The First Time

"When a new baby laughs for the first time, a new fairy is born, and as there are always new babies there are always new fairies."

J.M. Barrie, Peter & Wendy

 

Caramel-stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

Happy Fall!

I have the best thing ever for celebrating this lovely season. Caramel-stuffed Apple Cider cookies. Perfect for a crisp fall day, especially with a cup of something warm and cozy. They taste like a school carnival.

I know, right?!

Caramel-stuffed Apple Cider Cookies
Originally from The Cooking Photographer

1 cup softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 (7.4 ounce) box Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink Mix *Not sugar free*
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) bag Kraft Caramels

Mixing: Cream together butter, sugar, and all 10 of the cider mix packets until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing in-between each addition. In a medium bowl, mix salt, baking soda, baking powder and flour together. Add slowly to the cider mixture until just combined. Put in the fridge for at least one hour. (I actually left it in overnight, because I didn't have time. It was just fine.)

Cooking: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. (The caramel is going to stick to the pan, so the paper is pretty important here.) Unwrap about 30 of your caramels. Eat about 4. Scoop dough into a ball, flatten it slightly, and wrap around the caramel. (Your hands are gonna get really sticky from the dough and the caramel) Be careful not to bunch the dough on the top, or the caramel won't melt, and you'll have squares sticking out of your cookies. (Yes, this happened to me.) Cook for about 13 mins, or until they are slightly brown and crackly on the edges. These should be chewy cookies, not crunchy.

Cooling: Slide the parchment paper onto a table or a cooling rack. When cookies are mostly cool, twist off and let finish cooling upside-down. If you are pulling the caramel out of the middle, try freezing the tray for a few minutes.

These are best eaten after sitting over a cup of the hot drink of your choice (I bought an extra box of cider mix) or put in the microwave for about seven seconds. The caramel gets all gooey and amazing. Ideally you'd be wearing your favorite sweater and boots, and a good book would make it all just perfect. Ah, Autumn.

Go. Make these. You'll be so glad you did.

The Hot Zone

Everybody Loves Raymond became a lot funnier to me after I got married. All of the sudden Jon and I were having the same conversations: where to spend the holidays, how to divide up chores, and where to live in relation to our parents. Actually, the episode where Ray and Debra remember how they ended up so close to Ray's parents (Why Are We Here?) is still one of my favorites.

"If my mother can make sauce and have it still hot when she gets here, it's too close! We'll call this the 'Hot Zone.'"
via

This was seriously on my mind when we picked out our apartment. My parents and Jon's parents live in the same neighborhood. Let me be clear here - my in-laws are NOTHING like Marie and Frank. My mother-in-law is one of the most sincere, kindest people I know, and my father-in-law is very intelligent and visibly loves his wife. My parents are amazing, too, and I was happy - excited, even! - to live in the same city as them. But I didn't want to live TOO close. I wanted Jon and I to be able to build our own family, to learn to rely on each other instead of just being extensions of our original family units (Does that make sense?). So when our original apartment near school fell through, and a basement in the Parental neighborhood opened up, I was pretty apprehensive.

Pink is Jon's parents, green is mine, and blue is the basement apartment. That's what I get for marrying a local boy!

I was wrong. I LOVE being so close to the family. Both side have been awesome at giving us our own space, and always calling before they come over (In fact, now we tell them they don't come over enough!). I think we've only eaten Sunday dinner on our own a few times, and that's usually something quick and easy like grilled cheese. It's especially wonderful now that we have Jesse. The grandmas and grandpas get to see him all the time! There was always someone around to help right after he was born - doing the dishes, making meals, folding laundry - but they didn't have to sleep on our floor. It also helps to keep me sane. If I need a little adult conversation while Jon is at work or school, I can just walk over to visit my mom, or my sisters-in-law. I'm at one house or another three or four times a week. I have a whole ready-made community right here, and I adore it.

Now we are talking about moving. We three fit fine in our tiny little apartment, but if there are ever four (this is not an announcement (AMBER), we're just planning ahead) we would be out of space. I told Jon, "If your mom can make sauce, and have it still hot when she gets here, that is JUST RIGHT. Let's call that the Hot Zone."

