May 28, 2009
the kitchen...
it's the morning of day four and the guys just finished breakfast.
Mom is getting ready to go to the funeral of her mother's brother Tom's widow - Aunt Ardith - in Elk Rapids. two of Grandma's brothers who live in kalamazoo - Doug and Larry - are going to be passing through shortly to pick her up.
here's some footage to get you up to speed on the kitchen progress this week.
Pre-Demo
End of Day One - Monday 25 May
Day Two, the last of the wall, parts 1, 2, 3
End of Day Two - Tuesday 26 May
Day Three
End of Day Three - Wednesday 27 May
your host for this episode : carrie; 07:48 AM | Comments (1)
May 07, 2009
Demolition Man
Henry slept through me kneading three batches of bread this morning, but then was finished with his nap, and I still had a batch to do. We're making bread for thrashers because my Grandpa Henry turns 90 next Tuesday and this weekend we're having a birthday party for him in Ellsworth. Saturday, 4-6 at the CRC. You're invited. It'd be great to see you.
Anyway, we volunteered to bring bread enough for 200 luncheon sized sandwiches, figuring we needed 16 loaves *12-14 slices each. That means 4 batches of my Big Batch Bread (see the Recipes category on the side bar for that recipe). I started it Tuesday. We'll fire the oven this afternoon when Dan gets home from work. So - back to the subject at hand, I was done kneading 3 batches before he woke up, but then he wanted a clean diaper and out of his bed. I brought him down to the main floor and laid him under his gym and turned on some music so I could finish. When I was finished this is how I found him.
and here's a pictoral update on our patio kitchen project.
your host for this episode : carrie; 10:18 AM | Comments (0)
May 01, 2009
Fabulicious Raspberry Cheesecake
i started with a recipe off recipezaar.com. and of course modified it. here's mine:
crust:
5T butter
1t vanilla
3/4 c flour
1/4t cinnamon & nutmeg
1/3 c sugar
1/3 c chopped pecans
combine and press into bottom and 1" up sides of a 10" spring form pan. refrigerate 20 minutes then bake 20 minutes at 350. reduce oven to 300.
filling:
1# cream cheese
1/2# ricotta
2/3 cup sugar
2t vanilla
2T lemon juice
2 eggs
beat cheeses, vanilla, lemon, and half of sugar. beat the eggs with the other half of the sugar - oh high for 5 minutes. fold together and pour over crust.
sauce:
1 cup raspberries
2T powdered sugar
combine with a fork or spoon then press through a sieve or tea strainer to remove seeds. and yes you want to add the sugar first, otherwise it will clump. drizzle this in a thin line in a swirl (starting from the center) over the top of the cheesecake. then using a skewer or knife, drag it through the cheese (again starting from center) to make it look like a spider web.
bake an hour at 300F. cool in open oven at least 2 hours, then refrigerate overnight.
i just made this again as a birthday treat for our friend diane.
your host for this episode : carrie; 01:53 PM | Comments (0)
April 25, 2009
henry danger at four months
henry's down for a nap now, and i should be getting going with dan on the patio kitchen sink but we're both moving a little slow this morning.
henry's been sleeping a lot more lately, like three nights ago he slept 10 hrs straight, except for a moment at 12:30 when he just needed his nuk and blanket returned to him. we stopped swaddling him and have just been laying a blanket on him - he likes to pull it up over his face. works great b/c then his hands are occupied so he doesn't pull on his nuk and his eyes are covered and blocked from any visual stimulation. usually he's asleep within moments of laying down. love it.
he still fights the bottle but he's pretty good about taking it from aunt jacquelyn or uncle jeff. not so much from daddy and certainly not from me. he's eating cereal now, about 1/4 cup twice a day, and this week we gave him a jar of pears - over about 4 days. tomorrow we'll open another jar of something - we bought pears, apples, peas, and sweet potatoes just for the jars and to see the consistency. and we've learned that he Loves it cold! we were nervous the first time we gave him the pears cold from the fridge but he Loved them.
