Let's Catch up!

We had a quiet Christmas just the three of us, grandma was sick. Here's a cute picture since I haven't update my blog since then. It felt like Andrew's first Christmas to us :)

Andrew is sitting for longer periods of time now, but he still doesn't catch himself when he falls. We are working on it. The helmet is off! He outgrew it. I don't really see a big difference, which is disappointing. He is just developing very slowly, so he didn't progress much.

We had a few months of bad spitting up and vomiting. His GI put him on Zantac for now and it has really helped. No more vomiting. He's having an upper gi done next week, so we can see if there is anything going on. We also went to a really nice ENT. I'm trying a nasal spray for the congestion he always has. He also has fluid in his ears, we might look into getting tubes.

His surgery for the pin removal from his hip is scheduled for March 9th. I'm nervous and anxious. I hope the recovery is easy and that he isn't in too much pain. I'm mostly afraid of the news they might give us on how his hips are doing. I'm praying for good news.

His first tooth finally broke through this week! At almost 15 months old. Also, thanks to GetPumped, I have enough breastmilk to give Andrew for a few weeks. He also eats a bit of oatmeal in the mornings with pureed fruits and veggies. I also started giving him PediaSmart. He is still not interested in real food.

Mike moved to a cool new office. They have a whole building to themselves. They also grill almost everyday for lunch, so lucky! The bad thing about the new office is having just one car. I drop him off in the morning if I need the car that day. He is also very much into video games lately...oh and politics :S

I finally have more mommy friends and regular playdates, which makes me very happy! I've been having a few Etsy sales lately. I want to introduce prints of my paintings soon. I've also been making flower felt hair clips, but haven't had time to add them to my shop. I recently cut my hair the shortest I've ever had it. I had to buy an iron, because I don't like the way my curls are behaving. 

I will try to update more often so my posts aren't super long. I also need to take more pictures with my "big" camera. Speaking of photos, there are A LOT of mommy photographers around. I would like to take photos of events or parties. I took some of our babywearing anniversary playdate and everyone loved them. Hopefully I'll have the chance to do it more often, maybe for a small fee? 

Rich Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Let's take a little break from all my baby related posts and get back into my other passion: baking. Oh how I've missed baking! This past weekend was my friend Christie's baby shower and I offered to bake something. I made vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting.

I got so many compliments, it felt nice :) Too bad I didn't make up the recipe, I'm sure anyone can be a good baker, you just need to have a good recipe and follow it, step by step. Anyhow, here's the recipe for this yummy frosting, it makes enough to frost a 2 layer cake, I had plenty of leftover after frosting 20 cupcakes. I also added food coloring, I made 4 different colors, but I'm only showing the yellow.

Here is the recipe, taken from The New Best Recipe Book.

4 large eggs

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1 lb (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool, each stick cut into quarters.

1. Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer; place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. (do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water.) Whisking gently but constantly, heat the mixture until it is thin and foamy and registers 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer.

2. Beat the egg mixture at medium high speed until light, airy, and cooled to room temperature (about 5 min). Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, one piece at a time. (it might look curdled at one point, but it will smooth out) Once all the butter is added, increase speed to high and beat 1 minute, until light, fluffy and throughly combined.

Edit: I forgot to mention, please use the frosting right after making it (on cool cake of course). I have tried to refrigerate after making it, but it gets very hard and when you try to mix it again, it curdles, not pretty! So frost away, then you can refrigerate. 

Enjoy!

Where do I start?

It's been almost 2 months since I last updated my blog, so lets see, where do I even begin?! The weekend of my birthday (Oct. 18th), my step dad was in town for work, so I got to spend some time with him. My friend Paola (she lives in Cancun) also surprised me and showed up at my house later that same week. A week after my step dad left, my mom got here.

My mom and I started to get crafty so we wouldn't get anxious waiting for baby to make an appearance. She helped me make some felt birds to hang in the nursery. We even made some felt ornaments for my etsy shop :) Once we were on a roll, we also made Christmas bird ornaments, they have cute little Santa hats on.

Weeks went by, I still felt great and even though it was almost my due date, I didn't feel any differently or like the little one wanted to come out anytime soon. Here's a picture of me and my friend Paola, I was 39 weeks I think, ready to pop!

I had two OB appointments once I was 40 weeks, one on a Monday called a biophysical profile, where they just listened to the babys heartbeat for 20 minutes, to make sure he was still doing alright, which he was. Later that same week on Friday they did the non stress test, which was an ultrasound to see how the baby was doing. Turns out I had low amniotic fluid.

