Coach Jake's Newest Fan

We're starting her early.

We have a great Iowa bar here called the O.P., otherwise known as the Other Place- just like in Iowa. We go to the O.P. here sometimes to watch the occasional UNI or Iowa game. (I am happy to note, by the way, that there are far more Iowa/UNI decorations than ISU decorations.)


Anyhow, the O.P. hosted a KC UNI alumni event. Ben Jacobson, the coach of the UNI men's basketball team, came to speak at the event. Felicia even convinced Coach Jake to take a picture with the family!
She's such a charmer.

Dose of Cuteness for Your Day.

Seeing as Miss F. dislikes baths, I figured I'd take some cute pictures of her after the bath.  She is so stinkin' cute wrapped up in one of our adult bath towels!



Calling All Recipe Fanatics :)

If human and hobby were ever to marry, cooking would be it for me.
When I first moved in with the boy- my husband, that is- I was not making a lot of money.  I only worked half-time as a kindergarten teacher. I decided to help save myself from spending too much $ at the store by doing meal planning. I soon became addicted to cooking magazines and planned out meals in which I used ingredients that I normally had on hand.

I know that some of you are self-professed foodies, too! (Ahem, Erica & Adam.)  So I decided to use an idea I got from one of the blogs my friend Alisha has written. She posted meals for the week on her blog and included links to some of the recipes she used.  Cool idea, seeing as I like to e-mail recipes I've found to other foodies in my life, so I thought this would be a fun way to do it. I usually plan my meals 2 weeks in advance (really) and make one stop at the store in between those weeks for more produce. Here is how our next week is looking:

Monday: Sausage & Lentil Stew 

HOLY CRAP it's good! Thanks, Rachael Ray.

Tuesday: Whole-Wheat Margherita Pizzas

(I really just use this recipe for the crust. I make tomato sauce with canned tomatoes and spices.  Make it a thin crust- whole wheat is dense-needs to be spread thin.  Yum! I also use fresh mozzarella. Diet? No.)

Wednesday: Breakfast Tacos

(Scrambled egg, bacon, avocado on soft corn tortillas)

Thursday: Garden Ravioli

(Frozen cheese ravioli with fresh tomatoes/fresh spinach/sauteed mushrooms/mozzarella/EVOO)

Friday: Out to eat

Saturday: Out of town

Sunday: BLT's and Caprese Salads (leftover fresh mozz from Tuesday)

A Mommy's Best Friend... Warning: Alarmingly Cute Photos

When we prepared to announce our pregnancy, we expected to receive lots of advice- the good, the bad, and the ugly. However, the worst advice I received was actually from a pregnancy book.  One of the best pieces of advice I received was from my sister, Erica. It's common knowledge that one of the best things you can do with a baby to help calm them is to swaddle them tightly in a blanket. Erica introduced me to a swaddling alternative called "The Woombie." It is an hourglass-shaped "sleeping bag" you slip the baby into and simply zip up. It really fits a baby's contours for extra snugglage- hence the hourglass shape. This piece of cloth has saved my life many-a-time. Okay, maybe just saved naptime  many-a-time. I think many moms may call this one in the same. I swear Felicia practically sighs in relief when I zip her in it- I get smiles, too! If any of you are soon-to-be mommies or just haven't heard of it, definitely consider it.  You can find more info at http://www.thewoombie.com/.  My sister told me you can buy it cheaper at http://www.diapers.com. Warning: Grandmas may not like Woombie. Grandma Klemz calls it her "straight jacket."

Here are some pics of my sweet girl in her "Woombie."

 

She only needs the Woombie for afternoon naps now. She's really never needed it at night:

 

I'm Competitive...That's Why I Don't Play.

We've lived here in the KC for over 5 years now.  Moving has meant new jobs, new friends....new lives, basically! :) It also means new activities.  KC offers many new things to do with our time. There is wonderful support for the arts here, as well as good support for the professional sports (refraining from using quotes).  

However, we learned about a brand-new sport that has caught on well around the country called "Field Crumpets!" Heard of it? We probably wouldn't have if we didn't meet one of its creators here, Rob Overton. He and his wife, Mel, are good friends of ours.  They introduced us (mostly James- read on) to Field Crumpets! It is a cross between field hockey and soccer, its equipment including large rubber balls and the plastic red bats you played with as a kid. Learn more about the game here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_crumpets.

   Big kids and their bats.

 

 

My favorite big kid.

In action.

Anyway, James plays occasionally with whatever guys and gals can be rounded up on a Sunday afternoon. They play through the year, even occasionally on a snowy day! I think what he likes about it (and I quote the website referenced above) is that the game emphasizes "fun and silliness over competition." James isn't terribly competitive, just like me... HA! Just kidding. I think I'd tear his head off over a game of Monopoly if I did not love him so. If I don't like love you, don't play a game with me. Notice I did not insert a 'HA' here. Okay, technically I just did, but you know what I'm getting at.

Anyway, it's fun to watch.

Living in KC has its drawbacks...

...and that means we are five hours from the wonderful family I recieved my name (well, my maiden name) from! Normally, this would not prompt me to start a blog.  However, one thing has changed the word "normally" for me.  That word is 'daughter'!

I suppose it includes granddaughter, niece, great-niece, goddaughter, and cousin, too!  Things in life are always changing, and I figure what better excuse to start a blog to keep family and friends updated on those changes? Felicia is our brand-spankin'-new (okay, 4 month old) daughter- and I am not crazy about the fact that she isn't exposed as often as she should be to her family and parents' loving friends. 

This blog will (theoretically) help keep those precious people in our lives not only up to date on our newest addition, but also with the random moments of life and other goings-on. The former seems to be the norm lately- ha! I guess it's the random moments in life that keep you guessing- and probably are some of the most entertaining ones. Yes?

I hope you enjoy reading about our moments-randomness and all! Now I just hope that I can actually follow through with posting- I mean, this blog creation could just be a result of boredom. Felicia has had an exceptionally long nap today, leaving me some extra computer-zombie'ing time. (Who has time for changing out of PJs?) Tune in later to find out if this is a one-post fluke. As for me, I have to go rescue Miss F. from her crib now. And lose the sweats. Maybe.