On a Mission

First off, I'm sorry little blog. It's been over six months since I last saw you. Since I can't just glaze over a major life event such as having a baby and flutter on to my unrelated blog post, I'll just tell you that, in a nutshell, we are so happy Grayson is here. We love being a little family and are trying our darnedest every day to figure out what we're doing :-)

I am LOVING life as a Stay at Home Mom, adjusting to the crazy, wonderful experience of being someone's mom. One of the challenges (or, "Opportunities for Creativity" as I termed it to Jared, kind of joking but knowing it's true) of being a Stay at Home Mom, is the fact that we are now on a single income. An honest conversation last night, as well as the impending financial management class we'll be beginning with our small group, got us thinking that we need to trim down more than we already were. Specifically, I thought of grocery spending since this is really the only consistent "spending" I do each week. So, here is what I was ALREADY doing to save $$ on food:

1. Making my own salad dressings and pesto
2. Buying nuts/dried fruit in bulk
3. Stocking up on whole chickens instead of buying chicken breast
4. Buying only milk and water as far as beverages go
5. Freezing a big batch of homemade whole wheat pizza dough in case we get tempted to order delivery
6. Avoiding the aisle section of the grocery store, except to purchase some condiments and pantry staples!
7. Planning only 2-3 meals a week that involve chicken/beef or fish (and eating vegetarian the other nights), and not making the meat the "focal point" of every meal, like I used to (this is healthier, too).
 8. Having at least one meal a week that's a "smorgasbord"- taking everything that looks like it might get wasted in my fridge and turning it into a salad/smoothie/soup/crudite platter, depending on the season (You just can't be afraid to try cauliflower/cranberry/arugula/avocado salad)

Did the above steps help us? Yes. Do I need to take it a step further (or maybe five?) yes. Here's the thing though- I know I could bounce over to walmart and stock up on goodies, spending far less than usual and having more than enough food for the week. However, we've gotten on this all-natural, organic, preservative-free kick. Thank GOD for stores like Sunflower Market that make organic living pretty affordable. Anyway, I'm really not willing to compromise on making healthy food for my family.  I am determined to stay under budget without sacrificing on quality. Wishful thinking? Probably. Naive? A tad- Worth a shot? ABSOLUTELY!  (this is my own mental pep talk)

So, here are my new brainstorms for things I can add to grocery saving epiphanies:

1. Make my own bread (the loaf we buy is "Udi's" brand- soooo yummy, local, and good for you. However, I can't justify spending almost $5 a week for a loaf of bread, even though it's quite large. I may save this for a once in a while treat (or, a "it's-100-degrees-out-and-unless-you-can-bake-bread-on-the-sidewalk-I'll-be-buying-it). I think I'll try this recipe with whole wheat flour.



2. Skip the individual yogurt cups and buy one large plain yogurt container. Since Jared likes to take these to work, I can still prepare little yogurt servings in the small Ball glass jars I have, sticking some organic fruit jam at the bottom and filling the rest with yogurt (will post pics when I get around to this one!)
3. Make my own tortillas. I know, this sounds like a bit much. But, have you ever sunk your teeth into your very own freshly made tortilla- FROM SCRATCH? Ugh. Once you do, you will be converted. I promise. I substituted whole wheat flour for this recipe and it was soooo good.



4. Up the anty on bean/egg dishes we make during the week, cutting down further on money spent on chicken/beef/fish. I need help with this one. There are only so many "Huevos rancheros" I can make or "Make your own Rice Bowls" I can come up with. Ideas, anyone?
5. Avoid canned goods and buy beans dried- so cheap and healthier, too.

So those are my latest thoughts. Please, if you have ideas for me, I would love to hear them!!!

Best Uses for your copy of "Twilight"

Since I'm just waiting these days, waiting to endure a painful event, waiting to meet my son, waiting to be a mom, etc. What better way to distract myself than to create craft after craft with with to adorn my house for Christmas? So, I made this paper wreath. I got the idea from several blogs in which those more talented (and creative) than myself thought this up. A hot glue gun, Styrofoam ring and a copy of "Twilight" and I was well on my way!

I hung it up high so no one would read about Bella and Edward's passionate interactions or the dramatic showdown between Jacob and the vampires...

Sneaking into friends' houses

A couple in our small group just had their first baby, and ended up needing to stay at the hospital in Denver for almost four weeks before they could come home with him. As you can imagine, it was a trying time for them, full of ups and downs. Our small group decided to get into their house right before their homecoming, pack their freezer with meals, and hang a welcome home sign. To get the key, one of us called them and asked if we could borrow their Wii while they were gone (they must be thinking, how could someone ask to borrow our Wii at a time like this???). I ended up making the following banner after perusing some ideas on the internet. It was easy and turned out really cute- I plan to do it again sometime!

Here are some of the supplies I used... the scraps leftover were from after I cut the patterned paper into triangles (they were those huge square papers you find at Hobby Lobby or Archiver's). I cut the letters out of the card stock.

  Pretty ribbon...

 
After using double sided tape to stick the letters to the triangles, I was able to toss everything into a bag and bring it to their house...

I hope they feel very welcomed when they get home!! Oh, and if you're reading this, take a second to pray for their sweet baby, Landon, that he'll continue to recover from the surgery he had to have, and that he'll make more and more progress!!

The next step...

As of Friday, I am a stay at home mom. Now, I'm just waiting for my child to arrive. I don't think I have come close to grasping how my life is about to change with the arrival of our son, but I have about five weeks left to think that over! I've resigned myself to the fact that this is probably one of those life events you can't really "prepare" for... however, here is my feeble attempt:

See? The way I figure it, the more stressed about something you are, the more list making will help! Especially if you arm yourself with brightly colored highlighters with which to prioritize your list! Silly, I know, but what else can I do?

