Graham Crackers

First let me say that I love graham crackers. I love that you can put peanut butter on them and make sandwiches. I love that you can crumble them and form all sorts of good stuff with them (crusts, in soups, etc). I love that you can dip them in things and it just adds to the flavor, not subtract anything. I just never thought that I would ever be able to make them. As with most stuff though, it really isn't that difficult! So happy and they are so tasty! A friend of mine got a gluten free Christmas cookie cookbook and I saw a graham cracker recipe inside. So that I can have it again once I return the book to her, I will put the recipe with my modifications here:

1.5 C brown rice flour
1/2 C cornstarch (I'd like to try tapioca or arrowroot starch next time)
1/3 C packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder (or about 1/4 tsp baking soda)
3/4 teaspoon xantham gum (I used guar gum)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I would definitely use more next time, probably closer to a tsp)
6 TBS salted butter (The recipe actually calls for some salt and unsalted butter, but I just use salted butter)
5 TBS whole milk (I used about 3 TBS 2% milk with about 2 TBS cream)
1/4 C honey (I used maple syrup since I can't have honey. I'd suggest using slightly less milk if you use maple syrup since the syrup is a bit thinner than the honey. Alternatives I want to try: molassas and agave nectar)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (I used about 1 tsp of my vanilla)

Mix dry ingredients together. Add in butter like you would for a pie crust (small pieces slowly), it should resemble course meal when it is ready to add the liquid. Mix the milk, honey, and vanilla together in a small cup (I used the measuring cup, it worked well). Slowly drizzle the liquid over the dry ingredients and blend until completely incorporated. Separate into 2, wrap each section and chill.

Chill this dough for a long time (overnight, it says up to 2 days) -- it is very important to roll out cold dough.

Once chilled, preheat oven to 350. Roll out until fairly thin, recipe says a quarter inch. I found I liked them thinner so they were crispier. Then cut into squares, circles or whatever you like as it works similar to a sugar cookie. (This is the one time I've ever wanted to have cookie cutters) Place on a cookie sheet (I used parchment paper under them and it worked well) and bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown and your desired crispness is obtained.

They pass the Chris test as well: I had to try the second half after baking to make sure they were thoroughly done. Chris had already brushed his teeth and rinsed his mouth, apparently the graham crackers were still good after that. :)

Now we will see if they last long enough to be put into crusts or sandwiches or whatever as opposed to simply being eaten since it has been so long since I had graham crackers.

We Are in Trouble Now

Well, the day has finally come. A has started crawling. She's been inch worming for a LONG time, but today she started really crawling. We're talking a 4 point stance and off she goes. She's been getting into a lot of stuff for the past few weeks, but now we really do have a crawler on our hands. Here's to it becoming more and more fun!

Eggnog

Chris made eggnog tonight! We're trying to add some variety with what we drink and this just seemed like a good seasonal favorite to try. Chris followed the recipe and it turned out really well. We'd cut back on the sugar and add a bit more cinnamon and nutmeg. We were of the paranoid variety and washed our eggs before we put them in the drink.


http://www.instructables.com/id/Eggnog-Recipe/?ALLSTEPS

What we're thankful for

 As November draws to a close, we often eat a feast with friends and family and let everyone know what we're thankful for. It is a great time to count our blessings before going into Advent and the rush that is Christmas. We often end up spending Thanksgiving with friends since we live so far away from family, and over time these friends have become our family in many ways. We had an easy trip to Minneapolis and it was great to see our friends there. Here are a few pictures from the trip, complete with A and L (a friend) who is exactly a year older than A. We played a lot of board games, computer games, and even managed to go dancing one night. That was fun, we left A with the oldest girl and she watched her while all the adults went out. This was the first time Chris and I have gone out sans A since May!

A & L figuring each other out

Mommy's Little Turkey, that's the truth of it all

Standing up with the table

As you can see from our pictures we are thankful for A, for her health, and for her growing. She is really starting to move and starting to pull up on everything. I'm doing laundry and she was in the living room, she pulled up on the couch. Thankfully there is only so much a washer and dryer can do, and once they are both running I've got time to blog or do other things. :) We almost always find her standing in her crib these days, especially if she doesn't really want to sleep and we put her down for a nap. She hasn't figured out how to sit down yet, so that's what we're working on these days.

We are incredibly thankful for our families, our health, our place to live. We are also incredibly thankful for each other. We are thankful for Chris having a job, though we are still looking for other jobs. We know that it will all work out in the end. As we head into Advent, let us prepare for Christmas with thanksgiving in our heart. 

