Quick and Tasty Treat

I saw a recipe online the other day and decided that it seemed like a simple enough idea...take one box of yellow cake mix and one can of pumpkin puree, combine with a little cinnamon and nutmeg and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 min. No other ingredients required.

John was a bit skeptical, but dutifully tried them. They actually turned out really good and were super moist to boot. Tasted and smelled just like the holidays, too.

Starting Off Right

November is already turning out to be a great month. We ended October with a fun, first Halloween night with our little monkey...

and my 32nd birthday on Wednesday was very special. I got to have my favorite meal (sushi) with my favorite people (Daddy and Daughter) and was moved by such sweet messages, cards and gifts from the wonderful people in my life.

Today we had a family photo shoot with John Barone, who was our wedding photographer. Nat was loving it and I think we got some great shots. I have been thinking about doing this since she was a few days old and with Christmas and her age of 1 looming, I figured now was the perfect time. Can't wait to see the finished product and share it with all of you.

You Will Love This

My amazing friend Megan has turned me on to Pinterest and now I am officially obsessed. I have spent a minimum of two hours each night browsing all the awesome 'pins' people have posted as their likes. It's been such a helpful resource as I plan Natalie's first birthday party, search for family photo ideas and gather inspiration to help with my cousin's upcoming wedding. The creative things people come up with are so cool.

Go ahead and try not to become addicted.

Not Ready For My Close Up

I'm in a fashion funk. Big time.

In my mid-late 20s I think I had no problem dressing myself. I used to have a sense of my own style, but ever since getting pregnant and post baby, I'm just not comfortable in much. I'm not ragging on how I look now as naturally everything about my body has changed, but things don't fit like they used to and more often than not, I feel like a frump. That, and I'm not sure what is going on with fashion these days, but I never look at clothes anymore and think, 'wow, I've got to have that'. Now I have NOTHING to wear. Literally, I stand in my closet with a blank stare whenever we have to go anywhere. And, we have our wedding photographer coming to the house the end of the month for some family photos and I'm at a total loss as to what to wear. I want the pics to feel relaxed, but still nice. So ladies, any suggestions would be oh so appreciated. I need direction!

Long Time, Friends

I am a little shocked as I write this, because it's been several months since my last post, but time has honestly flown by faster than I ever could have imagined. The last ten months have been a whirlwind but we've been enjoying some awesome family time with our little Natalie.

She has surprised us more in the last few months than we ever could have imagined, learning things each and every day. By six months she crawled. At seven months she was pulling herself up to 'cruise' the furniture. At eight months she started to scale the walls of her gates and play gyms and by nine months was getting into EVERYTHING.

Recently she has been trying to figure out standing on her own without assistance and now will take a few steps toward me without any fear. I am so enjoying every minute left of our 'first' year and can not wait to see what happens next. It may take me awhile to catch up here, though, since I'm just barely catching my breathe half the time on the home front!

A Shore Thing

Last week we took our first vacation as a family to the beach in Lewes, DE. It was a great time spent together and Natalie absolutely loved the water, chuckling each time she splashed her feet in it. The Delaware beaches have such a great vibe to them. They aren't as crazy packed with people like the Jersey shore and I find the pace more relaxing. The towns have a lot of history and character, too. I'd highly recommend them.

With Natalie crawling now and even pulling herself up to stand on the furniture, I feel like her first year of life has been moving at a rapid speed. I loved spending a week straight without work or bills, just watching all the things she learns each day. It's my perfect idea of a vacation.

Who's Hungry?

I decided pretty early on, that when Natalie reached the milestone of eating solid foods, that I would try to always make her baby food myself. I still buy her cereals (Earth's Best is great), but purchase all her fruits and veggies organic and then break out my baby food processor and puree the suckers into wholesome goodness that she seems to really love.

So far we've had some major winners (pears) and some she ate, though, not happily (apples) as seen below...

I've read that exposing your baby to lots of different things while they are little, will set them up to be good little eaters in the future. Since we are a family that loves to eat, this is essential in our house. My friend Sabrina introduced me to this website with lots of great baby food recipes for all stages and I swear by the book, "Top 100 Baby Purees" by Annabel Karmel. Both really helped me get started.

My husband laughs because he and I don't eat as healthy as Natalie does, but after reading, this recent article in USA Today about how many pesticides are found on fruits and vegetables, I'll put the extra time into making sure she has the best and will try to incorporate the same better foods into our diet. I really believe in it's importance, especially for her growing body.

So for minimal effort, major cost savings and a healthier lifestyle, I'll be chopping and blending for months to come.