Greeter Deterrent (aka car seat cover).

We're almost to 500 posts!

In other news, I sewed something! Pinterest can definitely be a time-sucker, but it also holds some amazing sewing tutorials and can be super inspirational. It makes a normal and average-talented person be able to pretty much do anything. And thanks to my mom for sending me some material and thread (curses to being far from fabric stores) I made this awesome car seat cover.

I merged a few tutorials, but other than that I followed the simple directions and voila! For the body I used Cluck Cluck Sew's tutorial and had some inspiration this tutorial for the straps. Pretty much exactly like the first one but I liked the look of thinner straps. The best part about tutorials like this are that you can customize it to your car seat and nothing has to be exact, which my newbie seamstress-self loves. And don't you just love the rounded corners?

Not gunna lie, Leanne's (from Elle Apparel) car seat cover is super cute too. Maybe the next one I make will have ties? Decisions, decisions.

Now off to tackle this zippered pouch project. Wish me luck!!

two months.

Henry is two months old, can you believe it??? He went to the dr. on Friday and he's in the 25th percentile for weight now! Before, he was around the 10th for everything but he's slowly movin his way up. He's 10 lbs. 6 oz. Way to go, Henry!

This little guy has helped make our lives a bajilliontrillionmillion times better. They were pretty awesome beforehand, and he just spiced 'em up even more. Henry, Hen, Hen Hen, Hank, Bud, Buster -- all the names for our little one, and we're bound to add more as the years go on. He focusses on our eyes more and grabs our shirts when we carry him. He even grabbed my hair the other day before a bath and did not want to let it go--what a grip! He also follows us with his eyes as we go in and out of the living room. I put music on and we dance around the apartment, and after we change him he lays on his changing pad and just talks to the world. He's sleeping usually for 3 1/2 hours and then 2-3 hours at night, but sometimes he gives us 5 hour stretches (this weekend he gave us 6!) and they're a.maze.ing. He loves his bouncer, loves trying to grab the toys hanging from it, and now he'll even fall asleep in his bouncer all on his own sometimes. No holding or swaddling needed! What a champ. We love him so much and think he's just the most handsome little boy.

Want some proof? Here's my favorite picture as of this hour. Henry had a ton of fun at the park this weekend. He was smiling a ton--I think he really loves the fresh air.  I forgot a blanket, so he laid on my cardigan and since the wind was blowing a bit, I used my nursing cover as a blanket. I did the same think a few days later on our way to Trader Joe's. Henry's such a trooper, he didn't even complain that it was pink! :)

easter.

I'm posting about Easter before the end of April. I'm pretty proud of myself. It was Henry's first time at church and he was such a trooper! He slept through sacrament meeting, chowed down during Sunday School, then was a happy camper during Young Women's. We had a great little Easter this year--Hen got a few outfits/books from his grandparents and us and I happily completed his easter bucket with some plastic eggs filled with candy. Oh, he can't eat that yet? We'll take it off your hands, Hen…

It was fun being the Easter bunny this year--I feel so grown-up being in charge of a little kid's holiday! Mind you, he won't remember a thing, but it was still fun. We dyed eggs with Julie and Oliver the day before and had lunch with Collins and Shantel on Sunday. I even bought Ryan the big bag of Krusteaz pancake mix as his Easter present. It did not disappoint.

Here's to a great Easter of remembering our Savior and the start of traditions--including matching cousin outfits!!

on pizza.

{It's raining like crazy here lately. I've been trying to find more stovetop recipes in preparation for the spring/summer heat, but with the cooler temps, the oven is definitely coming on. Enter: pizza}

Let's talk pizza. We're a pizza kindof family. And, let the record show, we've never in our married lives bought a five dollar Little Caesar pizza. Don't get me wrong, there's a time and place and it's not saying that we've never eaten one, but I'm totally a make-your-own-pizza kinda girl.

We're huge fans of thin crust (I blame my Italian-loving husband), and although there are a bajillion dough recipes, I've used only one and it works fabulously and is seriously quick. If I come across another recipe I love, I'll add it later, but this one has worked fabulously for us for the last 3 years.

