Blueberry Muffins

We've been on a blueberry kick lately. Lucy LOVES them and I'm sure would eat her weight in them if I let her. She calls them beeburries. She's obsessed I think. She saw me using some black beans in a recipe yesterday and started hollering beeburry, beeburry. I had to try and convince her they were NOT blueberries.

I found a great recipe in one of my cookbooks a few weeks ago for muffins. This recipe comes from The America's Test Kitchen cookbook. Page 574 to be exact. I used a basic muffin recipe and added blueberries.
If you don't know what America's Test Kitchen is, then where ya been??? It is a great cookbook. If you don't have this book, then go, right now and order it. What are you waiting for, I said GO!

As I said, this is a basic muffin recipe. If you don't like blueberries you can add another fruit you do like.

Blueberry Muffins

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 TB baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup lowfat plain yogurt
2 large eggs
1 stick butter-melted
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
*I also add 1/2 tsp cinnamon, because I like cinnamon and thinks it works nicely with the berries. This is optional, if you don't like it, leave it out.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray muffin till well.

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix together the eggs and yogurt. Gently fold in yogurt mixture to the dry ingredients until just combined. Next, fold in melted butter.
Measure out frozen blueberries in a colander and rinse under water till it runs clear. Fold into the batter.
*I have found that the Great Value blueberries work really well. They are nice big blueberries and stay intact while baking. I have also used the Wymans brand of wild blueberries. They are very tiny berries and seem to melt into the batter. But use whatever size you like best. Also, if using fresh berries, dust them with flour first and them add them to the batter. This is to help them from sinking to the bottom while baking.
Use a large ice cream scoop and fill muffin tins full. The original recipe said it would make 12 muffins. I get about 16 out of it.
Bake 15-22 minutes or till a toothpick comes out clean. *Again, the original recipe said to bake for like 25-30 minutes. I did not need that much time. So start with about 15 minutes and adjust from there.

These are so much better than the box mixes you can buy. And they are really very quick and easy to make. You can also freeze the extras for a quick morning breakfast.

Enjoy!

home improvement projects

After 7 months of living in this house, I finally got around to painting our bedroom. I couldn't decide on a color so I kept putting it off. I wanted to find bedding first and then pick a wall color. In our trip to IKEA I found a really cute duvet cover and finally I had some inspiration.

Here's a before picture:

This wall color was a dark sage green. What I hated about it was that it was a flat paint. So any light in the room just got sucked into the wall. It was also extremely dirty. There were marks and splatters all over it. So gross. I also had to repaint the trim and freshen it up as it was just as dirty as the walls.

Here's the after:

It's a light blue. I love the combination of light blue and red. I'm not thrilled with my furniture. but I'm hoping that my wonderful husband will soon get started on making my new headboard-out of an old door. I think I'll paint it an off white or black, I haven't decided. I am also going to paint the nightstands at some point. That way the headboard and night stands will match. I haven't decided what to do with the other pieces. I hate to paint them. I may look for an older piece of furniture when 3rd sunday market starts again. We will eventually have a guest room in the basement so this furniture can go in there. There's still alot to do. I need to hang picutes and find curtains, but at least I don't feel like I'm sleeping in a cave anymore.

Tip #28

Tip #28 ?? Where are the other 27?? Dont' worry, you didn't miss anything, I just thought it sounded better to start with a higher number rather than #1.

Here's my tip for the day:

To keep opened boxes of crackers or open bags of chips from going stale. Store them in the freezer. They will stay crisp and last for months. Heck, probably a few years...ok, maybe not, but you get the idea.

I do this all the time. If Dan and I open a bag of chips and I don't think we'll eat them all before they go stale, I'll close the bag tightly and place it in a freezer bag and put it in our freezer. Just today I opened a big bag of animal crackers. I poured 3/4 of them in a ziplock bag and put them in the freezer. now I don't have to worry about thowing them out in a month when we've still got 1/2 a bag left.
We are fortunate to have a big upright freezer in the garage. This allows me to stock up and buy in bulk when I want to. It was actually one of the first things we bought with our wedding money.
So there you go. Maybe I'll come up with tip #29 soon.