If you'll excuse me, I need to go take these cookies over to my mom. Ta!

Coral Conundrum

I noticed during the 21 Day Challenge that basically all of my skirts and pants are neutrals. I'm now on the lookout for anything colored, but i need to work with what I've got! I DO have these awesome coral capris that I LOVE. I want to keep wearing them into the fall, but they are such a summery color that I'm not sure how to transition them. This was my first attempt:

What do you think? Does it work, or is it still summery?

Kate styled some similar pants like this, but I don't have a bronze-ish cardigan like hers. Or a lovely printed blouse, either.

I do have this that I think might pair nicely, maybe with some brown boots? (It's a little more orangey in person)

Am I fighting a losing battle, trying to use these summery pants into the fall? Anyone have any suggestions?

Lacy shirt: Gift from Mom
Blue shirt: Macy's
Coral capris: Gift from a friend
Blue shoes: Forever Young
Gold earrings: Forever 21

Jesse at Three Months

September 21, 2011

My dear Jesse Boy,

You are three months old already! Would you cut that out? Yes, we're very excited to see you grow up, but there is really no rush!

For the first week or so, you were still sick with that stupid cold. Your little cough and rattley breathing were so pathetic! You continued to sleep fine at night, but you would wake yourself up every ten minutes during the day, unless someone was holding you. Thank heavens for slings and wraps!

This third month was all about the control you are beginning to have over your body. It's really helpful to your dad and I - we're starting to understand your needs better and faster because of your body language. When you are excited, or you see something you like, your eyes get all big, and you start doing the frantic little leg-kicking and arm-waving. It's just about the best feeling in the world when you do that because you see me. It means a little less when you do it because you see the fan.

I can always tell when you are getting tired, because you will start touching your face and rubbing your eyes. You also stretch the same way your dad does - a full body stretch, arms above the head, all the way down to the toes.

You're really starting to learn from the world around you. Dad often reads you books, and you are fascinated by the pictures and the sound of his voice (We're very proud of this development). You are discovering textures - you have a soft, snuggly lion that you like to pet. You also love your hanging toys in your chair, but you can only handle them for about 20 minutes before you get overstimulated and need me to take them away.

You're DYING to sit up. If you are reclined at all, you will curl your back and rock your head forward, trying to see. Especially if there is a screen around. Which, in this house, is always. Oh, you love the screeeeenns... You are your father's son!

If someone smiles at you, you usually smile back. Sometimes, though, you are sick of seeing all the faces, and will look anywhere else, even if they move into your line of sight. We call it the no-faces game, and you think it's very funny. That baby in the mirror doesn't make you suspicious anymore, either. In fact, you think he's handsome.

It's so much fun to play with you, now that you can interact a little more. You are becoming more jabbery - you've even developed some squeals! We will have whole conversations back and forth, and you are always very intent on what you are saying.

Let me tell you all about it, Mom!

You've also found your hands - you hold them up above your head like Superman, and watch them as you flail. They are wonderful toys! Dad thinks its funny to give you a fist bump.

We think you might be starting to teethe. Your fists are your new favorite snack. When you gnaw on them, you look like a little drooly chipmunk. You also like to eat Dad's arm when he holds you across the tummy. I don't know how, but your gums really tickle him, and he squirms until finally he can't stand it anymore and has to move you off. And then Mom laughs at him.

Nom nom nom

You went on your first airplane ride. You were SUCH a good baby. The intercom startled you the first few times, but then you slept the whole time!

Your biggest milestone, though, was this:

You just got SO FRUSTRATED with being on your belly that you decided you wouldn't anymore! You looked so confused the first few times! Now being on your belly doesn't seem to bug you so much, because you know you could get out of it if you wanted to.

We are so proud of you, bright-eyed boy. Your personality is getting stronger every day, and we love to see it!

Love you a bushel and a peck,

Mom and Dad

Off we go!

What a wonderful weekend! We went on a (very) quick trip to Oregon for my cousin Lacey's wedding to her fiancee Alex.

