Challenge: Food Edition

Raise your hand if you are guilty of letting your mouse do the clickin' when it comes to pinning recipes on pinterest.

Raises hand.

Guilty as charged.

And seriously?  I think I've pinned about 1,000 recipes.  And I've made none of them.  None of them! 

(okay, I've made a few desserts...)

So I decided to mix things up a bit and challenge myself to actually make one of the recipes I've pinned at least once a week.   Hence the title.  It's a food based Pinterest challenge!

The rules of my own little game are simple.  It has to be a recipe I've (a) pinned (b) never made before and (c) is healthy.   And then once it's been made and eaten, I have to post about it! 

I'm pretty excited about this because I have definitely pinned some delicious looking recipes that I can't wait to try out.  I'm also excited because it'll introduce some variety into the old go-to recipes that always seem to creep their way into our weekly dinners. 

And I'm also excited because I made my first Pinterest Challenge dinner tonight!  It was delicious.

I made home cut spicy sweet potato fries and feta stuffed turkey burgers.  Yummm

Let's start with the fries, shall we?
 

The first step is to cut up your sweet potatoes.  We almost always have these on hand because I make them for Blake.  For this recipe, I used two pretty good sized sweet potatoes.  After washing and peeling, you want to slice them into about 1/4 inch wedges.  We like our fries a bit thicker cut, so I'd say mine averaged closer to 1/2 inch wedges.  Personal preference!

Once you've got them all cut, you'll want to preheat your oven to 400 degrees and then combine them in a big mixing bowl with the following ingredients:

1T chili powder
1T cajun seasoning
2 tsp olive oil

Once you've mixed them pretty thoroughly, spread the potatoes out in one layer on a baking sheet.  Pop 'em in your preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or under tender!

See?  So so easy!  These were delicious.  My husband is a lover of all things spicy, and he was raving about these guys.  I think next time I make them I'll cut up a bunch of my sweet potatoes in advance to freeze, and then just dethaw however many I want to make. 

Also, for all you moms, this is a great way to serve sweet potatoes as a finger food to the little humans in your life.  Just save some of the fries to bake up un-seasoned, and they make an absolutely perfect addition to the high chair tray at dinnertime.  They are mushy and soft and dissolve in baby's mouth...but are big enough for them to pick up!  

Once I had those babies in the oven,  I started working on the feta turkey burgers. Here's what you'll need:

1 pound uncooked extra lean ground turkey breast
1 T fresh oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
7 Tbsp feta cheese, crumbled
4 hamburger rolls (we used whole wheat)
1 cup lettuce (we didn't have any on hand, so I omitted this)
2/3 sliced red peppers
1 (small) can sliced olives

In a medium bowl, combine your chicken, oregano, garlic powder and feta; divide mixture into four balls and then press them into patties.  Broil patties for about 7 to 8 minutes per side, or until done.  Serve each burger on a bun with lettuce, peppers and olives! 

And you're done!  Dinner on the table in 30 minutes (most of that is just cooking time!) 

It was delicious. 

Adam was pretty excited about this new challenge, because it means some good eatin' for my man. 

Oh, and Blake had some fun adventures at dinner too.  Here's a snapshot of our foray into self-feeding:

 

 That would be avocado all up in his business.  He loved it, and despite how it may appear, some of it even made its way into his mouth!! 

Frugality

Frugality.  Is that even a word?

Well, if it’s not, it should be.  Because it’s 2012’s new motto in the Breitenstein household.

In the last year, we’ve had a lot going on over here.  I got laid off from my job as a teacher when the district I worked for cut over 100 first and second year teachers.  Our house value plummeted (thank you, economy) and we had our first baby. 

Just reading that, it sounds pretty lame (um, except the having a baby part). But in reality, each of those represented a tremendous blessing.  Let’s go down the line:

1.   I lost my job.  At first, it really was lame.  We definitely thought so.  But what it allowed was for me to spend a lot more time than we had originally planned at home with our baby.  What a huge blessing.  And it also allowed for me to earn money as a sub when I wanted.  I get sub calls every morning, and if I want/we need for me to take one, I do.  I don’t have to, but I can.  I never, ever thought I’d sub but what a huge blessing it has been in this season of life. 

