Muffin Tin Misfit

Muffin Tin Monday is a fabulous concept. Really. I love it. And I so want to do it. And not just on Mondays.

But it is useless for me right now.

See, my eldest will only eat a few foods. As in, I-can-count-them-on-one-hand-few. Can I get a muffin tin with just one compartment? Oh, right. That's a bowl. I should just stick with a bowl then.

And #2? I would have to prepare his muffin tin in the middle of the night. The second he hears me open the fridge or the pantry, he's at my feet, grunting and whining for food, food, food. He doesn't care one bit about the presentation. But Truett, look how cute these rows of food are!

Earlier in the summer I was completely inspired by Rainbow Challenge Monday. All those colors! I started Truett's lunch with blueberries and was moving right around the color wheel with grapes, strawberries, mangoes, kiwi, etc., filling up my little muffin tin. Beautiful! Vibrant! I loved it!

But I couldn't stand the whining of Hungry Impatient Boy for one more second so I just dumped it all on his tray without even taking a picture.

See, we have eating issues around here. One won't eat. One won't stop eating.

Thankfully my mom got me a huge bag of cookie cutters at a garage sale. I didn't even realize I needed them but I did!

We've got numbers, letters, seasonal themes, you name it. Besides the fact that Oliver loves to play with them and spell words with all the alphabet letters, they're proving useful for some lunch time creativity. That he WILL eat. Always a plus.

I made a "C"!

Please note that O removed the grapes from his tray the second he had a chance. He was concerned they might contaminate his other food, which, by the way was: Ezekiel bread with Sunbutter, O'Soy yogurt, (grapes) and Amazing Grass w/ soy milk to drink.

Just give me the food, Momma. Stat!

Any feeding ideas that you moms would like to share? We've got food allergies to consider (as well as a child who refuses to consume fruits, veggies or meats) but I'd love some new ideas.

Chrys

It Takes a Village...

...to make a 1st birthday cake. Wow! When our cake maker had to cancel a few days ago I told Jordan, "Oh, come on, we can do it!" I confidently told my mom that if she'd bake the cake and dig up all the decorating gear then I'd take over from there.

Well, it was a very sweet adventure and I ate way too much icing in the process. We made two sheet cakes and cut them into the shape of a Giant Schnauzer like the one T fell in love with at the dog parade. Then we decorated. (My mom took all of these pics so she's not in them but, believe me, I could not have done it without her. I had no idea what I was doing.)
I was afraid it would end up on Cake Wrecks but it actually turned out pretty well! I am pleased. We're serving it tomorrow night at Truett's "official" birthday party. We're going to tell him it's Maggie's white cousin.

We used my mom's family decorator icing recipe. I'm not a big icing fan but this is delicious:

1 box confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup Crisco
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup cake flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. butter extract

Chrys

Mixing Colors: Cookie Remix

This time we mixed icing colors instead of the dough.

I used Sarah's family recipe for Green Thumbprint Cookies. I love them just the way she makes them but I have tweaked the recipe a bit for us b/c Mike my family doesn't prefer them rolled in pecans. (I also substitute coconut oil for half of the butter, add a little coconut concentrate and some almond extract to the cookies and icing. So mine are have a coconut almond flavor. I also don't cook them as long as the recipe says to b/c we like them doughy and not browned at all.)

A very gracious Sarah gave me permission to post the recipe:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease cookie sheet.

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sifted regular all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

2 egg whites slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in egg yolks and vanilla. Sift together flour and salt. Gradually add to cream mixture. Chill dough for ease in handling. Shape balls into one-inch in diameter. Dip in egg white then roll in nuts, place on cookie sheet and with finger make a deep impression in the center. Bake 15-18 minutes and cool 7-10 min then add icing to center of cookie.Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 tablespoons hot water
food coloring

In small mixing bowl combine sugar, butter and vanilla. Gradually add water and beat until smooth and mixture holds shape slightly.