he's rolled over a few times now front to back, usually over his right side, and just once over his left when no one was looking... i had gone downstairs to get the computer and left him happy on his tummy in the nursery and i came back up to find him on his back with a big ol' grin on his face. and dan finally witnessed it a couple nights ago... the first times were during the day, except once when he did it in the evening with house church around but dan was in the kitchen for a minute. seems like he's almost ready to roll back to front too but he doesn't know what to do with his arm.
let's see, what else? he's been tracking so much - watching me cross the room, watching the dog move around, turning toward sounds. and i Think he's now realized that the baby in the mirror is himself and that lady holding that baby is me... not sure exactly but it seems like. he's standing really well on his feet now for quite a while, like a few minutes before buckling his knees, and i'm just holding him for balance. he's been getting so much more vocal too - more range of pitch and such happy sounds... usually. if we miss a cue and he's tired and we don't put him down (like what happened 30 minutes ago) he gets worked up and doesn't go down so easily and he's sure to let us know.
and he's now a pro at passing toys from hand to hand, and the other day he saw his toy camel (thanks ms wendy!) on the arm of the couch and seemed like he was reaching for it. when i picked it up and held it within his reach he wrapped his little fingers around the camel's leg on the first attempt! no shaky arms or uncoordinated movement, just all very intentional! my boy is blowing my mind! and yesterday we read a book together on the floor (during tummy time) and he was So interested in the photos as well as the text. i suppose the letters (of different colors and fonts and sizes) are nicely contrasting on the white page.
ok i suppose i should go do something "productive" before henry's up from his nap.
love you all,
carrie
your host for this episode : carrie; 09:38 AM | Comments (3)
April 09, 2009
a henry update
a year ago today is when we found out we were pregnant. and my, how life has changed.
i had been in grief counseling for about three months, and had been making great strides in getting through the grief of having lost two children and giving our future family over to God. i prayed many times that winter with Hannah, as is recorded in the first chapter of 1st Samuel for the Lord to "look on the affliction of His maidservant and remember me, and not forget me, but give me a son" - or daughter, i did not care anymore. i, like hannah, was greatly distressed and wept bitterly Often. i felt like society judged me for being 30 and married but without child after 6 years of marriage. i ached each time i rode the bus and there were teenage girls being dropped off at the alternative high school, either greatly pregnant or carrying their new infant. my heart raged at the injustice, screaming "why Lord do you give them a child? they can't take care of a child? we have a home, a stable family, and so much love to provide a child? WHY THEM and NOT ME?" i still don't have the answers to those questions. perhaps i never will.
but with the help of my counselor i had been making progress, allowing God to work in my soul and remind me of his love for me Outside of granting my wishes. i was beginning to feel whole again, to feel like i had value and worth regardless of the presence or absence of offspring.
and on Good Friday - or Bad Friday, as we like to call it in our house - I laid down all my desires for a family; laid them right there at the foot of that cross and wept bitterly some more. that was March 21. i walked away from the cross that day with a lighter feeling on my shoulders, as though a heavy burden had been lifted. as though someOne had taken my hand and was helping me stand straight again.
we found out later that many friends had spent time in prayer for us that same day, some even spending multiple hours on their knees on our behalf.
fast forward two weeks and a bit to a pregnancy test because i was a couple days late and my temp charts were still up. it was positive.
again i wept, but this time not bitterly. such joy - though cautious joy - was overflowing my heart that i could not contain it in my eyes. we'd conceived, and without the assistance of the dr's "turkey baster", but as husband and wife with the help of the holy spirit. every day of the 8 weeks that followed were tenuous. i truly felt as though a life was literally hanging in the balance of my diet and actions. i stopped drinking coffee. i stopped drinking wine, except for an occasional sip here or there. i stopped swinging sledge hammers at the cast iron tub in our main floor bath...
the remainder of the spring and early summer i tried to rest. i was so very tired. and nerves - though not all out anxiety - kept me from being at ease. on june 1, i announced to the world on this site that we were expecting again and i asked for your prayers. we had made it over both of those first big hurdles of the first two miscarriages at 8 weeks and then 12. we were breathing a little easier but knew we still had a Long way to go.
