Slowing Down

"Be still and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10

We experienced much slower paced days the past two weeks thanks to the snow. Jilly is not in school, but the school closings impacted our regular activities. We haven't been to Bible study the past two weeks, we didn't have MOPS and we did not have Kindermusik. We did not feel the need to head out and do things around town, either, opting instead to hang around the house. I know some parents are excited that school resumed today, ready to shoo kids back out the door so they can have a little peace and time to themselves. But I rather enjoyed being holed up these past few days. And the more we were "stuck" home the better our groove. The most frustrating part, for me, was not knowing what day of the week it was.

We did some art activities, a bit of baking and a lot of reading, but most of all we simply relaxed and took care of a little house business. I am blessed to have a child who can entertain herself for long periods of time. I cannot count the hours that JillyBean spent, mostly alone, in her toy room playing with her horses and trains, building bridges and castles, reading to her babies, and hosting tea parties. I know that I have mentioned this on several occasions, but her imagination excites me more than almost any of her other attributes and abilities. She's a thinker and is going to be a leader.

We were able to go to church yesterday and I was happy to see that she slipped right back into a "classroom" setting with ease. I was somewhat scared that we would revert to her shy self and not want us to leave her. AWANAS was another special outing last night, and again, she was happy to back with her teachers and friends.

I am thrilled that our regular activities will resume this week and that they should not be interrupted again. It is important for us to socialize and build on our relationship with others, but I am also happy to know that Jilly and I can make it just fine alone when necessary.

Woo Hoo For Number 2

Today was a good day at Potty Training Camp. JillyBean actually poopied in the potty this morning. It was quite an accomplishment. She was extremely proud, but even happier to finally get a lollipop for a reward.

We ventured out for a play date and she had an accident shortly after we arrived. This is where things can get frustrating, but I refuse to let this be a stressful process. She went to the potty and not five minutes later I realized that she pooed in her pants. Thankfully it wasn't bad (and I'm sorry for too much information), but still it shows how potty training can wear on a parent. She had just been to the potty. Why couldn't she have told me she needed to go again? This is where I need to remember that I am an adult and she is a child.

Sometimes I wonder if we expect too much from two-year-olds. They have been in this world for a very short two years, yet it seems like we expect they develop manners and a level of understanding and compassion that many adults don't display. I don't remember being out in public around strangers as much when I was a child as kids are today. We certainly didn't eat in restaurants as often as we do now. Preschool was not a concept that was considered until age four - there was nursery school, but no preschool.

So much is going on in their tiny little brains right now. On one side there is this great need to become independent but on the other side they have a need to be babied. I mentioned in my last post that my attitude toward potty training this time around has changed making the process a little bit easier. That attitude has also spilled over into the rest of our daily interactions and I have noticed fewer outbursts and tantrums (from both of us). I feel as if I am a bit more relaxed as a parent now; not relaxed in that I've given up and I'm giving in, but relaxed in a way that allows me to enjoy parenthood more. I have learned to take deep breaths and pray for strength when I feel frustrated and that calmness seems to wash over Jilly. After all, she is not the only one who has had two short years to figure out life. I entered uncharted waters only two years ago as well.

today Jilly is thankful for Ma

Dinner Bell

A friend of a friend recently started a new blog that I am following. Bringing Dinner Back chronicles one family's goal to eat at least one meal together every day for 53 weeks. Their journey interests me because eating as a family is extremely important to me.

As a kid we almost always had dinner together; even during the years that I played softball and the week was filled with either practice or games. And both of my parents worked outside the home. My memories of the ritual are not all happy. In fact, I tend to remember shedding a lot of tears because my father would torture me by making me eat peas, lima beans, or some other nasty stuff. As an aside, I will not put a pea anywhere near mouth today, yet my child cannot get enough of them. Still, looking back, family dinner was important because no matter how many battles I lost in regard to the food I ate, it was a time that we were all together and could talk without distractions.