I still think it's funny how the ultrasound technician said "looks like you might have your baby today", to which I responded: "I don't think so, I'm going to Ikea tomorrow". So after talking to my OB, she said that we had to induce. Mike and I were pretty much in shock, we just didn't expect things to happen this way.

To be continued...

Week 32

I've been waiting to blog until I had a new belly picture, but with all the home renovations going on, I haven't had a chance to take one. So, here's some pregnancy related updates for now:

At week 28, I had my glucose test, which is a test to check for gestational diabetes. I was a bit nervous that I wouldn't "pass", but thankfully eating low grains and sugar paid off and I passed the test. Everything else was great too.

I'm still feeling very lucky to have such an easy pregnancy (I hate saying it, I feel like I'll jinx myself) So far very few complaints, a bit of heartburn every now and then, not sleeping well, and just kind of tired most of the time.

We also started our Child Birth classes about 2 weeks ago. It'll be a total of 5 classes, about 2 hrs each. Tomorrow will be our third class. So far they have been kind of boring. I'm excited for the breastfeeding part of the class, the newborn care and the hospital tour.

I had another appt today and I still have only gained 7 lbs since I got pregnant, don't worry, the belly sure is getting bigger! I used to feel the baby move only before I went to bed, but now I'm starting to feel him move a little more through out the day, it's such a weird and amazing feeling :)

This past Saturday, my friends Candice and Christie hosted my baby shower. I don't have many friends, so it was just a few of us, I'm so glad I got to see my college girls again! So I may not have a belly picture, but here's a few baby shower photos:

Taco Salad

One of our favorite quick and easy dinners to prepare is taco salad. When we went on our low carb diet, we started eating lots of salads, I don't know why we never had this one before. We used to have it without the corn chips when we were more strict about it.

My friend Candice recently decided to give the low carb lifestyle a try. I went grocery shopping with her and told her to get stuff to make taco salad. I don't really use a recipe, but I pretty much start by frying up diced onion in olive oil, then I add the garlic, then the beef, then all the spices. And garnish with everything else. This is what I put in mine:

For the meat: 1 small onion, ground beef, minced garlic, salt and pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and oregano. Serve it on top of chopped romaine lettuce, then add black beans, salsa, sour cream, cheddar cheese, guacamole and tortilla chips. You should try it!

Today has been a good day!

• I started my day off with an email from someone wanting a custom set of my hand painted Christmas ornaments. I can't wait to get started on them.

• I had a very silly portrait taken by famous rock star photographer Brook Pifer, at her studio earlier today. Even my friend Isabelle was there.

• On my way back home, I stopped at Whole Foods to get some grass fed beef and I noticed that my favorite cookie dough was buy one get one free, score!

• I came home to find an amazing Christmas present under my tree and also some more awesomeness in my bank account. We are truly loved around here. It's been a wonderful holiday season this year!

Happy

I know I know, once again I have neglected this little blog. This time I actually have things to share. First of all, I quit the census job. Honestly, I hated it and they wanted me to work on weekends... not good. They also didn't want to give me a few days off for Thanksgiving and well, it was "suggested" I resign instead. I will still be considered for other Census jobs, so maybe they'll call me again in a few months.

The other news is that we will be spending this Thanksgiving in Tennessee. We are going to visit Mike's dad. I'm VERY excited (and a bit nervous) because I have never met him. It will also be our first long road trip together, including Miss Lilicans. I can't wait! Just two more weeks. I hope I get to use the pea coat I bought at Old Navy for only $22.

And what better than the smell of these molasses spice cookies with a rum glaze, to get into the holiday spirit? I helped my photographer and baker friend Isabelle, bake some cookies for an event she had to cater. And speaking of food, we made a butternut squash soup for dinner tonight... perfect for this wonderful weather we are having today in Orlando.

Twenty Seven

I had a great birthday weekend. Even the weather was perfect! We went over to my mother in law's house Friday and Saturday. I always feel spoiled when I'm there, it's like a mini vacation. We went to see an antique car show that was going on in Lakeland, around the lake Mike and I got married. Later on we had lunch at a Mexican restaurant, where I had some delicious flautas.

Today I had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory with my friend Candice and also did a bit of shopping. Later this evening we all went to see Where the Wild Things Are. I thought it would be better and Mike thought it was better than he thought it would be, so I guess overall it was ok...

