Snow!!! Finally!!!

Well, as you may have imagined, we finally got some snow. They are plowing as we speak. How I've missed that snow plow sound. Well, not really, but I have thoroughly missed the snow. Today was the first day all week that I didn't have a lot to do, so I let Chris take the car to the train, which meant A and I got to go outside in the snow to play! I got to do it first and introduce her to enjoying the snow as opposed to being ambivalent about it. :)  Then when Chris got home we all went out again! It was so much fun! She didn't like having the socks on her hands (I couldn't find mittens or gloves her size, but socks work well) because she couldn't figure out how to use them as well. She did like the snow though and we've got some pictures to prove it. Here are a few, one from when A and I went out, and a couple from when all of us went out.

Snow Angels

After we got back inside

This week I started teaching during the day on Monday and Wednesday. This means that A has gone to a baby-sitter's twice now. :) She has done really well. The lady who sits has a 2.5 year old son with water on the brain. He and A are apparently quickly becoming good friends. He even tried to kiss her Monday. They play well together and there is no separation anxiety on either part for us. It has been interesting going to work, and the students still don't listen to me. We'll see if that changes before they all wreck their grades.

Our biggest news is that I more than likely won't be blogging for a few weeks. Chris has accepted a position in Boone, NC and we are packing up and moving out there the 23rd. We've managed to find a house close enough to walk to campus and for a reasonable rate. I won't be changing the domain name, though I may make a newer version of the blog with us in NC. We will see what changes this brings. We are super excited, none more than Chris. He is ready to work with the people there and not be working at UIC.

The Last Few Museums We Visited

The past week we've gone to a LOT of museums. Everyone has been great. I've had my zoo pass, and it is free days at the Art Institute time so we've gone to: MSI, Art Institute Chicago (finally), the Field, and the Sears Tower. We had friends in (who are amazing) and it was a lot of fun. We walked all over downtown with A in on my chest. As always, she got "how cute" and "how old is she" in spades. The MSI (got to see Dr. Seuss and the Christmas Trees one last time for the season) and the Art Institute were our favorites, while the Field and the Sears Tower weren't really worth it in any of our opinions. Here are some pictures:

With the Art Institute Lion

Chagall, American Window

865 A's to be as tall as the Sears Tower

Not so sure what to think of "the Ledge"

We are now working full swing into moving mode. It looks like Chris will start in NC February 1, so we are headed there. It is awesome that we have such a good place to end up. We found a place to stay, now to figure out what to do about our place here in IL.

Christmas in Pictures

 So, here are Christmas pictures of all of us. Most of them are of A discovering presents and that there was paper in the bags. She loved bags because the tissue paper went straight to her mouth. :) We would have to take the paper away from her after she pulled it out of the bag so that she'd continue to get the paper off the top of the present. Now let the formatting of a blog post begin...

Wait, there's paper I can gnaw?

A and Great grandfather

Trying to figure out how to get into the box.

Having tea with her cousin

Making sure there is nothing left in the bag

Baby's First Christmas

Well, we are having a good go of seeing everyone we need to see in our families. It has been quite different this year having A. We still have quite a ways to go, so hopefully we'll get a lot done the next two days. I have a ton of pictures, so Thursday or Friday expect a ton of pictures. We have A with almost everyone, so it may be a " with A" post that is a mile long.

She has been an amazing baby girl this entire trip. She's managed to only get super fussy when she's super tired. She's also tried several new foods like a champ, and much to my chagrin at times. We've discovered her favorite "solid" food may be the butternut squash soup. She has reverted to not sleeping through the night as much, but that's okay as everything is so new to her. She's crawling and getting herself caught in her clothes as we tend to put her in holiday dresses. She ultimately isn't fond of these.

We are constantly reminded of how amazing our families are. While we do live so far away, we do miss them all.

Well, I need to find something to eat before we go for breakfast. Check back later this week for a real picture post.

12 Days of Baking, Abbreviated

Well, with the cookbook my friend loaned me I tried to bake 12 new things in it in time for Christmas. I'm not going to make it, but I did make 6 new things, or will by the time it is all said and done. Naturally I altered the daylights out of every recipe I used, but it was nice to have a starting point. I've also done a fair amount of sewing and have finished several stockings. :) This week has been busy as A and I went to the Shedd (Aquarium) on Tuesday. I got in free with my zoo pass, so it was a lot of fun. She really liked the fishes and was excited to get to stand up next to the tanks. Here are some pictures of our recent adventures.

Outside of the Shedd with the Sears Tower in the background. 

See, I can stand and watch fishes myself.

Our candy thermometer when we made fudge

Continue to pray for us as we work out job situations. We're facing a lot of difficult challenges right now, so it would be great to have extra support.

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!