tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277673652024-02-21T00:52:54.391-06:00mothering in grace...able is God to make all grace aboundShylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.comBlogger260125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-642708012868327472013-02-17T15:04:00.003-06:002013-02-18T09:16:16.803-06:00the best sweet potato fries ever, i promise~<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Have you been to Outback and had their sweet potato fries? They are a.m.a.z.i.n.g. I'm not sure how much of our Christmas gift card I've used going there to have some. They are the perfect mixture of sweet and salty. I finally decided I needed to figure out how to make them since my gift card isn't going to last forever. Plus, I figured they were probably not the healthiest thing ever since they are super sticky. But have I said they're good? Oh yes, they are divine.</div>
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Now, I've bought a couple of those bags they sell at the store, but they are terrible. I may try them again in the future and prepare them the following way just for the convenience of having them pre-sliced, but baked straight out of the bag leaves much to be desired. So, courtesy of pinterest and a little doctoring-up, I present to you the recipe for perfect sweet potato fries.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggwmRH_7YLpp3z6R_PrImG2WJ3wayyZF-uLrQl7p6i6kDy9gmlrLlft5XbfQIgN3EgrWxRXzz4aVj-JyKfuXYyNIStL2-DXBf99P_iNmgj3Y8OOeyh2TfnEzhbwFY4IFGuHOPPBg/s1600/sweet+potato+fries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggwmRH_7YLpp3z6R_PrImG2WJ3wayyZF-uLrQl7p6i6kDy9gmlrLlft5XbfQIgN3EgrWxRXzz4aVj-JyKfuXYyNIStL2-DXBf99P_iNmgj3Y8OOeyh2TfnEzhbwFY4IFGuHOPPBg/s1600/sweet+potato+fries.jpg" /></a></div>
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<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
* sweet potatos<br />
* liquid coconut oil - I imagine any oil would work<br />
* salt to taste<br />
* powdered stevia or brown sugar - I've used both and my kids can't tell a difference, and they are not stevia lovers<br />
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<u>Directions:</u><br />
* Preheat oven to 450 and line your baking sheet with foil.<br />
* Peel your sweet potatos, or not, and slice into whatever thickness of fries you prefer.<br />
* Toss in just enough oil to lightly coat the fries, they do NOT need to be super wet.<br />
* Place on baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and amount of sugar/sweetner you think is good. You can always add more, but you cannot take it back. Trust me on this one. A little stevia goes a long way. One little packet was enough for two sweet potatos.<br />
* Bake in oven for approximately 15-20 minutes. This will depend on the thickness of your fries and how soft or crispy you like them. We like the edges beginning to brown. You'll probably want to stir them around at least once during the baking time so they don't stick. The bottoms will get black if you're not careful, so keep an eye on them.<br />
* Remove from oven, and this is important - sprinkle more salt on them while they are hot! It kind of carmelizes and makes such a difference. <br />
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They are delicious. They are not sticky like Outback's fries, but they taste almost identical. Several of our previously skeptical kids declared their undying love for the new, improved sweet potato fries.<br />
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Happy Sunday!Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-61909448082505058622013-02-11T12:41:00.001-06:002013-02-11T12:41:32.794-06:00baby bear~<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLeoNOXqk9x4Z0Yj6QGbsRD3MQMwtRB3GKhtWdwAINMbjIlqfFmyltnTWVtY2BjyOcj8sk2lGUwUyf5CJIYkwsnJvrobWAetD9-Vme3BWekHEUE2aLfKqfjYoQFDtSPYaTYdLxpA/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLeoNOXqk9x4Z0Yj6QGbsRD3MQMwtRB3GKhtWdwAINMbjIlqfFmyltnTWVtY2BjyOcj8sk2lGUwUyf5CJIYkwsnJvrobWAetD9-Vme3BWekHEUE2aLfKqfjYoQFDtSPYaTYdLxpA/s320/photo+5.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Because every baby needs a pair</div>
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of pants with a bear bottom. :)</div>
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Everly</div>
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February 2012</div>
Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-63270328025769607502013-02-11T09:26:00.000-06:002013-02-11T09:42:00.366-06:00because she's 14~<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6FjtVUIQYVqOVuh8HnZsOjIAAe9dPO-0Rfz0VnylX7PI-CynqOAe1ftzkZvtup-rH5IxFO1IlIcXqloNIrwJ7olRzDnZGPeQLIAID-wHIL53fcIx8vNrnRvpygZlxcLNczP0_Q/s1600/25939_564676940210984_609013873_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6FjtVUIQYVqOVuh8HnZsOjIAAe9dPO-0Rfz0VnylX7PI-CynqOAe1ftzkZvtup-rH5IxFO1IlIcXqloNIrwJ7olRzDnZGPeQLIAID-wHIL53fcIx8vNrnRvpygZlxcLNczP0_Q/s320/25939_564676940210984_609013873_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegAfvw2Ss6U3b8Zq6rFgNLri4GP5FXE7qcSW-y6vNhwQHRRl5BpOGgTg31LcF-WpPteKKD_VbT-e6EdnMoeZnF-47DB9qTZFQGqyEM6ZfTgR_xYVUQqcu-6RXeA7TCsOB5DrCDQ/s1600/photo+(7).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegAfvw2Ss6U3b8Zq6rFgNLri4GP5FXE7qcSW-y6vNhwQHRRl5BpOGgTg31LcF-WpPteKKD_VbT-e6EdnMoeZnF-47DB9qTZFQGqyEM6ZfTgR_xYVUQqcu-6RXeA7TCsOB5DrCDQ/s320/photo+(7).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anna and I in the airport on our DC trip to do the historical thing </div>
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as well as help out with a rally for </div>
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<a href="http://hopeagaininternational.org/" target="_blank">Hope Again International</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20zx0Ejpsh9P8HZaenusaVT3cNfNVfpXbtxuCW6RwSR1fXDyxrmF-rCg59alqYa0bfAF7LuP75DIBLO1MK6VzKcPoSZd2ywifPovi-dDphBGesi0VpbSkikH3stYFO-aso8lYfg/s1600/8746_523204681024877_1805693560_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20zx0Ejpsh9P8HZaenusaVT3cNfNVfpXbtxuCW6RwSR1fXDyxrmF-rCg59alqYa0bfAF7LuP75DIBLO1MK6VzKcPoSZd2ywifPovi-dDphBGesi0VpbSkikH3stYFO-aso8lYfg/s320/8746_523204681024877_1805693560_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglytxy6uh0-oWM4OazJKg5gwQcVUvCJb77Pc0BHOTPlK1zFq3tK4D50cQOqlDfmQwALUjQo2sCBqmsjHM78lzGvujRwWuIxovrYbk8UNZe6ef_71pezCloEouP_qCa-OEPH_p05Q/s1600/524616_544410175570994_1296703145_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglytxy6uh0-oWM4OazJKg5gwQcVUvCJb77Pc0BHOTPlK1zFq3tK4D50cQOqlDfmQwALUjQo2sCBqmsjHM78lzGvujRwWuIxovrYbk8UNZe6ef_71pezCloEouP_qCa-OEPH_p05Q/s320/524616_544410175570994_1296703145_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In case anyone wanted proof that my oldest daughter is <strike>not an unsocialized homeschooler</strike> a very normal teenager, well here you go. Unless of course you think these actually prove the first point, then nevermind. </div>
Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-38092172861341673122013-01-29T13:43:00.000-06:002013-01-30T09:19:30.860-06:00quick & easy three bean chili~Well, it's Tuesday, the day I'm supposed to blog. I guess I'm not quite as ready to say as much as I intially thought. Lots of stuff going on inside my head. Still processing, I guess. I'm getting ready to start a 14-week inner healing class. Something I've needed for a looong time. I'm excited, yet terrified out of my mind. I've known about the class for a long time, my youngest sister has gone through it twice and has told me repeatedly I <i>need to go. Like yesterday.</i> But truthfully, I think I'm just now really ready and I've been trusting the Lord to cause it to work out in His perfect timing...and apparently, that time is now. So if you think about it, prayers would be so appreciated. Especially prayers that I wouldn't end up in the corner with my eyes bugging out of my head. Or passed out.<br />
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That obviously had a lot to do with chili. <br />
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This originally came from my friend, Andrea, though I've modified it over the years to suit our family more. I will say first up, if you don't keep pre-browned hamburger on hand in your freezer or if you're a make-your-own-beans kind of girl, this won't be nearly as quick or easy.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Quick & Easy Three Bean Chili</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgbilXRCfh2o-cnN47p_NI1_A8XbnJdzAIwt1Ey_LroT6w7pxl0BdIxQjLW1THYTQu1yP1bkOI0qH3o9DNO2QS_fN8u3BAWvcP9kTRWtUIvnPf6NbxW5VVzHD6Wtp9q94YzhTh_A/s1600/three+bean+chili.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgbilXRCfh2o-cnN47p_NI1_A8XbnJdzAIwt1Ey_LroT6w7pxl0BdIxQjLW1THYTQu1yP1bkOI0qH3o9DNO2QS_fN8u3BAWvcP9kTRWtUIvnPf6NbxW5VVzHD6Wtp9q94YzhTh_A/s1600/three+bean+chili.jpg" /></a></div>
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<u>Ingredients:</u></div>
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* coconut oil or butter for sauteing </div>
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* 1/2 - 1 lb ground beef, chicken, whatever</div>
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* 1 onion chopped (or <a href="http://www.costco.com/Ninja%E2%84%A2-Kitchen-System-1100.product.100008753.html" target="_blank">ninja-ized</a> - I'm telling you, this ranks right up there with my kitchen-aid mixer, ya'll)</div>
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* 2-6 cloves minced garlic depending how garlic-y or healthy you wanna be</div>
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* 1 26oz can petite diced tomatos with juice</div>
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* 1 can each black, kidney, and pinto beans, drained</div>
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* other miscellaneous veggies</div>
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(I often add a can of corn, shredded zucchini, a diced sweet potato, a diced apple or two; really whatever you want)</div>
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* 4c.+ <a href="http://motheringingrace.blogspot.com/2010/06/how-to-be-lazy-and-save-money-aka-how.html" target="_blank">chicken broth</a></div>
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* 1T chili powder</div>
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* 2tsp cumin</div>
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* generous splashes of worcestershire sauce (I don't know, maybe 1/8c.?)</div>
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* 2 faster splashes of liquid smoke (I know, I'm really helpful on these last two. Sorry 'bout that.)</div>
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* desired toppings</div>
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<u>Directions:</u></div>
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* Cook your meat if it's not already cooked. And your beans if you're all crunchy and domestic like that. But if you're going that route you should've started way earlier.</div>
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* In a large stockpot, saute onion, garlic, and sweet potatos in coconut oil or butter. Add your meat.</div>
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* Stir in tomatos with juice, drained beans, chili powder, cumin, and chicken broth. </div>
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* Add beans and desired veggies along with worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke.</div>
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* Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until you're ready to eat.<br />
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You could totally top with cheese, and for sour-cream lovers I would imagine it would be good that way, as well. Chopped green onions would probably also be good. I also think it would be good scooped out with a slotted spoon and used as nachos. I should do that sometime to shake things up a bit.<br />
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My whole family eats this, there are rarely leftovers. I would have to double it, but since I don't like chili (true story, I often don't eat what I make) it makes just enough. Which will probably change in the near future since Caleb has informed me three times in the last week that his newest shoes are now tight. This makes three shoe sizes in two months. No joke. Plato's Closet is my new bff.</div>
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Sing with me, "Chilli, chili, bo-bili..."</div>
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Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-28645422351972533922013-01-28T16:10:00.000-06:002013-01-29T12:56:26.764-06:00chicken & bacon wild rice soup~Can you say yummy? Wow, this is amazing. It's the first time I've made it and I significantly tweaked the recipe I had, so I'm making it my own. :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXTihgd8LA3zX13SzejItk_-o28Fzkj28vqmgnn7_sN0UuK4BN2ZMISiOPwANXqDq1rJPIuFo9ScGQApO6rC6V_ru1pZcry8LdMM8PNU7ujUPWQiVFQdxXqf6yPpCrx_kP4t3Xfw/s1600/chicken+bacon+wild+rice+soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXTihgd8LA3zX13SzejItk_-o28Fzkj28vqmgnn7_sN0UuK4BN2ZMISiOPwANXqDq1rJPIuFo9ScGQApO6rC6V_ru1pZcry8LdMM8PNU7ujUPWQiVFQdxXqf6yPpCrx_kP4t3Xfw/s320/chicken+bacon+wild+rice+soup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>Ingredients:</u></div>
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* 32oz chicken broth<br />
* If using homemade stock, add 1tsp of Better Than Boullion or an equivalent<br />
* 2c. water<br />
* 1/2c. uncooked wild rice<br />
* 1/2c. green onions finely chopped<br />
* 1/2c. chopped or diced carrots<br />
* 2 stalks diced celery<br />
* 1/4c. butter<br />
* 1/4c. coconut oil<br />
* 3/4c. brown rice flour or any gluten free equivalent<br />
* 1/2 tsp salt<br />
* 1/4 tsp all purpose seasoning (I used Carl's All Purpose Seasoning)<br />
* 1/8 tsp pepper<br />
* 2c. half and half (I used raw milk since that's what we have and the fat content is pretty high)<br />
* 1/2c. cooked chicken or turkey<br />
* 8 slices of bacon, cooked, drained, & crumbled<br />
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<u>Directions:</u><br />
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* In large saucepan, combine broth, water, boullion, rice, carrots, and celery. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until rice is done. There will still be a LOT of liquid. Do not drain it.<br />
