Shrimp & Cucumber Tostadas

Our air conditioning needs a part replaced and, since we've recently sold our house, we can't risk it breaking further so we can't run the a/c in the interim. And, since we're utilizing our home warranty to replace this part, it's taking for-ev-er. Which is awesome, you know, in June. In North Carolina. With a baby. 

But I digress. The point of that opening is that it's too darn hot to cook. And really, to do anything in the house. So when I got home at 5:00 with shrimp in the freezer and an overripe cucumber on the window sill, I found this recipe on Pinterest as the inspiration for a very successful meal:

http://www.cookincanuck.com/2013/04/10-minute-thai-shrimp-cucumber-avocado-salad-recipe/

Ingredients

1 lb thawed medium shrimp, shells & tails removed

1 seedless cucumber, sliced and quartered 

1/4 white onion, chopped

Six corn tostadas

1/8 tsp cilantro

Dressing

1.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1.5 tbsp chili sauce

2 tsp honey

1/8 tsp garlic powder

Directions

Whisk together vinegar, chili sauce, honey & garlic powder in a small bowl

Refrigerate for 30 minutes (if possible, but who has that kind of time?!)

Meanwhile, boil a medium sauce pan of water

Add shrimp, boiling for about 60 seconds or until pink

Immediately drain and cool in a bowl of ice water to prevent overcooking

Slice shrimp in half

Add to a medium mixing bowl with diced cucumbers & onions

Toss with dressing, top with cilantro 

Refrigerate for 30 minutes (this one is slightly more important, these are better served cold)

Top tostada with a heaping spoonful of mixture, using a slotted spoon to drain

Optional: serve with sour cream, salsa, cheese, lettuce, guacamole, etc. 

London Claire is eleven months old

Ugh. This is a hard one. Maybe that's why I've been putting it off. But I've made it this far with these monthly updates and I owe it to my girl to keep it up for the year. After all she's done for me, it's the least I could do.

Age: eleven months and two weeks
Height: I actually do know where a measuring tape is (I had to buy a new one to be measured for the bridesmaid dress I was months late ordering ... But that's neither here nor there) but I haven't measured her. I'll try to update height and weight in the morning
Weight: see above
Hair: continuing to grow longer and much thicker. We do ponytails now which are adorable! And she knows what a bow is and where it goes - I couldn't be more proud.

Favorite outfit: black and white polka dot spandex short and a white t-shirt, with a polka dot bow and black sandals. It was the outfit she wore on our flight to Nashville, so adorable. I'm also really loving her bubble rompers, and her rash guard swim top with a flower hood. We got to buy some new shoes, too - so fun! Wearing 12mo or 18mo in clothes, size 3 in shoes. She seems to have slimmed down a little in the belly.

Sleep: on a good day, two naps about 1-1.5 hrs each. Bed at 7:30, nursing once in the 5-6am range and up around 7-7:30. I finally gave up trying not to nurse her before bed, it wasn't worth the fight for me. I couldn't handle the tears.

Eating: she discovered chick-fil-a chicken nuggets and its safe to say she is a huge fan. She had one in each hand and was sucking the breading off a third. She still loves all fruits and most vegetables, is starting to drink some almond milk which I feel like is a big deal, but its in very small quantities and sometimes she spits it out. She can feed herself with a loaded spoon and occasionally can spoon some out herself.

Illness: nothing to note, praise The Lord! Four top teeth cut through in less than a month so that's more than enough to handle.
Development: she gives hugs! It's so cute, she wraps both her arms around my neck and pats my back when I get her up from naps. She gave Lucy a hug too, so freaking sweet. She says "dundon" when she's looking at pictures of herself, "behbeh" when she sees pictures of other babies, and I'm pretty sure she's been saying "Ben!" to mimic when I call him ("buh! buh!").
Movement: walking! Hands down my favorite milestone to date. She started a few weeks ago and now walks all over the house. Crawling is becoming more rare by the day. The walking brings along new challenges: she doesn't want to be carried which means she has to have shoes on whenever we are out.

