Lion!

This morning Finley was sitting in the other room making growling- roaaaar sounds. I thought to myself, I wonder if he is looking at the lion picture. He was! He learned lion yesterday. He moved on to another book by the time I got the camera but was still roaaaring. SO cute!

Gotta luv grits!

Tonight I made me some grits- Hattie's style! I used to work there and had to quit when the morning sickness took over. I loved working there and the food was awesome- incredibly fattening but incredibly delicious!

I was craving low country shrimp tonight. I had everything to make it but the shrimp, which I didn't miss. If you're not a bacon eater, I suppose you could try to make this but I'm not giving a guarantee. Bacon makes this meal!

So, if you're ever in that comfort food kinda mood, this is something different yet easy to make.

You need:
Organic Corn Grits/Polenta
3 pc bacon (pref nitrate free)
2 green onions
Some garlic of some sort
Can diced tomatoes (need I say organic?)
Tabasco sauce
Goat cheese (again, the big O.)...(you can sub cheddar but not as yummy.)

~Fry 3 pieces of bacon (not turkey- the real deal!!!) Don't overcook- no crispies!
~When nice and cooked throw in 2 chopped green onions. Don't even think about pouring out that grease!
~As onions cook, toss in some garlic- I used bottled but fresh is best. And put in however much suits yer fancy!
~Open tomatoes, drain, pour.
~Add tabasco- don't be shy!
Add a dash of salt and pepper for good measure
Let simmer on low.



~Pull out your organic polenta and make it according to cereal directions. You can start this after you get the sauce going b/c it cooks so quickly.
~When grits are ready, pour into shallow bowl and pour sauce over top. Finish with crumbled goat cheese.

Viola!


So you might be thinking that Kevin was super thrilled at this greasy bacon dinner. But no. Of course, he hates grits. Everyone thinks they hate grits! Boy are they missing out! So what did Kevin have for dinner? Um... He had a grilled ham and cheese and a french fry sandwich- complete with butter. I made him the ham and cheese with fries but watched in horror as he buttered 2 more pieces of bread and slapped his fries between them.




He didn't want me to take a picture of his dinner. I think it's funny!

I have been totally slacking with the blog! I've been so busy! My new job is a bit of a beating, but I like it! Check out the lines I now represent locally:
Minami Nutrition
Sama Baby
Jessie Steele Aprons
Emily Skin Soothers

Look at this adorable Scotexan!



Finley is just blowing my mind with the intelligence that emerges every day! So far, he says "oh-oh!" loud and clear. Kevin and I are convinced he says thanks- when you give him something he says "diks." He says "ba" for anything outside. When he sees a dog he barks. He says mama and really means it. The cutest thing of all- he just started hugging, and he says "awwwwww" while he's hugging. He'll either put his head on your shoulder or take your face in his hands and put his cheek next to yours. He hugs his toys and books too. He is hugging Sienna in these pics. Seriously adorable!


Here he is trying to copy us, we were putting that smiley face over ours and playing peek a boo through the mesh.


He really loves his little airplane Sigg bottle!

It's Earth Day!

It's 8:30pm on Earth Day. Do you know what your child's food is made of?

I thought I did. Wow was I wrong.






Today I was at Target and they had this marked down to a great price. I was about to stock up and buy three when I stopped to look at the ingredients. Now, I've bought this brand before, they sell them in Whole Foods. I've only bought it once before. I looked at the ingredients on this flavor. I wasn't thrilled about the corn- it made me hesitate, it wasn't organic. Also, it didn't say non-gmo and that is super important. ANd the cheese wasn't organic either, or rBST free. But then I noticed the carrageeenan. I remembered that yesterday I got an email from Dr. Mercola about MSG being the silent killer and that companies are allowed to put MSG under other names in ingredients lists. They do this because people are on the look out for MSG, mainly those who are "allergic." Carrageenan isn't MSG itself but he said it could either contain or create MSG. Hmmm, interesting. I wanted to know more.
I searched further and found this.

Here is an excerpt:

Carrageenan is a commonly used food additive that is
extracted from red seaweed by using powerful alkali
solvents. These solvents would remove the tissues
and skin from your hands as readily as would any acid.

and

IS CARRAGEENAN REALLY NATURAL?