According to my husband, his mother read an article recently about parents who believe that children should "earn" their way to the family dinner table. The information from the article comes to me third hand, so I may be taking it out of its original context, but essentially the story said that some families make their children eat separate from the rest of the family until they learn the proper way to sit and act at the table. This idea appalls me. Since I view the dinner table as an extension of the family, I do not believe that anyone should have to earn their place in that family. Plus, how can a child learn the proper way to act at the table unless that child sees it modeled for them? I understand that some families have crazy schedules and it simply does not work to hold dinner, but no one should be cast aside.

The ritual is not always easy with a toddler. I am lucky that Jilly is a pretty good eater. I do not make it a habit to make a separate meal for her, though I usually include at least one thing that I know she will eat (I'm usually safe with peas and green beans). I admit that there are nights when she has gone to bed without eating dinner. I am OK with that because I do not believe that children will allow themselves to starve and that they go through phases when they simply aren't hungry at dinner time. However, I do break the rule and prepare something different for her when I'm in the mood for a dish I know she won't eat - like spicy shrimp creole.

Each Friday I compose a weekly menu, which is when I do my weekly grocery shopping trip. I make a list each week of what is needed for each meal along with staples (milk, bread, cereal, etc.) and buy only what is on the list, unless there is some super special (the store where I shop often has buy-one-get-one-free deals on meat so I'll buy even if it's not on the list so I can build it into a future menu). This can be a pretty daunting task over time. I tend to get bored with certain dishes but they're easy and I know everyone will eat them. It is also very hard to be the main person who sets the dinner agenda every single day of the week, every week of the month, every month of the year. But by doing this, we are able to wrangle our grocery budget and I'm not staring at the inside of the refrigerator at 5 p.m. each night trying to figure out what to make. The list is on the refrigerator door so even BeanieDaddy knows what to expect each night. It also keeps our household budget under control with fewer dinners/lunches out since BeanieDad doesn't mind taking leftovers to work. I buy fresh and usually organic vegetables, and we don't do prepared foods. Therefore, coupon clipping doesn't help much with the bottom line. Still, I get away with spending between $70 and $90 each week and that includes at least one meal with fresh fish.

My hope is that not only will Jilly be exposed to all kinds of food and develop a diverse palate but that dinner time is when we can connect as a family. I know that sitting down together each night may become more difficult as Jilly gets older and has her own social calendar, but hopefully putting this practice into place now will make it easier.

Me and My Girl

Beanie Nana and great-grandmother were in town this past week and it was nice having them here to visit. On Friday, JillyBean decided she wanted to stay home with them instead of accompanying me on our weekly grocery trip. At first I thought that it was a great idea - I would be able to run in, knock out everything on the list and get home in no time.

As soon as I started my trek over the mountain I began to get a little sad. I kept looking in my rear view mirror to see Jilly and had to stop myself several times from asking her a question. It was very lonely. Plus, it didn't take me any less time to shop than if she would have been with me. It hammered home a notion that I had often felt but never truly realized until then - I like being with my daughter.

Jilly has a very independent spirit. As she grows older she is more willing to explore that side of herself. Also, she is at the age where we are having to consider placing her in preschool. Is this something we want to do now or wait until she's closer to school age? I certainly don't think she needs to go to preschool to get a jump start on her academics. Everything that they teach them at this age is what we do on a daily basis at home - letters, colors, numbers, etc. I don't think she needs it for socialization because she plays with so many different kids on a daily basis. Some parents view the three hours their children is in preschool as an opportunity for them to have their own time, or a brief break from parenthood. I have mixed feelings about this. For one, Jilly does need to get used to being away from me and in the care of "strangers." But she's doing well with her Sunday school class as well as at MOPs. And, frankly, I don't know what I would do without her.

I made the decision a year-and-a-half ago to stay home with her and I am not ready to be without her. Sure, there are a few things that I could do every now and again that would be easier without having to take her with me, but overall, those are very few and far between.