Chrys

Barbecue Pop-Ups

I grew up eating "Barbecue Pop-Ups". I'm not sure if my mom made up the recipe or what, but they are yummy and easy. This is how I make them:

You take cheap, store-bought biscuits (in a can) and stuff them into muffin tins. Oliver likes to make the "nests". (Hint: the biscuits are easier to work with if you let them sit out at room temp for a bit.)
Then you put the filling in the nests. For the filling, I add a can of beans (drained and rinsed) to a pound of browned ground beef. You can make your own barbecue sauce with ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar if you want to but I'm lazy so I just add a bottle of store-bought barbecue sauce. Mix all that up and spoon it into the nests. (Please pardon my mess. I'm one of the most unorganized, messy folks you know. I hate it, but it's true.)
Top them with shredded Cheddar cheese. Oliver is generous. Not necessary.
Then you bake them on 350 for 10-12 minutes or until the biscuits are ready.Easy and yummy! I'm not claiming it's the healthiest meal my kids have ever eaten but I think they'll survive. I did. And the best part? Oliver ate it! (I'm testing some of his food allergies, btw.)

Chrys

Shake, Shake Shake...Shake Your Butter

Oliver and I decided we'd make some butter after reading Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Buttered Bread yesterday morning. He was curious about the churn and the process so I went with it. I know Oliver well enough to know that he wouldn't eat it even after we made it so I wasn't worried about his milk allergy.

I have fond childhood memories of making butter in baby food jars. We ate it on saltines and it was delicious. Perhaps I just had a lot more energy when I was a kid but I learned today that the butter-making process is slightly more complex when making more than a tablespoon or so. It is tiring work!O was growing weary and ready for lunch so I decided we'd wait until after naps to finish making the butter. It was pretty much just whipped cream when I put some on Truett's bread:
Oliver ate his bread plain after politely declining the whipped cream butter.I told O that the butter wasn't finished so we still needed to shake the jar. He tried. So hard. To stay awake. And complete his task.Butter-making is hard work. He was out. Snoring. Hilarious. I thought I might wake him up with my laughter.

I finally transferred him to his bed without a hitch. When he woke up we put the whipped cream into the food processor and agreed that this was much more efficient way to make butter.

We still weren't finished, though. I did my research and learned that if you leave the buttermilk in the butter it will quickly go rancid, so you have to "wash" the butter. You do so by pressing out the buttermilk with a wooden spoon, putting it back in the food processor and adding water to rinse it, pressing out the liquids and then repeating over and over until the water is clean. We still had several rinses to go when I took this picture:
We certainly had fun but learned that it is much easier to buy butter at the grocery store.

Chrys

The Common Thread

So what do these pics have in common?

Yep, Truett is a very happy guy as long as he's being fed! He downed a blueberry popsicle in the sandbox this morning following his enormous breakfast. I'm not sure how much of it actually made it to his tummy, as you can tell from these pics. Is it any wonder why he rarely wears more than a dipe? And sometimes not even that much?He ate his barbecue pop-up and his brother's barbecue pop-up for lunch.
I just don't have enough milk for him anymore. I'm still nursing him three times per day but this boy just needs more than I've got to give. He seems to be thriving, though! Must. Get. Every. Last. Drop!Oh, we are so crazy about this precious baby boy!

Chrys

You Say Potato, I Say...Nummy!

One of Oliver's chores is taking scraps to the compost bin. We recently read a library book about composting and he got excited b/c now he understands why we do it. Plus he loves having a job to do.

This morning I was cooking lunch when I heard Truett say, "Ball, ball, ball! Nummmmmy!" I looked up to find him in the laundry room, chowing down on some soft potatoes that were waiting to be taken to the compost bin.

He's always so sweet to share. "Ka-ku!"

Chrys

The Boy Can Eat.

Maybe we should take him to the Big Texan and see how he does with a 72 ounce steak. Not sure if it would be free but I feel certain he could put an impressive dent in it.

Chrys

A Tasket, A Tisket, Please Pass the Brisket

I could have easily been a vegetarian for the first 30+ years of my life. I have always loved vegetables and never really cared much for meat. But motherhood turned me into a meat-loving momma. As soon as I got pregnant with Oliver I started craving meat and that has yet to stop. I remember calling Mike at work one day and asking if he could meet me for lunch at a local barbecue place. "Barbecue?? Are you serious? Do you know long I've waited to hear you say those words??"

