TTFN

Well, hello there. You may or may not have been wondering where I went to. I assure you, I am fine, but did get extremely busy with my life outside of this little blog.

The holidays were crazy busy, as always, and time could just not be made for my little blog. We had a lovely Christmas though, and I'm happy to say that one of the many gifts Paul and I received was Lily finally starting to regularly use the potty! YAY! Literally, on Christmas Eve, she told us she had to go, and go she did, and she has been going on the potty and wearing panties every day since. Next we're moving on to nighttime training! (can't wait)

Christmas!

Guess who's using the potty like a big girl?!

  
Just a few days before New Year's Eve, Lily came down with what we thought was a bad case of the flu, but turned out to be RSV + bronchiolitis. A visit to the ER when her fever reached 104.2 turned into a three night stay, and we celebrated New Year's Eve in PICU. Yay.

In PICU :(

But, my little sweetie has fully recovered and things are all back to normal around her. One thing that's happening right now, though, is my job is really starting to pick up. Every day has to be devoted to me furthering my career now (at least until Lily is home from daycare), thus, with that being said, I have been taking a break from blogging.



I don't know for how long it will be; it may be for just a few months...or it may be indefinitely. I am not setting any expectation for it, because if there is one thing I have surely learned time and time again- especially after having to spend a holiday in the hospital with my child hooked up to various machines to help her breathe -you just never know what will happen, no matter what plans you make or expectations you have. Life will always do whatever it wants to do, and all we can do is prepare for it the best we can.

At Valentine's Day party at her daycare

Having fun on a snow day

I want to take this time now to thank all of you who have been reading my blog since the beginning and supporting me, and everyone who has read, commented, linked-up, or supported me in any way here. I have made so many amazing bloggy friends from all around the world, and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I'm very sad that this has to happen, but it just does. My mind has been made up, and this is one of those less pleasant resolutions that is for the best, at least at this time.

A pre-bday visit to the aquarium

A sighting of the rare Lily Seal

Who knows- I may be back sooner than I think and I may just start posting every once in a while when I have a new recipe that is just too good not to share, but I will not be hosting any hops anytime soon. Sigh. I always liked doing those best :(

My focus has to be on my career and my family right now, and hopefully in between all that I can squeeze in some me time. 

Thank you all SO MUCH for every awesome blog post you've linked up at Sweet Saturday or Meatless Monday; thank you all SO MUCH for all of the thoughtful, intriguing, sweet, and often funny comments you've left over the past 2 years; thank you all SO MUCH for continuing to visit even when I did not update it; thank you all SO MUCH for the awards, shout-outs, and praise. I feel so fontunate to have found this awesome community of bloggers and I will not soon forget you all. I plan to follow many of you via subscription now so I can keep up when I have the time :)

My only sunshine

 Today it's this little sweetie's 3rd birthday. 

Happy birthday, Lily!

   

Check back tomorrow for Sweet Saturday...

I've gotten a little tied-up with things (once again!), so I will be postponing the Sweet Saturday link-up until Saturday morning, possibly later today EST. So check back then, or check your email later for the invite! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!!

Handprint Christmas Tree

Today I'm sharing a very simple and fun project for kids of any age to do. I got the original idea for this from Earning My Cape. 

All you have to do is trace your child's hand onto a sheet of green construction paper, then cut it out. Use the handprint to trace 5 more hands, so you then have 6 total. Next, glue the handprints onto a separate piece of construction paper into the shape of a tree like in the picture below. You can add a trunk with marker, or by cutting out a rectangle shape out of brown paper. Have your kiddo add decorations such as stickers, pom-poms, small pieces of paper, foam shapes, etc. to the tree, then put a star on top. Very easy and kids ages 2-12 should have fun with this. Younger children will obviously need assistance with the glue and scissors. 

Lily and I started making some new glittery bell ornaments last night, but she wasn't really into it, so we'll try again tonight or tomorrow, depending on how she's feeling. Here's a little sneak peek of how far we got before she had enough of the glitter glue:

Other than crafts and such, I've been busy making cookies to give as gifts, finishing last minute Christmas shopping, and getting the house ready for the little holiday party we're having Sunday. I've also been a bit under the weather- courtesy of Lily's sickness last week, most likely -but, I'm holding it down and drowning my yuckiness with vitamins, tea, hot soup, and healing herbs propolis and echinacea. I'm excited for the holidays and that's all I can really focus on at this time! I'll have something up for Sweet Saturday this week, so please come on back Friday! I won't be doing a Meatless Monday link-up Monday, but may share a Christmasy post just to wish you all happy holidays :)

 

Meatless Monday: Christmas Cookies!

