I finally made a new sensory tub and and playdough to go along with our winter/snow theme.  Right now we’re using Itty Bitty Bookworm’s Bailey Year 2 January curriculum, and we’re reading about snowmen and penguins.

This is probably my favorite sensory tub so far, and The Littlest Apple seems to love it just as much as I do!  I think part of the reason it was such a hit with both of us was that it is super easy to clean up, way easier than those dreaded popcorn kernels!  I’ve seen the idea to use cotton balls for “snow” on many blogs, including Counting Coconuts.  My sensory tub includes cotton balls, some pine cones (that are cinnamon scented), cinnamon sticks, a couple of corks, and some silver jingle bells.  The Littlest Apple particularly enjoyed picking up items from the sensory tub using one of my hair clips (who knew that would be such a hit?!)

The recipe for Snow Dough is from the IBB curriculum, but I’ve seen similar ideas popping up on lots of blogs lately.  For another similar and easy to use playdough recipe, try this one from My Montessori Journey.  I added lots of light blue glitter and about 3 teaspoons of peppermint extract for some extra fun.  The Littlest Apple and I spent nearly an hour playing with this today, which is a record for any activity I think.  (and he was asking to get it back out later in the day!!  Success!)  We made a family of snowmen, a nest with eggs, a baby seal, igloos, snowball forts, a baby with a blanket, and candy canes.

Tonight I’ve been busy updating my Resources page (finally!!) with some links and such that you might find useful.  I’ve got lots more to add, and I plan to finish it up in the next few days.

I’ll be back tomorrow with something more interesting!

What a way to start off 2010!  Yesterday I received a very thoughtful blog award from Mari-Ann from Counting Coconuts.  This is my first ever blog award, and I couldn’t be happier (or prouder).  Receiving this award really made my day, so thanks again Mari-Ann!

I wanted to share the love.  I read so many blogs (confession: I’ve got around 300 in my Google Reader…something I’m planning on cutting down in 2010), but there are a handful that come to mind immediately as my favorite bloggers.  I look forward to reading their posts each day.  Some are new bloggers, some have been around for a few years and have large followings.  Most of these bloggers are also frequent commenters here and I have greatly enjoyed getting to know them better via comments and emails in addition to their blog posts.  They all bring a little sunshine to my day, so be sure to check out their blogs if you haven’t already!

The Lemonade Stand Award

The Lemonade Stand Award is awarded for being a blogger who shows great attitude and gratitude.

Mari-Ann from Counting Coconuts (ok, I KNOW she gave the award to me, but even if she hadn’t, Mari-Ann would be on this list without a doubt!)

Corinne from Trains, Tutus, and Twizzlers

Cassie from Cassie Craves

Courtney from Cooking Up a Family

Stephanie from Metropolitan Mama

Tara from Raising Itty Bitty Bookworms

Natalie from Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns

Leigh Ann from Your Homebased Mom

Jean from The Artful Parent

Jo-Lynne from Musings of a Housewife

I know not every blogger has the time or inclination to play along, but here are the rules for accepting this award, if you so choose:

– Put the logo on your blog or within your post.
– Pass the award onto 10 bloggers.
– Link the nominees within your post.
– Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
– Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

Since it’s New Year’s Eve, I figured I should do a looking back/looking forward post.  2009 has not been a good year for me.  In fact, it has been pretty rough, particularly the last half of it:

• miscarriage at 12 weeks (end of July) with resulting D&C ( mid August)
• The Littlest Apple getting sick over and over and over again since starting Mother’s Day Out (September-December)
• a really awful ant invasion all over the house (October-December)
• the threat of a feeding tube for The Littlest Apple (November)
• ruptured ectopic pregnancy with resulting 4 day hospital stay (December).

At dinner tonight, I asked The Picky Apple to help me come up with a list of GOOD things about 2009, because surely, there was something good, right?!  Here’s what we came up with.  I was pleasantly surprised to look back at such a long list of things to be thankful for:

• In February, we traveled to Mexico to a destination wedding for some good friends of ours, where we served as Matron of Honor and Best Man in the ceremony, and enjoyed some fun time in the sun.  (There was also a bachelorette spa weekend for me in San Antonio and a bachelor weekend for The Picky Apple in Vegas).
• Probably one of the things I’m most proud of this year is the progress (and success) of my blog stemming from my decision to revamp my blog content.
• I started doing Tot School activities with The Littlest Apple.  Okay, I fell off the wagon for December, but I’m planning to ramp back up in the new year!
• The Littlest Apple started Mother’s Day Out on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Hello, much needed mommy time!
• I started an Art Playgroup.  I’d love to see it grow this year.  It has been so much fun seeing the kids paint and play together and to visit with some of my mommy friends on a regular basis.
• A bathroom makeover is well on its way.
• The playroom also got a makeover (though it’s still not finished).
• We got to spend lots of time with my parents and my in-laws.