And thus began the carnivorous chapter of my life.

So now let's talk brisket. Mmmmmm. It's one of my favorite meals. I've learned that everyone has an opinion on how a brisket should taste. Some folks picture a barbecue brisket. While I like barbecue brisket, it's not my preference. I prefer a tender, juicy piece of meat that is falling apart and doesn't require a knife to cut. With lots of sauce. We like it spicy around here. And I like to eat it with peas and mashed potatoes. Or it's just not right. See, I am opinionated about brisket.

Here's how I make it. It's super easy and takes very little time. I get it ready in the morning so it sits in the crock pot all day and makes the house smell delicious.

This is the meat I buy at Super Target. It's a Sutton & Dodge "Beef Chuck Brisket Trimmed Flat". I lay out three large sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil. I add a little seasoned salt, pepper, a tiny bit of Italian spice, and a hand full of brown sugar. I mentioned that we like spicy food and that goes for brisket as well so I add some "Hickory Smoke Seasoning" from the bulk spices area at CM. It has lots of red pepper flakes in it which give it a kick. Yum!
I put the brisket lean-side down on top of the sugar and spice.
Then I add the same seasonings to the fatty side. After doing so, I fold up the edges of the foil to form sides.
Then I add about a third to half of a bottle of Allegro marinade:
Wrap it up tightly so that the juices can't escape and put it in the crock pot on high for 5-6 hours. After that time, I turn it to the low setting and leave it there until time to serve.Easy peasy. And delicious!

Sorry no "after" pictures. We were too hungry to wait.

Chrys

Orient Express Check Out

I've been trying to save money on grocery bills. We get everything we can at Target or Wal-Mart, then we spend the big bucks at Central Market for all the stuff we can't buy elsewhere. Oliver's food allergies make shopping a little more challenging but I try to make myself feel better about it b/c of the great CM coupons I use every week. And the balloons?? The balloons are fabulous. Here is a recent pic of our sacked-out boys with their beloved balloons at the conclusion of a successful CM grocery outing:So today after church and the car wash (O's fav), we went to an Asian grocery store. Mike and I each spent time in Asia before we met so we were excited to check it out. He routinely stops by the Chinese bakery to get custard buns so he was hoping for sweets. My friend Elizabeth said their produce prices were exceptional so we took the boys on a field trip.

We honestly felt like we'd stepped foot into another country. I love that feeling! We actually had feet in several countries, I guess, b/c we saw products from Taiwan, Korea, China, Vietnam, Thailand and Japan. I wish I had the camera b/c there were so many sights and colors I'd love to photograph. My phone had to do, though:

Here's Oliver with the enormous jackfruit.

Eeeee! Oliver loved playing with the live crawfish.

Notice a few escapees on the side.

Truett wanted to touch the blue crabs.

These dragon fruit were so brilliantly colored. Beautiful. I found this picture online:

Mike was determined to find a coffee drink he tasted in Korea or Taiwan.

Was it this?

Apparently not. He and Truett decided on this drink called "Hello Boss".

We told Oliver he could get a snack. Did he want the shrimp chips or the seaweed bites? Picky eater said no to both options. So we kept looking...

How about some dried squid?

Or beef jerky dripping with, with??? What is that??

Portable jelly?

Green coconut cookies shaped like grub worms?

Dried cuttlefish?

We finally settled on some cheddar & oatmeal crackers. There are obviously still a few foods that we are not yet ready to fully appreciate, but we'll keep going back. Mike bought three coffee drinks and I got two huge bundles of basil b/c we have wiped out the supply in our humble garden.

This is $2 worth of basil and it was the key ingredient in a generous amount of very tasty pesto we ate for lunch.

So there you go. Join us again soon on our ever-thrilling quest to decrease our grocery bill. I hope you are able to sleep tonight. You know, in spite of all the anticipation.

Chrys

Victory

Victory over the pot roast, that is.Of course I tried it again. I can't say no to a challenge.

After years of pot roast failure, I am proud to announce that I have finally succeeded.

And it was worth the wait.

