Homemade Potato Chips

I found this recipe in one of my cooking magazines and had to try it. I LOVE sweet potatoes and every time I try to make sweet potato fries or chips in the oven, some always end up burned, while others are mushy and not. crispy. at. all. I was a little skeptical at first because I don't ever use my microwave to cook anything (mostly to defrost or warm things up) BUT this worked great! 

Recipe -
Washed regular and/or sweet potatoes (as many as you want to make)
Olive Oil
Salt

Directions -
1. Slice potatoes really thin (I used my mandolin slicer on the thinnest setting).

2. Place potatoes in a bowl and add enough olive oil (couple tablespoons) and salt (to taste) to coat.

Dr Checkups and Upcoming Events

Both of the kids had their Well-Baby/Child checkups today and did great! 

• Caden was in the 91% for weight and 95% for height. 

• Emberly was 65% for weight and 75% for height. 

They're both growing like crazy!

Can't believe July is almost over....we have a birthday party for Michael, my Grandma's birthday party and a music festival to look forward to (among other things) in the next month or so.

Berry Cobbler

So, last summer I was on the hunt for a really good berry cobbler recipe and after several tries think I found my favorite on allrecipes.com and made some changes to it. It's versatile because you can use any kind of berries and/or fruits that you want or have on hand. I made it a couple weeks ago with blueberries and raspberries and today I made it with blueberries, marion berries and cherries. Yum!

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar coconut palm sugar*, divided
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Optional Ingredients: 1/4-1/2 cup oats, 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons cold butter
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch arrowroot powder*
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 4 cups berries, fruit or combo of both, rinsed and drained.
• The kinds of fruits you could use are: blackberries, blueberries, cherries, peaches, nectarines, etc. Just make sure everything is close to the same size and small enough to cook through.

*I've replaced white and brown sugar with coconut palm sugar in most of my recipes AND coffee. 

*I've also been using arrowroot powder as an alternative thickener in place of cornstarch or flour. You may need to adjust the amount you use in other recipes, such as gravy, because it isn't exactly the same but the 2 T in this recipe works great.

Walking!

Emberly is walking now! She's been taking steps here and there for awhile now but about a week ago she started walking without holding onto things and just took off. Yesterday we went to the mall and got her a new pair of shoes that she can walk in and wear outside while she's playing. I can't believe I have 2 mobile kids now! :)

Backyardigans

So, one of the things I wanted as a result of working at home was getting the back yard in a good place where a) the kids can play outside and me not have to worry about them getting hurt or into something they're not supposed to, b) a place where we can all relax, c) be outside as much as possible and d) I didn't want to be cooped up inside all summer long. There are quite a few projects on our list as I mentioned in an earlier post and we're tackling them one at a time. 

#1) The first was to create a new space for our garden. Last year when we first put in our raised bed our dogs got into it and ate some of the plants before we had a chance to enjoy the fruits of our labor. So I had the great idea to use the old dog kennel to wrap around garden so we could keep the dogs out and create a cute, little garden area. We got a great deal on a new dog kennel at Costco and moved the old one over the raised beds. We've planted several kinds of tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapenos, zucchini, leeks, arugula, kale, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, parsley, basil, rosemary and chives. We also have raspberries and blueberries planted in pots in the front yard. 

Emberly's 1 Year List

My little redhead is 1...it's still so crazy to remember the story that unfolded right before she was brought into this world. Such a fun birth story and so grateful for her and what she's brought to our family! 

We still have to take her into the Dr for her 1-year checkup so I'll have to post her stats later but here are a few things that I'd like to write down about Em. 