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* In a medium saucepan, melt butter and coconut oil, stir in flour, salt, seasoning, and pepper. Whisk until clumps are broken up. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly.<br />
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* Gradually stir in milk with the butter/flour mixture and cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. You may have to whisk it pretty well. Add this creamy mixture back into the saucepan with the rice/broth/veggie mixture. Add chicken and bacon. Heat on low, stirring every once in a while, for at least a half an hour. Do not boil. Like all good soups, the flavors incorporate the longer it sits, so while I tasted it immediately and it was fabulous, I'm sure it will be even better later. This does thicken up quite a bit, so you may want to add more broth, water, or milk.<br />
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* I doubled this for my family, the given recipe is for more of a normal size pot.<br />
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Happy Soup-ing!Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-69593733808056967152013-01-25T13:15:00.000-06:002013-01-25T13:23:14.552-06:00gluten free chocolate pumpkin muffins~Not to be confused with pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, but you could totally add chocolate chips if you wanted.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuJR6lYkeFuwSD6S-va0gYhHFEpSL4WRFkzkTi37wOIV8gLClZYDpWS1S9dpWPVPBSMh9Cku1_5U2s8Qh2rIu5NaAJ7cESkg4NcnFOoeOCII9JWJAOiVkZghb2pmd2jPZ3tZsJgw/s1600/Pumpkin+chocolate+chip+muffins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuJR6lYkeFuwSD6S-va0gYhHFEpSL4WRFkzkTi37wOIV8gLClZYDpWS1S9dpWPVPBSMh9Cku1_5U2s8Qh2rIu5NaAJ7cESkg4NcnFOoeOCII9JWJAOiVkZghb2pmd2jPZ3tZsJgw/s320/Pumpkin+chocolate+chip+muffins.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We loved these. The hint of unsweet chocolate was the perfect balance with the pumpkin. If you like super-sweet desserts, you may want to add more sugar. But these were sooo good.<br />
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In in the interest of full disclosure, this is loosely the Pamela's Pumpkin Loaf Cake recipe muffin-ized. <br />
And with chocolate added. :)<br />
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<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
* 12 T melted butter (I use half butter, half coconut oil)<br />
* 6 large eggs<br />
* 4c. Pamela's mix<br />
* 1 T cinnamon<br />
* 3c. canned pumpkin<br />
* 1/4c. cocoa<br />
* slightly less than 2c. sugar, rapadura, whatever floats your boat<br />
* 1 1/2 tsp salt<br />
* 1 1/2 tsp ginger<br />
* dash or two of nutmeg<br />
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<u>Directions:</u><br />
* Grease muffin tins or liners if needed.<br />
* Preheat oven to 350<br />
* Beat together butter, coconut oil, sugar, egg, cocoa, and pumpkin.<br />
* Add remaining ingredients and mix completely<br />
* Scoop into muffins tins.<br />
* Bake for approximately 30 minutes or so. <br />
Actually I can't remember exactly how long, so just watch them. :)<br />
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Makes enough to feed us with leftovers. That would be two parents who sneak them whenever possible, a 14 year old who loves baked sweets, a boy who has grown two shoe sizes in the last 2 months, and six other muffin lovers, baby included.<br />
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Happy Baking!Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-34577053053785262492013-01-08T11:37:00.000-06:002013-01-08T20:20:47.379-06:00a new start?maybe...<span style="font-size: large;">Wow, I'm on a roll. A post every six months or so. I.am.on.fire.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When I go back and look at my old posts and read things about how baby #6 threw me for a loop, or how I'm dealing with a hormonal 11 year old, or any number of similar things I have to laugh a bit. </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Oh, former self, how silly you were.</i><span style="font-size: large;"> I'm sure I'll be saying the same thing a year, two years, five years from now. But for now I am (beginning) to understand what *they* mean when *they* say the younger years are so simple. Carefree...no. Simpler...yes. Managing a house full of very unique, strongly opinionated, competitive, mostly strong-willed children from high school down to baby is...time consuming. And brain-space consuming. And often quite mentally draining. I </span><i>am</i><span style="font-size: large;"> an introvert, dontcha know? But I do miss blogging - it's like being inside my own head but being able to get it out. I don't want to lose this time and the memories of our days and years. So, I've set my calendar to remind me to blog on Tuesdays when the oldest six kids go to their tutorial. Maybe I will.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">I did go quiet for reasons other than busyness, though. I think I used to feel like I had a message, or a soapbox, or something to say. I still have lots of opinions and strongly held beliefs, but the Lord began to reveal to me how terribly judgmental I was. I've always known that about myself, but I really began to confront the raw ugliness of it. The Holy Spirit used some very personal situations in my life to begin to chip away at my pride, judgmental attitudes, and extreme selfishness. The depth of my sin was and is startling. I've never claimed to be perfect, but boy did (do?) I want to appear that way. The thing about perfectionists is that they are usually just as hard on themselves as they are on others, possibly even more so. So, while I have stood on my high hill looking down at those around me, I've also internally struggled with the stark reality of how I've never measured up to my own standards. Depressing, really. But, oh, how sweet is grace. My heart has always clung to grace. There is a reason I named this blog, a cat, and two of my daughters names that mean some variation of grace. I would be utterly lost without it. I know it is not about me, it has never been about me. It is always about Him. Always. Such a paradox it is; struggling violently with pride and selfishness yet been keenly aware that I am not even close to what I would desire to be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So anyway, the Lord took me to a quiet place. He asked me if I was willing to be hidden. Could I be content to be quiet? Was it truly about Him or about me? I'm not even sure about writing all this, even this sounds like I'm trying to impress people with my response. All I knew was that I was tired of trying, and if I truly wanted to mother well, learn to love well, and really face my *stuff* I needed to be quiet and be hidden. And so it was. No longer do I feel like I have any platform from which to speak, save what the Lord has done and continues to do in my life. I have not arrived, not even close, </span><i>(does anyone ever?)</i><i style="font-size: x-large;"> </i><span style="font-size: large;">But I </span><i>am<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: large;">learning and hearing. I do, however, feel like I'm ready to start writing again about our life and about what the Lord is doing in me. I'm not sure what that will look like, and I can't promise that I won't have any opinions or thoughts to share, but primarily I want to just live this life and be able to look back and not only remember what all of the kids were like, but remember what He has done for me. He is so faithful and His grace and mercy are new every morning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now, if I could just learn to take good (I'd settle for decent, even) pictures. There's that perfectionist side again, right there. Seeing as how I'll be hard pressed to remember what things were like or what the kids were like without photos, you guys will just have to deal. My apologies in advance. :) But today, a bonus. Thanks once again to my friend, </span><a href="http://www.lillianbphotography.com/" target="_blank">Lillian</a><span style="font-size: large;">, for some amazing family photos. After this, it's all me. Fair warning.</span><br />
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<i>(Blogging is so weird. Am I even writing to anyone? I'm really just writing for myself but this format lends itself to feeling like I'm writing to people. Whatever. My brain is tired.)</i>Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-73873796921039367022012-06-19T23:32:00.000-05:002013-01-25T16:31:41.024-06:00everly baby~<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Evelyn Rose</div>
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Everly Baby</div>
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Sweet Little Evs<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Some people think younger children in larger families</span></div>
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get left out and overlooked.</div>
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I would beg to differ.</div>
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I wonder sometimes if it's possible to be loved to death.</div>
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One would be hard pressed to find a baby more doted on than you.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">You have your own personal fan club.</span></div>
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It's not hard to see why.</div>
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I often think that you of the most-heard phrases around here is,</div>
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"You are SO cute."</div>
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And I think your two oldest brothers say it most of all.</div>
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Early in the morning and after naptime</div>
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it is often heard,</div>
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"Is Everly awake yet?</div>
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Can I get Everly up?"</div>
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My precious, sweet girl.</div>
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My heart.</div>
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You are growing up so fast.</div>
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Nine months already.</div>
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You've now been out longer than you were in.</div>
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Today you pulled up for the first time.</div>
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I think this is a record for our family.</div>
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Two teeth, pulling up,</div>
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where has the time gone?</div>
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This Mama's heart aches while delighting in your sweetness.</div>
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Your uncle has said that by looking at you one can tell you are just nice.</div>
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I hadn't thought of it like that before,</div>
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but he is right.</div>
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You are full of sweetness and light.</div>
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You have such a purity about you.<br />
All one has to do is look at you and smile</div>
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and your face lights up with genuine joy.<br />
You are so happy.</div>
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My heart is full.</div>
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How can I be so blessed?</div>
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The Father only gives good gifts,</div>
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and you,</div>
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sweet Evelyn,<span style="background-color: white;"> </span></div>
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are a delightful treasure.<br />
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You are so loved.<span style="background-color: white;"> </span></div>
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<br />Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-58740765068173446072011-11-29T00:08:00.001-06:002012-01-28T20:11:13.899-06:00the baby that couldn't nurse and what happened to her mom ~I've been thinking about this post for awhile. <br />
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Should I write it? Should I not?<br />
It's not like I'm really "over it," so what do I say?<br />
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Ultimately it's a very big part of my life right now and my will always be part of my story with Everly. Yeah, the blog is public and all, but it's also my mini-diary, so I need to tell it. For my sake.<br />
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...cue the tears. Again.<br />
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Everly doesn't nurse. There. I said it. I, who have nursed all seven of my other children, and nursed two of them well into toddler-hood now have a formula fed baby. Judge me. I'd say I don't care, but I do. A lot. A whole lot.<br />
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I've spent hours at night alternating between shaking my fist at God and then curling up into a ball of tears crying, "Papa, why? Why won't you fix this?" I never knew it would be this hard. This emotional. Sometimes I have felt almost bi-polar or something. I have swung between being able to trust the Lord in it and being peaceful (albeit still very sad) to being very emotional. I think I cried through worship at church for a good 10 weeks straight. At least. Even now it takes me about 30 seconds to be in tears if I really let myself go. I can mostly talk about it pretty matter-of-fact but it doesn't take much for me to let myself "go there" and have to fight back the tears. Mostly I am okay now. But it's pretty much because I'm just kind of numb.<br />
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Glen has been nice, he's been understanding. But he doesn't get it. He's a guy. I guess I can't blame him.<br />
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I feel like I have failed my daughter. </div>
