I have news

In light of my recent run-in with Blogger (grrr.), and after having struggled with Blogger numerous times in the past, I've decided to move both of my blogs elsewhere.

I'm switching over to wordpress and my lovely husband is going to be hosting the website for me (thanks honey!!), so I bid you adieu, Blogger. I will not miss thee.

You can find my blogs at:

www.RemindMeAgain.org

www.SeeTeriRun.com

I have hit the maxmum number of photos

I have maxed out my photo limit on blogger. I can't post any more pictures (which is not ok with me) for the foreseeable future. I'm working on a solution to this problem, but until then, I'm on hiatus. You can always go check out my other blog, See Teri Run.

Things we shouldn't do...

There a ton of things we shouldn't do, but the one I feel like I'm the most guilty of right now is comparing my child to others of about the same age. I hear about some child being able to say specific words to indicate something, or how a child can walk by this point and I immediately think Evie's falling behind. It's the worst. It's like an involuntary response to which I have to mentally tell myself not to compare my child to others. I know rationally that my child is unique and that all children develop at their own pace and that, in the end, she will conquer all the milestones when she's good and ready. But it's been hard to rewire my brain to not jump to that comparison.

It's scary how much they look like each other.

Little Girl (because she's becoming less and less of a baby every day) just turned 9 months last week and there are some truly amazing things she can do and some really funny things too. For example, if I lay down on the floor and lift my shirt up, she immediately rushes over from where ever she was, drops what she was doing, to face plant into my belly. I assume she's trying to blow raspberries on my belly like I do to her when I change her diaper, but she can't quite blow out, so it's just an open-mouthed face plant. She also thinks it's really funny when someone sneezes.

But I still hear about babies who can say Dada and Mama to the correct parent at this age, or babies who are already walking and I can't help but think my baby is falling behind. How do you deal with not comparing your child (or yourself, or your marriage, etc.) to others?

I've been neglecting my blog

There are just so many more things I'd rather be doing than updating my blog. Like playing with this little one!

We've done some pretty fun things lately. Evie tried avocados, and loved it.

Figured out how to open the wipes.

And spent a weekend of two firsts at once: Camping at the beach

We had a ton of fun at the beach and Little Girl *LOVED* it. She couldn't get enough of it. Just like her mom. :)

Beach Weekend

I am so excited for our beach trip this weekend! Matt, Baby Girl and I are going camping on the beach at Carolina Beach, where you can drive right on to the beach! And we'll have some friends with us too. I'm pretty excited to try out our 4-whel drive for the first time. I just hope we don't get stuck! :)

It will also be the first time I've been to the beach this summer! How is that possible?! I suppose when driving for more than an hour or so doesn't jive with the little one, it makes it hard to go on trips... Any way, I'm really looking forward to watching Evie discover the sand! So far, the weather is looking pretty good and I can't wait!!

Recipe Time: Turkey Gnocchi Soup

So, I wasn't sure what to do for dinner because my planned menu had gone out the window. I'd used up some ingredients already and didn't want to go buy more because I had a ton of food in my fridge! I just needed something to make with it. Thus, this soup was born. It was raining on Monday when I made it and I knew I needed something that would make a ton so I could take the rest of it to a sister in our ward who just had a baby. Soup just sounded right, so I started assembling things I had on hand and I was pretty impressed with how it turned out! I didn't measure anything, so don't hold me to the amounts. I just did a little of this and a little of that until it turned out right, so you may have to tweak this to your personal tastes, but in the end , I know you'll love it!

Turkey Gnocchi Soup - Serves 12 (aka, make this in a BIG pot)

1 Stick of butter
1/2 cup of flour
6 cups milk
6 cups of chicken stock
Turkey breast, fully cooked, cut into big chunks
Big handful of shredded carrot
2 teaspoons of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 lb. potato gnocchi
1 bag of frozen vegetables of your choice (I used peas and corn)
Seasoned salt and Pepper to taste


In a large pot on the stove, melt the butter and whisk in your flour. Cook the mixture over medium high heat for about a minute or two. Then, slowly whisk in your milk and chicken stock. Keep whisking until the soup thickens. Once the soup thickens, add your chopped turkey breast, shredded carrot, and garlic and onion powders and keep heating for about 10 minutes. Add the gnocchi and frozen vegetables and season to taste. Allow the gnocchi and vegetables to heat through and serve with some yummy bread!


Sorry I don't have a picture to show! All the leftovers went to feed the other family. But let me assure you, this soup won't last long in your fridge!

Baby Kisses

Is there anything better than kisses from babies? I'm not sure that there is. Lately, Baby Girl has taken to face-plant kissing any patch of my exposed skin. I *love* it. She's learned so many new things lately! It seems like she's doing something new everyday. Perhaps this is the reason she hasn't been sleeping lately.... Hmmm. Any way, I can't believe how big she is! Especially when I look at her newborn photos. 