LIKES and LOVES: 

• To watch her brother's every move, she adores him!
• Play with Caden, even when he's in timeout and I have to keep her away from him
• Dancing and rocking out (shaking her head up and down and side to side and bouncing around) when certain songs come on the radio
• Bananas...Yes, yes, I know, she IS my kid and she does like bananas!
• To walk around the room holding onto things...she's taken a few steps on her own here and there, but no walking yet. It seems like it won't be long because I can tell she's getting brave and taking steps on her own or standing in one place for a while without holding onto something. 
• Playing with Legos...also, she most always has a small toy in her mouth, whether it's a plastic spoon, a Lego gas hose from Cars, a Lego fish from the safari or anything else that fits in her mouth
• Playing with her bouncer toy
• Playing with the tupperware lids, plastic silverware, fridge magnets and anything else she can get her hands on in the kitchen
• When Daddy comes home from work! 
• Food - string cheese, yogurt, fruit, baby food in the squeeze pouches (fruit and veggie mixes), toast or toasted bagels, quesadillas, plain cheeseburgers, bacon, spaghetti, raw tomatoes (who knew?)
• Being outside, especially when the wind is blowing in her face
• Playing with and talking to the dogs
• Climbing up into Caden's little chair (and she's getting better at getting down by herself so she doesn't need help all the time)
• Also, this one isn't really hers but mine...she looks awesome in purple and turquoise, those are definitely her colors! 

DISLIKES and HATES:

...yes, I know, hate is a very strong word but there are definitely some things that she does. NOT. like. at. all!

• Having her diaper changed and being on her back...such a battle!
• Not a fan of cooked veggies UNLESS they're in baby food form...I've tried small pieces of broccoli, peas, carrots, green beans and sweet potatoes cooked all different ways and with different seasonings on them but she still just gums them around in her mouth and eventually takes them out and throws them on the floor.
• Doesn't like it when you make fun of her or tease her because it hurts her feelings
• When you tell her "No" and pick her up to move her away from something she shouldn't be into
• Doesn't like going to sleep. She cries before nap time even though she's rubbing her eyes like crazy and tells you she's tired.
• Getting into her car seat...yes, another battle!

PeRsOnAlItY TrAiTs: 

• Sensitive and takes a little bit of extra snuggle time to calm down once she gets worked up, upset or hurt
• Strong-willed and gets mad when you don't let her do something she wants to do
• Sweetheart and likes to give kisses and lots of smiles
• A little hesitant with certain people and takes time warming up to people...I think she finally might be OK with Grandpa and Uncle Eric
• Starting to communicate with us. When we ask her questions she'll answer "yes" or "no" with a nod or shake of her head. It's really cute! I just wish she would try and say the words instead....oh well, that will come in time. 
• Shy and tilts her head to the side when people talk to her sometimes

I'm excited to see what this next year brings and how much Emberly and Caden will grow and change. 

 

Caden's 3 Year Old List

As a 3 year old, he loves a lot of different things, here are some of his faves:

• Super Heroes, mainly the Avengers and Captain America
• Transformers "in disguise" as he always says :)
• Playing with his Lego Duplos (especially to make airplanes, shooters and houses/garbage dumps/buildings)
• Playing outside in the dirt with his cars, trucks and kid-sized water can, shovels and rakes
• Helping Mama water the flowers, fruit trees and vegetables in our garden
• Protesting at both nap time and bed time...Caden says, "I don't want to go to bed", Mommy asks, "Are you tired?", Caden says, "Yes," and then I say, "Well, that's why we go to bed" 
• Telling Emberly to say "yes" or "no" when I ask her a question and he thinks he knows the answer :) 
• Singing and dancing along to the songs, "Glad You Came" and "Somebody That I Used to Know"
• Talking to people on the phone, especially Nana 
• Going on bike rides with Daddy and Emberly

As a 3 year old, he knows and does a lot of things, here are a few:

• Can still say most of his "A, B, C's"...some of the ones in the middle get a little run together
• Can count from 1-20...again some in the middle get skipped, I think it's mainly 13, 14 and 15 
• Knows ALL of the colors
• Asks the question "Why?" about a million times a day
• Knows how to push Mommy's buttons and test the water
• Is potty trained - which is huge! He still wears diapers for naps and at night but almost always wake up with a dry diaper. It's like the 1 time I didn't put one on he wet the bed, of course!
• Learning how to ride his little red tricycle

As a 3 year old, he definitely has his own personality, here are some of his personality traits: 

• Very, very social and always saying "Hi" to people, especially girls and kids...he has a filter though and doesn't to talk everyone but he says "I like those worker girls at Costco" (his words, not mine) Oh boy! :)
• Smart and always surprises me with what he knows
• Helpful and likes to help when I ask for help UNLESS it involves picking up Legos
• Silly and loves to make others laugh
• He is impatient, which is something we're working on, it's hard for me to teach patience though when I'm not very patient either and I'm afraid he gets that from me. Sorry kid!  
• Imaginative and is always making up stories with his planes, Lego people, Transformers, and Super Heroes

 

April, May and June: 3 months of catching up

This post is long overdue and I need to get it all written down before I start forgetting all that's been going on. Here's what the Pierce's have been up to the last few months...