Carrageenan is about as wholesome as monosodium glutamate
(MSG), which is extracted from rice, and can equally be
considered natural. Aspartame (NutraPoison) is also natural,
as it is extracted from decayed plant matter that has been
underground for millions of years (oil). So too are many
other substances such as carrageenan that can also be
classified by FDA and USDA as wholesome and natural
food additives.

So, after I learning about that I am totally bummed and grossed out- just that a seemingly innocent "natural" food company would have something like that. I was curious about GMO's. I found several things but this was interesting:

1. The lifespan of ladybugs (ladybirds) was reduced to half when they ate aphids that had fed on genetically altered potatoes in Scotland, according to a London Times article (10/22/97) by Science Editor, Nigel Hawkes.

The ladybugs also laid fewer eggs. Note that the ladybirds did not even eat the genetically modified food directly, as we are doing now. They ate something ELSE that had eaten the GMOs. The danger lived on in the food chain. For more information.

This made me more adamant about only eating meat that has been fed an organic grain/grass diet. Finley doesn't eat meat but if I eat a steak that has eaten GMO corn, perhaps he will be affected through my breastmilk. Ugh!


Needless to say I put back the "Peas of Mind"

Everywhere I turn there is something to be else aware of. Hopefully, this Earth Day has taught each person a little something about the things we are doing wrong. Not just to our atmosphere, our water, or our landfills but our selves, our bodies, and the bodies of our children's children, the lady bugs, the bees, and butterflys- the birds and even the dirt. And it is so overwhelmingly difficult to keep track of everything we have to look out for in our modern world!

Finley's first birthday!

Finley's first birthday was Tuesday. I can't believe he's a year old. I am so proud of him! This has been the best year of my life. Not only have I gotten to experience the magic of motherhood, I am blessed to have found an amazing group of mommy friends that we love to hang out with. We are soooo lucky!

His party was great. We planted a tree in his honor. Here are some pics from the big day!


How cute is the birthday boy? His kilt is straight from Scotland. Thanks Granny Broon!





The food! I made pesto crostinis, spinach artichoke dip, hummus, marinated eggplant, rosemary flatbread, and then just had some asparagus, boiled eggs, carrots, apples, strawberries, and havarti cheese. I miss working in catering so I had to take advantage!


The cupcakes! The tree trunk are chocolate for the adults and the tree leaves are apple carrot cakes with cream cheese apple juice icing. Parsley is the green- I couldn't figure out how to color the icing w/o food coloring. I saw my friend's sister at Whole Foods and she had the great idea. Thanks Candace!


Kam, Vin, Lisa, and Lourdes

Cassandra and Jeff

Katherine and Wesley

The party in action





Prince Finley
Sweet Sienna. Her shirt says I heart my earth!!!

Babies in the balls! Grandpa and Peepaw gave him this awesome swing/slide/ball pit!
Mia in the swing!

Enjoying some grub!


Everyone signed this picture frame!




Grandpa and Peepaw gave him some chocolate cake icing. Grrrrrr! I got a little upset. I go back and forth between being annoyed and thinking- how cute!


Blowing out his candle!


Mom and Dad with Finley


Enjoying his cake!


This is Gretchen. We've been friends since high school. She was my lifesaver at his birth. She lived downstairs from me and came upstairs to help me through labor. If she hadn't been there we would have been in trouble!



Opening presents! He got so many cool toys, an awesome little Sigg bottle with airplanes, and a little bamboo fork and spoon! Our friend Kim donated money to the National Wildlife Federation in Finley's name!






Planting the tree! We planted a Northern Catalpa for Finley. Before we planted it, we said a little prayer.









Dad and Fin


Me and Fin with Gretchen and Melissa

Us and Noni (my mom.)


Thanks so much to everyone who came to help celebrate our special day!

Busy

I feel terrible that I haven't had blogging motivation. All of my energy has gone toward planning Finley's first birthday. He will be one year old in 4 days! I am super excited about it and want his little party to be extra special.

He is really walking now although I can't seem to take a picture in time. On Friday, March 20, he took 3 steps. The next day he took 6. Then the next day 6 was the most he did but he did it over and over. Then, suddenly he was walking across the room. He had zombie hands and looked like a drunk sailor, but he was walking. He is still learning.