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When I listen to the lies of the enemy I hear things like:</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"She doesn't need you."</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"She doesn't even want you."</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"If she gets sick it's all your fault."</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"If she isn't as smart as the other kids it's all your fault."</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"You shouldn't have been so prideful about nursing your other kids."</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"If you had only, if you had only, if you had only..."</span></i></div>
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Sure, I can tell myself they are lies. And they are. They are not.true. I know that in my heart of hearts. But it's still super hard to ignore them. When you go to nurse your daughter and all she does is get really mad and scream it's really hard to not listen to those malicious whispers. When you read all those studies about how good nursing is and how evil formula is it's really hard to not wonder if maybe, just maybe she wouldn't have that stuffy nose. It sucks. Bad.</div>
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Part of my problem lies in guilt. Should I have tried harder? Should I have tried longer? Should I not have tried to wean her from using the shield? (She would nurse from a shield the first few weeks.) Maybe she really is tongue tied and if I'd just taken her to the doctor it never would have been a problem. Should I have kept the pump I rented longer? Should I have been willing to sacrifice several hours of every day to pump? <br />
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My other difficulty is that I'm not settled in how to view the situation. Should I view it as satan trying to steal something from me? Should I have prayed "against it" more? Or do I believe that for some reason I may never know she didn't need to nurse. That for some reason it was better for her to have formula. Glen has celiac, all of our kids have gluten sensitivity. But I eat gluten. Maybe it would have caused a huge problem for her and it's the Lord being merciful and protecting her. (Cue the guilt in that situation.) Maybe with our family dynamics right now (busy with a very wide range of ages and things going on) the Lord knew she would be just fine with formula and in this season I needed to be able to leave her at home for some reason. Maybe she is being protected from something. I.don't.know. And right now He isn't telling me (um, I might have a few issues with that too....) </div>
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So, how I'm dealing: Ultimately I'm just trusting God. It's all I can do. I can't figure out why (I have my theories; ultimately I think she has a significant tongue tie so even though she <i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">can</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> nurse and did for a few weeks it's very hard for her and she learned to prefer a bottle</span>) and it doesn't seem that I can change it. I still have milk. I still try occasionally. I'm hoping maybe one day as she gets older she'll just decide it isn't so bad. </div>
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And mostly I'm believing that if Jesus could turn water into wine, and the Giver of Good Gifts won't give his children a stone when they ask for bread, that he absolutely can turn that formula into the perfect food for her. He can make it good. And He is good. <i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>This</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> I </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>know</b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> to be true. So it's okay. I'm going to be okay. She's going to be okay. And it's okay for me to be sad. I will probably always be sad. But there is not a day that goes by that I wish I could just go back and start over. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So if you see me giving my baby a bottle, or the next time you see a mom giving her baby a bottle; don't judge and don't make assumptions. Just give her a big smile and pray she doesn't turn into a puddle of tears. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">:)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">...and for anyone interested in the details, I'm going to detail it all out <a href="http://motheringingrace.blogspot.com/2008/05/road-that-pretty-much-sucked.html" target="_blank">right here</a> so if for some reason I ever need to remember the progression of things that led down this path I'll have it all written down.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-48963540842732501812011-11-28T22:56:00.001-06:002011-11-29T00:02:34.953-06:00the birth of everly ~Wow, it's been awhile since I've done one of these. Everly's birth was kind of non-dramatic and I just realized I hadn't written about it! Seeing as how I want to remember all the details it's pretty long. Fair warning.<br /><br />I've re-hashed the whole early baby/late baby thing numerous times here, so suffice it to say that when you've had five approximately two-week-early babies, one exactly-on-time baby, and one 15 day late baby that you just don't really know what to expect. I was particularly uncomfortable at the end of this pregnancy (and bored, SO bored) that I was really hoping she would be early. She must have been awfully comfy in there because I now have two late babies. At least it was only three days and not fifteen. Whew.<br />
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To start at the beginning, I just didn't have it in me for a home birth this time. I didn't feel peaceful about it at all. Haven and Grace were both 9 1/2 lbs (at 15 days late and 13 days early, respectively) and they were both posterior. You can read about their births <a href="http://motheringingrace.blogspot.com/2008/05/sweet-baby-haven.html" target="_blank">here</a> and<a href="http://motheringingrace.blogspot.com/2009/06/birth-of-grace.html" target="_blank"> here</a>. Not only were they hard physically (especially Haven's, his was pretty dramatic involving zero pushing stage and being born in the caul) but especially mentally. My midwife was and is amazing, getting both of them to turn during labor, but it made for long, uncomfortable labors. I have diastasis pretty badly which I believe contributed to them being posterior and in the event Everly was going to also be posterior I wanted the option of an epidural. So I went back to my ob that delivered my first three children and initially referred me to my midwife. I'm so glad I did. It was a great experience. And what is up with having THREE 9 1/2 lb babies in a row? Seriously??<br />
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Everly's pregnancy was hard. I don't think I'd call it my hardest, but it was tiring. My indigestion was worse than ever before (not that anyone cares, but I'm writing all this done for posterity's sake :). ) I did all my regular freezer cooking and nesting and by about two weeks prior to her due date I was ready. Alas, she was not. So I sat there. For two weeks. Wondering if today was the day. It *was* the beginning of the school year so I had some stuff to occupy me, but I had planned it light not knowing when little Evelyn Rose would make her appearance so it wasn't too big of a deal. I was so bored. SO bored. But I resisted the offers of my doctor to induce me whenever I would like. He said he was just trying to help me not have to birth another big baby. I said thanks, but no thanks. Those first few minutes and hours of realizing it's finally happening are priceless. Definitely worth waiting for. It's my favorite part of pregnancy pretty much. So exciting.<br /><br />My due date, Thursday, 15 September, came and went. I remember posting on facebook on Friday night how odd it felt to be waiting to pick up my two oldest kids from a youth group event while being overdue with another sweet baby. I definitely never imagined I'd be having babies when I had kids in youth group!<br /><br />On Saturday I had made plans with my aunt to have lunch and go see The Help. I had secret thoughts of going into labor during the movie but was mentally staying prepared for another very late baby. We had a great lunch at Red Lobster and then headed to the theatre. Sure enough, about halfway through I realized I was having some contractions. Yes! I discreetly checked my phone and realized that from the onset they were every ten minutes apart. So I texted Glen and was so content sitting there with my little secret. When the movie was over I promptly went to the restroom where I discovered that it was definitely the real thing. I informed my aunt who was going to be the one to keep our kids that she should probably go home and be on call. She lived with my great aunt and took care of her so we had made plans that my sister Kristen and her husband would come over if it was during the night and my aunt and great aunt would come out in the morning.<br />
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I stopped by the store to grab some stuff, went home, did laundry, straightened up, and told the kids. My contractions pretty much quit while I was moving around but I was losing my mucous plug so I knew things were moving along. I also realized that she was posterior (she had been anterior up until the last couple of weeks) so I figured it would be another long-ish labor. I actually really felt that she was more sideways and had mentioned this to my doctor.<br />
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(In hindsight I should have known. That Sunday was our church's day at a nearby YMCA camp which is super fun. The kids had been looking forward to it all year and I had said so many times that unless we were actually having a baby on. that. very. day. that we would go. Uh huh. We had a baby that day. Poor kids. They took it well. At least it was raining and they didn't miss out on too much.)<br />
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The kids went to bed, Glen and I watched a movie and then went to bed. I think I slept for about an hour. My contractions were getting stronger and closer together. I didn't want to call my sister or wake up Glen because I just wasn't quite ready to be that official yet. So I sat in the tub and was beginning to have to really breathe through contractions and was having alternating thoughts of wanting to just stay in the tub and thinking I need to get to the hospital so I can get an epidural already. I should have realized that was a pretty clear sign to go. Thankfully Glen realized it and said we should probably go. Not that the birth was imminent or anything but after Haven's literal falling out I think he's just a little nervous. :)<br />
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So we headed to the hospital. The triage nurse asked (in my opinion kind of disbelieving, like she gets women in all the time "thinking" they are in labor) if I *thought* I was in labor. I was thinking, "Lady, this is my eighth baby. Trust me, I'm in labor." But I just smiled and said that yes, I thought I probably was. She soon discovered I was about six-seven centimeters so that earned me a trip upstairs to labor and delivery.<br />
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Let me back up and say that I was super nervous about having a hospital birth. Ethan was my last hospital birth and he is about to be ten. Since then I've become (mostly) anti-vaccine and anti-intervention and I had a lot of concern over how that was going to go down. After lots of asking questions on facebook I really felt the Holy Spirit telling me to just trust the Father, to pray for favor, and to not worry. So I did that and was able to quit obsessing.<br />
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So when I got to the hospital and they gave me the hospital gown I told them I would really prefer to wear my own clothes. And they were totally fine with it. Totally. They were understanding, accepting, and even sometimes downright supportive of my preferences. I am so thankful to have had no issues whatsoever. The only thing was that they insisted on giving her a bath in the nursery and keeping her under the lights for an hour. I wasn't okay with that. I thought I could keep her just as warm and I had visions of her lying there hungry and crying and them refusing to bring her to me until the hour had passed. So we just declined the bath and no problem.<br />
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Anyway, when I got upstairs we went through the general questions and of course all the comments about Everly being number eight. They know my midwife there and I think they found it humerous that I really just wanted a hospital birth for the epidural. So they got me hooked up and I remember just lying there in the very early morning hours (I had prayed to go into labor and make the trip to the hospital at night, I just love it that way. It just feels so secret-ish.) watching the contractions growing longer and closer and peaking on the monitor and thinking, "Thank You, Jesus, for epidurals." True story. I said it numerous times. I was dead serious, too. I did have a moment of pride when the nurse told me I was a good 7 (before the epidural) and asked if I always acted like nothing was really going on when I was at 7. Ha. Made me feel good even though I was being a weenie about it this time around.<br />
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The night passed and as morning came I began to be in a lot of pain. Like I-may-as-well-have-been-at-home kind of pain. The epidural. guy had to come back like four times. I was having significant pain very low in the front *and* back which was new to me. I can only imagine what that would have felt like completely sans epidural and at home. I think I really believe that's why I needed to go to the hospital this time.<br />
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Finally they got me dosed up and then it was time. Yay! I had been concerned about possibly having to push out a posterior baby. Susie (the midwife) was always able to get them to turn but I knew with an epidural and laboring just sitting in the bed that I couldn't count on that happening. But I am glad to say that aside from the whole no-pushing thing with Haven it was by far my easiest pushing stage. Five minutes. Tops. I think three pushes. SO easy. I did need a couple of stitches but it wasn't a big deal. And she came out sideways. That's what the doctor said. Sideways. That explains the pain in the front AND back, I think.<br />