Pancakes

In my effort to be more healthy, I made Lucy some pancakes tonight. I wasn't planning on having them for dinner, I wanted to put them in the freezer for a quick breakfast. But, since I was doing this around 5pm and Lucy was getting hungry, I let her have pancakes for dinner. She devoured 2 1/2 good sized pancakes along with some strawberries. She must have liked them.
I thought I would share the recipe with you in case you'd like to try them. And, I will say that I don't even like pancakes very much and I thought they were quite tastey.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

In a large bowl combine:

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

In another bowl combine:

1 1/2 c. milk (I used 1 1/4 c. for a thicker pancake)
2 Tbsp melted butter
2 eggs beaten
Combine wet and dry ingredients and gently whisk. Cook on a hot gridle using a 1/4 c. of batter for each pancake.

Enjoy!

Resolutions

I don't typically make resolutions at the beginning of each new year. I'm sure I've made some in the past that didn't make it to February, but the only resolution that I can remember every being successful at was about 12 years ago. I had decided that for one year I was going to send every member of my family ( on my mom's side only) a birthday card. Sounds easy enough, but I have about 35-40 aunts, uncles and cousins. It wasn't cheap either, but I did it and I think I was on time for most of them.

This year I have a few things that I would like to change. One of my goals for this year is to turn the TV off more. I don't watch much tv anymore. There aren't any primetime shows that I care about watching and I don't have specific shows I watch during the day, but the tv is on most of the day. I like the background noise it provides, but I'm trying hard to turn the radio on and the TV off.

Another goal I have is to eat less processed food. Ever since Lucy has started eating table foods, I just don't feel good about giving her boxed, processed foods. We haven't given up all boxed foods like crackers and such, but I buy a great deal less than I used to. If I want mac-n-cheese, or waffles or pancakes, then I make it from scratch. I wouldn't say we eat super healthy, but I figure it's a start. I like knowing the ingredients that are going in my food.

Maybe next year I'll be able to give up my diet coke addiction... I can't do everything all at once. Babysteps. Babysteps.

I really should get back to blogging. I'm enjoying the time away.

getting behind

I haven't forgotten about my blog. But with birthday parties and Christmas just around the corner. My plate has been full and I've been too tired to think about blogging. I'll be back once the craziness is over. Till then, Merry Christmas everyone.

Oh, and if anyone is interested in seeing all the birthday pics from Lucy's party. Let me know and I'll send you the link.

12 months old

Today my baby turned 1 year old. I still can't believe that a whole year has gone by. This has been a year of such joy. We have had a few challanges along the way, but overall it's been a great year. Dan and I have learned a lot and still have so much more to learn. Now that we're parenting a toddler, it's a whole new ballgame.

Lucy isn't walking yet. She loves to push the kitchen chairs around and walk with them. She looks like a little old lady with her walker-cracks me up. I think it'll be at least another month if not longer before she attempts to take a step. She's also getting a few more teeth. She currently has 9, almost 10. I noticed that she might be getting 2 more back teeth. It's hard to tell though because Lucy will not let you look in her mouth. I am very thankful that teething has never really bothered her.

Lucy is also pulling her hair out. Several months ago she started pulling at her hair when she sucked she thumb. It was pretty cute to watch the thumb go in her mouth and the other hand go to her head. At the time she started it, I didn't think much about it. But in the last few weeks her hair is starting to get really thin on one side. There's really no way to get her to stop because she does it when she sucks her thumb. I know it's a comfort thing and it's now become a habit. I'm going to have a bald headed baby in another month or so. The one good thing is that she only sucks her thumb when she's tired and not all day long.

Well, here is our last monthly picture. The onesie made it to the end!!

I am looking forward to the months ahead and all the new things Lucy will be learning.

