Ginger bread men

Here are the ginger bread men we made around Christmas time.

Matching Table Cloth and Runner

Made these two pieces for the home yesterday!

Family time

Isla and I took a road trip to Wisconsin to see my sister and her family today. Isla loves hanging our with her older cousins. Emilee and Ella both make her laugh so much when they are together!

We picked up Emilee from school and got her skates fitted. After that we went to Papa Murphys fit some dinner. While we waited, Isla and Em had a good ol time chasing each other around. During the fun, Isla managed to trip and bump her lip. It bled for a bit, and her lip swelled up... But she survived.

We ate, then headed over to a Creative Memories party. Great group of gals. Got to meet Mels good friend Leah and had a couple drinks.

Headed back to my sisters place and spent the night. Loved every minute of it!

Today's Food Art: Breakfast - Applesauce Muffins

This yummy muffin has butternut squash in it! We had Ashley, Aubrey, and Madi here today and they devoured them! The element that puts it all together is the crunchy streusel topping.

This week in ”class”... Farm Animals!

Today we are learning about piggies. We are giving the piggy mud to roll around in.

Today's Food Art: Dinner - Rice Balls

So yum and so easy! Isla loves them. It's my new favorite!

Getting Ready for Halloween

Spent a little time during Isla's nap moving things around and decorating for a fun season!

Today's Food Art: Lunch - Homemade Tomato Basil Soup with Penne

Yum! Isla and I both love it!

Isla's Caterpillar

It is Eric Carle week in our house. Today we are focusing on The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Very Busy Spider! This morning we read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and made a hand print caterpillar.

Today's Food Art: Snack - Chocolate Chip Cookies with Chickpeas (and lots of other goodies)

This treat is so yum! It's got a lot of ingredients, but they are all fairly common. Again, easy to make and full of nutrients!

Isla ”helped” me make these for Emilee and Ella's visit this weekend. We are so excited to go to the pumpkin patch, decorate for fall and carve our pumpkins!

Today's Food Art: Breakfast - French Toast with Pumpkin

A simple and delicious meal... It only takes a few ingredients!

4 eggs
2 tablespoons banana, pineapple, sweet potato, carrot, butternut squash, or pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 slices of bread
Nonstick cooking spray
2 tsp margarine spread
Pure maple syrup
Flaxseed meal (optional)

Mix first three ingredients. Dip bread in the mixture for about 30 seconds per slice. Heat skillet on medium high. Coat with cooking spray and add margarine when hot. Add bread and sprinkle with fox seed meal and cook til golden brown on both sides. Serve with syrup or powder sugar or fruit.

I skipped the margarine step and flax seed, today... But I know I will use out in the future.

Today's Food Art: Lunch - Homemade Chicken Nuggets

This chicken nugget meal was unbelievable! You have to get a bit messy, but man is it worth it! Super moist and full of flavor. I made some honey mustard to go with it.

• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup flaxseed meal
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 cup broccoli, spinach, sweet potato, or beet puree
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used chicken tender strips), cut into small chunks
• 1/2 tsp salt
• nonstick cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, flaxseed meal, parmesan, paprika, garlic and onion powder. Spread on paper or foil.

2. In a shallow bowl, mix the veggie puree and egg with a fork and set the bowl next to the breadcrumbs.

3. Sprinkle the chicken with salt. Dip the chunks in the egg mixture and then toss in the breadcrumbs until completely coated.

4. Coat large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over med high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Place the chicken nuggets in the skillet in a single layer, being careful not to crowd the pan. Cook until crisp and golden on one side, 3-4 min. Then turn and cook until the chicken is cooked through, golden brown and crisp all over, 4 - 5 min longer. Serve warm.

Curls and Bows

Today she sported her new outfit... Including her new bow from Sadie's Bowtique!

Today's Food Art: Breakfast - Spinach and Yellow Squash Egg Puffs

Here's what Isla, Sue and I had for breakfast this morning. I added the bacon and onions to the recipe.

Today's Food Art: Breakfast - Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

This is a super easy recipe. Delicious and healthy!

• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats (or quick oats)
• Dried fruit and nuts (optional)
• Pure maple syrup, for serving (optional)

1. In a small saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla and spice. Bring to a gentle boil and stir in the oatmeal. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the oatmeal is soft and creamy.

2. Spoon the oatmeal into bowls, sprinkle with dried fruit and nuts, and serve warm with maple syrup!

Serves 2-3 (Depending on appetites) :-)

Today's Food Art: Dinner - Pita Pizzas w/ Spinach

So this recipe normally calls for 4 inch pita bread - but I had some pita pockets that I could use up. This was, yet again, a DELICIOUS meal! Too bad Rich didn't get to enjoy it with us! :-( Isla loved it too.

I used pizza sauce instead of tomato sauce. It was super simple to make:

Basically spread some pureed spinach on the pita. Then the sauce. Then the mozz cheese. Toss it in the oven at 400 for about 5 minutes... and voila!

Blanching and Freezing Carrots

I'm trying something new today! I have all of these carrots from my garden, and there is NO way I can use all of them before they go bad. I have decided to freeze them.