She's my buddy. And I mean that in the sense that I really enjoy being with my child and not that I'm her "friend" more so than I am her mother. I enjoy her company. She makes me laugh and I love hearing her stories and her perspective on everything that she sees and experiences. Our time together is fleeting. Soon she will be in school, she'll be running out the door to play with her friends, she'll go off to college and, well, move on with her own life. I am not ready to let go of her now.

Life Lessons

I knew that it had been a while since I had posted, but I didn't think that it had been this long. I checked in a couple of weeks ago, saw the previous post then was too ashamed to start up again. It's kind of like that old friend who you haven't talked to in a while but both of you are embarrassed to pick up the phone and call each other then pretty soon the friendship dissolves. That is not my intention here.

So much has happened the past couple of months. We have moved and JillyBean is growing much faster than I ever expected. I will update on that soon - promise - but something happened the other day and I have have to write about it so that I can move past it. Hopefully.

We live in a new neighborhood that is filled with kids and most are around the same age - elementary school. Jilly has two little friends who we have known for about a year, and it is nice to have them so close by for play time. I love it here because it is nice to know that kids still actually play outside. I hear them running around after dark and it reminds me of summer when I was a kid. I was pretty shocked one night when I heard them outside our back window playing red rover. I didn't think that today's more sophisticated children knew about that game.

On Tuesday Jilly woke up from her nap and a group of girls and boys were at "war" with one another. Boys against girls, water gun style. Jilly wanted to go out and watch them play, so we took a walk. The battle had pretty much come to an end by the time we got outside, but the girls were making sure they were prepared in case the boys returned. Their water blasters were locked and loaded.

For as friendly and fun as JillyBean is, she has developed a shy side. I encourage her to "be brave" when she approaches new kids and when she wants to play with them. I let her know that if she stands back, she may miss out on the fun. So as we approached these girls - who are between the ages of 7 and 10 - she looked at me and said "I'm going to ask, mama." That meant she was going to ask if she could play with them. I told her to be brave and if she wanted to play that she needed to get closer to them so that they could hear he ask. She inched her way toward the group and kept looking back at me for encouragement. I told her to keep going.

Now, these girls are super sweet and they really enjoy helping out with the little ones around here, but I don't think they really know what to do when a two-year-old approaches them; especially when they've just completed a battle with the opposite sex. There came a point when an invisible line seemed to be drawn between Jilly and the girls and they just stared at each other. I stayed back and did not let the girls know what she was doing, just to see what would happen. Soon, Jilly retreated but I was proud of the progress that she had made.

What went through my mind next has been weighing on me ever since. I suddenly got a flash of the day when my child will want to play with a group of friends and they'll tell her that they don't want to play with her. I can see it now: she'll run home with tears in her eyes, heart broken not understanding why kids she plays with on a regular basis all of a sudden don't want to be her friend. Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes so I can't begin to imagine what it will be like when it actually happens. On the other hand, I am also sure that there will be a day when she will be the mean girl and say something like that to her friend, but that's for a different post.

For the past couple of days I have been playing the scenario over and over in my head. I don't know why I am obsessing on this. I think that mothers of girls have a very unique role compared to mothers of boys. The self-confidence of girls is so fragile and the desire to be accepted is so strong. I am trying hard to instill in Jilly that she is a very special and very loved little girl. That no matter what happens or whatever anyone says, she will always be loved by her family and, most importantly, by God. I tell her that she is lucky to have so many people who love her. I let her know that God made her a very special and that no one is like her. I encourage her and praise her uniqueness. I know that when you're a kid, though, it doesn't matter how much mom and dad showers you with love, if the kid down the street makes fun of you then it's the end of the world.

What I have concluded is that the best thing to say to her is nothing at all. When she comes home at 5, 15, 25 or even 35 with a broken heart, my job is to be waiting for her with open arms and a shoulder to cry on.

Sweet Temptations

I am a follower of a fabulous cake designer's blog called Cake Journal. This woman makes some amazing cakes and I can only wish that I had half of her talent. Actually, what I really need is the patience to make such beautiful creations.