By now, you should know I love to bake cookies, I think...!

Well, today is an especially momentous cookie baking occasion because, you see, I FINALLY found a sugar cookie recipe that was just right, and the dough was perfect for making shapes with!!! I have had so much trouble in the past trying to make cute cookie cutter shapes from cookie dough; it was always too wet, too soft, didn't taste good, or the cookies didn't bake right and lost their form in the oven. But, FINALLY. Finally. I have found it! And I am so excited to share this marvelous lemon sugar cookie recipe with you! But, I must not take all the credit- this recipe is largely adapted from this little gem from myrecipes.com.

Lemony Sugar Cookies
(makes around 30 cookies depending on cutter(s) used)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt 
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in bowl and set aside. In a larger bowl, beat together butter and sugar until well combined. Next, add in the egg, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest, milk, and vanilla until nice and creamy. Bit by bit, beat in the flour mixture until dough is formed. Flatten dough into disc onto a plate like in the picture below, cover with plastic wrap, then cool in the refridgerator for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.
 

When dough is ready, take half of it and roll out onto floured surface to about 3/8" thick. Cut out desired shapes then place onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet(s). Decorate with sprinkles if desired, then pop in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. Allow to cool before enjoying!

I have not been able to stop eating these tasty treats since making them earlier this afternoon! Lily quite fancies them as well. I normally make a healthier version of sweet cookies like these by using whole wheat flour or less sugar or a sugar substitute, or however I am able to, but this time I kept it traditional and just make them like the recipe indicated. Afterall, it's Christmas time and I think enjoying something extra sweet is alright once in a while :)


 
These cookies will be made as gifts for friends and family this year, along with some other kind of cookie, probably my dark chocolate coconut and flax cookies; those will be the healthy option! Although, adding fresh lemon gives these cookies a boost of vitamin C, antioxidants, and can also aid in digestion.

Lily is feeling much better now, although she was quite the cranky kid this weekend! We did still manage to get some fun holiday crafts done, so check back on Wednesday for that, plus Sweet Saturday on Friday! Thanks so much for stopping by, now on to the link-up! 

Now it's your turn to share your Meatless Monday dish below! Share your turkey-alternatives or other yummy Thanksgiving favorites. No rules, other than please only link-up meat-free recipes. No other un-related links or I will remove them. Sorry to sound so harsh, but let's keep it true to what it is, ok? Link up as much as you want, and feel free to spread the word with the button below. Thanks, and have a great week! 
          

<a href="http://jessica-healthymommyhealthybaby.blogspot.com/search/label/meatless%20mondays" target="_blank"><img alt="Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby" src="http://draft.blogger.com/%E2%80%9CADD%E2%80%9D"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z327/ruffandcut/HMHBMMHop_button.jpg"/>

Have a great day!

 
  

Sweet Saturday #31: Cottonball Snowmen Decorations

I meant to post these simple, kid-friendly projects on Wednesday, but my little sweetie has been sick this week, thus placing me into Mommy Overtime. She's on the mend now, though, and the other day we did have the time and energy to make these cute and easy snowmen using cottonballs, construction paper, glue, and a few other things...

Happy Cottonball Snowmen

Materials:

Cottonballs
Construction paper
Glue
Glitter glue
White paint
Q-tip

Step 1: Paint white dots with Q-TIP
Step 2: Glue on cottonballs
Step 3: Add stick arms and face with glitter glue
Step 4: Add some random splotches of silver glitter with an extra cottonball (Lily's addition)  

The large piece of cotton came from the inside of a vitamin bottle

Voilá! Cute little happy snowmen to hang up in your home. Due to my lacking craft skills, it looks as if my 2 1/2 year old did this one all by herself. Martha Stewart has nothing to worry about.

In continuation of our DIY decorations, Lily and I also made these cottonball snowmen ornaments-

She could not be bothered to stop doodling in her doodle pad while sticking on the cottonballs

For these babies you will need:

Cottonballs
Construction paper
Scissors
Googly eyes
Glue
Glitter glue
Pipe cleaners
Ornament hooks
Add-ons: yarn for a scarf, felt top hat, mini pom-poms for buttons, actual buttons (all things I did not have handy, but wish I had to make these snowmen look less like fluffy fat ducks)

The images above should clearly show you how to make them- and, yes, the "carrot nose" is a very small piece of orange pipe cleaner. I used red paper thinking it would create a nice shadowy effect on the snowmen, but in hindsight, I think white paper would've been better, just a tip. What do you think?