2.   Our house value plummeted.  This one took a little while for us to be able to see the blessing, but it is there.  We bought our house in early 2008, literally right before the housing market crashed.  Since then, we’ve seen a steady decline in our investment money pit.  BUT, but, there is a silver lining.  We can afford to live here, even with our house value underwater.  We’ve never missed a mortgage payment.  We can pay our bills.  We have a beautiful home that we love.  Our neighborhood is perfect for Blake.  We live on a dead-end street, with a big backyard and plenty of room for a growing little boy to explore.  We would be foolish not to see the blessing in all of that.

3.   We had our first baby.  Do I even need to go into this one?  Biggest blessing of our lives.  The end.

So, basically, moving into 2012 we feel very blessed.  We’re happy to put 2011 to bed and lean into a new year, packed with new blessings and new opportunities to see God’s hand and His provision. 

Even so, we do find ourselves treading in unfamiliar water.  We’ve never really lived off one income.  We’ve always had two.  We’ve always been able to do whatever we wanted whenever we wanted.  Money just has never been an issue.  And, again, we’re blessed that (even now) it’s not.  We can pay our bills and take care of our obligations.  We are putting away money for Blake’s brothers and sisters (well, and Blake too).  We’re putting money in savings every month.  Our bank account is healthy.  

But, we can make a few changes/continuations in our lifestyle to save a few extra bucks, and since we can, we will.  Exciting.  

Here’s what we’re planning

1.   No credit card debt.  This is just a continuation.  We’ve never had any, and we never plan to.  My dad gave Adam and I an invaluable piece of advice when he told us to never charge something we didn’t have the money to pay for at the end of the month.  We never have.  

2.   Consolidate trips into “town” (we live about 10 minutes outside the nearest big city in a town of just over 3,000) to save on gas.  I feel like I pretty much already do this, just because Blake and I spend a lot of time at home anyway.  I keep my errands early morning (after we drop off Adam at work) or late afternoon (before we pick him up).  In between there, our days are filled with play time, naps, eating….you know, baby stuff.  HOWEVER, this will change in February, because Blake and I are signed up for Mommy and Me Swim lessons.  SO FUN.  But neither here nor there.  Sorry. 

3.   DIY whenever, and wherever, possible.  This one I am very excited about.  I have a couple ideas already cookin’ in that noggin of mine.  Not ready to share yet, but soon.  Promise.

4.   Find “creative” ways to bring in some extra bacon.  So far, this has included selling items we really don’t need on Craigslist, signing up for SwagBucks (uhh, how did I not know about this sooner??) and opening an Etsy shop (well not yet, but very soon)

5.   Buy secondhand.  Mainly for Blake.  This kid has blown through his wardrobe for (what I thought would be) the first year of his life.  His little four month self is currently wearing 12 month clothes.  When we realized this would be the case (at about 2 weeks of age) we decided that buying him new clothes/shoes was out of the question.  He just doesn’t wear them long enough to make spending $15-20 a pop reasonable.  Instead, we buy secondhand.  We have an amazing children’s resale shop here in town that I frequent all the time.  I rarely spend more than $3 for anything in Blake’s wardrobe.  Plus, they frequently have sales and I can score things for as cheap as .75 cents.  It also helps that Blake has a cousin who brings him big boxes of his hand-me-downs every time we get together.  LOVE that sweet family (and their little man, who has incredible style).  For us, buying secondhand extends all the way to baby gear.  Blake’s jumperoo, his walker, his Johnny Jump-Up, one of his play gyms…..all secondhand.  Anything that wasn’t gifted to us we bought secondhand.  And you’d never know!  I got out my Dreft and cleaned the living daylights out of everything, and Blake never knew the difference.  Doing this has saved us tons.

6.   Selling back baby clothes.  I don’t actually do this, because we’re saving our little boy clothes should there be an Isaac James Breitenstein coming on down the line (<-- you like that?  yeah, this my non-Adam-approved name for baby boy #2) but it would be a great way to earn a little extra money.

7.   Save money by being a frugal housewife.  Yes.  This means I’m cutting out coupons, planning menus in advance so grocery shopping is very efficient, and taking on new projects to save us money in the day to day stuff (like making reusable paper towels) 

 
Those are just a few of our ideas, but already it's been fun.  And exciting.  I love my new role as a (mostly) stay at home mom, and I love doing little things like those mentioned above to help take care of my family.  The older I get (uh oh, sounds like a cliche coming your way) the more I realize how little things matter.  I could live anywhere, literally anywhere, with my husband and son by my side.  They are my joy.  We are rich in things money can't buy, and that's all that matters. 

