Double Duty

Dear spice/baking cupboard,


Thank you for switch hitting as a medicine cabinet this week.  My hair and my son's elbows appreciate your flexibility.


Jenn


This has been a week that Real Simple magazine, or MacGyver would be proud of.


It started with our kiddo's legs and elbows--the weather has been really cold recently and has left our little one's skin very dry.  After trying every moisturizer known to man, I recalled a household remedy that a dermatologist mentioned on Good Morning America a couple of weeks ago.  How much more trustworthy a source can there be?  Her solution--Crisco.  I know, it sounds kind of gross, but I thought we would give it a shot.  Since I only applied it once, I can't say for sure that it made much of a difference, but his skin didn't get worse.  I'm not sure that I'd use it again (I've since found an Aveeno product that is doing the trick).


The next dual-purpose (not 'duel-purpose'--although now I'm curious to know what I have in my cupboard that could fit that description) product truly is magical.  Forget duct tape, baking soda can be used in anything: muffins, upset stomachs, paper mache volcanos, refrigerators, and now as a shampoo complement.  Over the past month my hair has taken a turn for the crazy and unmanageable.  There has been some sort of physiological, post-partum shift that has left this once thick and lusterous hair seriously lacking thickness or luster.  And my shampoo wasn't helping.  So I googled ways to remove shampoo residue and restore shine to hair without buying clarifying shampoo.  Enter baking soda.  I mixed a palm-full in with my shampoo and it TOTALLY worked!  Like leaving-a-salon clean.  I definitely recommend this treatment.  Your hair, unruly or not, will thank you.


And lastly came the hodge-podge dessert that made Jon and I swoon over its tastiness and cost effectiveness.  


Two words: bread pudding.            


Normally, I wouldn't think twice about overlooking something like bread pudding on a menu.  It's not exotic.  It's not really appealing to the palate or the eye (at least this has been my experience in the past).  It's like a dessert of last resort--when I'm desperate and there's not an ounce of cake in the house.  But I recently found myself in that situation--out of interesting dessert ingredients, staring into the pantry wondering what baking compost I could salvage to satisfy my craving for a sweet.  I went back to the internet and found this little gem:

Bread Pudding Ingredients

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 5 large beaten eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups cubed Italian bread, allow to stale overnight in a bowl
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

Mix together granulated sugar, eggs, and milk in a bowl; add vanilla. Pour over cubed bread and let sit for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, mix and crumble together brown sugar, butter, and pecans.

Pour bread mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over the top and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven.

Sauce Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons white or dark rum

Directions

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Mix together the sugar and cornstarch, and stir into the butter. Pour in milk, and cook stirring frequently until the mixture begins to boil. Continue cooking until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in rum. Serve warm.

Best.  Bread.  Pudding.  Ever.


Really.  I'd eat it over cake (I mean that both figuratively and literally).


Thanks for the recipe, Paula Deen.  I'm a reformed woman.  


With happier hair.


And a smoother baby:)

Snow Days!

This past week, the heavens opened up and dumped 6"-8" of snow over all of LR (as well as the rest of the state).  What did this mean for Team Pagan, you ask?  Snow days!  During the last snow we had, Jon and I were both sick, so we didn't take David out to play.  


Although, when we did take him to the window to look at our sparkly, white backyard, he just squinted, turned the other way and started sucking on his hands...  Underwhelmed.  


This time, we decided to venture out with our little one so that he could experience the snow on the other side of the window.

First, we had to work from home for a bit.

Conflicted about this talk of snow play.

Street view--our driveway became a ski slope.

All bundled up. 

Taking it all in:)

Still taking it all in... parents behind camera telling him how much fun he's having.

Watching the snow fall. Thinking that things that fall from the sky should make noise upon impact and be less cold.

There's that smile!

Januaryisms

Oh how quickly the blog falls by the way-side when I have no occasion to dress our son like a tiny farmer.

January passed all too quickly.  I'd love to say that it felt that way because of my mastery of the elusive "work-life-balance."  But I can't say that.  Also, I've never understood that term--"work-life-balance."  Isn't work a part of life (for people that have to work)?  Shouldn't the phrase be shortened to "life balance"?  Even that sounds a little too tidy--like a recruiting pitch I'd see on a piece of corporate artwork.

I digress.

After our Christmas festivities came to a close, Jon started back to school and I started back to work part time.  It took a little experimenting to figure out exactly how our schedules would look, but we've been able to work things out so that Jon is home in the morning with David and I'm home with him in the afternoons.  I'm so thankful that my employer has been so flexible with my schedule, but I'm really looking forward to the day when I can focus the bulk of my time/energy on our family.  Residency can't come quickly enough.

In the mean time, we've set up our respective 'command centrals' around the house:

I know what you're thinking: telecommuting really is this glamorous.  Jenn's telecommuting essentials: burp cloths and blankie strewn over the couch, baby monitor, lappy, glass of water sitting on top of Hello Animals book, and baby medicine syringe.  Also, I'm pretty sure I'm wearing mis-matched socks in this picture.  It's part of my new 'business-super-casual' look.    

Jon's temporary command central.  Jon's studying essentials: mighty mouse, giant monitor, med school literature, snack bowl that used to contain Crasins, The Office desk calendar.

Jon has since moved back into his office--no room for his massive white board full of things to memorize in the kitchen.

David also had a fun January.  Over the last few weeks he's really enjoyed exploring the world with all four limbs and his mouth.  Seriously, everything goes in the mouth now.  It's adorable and sometimes horrifying.  With that, he's developing better hand/eye coordination, the ability to sit in his bumbo for longer periods of time, and he's become more chatty.  This kiddo, though small, definitely has a big personality.  Initially I thought that he was more mellow, and he was, but now he is so much more expressive!  I love it!  We certainly never have to wonder how he's feeling:)

So without further ado, here are some pictures/video that are sure to be more enjoyable than anything I could try to capture in words:

Our son, rolling with it.

First bottle.  I think his expression says it all.

Early morning nummies with dad while mom was at work.

The beloved 'Hitchcock sleep face.'

Happy baby:)

Church loves from mom.

Literature.  Thanks for the assist, Sophie.

Always wanted to be the parent of a tiny, fuzzy bear cub.

Hanging out after a walk.

Tummying.

Chillin' in the bumbo.