Deeeeelicious. Melt in your mouth. Mmmmmm. I think I will probably have some for breakfast tomorrow. You think I'm kidding.

Thank you, Internet, for all of the great tips and ideas. I think my biggest problem was that I was using the wrong kind of meat. I'll never buy chuck roast again. I know there are lots of ways to do this, but here's what I did and I seriously don't think it could have tasted any better:

• I got an Eye of Round roast from CM.
• I added salt and pepper to taste, then put it in the crockpot on low before I went to bed last night.
• This morning I added a whole bunch of carrots and one onion.
• This afternoon I added a little red wine, a packet of ranch dressing mix and some Italian dressing.
• The roast cooked for about 20 hours. The house smelled incredible!
• After removing the roast and veggies, I added a little water/cornstarch mix to thicken the gravy.
• I served it with Parmesan Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
  
• And sweet, green peas.
• We didn't need knives. It was so tender it just fell apart.
• The carrots were as sweet as candy. I could live on veggies but my husband isn't easily impressed. He asked for extra carrots. Twice.

I am sooooooooo excited to have this new ability. I can make a pot roast! An I-want-seconds, melt-in-your-mouth, tender, delectable pot roast. I can't wait to make it again soon. I guess we need to finish these leftovers before I start another one.

So it's a big day at our house. A Pot Roast Makin' Momma lives here.

Chrys

A Change of Heart

When I was single I pretty much lived on cereal. I'm not kidding. So healthy. Not sure how I lived to be thirty years old and meet and marry my husband. But I hated cooking and avoided it at all costs. (All joking aside, I spent many years struggling with an eating disorder and avoiding food altogether. Serious issues. But that's another post for another day.)

Mike, on the other hand, is a great cook. He dreamed of us preparing meals together and that sounded like zero fun to me.

But fast forward nearly five years and now I can honestly say that I love to cook! Who could have predicted this? Not me. It wasn't an overnight change but I've seriously prayed that God would give me the desire and ability to care for my family in this way and I'm so happy that I've learned to enjoy it. It really is a blessing. I find it fun to experiment in the kitchen and feed my family (often) delicious and (hopefully) nutritious meals.

Oliver's exceptionally picky eating habits combined with his numerous food allergies have been a challenge to work around. I have been forced to be creative and it has grown me in a lot of ways.

And I think I've redeemed myself after Monday night's pot roast disaster! I've tried some yummy new recipes this week. The first two are Cuban. I've never made Cuban food before but I served these last night and Mike declared it was his absolute favorite meal ever. Score!

I always enjoy getting new recipes so I thought I'd share...

Mojo Criollo - Cuban steak marinade (I used a thin shoulder steak and cooked it in the iron skillet. I'm sure it would be even better on the grill.)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
6 garlic cloves (pressed)
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

I used our Magic Bullet for everything so I just mixed the marinade in that.

------------------------------

Cuban Black Beans - (The recipe doesn't call for it but I added fresh corn to this and we loved it.)
2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup diced onions
1/2 cup salad olives (I used the entire jar of Zatarain's salad olives b/c we like olives.)
2 T olive oil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt & pepper

Saute' onions in olive oil. Add beans and olives, simmer for five minutes. Add oregano, salt and pepper. Serve over white rice.

------------------------------

I got this last recipe at Central Market, too. I made it tonight when Elizabeth came over for supper. We all agreed it was delicious. Not sure about the metric measurements - just add as much as you'd like to.

New Potato and Roasted Pepper Salad
1 lb new potatoes, halved or quartered
6 T olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 T course grain mustard
300 g mozzarella cheese, torn into bite-size pieces
188 g baby spinach
200 g roasted red peppers packed in oil, drained, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons fresh basil
salt & pepper to taste
* I also added a small jar of black olives b/c we love olives. The recipe didn't call for them, though.

Cook the potatoes in boiling water for 10-15 minutes till tender, then drain. Make the dressing by whisking together the oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper. Place all the other ingredients, including the warm potatoes, in a large bowl and drizzle over the dressing and lightly toss. Serve immediately.

Chrys

I'll Never Tell.

How's that popsicle, O?