summer was spent finishing the brick oven and shower renovation... of course dan did most of the work, as well as most of the cooking and cleaning and laundry because of my exhaustion. fall was spent prepping the nursery and taking birthing classes and getting a beautifully bulbous belly from my high-protein diet. except for bumping into things because it protruded so far and finding it difficult to get roll over in bed i didn't get too annoyed by it, and actually felt so beautiful. definitely blessed and maybe even proud of my "bump".
feeling the first flutters of his butterfly stroke were amazing and when he would start a tap dancing routine when i laid down to bed i couldn't help but laugh.
and now, Henry Danger Elzinga is nearly four months old. i'm a Mom, with the bulging biceps from carrying a near-20 pounder to show for it!
he's started standing now, supporting himself on his own legs while i hold him up for balance. and we've gotten through our first cold. yes, we. he and i both had a cold last week. (dan is still recovering...) i brought him to the dr even, because i was concerned for the bit of a rattle i was hearing in his chest. what did she say? she said he's cutting a tooth - CUTTING A TOOTH! - so he's got extra saliva and that's what i'm hearing. my little boy is growing up so fast.
his eyes are still blue, and great grandpa henry says that his dad's eyes were the very same shade. with that said, i'm hoping they stay this color then. he's getting a bit of hair - mostly on his eye lashes though! and he's entirely Out of the 3-6 months set of clothes we have. he still loves bath time but has graduated to showers with dad now. he absolutely Loves "airplane" and he's tolerating tummy time better now, holding his head up at a right angle to the floor now and looking around and focusing on things. and he's about to roll over any day now, i'm sure of it.
i want to express my gratitude to you. you have read and listened to us tell our story countless times. and now you celebrate with us over the miracle in my arms. may God bless you as much as He's blessed me By you.
xo cle
your host for this episode : carrie; 10:43 AM | Comments (2)
March 24, 2009
some more lovely videos
They're all in chronological order, with the exception of the first one, a personal favorite: my Grandpa and my son, Henry and Henry, telling stories - 6 Mar, almost 11weeks old
Diaper Free! 28 Jan, 5 weeks old
Paparazzi 2 Feb, 6 weeks old
Mom and Henry's New Game, 2 Feb, 6 weeks old
Early Morning Chats with Grandpa, 14 Feb, almost 8 weeks old
Snoozin with Great Grandma Kathryn, 14 Feb, 8 wks
Arm Wrestling with Grandpa, 14 Feb, 8 wks
Grandma's Chandelier, 1 Mar 10 weeks
The Wonderful Thing about Tiggers, 6 Mar almost 11 weeks
Gonna Get Tigger, 6 Mar 11wks
Silly Grandpa Noises, 6 Mar 11wks
Shower Time (don't worry it's G-Rated), 11Mar 11wks
Gym Time, 13 Mar 11 wks
Adelaide and Henry - play date, 14 Mar almost 12 wks
Adelaide laughing at Henry's misery, 14 Mar 12 weeks
Bottle Feeding Endeavors, 16 Mar 12 weeks - two days After carrie has gone back to work!
Tummy Time Torture, 23 Mar 13 weeks
your host for this episode : carrie; 01:12 PM | Comments (0)
March 20, 2009
want to get really pissed off?
watch this 60 minutes clip (it's only 13 minutes long) and let me know what you think:
Watch CBS Videos Online
your host for this episode : carrie; 07:54 AM | Comments (0)
March 19, 2009
Henry Danger at three months
I was reading today on babycenter.com about what babies should be able to do when.
Let me just say that Henry Danger is a rock star.
Normal three month olds can recognize your scent, hold head steady, and visually track moving objects. He's been doing all these for at least a month. Really more like 6 weeks.
Half of three month olds can squeal, gurgle, coo, blow bubbles, recognize your voice and do a mini push up. He's been doing everything but the mini push up for two weeks. He hates tummy time and we usually prop him up on a pillow for it so i don't know if he can. I'll have to check that.