I wake up more often than I used to, what with the feeding of the Jesse and all, but I still usually get to sleep for about 7 hours altogether. After going to bed at one (because of course we packed the night before, even though we've known about this trip for forever) and Jesse eating at three, I was not my chipper self at our six-thirty departure time. Which is why it wasn't until we were halfway to the airport that I realized we forgot the camera. I was pretty disappointed - I've been really enjoying learning to use my camera - but I knew lots of other people would take pictures, and I'd get them eventually. For now, all I've got are some iPhone pictures.

After reading this post from Jenna, we decided to travel with Jesse in my Moby wrap. It was brilliant. I did have to take it off at the security checkpoint, but Jesse was content to just hang out and sleep. We got a lot of big smiles, too. I think people were tickled to see him looking all around with his big eyes. Some older ladies came up and cooed at him and said what a good idea it was. We checked his carseat at the gate (because we were renting a car in Oregon) and it came back in great condition.

Jesse LOVED being on the plane. I was really worried we were going to be those people - the really annoying ones that couldn't quiet their screaming child. But he was so good! He kept looking all around, back and forth, so he could see ALL THE NEW THINGS! Bonus: when traveling with a child, you get to be the first one on the plane! Bwah ha ha. I think Jon became a lot more amenible to traveling while Jesse is little after we learned that.

The majority of my Mom's family lives in Oregon, so we've been going there for Christmases and special occasions for longer than I can remember. I was actually born in Portland, and Mom says I have rainwater in my blood. Add to all of that that Jon and I went to Portlad and the Oregon coast on our honeymoon, and you've got a place that has a big section of my heart.

On our way to the wedding we stopped for some lunch at a lovely little place in Corvallis. They had gelato! Who expects really good passionfruit gelato in the middle of Oregon?

The wedding was beautiful. Lacey, my cousin, worked really hard so that everything would be very easy to set up the day of. My favorite part was when they came back down the aisle to this:




It took me a minute to realize what it was - doesn't it sound like a wedding march at the beginning?

Once the CRAZY dance party and adventures in the photobooth were over (I sure love my cousins), we headed back to Portland. We had booked our honeymoon hotel for the night, and planned on going to dinner or Powell's City of Books. But even though it was only 8pm when we checked in, we were just too exhausted.We ordered room service (I got a delicious cheese plate, and a slightly too-burnt creme brulee) and I fell asleep as we were eating dessert in bed.

Mom, you're a wimp.

We got to sleep in the next morning in our delicious king bed (well, I say sleep in. After his second feeding at six, Jesse came into bed with us and we all dozed until about eight). I took a bath in the lovely deep tub (do you see why I like this hotel so much?) while Jon got us breakfast. One order of pear, ham and brie french toast later, we were on our way back to the airport.

All in all, we were only gone for about 34 hours, but it still felt like a vacation. I've never flown to Oregon before - I definitely prefer it over the 14 hour drive! I'm also glad that Jesse is such a good traveler. Hopefully he'll get a lot more experience!

A book in any other form...

I used to have such scorn for audiobooks. I was a purist - I wanted to feel the book in my hand, smell the pages, put my own inflections on words and not have some narrator impose their voice on me. Then I started riding my bike to work, and discovered how listening to an audiobook can spice up the monotony. I decided to make it a rule that I could only listen to my book if I was doing something that was good for me (in the same way that you can have dessert after you eat your vegetables). Now I listen to them when I exercise, when I run errands, and while doing the dishes and other dreaded chores. It got even better when I learned that I can check out audiobooks from my library for free online.

I still have lots of books to listen to, but I'm curious about podcasts. Can anyone explain them to me? Does anyone have any good recommendations for awesome podcasts?

I still love physical books the best (for instance, they are easier to replace if, say, they get dropped in the tub) but it's awesome that I can get my reading fix another way!

Maggie, Jesse and the Binkys

My littlest sister, Maggie, is almost exactly 21 years younger than me. To put it another way, Jesse's aunt is only 3 years older than he is. I think it's great - Jesse will have someone older to play with and boss him around, and Maggie will learn how to share with someone younger (we hope!). I have an uncle that isn't much older than me, and he taught me how to shuffle cards and how to spot constellations. I can't wait to see what Maggie will teach Jesse.

Also, DIMPLE!

