happy 2012!!!

2011 was an exciting year for us...

mainly welcoming hugo and becoming a family of 3 plus the zoo.

i couldn't ask for more.

wishing everyone a happy and healthy year to come!

Another yummy oatmeal...

You may wonder why I am constantly eating and posting about oatmeal...
Oatmeal is good for milk production. On top of that it's a healthy hearty breakfast and quick and easy.

Today's concoction...
Inspired by a yummy cookie I had from Tim Hortons...

Easy peasy. Just add sliced almonds, shredded coconut, a bit of brown sugar to your oatmeal and sprinkle with a few chocolate chips.

Yum!

Sent from my iPhone

I still miss you Buzz...

It's been a year and a half since Buzz died and the tank is sitting half empty.
I wanted another frog (or so I thought) but after several trips to look at frogs I just couldn't bring myself to replace him.
So now, I have finally decided to empty out the tank and try something totally different.

I'm going to try convict cichlids.
They have zebra stripes!

Thanks to the gift cards I got for Christmas I can get started on it right away.

New Project

I am going to attempt to finish a set of these blocks for Hugo.
The prototype turned out pretty much just how I wanted it so now I just have to decide on colors for Hugo's set.
Decisions, decisions.

happy times...

i received a parcel in the mail today... best present i self gifted EVER.
i have two hands free again for the first time in 2 months!
anyone who has read my previous blog posts about hugo knows that my little monkey loves being held pretty much ALL the time.
this has made it pretty tricky to get much done around the house.
even eating has been difficult when he won't let me put him down without screaming.
i have resorted to eating some pretty strange things just because i could prepare and eat them with one hand. ok... prepare would be stretching it a bit... i'm talking about things like eating a whole cucumber and just biting at it like a rabbit and then a chicken breast that had been intended to be warmed up and put on a salad but instead ended up being eaten out of  a ziploc bag cold.
this was not an everyday thing, but for the most part i would get hugo to go down, then make a mad dash to the kitchen to wash his bottles and throw something together for myself to eat. fingers crossed that i'd actually have time to eat it before he woke up.
usually i just ended up eating luke warm or cold food.

now i have my Mei Tai wrap... best invention ever.
to whoever created this contraption... I LOVE YOU!!! a LOT!
i love holding hugo but it can be really hard and super frustrating knowing that you can't even put him down for 5 minutes without screaming.
i know he will still cry and i will not be able to wear him 24-7 but its a pretty awesome solution since i was holding him anyways.... now i can hold him and be productive at the same time.

Tasty Tuesday - Lazy Day

I like oatmeal, but let's face it... Not the most exciting thing to eat.

My solution...
Stir in a spoonful of peanut butter, a sprinkle of brown sugar, stir well and top with a few chocolate chips.

Memory Monday

boys will be boys?

and it starts.

sorry for the dark blurry picture but i didn't want to miss the picture!

2 months!!

happy 2 months hugo!
time is really flying by...
hugo has grown so much in the past month.

his last weigh in was 2 weeks ago at 8 lbs 5 oz so i'm going to guess here that he's sitting around 10 lbs now if he kept up his lb a week growth rate. my arm feels like he has!

a few things about hugo...
he loves being held (a lot)
snuggles on the couch are his favorite :)
every morning when we get up and he's all smiles and coos when i say good morning to him.
he can grab onto stuff and has a really firm grip.
he found his hands. he will attempt to suck on his first knuckle sometimes when he's falling asleep.
he will sleep for up to 5 hours now. usually its about 3 but sometimes longer.
he likes holding onto my finger when he's eating.
he likes raspberries on his belly. they make him laugh.
officially moved into size 1 diapers!
newborn clothes is starting to get too small... well too short. he's a lanky little thing!

and the picture...

tasty tuesday christmas almond cherry bars

what you'll need...

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup maraschino cherries coarsely chopped and drained
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup shredded coconut

what you need to do...

preheat oven to 350
cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy
beat in egg and almond extract
stir in flour, baking powder and salt until just blended.
stir in chocolate chips, cherries, almonds and coconut
spread into a lightly greased 9x13 pan
bake 25-30 minutes
cool completely before cutting.

what i sometimes do differently...
i skip the chocolate. don't get me wrong. i LOVE chocolate. but i love almond and maraschino cherries all by themselves. the consistency is a bit different without the chocolate but i like them better without.
i eat enough chocolate. one recipe without it is ok. i will not lose my chocolate lovers club membership for it. i'm sure.

7 week weigh in...

8 lbs  oz!
he's gained another lb in the past week.
definitely making up for lost time.

here is a quick picture of him happy as a fuzzy bear...

memory monday

this is Smiley.
he was the sweetest dog ever.

also, i think if hugo was bigger and i put him in a dress he would look a lot like this.

its tasty on friday too...

since it's the christmas season and there is just so much baking and cookie eating that needs to be done i thought i'd throw in a few extra recipes here and there...

this basic german cookie can be adapted in SO many ways. for the most part you can add whatever you want! spices, cocoa, flavor extracts... whatever you're feeling like when you make them.

Basic Spritz

2/3 cup sugar
1 cup butter (i sometimes use margerine if thats all i have in the fridge)
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour


heat oven to 400F
in a large mixer bowl combine sugar, butter, egg, salt, and vanilla.
beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until mixture is light and fluffy (2-3 min)
add flour (if you want to add food coloring add it now)
beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed (2-3 min)
fill your cookie press and press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheets about an inch apart.
decorate with colored sugar or sprinkles!
bake for 6-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

this recipe makes about 60 cookies give or take (depending on your cookie press - mine makes closer to 80 because it makes itty bitty dainty cookies).

these are delicious with almond extract instead of vanilla!

enjoy!