6 Month Check

Today we had our 6 month check up for A. It is hard to believe that she's six months already! We've made it halfway through the first year!! Yes, we feel like we've had quite the accomplishment in this as well. The doctor was surprised at the time, as well as with A. Shocked about the standing thing, how strong A is, etc. The doctor also mentioned how much fun diaper changes must be since A is so strong, and right she is about that -- diaper changes have become fun and almost a 2 person job.

Her stats: 14 lbs, 6 ounces and 26 inches long. So yes, she's a long skinny thing that weighs practically nothing. She's in the 40-50 percentile for length, but in the 20th percentile for weight, so we need to get on that. Her head circumference was in the 40-50 percentile as well, so she's quite proportional in that regard. We'll see what happens as we don't go back to the doctor until 9 months. Hopefully it will just be an anomaly with the weight as the head circumference was last time. We'll hopefully have a few teeth and can add in some solid foods soon, which should help that. If she'd stay still that would also help, but I'm not betting on her doing that for the next several years.

Anyway, I need to get the house ready as we are having some people over tomorrow. I had a minute to sit though so I though that I could get this up before I forget.

Look what I can do!

Today we went to MSI for the second time this week! They had the grand opening of the Christmas tree exhibit today and a friend and her daughter went with A and me. Her daughter is about 9 months older than A, so it was an exciting trip. They lit the grand tree while we were there and it was so cool! It is Dr. Seuss themed, something straight out of Whoville if you will. The museum also had a gingerbread replica of Whoville in the Foyer. Since it was the grand opening there was a Grinch walking around, and my friend got a picture for us.

Since we were gone all day I attempted to put A down for a nice little nap since she was yawning and acting sleeping. Well, this is what I walked in to:

Needless to say, I called Chris to have him look. His response was, "Well I guess it is time to lower the bed. Baby girl, I was hoping to get a few more months of the higher level out of that." So yes, for her 6 month check-up tomorrow I can tell the doctor that A is pulling up on things. She was really interested in the wood railing, something new to gnaw on you know. She still hasn't cut any teeth, but she's drooling buckets and gnawing on anything -- paper and metal rings seem to be her favorite things. Here is a good picture of her looking at herself in the mirror at the MSI today:

A has also started "eating" with us. She shows interest in food, but doesn't know what to do with it when she has some. She grabbed a handful of rice out of Chris's bowl this past weekend. She just looked at us once she did it, not really knowing what was going on. We sit her in her bumbo and give her a spoon and plate these days while we eat. She likes to gnaw on both things. This past weekend she also took a sippy cup full of milk! This is huge as she never took a bottle, so maybe all that expressed milk can be useful.

We are enjoying our weather and getting ready for the holiday season. Thanksgiving should be fun, then Advent, and then Christmas. Hopefully we will have a nice long Christmas break. I have talked with Westwood and I'll teach two classes in the Spring term.

We are continuing to look for jobs, so keep that in your prayers please. I'll try and post stats tomorrow as we see the doc in the morning. A and I will both be getting shots though, so we'll see how it goes.

Halloween Re-Cap

Since I have a spare moment, let me update you on the past week.  It is now November which means we are now parents of a 6 month old baby girl. Wait, How exactly did this happen again? Anyway, for Halloween we dressed her as a Cornish Pixie (think Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets). Since Chris has a Malfoy costume, and I have a Bellatrix Lestrange costume, choosing something from Harry Potter for A made sense to us.

I made most of the outfit -- I borrowed the wings, but everything else I made. It was fun doing it and A will have a new set of clothes to wear that will be warm. I also made her a coat in the blue that matches the hat with the antennae on it. Our Halloween was a bit warm though, so she didn't need the extra jacket, but that also meant she missed the extra arms she was supposed to have.  Here are a couple of pictures:

It has managed to finally cool down some, though if we are to have our traditional snow by Thanksgiving we've got a long ways to go. We still are in the 60s, which is warm for us this time of year.

This past weekend A and I went to a Bridal show with my friend Linda, who is getting married next summer. A did remarkably well the entire day, especially for it being the first day off of daylight savings time. She didn't fuss until the end and mainly just soaked up everyone cooing at her. She was in a sling on me, and normally this deters people from touching her much, but not during the expo, it was weird. At one booth, a lady wants Linda to host a party simply to get to see A again. Here is a picture of A with one of Linda's dogs, Harmony.

That basically sums up the past week though. I've made another quilt top, just need to quilt it and send it to my friend. Chris has worked and made it home safe each day, nothing really new or exciting there. He's at the point in the semester where he starts planning for the next term, but not really able to do much since he still has this term to finish.