Favorite toy: a stuffed polar bear from my mom, and this super annoying v-tech lady bug thing. She also really loves magnets and is intrigued by sticking them to the fridge - gotta love cheap thrills!

Funniest habit: she tickles people under their neck and makes this funny noise that I guess I do when I tickle her. It is amazing to see how much she is picking up and understanding!
Firsts: steps, trip to Tennessee, time in the ocean, hike, wedding.

Best moment of last week: we went to a splash pad which is basically little fountains that shoot up from the ground for the kids to play with. She loved it, and was letting the way hit her in the face. Really fun!

Hard to believe she'll be one in just over two weeks. This year has flown by in a way I could never have imagined. In addition to London's birth, we traveled overseas, Ben started a new job, I quit mine, we sold our house and (hopefully) will be buying a new one soon. Thanks for sharing on this leg of our journey - we appreciate your continued prayers, support, and I - for one - appreciate your readership! Can't wait to see what London's second year has in store for us.

Ten (more) things you may not know about me

Maybe I'll make this a monthly feature on the blog - is it fun? Interesting? Self-indulgent? Whatever, it's connected me to people who I may not have ever known I had things in common with. Bonding over a shared hatred of sweet potatoes? That's serious stuff, people.

1. I've done a "secret Santa" gift exchange with the same girls for 10+ years. It's morphed into " secret seashell" because we now do it at be beach. We also have an email list serve that was started when we left for college. I couldn't begin to guess how many messages have been sent but I'd guess its in the tens of thousands.
2. My number one choice for pasta sauce is Alfredo. It's one of the only things Ben will not eat. I don't understand how anyone could hate something that's pretty much just cheese and heavy cream?!
3. I have (almost) matching scars on my elbows from surgeries that were four years apart. Ulnar nerve transpositions. I have no funny bone.
4. When I die, I want to be cremated, after medical science has taken anything they have any use for. I'm not yet sure where I want my ashes scattered.
5. My first plane ride was to Disney world with my whole family. Best fifth birthday ever!
6. I started walking at nine months. So, when London turned ten months without even a step, I felt a little bit guilty, like I had let her down as her mother. Don't worry, I realize that is 100% ridiculous and I'm just happy she's taken her first steps before she's two.
7. I had a fake ID in college that Ben referred to as a baseball card because it was SO fake. But I never got caught, even when I bought beer standing in line in front of a cop.
8. My favorite song will always and forever be "imagine" by John Lennon. My least favorite song is "amazing grace". "Celebrate" and "I like big butts" are also up there... Err, down there. As in,  hate them too.
9. I can cook but I cannot bake. I can probably count the number of things I've baked completely from scratch on two hands. I think it's the same reason I was good at biology but horrible at chemistry. I'm not good at exact sciences.
10. I have horrible bunions on both my feet. I know I need surgery, but I'm not, nor have I ever been, in a position to be off my feet for 4-6 weeks. I mean, who has time for that?!

It's raining, it's pouring

Each morning I check the weather on my phone before I get London dressed, as an attempt to be a responsible mother who dresses her child appropriately for the temperature. Today went a little something like this:

Me: London, why does the weather channel think it's thunderstorming here right now?
Ben: Because it is.

It's been pouring down rain for most of the day, which makes today a terrible day for taking pictures of our house. But, it makes it a great day to lounge on the couch for a minute, eating chocolates and pretending I'm living the SAHM life of leisure everyone assumes I am. And it's also a great day to soak in this sweet little home, and the beautiful life Ben & I have built here together.

Aside from the obvious nostalgia that comes with selling your first home, and the home you brought your baby to when she was born, we've had a lot of fond memories at 111 Ferris Wheel. There have been many delicious meals cooked in our beautiful red kitchen, that Ben painted for my 24th birthday. Games of Stanley Cup flip cup when the Penguins won it all on the little country table that we bought at the flea market. Heated games of apples to apples with dear friends in our cozy living room. Countless drunken houseguests passed out on bunk beds in a Steelers Gold bedroom. Lazy Sunday afternoons spent lounging on a couch that was way too big for our living room but way too cozy for a pregnant woman to not buy.