Words can't express how thankful I am to be done working- for a husband who works as hard as mine to do well in his job, who won't mind swapping in all those extra things we do with our money so that I can stay home with our kids. I am beyond blessed, and overflowing with excitement. I know it won't be perfect, but what fun is that, anyway???

Have a seat!

I had to post pics of the housewarming gift my sweet in-laws blessed us with during their visit last weekend- bar stools. The black adds some needed contrast to the kitchen, and more importantly, it creates more opportunities for quality time (my love language!) For example. tonight, while I chopped lettuce for dinner, Jared sat on a bar stool across the island and we chatted about all the things we're wondering about our little boy- what will his personality be like, will he be a picky eater, etc. If there is one thing I love more than cooking, it's cooking while someone else keeps me company! Thank you Mom and Dad Obenchain!!! 

Thin Crust Pizza Recipe, if you're into that sort of thing...

Last night, I had a hankering for pizza. We’d been eating out more than usual, so I wanted to stay away from greasy delivery pizzas. All the pizza dough recipes I had called for a long wait time for the dough to rise (1 hour or more). Since the stomach was a growlin’, I found what turned out to be a delicious thin crust recipe online. Since I haven’t cleaned my oven in a while, I decided to opt out of turning it to 500 degrees, and instead set it at 375…which worked out just fine!

Thin Crust Pizza Dough

• 1 envelope of dry yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon of sugar
• 3/4 cup of lukewarm water
• 1 3/4 cups of unbleached plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

1. Combine 1 envelope of dry yeast, 1/4 teaspoon of sugar and 3/4 cups of lukewarm water. Mix a little and let sit for 6-8 minutes.
2. Combine 1 3/4 cups of unbleached plain flour with 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a bowl or food processor.
3. Pour the water combination into the bowl (or food processor) and mix until ready to knead (around 30 second in a food processor). If using a bowl, mix with a spoon until you have a neat ball.
4. Prepare a lightly sprinkled surface with flour. Turn out dough and knead for around 2-3 minutes. Lightly cover your fingertips with flour if the mixture is a little sticky.
5. Roll out by hand for a 12'' base.
6. Place in 12'' lightly oiled oven pan. Press out dough to form a slight lip.
7. Prepare and apply your sauce and topping of choice.
8. Cook in a pre-heated over (500F) for 8-12 minutes (times may vary based on different ovens. Fan assisted oven will be quicker!).

http://www.recipepizza.com/doughs/thin_crust.htm

Since we were really low on groceries, I decided to go with the classic margarita toppings, tomato, fresh basil and mozzarella. I sliced the tomatoes and marinated them in garlic, olive oil and salt while I made the dough. After brushing the dough lightly with olive oil, I sprinkled with mozzarella cheese, topped with tomato slices, globbed on some tomato puree for some extra tang, and drizzled with olive oil. Jared wanted to add sliced steak to his side, but I'll leave that option up to you! I baked it for a while until the crust was lightly browned and the cheese was bubbly. When I removed it from the oven, I sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and  chopped fresh basil. It was deeee-lish! 

Fashionably Late

Oh dear. Timely blogging is not my forte. Much has happened since the cabinets fiasco. I found out on March 29th that I'm pregnant! I took the test on a whim, it came out positive. I paced around the bedroom (Jared was out running an errand) stating repeatedly, "Oh my gash, oh my gash, oh my gash, oh my gash, oh my gash" you get the idea. Only this lasted for most of the time he was gone. With a shaky hand, I scribbled on a blank card I had stored in the office, "You're going to be a daddy" sealed it up, wrote "Jared Obenchain" in somewhat sloppy, purposefully unrecognizable hand writing on the envelope, and ran downstairs to pretend to "watch TV nonchalantly." When he walked in the door, I waited a few minutes, and then handed him the card and said, "Someone dropped this off for you while you were out." As he took it, he immediately commented that it must have been from a guy at work that might have been dropping by- he was sorry he missed him. When he opened the card, his face went from blank, to confused, to elated. We hugged and prayed and thanked God for this little gift. It was a very fun day! Since then, we've seen this little one dance around, heard it's pounding heartbeat and prayed over it's mind, spirit, thoughts, hands, and toes. We are anxiously counting down for Dec. 3, or sometime around that time, to welcome this new life into ours. I hope we're good parents!!!

 

Other, less life altering things have happened, too. We replaced some toilets, got a new camera (we'll be needing something that can take video in the near future!), put up some window treatments, hosted quite a few out of town guests, walked the dog about a hundred times, went to a U2 concert, began enjoying summer, etc. Here are some random pictures to capture some of the random things that have happened. Oh, and lots of cooking happened... but I won't say "we" did that, that was mostly me ;-)

Yummy bread from the bakery section...

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Cacciatore

Crostini Caprese for a night with friends...

Some serious NY food that my dad and I shared when I was there. You're looking at grainy mustard, mortadella, prosciutto, ham, pate, brie cheese and some baby gherkins. It was delicious and took about two minutes for us to demolish (we had slices of french bread to go along with it).

The U2 concert, with an opening from The Fray...

U2 performing "Where the Streets Have No Name" which is now one of my favorites:

A picture of Bentley taken with our new camera. I love this picture, because he looks sort of bluish from the light coming in from outside.

One last test from Jared as to the clarity of the new camera. Is it weird that I like the way the bag looks?

Anyway, thanks for hanging in there. More to come on cooking adventures, home decorating and our biggest upcoming project: A NURSERY!