Maybe 2009 did have a few redeeming events, but I’m still more than ready to move on to 2010.  I know January 1 is just another day, but I’m looking forward to a fresh start and putting the past behind me.

If I had to come up with one word to characterize 2010, my one little word for the year, it would be CHANGE.  2010 is going to be a year of many big changes, whether I like it or not.  I’m looking forward to and excited about some of these changes, others will definitely require some adjustments.  As someone who typically doesn’t cope well with change and is slow to adjust, this is going to be a challenging year, but I am really going to push myself to be a little more “go with the flow” and to embrace the changes and challenges that life will undoubtedly be throwing my way this year.

Some of the heavier things I’m thinking about in particular: Will The Littlest Apple have to get a feeding tube?  How will that affect our day to day life?  Will we find another solution to help him gain weight?  Will I be able to get pregnant again?  Will I be able to carry to term?  Do we WANT to have another child, or are we happy with our little family of 3?  Will I need to go back to work?

I’m all for making lists and goals for the year, but I also tend to overwhelm myself sometimes with things to accomplish.  I’ve already mentioned my 31 Things To Do Before I Turn 31.  I still have lots of work to do on that list, and those are fun and meaningful things.  I have several other things in mind that I’ll be working on (the typical exercising more, eating better, decluttering, being more efficient, etc), but I’ll share more about those as the year progresses.

So, CHANGE in 2010….

Bring. it. on.

Happy New Year!!

I love cooking green beans with bacon, but this week, to go along with my Perfect Roast Turkey I tried something different.  I had prosciutto on hand, so I used that instead.  According to The Picky Apple, these were the best green beans I’ve ever made.  I happen to agree!

Green Beans with Prosciutto

recipe by Cara

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup of chopped prosciutto
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 pound haricot verts (French green beans)
• 1/2 package of sliced mushrooms (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup water (or chicken stock)
• 2 tablespoons of pan drippings from Perfect Roast Turkey (optional, but I think this is what really made it extra flavorful…you can also use a little more chicken stock or pan drippings from any other meat you’re preparing)
• salt and pepper

Melt butter in large skillet (that has a lid) on medium high heat.  Add onions and prosciutto, cook until onions are tender and prosciutto is crisp, stirring frequently.  Add garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.  Add haricot verts, mushrooms (if using) and red pepper.  Saute for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the pan drippings and water to the skillet, cover and reduce heat.  Cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until green beans are cooked to desired consistency.

Last weekend we invited both sets of grandparents over for a post-Christmas dinner.  I served Perfect Roast Turkey, Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes, Green Beans with Prosciutto, Parker House Rolls, and Cranberry Orange Relish (brought by my mom).  For dessert we enjoyed Pumpkin Crunch Cake and two kinds of pies (pies also provided by my mom).  It was one of the best meals I’ve prepared in a long time, if I do say so myself.  Whenever I cook a big meal like this, there is normally one thing or another that goes wrong.  But this meal just seemed to come together perfectly, which was surprising given that I made up two of the recipes (the turkey and the green beans) as I went along.

I’m calling the turkey Perfect Roast Turkey to mimic the title of my Perfect Roast Chicken.  And because, well, it turned out perfectly juicy and flavorful.  Not that I’m bragging or anything.

Perfect Roast Turkey

recipe by Cara

Ingredients:

• a roasting turkey (mine was a 15 pounder)
• 1 stick of butter, room temperature
• 1 onion, quartered (you can also used chopped onions.  I buy pre-chopped onions from the freezer section so I NEVER have to chop onions!)
• 1 carrot, or a handful of baby carrots
• 1 apple, cored and cut into several pieces
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• kosher salt
• pepper
• 3/4 cup white wine, divided (I used Pinot Grigio that I had on hand)
• 1/2 cup water

Remove neck and giblets from the turkey, and rinse the cavity.  Pat turkey dry with paper towels.  Sprinkle salt liberally in the cavity.  Rub the entire stick of butter over the outside of the turkey AND under the skin.  Pour 1/4 cup of wine into the cavity, then stuff the cavity with the onion, carrot, apple, and thyme.  Use your hand to stir it around a little.  Sprinkle the outside of the turkey with salt and pepper.  Add the remaining 1/2 cup of white wine and 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the roasting pan.  Cook turkey at 325 degrees F for the time directed on the turkey package, based on its weight (my 15 pound bird cooked for 4 hours at 325).  If your turkey starts to get too brown, just put a loose tent of foil over it and continue cooking.  Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Save the carcass for turkey stock!

