#334 - lessons from grandpa

grandpa telling Baby O a bedtime story

Lessons Baby O learned from Grandpa
how to hug tightly
how to drink out of a water bottle
how to "caw" like a bird
how to build a snowman

#333 - Olympics

Ok, I couldn't let the Olympics pass without reflecting back on one of the coolest work experiences I've ever had.

This will be a long, wordy post (so feel free to click away now) but I want to remember this. And remember some other memories I have of the past...so this may be a little random and strange. A free flow of my thoughts...you've been warned.

For the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City I had the opportunity to work (in television) for the figure skating competitions.
That's me above (not the one on the ice, but the one filming). Can you guess who I am filming?

Wow, these pictures are bad...wish I would have had a better camera back then.

My job was to film all the figure skating practices - seriously a dream come true.

How much of a dream, you ask? Well, I remember when I was 10 years old, I took my little brother Brian outside in the snow and spun around like we were pairs figure skaters. Poor thing. I had just watched the Russian pair figure skaters win Gold and I thought my baby brother could be my skating partner...I think he was only 2...so I had to do the lifting. Oh, I was a strange child. Sorry Brian! Hope I didn't scar you!

Ok, back to the 2002 Olympics...

Luckily my cousin Lindsay let me stay at her place, so my commute wasn't that bad....huge thanks!

Also, my cousin Michelle stayed there with me...that was fun! She was working as a reporter up in Park City for the Olympics.

I worked 16 hour days (sometimes).

Up at 5:15am and not home until midnight.
I didn't have a cell phone...how did I survive without one?

I would call from pay phones to get in touch with people...do pay phones even exist anymore?

I hung out with my family for a day and that was so exciting!

I did keep a journal during this time and look what I wrote:
"Last night I was really confused about what I want to do with my life. I love the tv business, but you work super bad hours and almost every day. The pluses are that it is so cool and there are great people to work with."

If I could just go back to my confused self and let her (me) know that it would all work out. Oh, and I'd also tell myself to stay away from the Craft Services table. And to invest in real estate after the bubble burst. And buy a better camera.

Would I tell myself to stay in the tv business? Probably...I've gotten to do/see/work on some pretty amazing stuff and travel to some cool places.

But there is still a tiny piece of me that wishes I had a more "mom" friendly profession...one day ...one day.

But, you know, if I didn't choose this profession and work at the Olympics, I don't know if I would have ever traveled to the East Coast to work, meet my husband...get married and have 1.5 wonderful kids. Things all happen for a reason.
And guess what else I wrote in my journal. "Chatted with Scott Hamilton about the skaters." I mean, how cool is that...Scott Hamilton...he was a really nice guy.

Seriously...this was one of the coolest work experiences of my life...I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

#332 - I'm OK!

For the past few weeks, whenever Baby O (I really need to come up with a new name for him because he isn't a baby anymore) falls the first thing he says is, "I'm o.k., I'm o.k." and nods his head. This little first aid kit would be perfect for him. Aren't the bandaids cute!?

#331 - Peanut Butter & Banana Muffins

My mom gave me the cookbook Deceptively Delicious a while ago and after being snowed in and not eating the best in the past few weeks, I decided to make something just a little more healthy. Also, I wanted to make a snack for Baby O that wasn't "cookies" - that's all he asks for now.

I made a few modifications and I love that peanut butter is the "oil/fat" in this recipe.

Peanut Butter & Banana Muffins
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup carrot or cauliflower puree (I used carrots...steamed 2 medium sized carrots and then blended them)
1/2 cup banana puree (this is about one medium banana)
1 egg white (I used the whole egg b/c I was too lazy to take out the yolk)
1 cup whole-wheat flour (I used 7/8 cup whole wheat flour and about a 1/4 cup of oats)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350*. Line muffin tins with baking cups (I made small muffins). Mix 1/2 cup of brown sugar with peanut butter, carrot & banana puree, and the egg with a wooden spoon. Mix flour, (oats), baking powder, baking soda, salt and then stir into the wet ingredients. Don't overmix, it should be a little lumpy. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of brown sugar and only stir once or twice (this is what makes the muffins have bursts of sweetness.)