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She was and is perfect. Aside from my particularness (is that a word?) the rest of the visit was normal and we were allowed to leave the next morning. I spent a good amount of time worrying that first night about how I was going to decline having my blood drawn the next morning (I didn't feel it was necessary and WHY do they always come in at like 4:30am???) but when the tech came in I groggily said, "I"m declining having my blood drawn," and she gave me a quizzical look, turned around and left. No one ever said anything about it. I think they knew I just wanted to have my baby and be left alone. :)<br />
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So that's it. The birth of little Evs. Life since then had been anything *but* my typical new baby adjustments but that story is for another time.<br />
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Welcome to the world, sweet Everly. We are so glad you are here. You are perfect, and you were born at just the right time.<br />
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<br />Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-2193538719081445132011-11-12T00:04:00.001-06:002011-11-12T00:45:48.377-06:00my grace girl~<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">My sweet Grace girl. A little more girly-girl than the other girls were; maybe that's why it seems different. A 12:15am post isn't really adequate to encompass Grace in all her Grace-ness, but these few photos are a pretty good summary. She can go from sweet baby girl to mischevious to karate chopping to hilariously fun in about two seconds and I absolutely love that about her. She is fully confident in doing her own thing but she and Haven are also two peas in a pod for sure. And yes, everyone here still thinks she is sooo cute despite having a little competition lately. Two and half years later and I could still eat her up. She's my "babes." I just...there are no words. </span><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">sweet two year old birthday</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"Us? We haven't been doing anything. Really!"</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"Ichi, ni, san shi.<br />Check out the awesome karate moves, people."</span><br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwieeVfCXTyOpehMJ5rnQGgeuzH38crIxQP-RxSwdCg8_PdQyC9On4koPnqT0k0DIYX7geNsf_Th90lJGDln5csi2DpzGBUZjc8S2L_ObIlugQ_HyEW37r7JUXuTTwgrxJ59hR8A/s1600/IMG_20110804_112907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwieeVfCXTyOpehMJ5rnQGgeuzH38crIxQP-RxSwdCg8_PdQyC9On4koPnqT0k0DIYX7geNsf_Th90lJGDln5csi2DpzGBUZjc8S2L_ObIlugQ_HyEW37r7JUXuTTwgrxJ59hR8A/s320/IMG_20110804_112907.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"I'm ready for church, are you? <br />It's July? Your point?"<br />(yes I took her like this and yes it was awesome)</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">She likes to watch "woovies."<br /><br />She calls Everly "Little Evs" and says, "Aw, she's sooo coote."<br /><br />She wants "chocate milk" first thing in the morning<br />(but please don't tell her I just put a tiny bit of powder)<br /><br />She wants to "swuggle" every night before Dad puts her in bed.<br /><br />She always wants to "pway games" on the phone.<br /><br />She can dance like nobody's business.<br />~ thank you, Kristen and Trevor :)<br /><br />She's quite entertaining to do laundry with <br />as she likes to tell you exactly who every item belongs to.<br /><br />She says, "Caweb, Etan, Riah."<br /><br />She knows exactly what she wants to wear<br />(as evidenced above.)<br /><br />She could cut paper all day long and apparently<br />has amazing fine motor skills <br />since she can turn one piece into about a thousand as she sits and cuts each piece with the utmost precision.<br /><br />And last for this evening, but not least,<br />she and Haven are so sweet together. <br />As soon as they are reunited after class at church<br />they hug and give each other pictures.<br />And Haven almost always saves part of his snack for her.<br />Super sweet.<br /><br /><br />Two year olds are awesome.</span></td></tr>
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</div>Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-23699512749801701292011-11-09T19:17:00.007-06:002011-11-09T19:38:52.304-06:00little evs~<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Introducing...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Evelyn Rose </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">"Everly"</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">18 September 2011</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">10:53 AM</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">9# 8oz</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7Vw5oPilYTCpfMxMMqcup50NvSGaseP9oWNTj9BCstAsUbXpZ3uY_qL2JjhmgX6gPlC9QV-UwC7RCuV3a0AxAftTPy2L7j3Meftxu9Wq9_i9_gRHoB_STA0aHC3AaWZZcuNAJA/s320/296720_2403848503997_1484646493_2637148_1057020217_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5673173032607070930" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXlS9Gh3mCHG5wZVh01kP6lXG8kcOKywkm1Us-ztTSsl66UQWkAeXKzDdvkA9zRRPTbb_kq9GhEioIc5jGKwp1b7WHlafpBlhvHZl8f_2iLTN_bVqHOaAyD7irglovdIlj3uIuw/s1600/DSC_0130.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXlS9Gh3mCHG5wZVh01kP6lXG8kcOKywkm1Us-ztTSsl66UQWkAeXKzDdvkA9zRRPTbb_kq9GhEioIc5jGKwp1b7WHlafpBlhvHZl8f_2iLTN_bVqHOaAyD7irglovdIlj3uIuw/s320/DSC_0130.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5673171250906801090" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><u><br /></u></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1cGo8vX7GnntAPhR7z-wIceuYof4bBb5QyPgmeBQ2IdUj-MVM1nYtVl7o3wByqclfgqWRGtr057SdFP-zUwzyLbpVOYQ9vvXLzR3kDx3D9WRhgWXjwqfVmXfH5NmC8M4mjUoZA/s1600/DSC_0120.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1cGo8vX7GnntAPhR7z-wIceuYof4bBb5QyPgmeBQ2IdUj-MVM1nYtVl7o3wByqclfgqWRGtr057SdFP-zUwzyLbpVOYQ9vvXLzR3kDx3D9WRhgWXjwqfVmXfH5NmC8M4mjUoZA/s320/DSC_0120.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5673171237124157378" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1cGo8vX7GnntAPhR7z-wIceuYof4bBb5QyPgmeBQ2IdUj-MVM1nYtVl7o3wByqclfgqWRGtr057SdFP-zUwzyLbpVOYQ9vvXLzR3kDx3D9WRhgWXjwqfVmXfH5NmC8M4mjUoZA/s1600/DSC_0120.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1cGo8vX7GnntAPhR7z-wIceuYof4bBb5QyPgmeBQ2IdUj-MVM1nYtVl7o3wByqclfgqWRGtr057SdFP-zUwzyLbpVOYQ9vvXLzR3kDx3D9WRhgWXjwqfVmXfH5NmC8M4mjUoZA/s1600/DSC_0120.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXlS9Gh3mCHG5wZVh01kP6lXG8kcOKywkm1Us-ztTSsl66UQWkAeXKzDdvkA9zRRPTbb_kq9GhEioIc5jGKwp1b7WHlafpBlhvHZl8f_2iLTN_bVqHOaAyD7irglovdIlj3uIuw/s1600/DSC_0130.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO9mAdy1Dh2a4H86CTejO4YzCe3mm9XxQKyiUixEoqAjhuTpsRasWWRXYHMGIyuBi0SjC0QM5VhyphenhyphenYbHarXbWxNELkNQnmz1B2_nzKlBMXLlF9CouWHtaxGb9Tq5UBgMGroxjP-gA/s320/DSC_0135.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5673171755468096002" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><u><br /></u></span></div><p><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: center;">What a little sweetie she is. Sometimes when I snuggle her up under my chin I am so overcome. </div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span">My heart is full. She is so precious.</span></div><div><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><img class="centered" alt="post signature" src="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj104/lgtoews/sigi.jpg" /></p></div></div>Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-25627289153421145142011-01-12T10:36:00.005-06:002011-01-12T13:32:27.019-06:00a bit of news~<p><br /></p><p>Anyone on facebook has experienced the obsession with coming up with clever status updates. <i><span class="Apple-style-span">(Unless you haven't. Then I will feel stupid. Please tell me I'm not the only one.)</span></i></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span">I will confess I spent a bit of time wondering what I would say on facebook when (if) we found out we were pregnant again.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>I don't know...*is* eight enough? (Remember the old tv show?)</i></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>Announcing that developmental plans are in the works for Hutchison model #8, set to debut in September 2011.</i></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>So, wondering if the pattern will hold...</i></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>That was definitely two pink lines.</i></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span">Honestly I was in a state of shock so the only one I could come up with at the time was the pattern. I didn't even announce it the same day but that was still all I could come up with. People caught on right away though. So funny. I don't know any other family that has a pattern going on like we do, so we'll see. Actually, we kind of "need" to fulfill two patterns. With conflicting genders. While our immediate family pattern is girl, boy, boy, girl, boy, boy, girl... Glen's extended family has girls born in groups of three. We have Grace, my sweet sister in law Elizabeth is having her first girl after five boys, so we really need another girl to keep that pattern going. ;) I actually have a solution for that that doesn't involve twins.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>In related news....</i></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span">I mentioned I was in a bit of shock when I found out I was pregnant again. Silly? Probably so. I had thought if I were going to be pregnant that I would be able to find out at Christmas. The kids have been saying they really want to have another baby so I thought I'd do a test on Christmas so we could tell them then if I was. In theory, I should have been able to have a positive test then, but I didn't. It was negative. So I just put the thought out of my mind. Even though I felt the Lord had told me I would be pregnant in December. But more on that later. It didn't occur to me until last week that I was pretty late. So I got a test out of my Dollar Tree stash </span><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>(doesn't everyone have a pregnancy test stash?)</i> </span><span class="Apple-style-span">and when it turned positive I proceeded to use the other three tests as well as having Glen pick up another two pack of tests on the way home. </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span">(Please tell me I'm not the only one who requires at least four tests in order to believe it's real...)</span></i></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span">I'm kind of making light about this, but the reason I was in a bit of shock is actually quite important. To just lay it out there, Glen and I had just begun the process of adopting a little girl in Eastern Europe that has down syndrome. I hope to do a whole post on it soon (famous last words) but there is <i>so much</i> there that I don't really want to bog this post down with it. Suffice it to say that it was a somewhat sudden decision (we had adoption in the back of our minds and had almost moved on it a few years ago right before we found out we were pregnant with Haven) but it wasn't currently on the horizon. Or so we thought. Until we learned of an organization called <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/">Reece's Rainbow</a>. I'll write more on them separately as well, but we had sponsored a little girl in their Christmas Angel Tree program and right at Christmas Glen and I both very strongly felt like the Lord was leading us to move forward in adopting her. The way it came about is really amazing to us and I cannot describe to you how my heart immediately opened to her like one of my own children. I know there are a lot of problems with the "rescue mentality" in adoption and while I understand that, when it comes to the Reece's Rainbow kids and others like them, there is most definitely an element of "rescue" to it. I'm not educated enough to talk about it much, but I will provide some details in a follow up post.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span">So needless to say, finding out I was pregnant was a bit of a shock. We had taken a pretty big first financial step but now we are finding out that the pregnancy is going to quite possibly put those plans on hold. I'm going to be really honest when I say this has been extraordinarily difficult for me. I never really understood what it was to wrestle with God. And while I know many people are in much more difficult "wrestlings" that doesn't negate my feeling like I've been ripped apart emotionally. I have worked through quite a bit of it, but every time I get some new information that takes us closer to having to wait and further away from this precious little one I feel like a wound is being ripped open. I have walked in sweet relationship with the Father long enough to know I can absolutely, one hundred percent trust Him and His plan and that His ways are higher than mine and He sees the big picture while I do not. But that doesn't make it feel much better.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span">So while I very much rejoice at the new little life He is giving us, a part of my heart is grieving for a little girl worlds away that is going to possibly have to wait a while longer for her family. And part of that grief is the knowledge that it may not actually be in the Lord's big picture for us to be her family. And while I most definitely want <i style="font-weight: bold; ">His</i> will for her life to be accomplished, a part of me is sad to think that might look different than what I desire. I know He doesn't make mistakes, and I know He has a plan for both of these little ones' lives, I just wish <i style="font-weight: bold; ">I</i> could see the whole thing. Right now would be good.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span">Sorry this sounds like such a downer update. My emotions are still really just kind of raw feeling and all over the place. But we are very much excited at the idea of a new baby. And a 2 1/2 year gap between kids? Whatever are we going to do? ;)</span></p><p><img class="centered" alt="post signature" src="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj104/lgtoews/sigi.jpg" /></p>Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-4483309860492213662011-01-12T09:11:00.003-06:002011-01-12T10:16:56.619-06:00preparing for babypart 6nesting~<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXKtjZkI1k5ubQ26GUo8BuX1kx1NSCVeccpzRIQXm9p4G569O6jyZLN4fHyGlJAfAujbr7M-2ZzsMZbfHUw9s_Wi8Ek8x4pATlrZ32OBwCGqSR2WdjUvOmns9ljXPRaWJkw8iJQ/s320/Preparing+for+Baby2.