Back in the saddle again (...of exercising)

Well, it's time.  After 4 months of no exercise, I've decided to get back in the saddle and get rid of this baby weight. 

Before I got pregnant, I looked like this:

Then, after 9 months of pregnancy, I looked like this:

  

Now, four months post pregnancy, I look like this:

Hm.  Apparently I like to change my hair color and style a lot.  Anyway...

Let's put those side by side, shall we??

Hmm.  It's a work in progress.  In my pre-pregnancy shot, I'm weighing in at 125 pounds and wearing a size 2 jean.  In my post-pregnancy shot, I'm weighing in at a weight I'd rather die than post not 125 and (I think in that picture) wearing a size 6 pant.  That was a month ago that I took the picture, and today I fluctuate anywhere between a size 4 pant and a size 6.  I'm somewhere in the middle.  Definitely can't even look at the size 2 jeans pictured above.  I can barely get one leg in. 

For the past four months, I haven't really thought about it.  I'm breastfeeding, and that required good hydration and good food and nutrition.  So I've been focusing on that.  Yes, I would like to lose the weight, but I'm not looking to get back down to 125.  I gained a lot of weight during pregnancy (I couldn't even tell you how much because I stopped looking somewhere in the 2nd trimester) and my doctor said that was likely due to my petite frame growing a very non petite (10 pound, 7 ounce) baby.  I wasn't technically underweight before, but I was close, and my doctor would like to see me stay in the 130-135 range. 

And that's fine by me. 

So now I just need to motivate myself and stay accountable until I get there.  I've always been an exercise junkie.  I really love it.  In the summers when I didn't work, I'd go to the gym every morning and just regulate my body with a hot, sweaty, can't-sit-for-the-rest-of-the-week workout.  And I loved it.  During pregnancy, I worked out every single day until my 38th week of pregnancy.  And I gave birth at 39 weeks to the day.  I have no doubt in my mind I can do this. 

In the new year, I've decided to take advantage of my husband's insurance benefits and sign up for Weight Watchers.  Not because I want to lose some massive amount of weight, but because I want the accountability of watching what I eat and being aware of what I eat.  With a baby around, it's too easy to just grab something quick for lunch rather than making something nutritious.  Same way with dinner.  It's not impossible, just more difficult.  I've also cleared all the boxes off the treadmill started working out in the evenings, which is already making me feel more invigorated and motivated.  I'm also hoping that a certain someone (hi honey, I love you!) will buy me a gym membership for Christmas.  There's just something about getting in the car to go to the gym that I love and can't replicate in my garage. 

So that's my plan.  I've been making dinner menus each week and sticking to it so that I can make sure we are eating good food rather than quick food.  I've done Christmas baking but given away all the spoils to keep those temptations out of my hands.  I've stocked our fridge with fruits and veggies that are ready for snackin'.

And so here we go!  I'm planning to blog once a week at least twice a month about my progress so I can stay accountable.  Wish me luck!!

Fastforward

Well, I guess it's official.  I've been one bad blogger.  Has a whole month really gone by??

Let me give a brief recap of life since I last wrote:

• In early February, we celebrated a very special Valentine's Day.  We had been planning to spend the weekend prior at the coast, but at the last minute our plans changed and we ended up sticking around town.  We had a romantic dinner a local Italian restaurant and just keep it really low key, enjoying this season of just the two of us time.  It was pretty special, since that season is rapidly coming to a close. 

• About two weeks ago, we had our fifteen week checkup with our doctor, who reported that we have a healthy, happy, mobile baby who was doing back flips and somersaults as she tried to get the heart rate reading on the doppler. 

• Just about a week and a half ago, that mobile baby made its presence known to mom and dad, with what I can best describe as little bubbles popping inside my tummy.  It's an amazing feeling to know that those little bubbles mean a human baby is dancing and kicking inside my belly.  As time goes on, I'm also finding that I can interact more and more with this little human inside of me; today, I played it music and enjoyed the little bubble-responses I was getting.   I can also get a reaction when I gently rub my hands over my growing belly.  Adam especially loves this--even though he can't feel the baby kick yet, he loves to rub my belly and watch my face to see if his voice and/or touch elicited any sort of reaction.  I love this too because it does.   