Pour into muffin liners and bake for about 15-20 minutes (depending on size of muffins.)

These are really moist and while they don't taste as devilish as Costco muffins, they are pretty good.

#330 - Alphabet "Boy" Card

I got this adorable card in the mail from my mom. I think it was used for my cousin Lizzy's baby shower. I just love how it spells out "boy"...you couldn't do that with the word, "girl".

When I first opened it, I thought just the letter, "o" was in blue for "Baby O", but I was pleasantly surprised when it spelled out "boy".

I can't wait to frame it in Baby O's room. It will be perfect for him and his new little brother coming soon.

And this card was brought to you by "prune orchard press"...my Aunt Sue's letterpress.

#329 - 4 movies

Here's 4 movies that Pepe and I have enjoyed in the past few months.

Believe it or not, this had a really good message to it.

I really like Ricky Gervais, funny movie and it also had a good message.

Cute, romantic comedy. Isn't what I expected.

I think we really liked this because it was based in Washington DC . . . lots of familiar places.

#328 - whip cream mohawk

We had some left over whip cream from the banana cream pie I made for Valentine's Day.
Baby O got into it and smeared it all over his hair.
I decided to give him a mohawk.
This was the best picture I could get before he smashed it...but he sure was cute!
I didn't wash it out all day because he smelled so good.

#327 - gummy vitamins

We really love these in our house. Baby O calls them"vai-tees". There is a coupon for $2 off at Costco this month, so if you've wanted to try them...now's the time.

#326 - Eating the Gold & Silver

So, to celebrate the Olympics (and President's Day), Baby O and I made Rolo Turtles.

All you need are pretzels, Rolos and pecans (or any other nut.) I love that the pretzel bag says, "The Pretzel Men"...where are the "Women"?

I've never been able to capture Baby O's attention very long (he's 1.7)...but he loved unwrapping the Rolos and putting them on top of the pretzels. He did a pretty good job and it was cute to see him trying to sneak a bite every now and then.

I had to capture a picture of the Rolo's wrappers...perfect color for the Olympics...Gold & Silver...Go Team USA!

Then you place them in the oven at 300-350 degrees for 4 minutes.

Then place a pecan (or other nut) on top of the melted Rolos.

I made half without nuts, but next time I think I would make them all with nuts...those were a hit, even with Baby O.

#325 - i want to remember

The other day Baby O was having a hard time going down for his nap (i think it was during the crazy winter weather here).
I had him put his monkey and one-legged Steve down for a nap too.
I walked in a few minutes later and this is what I saw.
Oh, he is so dang cute!

#324 - Day late

Ok, these Valentines are a day and a dollar late, but thought I would send them (via my blog) anyway.

Dear Mom and Dad,
I hope we didn't stress you out too much while you were stuck with us. I love you!via

Dear Brian & Karli,
Glad you had fun at the Olympics...jealous that you got to see Wayne Gretzky. Here's some hockey soap, since you were stuck in the car for over 1,800 miles. Only 400 more miles and you could have made it here. Love you!

via

Dear Jordan, Rachael & Mae,
Happy V Day and Chinese New Year! Love you!

via

Dear Casi and Pedro,
Here's a map to make it seem like we live closer. Love you!
via


Dear Pepe,
I thought about making you this, but think this is nicer. I love you!
via

Dear Baby O,
Seriously, I let you get away with too much, but you are so darn cute! I love you!
And to everyone else, hope you had a Happy Valentine's Day!

#323 - Valentine's ideas

Just wanted to remember these cute Valentine's ideas for next year.

1...mini kisses . . . so fun and easy to make
2...love languages pillow
3...cute heart display
4...i should have made these heart pancakes this morning
5...pretty cupcakes
6...love this newborn heart hat

Tonight I'm making manicotti and banana cream pie (with some tweaks) for my 2 Valentines (Pepe and Baby O.)