Since we haven't been home this weekend, Mike still owes me my birthday cupcakes, which will probably be the last carbs I'll be eating in a while, we definitely broke our diet this weekend. So yeah, nothing crazy or extravagant this birthday, but I was surrounded by loved ones. And not only this weekend, but lately I've been feeling pretty damn happy, I guess I could consider that an additional gift :)

My favorite dog

My friend Candice and I took Lily to the dog park in Winter Park today. We saw two other Shelties among other cute dogs. I even got Lily in the water for a little bit... I think she had a great time. Doesn't she look adorable sitting cute for auntie Candice?

(Photo taken by Candice)

Mid September

Where did time go? Not that I'm complaining though, it means the weather should start cooling off a bit and that my birthday is about a month away :) I sold my camera, so hopefully I'll have the Rebel XSi for my birthday.

One of Mike's co workers had a barbecue this Saturday where even dogs were invited. I had a good time, I really wish we did things like this more often. Even Lily behaved... well, that's if you ignore all the barking she did, she was just wondering why there was people in the water.

It also looks like I'll be working for the Census again. They called me Saturday morning and as much as I wanted to say thanks but no thanks, I really couldn't do that, it's a job after all. I start training (again) next Monday. We'll see how it goes this time around...

Mike will be in Ohio this week which means I'll be playing lot's of video games, catching up with friends, watching girly movies, going shopping for a few work outfits and hopefully getting some paintings done for Sugar Village.

This past week

Mike went to Ohio this past Monday and came back Friday. My friend from Mexico arrived on Tuesday, so I've been busy hanging out with her. We went to a Mexican restaurant on Wednesday to watch a soccer game. We walked around Downtown Disney on Wednesday. On Thursday, we went downtown to a club and danced the night away. On Friday, we went to visit a friend of hers and then shopping. Now Paola is spending the weekend in Tennessee with another friend of hers.

So that's where I've been. I'm sure the next 2 weeks will be busy as well. My mom gets here on Tuesday and Paola will still be here for another week... I'm so excited! I'm a little nervous though, because I don't really know how to entertain my mom for 2 whole weeks on a very low budget. She's never been to Miami, so maybe Paola, my mom and me can go there for a day or something, we'll see... I hope the hurricane that's heading this way doesn't actually hit us.

(Paola and me before going downtown)

Friday

Tonight I'm going to an art show/art supply drive for the SHO Foundation in Winter Park, my friend Isabelle will be showing some photos among other artists.

Two of my Sugar Village paintings are in this amazing online magazine called Modern Handmade Child, I'm on page 17, check it out and share it with anyone that has kids or babies.

Here's a picture of some "free" moo cards I received in the mail last week, I really like the feel and look, now I understand what all the fuss is about moo cards. Oh, and that flower? It's a hair clip I made out of a flower I bought at Ikea for 50¢!

Have a good weekend!

Hello there August!

My friend Paola that lives in Cancun is coming to visit in two weeks. She'll be staying with us for a week. Then my mom arrives a week after her. I'm excited about seeing them, I haven't seen my mom since we went to California for thanksgiving.

This past Thursday I helped my friend Isabelle with a photo shoot. It was really fun! I hope I have the opportunity to assist her in other shoots she might have. I even got to ride in her cute smart car... yes, I get excited about these things he he.

We've made a few more changes to our diet. We are now buying grass fed beef, butter and when we can, heavy cream. We also started drinking raw milk... I was scared of trying the raw milk at first, but it is really good! Other than that, we're still on our low carb diet. I'm reading Real Food: What to Eat and Why, it's pretty much just a refresher of everything I've already learned.

Lately, we've been using Julia Child's Mastering The Art of French Cooking cookbook. Many of the recipes call for a dutch oven. So, since we can't really afford to buy a Le Creuset right now, we bought a Lodge enameled cast iron dutch oven. We used it today to make coq au vin... even Lily approved. How was your weekend?

Happy Birthday my love...

We had some friends over for a little early birthday celebration for Mike this past Saturday. Food was great, we made a cream of mushroom soup, following a Julia Child recipe, spinach and asparagus salad with goat cheese and roasted chicken with a pan sauce. For dessert (yes, we cheated a bit on our diet with the dessert), an orange souffle with ice cream. Everything was delicious!