Ack!  Where did my little baby go?

I'm so happy that she's growing and thriving and learning new things every day and I'm so grateful that I have the opportunity to stay at home with her everyday, because I wouldn't want miss any of these moments.

The Olympic quilt

Not too long ago, I read about a wonderful organization that takes fabric that would've been thrown away (because it was not in season or was being discontinued, not because it was defective or gross) and uses it to make quilt kits. These kits are used by people (like me!) to make quilts for kids in the hospital who are very sick or have been through some incredible trauma.

So, I signed up to make one, even though I've never made a quilt before. I was just so moved by this organization's mission that I told myself I'd learn, and even though it might not be pretty, it would be made with love.

So, while watching the Olympics in the evening, I assembled this quilt. Thus, the Olympic Quilt.

I am so proud of it. It's not perfect. Far from it, but I did everything on my own, without help (that is, as long as you don't count youtube). Usually when I do a sewing project I run to my mom or my sister for help, because they are WAY better than I am. But this time, I couldn't run to them. They were unavailable. So, I was stinkin' proud of myself for putting on my big girl panties and trying something new.

Now, I don't think I'm sold on the idea of quilting as a hobby, but it's nice to know the skill for the future. And in the process, I produced a wonderful quilt for someone.

Before I sent it off, I had everyone in the family give it a great big hug so that it would be full of love for the next person. I really hope this quilt can comfort a child who needs it.

If you're interested in making a quilt too, you can go here and request a kit. And if you need help putting it together, I can help! I know how! ;)

Evolutionary ponderings

On Saturday, I and three other ladies ran on the American Tobacco Trail. They ran 10 miles. I ran 9. But, to date, it's the farthest I've ever run in one go. And while I was pretty sore that day (I literally felt like my hips were going to snap apart), I was surprisingly not sore on Sunday. I mean, my calves and quads were tight, but not sore.

Which leads me to wonder if humans were really designed to be able to run for long distances. I mean, back in ye olde days where all we had were our wits and a sharp stick, we had to be able to distance ourselves from the predators that might think a McHuman nugget would be a tasty snack.

But on that same vein, didn't the guy who ran the original marathon die afterwards? So we definitely can't go on forever. And then there's guys like Usain Bolt who can run stupid fast. So, what are humans best at, physically speaking? Thoughts?

 

Who else is lovin' the Olympics?!

I know I sure am! I've got my DVR set to record every minute of it! I don't even dream that I'll watch all of it, but I want to be able to turn on the TV and have it on immediately.  I'm so proud of all the athletes that have been performing their best and I just love seeing what the human body can accomplish!

The surprising thing of this year's games has been how much I haven't really cared who was winning. Normally I am so Team USA, but this year I have just been happy to watch the joy on the faces of the winners, regardless of nationality. Of course, I'm rooting for Team USA, but I'm not mad if we lose.

My favorites athletes for these games have been Allison Schmitt and Danell Leyva. Allison is so positive and bubbly, it's hard not to like her. And Danell Leyva had an amazing comeback, jumping from 5th to 3rd place in only two events. Amazing. And to see him with his Dad is just touching!

Photo found at slate.com

But all that aside, I think watching this year's Olympic Games has motivated me to train a little harder. Who says I couldn't do that? I don't ever think I'll ever have a desire to compete on the international level at anything (except maybe couch surfing or baby kissing), but who's to say that I couldn't compete in my races or any chosen sport to the best of my ability. No one. And it's made me want to strap on my shoes, throw the kiddo in the jogging stroller and go all out crazy with my running! I think that coupled with the fact that I clocked my fastest 5k pace since high school (11:20 min/mile) the other day really have got me excited again about TYR. So here's to the next 14 weeks of training and gettin' my run on!

No-Slip Headbands

So, my wonderful friend Shelly gave me the most wonderful headband for Christmas last year. It had velvet on the inside, so it wouldn't slip off your head. I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to have those little wispies floating in your eyes while you're running or exercising. Likewise, it's annoying to have to readjust a headband mid-workout.  So when I discovered these headbands, I was over the moon. I went to the store and bought another one, but was a little taken aback when I saw how much they were charging (14.95). When I looked at the headband, all it seemed to be was a pretty ribbon on top, velvet ribbon on the back and an elastic. So, I set out to make one of my own.

With all the choices in ribbons, the possibilities are endless!

The velvet on inside keeps this headband in place

I think they turned our pretty great and seriously, you can head bang in these and they won't budge. You should definitely think about making yourself one! You don't even need to use them for exercising! You could put it in your hair in the morning and not have to fiddle with it for the rest of the day.