I can say that I do make pretty good cakes. I can usually bake pretty well. It's the decorating part where I fall short. So, I was super duper excited to see a new e-mail pop up in my in box from Williams-Sonoma touting their new cookie cake pan.

The recipe is for a chocolate cake and you can either spread frosting between to two ends or ice cream. I vote for ice cream.

Hello Spring

I know that we're a couple of days late, but we're so happy that spring is here. That means that swimming pool season is just a few short weeks away, and nothing is better than swimming pool season. It also means a new season of hats for JillyBean. The one above is last year's Easter hat and it still works this year. We have already purchased a new brightly colored striped straw hat for play, a white straw hat for Easter, a sun hat for the beach and pool, and are in dire need of a new Red Sox hat for the upcoming baseball season. That would probably make a great birthday gift. Rarely can we leave the house without Bean wanting to put on a hat. She must get that love of hats from her Great, Great, Great Aunt Arcena (whom she shares her middle name). It's funny because I can't get her to keep a bow in her hair but she would wear a hat to bed if I let her.

I have had every intention to returning this into a daily blog but have not made myself do it. It sure isn't for a lack of things to discuss, I simply have not taken the time to plop myself down in front of the computer each night to record the day's events. In addition, this week has been a little nuts. I had the stomach flu for a day and a half (thankfully JillyBean didn't catch it and thankfully BeanieDad is fabulous and stayed home from work to take care of things), and now I am up to my ears in consignment sale items. Those will be out the door by Wednesday and I plan to return to my regular blogging schedule - promise.

In the meantime, we hope that everyone is blessed with the same gorgeous weather we have had the past few days and are able to enjoy the lovely color that is painting the landscape this time of year.

Ten Things

This blog post was inspired by Amanda Soule and is a great way for me to recap the month.

Ten things I'm loving these days:
1. The last bit of princess cake leftover from my birthday. Even though it's terribly stale and has only a hint of the sweetness I tasted in my first bite, it makes me happy and brings back the memory of a wonderful family celebration.

2. The Advent devotional that my mother-in-law sent. It has reminded me how important it is to be still, especially during this hectic time of the year.

3. The excitement that JillyBean displays each morning she comes downstairs to see that the Christmas tree is still there.

4. That my mother is still filled with the Christmas spirit in spite of the bah humbug-ness displayed by some of our family members this year.

5. Josh Groban's rendition of Little Drummer Boy and how JillyBean sings along with the ba rum ba bum bum portion, using her legs for a drum.

6. Josh Groban's rendition of I'll Be Home For Christmas even though it makes me cry every time I hear the voices of the service men and women who won't be home for Christmas. On the same note, it makes me happy thinking of a good friend whose husband is coming home for Christmas.

7. Baking Christmas treats and the wonderful memories that flood my mind of doing the same with my Grandmother.

8. The nightly ritual of finding a new place to put the Elf.

9. Allowing JillyBean to believe in Santa Claus as an easy-to-grasp lesson in goodness and having faith in something that you can't always see.

10. A husband who I want to find something special for, but who I know will be happy with new boxers and a book.

'Tis the Season to be Popping

Beanie Dad and I put together our little gifts to his directors tonight: Party Popcorn.

I had planned to make this for his staff just to give them a break from all of the cookies and candy you typically get during the holidays. I did a trial run for our mom's club cookie exchange last week since the cookies I planned to make were a bust (the recipe said it would make 52 and I only got 32 and I had to make 6 dozen).

I found the cute popcorn containers in Target's dollar section, which I think makes a super cute presentation.

Here's the recipe:

1 cup of popcorn
2 tablespoons of oil for popping
1/2 stick of butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
4 teaspoons sugar
4 teaspoons kosher salt

Pop your popcorn on the stove top.
Melt butter and spices
Pour butter mixture over popcorn
Place popcorn in a brown paper bag and shake
Enjoy!

Whew!

So today we mailed out 65 Christmas cards, wrapped nearly every gift that we've purchased, and prepared gifts to be mailed tomorrow to Okie City and New Mexico.

I feel very accomplished.