This house has been so good to the four of us and I know it will be good to whomever gets it next. I'm excited for our next chapter but I'm more than a little sad to see this one come to an end. A big thanks to everyone who has helped make our first house a home.

Recipe: the easiest dip on the planet

I fucking hate this iPad. Or maybe I hate blogger.

One of the two just deleted my entire post ... so, sorry this is not witty but its easy so that counts for something.

Ingredients

• 1 block (8oz) cream cheese (fat free doesn't melt as well, just an FYI)
• 1 can chili (vegetarian is fine if you're into that)
• Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Melt cream cheese in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently
2. Once melted, add chili and stir frequently until fully mixed and heated
3. If desired, transfer to an oven-safe bowl and top with shredded cheese
4. Broil on high until cheese is bubbly
5. Serve warm with tortilla chips or fritos 

http://pinterest.com/pin/89860955035150496

http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/01/chili-cream-cheese-dip-or-ghetto-dip.html

London Claire is ten months old

For what it's worth, I started this post when London hit ten months. That was almost three weeks ago. Fail. Do you know what's harder than being a SAHM to an infant who's into everything? Being a SAHM who's selling her house, whilst having an infant who's into everything and a very high-strung dog. I know, excuses excuses.

By grammatical standards, I think this is the month I have to start using numbers and not spelling it out, but I'm going with "ten" for consistency's sake. Our little angel is ten months old, which thankful seems easier to swallow than nine months, except for the fact that her first birthday is only two months away so I need to get planning STAT.

Age: today, ten months and almost three weeks
Height: I have no idea where our measuring tape is. Or anything else, for that matter
Weight: 20lbs 8oz
Hair: lighter, longer, thicker and doesn't seem to have as much red. She has one wiry white hair in the back of her head which is so funny
Favorite outfit: too many! All her summertime dresses and rompers are so cute!! I love her polka dot halter dress, pink tutu dress from aunt sissy, the bandana dress. She is wearing 18mo in some things and that blows my mind.
Sleep: on a good day, she's sleeping 7:30-6:30, nursing, and going back to sleep until 8am. Taking 2-3 naps depending on the day and our schedule.
Eating: loves blackberries almost as much as strawberries. Jalapeño chips and spicy bean dip?! She still really likes mandarin oranges, and enjoys pears, frozen peas (like her mama!) and black beans (she'll eat half a can!). Refuses a bottle but does great with water in a sippy including a straw sippy cup.
Illness: she had a rough time with a combination of pollen allergies and teething, but seems to be back to normal, with four teeth broken through in total (bottom middle two, left top eye tooth and top right front). She did have quite a fall last week and ended up with a huge goose egg on her noggin, but was fine (minus a faint bruise) the next day. Mama, of course, was not fine.
Development: She gives kisses, waves goodbye (and sometimes hello). Claps in certain songs (if you're happy and you know it, etc). Imitates and says a LOT of words when she feels like it, including "oof oof" as a response for "what does a dog say".
Movement: Stands for several seconds and stood from sitting by herself for the first time - and now does it regularly. She's taken as many as two / three steps but not if she realizes she's doing it. Pulling up on everything, walking while only holding one of our fingers, and trying to climb (stairs, high chair, anything dangerous).
Favorite toy: she loves the walking toys loaned to us by friends, the plastic clapper from her aunt Kiki, and she still freaks out over the giraffe! She also loves the giant lion stuffed animal my dad got her. Her absolute favorite, though, is Spider-Man. My sister got her a Spider-Man bubble machine and she couldnt care less about the bubbles but carries that plastic Spider-Man like its her child.
Funniest habit: she'll normally only give Ben a kiss if I kiss him first.
Firsts: she got to meet farm animals! Bunnies, chicks, turkeys, horses, cows. So cute!
Best moment of the last week: she has learned to pick up her bows and put them to her head. So proud!!