"Advanced" 3 month olds roll over (not yet), turns toward loud sounds (yes, in the last week), bring hands together (2 weeks ago), and bat at toys (3 weeks ago)
Normal four month olds can smile, laugh, bear their own weight on their legs, and coo when you talk to them. He's been smiling since 3 weeks old (no, not just gas), laughing for 2 weeks now, and cooing back (at least at me) for a month already. Yesterday he started holding himself up with his legs.
Our son is a rock star.
See new photos on the right.
your host for this episode : carrie; 04:37 PM | Comments (0)
March 13, 2009
he rolled over!
last night, during our weekly house-church gathering, we laid henry on a pillow on the floor to show off for us. he's been holding his head up like a champ lately and when dan sings and bounces a little tigger back and forth in front of him he follows it with his head and eyes. and he's not even 12 weeks old yet, only about 2 1/2 months. (i'll put video up later today)
so back to last night. he was laying there, with his chest on a little throw pillow to prop him up some, and looking around at everyone, and then he started sliding to the right and sideways off the pillow. he was pushing with his left hand but i'm sure gravity did have Something to do with it, but anyway, he ended up on his back, and only a little startled by it. this morning for his tummy time, he got onto his right side and nearly did it again but got too upset because he was squashing his own hand. look out world, he'll be steamrolling soon!
your host for this episode : carrie; 11:38 AM | Comments (0)
February 20, 2009
Pasta Coma
Warning: Consumption of this may impair your judgement. Do not drive, operate machinery, or attempt to solve complex problems (like who should do the dishes) after eating. (that is if you are still awake)
History: Pasta Coma originates in Egypt, where I developed it in the absence of commercially available alfredo sauces. Before being named Pasta Coma it was called "better than Johnny freakin' Carino's" by our flatmate Christin. Our friends Matt and Vicki dubbed it "Pasta Coma" because it puts you into a food coma before you leave the table, and the name stuck.
This is not a quick recipe: be prepared to spend an hour or so in the kitchen for this, it can not be rushed.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of Heavy Whipping Cream
4-5 cloves of Garlic, minced (about 1 Tablespoon)
5-6 Sun Dried Tomatoes (cut up into small pieces)
scant 1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon dried Rosemary (crushed)
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese (you can use grated, if that is what you have, or if it is cheaper, although you may need to adjust the quantity)
Some fresh cracked Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons of Pine Nuts
about 2 teaspoons of cornstarch
3 1/2 - 4 Cups of Farfalle pasta (bow-tie), dry
Pour Heavy Cream into a 1 quart sauce pan and warm over very low heat, stirring frequently.
Add the Garlic and let it to come to a low simmer while you cut up the Sun Dried Tomatoes
Add Sun Dried Tomatoes, Salt and Rosemary. (I normally crush the Rosemary in the palm of my hand with my thumb, but you can use a mortar and pestle if you want.)
Add Olive Oil
Add Black Pepper
Allow this to simmer for about 10 minutes or so, stirring frequently.
Add the Cheese 1/4 cup at a time, stirring frequently.
Toast the Pine Nuts in a frying pan (I always use cast iron) and set aside.
In a 2 quart pan, cook pasta. While pasta is cooking mix the cornstarch with about 1 Tablespoon of cold water and whisk together in a cup. Add about 2 teaspoons worth of the mixture to the sauce, stirring constantly, adding only enough to help the sauce "come together". Add toasted Pine Nuts.
When pasta is done, drain and return to the pan. Combine Pasta and Sauce.
You can add chicken to the mix if you like. I normally cook one or two boneless breasts in a skillet with Rosemary, cut them up and add when it is served.
Feeds 2-4 depending on what you have with it... and how many of you there are.
This does not reheat very well, so keep that in mind.
Pairs well with Cabernet Sauvignon, for a true coma inducing experience.
Serve with baguette, as you will want it to sop up the remaining sauce in the bowl, and, if you are like Carrie, the pan as well.
Eat.
Sleep.
Drool.
your host for this episode : dan; 08:01 PM | Comments (0)