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 100px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561318920727457090" /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(for the first five posts in the series click the banner)</i></div><div><br /></div><div>We'll just overlook the fact that it's taken me almost seven months to write all these posts. I could have practically <i>had</i> another baby by now. Ahem.</div><div><br /></div><div>Cleaning. It sounds better when you call it nesting. Well, maybe not better, but not quite so boring. I've learned something about myself over the last thirteen years. While I love organizing, I hate cleaning. Okay, strongly dislike. I definitely enjoy the end result, but give me the choice of a sparkling clean house and a good book and the book wins hands down every. single. time. I'm not sure how much I should fight that and just suck it up and be responsible or just give in.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Anyway.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>I most definitely like to have things in order before the arrival of a new baby, so once the pantry and the freezer are stocked I like to (pretty) methodically clean my house. Honestly, it's been so long (almost two years!) since I've done a pre-baby clean that I've kind of forgotten my methods. Either that or I can officially claim pregnant brain. <i style="font-size: small; ">(Did I just say that out loud?)</i><span class="Apple-style-span" > Regardless, I don't really have much mental energy to put into laying it all out. Plus, everyone has different methods and levels of cleanliness that they like so there probably isn't a one-size-fits-all method.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >So, here is what I do. I think.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>Clean all the baseboards.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >(For some reason this is the one thing my brain desperately needs to be done for me to feel I'm ready. I seriously used to crawl around on my hands and knees wiping them down and scraping up all the dust between the baseboard and the carpet but since I got a fabulous vaccum that has a super easy to use attachment this job has been upgraded from <i>whenever I have a baby</i> to <i>whenever I vaccum</i>. But I'm not confessing to how much more frequent that may actually be. :) </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >On a side note, I have read an interesting theory that God built the nesting instinct into expectant mothers to motivate them to stretch and maneuver their bodies into positions that help the baby settle into an optimal position for birth. I'm not sure how my last two posterior babies fit into that theory (except that we hired a friend to do quite a bit of the cleaning for me when I was pregnant with Grace and Haven was SO LATE that I had done all that cleaning a good six weeks earlier.) However, I do find it an intriguing theory that I tend to believe.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>(Focus, Shyla, focus.)</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Okay.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>Clean the baseboards.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>Clean all the windows and sills.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>Clean the porch. Which now includes scrubbing chicken poop. I am still undecided if having chickens is worth the whole poop-on-the-porch problem or not.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >After that I tend to break it down by room.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Kitchen:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>~Wipe down the cabinets and appliances.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>~Clean out the microwave</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>~Clean the oven (if you feel like it, which I usually don't)</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>~Re-organize the cabinets.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>~Make labels for where things go if you (like me) seem to be the only person around who knows where things belong.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>~Scrub around the edges of the cabinets and the refrigerator</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>~Clean the floor</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Family Rooms:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>~Re-organize anything that needs to be organized.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>~Clean floor.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>~Show people where re-organized things go and hope they remember. Possibly make aforementioned labels if appropriate.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>~Dust.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>~Clean out closets.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Office/Desk Area:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>~Organize desk.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>~Go through files, etc. and toss what you don't need.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>~Stack up anything you don't necessarily need to deal with so it at least looks nice. Yes, this is a genuine method. Hush.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Bedrooms:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>~Go through closets and organize, trash, give away.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>~Weed through kids' <del>junk</del> toys and stuff when they aren't home. If you're worried they might miss it, toss it in a box temporarily and if they've not noticed after a while make a little trip to the Goodwill.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>~Go through bed side tables and put away books and anything else that needs to be taken care of.</i></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" >~Dust. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" >::sigh::</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" >~Make sure you have baby stuff ready. Obviously.</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Basement/Garage:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>~Close your eyes. Tell yourself it's your husband's territory. Don't worry about it. Other than maybe cleaning out the extra refrigerator so you don't get grossed out. Consider paying one of your older kids to do this. Actually, consider paying your older kids to do anything in any of these categories. Bribery works too. Not that I have experience in that or anything. I've just heard.</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >That's it. That's all I've got. Feel free to let me know if I missed anything glaringly obvious. If I think of anything significant that I forgot I'll come back and add it in. Especially since at the rate my brain seems to be moving these days I may just need the posts to remind myself of what to do later on this year. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >I'd also love to hear what *you* do! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Post with details coming soon...pinky promise.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i><br /></i></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p><img class="centered" alt="post signature" src="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj104/lgtoews/sigi.jpg" /></p>Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-37461756188513366582010-12-23T11:45:00.000-06:002010-12-23T11:45:45.378-06:00merry christmas~<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Merry Christmas from our family to yours!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I know the photo is blurry; but as is the story of my entire year </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I don't really </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">have time to try and figure out how to fix it</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">so it's just going to have to be the thought that counts :)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Feel free to click through to see a better version!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kodakgallery.com%2Fgallery%2Fsharing%2FshareRedirect.jsp%3Ftoken%3D979068914212%253A557721991%26fbTitle%3DMerry%2BChristmas%2Bfrom%2Bthe%2BHutchisons%26fbDescription%26fbThumbURI%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.kodakgallery.com%252Fimaging-site%252Fservices%252Fdoc%252F567603714212%252Fjpeg%252FBG%252F.jpg%253Fp%253D5560&h=4414a"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLfhTdtq8uIWqzijX_QtvYtGq8BTba9yVIHNctQwqAZX5w4vE5xM9lpXsBXzbPZbXNRDY9k4ucsAA-NgRgTz8Qsg3bF-7BFNzELSSHeL0MVW2dsgAaZZaulBKt-uJMSsE3Z6New/s400/2010+christmas+card.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>(and thank you to the amazing <a href="http://www.lillianbphotography.com/">lillian b photography</a> for our first ever f</i><i>amily photos...we love them!)</i></div><br />
<img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj104/lgtoews/sigi.jpg" />Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-7055120249212556322010-10-13T16:35:00.000-05:002010-10-13T16:35:22.457-05:00in which i disappear~<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">What can I say? I'm busy. But as I hopped over here today I realized how woefully out of date things are. So....I have (loosely held) hopes to clean things up a bit and post a little in the near future. Geez, I still haven't even finished the <a href="http://motheringingrace.blogspot.com/search/label/preparing%20for%20baby%20series">Preparing for Baby</a> posts but I think all I really have left is cleaning part.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway...see you soon? <i>(ish)</i></div><a href="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj104/lgtoews/sigi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj104/lgtoews/sigi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="post signature" border="0" class="centered" src="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj104/lgtoews/sigi.jpg" /></a>Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-89195996354700963952010-10-13T16:29:00.001-05:002011-11-12T01:07:37.198-06:00in which i disappear~Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-62681334809019881872010-06-25T16:46:00.002-05:002010-06-25T20:13:11.561-05:00preparing for babypart 5stocking the freezer and easy meals~<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://motheringingrace.blogspot.com/search/label/preparing%20for%20baby%20series"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YOjD8tqCCIJHQnE0f0BuEcEy1G2Iaru6G5bVCJrcm0eFxfiJf-MVEt6w34jfswinOA6l_n_cBMTzgOlMjaj_3IbHiFAPtjTBSjZ-hNUdTYPwMDXYzQkZkJqvZbEuuyhcaQBuNA/s320/Preparing+for+Baby2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">~for previous posts in the series, click on the banner :)</span></i><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There is no way that I had an evening to myself on Wednesday and enjoyed sitting outside at Panera working on this post for over an hour only to have the computer freeze up on me and lose the entire thing. Stuff like that never happens to me; just in case you were wondering.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>eh~</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It is without question that having meals on hand after the birth of a baby are tremendously helpful. It is equally helpful to have things on hand to make creating those meals easy. Multiple births have taught me that the time and energy invested are most definitely worth it.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I like to stock my freezer with a lot of meals. Around 34-36 weeks, or whenever I am mostly done with the other preparations (except cleaning) I plan what I want to make for my freezer. I sit down and make a list of meals my family enjoys that are freezer friendly. I plan a cooking day (usually a Saturday for me) and figure out how much I can reasonably accomplish in one day. I make a list of what I will need from the store, (don't forget disposable ziploc bags and foil pans!) and do my shopping a couple of days in advance. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ideally you will be able to get a lot of prep work done before your cooking day (chicken cooked/shredded, meat browned, veggies chopped, etc.) but if you can't then just plan it into your day. No worries.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I wish I could give you some really great tips on freezer cooking. Sadly, that is not really my area of expertise. I just get it done. I try and be as efficient as possible, but it's really just been trial and error. Every time I do it it gets easier. And this is something I actually try and do at least a couple of times of year, even when I'm not pregnant. It's just really helpful. Some really resourceful and impressive people do it on an ongoing basis, always doubling or tripling recipes and sticking the extras in the freezer. Hopefully I'll be that impressive one day, but for now this works for me. I can't really get my brain around adding anything else to my life right now. :)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While I mainly just use my own recipes that I've gathered from all over the place, one book in particular that helped me a lot the first few times I did it was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Panic-Dinners-Freezer-Great-Tasting/dp/0800730550?ie=UTF8&tag=momtosixsweeties&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Don't Panic - Dinner's In the Freezer</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=momtosixsweeties&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0800730550" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />.<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=momtosixsweeties&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0800730550&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe> I really only used a handful of the recipes (though there were a lot that sounded promising) and tweaked them to my liking. But reading about the process was really helpful. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And if the idea of big cooking day <s> makes you panic</s> is a bit overwhelming, just having some things in your freezer to simplify meal making is really handy. If I were only going to do some very basic freezer preparations I would have pre-cooked, shredded chicken in ziploc bags <i>(Dear Costco, I love you.), </i>browned hamburger and onion pre-measured into ziploc bags of approximately 1lb each, and various chopped, frozen veggies. I would also have some frozen fruit since we like to make a lot of smoothies. Just having these basic things will enable you to throw together quite a few meals quickly. Even more so if you have dry ingredient mixes already prepared for things like chicken pot pie, casseroles, etc. and broth on hand to put together soups, stews, or chili.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>(To get a glimpse of what the end of my pregnancy and some of the freezer prep I did with Grace, read <a href="http://motheringingrace.blogspot.com/2009/04/week-36-baby-grace.html">here</a>. You have to scroll down a bit to get past the pregnancy update but down a ways is a good picture of what life looks like around here toward the end of my pregnancies.)</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here is a list of what I made before I had Grace just to give you some ideas. If you click on <a href="http://motheringingrace.blogspot.com/search/label/recipes">recipes,</a> it will take you to some of these.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">6 meatloaves (<span style="font-style: italic;">yep, with hidden zucchini again...shhh</span>)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">4 chicken casseroles</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">3 sesame chicken</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">3 chicken enchiladas</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">2 bags chicken in raspberry walnut vinagarette <i>(edit: won't use this again, it was not good as a marinade!)</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">2 bags chicken in some other marinade I can't remember :o)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">4 bags beef brisket</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">15lbs browned hamburger with onions</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">10c. cooked, shredded chicken</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">some hot dogs and beef smoked sausage for easy, fast meals (<span style="font-style: italic;">i know, i know...yuck. but i have kids, people. kids)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">turkey bacon & turkey sausage<span style="font-style: italic;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">several bags frozen chicken tenderloins</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">we still have a huge amount of beef from the cow we split with my dad</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">a ridiculous amount of frozen veggies</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">a stack of pizzas and gluten free pizza crusts</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">frozen waffles & french toast sticks</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">whole rotesserie chickens in freezer ready to be thawed and reheated; which they do beautifully</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Next time I will probably make some of the same stuff and also some different things. Some other ideas and meals I made in my first trimester (which we ate during the fall and winter months) were:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">cheesy chicken vermicelli</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">chicken & rice soup</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">white chicken chili</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">chicken casserole</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">chicken tenderloins frozen in egg to make homemade chicken tenders quickly</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">chicken pot pie</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">lentil soup</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">tortilla soup</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">It is also nice to make a list of fairly easy to make meals to be able to reference when you just can't seem to think of anything to make. Meal planning is really great, and I would love to do it more often, but truthfully, I don't do it nearly as often as I could. Okay, okay. I rarely do it. I generally have an idea in my head of what I might possibly make, but I am not a meal planner on a regular basis. So it is helpful for me to keep a list on hand (I tape it inside one of my cabinets) of meals I can usually put together from things in my pantry and freezer. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">These are a few of the meals that are pretty easy around here. Usually.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">spaghetti </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">tacos </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">sloppy joes</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">chili</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><i>(these are considered easy since I keep browned beef in the freezer)</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><i></i>anything grilled - fish, burgers, grilled chicken</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">baked potatos with various toppings</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">breakfast food </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">rice with creamed chicken and veggies</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">roast</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';">and obviously anything I can pull out of the freezer, already made :)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">What foods and meals do <i>you </i> like to have on hand?</span></span><br />
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<img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj104/lgtoews/sigi.jpg" />Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-57128354869119617702010-06-19T09:27:00.015-05:002010-06-25T20:17:31.878-05:00preparing for babypart 4pantry items~<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://motheringingrace.blogspot.com/search/label/preparing%20for%20baby%20series"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8CFEDjV06Xb9sYDWA9cpHN-2-p6q20MaNMjmtEU4b2cmP7AsFiwpbQLnABUbdu_iRygFUibkjNZ0xI8AO3zt5mClwWrjhQN-FnExhM6M4xiYDW-k54lFa95S-H_Ptpy-b2MkFVQ/s320/Preparing+for+Baby2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Find </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://motheringingrace.blogspot.com/2010/06/preparing-for-baby-part-1-first.html">Part 1</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><a href="http://motheringingrace.blogspot.com/2010/06/preparing-for-baby-part-2-baby-stuff.html">Part 2</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">, and <a href="http://motheringingrace.blogspot.com/2010/06/preparing-for-baby-part-3-non-food.html">Part 3</a> of the Preparing for Baby Series here</span></i></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">So we've covered first trimester preparation, baby stuff, and non food items. Next comes the tricky part. Pantry items. Again, you'll want to take into consideration your budget, storage space, and your family's needs and habits. This is where your list could vary greatly from mine. The point is that you will want to figure out what non-perishable/staple food items your family uses on a regular basis and how much of a stockpile you want to have on hand. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Now, we like to have some food stockpiled anyway, so it just made sense to add some to it. Like before, I was aiming for an approximate six month stockpile. And like before, on some things I overestimated :) That worked out okay since we like to keep food on hand (our power goes out frequently; three times in the last two weeks, in fact!)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Since I tend to have my babies pretty early (no haters, I did have a 15 day late baby!) I like to have <b><i>everything</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> done by 38 weeks at the latest. This includes everything previously mentioned, and also my house completely clean and in order. I save the cleaning for last (since with seven kids it's not like it's actually going to stay that way for long.) I also like to take the cleaning kind of slow (seeing as how 9 1/2 babies inside a 5'2" body don't lend themselves to cleaningly quickly, easily, or comfortably) so some of it overlaps with the other stuff, but I'll get to that eventually. Hopefully. <i>(This is taking more work than I anticipated.)</i></span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><i><br />
</i></span></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Back to the point. Between 30 and 32 weeks I like to get the non-food items stocked up. Then around 32-34 weeks I like to get the pantry items stocked up. It's not like the timetable is set in stone, it just kind of gets me organized and gives me a general goal to aim for.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">First, you will want to go through your cupboards and make a list of all the non-perishable food items you use regularly. Figure out how much you want to have on hand (taking into account that if you prefer tutorrosso crushed tomatos with basil that are typically on the bottom shelf and shoved behind the regular tomatos your husband will probably not have the patience to find them and will come home with regular diced tomatos instead. Not that <i>my</i> husband would ever do anything like that. But still, you should consider it. Ha ha) And make your list accordingly. Do make sure you pay attention to expiration dates if you are aiming long term so that you don't end up with expired pretzels and have an internal dilemma over whether or not it's acceptable to give them to the church pantry since you did eat some and they taste fine. But still. <i>(Don't worry, I didn't give them to the church pantry.)</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To give you some ideas, this is what my list with Grace looked like:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*premixed cornbread bags (my husband has celiac and therefore I have to make things with alternative flours. The cornbread we make is a combination of several different things, so I mix all the dry ingredients up and store them in quart ziplocs so when we want cornbread we just grab a bag, add the wet ingredients, and bake. Otherwise, I would never get around to making cornbread. Which he loves. Sorry, that was a long paragraph.)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*premixed chicken pot pie topping bags (re-read above description)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*premixed biscuit mix (same thing. Are you observing a pattern? If you frequently bake things that require multiple dry ingredients, it is super helpful to mix large batches and store them in grab and go bags. I do this regularly, otherwise I would never bake anything. I already said that, sorry.)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*24 jars spaghetti sauce</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*48 boxes of gluten free spaghetti (We use two at a time, we eat spaghetti approximately once a week, therefore to have around six months' supply I needed 48.)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*taco shells</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*tortilla chips</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*taco seasoning mix</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*sugar</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*salt/pepper</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*flour/baking powder/etc.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*baking soda</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*6 bottles of ketchup</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*24 bags of pretzels</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*6 boxes of tea bags</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*bacon bits (baked potatos are an easy, quick, and filling meal)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*12 large cans fruit cocktail (its a lot cheaper to buy in #10 cans and I just rinse it really well)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*96 cans of corn (we've since switched to mostly frozen vegetables, so next time I will be stocking up on those instead. We do have an extra freezer which I would highly suggest getting if you are able. We got ours on craigslist. But it's still a good idea to keep canned foods on hand as well in case of power outages.)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*48 cans of peas</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*24 cans of carrots</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*12 cans petite cut diced tomatos</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*12 cans each black, pinto, and kidney beans</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*tomato basil soup ingredients</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*96 cans baked beans</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*chocolate chips</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*granola bars</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*baking m&ms</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*24 containers of peanuts</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*icing</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*bbq sauce</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*various other salad dressings, marinades, etc. that I might use </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*popcorn and paper bags (we pop regular popcorn in brown paper bags)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*a ridiculous amount of cereal</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*an equally ridiculous amount of oatmeal</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*2, 25lb bags of rice</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*12 jars peanut butter</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*2-3 jars of honey</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*we get canned jelly from my grandparents, but you'll want this too if you eat a lot of jelly)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*tamari sauce (gf soy sauce)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*vinegars/cooking wine/etc.