Pardon the Interruption

I know that it's been a couple of weeks since my last post and it's not that there's been nothing exciting to share. Things have been busy thanks to the Christmas rush and my taking on a writing assignment. However, I have been keeping notes (aka: traditional written journal) and will return later this week to put it all here (probably Thursday since Beanie Dad will be working).

In the meantime, I would like to share the newest addition to my holiday cookie collection. I made these this afternoon and they are absolutely fabulous. I got it from my coveted December issue of Real Simple magazine: Ginger Chocolate-Chip Bars. They are simply divine, super easy to make and the ginger puts a fun twist on traditional chocolate chip bars. I tried four new recipes this year and this is the only one that will make it through to next year and beyond.

Imagine

JillyBean's affection for Winnie the Pooh has grown the past couple of months. It's a love affair that couldn't make me any happier.

Pooh was my favorite fairy tale character when I was a kid. I wore clothes that had him on them, had stuffed bears, read the books. My dad's nickname for me was Pooh, and he calls me that from time to time today.

Me and Pooh on my fourth birthday

I recorded Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin on Monday for me and JillyBean to watch. It's a fairly new movie that loosely touches on the final chapter of A. A. Milne's fabulous tale of a young boy and his adventures with his stuffed bear. It brought tears to my eyes thinking about how the story of Pooh and Christoper Robin ends with The House at Pooh Corner. Even as I type this my eyes are welling up with tears. It basically boils down to the fact that Christopher Robing grew up and was told that there were more pressing things to do with his time than to play make believe. He was simply too old to play with Pooh and friends.

It's very sad to think about life getting to the point where such "nonsense" is unacceptable. I watch Jilly and see her imagination grow daily and it's those little things that make me so happy that we brought her into this world. I have watched her set her stuffed animals in a row so that she can sit down and "read" to them. She lies in bed when she's not exactly ready to fall asleep or when she first wakes up and sings to the half dozen animals who sleep with her. She feels the need to share her snacks with her Lilly frog. Elmo must always be by her side when she watches Elmo's World. And today she pulled out her stuffed monkeys to play the drum while I read Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumbs.

The magic of childhood is an amazing thing and something that will break my heart when it goes away.

"Pooh, promise you won't forget  about  me,  ever.  Not
even when I'm a hundred."
-Christopher Robin

The Chair

This training potty has been in our home for about two months. JillyBean has been introduced to the concept of going "wet" in a big-girl potty for a little while and we made the decision to start potty training her at 18 months. Well, we missed that mark by a month and are doing it for real this month. Actually, we're going to start in two weeks - the week of Thanksgiving because we have no outside activities planned (no Mother Goose Time, no Kindermusik, and no Little Gym). We're going to stay home and do a potty training boot camp and see how it goes.

We have made the decision not to use Pull Ups because I really want JillyBean to know that she's wet. I understand that the Pull Ups get cold when they're wet, but it can't be the same thing. So, after doing a lot of research I ordered Potty Patty training pants. They arrived on Friday making this whole exercise very real. Up until now Bean goes potty at bath time and each morning after she gets out of bed. We have made this a routine and I have noticed that every now and again she'll ask to go on her own. She has been letting us know that she's wet for some time so now we need to get her figure out how to let us know ahead of time.

I never really realized what a commitment potty training is but, like everything else with kids, consistency is the key. I have learned from other moms that the best way to do it is to stay home and really reinforce using the "big" potty. My Grandmother potty trained me when I was 12 months old and I'm sure it's because she was so focused on it. I believe that the parent has to be in the right frame of mind just like the child. If I'm not ready then she'll never be ready. But she's been giving us signals that she is ready to make this next step so I have got to prepare myself.

There are books on how to train in a day or three days but I don't want to be that hard core. We're going to work on it for the week and if it works then great and if not, we'll try it again another time.