You love it? Beautiful. I'm beyond thrilled to learn that you've added it to the list of acceptable foods you are willing to eat.

That expansive list now reads:

• cereal
• popsicles

Eat up, dude. You can have as many popsicles as you want. Seriously.

For the record, our "purple popsicles" (I must be vague) are: silken tofu, blueberries, strawberries. (You know, blueberries and strawberries. Fruit. The fruit he nearly hyperventilates about if it comes near him.)

The chocolate popsicles are silken tofu, chocolate soy milk and Amazing Grass Kids Superfood. (It supposedly contains thirty three fruits and veggies and Oliver is a fan. It's ridiculously expensive but, hey, desperate times. Any of you dietitians/experts out there willing to chime in on this? Is it a racket or is it worth it to get any amount of food down this kid? Just wondering.)

Chrys

P.S. Please don't remind Oliver about his first blueberry/tofu experience a couple of years ago. It didn't go so well.

Homemade Pesto

Oliver and I planted basil a few months ago and it's thriving. We cut a bunch this morning and made pesto with it. O wouldn't try the finished product but he loved helping Mommy--and the opportunity to sneak a bunch of pine nuts.
Mmmmmmm.

Chrys

What's For Supper?

I was grocery shopping at Mal-Wart (as O says) today and had a basket chock full of food and fussy boys when the allergist called with the results from last week's blood test.

She explained that Oliver isn't allergic to dust mites, cats, shrimp and fish. That's the good news.

He is, however, at least somewhat allergic to all of the other allergens they tested. The worst, and the ones she recommends eliminating at least for a time, are milk, eggs and peanuts.

Yikes. Let me now put back the majority of the items in our grocery cart.

It is difficult to explain to folks that Oliver does. not. eat. They just think I mean he's picky. It's more than that. He shudders, shakes and gags when we force him to try foods. He recently threw up all over Mike when I popped a bite of key lime pie into his mouth, thinking he'd like it. He eats no fruits. No veggies. He survives solely on cereal, milk, yogurt, bread and peanut butter. Every once in awhile he will surprise us and eat some meat as long as it is completely disguised in ketchup.

You know I've tried everything. I have persisted. I have been deceptive. I have disguised foods and, as recently as this morning, got him to eat fresh peaches and butternut squash without his knowledge b/c they were pureed and hidden in his yogurt then covered in granola. (Gross, I know.)

So I'm not sure what he's going to eat for a few weeks while we eliminate these foods to see if there is an improvement in his symptoms.

I got some soy milk and we'll see how that goes. The boy loves his milk.

As for lunch, I'm going to serve him the milk and egg-laden nutritional nothingness that is A to Z SpaghettiO's. He saw them on the shelf and was intrigued. He's very excited about them. I guess we'll start the elimination diet tomorrow after I've had a chance to think about this some more. I know: I'll process while our eldest eats his can of processed food. That's nice.

Yep, I am that mom. The one I said I'd never be. The one who feeds my kid an entire meal out of a can. Because maybe, just maybe, he will eat it simply b/c he digs the alphabet. Maybe. he'll. eat. Something.

Anything.

I used to buy everything at Whole Foods and Central Market. Fresh. Organic. Beautiful. Vibrant. Colorful. Healthy.

But even Mal-Wart has cereal, milk, yogurt and peanut butter.

I tell you what, desperation changes a person.

Chrys

Chewy Truey

One of O's favorite library books is called Chewy Louie. It's about a puppy who eats everything in sight and we've checked it out repeatedly b/c Oliver thinks it's hilarious. He recently started calling his baby brother "Chewy Truey". This nickname is comical and oh so appropriate. (Take this nursing mother's word for it.)

Here he is at supper tonight...

This is some yummy supper, Momma.

Hmmmmm....People, it appears I am running low on grub. I'll take Oliver's!

More, please?

Thanks.

Nummmmmmmm.
(This pic is definitely a new fav.)

Oh yeah, I am one satisfied customer!

How about those top two pearly whites? They finally broke through.

Oh, Sweet T, I am resisting the urge to gobble you up myself.