Now for last weekend's most-clicked holiday features!

 

Our most-visited link last weekend were these sweet little trees from With A Blast. And they're edible! Thanks, Linda!

New linker, Mellywood's Mansion, shared this super cute bauble hair clip. Simple to make and the perfect adornment for the holiday season. Thanks, Mel!

I found Finely Ground via Full Hands, Full Hearts' Christmas Link-up and fell in love with this thrifty and original DIY wreath- I just had to invite her to the Sweet Saturday party! Thanks for joining, Marissa!


Thanks to all the new linkers! We had quite a turn-out last week, and I greatly apologize for not getting to visit everyone yet and personally thanking them, but I promise I will as soon as I can! I'm sure you all know where I'm coming from to at least some extent when I tell you I was busy with a sick toddler all week :( 

Grab a button if you were featured!

 

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Now on to the party!

Just follow these simple rules:

1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 

2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow me if you are not already via GFC, Linky Followers, Networked Blogs, or subscription. Leave me a comment if you are a new follower so I can follow you back!

3. Don't forget to hop around and say hi!

4. Share my button so more people can join us (not required, but it would be nice!)

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Thanks for stopping by, this little get together really makes the weekend even more enjoyable for me, and gives me the encouragement to keep my little blog going :) (as difficult as that can be sometimes!)


 

Meatless Monday: Spaghetti Pizza Pie

I made spaghetti a few days ago, and we ended up having a lot of leftovers because a friend of mine who I thought was going to join us didn't end up making it. And it just sat in my fridge for a couple days, like leftover pasta tends to do- it's just never the same when you have to reheat it. Thinking it may have to get tossed out once I finally remembered it was there, I then recalled my desire to want to make spaghetti pie. Paul's mom makes one that is very simple and chilled that he really enjoys, but I was in the mood for something more hearty, and I came up with this one that is sort of like a spaghetti pizza...

Spaghetti Pizza Pie
(serves 4-6)

Ingredients

Approximately 8 oz cooked spaghetti
2 eggs
1 cup grated Parmessan and/or Romano cheese
1 cup shredded or sliced mozzarella
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp oregano + extra
1 tsp basil + extra

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs and stir in the grated cheese, basil, and oregano in a large bowl. Add the cooked spaghetti and mix with egg mixture until well combined. Press pasta mixture into a 9" pie pan as you would a pie crust, leaving a slight indentation in the middle. Pour the tomato sauce on to the indent in the spaghetti "crust", then top with the mozzarella cheese and extra seasonings (if desired), like in the picture below. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until cheese is all melted and a little brown on top. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. We enjoyed it with a nice green salad. 

So simple and so good; this really hit the spot! I can't wait to make it again and get even more creative by adding other toppings like fresh tomato, spinach, and peppers. You can even add pepperoni or sausage on a non-meatless day ;) Paul liked this version, too, but said he still prefers Mom's. Oh, well, I did my best! I like tomato sauce on my pasta, what can I say?

Enjoying her pasta

Using whole wheat pasta can provide you with a large serving of fiber, beneficial nutrients and minerals, and reduce your risk for heart disease. I tried Ronzoni Smart Taste® spaghetti for this recipe instead of whole wheat. It is white pasta that is enriched with fiber and calcium. It definitely didn't taste like whole wheat, but I don't know if its health benefits really match using regular whole grain. Sometimes you just prefer the taste of white pasta for certain recipes, but I think either kind could work for this one.

Now it's your turn to share your Meatless Monday dish below! Share your turkey-alternatives or other yummy Thanksgiving favorites. No rules, other than please only link-up meat-free recipes. No other un-related links or I will remove them. Sorry to sound so harsh, but let's keep it true to what it is, ok? Link up as much as you want, and feel free to spread the word with the button below. Thanks, and have a great week! 
          

<a href="http://jessica-healthymommyhealthybaby.blogspot.com/search/label/meatless%20mondays" target="_blank"><img alt="Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby" src="http://draft.blogger.com/%E2%80%9CADD%E2%80%9D"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z327/ruffandcut/HMHBMMHop_button.jpg"/>

Thanks for stopping by and linking up!