Sunday Breakfast

I'm 20 weeks now and I'm really trying to enjoy these months, to remember them and find the beauty in the life that I am experiencing right now. I feel so heavy, it seems sort of early to be feeling this way. When I walk my round belly just sort of heaves along with me. As uncomfortable as it can get at the end of the day when I'm trying to finish up dish duty, bath the baby, fight the last diaper change and snuggle my Mad into bed, it's sort of a fun defiance of gravity,  this heavy object just sort of hovering in front of me while I work. This weekend I walked with my first baby and we did some weeding in the front yard. More often than ever The Bear and I look at Mad with wonder and talk about how big she is. She's so funny and happy (and demanding) I am curious how a baby with less personality will fit in her loud little world. I know it just all magically works out with kids but it's a curious thing to wonder about. That is assuming this child is quiet and gentle rather than loud and tough.

One of my favorite things to do over the weekend is make a good breakfast at least once for my Mr. Bear. Even though he works from home (yay!) when he's not traveling (sad face!) he's pretty much on his own in the mornings. That usually means a stinky onion bagel and cream cheese with a side of Red Bull (ew!). So Saturday or Sunday comes along and I get the itch to make something a little prettier and more fulfilling. It also makes me feel like a better wife than I really am!

A couple weekends ago I made a version of a breakfast stacker that I saw online. I couldn't find the recipe and it also included some spicy homemade stuff on top that I needed to nix for the baby so I opted to guess at the exact style of the stack and use plain mild salsa in lieu of whatever had originally been instructed for the tops. They were delish and so pretty so I made them again this weekend and took fancy Iphone pics to do a little post with.

To start, cut up some cheese, peel and slice avocado, grab some eggs, english muffins (or toast, more on that later), salsa, HOT SAUCE is necessary for those who are not 2 years old, and sour cream (not pictured). Optional items are coffee and OJ. I like both.

We used white cheddar the first time and it was much tastier than the medium sharp yellow cheddar I had on hand for this batch. White just has more flavor I guess? Medium sharp cheddar is *snore* anyway, let's be honest. I just buy it because we eat it frequently with snacks and lunches etc and it's more affordable on a weekly basis.  Also, Cuties tangerine juice? It's like fireworks in my mouth! You need to try it. I'm sure there is way too much sugar to think about but I love it so much I can't help but indulge at least once a week. I'll never drink regular OJ again.

There really aren't a whole lot of pictures in this set since it is truly easy peasy and makes for boring actions shots. I like to get it all prepped since each stacker goes really quickly. We use our awesome toaster oven to do the muffin/toast and melted cheese. It takes 3ish minutes which is perfect timing to fry the eggs. If you don't have this amazing contraption I'd suggest toasting all the pieces a little bit before you start then melting cheese by broiling in the oven while you do the egg.

FYI you can do more at a time. Usually I can squeeze 3 eggs in at a time. The trick I've found for the perfect egg is a hot pan before you start and a lid to cover. I turn the stove on a few minutes before I start, on medium, to really get that pan hot. If the egg cooks too slowly it gets chewy, ew. So, spray your pan for extra nonstickness or if you love yourself throw in some butter and crack your egg. Clean out the shells. Wait I'm the only person who loves to cook but still gets shells every damn time? Oops! It should sizzle like crazy, salt and pepper and throw on a lid. It really depends on how you like your eggs cooked but 3 minutes is about perfect whenever I do it. I like them runny, The Bear doesn't, this recipe really needs runny yolk to be delicious. If you only eat scrambled eggs you should just stop now.

After 3 minutes your cheese should be nice and melty on your muffin, pull that out, pop some avocado slices on the cheese (I did that after the egg in the last picture which was a mistake), put the perfectly cooked egg on top of that, plop on a spoonful of sour cream and salsa, dribble on your hot sauce, and tada you are done! That easy it's impossible not to love!

These are pretty filling on their own but I fried up leftover fajita mixings from a late dinner the night before and they looked like a perfect addition. Hashbrowns would also be yummy!

Now is the time I tell you that I hated the english muffin version. The muffin was too thick and I didn't have enough yolk to really saturate it. Also, I used sprouted wheat toast for the first version and the yummy seeds added a delicious texture to all the creamy esque toppings. Plus toast just toasts better! And people, get the white cheddar or some other fancy melting cheese.