Chrys

Allergy Update & "Bad, Mean Ants"

We got the results yesterday from Oliver's blood test. I'm not sure what any of this means yet but I'm not going to panic...at least not until we see a pediatric allergist! Hopefully that will be soon.

The blood test indicates that Oliver has Class III allergies to eggs and wheat, Class II allergies to peanut and soy, and Class I allergies to milk and corn. Yeah, I don't really know what all of that means yet but it feels slightly overwhelming for this mom of a toddler who refuses to eat any fruits, vegetables or meats and survives on carbs and dairy. Yikes. I was told the allergen classes go all the way up to six so I'm assuming his aren't severe. But I've got tons to learn. If anyone wants to school me in food allergies, bring it on.

He also has at least one infection, probably two. (The nurse prac couldn't see one ear drum b/c of all the wax and didn't want to dig b/c she was already going to prescribe antibiotics for the other ear.) And, of course, it is probably due to his allergies. The poor guy is having a rough spring.

Oddly enough, Oliver only had one ear infection in his life until Truett came along. Maybe he is allergic to his baby brother??

After the doctor's appointment this morning we returned to the butterfly field to gather more milkweed for our hungry monarch caterpillars. They are growing like, well, (milk)weeds. I can't believe how fast it happens. Amazing. Mike has taken some incredible time lapse pics of our caterpillars hatching from and then eating their eggs, eating leaves, etc. Our main computer is still out of commission, though, so we'll have to post those at a later date. Stay tuned.

So we were in the butterfly field searching for milkweed today when Oliver started screaming. I mean SCREAMING. I was a few yards away and I flew to him and swooped him up as I heard him say, "The ants! Ants are getting me!" Bless his heart, the child was standing in a fire ant bed!

I threw off his shoes and slapped the ants off of him. With Truett under one arm, Oliver under the other and four milkweed bouquets in front I managed to fly through the field with superhuman power that only moms know about. Both boys were screaming (Truett was scared to death) and I was near tears myself. I got them to the van where I doused Oliver's legs in water to make sure all the ants were off. I got bit several times and was afraid Truett had been bitten as well by the way he was carrying on. (I never found any bites on him, though.) Fire ant bites sting so badly and I felt awful for poor O who was covered in them.

I panicked at first b/c I was concerned that our sensitive Oliver would violently react to several dozen fire ant bites. Last fall his face was swollen for days from a single mosquito bite. Thankfully that didn't happen.

We raced to my friend Rachel's house. She's a nurse and I knew she'd remain calm. We doctored O's feet, toes and legs then he proceeded to play happily with Rachel's boys like nothing ever happened. Owen and Noah were thrilled with what we brought them--two monarch eggs that we found on our milkweed!

I've given Oliver benadryl twice today and am keeping his feet coated in itch medicine. He's fussy but that is to be expected, especially considering his ear infection. He's talked all day about the "bad, mean ants" that "got him".

For the record, Oliver weighed 31 lbs today and Truett weighed nearly 18 lbs.

And Oliver requested a "pollylop" at the doctor's office. Sorry, bud.

Chrys

Our Eater

This kid *hearts* BBQ! At least one of them eats, right??

Chrys

Sabertooth T, Evangelina & Out On The Town

I took Sweet T to the pedi this morning b/c I was confident he had another ear infection. You know, the one he's had since December? That one. We even ordered our own otoscope but now I need to go to medical school to be able to discern what I'm looking at. It's not as easy as it sounds, especially with wiggly boys and ear wax. That's a pretty picture now, isn't it?

Truett weighs 17 lbs and I am crazy about his roly poly thighs. Naturally he was as happy as a lark at the doctor's office. And does he have an ear infection? Nope. His ears don't look great, mind you, but they're not infected. What he does have, however, is his first two little teeth popping through. He announced the arrival of the aforementioned razors by biting me during his early morning breakfast. Nice.So no ear infections. Just a grouchy teether.

This afternoon we received the joyous news that we have a new cousin in the family! My dear cousin, Angi, gave birth to precious Evangelina Elise this afternoon. We can't wait to meet you, Eva! "Twit" has officially relinquished to you the honor of being the youngest Jones cousin.