In April we...

- Celebrated Caden's 3rd birthday. I'm not really sure how we got to this point and I became the mother of a 3 year old, but, alas, the day arrived. His birthday party was a lot of fun. Michael put together a puppet show for the kids, which was funny! We had Alfredo the chef and hard hat Harry, the construction worker, along with a little puppy. Caden enjoyed having all his friends and family over and talked about it for days afterward and wanted to have ANOTHER party so everyone could come over again. That kid is such a social butterfly, it cracks me up! He's very much into super heroes and legos right now, so we had an Avengers themed party and I made him a red lego cake. It was my first time making a cake with fondant so it wasn't perfect but I liked the challenge and will make more in the future to perfect my skills :) With so many things going on that day we forgot to take pictures....I know, awful parents, but I did manage to get this picture on my phone of him blowing out his candles on his cake. Such a fun day! We love you Caden and are so blessed to have you in our lives. I love how your smile lights up any room and you melt my heart when you tell me you love me and like me! 

Here is the 1 picture I have from his special day! 

 - Sent my brother Andrew off at the train station in Portland so he could start his biking and rafting adventure through Canada and Alaska. 

Here are some pictures of the "mountain man" and his fat bike (4-inch wide tires!) at the train station. 

 

- Went to Bend and stayed at the 7th Mtn Resort with my Mom (Nana) while she was at a conference. It was fun and allowed us to do lots of fun Bend things while being so close and Michael FINALLY got to go to Deschutes Brewery! We'd never gone before because it was always super packed! 

- Had a visit from Erin, Kate and Will. This was such a fun treat because it was our first time meeting Will, who is only a few weeks older than Emberly. My Grandma also spent the weekend with us and we all hung out in Seaside and played on the beach, went swimming, had slumber parties with Kate, and Caden and Emberly got lots of play time in with their cousins. It's times like that when I wish we all lived closer to each other! 

 

 

In May we...

- Went to Nashville for 6 days because Michael had a work conference there. Our friend Carolyn (who lives in TX now) met us there and stayed with us most of the time. It was so fun going shopping and hanging out with her since we don't get to see her very much AND it gave me and the kids and extra person to have with us when Michael was busy with the conference. It was our first trip to Tennessee and I really liked it and would like to go back some day. We went to Hard Rock Cafe, the Nashville Zoo, lots of shopping at the Opry Mills Mall, ate at The Aquarium and Rainforest Cafe at the Mall, drove around Nashville (literally!), saw the Parthenon at night (that thing is HUGE!) and had lots of hangout time at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. 

 Here's a picture from the zoo.

- Got a new dog kennel and built a garden with the old one.

In June we...

- Ripped out our backyard and replanted grass which is in the process of growing back in. We're also in the process of getting a section marked off to lay down concrete and extend our patio. I told Michael that I really want the backyard to be a place where the kids and I can hang out and enjoy this summer. Sooo we're in the process of doing just that! More pictures to come on this later.

- Welcomed a new pizza place to town and have enjoyed their pizza and salad bar on more than 1 occasion so far! :) 

- Celebrated Emberly's 1st birthday. My little redhead is 1 year old, craziness! We had a nice dinner and cookies on her actual birthday and then had a BBQ party and cupcakes with Michael's family a few days later. 

Yummy cupcake! Boy, oh boy, look at that red hair too!

 

 Playing with Em's new Super Market Lego Duplos. 

Whew! That was a lot of stuff....I'm hoping I can blog more this summer, that is, IF Emberly will let me! She has good nap days and bad nap days. 

Now it's time to get dinner going, enjoy an Arnold Palmer and all the summer has to offer!

It's official!