All you need is:

• Spool (or spools!) of a ribbon you like (I wouldn't use a sheer, but everything else seems to work pretty well)
• At least 15 inches of velvet ribbon in a coordinating color (if you're having a hard time finding velvet ribbon in your local craft store, you can find some here)
• 1/4 inch braided elastic (at least 6 inches)
• Coordinating thread

To start off, measured out all of my pieces. My headband ribbon ended up being around 14.5 inches and my elastic was about 6, but measure the ribbon around your head from behind one ear to the other. Stretch out the ribbon in the back to your comfort level. Mine ended up being around 6 inches. If you're unsure about your measurements, leave a little extra and you can adjust it later.

Next, fold the ends of both the ribbon and the velvet about a quarter of an inch under so you have a nice finished edge when you're done. Sew those ends under so you don't have to worry about them popping up later. You don't have to do this step, but I find the going easier later on if you do it.

Then, pin the velvet to your ribbon and slide the elastic into one of the ends and pin. Sew a down one side, around the bottom where you've pinned the elastic and up the other side. Stop at the corner, and slide the elastic into the pocket between the ribbon and velvet. Sew across the last side. Try on your headband to make sure it fits. If you need, pick out the stitches and adjust your elastic and sew it back in. Back stitch over the elastic once you've got it just right to really anchor it in there on both ends and then you're done!

Wear that bad boy with pride while you're sweatin' your guts out!

I am boring right now

So right now, my life is pretty boring. I wake up with Evie, play with her all day and then go to bed and do it all again. I've had no motivation to do anything crafty or try to finish organizing my craft space downstairs. Currently it's a mess and I just can't seem to get motivated to do something about it. I think a large part of that comes from my tiredness (all I want to do is sleep... don't judge). And part of it comes from the fact that I just haven't figured out how to balance being a mom and loving on my little girl with the day to day upkeep on the house. Currently, the house gets progressively dirtier and dirtier until Matt starts really complaining about it or we have someone coming over and then I clean like crazy. I look at all the other moms who seem to have it all figure out and wonder how they got there. Part of me thinks I'll never get there and I'll just have to live in a dirty house, but part of me thinks there's some secret that I'm missing. Oh well, I suppose I'll figure it out eventually.

On an unrelated note, I noticed I haven't posted any recipes lately and thought I should share this one (it's a good one too!) that I got from my Uncle Scott. I love this salad! I would never have thought they herbs de provence would work in something like this, but it does. It's really scrumptious! I know you'll love it!

Avocado Black Bean Salad

Juice and zest 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
1 tsp herbs de provence
1/4 cup olive oil

2 avocados coarsley diced  (make dressing first, add avocados first to prevent browning)

1 - can black beans
1 - can whole corn
Drain and rinse  beans and corn. Allow to drain well.  ( should be as dry as possible)  Add to dressing.

1/4 to 1/2 red onion, sliced as thin as possible. Cover with water in shallow bowl, add 2 tbsp sugar,stir,let sit for at least 30 min. Drain,bot don,t rinse, fold into the rest.

 

CANADA

Here are my favorites from my Canada trip. We had so much fun visiting family and it was wonderful spending time with my parents. We definitely will need to go back again soon. 10 years is too long to wait between visits! So, let's commence the photo onslaught!

Four generation photo - Grandpa Dudley is my last living grandparent, so I thought I should snap this while I still could

Pictures from Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump. Pretty cool place. And Matt's solution to a windy day with Evie asleep in the stroller

This is the actual jump.

The view from the cliff was incredible!

Pictures from the carriage ride my Dad and I took at the Remington Carriage Museum in Cardston. The mountain in the background is Old Chief. It's an iconic part of that area.

My Mom and Aunt Lori were cackling about something.

Clockwise from top left: Cool solar lamp in my aunt's garden, Uncle Larry making Dasiy dance for her treats, My Dad and his sister Shannon and her girl Sarah, Dad and Matt with the swollen Bow river in the background, Evie taking a bath in the super awesome sink at Aunt Lori's, Evie wrapping Uncle Larry around her finger

I love the picture I caught of Matt sneezing in front of the Cardston temple.

Such a great picture.

Flowers, flowers, flowers... Lettuce! ... Flowers

Arrr, matey, don't be stealin' me chew rings!

These were at the botanical gardens at the Calgary Zoo. So beautiful!

Animals at the zoo

Butterflies, a peahen and some gorgeous poppies.

My Mom and Dad's reactions to "Smile!" and then, the apple of their eyes.

These poppies had just "popped" that night and the petals looked like crinkled tissue paper. Pretty cool.

The crowning jewel of all the temples (in my opinion)

I just loved this snapshot.

Well, let's just say it was a full two weeks in Canada and I'm so glad we went. (But I'm also glad we're home) We had such a great time and hopefully we'll go again soon!