London Claire is Nine Months Old

I know I'm really late on this. And I know I have been slacking in the blogosphere lately. You're probably like "she's a SAHM, what else could she possibly be doing?" and if you are asking that, you've obviously never been a SAHM. Especially not one without a computer. Yeah, I'm writing this on our (read: ben's) iPad and it's not easy. Also not easy? Getting anything done with a nine month old. But here I am, so let me catch you up on my best girl after our first full month together.

Standing in her crib.
Wearing booties that belonged to mama.
You know, the usual. 

Age: nine months, twelve days (fail)
Height: 28.5in
Weight: 19lb 14oz
Hair: it's finally getting long enough to put it in pony tails and even pig tails! We got the best bows as a gift from our next door neighbor and she doesn't mess with them at all. Headbands are a struggle sometimes but for the most part she leaves her hair accessories alone, because she has no choice.
Favorite outfit: her Easter dress, of course! I've had it for months and she and I were both so excited about it. Today's outfit was also adorable, a little denim romper from old navy that my mom "Gorgeous" got her for Easter.

Refusing to sit in the shopping cart

Sleep: praise The Lord, it's a freakin miracle y'all - this child takes three naps a day. Sometimes they're a fight, but after a month of being really strict, I feel like web finally made progress and our days are so much better for it. She was hardly napping in daycare, so I made it my number one goal to get her an trained once I was staying home with her and It. Was. Hard! Much harder than slee training, but now she wakes up at 7am, nurses and then goes down for a nap around 8/8:30, sleeps for an hour/hour and a half. Then she's up until around 12:30, sleeps for 30min to an hour, and back down again around 3 or so. Then down for the night at 7:30! So blessed all our hard work is paying off. Sleep / nap training blog to come!

Eating: we haven't found anything she won't eat, other than boiled egg yolks (she's her daddy's girl!). Favorite foods include strawberries and scrambled eggs. She eats breakfast after her morning nap around 10, lunch around noon and dinner around 5. Still exclusively breastfed, ah thank you! She's doing great with a variety of sippy cups and thusly doesn't want anything to do with bottles.

Illness: we have had struggles with constipation and are currently battling a nasty case of diarrhea and accompanying diaper rash. It's heartbreaking. My normally very happy, easy going baby has been having periods of 15+ minutes of inconsolable crying the past few days. I think it's a reaction to mandarin oranges, which she's had before but I've heard citrus can cause some nasty trash.
Development: the pediatrician says she is right on track based on her nine month appt. her exact words were "she's perfect" (duh!). She has great fine motor skills and seems to be hitting all her development milestone according to the doctor. She waves goodbye and hello, and screams at the top of her lungs, sometimes because she's mad But mostly because she likes the sound of her own voice. Very chatty and loves picking up things and figuring them out. She crawls up me and kisses my face in the morning, which melts my heart every time. she has started copying me by referring to things as "dada" and "na dada" (not dada). And she got her second tooth, which she's been using to bite me with when she nurses.
Movement: she has been pulling up on everything and cruises all along the furniture, sometimes with one hand, but never stands by herself for more than a second or two. I'd say we're still a ways off from walking, but she wants to walk and loves to get down and walk with our fingers. She is crawling fast now and that means I can't turn away from her for a second, which means I'm completely exhausted by the end of the day. But in the best way possible - I love seeing her explore new things. She's also started climbing up stairs - scary!

Favorite toy: she has become obsessed with my keys. It's hard to keep her entertained with actual toys now that she's into everything and wants to play  with cords, outlets, the dog's water bowl, etc. we did get a new soft carrier, the ergo, which she and I both love!
Funniest habit: she points at things / people. She was doing it at church at the ushers, such a flirt. She points at her daddy and he points back like E.T. It's adorable.
Firsts: visit to the aquarium, haircut, Easter

Best moment of last week: Easter, of course. She went to the nursery at church for the first time a few weeks ago but I couldn't send her for Easter service so she sat with us, entertaining (most of) our neighbors. She looked adorable and was so excited to see all her Easter baskets - three of them! - yesterday morning and then again today.

Our little family at church on Easter