Blueberry Barbecue Salmon, Crispy Asparagus Sticks and Peach Muffins

I am breaking in the new kitchen! And speaking of breaking, Little Rock broke the record for the highest temperature ever recorded in the city at 114 yesterday. So what's a girl to do when it's 114 out? Fire up the oven and griddle. Obviously.

Grilled Blueberry Barbecue Salmon click for recipe and pics. The recipe calls for the salmon to be cooked on the grill, but we don't have a grill yet so I used my electric griddle.

We got it as a wedding gift or Christmas gift a few years ago, and Ifinally took it out of the box yesterday. It worked great, and hopefully we'll find many more uses for it. The only problem was the smell. Note: cook outside or next to a vent when cooking salmon. The sauce is sweet and tangy and delicious. I've added a little fish back into my diet, so this one is a keeper to add to the salmon-rotation.

Crispy Parmesan Asparagus Sticks. I had high hopes that these would convert Richard to the ranks of asparagus eaters, but no dice. Mom, Dad and I all really liked them though. I would add a bit more seasoning to the breadcrumbs, because the coating was a little bland. Great alternative to our standby of roasted asparagus. This would be a good way to introduce asparagus to kids as well, although Lucy was having none of it. So for now, I guess I'll continue cooking asparagus for myself and maybe one day they'll see the light of green deliciousness.

Peach Muffins from the trusty allrecipes.com. Yum! We had some fresh peaches and this recipe was calling my name. I used half whole wheat and half all purpose flour, and added an extra 1/2 cup milk (almond) per the allrecipes reviewers' suggestions. They turned out great.

Movin' on Up

Here's our new house! Molly Maids is there right now getting it all nice and clean for us. Rich's parents are coming to town, my parents are helping, and we have several wonderful friends who have volunteered to help us out. Those are true friends that will help you move in July!


We are hoping to get everything in one big load in the morning. We have a big Uhaul truck, a covered trailer and about 4 pickup trucks plus my Xterra. It's gonna be chaos! I replaced my digital camera (dropped and broke the old one :() so I will document the process.
I've got a 7 miler planned for 6am, so tomorrow will be long, physically tiring day but it will be so worth it in the end to have it all in and done. Wish us luck!

Vegan Zucchini Muffins

We had a few extra zucchini (s?) so I thought I'd make some muffins. Muffins and pancakes are quick and easy breakfasts and snacks to send with Lucy to daycare. I needed a dairy free recipe, and as usual, allrecipes had something to fit the bill.

Here's the recipe. I made a few modifications: 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all purpose flour, decreased each sugar to 3/4 of a cup each, increased cinnamon by a tsp, used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil, and used cornstarch instead of arrowroot powder.

They turned out great. It made 12 muffins, and 24 mini-muffins.

Exciting news on the Farm

Part 1: We are buying a new house, and close next Monday! We looked and looked in a couple different towns, and finally decided on Maumelle. That's where Lucy is already in daycare, the public schools are good, it's only about 15 minutes or less from most places in Little Rock. The house has 4 bedrooms, a nice big kitchen and a big fenced backyard. It is move-in ready, although I'm going to have to do something about all the neutral walls. I like color! We did the final walkthrough yesterday afternoon and everything looks good.

After being at Mom and Dad's for a year (a year tomorrow to be exact), we are definitely ready to have our own space. We have loved living with them though, and it's been amazing to have the help with Lucy. I know they'll miss having her there, and we'll miss seeing them everyday. I am really excited about getting into my own kitchen, and going furniture shopping. It has a den and a living room, so basically we need a second set of cozy living area furniture. I'm going to start scouring Craigslist and antique shops to see if I can find any good pieces.

Part 2: The Mt. Pleasant house has rented for another year. We weren't sure what we were going to do with it since the housing market has plummeted even more this past year. We debated on trying to sell for a big loss, but in the end decided to hang onto it for now.

Part 3: Saturday was our 6th wedding anniversary, and Sunday was Lucy's 14 month birthday. She went to Magnolia and stayed with Rich's mom and stepdad. I was nervous about how she would do at night since she's used to sleeping with us and nursing throughout the night, but she did great. She slept all night long in the crib. Go Lucy!

Here are a few pics from her first weekend with Cece and Poppa.

Summer update

All is well in Morrisville. Lucy is walking all over the place, and cracks us up everyday with her silly antics. We are buying a new house and should be moving in the last week of August. Wahoo! I am hoping to run the Route 66 Marathon in November. Hmm...that's the high points for right now to ease myself back to blogging. I'm hoping to at least get a post up weekly. If I don't post in several weeks, I get overwhelmed with things I wanted to say but didn't and end up putting it off even longer!

One Year

This is such a bittersweet post for me to write. One year ago today, my life changed forever. I became a mother. Rich and I took the giant leap as a family from couple to trio. I underwent the biggest physical accomplishment of my life, and was rewarded with a precious 7lb 1oz bundle of baby girl. Not a day has gone by since her birth that Lucy hasn't brought a smile to my face. This year has been a roller coaster of ups and downs from the insanely long labor to the colic, reflux and food sensitivities to the snuggles and giggles, and all those firsts. First bath, first smile, first food, first plane ride, first bruise, first laugh, first tooth, first crawl, first words.

My life is more different that I could have imagined. I didn't think I would still be breastfeeding at this point. I couldn't imagine my body being taken over by another creature for so long, but alas, here we are with no plans to stop. I didn't think I'd have a one year old in bed next to me every night, and wrapped onto my body for many hours a week. Now I couldn't imagine her being anywhere else. I didn't know the feeling of heart-stopping panic I would feel every time I check her breathing and it takes a second or two to feel her chest rise and fall. I didn't know how the smile of such a tiny being could make time stand still and my heart melt. I couldn't fathom that I would gladly forfeit sleep to hold my baby, that the middle of the night bonding, those tiny fingers curled around mine and she nursed back to sleep, would be some of my favorite moments. Yes, we all know that parents love their children, but that knowledge is nothing compared to actually feeling it for yourself.

Before I had her, I read a cliche that says "Having a child is like forever living with a piece of your heart outside your body." I've never read truer words. This year has gone by in the blink of an eye, although I can honestly say I've made a conscious effort to enjoy every single day of this journey. Some days are harder than others, and the joyful moment is a sense of relief at seeing her face peaceful in sleep at the end of the day while other days are full of laughter and play. Part of me would love to be able to rewind to this time last year and live this all over again, but I'm also looking forward to what the next year brings. I feel more secure in myself as a person and in myself as a mother with each passing day.

Happy First Birthday Lucy Susannah!

Then: about one hour old

And now: one year old:

Rain Rain Go Away

Edited to add pics. Hope they work this time!

Geez, last week was tornados all across the state and this week there is serious flooding. Our main interstate is closed and underwater.

Here are a couple of pics from Vilonia, the our hardest hit town from last week's
deadly storms.

We drove through Vilonia on our way to Fayetteville this past weekend. We went up for the 10th annual crawfish boil that Rich's friends host. The first year they had the crawfish boil, I went with my college roommate and didn't even know Richard at the time. She was friends with some of his friends, but he and I never met. Small world! We left Lucy at home with my parents and had a great time eating spicy cajun food, sampling adult beverages and playing Baggo and horseshoes.

I can't believe it is May already. It is really bittersweet for me that my baby girl is going to turn one in two short weeks. I keep reminiscing about this time last year and reflecting on all the changes this year has brought us. It's been the best and most stressful time of my life.