Maggie is adorable. She's very bubbly and talkative. Sometimes in a family of eight kids it's hard to get attention, and she's learned that she can be in the spotlight if she's cute, so she milks it for all it's worth. She was SO EXCITED when I was pregnant. She couldn't wait to hold the baby, and was very eager to teach him. She told me that I got pregnant because I "jumpded on da trampoline, and opened your mouth, and the baby went in'da tummy!" Mom even used Jesse to (successfully) wean her from binkys at bedtime. "The baby needs this, sweetie. Can we put it in the bag for the baby?"

When my siblings came to visit me in the hospital, she proudly presented me with the bag of binkys, gave me a kiss and began happily pushing buttons on my bed. Then we introduced her to Jesse.

She was having NONE of that. Wouldn't look at him, wouldn't touch him, nothing. I'm not sure if she realized that her spot as the adorable youngest one was being usurped, or if she was just uncomfortable with this small thing that just lay there, but she was very much not pleased and NOT interested in cooperating.

Until we asked if she wanted to give Jesse a binky.

All of the sudden he was DOING something. Something she understood! Binkys were the best and that was something they had in common! Maybe this baby thing wasn't so bad.

Since then, though, she hasn't been really eager to interact with Jesse very much. She gets shy and a little apprehensive when he is around, and seems to view him as a necessary evil.

I babysat her this morning while my mom was on her way to a wedding (that's what I get for living in the same neighborhood as my parents!). We colored, and played with puppets, and read stories.

This is a ribbon.

While I was fixing lunch, Jesse started fussing. "Could you put his binky in, hon?" After a minute: "He dun want it." Fuss fuss fuss. I got to a stopping point and came over. "See, sweetie, you put his binky in, then hold his cheek like this. Now he's better! He just wanted a little attention." She watched me for a minute, then twirled away, uninterested.

A little while later, I was...otherwise occupied (okay, I was in the bathroom) and Jesse started fussing again. I sighed to myself and started wrapping up, and all of the sudden he stopped. When I came into the living room, Maggie was sitting next to him with her hand on his cheek, saying "Shh, Jesse, is okay. Don' worry, Jesse." just like she had hear me say earlier. She beamed up at me with that dimply grin. "Look! I helpded him!" Yes, you did, sweet girl.

 

She might still get a little nervous, but I'm confident these two are going to be great friends.

Cookie Dough for Family Night

Jon and I have been making a real effort to have Family Night on Monday nights. It's good for us to have a set time when we put away our computers and other distractions and actually interact with each other. We'd like to have this just be a habit by the time Jesse is old enough to participate. We usually watch a talk from General Conference, or a TED talk, or we'll just...talk.

But when I was growing up, the most important part of Family Night was the TREAT. What are we having for treats? Now it's just part of my programing! We probably would have ice cream often, but Jesse is dairy-sensitive, so I've had to be creative. It's been a ton of fun coming up with things to try - I always love baking, and it helps to have an excuse! Some of my desserts are a flop. I tried mushed bananas and chocolate on a frosted graham cracker crust and it was much too sweet and quickly turned an unappetizing shade of brown. Sometimes, though, I get a hit!

We've always loved cookies - Jon and I even had a chocolate-chip-cookie bake-off while we were dating (The verdict? Mine won when cooked, but Jon had the best dough. Of course, it was my extended family judging, so they are a little biased). Eating raw eggs in cookie dough usually doesn't bother me, but it's nice to have a recipe where it's not a concern!

This recipe also reminds me of my cousin, who used to (still does?) eat boxes of cake mix with just a little water added. Someday she's going to open The Unbakery, and serve all this deliciousness to the public!


Raw Cookie Dough
Recipe adapted from Cupcake Project

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (if you use milk chips, reduce the amount of vanilla or it will be too sweet)
5 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup butter, melted (She uses 3/4 c, but that was too greasy for me. I upped the milk to compensate)
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (I only had half a bag, and wished for more chocolate!)

Mix together dry ingredients.

Add wet ingredients.

Add chocolate chips.

That's it! Enjoy! Stef suggests spreading this as a layer in a cake, or using it as chunks in ice cream. A commenter offered up dipping dough balls in chocolate and making cookie dough truffles, which I DEFINITELY need to try. I froze mine, though. My mom used to freeze leftover cookie dough so she wouldn't have too many cookies in the house, and I used to sneak out and eat the dough as a snack. Just doing my part, Mom!

