Time Flies : Week 51

Time Flies : Week 50

Week 50 will be one that we remember forever!  We had the best time with Ben's family and it was so incredible to watch Olivia and Liam (cousins), especially.  They are about six weeks apart and had a ball together!  I did a terrible job of taking pictures, I think because Ange, my fellow Scott outlaw, is such a pro at making sure things are documented.  I had to work during the week, as did Sarabeth, but we were both able to take a day off on Tuesday to have our family pictures done.  A good friend from college, John Nettles, did a fantastic job wrangling the four kids (all under age three!), seven adults, and the little Easter chicks he brought along for props.  We are eagerly anticipating the final product!

As with every other holiday, both Ben and his Dad had ten billion church services between the two of them, so we didn't see much of either one of them until Monday.  And I managed not to get a single picture of the three of us on Easter!  Being together for 2.5 hours means enjoying the time and not documenting it :)

As for how the week went: Monday, they all went to the SC Aquarium, and I was able to meet them for lunch.  Monday night we went to Fonduely Yours to celebrate Richard's 60th Birthday.  Julie and Eli babysat the kids, and the LA Scotts warmed right up to them!  Tuesday we did the pictures, Wednesday they had a work day at Ben's parents house.  Thursday, they waded through people at the Children's Museum.  Friday night everybody came to our house, and the kids played while the girls went to Costco (Ange doesn't have one in Louisiana...boo).  We grilled out in our backyard and made smores over the fire.  Saturday morning we all said our goodbyes, so sad to see everybody go after such a great trip!

Bri and Tony were down from New Jeresey, so we got to see them a few times during the week as well.   A million years of uninterrupted time with that girl just wouldn't be enough.

While I was working for Jason on Sunday, Eli called and said Olivia was really sick.  I was really panicked and Jason and I dropped everything to get to their house.  Ben was tied up at a gig, so he was tormented that he couldn't be there to help in the thick of it, but after a few grueling hours, she completely perked up and was back to normal.  Who knows!

O was quite tuckered out after the pictures...

We met up for lunch at A.W. Shucks, which also happens to be the site of our first date.

Ben, Olivia, and I met Bri and Tony for an early breakfast one morning at Early Bird Diner.
Olivia hawked on everyone's grub, of course.

In total disbelief that she is too big for her carseat.

Lunch outside--spring is finally here!

The sweetest sickest angel.

Bathtime with Daddy...shenanigans.

Starting to look like a grown up girl.

Her first night in PJ separates!

Morning feedings are dwindling down, so I am soaking them up and savoring every second.

Time Flies : Week 49

OLIVIA STARTED CRAWLING THIS WEEK!!  April Fools.

But we were so darn busy that I apparently didn't have a spare moment to take any photos.  We have been getting ready to spend a week with Ben's family, and preparing our house for visitors has been no small feat.  It will be so great to have everyone together, especially since Olivia will be meeting the LA Scotts for the first time!  She just started standing up by herself, and is still a little wobbly.  I checked out some library books for her, which was also a first for this week.  It was really more for my sake since I am so tired of reading  reciting ours!

We dressed her up in her birthday suit....and took pictures with her and Hank.
Her party theme is  "Hank"...
I will post those, eventually, I hope!

While reading the "Olivia" books, she gets a kick out of hearing her name over and over again!

Time Flies : Week 48

This week was pretty standard.  Ben was out of town for part so we juggled and made do like we have been practicing.  It is fun being together, just us two, but we sure do love it when he comes home!  Hank is always on high alert when he is watching out for his leading ladies, so he sleeps for a full day once his master returns...

Making do without Daddy...

Hank now very well understands what happens when he waits patiently during mealtimes.

Little Miss is becoming increasingly mobile in her crib,
which means finding her in wonderfully interesting positions!

Her "Apple Bottom" clearance tights from Old Navy.
Channeling her inner Carrie Davis ;)

My little hood rat still loves crashing around in her walker.

The best part of Ben being gone is seeing the pure bliss that follows his return!

Time Flies : Week 43

Olivia is so frustrated that she can't stand on her own or walk!  She is sick of being stationary but still has no interest in crawling.  In due time!  We had a great week and enjoyed our first Valentines Day as a family.  We went to the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition for the first time, and of course, Olivia's favorite part was the puppies.