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*spices</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*garlic</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*you get the point</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This was my basic list. I'm sure I thought of other things while I was at the store. Costco was great for quite a few of these things. I also use Amazon quite a bit for some of this stuff.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Up next, stocking the freezer...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj104/lgtoews/sigi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="post signature" border="0" class="centered" src="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj104/lgtoews/sigi.jpg" /></a></div>Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-79256845400890102592010-06-18T18:19:00.017-05:002010-06-25T20:21:10.382-05:00preparing for babypart 3non food items~<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://motheringingrace.blogspot.com/search/label/preparing%20for%20baby%20series"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtbZ6g8UZZxCgbpibmhkvsyrPBlYhVu5A4ugEoS08x4_vzfHvLLG0yi0HECD9tJ_h7W0OvHejIk0mvH4gw4HJrf7pxizPOmNI5fzzShaDeZ9BEVTQsMjkFCPsf_hIodYg_pScP_w/s320/Preparing+for+Baby2.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Click on the banner to read all of the Preparing For Baby Series</i></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When I was expecting my first baby I was working full time. I continued to do that until the day before she was born. My preparations looked like any first time mother's. I registered, had a couple of baby showers, got the room ready, and that was about it. It never occured to me to do much else... </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Until the night before she was born. I (ignorantly) decided to be induced for no good reason other than impatience, so I knew the next day was the day. I rushed around like a crazy lady trying to get everything clean. There wasn't really a whole lot I needed to do since it was just Glen and myself at home, but I did want to have everything nice, clean, and in order. <i>(Which ended up coming in handy since I couldn't walk for two weeks. But that's a different story...)</i> It didn't occur to me to have meals prepared or extra supplies on hand. Now, with a first baby (and possibly even a second) it wasn't a huge deal to not have much prepared or stocked up, but once you hit that third baby, it is quite advantageous to put a little forethought into baby preparation.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So I approach baby preparation with these things in mind:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*not having to get my husband to have to pick up anything other than perishables in the days following the birth</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*having enough paper products and non perishables food items on hand to last for awhile to make shopping trips with an infant as infrequent and quick as possible</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*having some meals in the freezer for <i>those days</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*having supplies and ingredients for quick meals on hand</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*having the clothes organized, bedding ready, and house cleaned</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am an intense nester. After that intial first trimester cooking spree, it kicks in again around week 18 when we find out the gender (earlier in the case of Grace.) Once I know boy or girl the clothes are out, washed and folded by 20 weeks. Seriously. With Grace, since I found out way early, I think I had clothes out by like 16 weeks. But that's my OCD shining through. I don't think that's normal. I have friends that can be overdue and say things like, "I guess I should get some clothes out of the attic," or <i>(cannot imagine in a million years)</i> don't even find out what they're having! I feel faint even thinking about it :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anyway, the first things I begin to stock up on are paper goods and other non-food items. I do this starting around 30 weeks or so. I usually spread it out over a few weeks of shopping and often will get coupons from the coupon clippers. Over the years, and as my family has grown, my goals for quantity have changed. You will need to think about your budget, your habits, how much you like shopping (considering that you will have an infant in tow and possibly other children), distance from the store, and storage space. With Grace I wanted to have a stockpile of non food items to last six months. That is probably quite a bit more than most people will want to have, but for me it was great. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is my preparing for baby checklist #1~</span><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Baby~</span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*newborn diapers</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*size 1 diapers</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*diapers for other children</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*diaper cream/baby powder</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*baby wipes</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*baby lotion</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*infant gas drops</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*infant tylenol & motrin</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*pacifiers</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*bottles if needed</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*lansinoh - if you are nursing, you will want this. Trust me</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*nursing pads possibly</span></div><div><br />
</div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Personal Care/Household~</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*shampoo/conditioner</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*soap/body wash</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*hand soap and lotion</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*toothpaste and toothbrushes</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*razor blades/shaving cream</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*any medicines you use on a regular basis </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(non prescription, if you can get prescription meds in advance that's great, too)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*laundry detergent/fabric softener</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*stain remover</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*deodarant</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*feminine products</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*toilet paper</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*bathroom trash bags</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Kitchen~</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*paper towels</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*napkins</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*paper plates</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*kitchen trash bags</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*sandwich bags</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*freezer bags (quart and gallon)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*dishwashing detergent</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*dishwasher detergent</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That's it. I kind of miscalculated with Grace. She was the first one that I aimed for a six month stockpile. I ended up with almost a year's worth of supplies in some things! Next time, I don't think I'll be quite as ambitious in my quantities, but nevertheless it came in handy!</span></div><div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj104/lgtoews/sigi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="post signature" border="0" class="centered" src="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj104/lgtoews/sigi.jpg" /></a></div>Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-88572929338506332822010-06-18T10:05:00.001-05:002011-11-12T01:07:37.215-06:00preparing for baby...misc<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">tea tree, baking soda, etc.<br />
<a href="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj104/lgtoews/sigi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="post signature" border="0" class="centered" src="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj104/lgtoews/sigi.jpg" /></a></div>Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-88057784329584457522010-06-18T07:04:00.003-05:002010-06-25T20:23:20.604-05:00preparing for babypart 2baby stuff~<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://motheringingrace.blogspot.com/search/label/preparing%20for%20baby%20series"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN79bbvnc1LT_YMPm-sg-kAoRDTdAvwT05NDWZatsYIBkrZUdOnHAjIGOBuj_NWTfqI76KRQmv1JIE8zz0YqEjvpDIi9ZvJ0l9rmT_HZ9-UUJ_DTcQjErUWAjR4kTDkrQmW8TCOQ/s320/Preparing+for+Baby2.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Click on the banner for the complete Preparing For Baby Series :)</i></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I wanted to take a minute to say that these posts are by no means meant to come across as Super Mom posts. For someone that loves to be prepared and feel like things are under control then I hope they will be helpful. But some people thrive on spontanaity and have those fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants personalities; very free-spirited, and I never want to make someone feel like they are failures or don't have it all together like I do. <i>(cough, choke, spit...ahem...) </i>:)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am a planner. A huge planner. I think it has something to do with my needing to feel in control of everything, but regardless of the reason, I love to plan things. I'm not always so great on the follow through, but if all else fails, at least I have a plan :)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So while there are plenty of lists to be found online about what you need to have on hand for a baby, this is my list of essentials. It's what I've figured out works for us after seven children. And it falls into the whole Preparing for Baby series by being what I like to have accomplished around twenty weeks or so. Well, the clothes and bedding part. The equipment can wait, especially if it's a first baby and you're going to be having a shower. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">These are the things I have found to be actually used and needed. But, for example, I don't do baby bows or shoes. If you do, then you will want to add those to your list. On the otherhand, I do gas drops like they are liquid gold and use the bouncy seat extensively. If you're a sling kind of gal, then you may not need the bouncy seat. If you cloth diaper, you will definitely want to add those to the list. (And by the way, cloth diapering falls into the Super Mom category. Yet another reason why I am <b><i>not</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> in that category.)</span></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Baby Clothes You Actually Need~</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*Lots of pajamas. I personally like Gymboree and Gap sleepers and two piece pajama sets, but I buy them off ebay. Babies spit up and their diapers leak a lot, so you will want extra. My babies live in pajamas the first two months of their life. I like to get cute ones that are perfectly acceptable to take them out in. I like to make sure my babies stay warm, so I don't typically do onesies until they are older. Again, that's me, but other than a couple of going out outfits we just do cute pajamas. But make sure you have a lot, unless you want to be doing a lot of laundry. I have had several late spring/summer babies and I still find that 90% of the time I use long sleeved pajamas. Some lists will point out convenience issues of zippers vs gowns vs pants, etc. Honestly, I buy what I think is cute and deal with it. It's not that hard to slide baby legs in and out of pajamas. Six month olds, well, that can be a little trickier :)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*Two or three "dress up" outfits. For church, going out, whatever. But they don't need a lot</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. I mean, feel free to have as many as you want, but they don't actually <i>need</i> that many. I just like to buy the cute pajamas since that's what I see them in most of the time.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*Socks. If you use them.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That's really about it in the clothing department. Though with the state of my brain I'm probably missing something glaringly obvious, like underwear. Except that babies don't need underwear. Though for baby girls a few cute diaper covers could definitely be in order.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Bedding, Etc.~</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*Five or six blankets. Not huge blankets, but just regular blankets. I tend (again) to like Gymboree and Gap blankets (again, off ebay mostly.) They are thicker and more substantial than receiving blankets, but not huge. Great for swaddling, covering up while nursing, laying flat to change a diaper, burping etc. Due to the whole spit up/diaper issue previously mentioned you'll probably want a handful.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*A few burp cloths. I don't use these a whole lot, I tend to just use the blanket, but my fabulous sister in law <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/twogreenolivetrees">makes super cute ones</a> and uses them a lot, so again, your mileage may vary. <i>(I know, I know. I'm supposed to be telling you what you actually need but some of these things just aren't scientific.)</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*Whatever you plan to use in the crib or bassinet. We use a (generously sized) bassinet for the first six months. This could be a bumper, quilt, etc. I don't necessarily think this has to be done by twenty weeks either, but for lack of a better place to put it, here it is.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*I like to have one super soft snuggly blanket for those first few weeks :)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*You may want a nursing cover. I personally don't use them as I feel like I might as well wear a sign that says, "Hey, I'm nursing over here!" But a lot of people really like them. I prefer to just use a blanket.