New Stand

I've finally figured out why I've been so tired/cranky.  My one and only wisdom tooth has decided to make its entrance into this world and has been bearing down on my other teeth.  Thus the constant headaches I've been having.  The dentist, after laughing for a good 5 minutes at the fact that my daughter and I were teething at the same time, referred me to an oral surgeon.  I apparently I have to go in for a consultation before they just rip the dang thing outta my head.  I feel my paycheck getting lighter and lighter.

On a happier note, I received an early birthday present.  I put it together last night and have been enjoying it.

What I like the most about this design is that I can clamp in any type of hoop.  However, I have seemed to misplaced my largest size hoop.  I originally put it away because it was so awkward for me to hold, but I like stitching in it because it allowed me to view my entire piece.  Now I can use it!

The piece in it is my Earthbound square.  Not much more done on it.  I'm through with about half of the colors, but most of the colors I've stitched haven't had large sections of color on it.

More Emma Food

Emma is able to have a lot more on her plate now-a-days.  We've added sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, cinnamon (mixed in bananas or rice), mangos and prunes.  She'll eat anything, but tends to make disgusting faces when prunes are put on her tongue.

I bought A LOT of mangos when they were on sale at the local supermarket for $.77 each.  What a deal!  That is, until I began peeling the devil fruit.

I looked up how to do it, and it looked easy.  HA!  It's not.  Mangos are super sticky, and it was hard for me to maneuver around their oddly shaped seed.  Lucky for me, Emma loves mangos, so plenty of practice is my future.

The other "fun" I've been having cooking Emma's food are the prunes.  We decided to try them when we noticed Emma was... ah... straining a bit more than usual (hopefully that euphemism is not lost on you- I don't want to have to go into more detail than possible).  Natural laxative, and on her list of approved food for this time frame. Perfect!  Until we cooked them by boiling them in some water.

Let's just say that the appearance of cooked prunes is very similar to Emma's "problem".  It only got worse as I put them in my Ninja and began to process them.  I'll leave out pictures and just let your mind do that for you.  Eww.

le Sigh

I feel like I have been so busy lately... and I have gotten NOTHING accomplished.  Not too much more done on the Earthbound square.  I haven't worked on my Zelda one at all.  I did get started on a bookmark collection for four girls who will be seniors next year.  I've chosen a quote that I think represents each of them.  Sadly, only one girl is in to retro gaming, so I started her project first.  She enjoys Rubix cubes as well, so I thought it would be clever to have Mario hit a Rubix instead of a ? box.

I hope to have some more updates soon, but I've just been fragmented between Emma and the start of the new trimester at school.

Earthbound Square

Just a quick WIP post- nothing too lengthy.

My Earthbound quilt square.  I tried to make this design a bit busier so I wouldn't get too bogged down with the grass like I did on my Zelda square, however, can't decide if I'm pleased with the overall composition or not.

I'm also working on creating a banner for my blog.  Look back for an update soon!

Ninja-ed

I love my Ninja.  The food processor- not the karate expert I keep in my closet.  If you want to make baby food, guacamole, salsa, or smoothies, you must own one.

Emma has a pretty colorful palate so far.  Avacados, bananas, apples, and rice cereal were her fare for the past week.  All are A+ worthy in her book.  This coming week, green beans, acorn squash, butternut squash, pear, and sweet potato are on the menu.

Green beans.  Simply steamed, added water, and ninja-ed.

Baked the squash, meat side turned down in a baking dish with 1/2 inch of water for 40 minutes.  Carved out meat.

Added some water, ninja-ed, and BAM!  Baby squash.

I highly recommend the ice cube tray for freezing.  Then just pop out, put into freezer bags, and you're good to go.  And the Press'n Seal is amazing!

New Book

I haven't been writing or stitching as much as I should because I've had my nose stuck in a book for the last week.  Typically, I'm not much for non-fiction.  I get my heavy doses of that through all of the documentaries that Netflix has to offer as I cross stitch.

The book is Columbine, by Dave Cullen.

The story of Columbine has never been told in such a haunting format.  The story and evolution of the two killers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, are intertwined with graphic descriptions of the massacre, family and student reactions, as well as updates ten years after the fact.  I go from being on the brink of tears, to down right anger at the police for not piecing together the pieces, and then staging a cover-up. 

While I could never say I understood the killers, I have never thought about or saw their humanity displayed until now. It is also disturbing at how normal there lives seemed.  I had always assumed that they had dysfunctional families, parents that didn't care.  Not true.  It is scarily eye-opening.

Hopefully I will have the book done by this weekend.  Then, an update on my students' perception of Othello, my Earthbound cross-stitch, and updates on Emma's food (now eating bananas, avacados, and rice cereal- will take pictures of the cooking process).

Good Starts

After reading numerous articles on the proper age to start feeding a baby solid foods, my husband and I chose tonight, Emma's 5 1/2 month birthday, to feed her.  While 6 months is what most physicians organizations reccommend, after speaking to her pediatrician and getting the go ahead (as all parents should before considering solids), and after reading wonderful recipes from Wholesome Homeade Baby Food, we tried avacado.  Why avacado?  It's creamy, a great texture for infants, has loads of nutrients, and the "good" fats babies need for development.  Go to Wholesome Homeade Baby Food for a full article on this great fruit!

We mashed an organic avacado (or perhaps pureed is the better term?), and added formula to make it a bit thinner and to give it a familiar taste.  Then, I started by just putting some on my finger and letting her chew on that.

Wwe started using a spoon next, which Emma thought was the funniest thing on the planet.  She grabbed it, played with it, chewed on it like it was a teether.  All of that made for great entertainment, but not much on the NOM front.  Finally, we just took her bottle with formula in it, dabbed the avacado mixure, and fed her.  Every so often we would re-dab the nipple, and Emma seemed fairly pleased with herself at the end of the feeding.

Although I haven't snagged any pictures of it yet, we have a Nuby transitional sippy cup we've been letting her play with.  I put about 2 ounces of water in it and let her practice holding it and attempting to drink out of it.  While she does get a couple of gulps in, it's mostly just a play activity for the little darling.

I'm a firm believer in building a strong foundation for healthy eating habits in young children.  It is so simple to get caught up in doing what is easiest for parents that the nutritional quality of foods is not closely looked into. 

While I have no definitive answer on how dangerous pesticides, preservatives, or other typical things that go into most foods truly is, I believe that erring on the side of caution is the best route for me and my baby.  That is why we are starting her out on organic and natural foods, and while we might not always be able to buy/afford these items, I want to always try and give my daughter the healthiest options for meals. 

For example, we are going to try to restrict her sugar intake to as near to zero as we can until she is at least 3 years old.  Will sugar kill children?  No.  Will eating a little sugar be a defining factor on causing childhood obseity or other early health probelms.  Not necessarily.  But, it is a fact that too much sugar can cause many problems.  Our thought behind limiting this is the idea that Emma can't want or miss something she's never tasted.  Same with salt, Mc Donalds, and soda.  It won't kill a kid having them once, but it can be the start of bad habits.

As I will always say when discussing any parenting issue- as long as you have consulted your doctor, do your own research and do what you feel is best for your baby and your family.

I hope to post more baby eating/feeding as we try new foods and recipes with Emma, so stay tuned!