Pizza Dough
recipe found through a friend's sister--Thanks Erica!, she got it through a BYU culinary class
1 1/4 c. warm water
1 T. yeast
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
3 c. flour (give or take)

1. Dissolve years in warm water.
2. Add sugar, salt, and 2 1/2 c. flour. Mix to form dough.
3. Add more flour to pull together. (These days I add about a cup more, it just depends on where you live.) Mix for 3 minutes
4. Cover. Let the dough rest for 10 min. in the bowl. (After this you can refrigerate or freeze until you want to use it or go on to step 5.)
5. Let it rest for another 10 min. after you've rolled it out.

And a pizza dough recipe wouldn't be complete without some pizza ideas, right? Here are a few we've done as of late:
1. Greek pizza (my current fave)
2. Veggie pizza (onions, olives, mushrooms, just whatever veggies you've got on hand)
3. BBQ Chicken pizza (Pioneer Woman's is great)

and a few ideas for future (hopefully) faves include:
4. Pesto and goat cheese pizza
5. Thai chicken pizza
6. Spinach and mushroom pizza
7. Pesto chicken pizza
8. BBQ pulled pork pizza

reading.

I love capturing moments like this.

Ryan's dad read to him every night almost through the end of elementary school and Ryan plans on doing the same thing. Although Hen gets a little distracted these days, we're excited to see him learn and grow.

boston marathon 2012.

Living near BU has many perks. Including living right off Beacon St.--where the Boston Marathoners run their last mile and a half! We were lucky enough to see the winners of almost each category, too. And check out those amazing arm-cycles! It was a really hot day in Boston (good for the fans, not for the runners) and these men and women were running/cycling so fast! Their determination is so inspiring. Just the day before I told my dad that I would never run a marathon, then late last night I was thinking about what I'd have to do to qualify for Boston and what an accomplishment that would be.

So who knows if I'll ever run a marathon, but to all those that have run Boston, and other marathons, you rock!!

fenway.

We've been having some fantastic weather lately. It's shorts weather! Yesterday we went on a family walk around Fenway Park while they were playing the Rays. It's so fun to walk around and hear the roar of the crowd as you walk. It's also pretty awesome that this year is Fenway's 100th birthday! We're planning on going to at least one game in August, and Ryan will probably go to another in June. We're definitely a baseball kind of family. In fact, as we were walking by the Red Sox retired numbers, I asked about Ted Williams, so naturally when we came home we watched the segment on Ken Burns' baseball documentary all about him. Ryan could watch that documentary 24/7.

Happy birthday, Fenway!

create.

I found this post, from Sydney of The Daybook, and fell in love. Thanks, Alyssa, for bringing it to my attention! Sydney received an email from a theology student asking "why are mormons so cool?" and goes on to talk about how the 13th Article of Faith helps us find the best things in our culture. She says it best when she says:

Because of our beliefs, we choose to abstain from participating in a few things {drinking, smoking, immodest forms of dress, swearing, etc} which does limit our participation in certain aspects of popular culture, but certainly doesn't hinder us from seeking out the very best that culture has to offer. It just makes it a little easier for all those lovely things we seek out in life to bubble right to the top.


She also follows her reply with a Mormon Messages video which you can watch below. I'm challenging myself to reflect throughout my day on how I am being creative, how I am helping increase the beauty of the world around me, and I challenge you to do the same. I'm off to IKEA today, which is sure to get those creative juices flowing. :)

swimsuit season.

I've been talking about going to the pool for weeks now, but only a few days ago did it really occur that I'd be putting on a bathing suit in a matter of months. Really? I got the 'a-ok' check from the doc early this week (hurray for an *almost* full recovery!) and decided it's time to bust out those hand weights, pull out the yoga dvds and put on my running shoes (aka my run/walk/mostly walk/ing shoes).

I'm really excited to put my body back in shape. Thankfully, I was at a good weight before the babe and am back to that weight already (thank you breastfeeding!). My goal is to be 5 pounds lower than my wedding-day weight, which was five pounds less than my pre-preggo weight. But of course, the numbers don't really matter-- it's all about being healthy. So bring on the fruits and veggies!

BTW: I've been eyeing these beauties from Target recently. Aren't they darling?

on weekends...

Weekends are the best. Ryan has been staying around the house on the weekends and studying here instead of the law tower and although I know he is not nearly as productive here, I am so grateful he hangs around our neck of the woods. I love seeing him hold Henry, and every time I'm done feeding Hen and am about to leave him chillin on the floor or put him in the bouncer, Ryan jumps at the opportunity to hold him. Even if reviewing those notes just got a little tougher.

In our unbiased opinion, we think he's the best dad in the world.

Growing.