That's it. I can really make the longest post out of the shortest recipe so I'm not even going to do a recipe recap. Just go make this for your significant other, dog, neighbor, best friend, family, or just for yourself and then post it on Facebook or Instagram so everyone can see how domestic you are. Consider telling them the salsa is homemade so they want to be your friend more often.

MIA Again!

3 months?! I almost don't believe it. Are these photos evidence of a good enough excuse???

15 weeks

16 weeks

17 weeks (current) late night facial situation is so bad I had to cover my face

Maddie photo post bomb! Still my BFF and favorite distraction.

So, there is a not so tiny feeling hulk baby growing in my big ol' belly. Not to imply that it is a boy. I just feel huge compared to where I was at this point when pregnant with Mad aka my "Alien".

17 week with my Maddie - I'd pay lot of money to have the smooth looking belly back!

So, the first trimester is well over by this point and I feel pretty much human again. Except for the migraines. Way worse than with Maddie I have to say, it's pretty crippling some days. I'd love to try and catch up and share all the adorable/awesome pictures I have of my baby girl the last few months but that would be boring and, let's be honest here, I'd never actually get caught up I'd just stay 3 months behind forever. So we'll just stay here and pretend the past 3 months were blogged about and really amazing.

I'm not one to get too sappy but I just have to throw it out there, I love my life. I love my husband almost every day of the week, I love my Mad Maddie so much it hurts, and I'm so thrilled that I get to be a mama again to whatever little human is growing inside of me. On that note I'll just tell everyone now that we are NOT finding out the gender until D day! You read me correctly; since this will likely be our last child (The Bear is having moments of insanity suggesting otherwise but I think he just hit his head or something) I've somehow convinced Mr. Bear to get on board with a surprise baby and I couldn't be happier. I have no anxiety about the big anatomy scan, or wondering if they will have gotten the gender wrong and all my money on clothes will be a waste. I have only thought momentarily about nursery decor and baby clothing. My thoughts are pretty clear these days and I'm just able to enjoy day to day life and baby growing without any sort of anxiety. 2nd pregnancies are a breeze!

So that's it, that is why I've been MIA the last 3 months. I fully intend to be my regular posting self again immediately! So, like every week or so ;).

Gift Guide - Affordable Ladies Edition

I wish I knew how/cared enough to put my pictures into a fancy little organized and numbered thingy like some fancy bloggers do. But I don't. Really, I just don't care. Here are some super sweet gifts on the smallish side for the ladies. Feel free to buy me any of these items!

C'est La Vie mug via Urban Outfitters

Owl Cookie Jar via Anthropologie

Fingerless Gloves via Etsy - lots of other colors and styles!

Butterfly pillow via Etsy

Boatneck Tee via GAP

Velvet cosmetic bags via Pottery Barn p.s. The Bear gave me these last year and I LOVE them!

 

 

Thermal pj set via Victoria's Secret

I don't think my gift choices are especially exciting but then I'm a stay at home mama on a budget so I guess I feel like this stuff is more, uh, realistic? I can't tell you how many times I hear people say, "oh we're not doing gifts for each other this year", we are totally saying that this time around. But the truth is if we can swing it we'd all love to get something for the person we love the most. Or, you are doing gifts and want to keep is low profile. These are all something I'd get for my sisters, mothers, aunts, or friends and only the cute owl cookie jar exceeds $50.

Anyway, good luck if you are Christmas shopping this year! Happy hunting!

Bye Bye Boobies

As the title might suggest this post is about breastfeeding, specifically about saying goodbye to breastfeeding *crie sob*. Kidding, I've been pretty much ready to wean my Mad for a few months now but she has not been a willing participant in the weaning process. Right now we're at this strange point where she will try to nurse in the night or mornings when she is sleeping on top of me anyway and I quickly wake up and offer her water or a binky (what did I say we got rid of that? Not so much).

My ultimate breastfeeding goal was 2 years, or whenever Mad was ready to be done if it was before that. When I first started nursing her as a newborn it was so difficult. During all those times I shed tears, and for a lot of moments at about 9 months, I never imagined we'd hit two years if it was always going to be so frustrating. Obviously we did, and then some.