Girls' Night In

Tonight was the first of what will surely be many "Girls' Night In" events with Beanie Mom and JillyBean. Beanie Dad had to work since Jay Z was performing, so JB and I put on our PJs a bit early, popped some Kettle Corn, heated up some of our CSA's fabulous fresh apple cider, kicked back on the couch and watched Toy Story. It was a lot of fun. Jilly LOVES popcorn and really dug the warm cider. It's funny because she hasn't had juice before so this was a bit of a treat.

She got to bed about an hour later than normal and was completely wiped. She didn't even want to read a story. I was afraid that she'd be a bit wired after the cider and Kettle Corn, but she appeared to be pooped.

I can't wait for us to have more evenings like this. It was fun cuddling on the couch together. Her sweet side really showed as she would scoot close to me and throw her arms around my neck and kiss me on the cheek. I doubt she really "got" the movie, but she seemed to realize that this was a special event. It also was the first time that she has actually sat through an entire feature length film. I really wanted to watch The Devil Wears Prada (because I can watch that every day and also because Beanie Dad and I watched Adrian Grenier in Season 4 of Entourage last night), but figured that we should hold off on that for a couple more years.

Twisted Pumpkin

Kappa Prep had posted a yummy looking Martha Stewart recipe a couple of weeks ago and I made it for dinner last night - penne pasta with creamy pumpkin sauce. Yum! The only strange thing was getting past the idea that the sauce wouldn't taste like pumpkin spice like I'm used to having in a pie or pumpkin bread. You know how your brain is used to something being one way but it isn't so it takes a bit for you to get used to the new thing? That's what it was like with this recipe. Still, it was a success and something that will be made again.

The deviation that I made from the recipe was not garnishing it with the toasted rosemary. A couple of reviewers didn't care for it so I passed on it, too. I did toast/fry it as the recipe says just to have the flavor, but tossed it out.

I is for Irrational Fear

Today was cookie painting day with a group from the mom's club. And remember my freak out the other day? Totally unwarranted. Everyone had so much fun and the kids actually painted the cookies. Imagine that. I had thought that the kids would run around while the moms decorated the cookies. But wow, once again they proved me, and probably the rest of the moms, wrong.

One of the best things that I did was bring up JillyBean's table and chairs up from the playroom/office. We had some kids at the kitchen table and others at the little table. The kids at the little table had a blast painting, mixing the frosting and even sampling a bit of the sweets.

We did change up the plans a bit. Instead of painting cookies then baking them, Beanie Dad and I baked the cookies last night and I made a frosting that the kids used to paint. It was the best thing because we would have lost them the other way. So, today was such a success that I think that we'll do it again for Christmas.

C is for Crazy

Do you ever have those moments where you think that you have a good idea but the more you think about it the worse it is but then it's too late? That's what I am faced with this week. Several weeks ago I thought it would be a great idea to host a small group of kids from the mom's group to paint Halloween cookies. The idea came after one of my good friends reminded me that her fabulous family cookbook that she gave me after I got married included a few little fun stuff to do with kids. One was to make paintbrush cookies.

If we were still in our nice house in Big City, Texas, I probably wouldn't be fretting about it. But we are in a town home, we just don't have the space that we used to have and I'm freaking out a bit. Heck, we're living on three levels and don't even have gates to block the stairs (JillyBean has been amazing and doesn't seem to want to go up or down without us. I'm wondering if the curiosity isn't there because she's not shut out). Anyway, I had set a limit on six kids, which seemed doable until I began to imagine how all of this would work out. Have I mentioned that I'm freaking out a bit about this?

I am sure that it will work out; at least that's what I have to keep telling myself. We do have an eat-in kitchen so we will be able to use the kitchen table and not the dining room table. I also thought that I would bring Bean's little table and chairs up from the study and put it in the kitchen. Hopefully I can contain the activity enough that it will work out fine and all of the stress will be for nothing...

Even if it doesn't work I'll be left with some yummy cookies. I'm using my sugar cookie recipe and my friend's painting recipe. Beanie Dad says that I should just buy the pre-made stuff to save the hassle but that wouldn't be any fun.

Here's the best sugar cookie recipe EVER. What makes it so good is the inclusion of cream cheese and almond extract.