I got the "recipe" on this site. Seems pretty cool and I will continue to use it: http://www.pickyourown.org/carrotsfreezing.htm

I'm wishing I would have done this for all of my veggies... There's always next year! ;-)

Today's Food Art: Lunch - Butternut Squash Grilled Cheese

Today I made Butternut Squash Grilled Cheese Sandwiches for lunch. So yummy and simple. Rich LOVED them! So much nutrients in this delish dish! Forgot to take a pic.

Aslan and Sparky

Isla and I are making some changes... For the GREAT!

Now that Isla and I are getting into our groove of being together 24/7, I thought we could start up our blog again! Of course a lot has happened in the last six months, so I will catch up as BRIEFLY as possible ;-)

Isla Betty, in short, is doing everything she is supposed to be doing (and more) as a 16 month old. Walking/running, jibber jabbering,  playing, puzzling, playing, stacking, playing, climbing/standing on things she's not supposed to... You know, all of that normal stuff. :-)

We both have met lots of new friends in MOMS Club! I enjoy the MOMS' company and also putting together the MOMS Club of Belle Plaine Newsletter!

We are still using and loving FuzziBunz, too!  Cloth diapering has saved us so much dough! It's great!

And now I am spending all that money we saved on my new-found love of cooking! We base our menus on Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook "Deceptively Delicious," using the hidden technique of adding pureed fruits and veggies to all of our meals! So far Rich and Isla LOVE my cooking! YAYY! :-) My next step is to get her second cookbook "Double Delicious! Good, Simple Food for Busy, Complicated Lives" now that I am working part time (with Isla) at the Chaska Community Center Daycare.

We got a kitty, too! Here's a pic...

He's MUCH bigger, now... But that's the only photo I had on the computer at the moment. :-) He and Sparky are best friends. He's extremely cool... coolest darn cat I've ever met! Most agree.

Pneumonia

Well, poor Isla has been thrown another zinger. We've been in and out of the hospital again this week... They seem to have finally found what is going on, though. She has had a fever for the last 5 days... for 72 hours of that it was above 102 (peaking at 104.5). Throat tests, blood tests, chest xrays... and finally a discovery. Pneumonia. She just took her last dose of antibiotics, but had a fever again this morning. She feels a bit better after Motrin, but we hate giving her that stuff all the time. She hasn't been eating too well, but she will drink her bottle. So that is good.

One day office lady, next day teacher!

I am proud to say that I am now a SAHM! Thursday, March 17 was my last day "on the job" at Bergquist.

Isla and I are already having a great time learning about all the things around the house, singing and dancing to our favorite tunes, and spending quality time together! She is pulling herself up on everything and is doing so quite strongly! She enjoys testing her limits by going after the doggy food as often as possible. ;-)

On Thursday after saying goodbye to my coworkers, Isla and I spent some time at PetSmart learning about the animals that can live in the home! She really enjoyed the fish, birdies, and the doggies at daycamp!

We are very excited for this spring and summer to learn about flowers and veggies as we start our garden!

Uncle Braden came to visit this weekend. We had a blast watching SuperWhy - Isla's favorite PBS show! She hears the music and starts giggling and clapping. So cute!

Daddy was home from Thurs through Sunday. It was great to spend some time with him after he was gone for three weeks for work! 

She now has four teeth coming through! They all just started coming in... within a month!

Poor baby has been struggling with ear infections and other crud for the last few weeks, too. :-( Had a fever this afternoon, but she cooled down shortly. We're going in tomorrow to the doc again.

Along with staying home with Isla, I am in a band! Our first performance is May 7 at an old coworkers benefit that I am also organizing. We are PUMPED and almost ready to go! :-)

I'm also super excited for Kelly and Brian's wedding in June! Kelly has requested my assistance with some things and I am happy to help! I do have a little bit of spare time, after all! ;-)

Vote for Isla on KDWB!

Vote for Isla Bee! :-) We can win $1000 and a photo shoot! We all know how gosh darn cute she is! ;-)

You will have to "sign up..." Just click 'no' on all of the requests and you won't get spammed!


101.3 KDWB The Twin Cities Hit Music Station

Creating New Friendships

I am super pumped about my coworker Andy and his wife Ronda coming by tonight! We are so lucky to have friends this close in Belle Plaine!

Andy and Rich both work with automation and robotics, so they may possibly be a match made in heaven! ;-) JK guys.

I haven't met Ronda yet, but from what Andy has told me and from seeing their blog, she and I will have NO PROBLEM connecting. She seems extremely creative and fun! She likes wine - she's already cool in my book!

Here's their blog: http://imapick.blogspot.com/


Can't wait! I hope they like cheese with their wine! ;-)

Isla's Learning Center

We enrolled Isla in La Petite Academy last week and she started this Tuesday. We love everyone there - they seem so nice! This is going to be great for her, because she will be getting plenty of interaction with babies and teachers.

She hasn't been napping well there, though, because she is used to sleeping in a dark room with lullabies playing. :-) Oops! Now she has to sleep in an unfamiliar crib in neon lights... So she takes little 30 minute cat-naps... However, she is playing and learning so much, that she sleeps great at home! It's a really great sign when a child comes home tired!