#322 - e-cards from Grandma

For every holiday (even flag day), my mom sends us e-cards. Baby O especially loves the talking cards, so this time my mom sent a bulldog, a puppy and a pig. O loved them!

#321 - Snowpocalypse 2010

Some thoughts from the past week of the East Coast Snowpocalypse (very random...you've been warned)

I really want to be a stay at home mom. (see #3 pictured above)

I'd rather be stuck in a snow storm with electricity versus with no power and a way to get out.

I wish we had underground power lines (less outages and it would look nicer.) (see #2 - taken saturday morning)

I don't watch a lot of tv (surprise!) but I really missed it when we didn't have power. (see #1)

I think I missed the internet more, though.

By 7pm, I thought it was midnight and I should be sleeping.

I really like to be out in the snow (even if it is windy and cold) while it is snowing, especially at night.

Glad I still have my jacket from the 2002 Winter Olympics - can't wait for the 2010 Olympics to start...has it really been that long? (see here, my mom is wearing it)

Baby O had to drag me inside the house because I wanted to stay out in the snow.

I really like a warm house after I've been out in the cold. (see #5)

Glad we bought a wood stove this year (thanks Pepe!) (see #5)

Trader Joe's vanilla ice cream is still good after 2 days of no power. I threw out the rest of our ice cream.

Glad I didn't have to shovel (thanks dad, Pepe and O.) (see #4)

Baby O is obsessed with his shovel, he asks for it every morning. (see #3)

Glad I got Baby O an orange coat. (see #3) It's easy to spot him and adds a splash of color to the drab winter colors.

I love Baby O's laugh.

He's talking a lot more now.

I think Pepe is going crazy being stuck.

When we finally got out, we went to Costco and just sat on their couches.

I like it better when we weren't plowed out because people don't drive by our house. (see #6)

Our recycling is getting out of control...can't wait for the recycle truck to come.

We used up 1/2 our Ikea tea lights we've been carting around with us since we got married.

If I have to work, I really like working from home. (see first random thought above)

#320 - Power

What do you do when you have no electricity for 2 days and you can't get out of your house because of a wild snow storm? You come up with clever things to cook over the wood stove.

Here's a few things we cooked:

scrambled eggs with cream cheese (pictured above)
toast (also pictured above)
grilled cheese
quesadillas
hot dogs - so good, i had 2, but could have eaten more
peach cobbler - also delicious
taco soup - well, we just warmed this up, but it was good (I'll have to share this recipe sometime)

Did I miss anything mom?

Being without electricity for 2 days, makes me so grateful to have it now.

#319 - measuring sheet

Brilliant

and a late happy birthday to my brother Brian...love you!

#318 - pencil scarf

If I was a teacher or had a kid in school, this would be totally cool.via

#317 - house slide

Since my parents are here, we were talking about how we could remodel our home. My mom suggested putting in spiral stairs. And if we did, I would totally want a slide to go along with it. I know Baby O would love it.Here's some other fun slides.

Top image via, last 2 images I forget where I got them, but I know they are floating around the internet right now.

#316 - homemade sled #2

We upgraded from the sled I made a while back (plus, it fell apart really quick.)

Pepe doesn't just go out and buy a cheap plastic sled, he makes one out of an old pair of skis, some aluminum from the Depot and wood we had lying around.

We just need to figure out how to add some breaks.

Notice my son is wearing mismatched gloves, a hat too big and my socks over his pants. He does have stuff that fits, I just couldn't find it...good thing Grandma & Grandpa are here to dress him properly!

#315 - random thoughts

They are here in real life and we are loving it...especially Baby O.

Finally made these this morning, just 4 days too late...so yummy and I highly recommend.

My boss gave me #5 yesterday...she's so sweet (and knows me too well).

We still haven't finished these, but they are almost gone...too good!

I made one of these this past weekend, can you guess which one? (i'll give you a hint, not a baby.)

And, it's a winter wonderland again today...so pretty outside. Except, now grandpa is shoveling with Baby O.

#314 - The Corporation