Since her birthday The Bear has been asking, politely, about when I might wean her. Although I was soooo ready Mad made it pretty clear to the whole world that she was not about to get on board with weaning just yet. When I cut out her bedtime nursing session she took to falling asleep with her hands shoved down my shirt; not exactly the most gracious of alternatives. The less she breastfed the more attached she got to being skin to skin with me.

My snuggle bug happy to be in my arms

These days I wrangle her to sleep around 7:30 and somewhere between midnight and 2AM she crawls in bed with The Bear and I. It begins with a little hand, soft and cold, placed on my chest. Slowly she fidgets her way down into my shirt and she scratches and abuses my skin as she tries to find a comfy place for her hand. If I move it away and tell her "no hands" (my polite way of saying please don't squeeze mama's boobs!) she cries at me and rolls her whole body sideways trying to get her arms down my shirt while securing a spot on my chest to rest her head. If enough skin isn't exposed to fit her whole head she'll pull my top down until she has a resting spot. Pretty much the rest of the night is her rolling around trying to get comfortable, which she never really does, and kicking Mr. Bear in the head with her freezing cold toes.

What she USED to look like while sleeping with us

The good news is that I am REALLY close to having her totally weaned and she asks only when she is extra sleepy in the early early mornings. The bad news is that we are now stuck trying to figure out the whole sleeping space situation. It's a mess. If my previous paragraph doesn't convey that accurately enough let me assure you that IT IS A MESS!!! I am not rested and my body is sore and exhausted from wrestling my "cuddly" baby all night. The Bear, who was enjoying having her in bed with us for a while, is getting tired of being kicked with ice cold toes and getting no snuggles to show for it. Mad has this idea that she owns our bed and my body, which was kind of the opposite effect I was hoping for after the weaning process was done. Her desire to be close to me is so strong that she can't even watch morning television without being wrapped around me.

So, I'm stuck. I love my girl so so much and I want to find a way to respect her need to be near me (I love it too, really) without feeling beat on after a night of hardly sleeping. Somehow my thought was that age 2 would bring all kinds of physical space and restful nights, boy was I wrong!

Took this picture with my phone as I was editing this post and HAD to add it. I don't usually allow the binky unless she's asleep but she was crabby and I suck at saying no, OBVIOUSLY!

Sargent Pepper - holiday drink recipe

While we were in New Orleans (how many posts will I write that start like that?) we found a number of delicious drinks that were all, inevitably, the most amazing we'd ever had. They are extremely creative with their drink recipes! Maybe it's just because we're from Utah or maybe we're just not drinking at the right places? Either way The Bear came home from that trip inspired to try something new and that is where this drink recipe came from. Technically this is not the drink he created.......it's my recipe that was inspired by his recipe that was inspired by New Orleans. But I let him name it (Sargent Pepper) as a nod to his creativity (aka he was extremely put off by my desire to claim this recipe as my own). The truth is I wouldn't be shocked if there is some official drink out there with similar ingredients but I've never seen a recipe so I'm claiming it as my own.

This drink calls for pepper infused vodka which, to my knowledge, you cannot just pick up at any ol' liquor store. It is REALLY simple to make, aside from the wait time. Which is kind of a bummer if you are reading this and want to drink it tonight. At the very least you have to wait 1 week, at the very most 3 weeks, but please hear me when I say it is SOOOO worth it. You can use it with a lot of drinks as a flavoring, a spicy Bloody Mary is my personal second favorite. Here is the recipe we used for the vodka but there are a lot of different recipes out there, perhaps one that doesn't require so much wait time? The instructions say 2-3 weeks but we felt like 1 week would have been enough if you're impatient. Also, use a mini food processor to grind the peppercorns (or a coffee bean grinder if you have one) to save yourself a lot of time.

So, after that lengthy introduction (you had 3 weeks to read it while your vodka infused so what's the big deal?) here we go with the drink that you most definitely need at this point! What you need : Vodka, the regular kind (any brand will do but I highly recommend at least mid shelf as the vodka flavor is a big highlight to your drink), pepper infused vodka, 100% cranberry juice....NOT cran-apple, fresh limes, tonic water.