Sunny days, sweepin' the clouds away

I have recently renewed my love for Sesame Street. Growing up with only six TV channels, the only choice for anything remotely entertaining for a child on Sunday mornings was Sesame Street. After getting ready for church I would turn on PBS and watch till we had to leave. I know for a fact that I watched it till I was way over the viewing age limit.
In the last month I have been letting Lucy watch an episode each afternoon when she gets up from her nap. I really don't let her watch any other shows for the simple fact that I find so many of them annoying. I have to give a lot of credit to the writers of Sesame Street. They write for the adults as well as the children. I find myself actually watching with her.
Here are a few examples of what I have found so entertaining. One episode we saw had a spoof on Indiana Jones. The show featured "Texas Telly" trying to find the Golden Triangle of Destiny. Another show had a song and dance number titled "Pre-school Musical", and I watched an episode that spoofed Law and Order. On today's show they had a segment called "30 Rocks". As you can probably guess, they were spoofing Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin's show 30 Rock. What gets me is that they get the muppets to look and sound so much like the real charaters. I find myself laughing out loud while watching. Little kids are not going to get it, so thank you Sesame Street for entertaining me as well.

a few new things

I want to blog about this so I have it documented somewhere. Even though I think that I'll remember this stuff forever, I know that's just not the case. 

Lucy is saying a few words. She's been saying da-da for a while, but now it's definitely with meaning.  She's also learned "Hi" and "baby". 

One of my favorite things she does right now is sing along to Old MacDonald. She knows that the duck says quack and as soon as I start singing "Old MacDonald had a farm", she will very loudly join in with her "kack, kack, kacking"  So we sing the same animal over and over because it's the only one she knows. I need to get it on video because it really is funny. 

It seems I not "off my rocker" as much as I thought

In my last post I talked about how I strive to keep my floors clean. One way we do it is by kicking off our shoes when we come in the door.  This morning my quirkiness has been validated.  The Today Show had a segment about how our vacuum cleaners are spreading bacteria and germs. It was quite alarming.  The bristles on the vacuum they tested had e. coli and fecal material present, enough to make a child sick. How did it get on the vacuum?  The reported stated that shoes and pets are big contributers. One of the suggestions to help keep your carpets clean, remove your shoes.  

I just need to stop watching TV. I learn too many disgusting facts. 

Public enemy #1

I hate a dirty floor.  In my house, this is my number 1 enemy.  It is a daily battle for me to keep my kitchen and dining area floors clean.  Lucy is not the neatest eater and much of her food ends up on the floor. I find myself Swiffering the floors 2, sometimes 3 times a day depending on what we've been eating.  I am always amazed everytime I pull that Swiffer pad off and it's filthy. I'm thinking, I just did this a few hours ago, how in the world does it get so dirty so fast.

I know it doesn't bother some people. Heck, growing up we didn't always have the cleanest floor. With 4 kids running in and out the door tracking stuff in I think my mom just figured there were bigger things to worry about. Not that my mom is a poor housekeeper. In fact, she's very particular when it comes to cleaning. But I think back then, she was busier with other things.  

Part of my obsession stems from the fact that Lucy is on the floor all day long. She crawls and scoots and I don't want her getting crumbs and dust all over her. Besides, she will find the tiniest piece of whatnot on the floor and anything she finds goes straight in her mouth. She found an old Cheerio I had missed under the counter the other day and she popped it right in her mouth. She looked very pleased with herself for that one.

In our effort to keep our floors clean, we are a "no-shoes-in-the-house" family. We always take our shoes off at the door and usually ask our guests to do the same.  I know some people think it's a bit extreme, but just think about all the places you've walked during the day. Then you come in and put that on your floors and carpet. YUCK.  Do you really want the germs from the public restroom you visited to end up on your carpet?  You think I'm weird, I know. But I saw a segment on some morning show and it was about all the stuff you bring in on your shoes.  You're probably thinking, how did I ever survive to be this old because we never worried about this growing up and we lived!  Well, now that I'm old enough to understand it all, it bothers me.  I realize that some germs are healthy and we need germs to build our immune system. I am just not ok with the germs on your shoes.  

11 months old

Lucy is 11 months old. Where did the time go? I can't believe that I have to start seriously planning her 1st birthday party. She is growing up so fast and in a month I will no longer have a baby, but a toddler. 

In the last month Lucy has gone from barely crawling to standing and pulling up on everything. She's starting to cruise around the furniture. She's pushing the kitchen chairs and walking behind them. She figured out how to climb the stairs last week so out came the baby gate.