Practicing her acrobatics...

Her Valentines outfit : "Daddy Melts My Heart"

Nothing could be more true.

Finally cold enough to merit a jacket.

Had to take a picture next to the Wells Fargo stagecoach for Aunt Seebee!

Her first character encounter.  

She was a little freaked out, but now she is officially

 ready to meet all the princesses at Disney next month :)

Going in for the kill...

...a.k.a. getting as close as possible to her Valentine.

Olivia and Olivia the pig, meeting for the first time.

Practicing eating off of a plate, she is doing so well with leaving it on the tray.

Our morning ritual of telling Ms. B "good morning!"...

Ecstatic over the puppies!

Another week older...

Time Flies : Week 42

Week 42 flew by like all the rest.  I cannot believe we are ten weeks away from a year spent with this girl.  She still isn't crawling, instead she flails around to get where she needs to go.  We tried a new spot in town, EVO Bakery, on Wednesday morning.  We biked over there around 7:30 and spent an hour enjoying the sights and sounds of the bakery before we started the day.  It has been fun to get out and enjoy the mild weather this week!

Playing on Mommy's bed while she gets ready for work.

Begging for a bite of something...

Tiny hands make the sweetest fingerprints on our bedroom window.

Riding through Costco, one of our favorite past-times.

Spending the day at Granny's house!

These blonde and black eyelashes get me every time!

Playing among Daddy's gear-tropolis with her own instruments from Uncle Buddy!

Carrot Pulp Carrot Cake

 

Does making carrot cake out of the juice pulp negate the fact that I drank carrot juice this morning?

I know what you're thinking.  I was thinking it too.  We watched the documentary, "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" based on my brother-in-law's recommendations (find it on Netflix).  We were pretty intrigued by the whole juicing phenomenon and decided to give it a chance.  We've only tried carrots, apple, and celery, but we are hooked already.  I love that fact that so many vitamins are packed into a very small amount.  I'm becoming all about the quality, and less about the quantity, right?!

Back to the cake, nobody came here to read about health food.

As usual, I had to do a few substitutions, although this time I didn't have any all-purpose flour so the substitutions were pretty liberal.  I omitted a few ingredients as well, but it turned out just the way I like it: dense, flavorful, and moist.  I'd say this is hearty enough to be used as a wedding cake, and if you juice, you know you'll have enough pulp to build a house, or a pretty substantial cake.  I will definitely make this the same way next time, which hopefully won't be tomorrow morning after our breakfast of carrot juice.


Carrot Pulp Carrot Cake

For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour (I used 1 c brown rice flour, 3/4 c whole wheat flour, 1/4 c self rising flour...[don't ask, it expired in 2011 so I wasn't sure if putting a whole lot of it was a good idea...])
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (Vietnamese, if you have it)
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (I ommitted, didn't have it)
1 cup granulated white sugar (I used a little less)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I did use 1/4 c veggie oil, since olive oil is a whole lot more $$)
4 large eggs
4 cups carrot pulp from juicer
1 cup unsweetened applesauce (I omitted, didn't have it)
Optional: 1/4 cup ground flaxseed

For cake:
1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch-diameter cake pans.

2. Sift together the flour, flaxseed, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg in a medium bowl.

3. In the base of your electric mixture with the whisk attachment, whisk the sugar and oil until combined. Beat the eggs in one at a time.

4. Switch to the paddle attachment, and and add the flour mixture until all combined.

5. Add the carrot pulp and continue mixing. The batter was thicker than normal cake batter, so don't freak.  Divide the batter between prepared pans and bake for 40 minutes or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean.  After several minutes, flip the cakes out onto a wire rack and let cool completely (crucial step for those of us who can't wait to shove our faces in cake since all we've "eaten" the entire day is juice).

For the frosting:
16 ounces (2 packs) softened cream cheese
1 stick softened butter
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

1. Using the electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until combined. Add the vanilla, whip until soft and fluffy.  Add the powdered sugar bit by bit until completely combined.  The frosting will be rather thick, if you prefer it runny, add a DROP of milk or two.

2.  Once COMPLETELY cooled, Ice the cakes and serve chilled.

Cake adapted from this recipe.  Icing adapted from this book, which as promised, I finally came back for.