Copy-Kendi

I am now the proud owner of an awesome striped shirt! I looked around for some inspiration and found this outfit from Kendi.

And my take, with smaller stripes:

Ooh la la, this outfit is so French! I feel like I should be sitting at a sidewalk cafe outside of the Eiffel Tower!

Unfortunately, there aren't any restaurants near the Eiffel Tower that aren't ridiculously expensive and touristy. I should know - my friends and I walked around for 45 minutes trying to find something that wasn't insanely priced! There is, however, an unassuming carnival-type stand right across from the Tower that has the most amazing crepes for about a euro. Get lemon and sugar - c'est magnifique!

(see that yellow on the left? That's it!)

Also, the walk from Notre Dame to the Eiffel Tower is about a 5k. It's a little painful in strappy sandals, and is not recommended to do on an empty stomach. Best to just chin up and deal with the rude French cabbie.

(At Notre Dame Cathedral in 2010 on my anniversary trip with Jon)

Apparently, this is just a French scarf!


Striped top: Forever 21
Orange scarf: Gift from grandparents from Mongolia
Brown belt: Borrowed from Jon
Black skirt: Mr. Mac
Brown heels: Don't remember
Black earrings: Forever 21

Snippets from this week

First there was this:

(click to embiggen)

Then there was this:

Jon: Man, I named the NAS wrong. The media center PC that's using it is named Charon - I should have named it Styx instead of NAS1A. What was I thinking?

Yeah, like this.



Jon: ...I'm sorry I'm a geek.

Me: It's okay. I knew who I was marrying.

5 things that have been on my to-do list for over a month

You know those things around the house that you keep thinking, "Oh, I should do that!" and then you never get around to them? Here are some of mine. Hopefully telling them to you will shame me into finishing!

1. Unpack hospital bag. Okay, this is just embarrassing. Jesse is 2 1/2 months old, for heaven's sake, and it's still hanging out in the corner of my closet. Ridiculous. Wait here a bit. Okay, done. Unpack hospital bag. Hey, it's working already!

2. Organize/clean out top drawer in nightstand. It's kind of my junk drawer for paper things. Programs to events, wedding invitations, church handouts, anything I might want later goes in. And never sees the light of day again.

3. Sort through books. Never-ending but very necessary. I used to have a really hard time getting rid of books (what if I wanted to read it again?!) but there is just no room! Now I have a one in-one out rule, and I'm a little (very) behind.

4. Jesse's birth story. I wrote it all up for my sister in Poland, now it just needs pictures. Is that something you guys would be interested in reading, or should I just keep it to myself?

5. Preserve my wedding dress. I...just don't have anything to say about this.

What's on your list?

Tidying Up

Much to the chagrin of my slightly-OCD husband, I am not an organized person (Don't feel too bad for him, he knew what he was getting into when he married me). Even a small amount of clutter drives him a little nuts, but I just don't notice it. It doesn't compute in my brain that a few catalogs, some boxes and a borrowed pot on the table equals a mess. (Probably because when I lived at home, the floor of my room was usually knee-deep with clothes, books, and various papers. See, honey, I'm so much better than I was!)

There is one exception to the chaos that is me: my closet.

Yes, my closet is color coded. It's the one area of my life that actually has some organization. I tell myself it just makes it easier to find things, but really, there is a (tiny) part of me that cries out for order, neatness and the American Way! My closet makes that tiny sorter fall over in relief and joy.

(No guarantees that all of my clothes are actually IN the closet. Usually they hang out in the clean laundry basket until I wear them. I'm working on that. But when they ARE put away, there is order.)

Can you imagine the reaction of that poor neglected organizer inside my head when Natalie linked to this?





"Oooh, it's nice. Such tidiness. Such harmony. Look how lovely it is! I bet we could do that to everything! Come on, you know you want to..."

So I indulged my inner neat-freak and went over to The Art of Clean Up. And that's where the real trouble started.





"The STARS? We could clean up the STARS! THE STARS MUST BE SORTED! MUAH HAHAHA!"