  We are pretty much done with bottles and formula. I'm still giving her a bottle in the morning, but only because I am trying to use up the last of the formula. She loves drinking milk and water from her sippy. She becomes very territorial with her cup when you try to take it away. :)  She's such a good eater and likes a wide variety of foods. Cheese is by far her favorite though. 

Dan and I measured and weighed her a few days ago. She's a little over 28 pounds and about 32 inches. She's mostly in 24 months size clothes, but occasionaly I can find some 18 months stuff that runs big.  I've definitely built some upper body strength in the last few months. Carrying her around is no easy task. 

Lucy has such a fun personality.  I can see her being a bit of a ham as she gets older. 

Here is our monthly picture.  And surprisingly, the onesie still fits. It's tight, but it fits.

What a face!!!

confession

I'm addicted to Diet Coke.  My favorite Dt Coke though is the fountain drink from McDonalds. I don't know why but the Dt coke from any McD's always tastes so much better than anywhere else. Lately I find myself going through the drive-thru several times a week while I'm out just so I can get a Dt Coke. It doesn't help that I have a drive-thru 3 minutes from my house. Darn you McD's for making your Dt Coke so tastey.  

Becky, I'm calling you out. You're a cheater! 

cheater, cheater, cheater!!!!!!

LOL..............................................................

taking my turn

A few blogs that I read have been doing this "game" so I thought I'd steal the idea and start it here too.
The directions: Open the 6th album/folder and post the 6th picture in the album. So, here is my picture.

This was taken at Pastor Matt's annual tree triming party. Every year right before Thanksgiving he invites a bunch of friends over and has them decorate his house for Christmas. There's lots of food and music and it's always a fun time. This picture was taken in 2006. It's one of our famous "self portraits". For some reason we usually have pretty good luck with taking pictures this way. 

Ok, now it's your turn, Abbie, Becky, Karen and anyone out there who has a blog.

a few pictures

Last Saturday Dan and I took Lucy to the pumpkin patch in Arthur and then went to Uncle Richard's birthday party. Here are some pictures from our day.

Checkin' out the chickens with dad.

Let's see how tall you are.

Wow, that pumpkin is big!!

I think we'll take these two.

I'm a horrible mother. This is the first time Lucy has been in a baby swing. By the time the weather got warm this summer we were in the midst of packing and moving. Then we were trying to get settled in the new house. Also, not every park has baby swings. I was having a hard time finding one. But, it was worth the wait. She loved it and laughed the whole time. Make sure to watch the video below. 

10 months old

I should have posted this last week, but the time has gotten away from me.
Lucy turned 10 months old on October 4th. I remembered to take her picture on the right day this month too. Yay me!

Lucy is growing up too fast. It's so much fun to see her personality coming out and to be able to interact with her in new ways. She's learned to give "kisses" and we've been working on learning to clap. She catches on pretty quick. I am amazed everyday at the new things she learns.

This month Lucy has finally figured out how to crawl. She's doing it more and more everyday. She still reverts back to the army crawl because she's much faster that way. She's into everything and she's "talking" nonstop. She is really good at mimicking the sounds we make.

Here are a few pictures from this months photo shoot.

This one cracks me up. This is what we go through each month.

I caved

I posted a while back that my laptop died and I was trying to make do with Dan's business computer. I was hoping to wait and then maybe get something closer to Christmas. HA, that didn't work. Sunday after trying to upload my digital pics to his computer and having a heck of a time doing so, I gave in and told Dan he could buy me a new laptop. So, last night he made a trip to Circuit City and here I am typing a new post on my new computer. It's pretty cool cause it has a fingerprint reader so when I want to log on I just swipe my thumb across this little doo-hickey and it reads my thumb print. Also, it has a touch screen so I can navigate webpages by just touching the screen. the only downside is that I don't like having to try and figure out all the bells and whistles. I know that once I become familiar with it all I'll love it and wonder how I ever lived without it.

Oops

Today Lucy and I made a quick trip to Springfield to Babies R Us. I hadn't planned on going to Springfield today, but after I backed over Lucy's stroller when leaving the garage, I needed to go buy a new one. What a day!