1 cup butter, softened
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1/2 t almond extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder

In a large mixer bowl combine butter and cream cheese. Beat until well combined. Add sugar; beat until fluffy. add egg, vanilla, and almond extract and beat well.

In a medium bowl stir together flour and baking powder. Add flour mixture to cream cheese mixture; beat until well mixed. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill in the refrigerator about 1 1/2 hours or until dough is easy to handle.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with desired cookie cutters. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until done. Remove to wire racks; cool.

*Since we'll be painting the cookies that will be done before baking them.
**Adapted from Treasury of Christmas Recipes, a recipe book that I 've had since college

NSync

JillyBean and Beanie Mom took a little break last week. Dad had a business trip in Nashville so we decided to visit Nana for a few days. As it turned out, we spent a day in Nashville visiting Beanie Auntie who graciously conducted a two-day photo shoot of the Bean. We haven't seen the pictures yet but are positive that they're fabulous. We visited a pumpkin patch to get some cute fall photos. However, we were not greeted by fall weather as it was in the 80s. Poor Bean was decked out in a sweater and cap so that she could look the part while other kids were running around shorts and sleeveless tops. Oh well, no one said that a super model's job was an easy one.

It was a nice trip filled with the opportunity to get reaquainted with family that we don't get to see too often. Most importantly, JB got to spend time with her great grandmother and great-great aunt who, unfortunately, is not in the best shape right now. We spent a day at Ma and Evelyn's house playing and raking leaves.

We got home in time for Mom to attend the Elton John concert on Friday night with a couple of other moms. It was a fabulous show. To make the experience better, Bean did wonderfully with a new babysitter. Mom was super surprised that there were no tears when she left the house. Maybe Bean thought that Miss Rose Mary was another aunt...

So now we're trying to get back in sync and greatly need to get back into a routine, which Mom has discovered is just as important for her as well as for JillyBean.

Mommy's Night(s) Out

This past week has resembled pre-baby days because Beanie Mom has been out almost every night. It began on Tuesday with a mom's club outing to the Virginia School of Massage for a one hour massage that cost a whopping 30-bucks! Afterward a couple of gals went to dinner at the closest thing to Tex-Mex that you can find in Central Virginia - and it's still a pretty long distance - La Cocina del Sol. It was nice to have a relaxing, fun dinner without JillyBean and not having to look at the clock to make sure that the babysitter and her $10/hour fee didn't totally break the bank since Beanie Dad took over duties for the night.

On Wednesday,a friend hosted a CAbi party and I got a few new items to make the wardrobe look chic but playground appropriate. The clothes were great and I only wish that I could have got more but hopefully I can pick up an item or two at the rep's sample sale next month.

And finally, Thursday was the preview party for Martha's Market, a super scaled-down version of Nutcracker Market. I was able to knock a few people off the Christmas gift list, which is always a great thing to do in October.

Crock Recipes

I fell short of my goal to come up with a week's worth of meals to fix in the crock pot. I found three and tonight's meal was one of them. It was really tasty and JillyBean gobbled it up like she hadn't had food in a week.

I'm posting this from memory...Also, I sort of changed it up a bit from the original recipe. I think that the original called for whole cranberries but I couldn't find them and used a can of whole cranberry sauce instead.

3-5 pound pork roast
1 can whole cranberries
1/4 cup of honey
a bit of ground cloves (maybe 1/2 teaspoon)
a bit of ground ginger (again, maybe 1/2 teaspoon)
about 1/2 tablespoon of orange rind

Season pork roast with salt and pepper and place in crock pot. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl then pour over roast. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. The pork was so yummy and tender. It fell apart as I took it out of the crock pot.

I served this with fresh green beans cooked the following way:

Add 2-3 tablespoons of coarse salt to boiling water then add fresh green beans and cook for 5-10 minutes (you want them crispy). Drain and put in a serving bowl. Drizzle beans with good extra virgin olive oil and serve warm. (this is one of JillyBean's favorite things to eat. she'll much on left over green beans at snack time)