We also played a little bit of boardgames, watched a movie (The Wrestler) and went over to Avalon Park to see some fireworks. It was a good day overall. He got these speakers for his birthday. On Sunday, we headed over to Cool Stuff for another birthday present, a boardgame of course! He chose one called A House Divided. Happy birthday baby, I love you more than anything, can't wait to share more birthdays with you ♥

Candy Andy

This is the little "portrait" I did of my friend Candice for her birthday. We had a good time in Miami... beach, laughs, chocolate cake, tapas and sangria for dinner and a club called Mansion. I want to go back already.

Miami

That's where I'll be spending my weekend along with 3 other friends. It's Candice's birthday tomorrow and she wanted to celebrate it in Miami. We'll be staying at the Deauville Beach Resort in Miami Beach. It's been raining a lot lately so I hope the rain doesn't ruin our weekend. I'm really excited about our mini road trip and totally girly birthday bash weekend. Have a good weekend!

Hi

I made this quick little painting last night. I guess I still have flowers on my mind ever since I made my new blog header. It was just something different to experiment with, trying to be a little more "loose".

My job hunting continues, with no success. No one is hiring and the jobs I do find on Craigslist, are mostly scams. It's really sad given the current economic situation that, people have time to post, what seems like a perfectly normal job, and then, turns out to be a scam. It's just wrong! People are desperate for jobs, stop wasting our time and making us believe they are real jobs.

I have six custom paintings to work on. I also went to the Orlando Museum of Art with my friend Candice today. We figured we should take advantage of being members. That museum kind of sucks, I wish we had a contemporary art museum. Well, that's it for now kiddos. Have a good evening!

So...

I've been looking for a job. I took a test to possibly work for the US Census Bureau. I need to call them and see if they have a job for me. I also applied at Target and emailed my resume to a job I found on Craigslist, to work at a lab at UCF. We'll see what happens.

I drove for the first time by myself today. I went to the post office. When I got there, I realized how nervous I was because my heart was beating really fast. I made it back home safely though. One day at a time.

Tonight, I went out to dinner with my friend Erica and a few other friends of hers, it was her birthday! We had sushi and one of her friends payed for all of us, that was so nice of him!

I made a new painting today. It's a kangaroo with her baby...I'm not sure if I like it yet, I'll post it as soon as I scan it or take a photo of it. Mike is already in bed reading, and I want to join him tonight, last night I got caught up playing Sims 2 and didn't get to read in bed, so good night!

Monday

Hello! I'm back from Miami and I have to say, I had such a great time! It's only 3 hours away, Candice and I really want to go back to continue exploring such busy city, but this time with a GPS please.

We were lost many times, I feel like we missed a lot of the art fairs that where going on, but we still got to see some art and the city. We also went to a club at the Hard Rock Casino and ate at delicious restaurants.

The main event, Art Basel at the convention center, was pretty cool. I loved the way everything was decorated and set up. I was so excited to see a few works by Yoshitomo Nara, one of my favorite Japanese artists, and also an awesome painting by Mark Ryden, another favorite.

We thought they weren't allowing bags or cameras at Art Basel and left them in the car, I saw tons of people taking pictures inside, I was so mad, I didn't want to waste time going back to get it though.

On Saturday we went back to South Beach and walked up and down Collins Ave looking for more art. The weather was hotter than I thought it would be, but it still wasn't too bad I guess. We stayed at some of Candice's friends place, they were so nice and had a nice place, right in front of a marina, there was even a kitty living there.

Here's just a few photos, I actually didn't even take that many, so yeah...I miss Miami. I need to go back for more photos and art.

Candice and I (Taken by Candice)

I like old signs...

A cool looking diner...

I think this was someone's actual home,
using it to show an artists paintings on Collins Ave.


A cute little street,
with lot's of yummy looking restaurants.

Ink Miami Art Fair on Collins Ave.
Each hotel room becomes a mini art gallery

South Seas, where my former photography professor,
Brady Robinson, showed her work at the Art Now Fair. (Taken by Candice)

Inside view of one of the rooms at Ink Miami Art Fair.

Candice and I @ Passions.

Last trip of the year

I'm still adjusting to eastern time, and it's already time to go to our very anticipated trip to...Miami! We are going to Art Basel, one of the biggest art shows in the U.S. We are both super excited!

Candice and I leave tomorrow morning and shall return on Sunday. I can't wait to see some great art and hang out with my bf, I haven't seen her in weeks. Hopefully I'll come back with some good photos to show. Have a great weekend, I know I will ;)