Sleeping babes

Oh what we do for our little ones. Papa is just wrapping up a rehearsal and E fell asleep on the way over to pick him up. So here I sit in the car with the A/C running not wanting to take him out of the car seat once again and wake him.

Oh how I love my sweet little man!

The Secret to a Happy Marriage and a Good Night's Sleep

How do you continue to have a happy marriage and also get a restful night sleep after having children?


My secret: A KING size Bed!!!!


Yesterday our new king size bed was delivered and we slept on it for the first time last night and let me tell you it was amazing.  To be able to sleep next to my husband and my adorable son while not clinging to the edge of the bed for dear life was pure bliss.  I don't think I have slept that well since before I got pregnant and it is amazing what a restful night's sleep can do for your mental state.


I woke up at 5am this morning beaming from ear to ear and soaking in the peaceful quiet of our house.  I just laid there and watched my son and husband sleeping peacefully next to me.  In that moment I realized that this is all I need, that I have everything I have ever wanted in life lying right next to me in our amazing king size bed.


In that moment my life was perfect.  Now back to reality and my perfect, not so perfect life, where there are dishes and diapers to wash!

Marriage

Below is a link to a recent newsletter from Maureen Campion the "Marriage Geek", it is a great reminder about what marriage is and the commitment that we each make to each other before witnesses about our intentions for the future.  Marriage is not something that any of us should enter into or leave casually, and sometimes we need to step back and remember what it was that made us say "I do" all those years before.  If you haven't done so in awhile or even if you just did, take a moment to tell your spouse, significant other, partner, etc. why you love them and what made you fall in love with them.  The words can be just as powerful for ourselves as they can be for our partner.

http://www.icontact-archive.com/iKEU9bIASdUawuavPRbyPeGOVkC34Zz6?w=2

Quick and Easy Recipe Wednesday

Last night we were in charge of bringing the snack to our birthing class and the focus of our snack was whole grains.  I knew that I wanted to make a quinoa salad with cranberries and walnuts, so I searched the internet for a recipe that looked tasty and easy and here is what I ended up making.

Cranberry Walnut Quinoa Salad

Serves 6 as a starter or side dish or 4 as a main course

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1 cup frozen green beans or peas, thawed

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup sliced green onion (optional)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 cloves of garlic (to taste) minced

freshly ground pepper

1. Rinse the quinoa in several changes of water. Combine the 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a

medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and continue

cooking until all water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, uncover, and allow

to cool for 15 minutes.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, dried cranberries, green beans or peas, walnuts,

and green onion (if using) until well mixed.

3. In a small bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and garlic until well blended. Pour over the

quinoa mixture. Toss until well blended.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before

serving.

I doubled the recipe and used frozen peas and orange flavored dried cranberries, and there was no need to add any salt or pepper. It was a huge hit!  I was hoping we would come home with some leftovers but it was devoured in no time.

Pride

This post is just a little way for me to show the amazing awe, pride, and gratitude I have for my husband, Pete.


Yesterday we received the current issue of Architecture Minnesota magazine in the mail and we opened it to discover my husband's first published piece of work in architectural photography as an individual.  The work of the collaborative group he is a part (IDE[A]) of has been published in the magazine previously, but not his own individual work.


I am so proud of him and all that he has worked so hard to accomplish in the last two years as he has immersed himself in the world of architectural photography with the help of amazing colleagues and mentors.


A big thank you to everyone who has supported us on this journey and who continues to support us as we grow and evolve and continue to find out paths in life and our true calling that fuels the passion in our souls.


I would share a picture of Pete's first published piece of work, but he decided to take the magazine with him on his business trip this weekend.  I'll share that when he gets back!


Hope your weekend is off to a wonderful start!!

Egg Recall

My mom texted me this morning to let me know that Larry Schultz eggs have issued a voluntary recall on some of their products due to a salmonella outbreak.  Of course I didn't check my text messages until after I had already made myself 2 eggs (full of protein) for breakfast.  


I was a little nervous especially since pregnant women are supposed to only consume fully cooked eggs, and quite frankly I don't like me eggs fully cooked, so sometimes I cheat a little and eat my eggs the way I like them.  That's what I did this morning.  So I immediately made Pete check on the recall while I was driving him to school.  It appeared that our bulk eggs that we purchased at the coop were not included in the recall.


That wasn't enough for me though, I had to double check when I got home.  So I went to both coops websites that we have recently bought eggs from to check and see if the eggs they sell were included in the recall.  Turns out they are not.  Thank goodness!


Here are the statements from Mississippi Market:

News

Schultz Egg Recall

Posted on October 20, 2011

Larry Schultz Organic Farm has voluntarily issued a recall for some varieties of Schultz organic eggs. There have been 6 cases of salmonella poisoning in people who have reported eating Schultz eggs between August 12 and September 24. A piece of farm equipment in one of the barns on the Schultz farm did test positive for salmonella. While that equipment never comes into contact with any eggs, Larry Schultz is voluntarily recalling the lot codes of eggs that are produced in that facility.  We’ve worked with Larry Schultz for decades, and we know that he is doing everything necessary to correct this problem.

Please note that our bulk eggs and the eggs are deli uses are not affected by this recall (these are produced in a separate facility).  This issue was confined to only one part of the Schultz farm, so we will continue selling eggs from the facilities that remain safe, inspected and free of salmonella.

For the full report and a list of the lot codes of recalled eggs, visit the MN Department of Agriculture’s news release.

We’ve removed the recalled eggs from our shelves and welcome returns of any recalled cartons of eggs.

While we never want to see one of our local farmers affected by as issue such as this, we take comfort in knowing that Larry himself was on the phone with us as soon as possible to communicate this news directly.  Small scale farms are able to react quickly and their recalls are confined to relatively small areas- Just one of many reasons we love working with our local farms- even when something goes wrong.

And Valley Natural Foods:

Current Egg Recall

Valley Natural Foods is in direct contact with Larry Schultz and is fully cooperating with the egg recall. The Schultz eggs currently on our shelves have not been impacted. To avoid getting sick, consumers should thoroughly cook all eggs before eating. Consumers who believe they have purchased the recalled eggs are advised not to eat them, but return them. The only eggs impacted at Valley Natural Foods were shipment of WHITE, BULK eggs.

Looks like I can continue to enjoy my Larry Schultz eggs, I'll just be sure to scramble them next time just to be safe!

Distructo Morgie

We came home from our childbirth class tonight (after leaving the dogs alone for 5 hours) to this...

Morgan's version of reading the New York Times

Guess she is just preparing us for the toddler stage!!