We celebrated Henry's 6-week birthday by having a little photoshoot. I've finally started hanging pictures of us on the wall (hello, Command strips!) and I wanted to print out a few of the little man as well. I've also finally figured out how to take videos with my DSLR again and I took multiple mini videos this week.

[[Dear Henry and all future children, there will be a gazillion pictures/videos of you. Sorry for any embarrassment this may cause, you're just too cute for your own good.]]

hunger games trivia.

No, I haven't seen the movie yet. But I will. One day. Maybe a matinee? Why can't there be a Provo dollar theater wherever we live?

On another note, did you know this???

No wonder the books are awesome.

Granola

I can't believe I haven't made my own granola before. This recipe comes from a girl at work, Lisa, and I'm so glad I snatched a copy of her recipe. I love that it's more like sweet, roasted nuts and oats, and it's not super clumpy and sticky. The original recipe calls for 1/3 c. honey, but since I used sweetened shredded coconut I eye-balled it and probably used more like 1/4 c. Either way it's delicious and I can't wait to mix this recipe up and try more. My new favorite snack: plain yogurt with a sliced banana and sprinkled with this granola. SO GOOD.

Simple Granola
3 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. flaxseeds or sesame seeds
1/2 c. wheat germ
1/2 c. chopped nuts, whatever your preference
3/4 c. shredded unsweetened coconut (if using sweetened reduce honey to 1/4 c.)
1/2 t. vanilla
1/3 c. oil
1/3 c. honey

Combine all and placed on cookie sheet  sprayed with Pam. Bake at 300 for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes so it browns evenly. Bake until lightly toasted. Immediately remove from pan once done to prevent sticking.

an update through instagram

It's finally spring here! Well, sort of. We go through multiple cool/warm phases throughout each week, but there are flowers all around (some, unfortunately, are already dying with the cold) and they definitely add a little color to the beautiful brick all around. 

Henry is growing like a weed and is smiling more and more, following faces and noises, and has even turned over! It's not consistent, so most of the time he's *so close* and it's so amazing to see him grow and learn. I'm loving walking/driving around the city with Henry and exploring each day. Since our heat was off a few days last week we headed to the mall and Henry was a champ. I'm getting used to the whole nursing in the changing room thing, if I do say so myself. Henry and I even went exploring all the way down to Washington St--3 miles there and 3 miles back. I don't recommend walking 6 miles in Uggs, but it was a great way to see the city and  I can't wait to do it again with 1) more snacks packed for myself and 2) better weather. We passed right by the public garden, but since it was nippy we kept on going.

Also, I bought some mini dessert dishes and sour patch kids on that long, long walk and I'm loving putting all my snacks in the dishes. They're the perfect size. I now know why people love Marshall's so much. Also, I got a cute nautical top that reminds me of Amanda, and of summer. I'm super excited to wear it soon.

Conference this weekend was so great. I'm finally making a car seat cover this week, I just made some homemade granola this morning and I even gave Henry a bath. Conference totally pumped me up and we've got a super productive week planned.

Loaded Zucchini Bread

For the first time in a really long time I made something using a recipe not from a blog. I've got cookbooks and recipes from friends, but for the last year I've been heavily relying on blogs instead. Last week I decided to make a conscious effort to make recipes from my stack in the hallway and this is one of them. It's also a great way to start your mornings on Conference weekend!

The recipe comes from Stephanie Andreason, and I've actually had it since my junior year of college. We both worked for the religious dept. at BYU and she wrote this recipe down for me. I hadn't made it until now, and like most tried and true recipes from friends, I'm kicking myself for not trying it sooner. She calls it health bread. It's pretty much zucchini bread, but just calling it zucchini bread would discount the banana and oats and cinnamon/nutmeg/clove amazingness, so loaded zucchini bread it is.

Loaded Zucchini Bread
adapted from my friend Stephanie (I linked to her Pintrest)

3/4 c. veg. oil
1 c. sugar

3 eggs

1-2 well-ripened bananas

2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
scant 1/2 t. cloves
3 c. flour
2 1/2 c. shredded zucchini
1 c. oats

Preheat oven to 325. Combine dry ingredients: flour, b. powder, b. soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and set aside. Combine wet ingredients: oil, sugar, eggs (one at a time), and banana until just combined. Add the dry ingredients a little at a time, then add the zucchini and oats. Pour into loaf pan and bake about an hour, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Then devour.