After naps both boys had happy faces and were thrilled for our sweet friends Chase and Elizabeth to come over. They kept the boys while Mike and I had a fun night out on the town! I wore a hot little number that I got for $7 on the clearance rack at Forever 21. Yeah, I brag about my bargain shopping. And yeah, sometimes I just like to pretend I haven't outgrown the juniors section. We went to the wedding of a pledge sister from A&M, another Elizabeth. What a beautiful bride! It was an honor to be a part of her day and was a reunion of so many dear friends. From the Robert Louis Stevenson poem at the front of the wedding program to the Shakespearean Sonnet that her aunt read, there were so many little details about the ceremony and the reception that I took note of and smiled b/c it was all so Elizabeth.

Her bouquet is my favorite example of her sentimental heart:I love, love, love it and I can't even remember all the details. The gold pin in front belonged to her great, great, great, great grandmother (I think? Laura, correct me if I'm wrong!). Tucked away in the bouquet was a christening handkerchief that was a baby gift to her parents when she was born. And finally, the three roses in front were from her father's casket. Elizabeth's dad passed away when we were in college and she found so many ways to honor and remember him at her wedding today. There were definitely tears shed as so many of us recalled the relationship she had with her Daddy.

And, knowing Elizabeth, there's probably even more bouquet trivia that I didn't learn about.

I told Elizabeth that her wedding is seriously the fanciest, most elegant wedding I have ever attended. The Texas Boys Choir sang at the ceremony! They were amazing. The reception was downtown at The Adolphus Hotel and we drank wine and dined on fare such as Poached Pear And Field Greens Salad With Gorgonzola Cheese And Candied Pecans Served With A Lemon Dressing and an entree of Potato-Encrusted Sea Bass Paired With Petit Fillet Of Beef With A Sherry Cream And Natural Jus. I particularly enjoyed my Smashed Yukon Potatoes And Vegetables. (I'm no food critic, I just kept the menu.) The White Chocolate Mousse Wedding Cake and the Dark Chocolate Mousse Groom's Cake were, well, you can guess. Unbelievable.
Ahhhhhhhhhh, so much fun. What a fun night out with my honey. It was great to visit with two tables of college girlfriends that I haven't seen since before I was pregnant with Truett.

So, back to reality. Tomorrow we'll probably eat Wild Bugs Pasta With Hidden Sweet Potatoes In The Powdered Cheese Sauce for lunch. And we'll love it.

Chrys

The Magic Bullet

I am loving our Magic Bullet! I seriously use it at every meal. We got the basic model and used a 20% off coupon so it was reasonably priced (~$45, which I'll easily save by not buying manufactured baby food). It is much more convenient to use for little jobs than my food processor.

I've been using it to make Oliver a protein shake each morning at breakfast. I'm sneaking in all kinds of healthy stuff and he's clueless as long as it looks like a chocolate shake.

Today I put Truett's avocado in the Bullet and he loved the texture. (He told me so.) It was airy and whipped, and almost looked like pistachio gelato. (You need to add breast milk or formula to get it to this consistency. I have tried it in the food processor and it doesn't work nearly as well as it does in the Magic Bullet.)
At lunch I made both boys a smoothie with frozen cherries and Kefir. Oliver announced that it was "delicious" (does he know that cherries are fruit??) and Truett ate the whole teeny baby food jar full:
For supper we had peas, bread and pasta shells stuffed with cheeses, turkey sausage and spinach. (Yum...thanks Angie!) I put some in the Magic Bullet and Truett ate exactly what we ate. He was crazy about it! I forgot to take a before pic, but here's an after pic. It was clearly a huge success:All in all, two thumbs up for the Magic Bullet. It's handy, compact, easy to use, dishwasher safe and there are plenty of little containers. (I should get paid for this, Magic Bullet People.)

Mike says that if I leave my car keys next to the Magic Bullet it will even go grocery shopping for me. I'm going to try it.

Chrys

No Yo Fo Sho

Our sweet T has liked everything we've put in his mouth so far...until tonight. He found a food that's not on his list of favs: yogurt! This was his reaction to YoBaby Simply Plain: