So Yummy - And "Lentil" On Your Wallet

Okay - so it's a geeky take on "gentle", but this soup was absolutely delicious and really affordable, so I had to share the recipe! I used the leftover ham bone from our Christmas feast and made some corn bread to serve with the soup which was the perfect complement.

This is the first time I've cooked with lentils and had no idea about their outstanding nutritional value until I saw the signage at Whole Foods. I think I'll be looking for more lentil recipes in the coming weeks! Have any to share?

Tasty Treats

I love cooking and baking - as discussed on this blog before - so I really like making tasty treats for friends and family at the holidays (and it doesn't hurt that there are often leftovers for me!) This year I decided to go all out on fudge, and made a few flavors. Only one flavor completely tanked (pumpkin fudge - I definitely did something wrong in that recipe...), but the others were delicious and I have one more batch to make - this time maple - which I hope tastes as heavenly as it sounds.

In the meantime, if you're looking for a good fudge recipe here are the ones I used with a few editorial notes:

• Favorite flavor of the year: peanut butter fudge. This recipe was truly easy and the texture was perfect. Several of my friends said they ate the entire bag I gave them before they even had a chance to put it away. I want to make another batch just for me!
• Close second favorite flavor: candy cane fudge. Although my final product didn't look anything like the photo (my candy canes were inside the fudge, not on top), it was delicious. On the topic of looks - against my better judgement I used green food coloring with this recipe. I would actually recommend against using any food coloring. I selected multi-colored (red, white & green) candy canes for the recipe and they actually looked really nice against the original white of the batter. When I make my next batch, I'm keeping it au naturel.
• I am usually a huge chocolate fudge fan - but this recipe wasn't my favorite. Don't get me wrong, it still tasted divine and I still gave it out as gifts, but it was a little dry & brittle for my liking. All of my woes were likely caused by chef's error, but I'll probably go back to the popular Fantasy Fudge recipe next time.

Baby F is, of course, too young to take part in the cooking or tasting of these treats - but I do have him around in the kitchen often and wonder if he'll grow up with an affinity for cooking. I hope so, because I think a man who knows how to cook (or at least one who's willing to clean up the dishes) makes a great catch!

Holiday Treats to Holiday Lights - A Day of Giving

Today was a day of giving. It started when I delivered holiday treats and cards to Baby F's teachers at school, then handed out goodies to my coworkers. This evening I got to help decorate a cottage at Tennyson Center for Children, and capped off the night by making some food for tomorrow's teacher appreciation luncheon at Baby F's school. Whew!

Most moving for me today was helping to decorate the cottage at Tennyson. If you're not familiar with the organization, they provide services for abused and neglected children. GroundFloor Media has supported Tennyson for many years, and we decorated cottages last year, too - so maybe it's being a new mom, but interacting with the kids there this year was totally different for me. I couldn't help looking at their darling, eager faces and wondering how on earth they end up in abusive or neglectful situations. How could a parent do that to their child? I simply cannot imagine, but I'm so glad that organizations like Tennyson exist to provide a safe space and healing treatment for these kids.

Watching the kids get so excited about the decorating process, and hearing from them about their own holiday traditions (one girl hung her very own ornament which she said was "very old" - she received it on her first birthday nine years ago...) reminded me what the holidays really should be about. The kids were so eager to open the stockings we brought for them and watching them go through the small gifts inside again reminded me to be so grateful for all that I have - most importantly a loving family and friends.

I haven't started Christmas shopping yet, but am encouraged every day the holiday draws more near to focus on giving to those less fortunate. This year - and again, maybe it's being a first time mom... - but this year I would much rather give back than receive. It's what the Christmas spirit is all about.

Locked & Loaded

I cannot believe it - but my holiday treats are ready for delivery tomorrow to Baby F's teachers and to my co-workers. And - on top of it all - I completed an entire delivery of holiday treats for Zach's office earlier this week! Only one treat went horribly awry and actually ended up in the trash (it was that bad...), but the rest are tasty and ready to bring holiday smiles to people's faces. Details and recipe links to come!

Next up? Holiday cards... Goal? Stuffed, addressed, stamped and ready to hit the road by Monday. Stay tuned for progress updates!

From Russia With Love

Today was a very special day - I got to meet Laura and Greg Aden's little boy Jackson who they just adopted from Russia. What a darling, vibrant, happy and outgoing little boy! And did I mention ACTIVE? Oh boy... I need a nap thinking of how tired I'll be chasing Baby F around when he's Jackson's age!

I adore Laura for so many reasons (you should know that she hired me even though I spilled coffee all over her beautiful, winter-white outfit almost five years ago now...), but we became closer over the past few years sharing in the trials and tribulations of trying to grow our families - me struggling with infertility and her with the ups and downs of trying to adopt. What a blessing that today we're both fulfilled in having achieved our dreams of growing our families to include happy, healthy little boys! What a difference a year (or two) makes.

What strikes me the most on the battlegrounds of infertility and adoption is that sometimes the people who want babies the most - those who would really make the ultimate parents - are those who face the highest hurdles. Both infertility and adoption come at a high price (emotionally and monetarily), and some try and try at both avenues only to run into road blocks along the way. Not to mention the other side of the story - the sweet kids like Jackson who would love to join a loving home and have no understanding that there are loving parents out there, it's just not quite so easy to put two-and-two together.

My wish tonight is that all those out there struggling with whatever barriers exist between them and a loving family will have the strength and resources to overcome those barriers. No matter what their future family looks like, I can say from experience that in the end it's worth the struggle.

Need a Smile?

I had a crummy day. Nothing went as I wanted. It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Blech.

Good news? I was putting together a baby shower gift for a friend tonight and got to choose one of these super cute little monsters to include in the package. How could they not make you smile? My multi-talented mom, Cathy, makes these dolls - they're fleece and all cuddly and squishy. Finn loves his! He picked a lime green one named "Yoop."

If you're in the market for one more holiday gift for a special little someone contact me or my mom. She has a bunch that are ready to go - or could probably custom-design one if you get to her this week (e.g., before Friday, Dec. 17...)

Okay - off to bed to sleep off this crummy day and reset for my last full week at work before the holidays! Now that's a reason to smile...

The results are in...

So my sweet co-workers indulged me in a totally random survey the other day, and the results are as follows:
Chocolate - 5
Maple - 1
Peanut butter - 3
Peppermint - 2
Pumpkin - 1

Now the question is, what does it mean? Stay tuned! All will be revealed in due time...

Cooking Makes Me Happy

I've always loved cooking, but now that I'm a mom and a wife I find real pleasure in being able to provide for my family by making great food. Maybe it's a little June Cleaver of me, but hey - it makes me happy...

Lately I've been on a real slow cooker kick, but this week I decided to go old school and make some quicker recipes. Thanks to my best friend Jody I was inspired to make chicken pot pie tonight and it was delicious! Basic recipe:

• Lay a pie crust into a pie pan
• Pick the meat from the bones of 1 roast chicken from the grocery
• Combine meat with 1 can cream of chicken (I used low fat/low sodium) and 1 can cream of potato
• Add veggies you'd like - I chose carrots, celery, onion and peas
• NOTE: I used all fresh veggies except the peas, which were frozen. I sauteed them slightly before mixing them in just to soften them a bit.
• Layer into a pie pan and top with pie crust
• Bake at 400 for about 30-45 minutes - until pie crust is browned and contents are bubbly

It was that easy, and totally delish. While the pot pie was baking, I also made Baby F some more apples and pears. The boy LOVES his fruit! I want to thank my dear friend Ashley for giving me two baby food books as gifts at my Book Club book baby shower. I love the books and find great joy in making Baby F's food from scratch. It tastes delicious and is very economical!

Okay, enough June Cleaver for tonight. Off to plan my next cooking adventure!

Bookworm In Training

I love the fact that when my husband reads to my son before bed he reads him the title, then the author, then launches into the story. Not sure why, but I think including the author adds a little something.

We love reading to Baby F and he really loves his books! My personal favorites are the Berenstain Bears books, but thanks to my amazing Book Club Girls who held a very meaningful book shower for me before Baby F was born, we have been introduced to a whole host of kid books that I wasn't familiar with before. Everyone was asked to bring their favorite childhood book (or books) to the shower and believe it or not, there wasn't a single duplicate! It tells me that we are all truly book lovers, even though "Book Club" is more often focused on drinking wine, eating cheese and talking about everything except the book.

I have referenced a particular research study a lot lately, so I wanted to note it here. The study shows that children raised in a home with a 500-book library achieve on average 6.6 more years of education. Amazing! We have a pretty healthy collection of books - and now we have even more reason to continue to expand our collection. Outside of the Berenstain Bears books, some personal favorites in my collection include classics The Great Gatsby and Lady Chatterly's Lover; beach favorites such as The Other Side of the Story and Watermelon by Marian Keyes; childhood staple The Little House on the Prairie series; and a favorite love story from my college years, Coming Home.

My husband has totally different taste in books, but together we're hopefully turning our little man into a bookworm all his own. Can't wait to see what his favorites end up being! I found some Bobbsey Twins books for him that were mine as a kid. I loved them... Wonder if they'll translate to today's kid when he's old enough to read them? What are some of your favorites?

I'm in the Navy!

I spent a blissful afternoon with my BFF Jody today celebrating our two birthdays (she on Nov. 20, me Dec. 4 - just two weeks apart!) We first stopped at Common Grounds for a delicious sandwich and some drinks, then on to the Oxford for mani/pedis. Believe it or not, this was Jody's first pedi and she loved it!

I saw an ad for something in a magazine recently where the girl had navy blue nail polish - so I decided to give it a try. OPI has this cool color called Russian Navy, and I love it! I got it on my toes and fingers and it looks really cool. Only problem is that it's not very forgiving, and I already have a nick on my finger nail that you simply cannot miss. Oh well - it's going to be fun while it lasts!

While the afternoon was lots of fun - nothing can beat the giant smile and jumping around "welcome home" that Baby F did when he saw me walk in the door! That kid is really cute... Wonderful birthday weekend all around!

Gaining Perspective On My Bir-s-day

Today was my birthday (or bir-s-day as my Hungarian grandmother says...) and it was a really nice day! Baby F "slept in" until about 7:30, then we all hung out in bed and opened cards and presents and played with the wrapping and envelopes (okay - that was just Baby F...) Once we finally got moving we had breakfast at Toast in Cherry Creek and then jetted off to Target to shop for holiday gifts for some children we "adopted" through the Denver Police Department.

We adopted three kids this year and it just breaks my heart to read their gift lists. While there are some fun gift requests (makeup for a 13-year-old girl, wrestling toys for an 11-year-old boy), there are also some that no kid I knew growing up would ask for, like a winter coat or shoes. Yes - we might have asked for a trendy coat (I remember the year I got my first jean jacket for Christmas - score!) or the latest style of shoes, but these kids are asking out of necessity, not to be trendy.

This year my entire perspective on the holidays has changed. Perhaps it's being a new mom, or maybe it's a part of becoming more socially aware, but it truly feels better to give to those in need and to simply enjoy being with the ones I love, celebrating all of the wonderful blessings we're so privileged to have. I hope the joy I get from giving to those in need passes along to Baby F.

A Day To Be Grateful

Today was a day full of things to be grateful for:

• This morning I dropped Baby F at school where he smiled like crazy at his teachers and friends when we arrived. For his love of school and all that he's learning, even at this early age, I am grateful.
• I also dropped two bags of baby clothes, some diapers Baby F outgrew and extra wipes at The Denver Rescue Mission. I simply cannot fathom what it would be like to be homeless or in need - particularly with an infant. For the fact that I have never had to contemplate this reality, but also for the fact that I can give and have been motivated to do so, I am grateful.
• I had an impromptu lunch date with my dear friend Carrie today. We met through work more than 10 years ago and we still work together today, although for a different employer than where we started out. For the fact that Carrie is in my life, and that we share so many wonderful friends and now years worth of memories, I am grateful.
• When I picked up Baby F he immediately smiled at me, and didn't stop smiling even when I dragged him to the grocery store instead of straight home. For his shining face and light in his eyes, I am grateful!

So many things to be grateful for this holiday season - I hope you are enjoying your blessings, too!

Cry Me a River...

So - this has been a rough week for Baby F. He had a fever the first part of the week which has finally gone away only to be replaced by a cough and serious stuffed nose (for Mommy, too, which is great.) To top it all off, we're still weaning - which is getting easier, by the way - and we have also started trying a bit of the "cry it out" method of getting him to go to sleep. I really didn't want to take this approach, but the doctor advised us that at 6 months old he really should be going into the crib awake, not nursed to sleep, as he would only continue to freak out when he wakes up at night because he doesn't know that the crib is a safe place to soothe himself to sleep.

It's amazing how many opinions there are on how to get your kid to sleep - and no preparation for how awful it is to survive the crying that comes with the path we've chosen. But, I'm happy to report that in about a week of working on this he went to bed with only about 5-10 minutes of crying tonight, much of which was actually babbling and wasn't a freaked out cry at all. Hoping he sleeps well tonight, and looking forward to getting to bed myself soon! Nighty night, blog world!