Drinks taste better if you make them with holiday decor as a backdrop

Fill your glass with ice and then add 2 shots/ounces of regular vodka, a generous splash of tonic water, and fill with cranberry juice leaving room for another ounce of liquid without spilling over.

Squeeze a generous wedge of fresh lime and throw the remaining lime in the glass.

Don't be like Mr. Bear and use bottled lime juice, don't do it!!!

 Add 1/2 ounce/shot glass of the pepper infused vodka....stir, taste, and add more if desired.

Don't let the muddy pepper vodka scare you....

Cheers!!!

Recipe:
2 oz. vodka
1/2 oz. pepper vodka (I use closer to 1 oz but start with 1/2 and work your way up)
cranberry juice
generous splash of tonic water
1 lime
Add ingredients to glass, stir, drink. Winning!

Please try this and when you do I'm totally fine with you silently thanking me in your mind. If you make some adjustments feel free to totally re-name the drink and post it as your own on your blog. The Bear would be offended but no one plans on telling him. Speaking of my Mr. Bear.....here is his version of the drink. I'm unsure on the quantity of each ingredient so I'll just list them all.

• Cranberry juice (still no cran-apple please)
• Tonic water
• Lime juice from a bottle
• Sweet and sour mixer
• Pepper infused vodka

So, you are switching fresh lime for bottled lime juice and adding the sweet and sour mixer.

Admitting the Good

How do you feel about holidays? Me, well, I've always been a little been angsty and ornery about events where whole families are all supposed to gather in one house and then be happy about it. You can see my past sufferings of holidays here, here & here. Although the reasons have changed since finding Mr. Bear and birthing my sweet daughter I still don't especially love the idea of being sequestered in a house with too many people (too many is more than just The Bear The Baby & myself) for several hours but I always end up enjoying myself.

And the thing is? I have SO much to be grateful for. Why, right this very moment I'm feeling thankful for french press coffee & Winnie the Pooh on dvd. Other things I'm so very thankful for?

♥ Mr. Bear. He brings so much good to my life. He is my rock and my best friend and he always seems to know just the right things to say when I'm feeling down. Plus he cleans up the dead mice.
♥ Mad Maddie. Her love and near constant affection (seriously, she can't sleep unless her head is placed right next to mine and her arms are wrapped around me) make me feel like I've done something right in this life.
♥  My parents & Mr. Bear's parents. We are SO grateful to have our families near us and even more grateful that we love and enjoy their company.
♥ A warm comfortable home that I love. Many are lucky to have basic shelter and I never want to take for granted the amazing place I get to call home. If we lost everything and I still had my family it would be enough but the thought that people all over the country have lost their homes this year makes me even more grateful that I have mine right now. 

I could go on. But I won't. I know there was nothing overly deep or introspective but right now I'm just feeling so grateful for this life and all the people that come with it.

My mama with my Mad on her first Thanksgiving

Inevitable

♥ that my house will turn to shit 5 minutes after I clean it.....but I keep (sort of) doing it anyway.
♥that my kitties will want to snuggle for the first time all day when I finally decide I need to leave my comfy chair and get things done.

Begging for scratches just this morning

♥that as soon as laundry is all the way completed it will need to be done again.
♥that my baby will sneak into my bed around 1AM and I won't even notice because that's how it is.
♥that there will always be a dish waiting line to get in the dishwasher.
♥ that Mr. Bear will wake up and proclaim how tired he is even if he slept in later than me.
♥that I will think I'm too fat just one short day after feeling like I might be ok with the way I am.
♥that if I don't have a baby sleeping on me I have a cat sleeping, purrrrrring, and shedding on me and eventually deciding that my legs aren't good enough, a face is a much more comfy and attentive sleeping spot.

My other OTHER bed companion

♥that holidays will come, I will dread them, and then I will be happy and grateful to have them.

One of my two reasons every bah humbug holiday is happy

♥that family will make us laugh.......and cry.

p.s. Mad decided she could count to six today. It was so cute. I can't upload my funny video because I don't know how to move vid's from my phone to the computer. Dash it all to hell!