I love that every time I come to pick her up, someone is working with her. It's fantastic!

Isla's First Tooth and Da Yoopers

Went snowboarding in da U.P. (Wakefield) this weekend. Had a blast!

Isla stayed with my sister in Chippewa Falls for the weekend and they had a great time! She finally got her first tooth! She was cranky from Wednesday morning through Saturday. Sunday came and she was as happy as a clam (just in time to see momma and da da)!

In da U.P. I learned how to carve! It's been a long time coming. Kelly helped me get past my nerves. I'm so glad I did! Snowboarding is WAYY more fun now. Needless to say, I've got the itch to go again!

From the snow melting and freezing Thurs and Fri, we were stuck boarding on "groomed" ice. So everytime I fell, I felt it! I have bruises to prove it! I also twisted my ankle coming off of the scary chair lift... That, luckily, will heal on its own.

Snowstorm hit the entire state of Wisconsin and most of Minnesota on the way back. That made for a very long/stressful 10 hour trip home. But we made it home safe.


As for our impression of the Indianhead Mountain Resort we stayed at... It was alright. Our hot tub stopped working after the first night, which was sad. Comparing it with Lutsen Caribou Highlands, Lutsen wins hands down. We will probably stick with that from now on.

Isla is Crawling!

She's been wanting to crawl, and showing signs, but we didn't know if she would do it... Until Saturday night (when Gramma and Grampa Swords were over) she started to move a knee. She didn't completely do it until Sunday.

Here's how it went:

I showed her my phone (which she is obsessed with) and placed it on the floor about three feet from her. She started rocking and decided to go for it! Took a little while, but I got her to go! :-)

Now she's all over the place!

SOOO BIG!

Ok, so she hasn't completely got the "Sooo Big" down, just yet... HOWEVER, she IS pulling herself onto her feet! :-)

She did it for the first time yesterday. She would have tried days ago, but yesterday was the first time I was wearing non-stretch pants! ;-)

Back to Cloth

For a little while we stopped using cloth diapers on Isla. We THOUGHT it was the cloth that was giving her a rash... WRONG-O! It was actually the lack of diaper changes at daycare... :-(

So, now that my BFF Suzie Q is watching Isla every day, Isla has a clear bottom! We are back on cloth and its working quite well! :-) I am THRILLED that she's in them again.

Cheerio Queen

Today Isla nailed grasping the Cheerios and putting them in her mouth all by herself!! :-) What a smarty-pants!

Snowboarding

The girls and I have begun our weekly snowboarding adventures to get ready for out "2011 OMG Michigan" snowboarding trip.

Cece is looking AWESOME and I am so jealous. Kelly is doing great, but I tend to go too fast and I don't get to watch her too much. Sue is all about the toe side and is working on her heel. I am still working on steering with my back leg and haven't mastered the carving... But we're all on the right track!

It's just great to get together with the girls once a week. We should have started this a long time ago.

A new house - a new lifestyle!

First thing's first - we bought a new home! We began looking because there were so many great homes on the market and the interest rates were remarkable! Once we got pre-approved we called up our friend and realtor Melissa to start our search.

We looked at quite a few, but after heartbreaks and let downs we finally found THE ONE in Belle Plaine! It was a blank slate - which is great for Rich and I, because we really wanted to add our own touches. With an unfinished basement, bathroom and laundry roughed in, this was the perfect find. Unfinished is 1300 sq ft for $145K.

It might be further away from friends and family, but we are ready to continue our life and meet new friends in a beautiful new area!

So far we have painted the Kitchen and Living areas. There are some touchups needed, but it's looking fantastic! We picked up an electric fireplace to add to the ambiance of the living room - and boy does it look great! Beautiful old-fashioned design to mix with the modern elements of the home. We got all new furniture for living and dining and we are so pleased!

We are still working on unpacking (we moved in the weekend before Christmas). That is definitely taking a lifetime!


To go with the new house, Rich got a new job! He is working for Buhler Group Inc out of Plymouth, but he mostly travels. He is a Customer Service Engineer and is really enjoying it!

More to come!

Now that things are calming down....

I can finally post again!

Usually I like to post when we've had an adventure or Isla has hit a milestone... It's been a while since she has hit one, so I will just let everyone know what is going on with her now.

Miss Isla Bee is so active! She isn't crawling yet and she has no teeth, but she is rolling and flipping! I have a feeling she is going to roll to where she wants to go instead of crawl. It doesn't matter to me if she doesn't crawl!

She is learning "Peek-a-boo!" right now and has been waving "HI!" for a while. She goes "Haaaa," which I believe is her way of saying Hi. :-)

She likes her toys, but loves dog toys more... Typical. ;-)

She is back on regular formula and is eating baby food three times a day. She likes to eat cheerios, but hasn't quite figured out how to get them to her own mouth. But she's working on it!

She's starting to make "Da" sounds - just waiting on "Ma." ;-)

Stay tuned - there have been a lot of changes since my last post.