It's official, I am now a full-time, stay-at-home mama! The last few months have been difficult for me trying to juggle my time and energy between working part-time and being at home with the kiddos. After much prayer and conversations, Michael and I decided to go forward with this decision. I'm excited to be home more and get involved in new things but sad to be leaving behind something that I've been apart of for the last 8 1/2 years.. It's really hard to believe that I have worked there for that long...I started working there a month after Michael and I got married and I graduated from college 3 months after, so really, it's been a large part of my adult life and this is a HUGE step BUT it's good and I'm looking forward to spending more time with Caden and Emberly...people keep telling me that if I'm going to be at home that now's the best time to do it while both of the kids are still young. I mean, who w`ouldn't want to stay home with these cuties?!?!

I'm. Tired.

"I'm tired" has been a common theme around our house lately for both Michael and I....I don't know why Caden sleeps in on the days I work but gets up early on the days I'm at home. For example, he woke up around 7:30 yesterday morning and woke up at 6:15 this morning. Ughh! So, aside from that, we're busy when we're at home with the kids and busy with things at work and to top it off Emberly hasn't been sleeping very well at night ever since Michael went on his trip to India. I'm not sure if it's because she's teething (she had 2 teeth pop in on the bottom in January and now 1 has dropped down from the top in February) or she doesn't know how to go back to sleep on her own or if she's having separation anxiety. Whatever it is, I'm really hoping and praying that she'll get it figured out soon because it's draining!! I remember when Caden was a baby and we were able to just let him "cry it out" when he woke up in the night and he would just go back to sleep on his own but that's not the case with Emberly (unfortunately!!!) We've tried and she just cries and cries and cries for hours on end. So if you know of any tricks on how to get her back to sleep w/o rocking her or letting her co-sleep in your bed, let me know!!!

Wow, that was a depressing way to start a post! Let me switch gears :) Like I mentioned before, Em has 3 teeth in now and it's really cute when she smiles because they poke up from her bottom gums. I need to try and get some pictures of them because I don't have any yet.... And now that she's 8 months old she's tried a couple other baby foods besides oatmeal and squash, she's now added sweet potatoes, green peas and carrots to her repertoire. So far she likes them all but has a hard time eating/swallowing if there are little pieces in it. Since I make her baby food at home there can be little pieces in it, so last night I put her peas through a strainer to remove all the husks and little pieces that didn't blend up in the food processor so she wouldn't gag on it (again!). In other news she's still rolling around on the floor to get places and only has the reverse gear on when she crawls :) She's getting really good at sitting up on her own though and knows how to go back and forth from being on her belly to sitting and vice versa. I wonder if she'll ever crawl or if she'll be one of those kids who goes straight to walking. We had a well-baby checkup 2 weeks ago and here are her stats: 18 lbs 13 oz and 26 inches tall. Yep, she's cute with her chubby cheeks, arms and legs! Her hair's starting to grow in more too.....and it's still auburn-colored.

Caden is still his normal, toddler self and is learning new words every day....I swear, that kid doesn't ever stop talking! And because of that he acts much older than his (almost 3-year old) age. He's definitely starting to be more rough-and-tumble with Emberly now that she's mobile, so we've really been trying to work on our patience and teach him the right way to play with her...which is NOT sitting on her, or hitting her face with his trucks....oh boy!


A couple weeks ago we made an impromptu trip to the beach and it was P-E-R-F-E-C-T! It was like 55 degrees with clear, sunny skies. It's amazing that we have days like that in the middle of "winter" amidst all the rain and clouds. It was much needed and very refreshing. Here are a few pics from that day:

Caden playing in the sand with his tractor

Yes, she's just wearing a t-shirt, it was that nice!

Look at that red hair!

Saying Goodbye to 2011 and Hello to 2012!

It's 2012. Seriously? Where has all the time gone?!?!

For Thanksgiving, we had a houseful...my Mom, Dad and brother Andrew came up and we had a nice dinner w/ them and all of Michael's family. Our theme this year was everything had to be homemade and the healthier (ie. good, whole foods and real ingredients) the better. It was a huge success and the food was wonderful! It's so easy to buy pre-made or boxed stuff from the store but it tastes sooo much better when you make it yourself, you have a wonderful feeling of accomplishment AND it's sooo much better for you!