Awesome. Now my internal unclutterer is a psychopath who wants to take over the world. I guess she's been repressed for way too long - the closet just isn't enough of an outlet anymore.

Go check out the pictures, and then watch the HILARIOUS artist, Ursus Wehrl, at TED, and then tell me YOUR inner neat freak doesn't become a little unbalanced.

The Joys of Commenting

Dear Friends,

I've been trying to figure out how to reply to your comments in a way that you will actually see it, instead of always having to come back here. I think I've figured it out.

If you link your email to your blogger account, then I can respond! Otherwise when I try, I just see the no-reply@blogger.com and that's sad.

It's really easy:

Go to your Dashboard, click on "Edit Profile"



Make sure that the box that says "Show my email address" is checked.



Voila! Now I can reply to your comments! If you don't want to link to your email address, totally fine. But Buddha Bubby is pleased if you do.

Skipping School

One day when I was eight, my mom said my sister and I didn't have to go to school that day. I was really surprised - Mom would often keep us home for special occasions, but it was only the first week of school. She packed our backpacks with some snacks and coloring books, and we were off on an adventure!

We pulled up to a house that I didn't even notice. I was too distracted by the huge expanse of lawn dotted with big white event tents. We sat down on the folding chairs in one of the tents, and a gentleman got on stage with an polka-dotted bow tie and a lovely Southern drawl. And Donald Davis told us a story.



He told us about Miss Daisy, his fourth-grade teacher, who helped them plan a trip around the world instead of teaching them out of the textbook. They calculated the distance between the Nile and the Amazon, but they never did math. They plotted a trip through all seven continents, but never studied geography. And when one boy got lice and had his head shaved, Miss Daisy told the class it was a sacrifice to Neptune, god of the sea. Donald stood with his hands on his hips, arms akimbo and face scrunched up as he told us how Miss Daisy dealt with a bully.

I was enthralled. The whole day went on like that, with wonderful tellers and amazing stories that stuck in my head and blossomed in my imagination. I was already a voracious reader, and this was like a book but better! I was PART of the story they told. I could sing along and laugh and listen and all of that helped the teller make the story better. My sister and I didn't pull out our coloring books once. 

Stories are woven into the fiber of our culture. They are how we learn, how we remember, how we empathize with someone we don't know. I've had my heart touched by a woman telling how her parents' love could bend steel. I've learned, through stories, that humor is a wonderful way to deal with a problem, and if something is embarrassing now, it will probably be HILARIOUS later.

That little festival that I went to at Karen Ashton's home is now a national festival with its own park in Provo Canyon - the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. I have never missed once in sixteen years. It's the beginning of autumn for me, and I look forward to it every year. This Labor Day weekend, I got to take my son. I know he isn't old enough yet, but he'll understand soon. 

Donald Davis, still telling, still in his bow tie, was there again this year. I went and shook his hand and said, "Thank you."

Day 21: Elegant and a Bit Flirty

Retrohipmama said that my patterned tights were "elegant and a bit flirty" and I thought, "That is EXACTLY the look I'm going for." I have never been able to articulate what my style was, and in just a few words she hit it on the nose!

That's one of the things I've loved most about this challenge. I feel like I have a better handle on how I want to dress. I want to be lady-like without being stuffy, to be as comfortable and stylish in a tee shirt as in stilettos. I want to put together my favorite colors in new ways, like I did here, and add some of my favorite jewelry and feel lovely all day. I need to be on the lookout for more patterns, though.



It's also done wonders for my self-esteem - all of you lovely people saying kind things have made me feel much better about my post-baby body. Thank you! I'm so excited to have made new friends, and gotten in better contact with beloved old ones. I hope you all will stick around and see what else our crazy family can come up with.

I'm sad that today is the last day. This has been so much fun! The inspiration to get ready every day has been really good for getting me in the habit. I do have to say, I may lounge around in pajamas ALL DAY tomorrow, just because I can.



Anything you think just didn't really work on me? Any favorite outfits I shouldn't miss repeating?

Plum sweater: Mervyn's
Mustard shirt: Macy's
Black skirt: Mr. Mac
Plum shoes: Primark in London
Pearl-like necklace: Thrifted
Gold necklace: Tower of London
Mayflower earrings: Plimoth