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*The Miracle Blanket. The best swaddling blanket, hands down. If you can get past feeling like you're mummifying your baby or putting them in a straight jacket. Haven absolutely loved his. We had three or four once we realized he practically lived in them. Grace didn't really care for being swaddled, so you may want just one to start out until you figure out if your baby likes to be swaddled.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Equipment~</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*A bouncy seat. If I could only have one thing it would be a bouncy seat. They are easily portable, the baby can sleep in them, and well, they're bouncy. Our babies like them. A lot</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*A swing. Some babies like them, some not so much. But we typically use one quite a bit.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*A baby carrier. I'm not so much a sling or carrier person so much at first, though they can come in quite handy at the beginning when you're going out and don't want everyone breathing on your baby. Once older, for me, the ergo is indispensable. But in the beginning I mostly <s>drag</s> carry them around in the infant seat.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*Infant seat and stroller. Not that I needed to mention it, but for the sake of being thorough, here it is on the list.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">* Bassinet. We co-sleep a little in the interest of training the baby to recognize night as night (the best to do this is by sleeping and nursing while lying down at night in my opinion) but I put baby in the bassinet right next to the bed at every possible opportunity. The bassinet stays by our bed for a few weeks, then moves into the baby's room. Which at our house happens to be our large, vented, walk in closet :)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*Pack n Play. Not absolutely necessary, but great for having another place for them to learn to play when they're older.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*Exersaucer. Around 4ish months our babies have all loved their exersaucer.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*Play mat. Really comes chronologically before the exersaucer, but it's too much work to change it at this point. Our babies love and use their play mats.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*Bumbo seat. How I wish they had these when my older kids were babies. They are so much fun. And if you have super squishy babies like me, they look super cute all squished into them. We also use them for bathtime once they outgrow the baby bathtub. (Which isn't on my list of necessary items since we just kind of dunk and go.) But if you use the bumbo seat in the bath, obviously stay with your baby just in case it floats up. Which has only happened to us once. But I don't really need to tell you to stay with your baby in the bath anyway. Obviously.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*High chair. We prefer those booster kind of seats that attach to an actual chair so we can just slide it under the table. And they're portable and can be used on the ground as well so they're great for going to the park, church meals, relatives, etc.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">*There are plenty of other things you may need; such as a baby gate for stairs, outlet plugs, etc. but that's not really the point of this list so you'll have to find that info somewhere else. Sorry. I've got <s>smashed grapes all over the floor since I've been ignoring Grace so that I can write</s> some cleaning up to do before Glen gets home.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That's all I've got for now. I guess if I figure out something I've left out I can always add it later. Feel free to leave a comment on what your most used and indispensable baby items are! And if you read on facebook, leave your comment on the blog so my non-facebook friends can see what you love!</span><br />
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<img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj104/lgtoews/sigi.jpg" />Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-66268141948822390442010-06-17T18:21:00.005-05:002010-06-26T07:59:59.976-05:00preparing for babypart 1first trimester preparation~<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://motheringingrace.blogspot.com/search/label/preparing%20for%20baby%20series"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYEqEKM7hodwCpjNrD1Qm1jdnIp4R-VNTWtgyka1vI56w3Uwab1dgsHQzTRMF6Gh2jDkztPzKuhiBTFlMQQs_NnqJORcanE2q15fR732MCk77vbu1JojetO6mBVM31fy0fPm4uA/s320/Preparing+for+Baby2.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br />
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</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Click on the banner to read the complete Preparing For Baby series :)</i></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I will confess I feel a bit silly. Back when I was busy preparing for Grace and was talking about it I had quite a few people ask me questions or comment on what I do to get ready, but it hasn't exactly been a topic of conversation recently. So to help me not feel quite so silly, I just want to say I decided to put all these in post form for a few different reasons. Namely, I needed to get it off the sidebar. I mean, talk about a neglected looking blog! Secondly, I want to be able to reference should there be a next time. And hopefully it will come in handy for anyone else that happens to be looking for the info; including maybe my own children one day ;)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With that said...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preparing for a new baby is one of my favorite things to do. It helps the time pass by more quickly and helps you focus on something other than waiting and feeling blah. While I do lots of nesting and preparing toward the end of my pregnancies, another super helpful thing I've found to do is to make some freezer meals as soon as you get two pink lines. Seriously. While meals after the birth of a baby are wonderful, having meals in that first trimester when you don't feel so hot can <s>keep your family from eating pizza five nights a week</s> be such a blessing to those around you that <i>do</i> feel like eating.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With the advent of early pregnancy tests, it is not uncommon for women to find out they are expecting as early as four weeks. That gives most women, give or take, two to four weeks to do a little advance cooking to make that first trimester a bit easier. Longer if you're lucky.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So what I do as soon as I can is plan a cooking day. Or a couple. This really depends on the needs of your family. Not to mention how badly you are affected by morning sickness. I usually spend about two full days making some freezer meals. I plan out in advance the meals I want to prepare and make my grocery list. I then spend all day Saturday in the kitchen. And then I usually do it again. But that's because I have a big family and I really enjoy having meals on hand. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So part one is pretty straightforward. When you find out you are pregnant, make some meals for your freezer. Brown some ground beef and put it in bags in your freezer. Roast a few chickens, or <a href="http://motheringingrace.blogspot.com/2010/06/how-to-be-lazy-and-save-money-aka-how.html">take the easy way out like me and buy some from Costco,</a> pick them, and store them in your freezer. If you're really ambitious, make<a href="http://motheringingrace.blogspot.com/2010/06/how-to-be-lazy-and-save-money-aka-how.html"> broth </a>for your freezer to have some super nutritious baby-growing food on hand for easy soups. Stock up on some items for easy meals like noodles, frozen or canned veggies, spaghetti sauce, etc. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The other thing I attempt to do after I stock my freezer and pantry, but before I start feeling yucky, is do a really good house clean and make sure we've got the whole kids and jobs things figured out pretty well. No one wants to clean when they feel yucky, and no one wants to be in a messy house when they feel yucky, so if you are able to get your house in a really good order, by all means <b>do it.</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Trust me on this one. You'll thank me for it. I just wish I had figured it out before baby number six!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To read about my cooking day adventures when I found out I was expecting Grace, read<a href="http://motheringingrace.blogspot.com/2008/08/stocking-freezer.html"> here.</a></span><br />
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<img alt="post signature" class="centered" src="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj104/lgtoews/sigi.jpg" />Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-2679084105750286542010-06-17T13:19:00.000-05:002013-01-29T13:18:23.919-06:00how to be lazy and save money(aka) how to make homemade chicken broth~<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">I know, I'm supposed to be writing about preparing for a baby, but in trying to put that together I kept running across the fact that I keep chicken broth on hand and seeing as how I had this homemade broth brain block for so long I thought I'd just type up what I do in case some other poor soul ever comes along and things, <i>"Wow, Shyla, thanks so much for posting that. I never knew."</i> :)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">Anyway, I was always intimidated of making homemade chicken broth. It just seemed a little too much. Right up there with grinding my own wheat and canning my own vegetables that I had grown in my very own garden. I'm busy <s>on facebook</s> raising children and homeschooling, people, what do you think I am, Super Mom? <i>(If you do these things, and I know many women do, then you qualify for Super Mom AND Super Wife AND Super Homemaker but you should probably keep quiet so the rest of us don't throw things at you.)</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">I digress...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">But I hated buying broth, the good kind was expensive for the amount of soup that I make, not to mention that I have to use it in making sauces for Glen with the whole celiac thing. So I finally just got over myself and asked someone. And I found out it was super easy. And <i>then</i> I found out I could justify doing it the lazy way.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">So, this is what I do. I buy rotesserie chickens from Costco. They cost $5. They are amazingly yummy. I buy one every week and we either eat it plain (as in roast chicken) or I'll use it in a recipe. If I have time I pick off the dark meat and save it for tacos, soup, or casseroles. I throw the leftovers in a bag in the freezer. That was a lot of words to basically say that first we eat most of the meat or save it for later.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">Then I throw the entire carcass into the crockpot. I cut an onion in half or fourths, toss in some carrots, garlic, and whatever else I have on hand, and let it cook on low all night. Pretty much until whenever I can get to it the next day. Then when I have time, I put my colander into another large bowl and pour everything into it. Then I take the broth, set my strainer (it's different than a colander in that it's mesh) over another large bowl, and pour it through again. My colander catches the big stuff, the strainer catches the grainy stuff. I let it cool, I skim the fat, then I pour it into containers and put it in the freezer.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">Wa la. Homemade, nutritious chicken broth.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;"><i>But you said be lazy AND save money.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">Oh yes. The lazy part is buying the Costco chicken instead of roasting my own. For me, the savings of buying an unroasted chicken, plus spices, plus time is insignificant compared to the taste and convenience of the Costco chicken. They are delicious. And we don't usually eat them the same day. I usually reheat them a few days after I buy them and they are still yummy. The saving money part is because I estimate I can make $10 worth of the good broth from one $5 chicken. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">So there you have it. You know, since you asked and all.</span></div>
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Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27767365.post-51520767505591534782010-06-17T10:16:00.002-05:002010-06-17T16:00:47.943-05:00preparing for baby~<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">No, this isn't an announcement :) Grace is refusing to let Aunt Flo visit (which is completely fine since we don't like her much anyway) so this is actually the first time EVER that I've had a 14month old and not been expecting again. It's kind of weird.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">But, </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">seeing as how Grace </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">is</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"> fourteen months old and I've never updated the sidebar to remove all my baby preparations, I thought about making them into a few posts. Preparing for the arrival of a baby is something I actually feel like I've gotten down pretty well, so I thought I'd share. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">And there's no way I'm choosing this topic to write about since the work is already done for me and I don't have the brain energy to deal with photos and come up with anything original. I'm never lazy like that. Geez.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Stay tuned...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj104/lgtoews/sigi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="post signature" border="0" class="centered" src="http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj104/lgtoews/sigi.jpg" /></a></div>Shylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01440993924996744856noreply@blogger.com0