For Christmas we headed down to good 'ole L.A. Pine or as Caden calls it, "Pine". My sister, bro-in-law and nephew, Jacob, flew up from Texas and we all headed down to my parent's house for the week. It was soooo good to have them here and they finally got to meet Emberly. Caden had a wonderful time playing w/ his cousin, Jacob, and we got to spend some time w/ other family too (Grandma Oster, Aunt Kathy, Uncle Dennis, Aunt Renee and cousins Amelia, Ashley, Dakota, and Jack). We were all hoping for a white Christmas BUT the snow didn't decide to show up UNTIL we were driving them to the airport - of course! The kids didn't get to play in it but at least they got to see some :)

Emberly is almost 7 months old and earlier today she was gnawing on my finger, which she's been doing more intensely lately and something felt different. I felt around inside her mouth (as much as she'd let me) AND I'm pretty sure she has a tooth coming in on the bottom. Goodness - teeth already! Now the extra fussiness and not sleeping well the last couple days makes sense. I'm thankful it's taken this long though because Caden had teeth as early as 4 months. Crazy! She has another doctor's appt at the end of this month...so we'll get to see how big she is now. She's not crawling yet but is getting really close, she's starting to lift her belly all the way off the floor and has even crawled backwards a few times. I'm thinking it won't be long before she figures out how to go forward :) She likes to roll around all over the room and is getting good at turning to get where she wants to go. She's also getting really good at sitting up on her own. She's also started eating baby oatmeal....w/ squash next, yummm!

Caden's latest fascination is super heroes. He loves anything with Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Spiderman, Transformers, etc. and is all about the good guys getting the bad guys. It's funny because when he plays with his regular toys, like his cars or trucks, he asks me where the guns are and which bad guys they're getting. It's cute! :) He's still as curious as ever and wants to know what everything does, where it comes from, what it's name is, etc. etc. Also, a HUGE thing that happened recently is that he's potty-trained...at least mostly....he's wearing big kid underwear all day long and only wearing diapers for nap and bedtime. Yes, I'm so excited! I never thought this day would come!!!

As I'm typing, Michael is in India (hopefully napping after his long trip), on the other side of the world!!! He left yesterday afternoon and made it there a few hours ago. He was traveling for almost 24 hours straight. He's there for work and will be gone for just under 2 weeks. It's been awhile since I've posted so I don't think I've mentioned that Michael was promoted at work. His boss moved to a different department and Michael took their position, so he is now the Manager of the AP Department. It's such a huge blessing for him and our family but has meant extra stress on him the last few weeks because he has an open position that needs to be filled to help lighten his workload. I'm still working part-time, 3 days a week, but it's probably going to be for just a little while longer since they really want me to come back full-time but that's just not what's best for our family. Please keep us all in your prayers....pray for Michael to have safe travels, a really good trip and for him to find the right person to fill the void in his department and for me and my job, especially at home as I take care of the kids by myself while he's gone. I seriously don't know how single parents do it, it's a lot of work!

With it being 2012 and the New Year and all, here are a few resolutions for the upcoming year. I normally don't do New Years' resolutions but think these are good things to start doing for both myself and my family, New Years or not:

• Make more food from scratch and use better ingredients (ie. whole foods, organic, local)
• Be more intentional (I totally stole this from my sis-in-law Erin (check our her blog at http://www.christianmamasguide.com/) but it's so good and really hit a place in my heart. I want to be more intentional in my relationships with my husband and my kids and not just let life pass me by. I want to spend more times w/ my kids while they're little and I have the chance to be at home w/ them. I've talked w/ a couple people lately who have been telling me that time goes by sooo fast and I can already attest to that...I mean, really.....where did my almost 3-year old and 7-month old come from?!?!?!
  
• Stop putting things off. (Do the dishes now, not tomorrow. Pick up the living room now, not later.)
  

So far, so good...but it is only the 7th....of January :)

And now for the toast to 2012 - There are a lot of things to look forward to in the coming year: babies to be born (a new nephew!), trips to be made, birthdays to be had and milestones to take place. Now here's to taking advantage of the time God has given me and making the best out of it! ....which at this very moment is going to lay down to try and get a quick nap in before the kids wake up! :) Cheers!