To continue my “Best of 2009 Recipes“, here are my favorite sweet recipes of the year.  I didn’t do as much baking as I would have liked this year (or I did, but didn’t blog about all of the recipes!), so picking 6 recipes wasn’t too difficult.  It would appear that I only managed to get photos for ONE of these recipes.  I guess they were just that good: gone before we even had a chance to take a picture!  Also, three of these recipes contain oatmeal.  I think that’s no small coincidence!

1.  Glazed Lemon Blueberry Poppyseed Bundt Cake: A lovely cake for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.  The blueberry, lemon, poppyseed combo is fantastic!

2.  Friendly Kitchen Oatmeal Cookie: My go-to oatmeal cookie recipe, courtesy of Cookie Madness.

3.  Baked Oatmeal: One of my favorite breakfasts.  So easy to make a big pan to eat all week long!

4.  Pumpkin Spice Granola: My favorite granola.  Great for breakfast or snacking.  I never get tired of it!  Recipe from Baking Bites.

5.  Tall and Creamy Cheesecake: The best (plain) cheesecake I’ve ever made.  The perfect texture!

The Picky Apple took SO MANY photos at Christmas, and it has taken me a while to wade through them.  I wanted to get this Christmas recap posted before 2010, so those of you waiting for more “Best Of” will just have to wait one more post…

This was the first year that The Littlest Apple was really excited about Christmas.  At 28 months old, he still doesn’t totally get it, but there was a marked difference from last year.

Christmas for us is a very long day.  We do Christmas at our house with just the three of us, then we do Christmas with my family and then Christmas with The Picky Apple’s family.  The Littlest Apple was definitely worn down (as was I) by the end of the day, and he completely lost interest in unwrapping presents, wanting Mommy to do all the work by the end of the day.  That being said, we still had a fabulous day!

My favorite moments from the day: seeing The Littlest Apple jumping up and down in excitement over some of his gifts from Mommy and Daddy, watching him try to walk in boots too large, getting my Pioneer Woman cookbook, and playing with my eighteen month old nieces (twins).

On to the photos….

The Littlest Apple was VERY excited about this little cement mixer in his stocking.  We’re off to a good start!

Note the pajamas.  They were absolutely adorable.  He doesn’t normally wear this button up style, and on Christmas Eve, he was admiring them in the mirror while brushing his teeth calling it his “sleeping jacket” that he should wear because it was cold.  So funny!

Big trucks from Santa:

On to Christmas with my family.  A fireman suit to go with his big fire truck.

The boots were a little big.  But they sure were cute!

To go with the fireman costume, a bullhorn.  Because every 2 year old boy needs a bullhorn, don’t you think? (This one has the added bonus of a REALLY LOUD siren too!)  Note how he’s holding it backwards.  Too bad it doesn’t actually make everything quieter that way.

Reading with Aunt Corey and Uncle John.  The Littlest Apple’s got the “Home Alone face” down.

After a short nap, it was on to The Picky Apple’s family celebration…The Littlest Apple carried around this one present for quite a while.  He did NOT want to unwrap it.  (It was a toy weed-eater, which he loves!)

Drill plus truck to “fix” equals the perfect gift for my tool and truck lovin’ little guy!

Another great gift…a microphone!  Great for a boy who loves to sing and be the center of attention!

A rolling suitcase for his overnight trips to stay with the grandparents.  He LOVES rolling this suitcase around, and now that he knows he can unzip it and fill it up with stuff, even better!

That’s really only the tip of the iceberg gift-wise.  I’m still unloading the gifts and trying to get it all organized!

When I started this blog back in January of 2008, it was originally a food blog.  After posting sporadically at the beginning of 2009, I expanded the content of my blog to include lots of other things,  and I couldn’t be happier.  Food is still a major part of the blog (and my life), since I love being in the kitchen trying new recipes.  Today I want to share my favorite savory dishes from 2009.  I saved the sweet stuff for another post!!

Top 6 Recipes of 2009-Savory: (because I couldn’t narrow it down to just 5!)

1. Slow Cooker Pork Tacos: An easy and flavorful way to cook up one of my favorite cuts of meat (pork tenderloin).  My recipe was featured in the Nov. 28 Edition of Dinnervibe. 
2. Perfect Roast Chicken: Now that I’ve roasted whole chickens at home, I’m never going back to store bought rotisserie!  I also use the leftovers to make chicken stock.  I’ll share a tutorial/recipe on that soon. 
3. Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes: My favorite side dish of the year, hands down.  I’m a big fan of potatoes in any form, but these are my current favorite. 
4. Lasagna Soup:  My favorite pasta dish of the year.  It’s a soup.  It’s lasagna.  It’s lasagna soup!!  So comforting and easy to prepare. 
5. Indian Spiced Pork Skewers: This is my favorite grilling recipe of the year.  Kudos again to Our Best Bites for such a fantastic recipe!  A delicious marinade, and my first time cooking with curry.  These are great with rice and veggies, but also make a mean wrap or sandwich! 
6. Chicken Tikka Masala: Yet another foray into Indian cuisine that I enjoyed.  This was the first time I used garam masala, and I love the complex flavors of this dish!  I adapted my recipe from Pioneer Woman and Pastor Ryan’s to make it creamier and less spicy.

What was YOUR favorite savory recipe from The Picky Apple this year?

Stay tuned for my favorite sweets and treats tomorrow!

I’ve got a couple “Best of 2009” posts planned for the next few days, hopefully in addition to my regular posting.  First up, the best books I read in 2009!  (I know that makes this the 3rd post in a row about books…I promise to talk about something different tomorrow!)  Reading is my way of winding down at the end of each and every night and sometimes during naptime too.  It’s rare that I’m without a stack of books to read sitting on my nightstand, and with the new blog format, I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing some of the books I’m reading over there in the side bar on the right.

Here are the Best Books of 2009 (they may not be new to you or published in 2009, but they were new to me this year):

1.  Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldon: Ok, I’m only on #1 and I’m already cheating by giving you a whole series instead of an individual book!  Since reading Outlander in September, I’ve devoured the first 6 books in this series.  Each book is LONG-600 to 1,000 pages each-so we’re talking thousands of pages.  I just can’t get enough!  In fact, I’m currently reading The Outlandish Companion…a book about the Outlander series, also by Diana Gabaldon.  I have previously reviewed the first book, Outlander, so start there if you’re interested.

2.  The Twilight Saga, by Stephanie Meyer: (Yup, another series!) I resisted reading Twilight for the longest time, thinking that I would never enjoy a book about teen vampires.  Then I finally picked up the first novel, and couldn’t put it down.  I promptly rushed out to buy the other 3 books in the series!  I’ve read the entire series multiple times since this summer.  Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably read it too or seen the movie (or at least the trailers), so I won’t bore you with a summary.  If you haven’t read this series yet, what are you waiting for?

3.  The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes From an Accidental Country Girl, by Ree Drummond: My favorite cookbook of the year!  Ok, so I just got this cookbook, but some of the recipes are ones that I already knew about from her blog.  Delicious, easy, down home cooking, with beautiful photographs and stories of life on the ranch.

4.  The Total Money Makeover, by Dave Ramsey: I’m planning an extended review of this one sometime soon, but this was a life changing read for me this year.  I admire Dave’s no nonsense approach to money, and his baby steps toward financial freedom seem simple enough.  We’re working through the baby steps now (though we’re still very early on in our journey), and I’m planning to re-read this book as needed to maintain my motivation to follow a budget, pay down debt, and create an emergency fund.

5.  Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver: #5 was a tough choice for me…I knew I wanted it to be one of the real food books I read, but I had trouble deciding between Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Real Food by Nina Planck, and What to Eat by Marion Nestle.  I decided on Animal, Vegetable, Miracle because I felt it was the easiest read, and I enjoyed all of the anecdotes Ms. Kingsolver shared about her family’s one year challenge to eat only local foods.  Check out my previous review of this book.

What was YOUR favorite read this year?

Disclosure:  Some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links, which means I MIGHT receive a tiny compensation from Amazon if a whole bunch of people click on those links and order books. (Hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t appear to be happening any time soon.)  I have not been asked to review any of these books.  These are just some of my favorites I wanted to share!