• After our last OB appointment, we scheduled our 20 week ultrasound for March 30th.  Yes, this is the day that we will find out if we're having a baby girl or a baby boy...and we're less than two weeks away!!  It's also the day that we'll be learning a whole lot about this baby's development so far--the doctors will be taking all sorts of measurements and looking for all the progress benchmarks that indicate a healthy baby and a healthy pregnancy.  Please join us in praying God's continued protection over our precious little one.  We are already so very much in love with this life God has blessed us with. 

• The last month has also brought some anxiety over jobs for next year.  I'm a teacher in a school district that is basically bankrupt.  Right now, the district is projecting layoffs of anywhere from 250-400 teachers for next year, and depending on where the line is drawn, I may or may not have a job in the upcoming year.  In the beginning we were very fearful, especially with the added responsibility of a baby, but quickly came to the conclusion that, again, this road is ours to walk in faith.  God's timing in this journey has been impeccable--He has orchestrated all the details of our lives to perfectly align to His perfect plan, and we are confidant that He will do it again. We expect to know more about the job situation in April, and are resting in the absolute assurance we have in the Father and praising God for His continued faithfulness in our lives.  

• Toby and Emma "graduated" from obedience classes in mid-March, and I put that in quotations because we didn't actually attend the graduation ceremony.  I had a school event that I was running that night, and Adam chose not to take Emma and Toby as a single dad.  Had we attended graduation, I feel confidant that (my trainee) Toby would have passed with flying colors!  Emma (Adam's trainee)....well, not so much.  Poor girl is just too much of a social butterfly!  During off leash healing practice, she was much more interested in greeting the other dogs and owners than sticking anywhere near Adam's side.   It was quite the comedic relief for the rest of us, if I do say so myself.  Our trainer told my parents at graduation (their dog was in the class, too) that she'd "love to get her hands on Emma for some private lessons".  Oh boy.  I bet she would.

My last piece of big news (well, at least for me) is that spring break has officially arrived!!  I feel like singing the Hallelujah Chorus and doing a little booty shake to celebrate that it's finally here.  My big plans for the break include some serious relaxation, the purchase of a baby crib, and helping Adam paint the nursery (okay, who am I kidding...no way he'll actually let me paint). In fact, today we went shopping for cribs and found one we really like!  We're letting it marinate before we go back and pull the trigger, so to speak. 

To polish this post off, here's a sneak peak of some of the things we'll be working on in the baby room over the break:

Our wall color: "Rainwashed" by Sherwin Williams.  I am in love with it.

The nursery will change very subtly depending on what we find out on the 30th.  This is my basic color palette. 

And this is the crib we like.   

Love, actually.

Dogs:1, Owners: 0

Today we had our very first dog obedience class with Toby the pug and Emma the puggle. 

oh.my.

I’m just going to sum it up this way:

1.  Emma arrived in class and immediately made her presence known in the best way she knows how.  She sang her very best song in her very whiniest voice and attempted to sniff the private parts and roll over for every (male) dog we came in contact with.  What can I say?  This girl knows what she likes.  And by that I mean boy dogs. 

2.  Toby also made his presence known….by ferociously barking at anything that moved past him.  I especially loved it when people would come up to him with the big googly eyes, talking in baby talk about the cute little black puggy who just looks so cuuuuute…only to get their fingers nearly bitten off by my snarling, angry (..but darn cute) black pug. What a tough guy. 

3.  But by far my favorite part of the night came during heel practice, when Emma decided she needed to take a giant dump in the middle of the practice arena.  And then, she tried to eat it.  There really are no words.  Also, in related news: it stunk.  And I got to clean it up. 

4.  And then there’s Toby.  We can safely say we don’t really know how he’s progressing with his training, because Toby refused to do anything.  He wouldn’t sit, he wouldn’t stay, and he definitely wouldn’t heel.  He had to join the “inner circle” of dogs and owners (let’s think of this as the doggie special education circle…) because he refused to participate in any part of class.  That’s our little man, making mom and dad proud.

But hey.  Looking on the bright side, there are only 8 more weeks to go…..(I want it written in blood that we’ll walk away from this class with some solid obedience skills from these two misfits)  

In the meantime, I leave you with this picture.  I don't think any explanation is necessary.