I'm currently in the midst of trying to get our house organized and decorated. Actually, lets change "currently" to "still". Yeah, that's better. Unfortunately, I either can't decide on something, the things I like are too expensive or... I don't even know. I think my brain is fried. I feel like I am always running around doing something but when Sean gets home from work and asks "So, what did you do today?" I'm blank! I know I was busy. I know I got barfed on several times. I know how much cereal Jordan ate. The rest is a blur. So what is my post about? Ummm? Maybe I just thought I would let all the other moms who feel as crazed as me know that they're not alone. That's all really. Sprigg out.

PS- I know the blog has some sort of background problem but I can't figure out how to fix it! So, the gold will stay until I have time to do something about it.

Today was Jordan's first time eating vegetables! We started her on carrots for good eye sight. Unfortunately, she didn't take to them as well as she did the cereal. Little miss personality!

Wait a minute. This isn't cereal...

Ughghgh!!! What are you feeding me? I thought you loved me?!?!?

Poor baby. Guess she doesn't like carrots after all. Hopefully, the veggies will grow on her! Until then, mommy and daddy find it pretty funny. Hope she doesn't mind!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. We have been busy painting our office, which is really Sean's man-cave/ Notre Dame shrine. Once we get all of Sean's memorabilia up on the walls the transformation will be complete... and I will post some photos!

Jordan had her 6 month check up on Friday! Can you believe she is 6 months already?!? She weighed in at 14.13 lbs which puts her in the 17th percentile. Although she's a skinny thing, she measured in at 27.25 in. long which is in the 94th percentile! Basketball anyone? And she barely even cried when she got her shots! What a tough girl!!

In honor of Jordan turning 6 months old today, here is a recap of just how big she has gotten!

September 23, 2009

Who is this little person and what do I do with her? Awww, but what a cute little yawn! Are the doctors really going to let me take her home?!? I should have read more books!

October

Happy Halloween!!! I always loved Halloween so of course Jordan had to partake in the festivities! We were all ready to hand our candy on Halloween to the neighborhood kids but a last minute change in plans took us to San Antonio for Jordan's first live Notre Dame game! She was a cheerleading monkey... and was very popular with the tailgater's!
November

Sean and Jordan have some all important Father daughter bonding time! They have more in common than I could have ever guessed! Sure, she may look more like me but this picture tells all!
December

Jordan's first Christmas, her first time seeing snow but NOT her first time getting presents! Lol! We had a great time with family in Dallas and this tired little girl is the proof!
January

Jordan LOVES her bath time! She can be out of her mind crazy but the second I turn on the faucet... silence. Anticipation. I can't wait until this summer to take my little fish to the pool!
February

A late Christmas gift from Aunt Lauren has Jordan all decked out in her Northwestern gear! "Thanks for the cute digs Auntie Lauren! I make this school look good!!!"

March

Finally... a video of Jordan and Daddy playing!!!

Today's Foodie Friday recipe is fish once again! Since trying the Salmon recipe last posted we have also tried Cod and today tried Tilapia! The Cod didn't turn out so great so I will skip over that recipe.

Almond Encrusted Tilapia

Serving size: 4 pieces of Tilapia

1 egg

flour

3/4 cup crushed almond

3/4 cup parmigiana cheese

1 egg

1 tsp garlic pepper

oil or butter

lemon (optional)

In a bowl, mix almonds and cheese together. In another bowl, mix the garlic pepper and egg together. Sprinkle flour on the fish. Coat fish with eggs and then in almond mixture.

Melt oil or butter at medium high until sizzling. Cook fish on both sides for about 4-5 minutes or until evenly browned. Squeeze lemon on top if desired. Enjoy!

We had it with carrots cooked in butter and brown sugar but any vegetable would be a nice compliment. =)

St. Patrick's Day and Jordan's first time eating baby cereal!!! She was confused about the cereal at first but by started to really like it! At one point Sean was holding the spoon and she grabbed it out of his hand and shoved it in her mouth. So funny!

With our new family of three, it is becoming more and more apparent that having two small cars is just not cutting it. Since we will need the extra room by the time another Sprigglet shows up, we thought it was time to do some preliminary shopping around. Thanks to consumer reports we were able to narrow our options down to 3 vehicles, two being quite obvious and the third an interesting alternative! The winners are the Toyota Sienna, Honda Odessey and Ford Flex.

Yesterday we drove to all three dealerships to preview the goods. All of the vehicles are in a similar price bracket and some have rather good dealer incentives. Of the two minivans the Odyssey stands out hands down. They look rather similar from the outside but Honda's interior seems to be more solid in comparison to some of Sienna's features which seem flimsy. The honda is easier to pass from the front to the back and has more trunk space. It is also a bit more sporty which I like... especially since I vowed to never own a minivan. Haha. Yeah, I know.

Moving on, ahem, to the dark horse of the night. When Sean mentioned the Ford Flex having good reviews I wasn't really too interested. It is an odd looking vehicle. But when I saw it in person it grew on me quickly. The interior is roomy, seats seven and the square form allows for ample trunk space. It gets 17 mpg compared to the Odyssey's 19 mpg. The seats all fold down flat like the minis to accommodate cargo and even the standard interior finishes are extremely nice for the price!

I liked the beginning of this motherhood article in regards to the Flex:

"There are a few things that people either really like or really dislike: black licorice, “Teletubbies,” the president … oh, never mind that, but the Ford Flex seems to fit into this category as well."

As for me, my parents used to fill my easter basket with black jelly beans. That being said, we shall see which car wins out in the end. The Odyssey is still an undeniably practical option which is hard to argue with. I just thought I would post a bit on a car I am finding more and more fascinating.

Today is Prodigal Son Sunday. I can see your eyes glazing over already. Not because it's not a good reading but because you'd be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't heard it a million times. But because we have all heard it so many times it's an easy one to write off as well. I guess that's what got me trying to think about it in a different way. Maybe you have already thought of every possible interpretation but here's one that was new to me.

So, I was thinking about the son taking his inheritance and squandering it. I always thought about it very literally as the sons spending all of his fathers money. But today I was thinking about the inheritance as the gifts and talents that God has given us. We all have gifts and talents of some sort whether it's being compassionate, personable, intelligent, wealthy, charismatic, attractive, handy, crafty, a great speaker... the list could go on forever. In light of the story let's say that the son was a wonderful speaker. He could talk anyone into anything. Now, he has the opportunity to use this gift to build up his fathers kingdom OR he can use it for himself. He can use it to evangelize to others and be a great example OR he could also use it instead to gain things only for himself.

So my reflection of the day is this: what are my gifts and what do I do with them. Do I use them in a way that gives back to God or do I use them to glorify myself? Am I squandering my inheritance?

Happy Foodie Friday! Last Friday we tested out this recipe and it was really good! I had never cooked fish before, in fact I had never even ordered anything from the fish counter at the supermarket! I forgot the word "filet" and asked for "three, um, pieces of salmon". The guy behind the counter didn't even try to be helpful. He just stared at me blankly as I stumbled through my order! Anyway, I was nervous but it turned out to be really easy and good! So, if you've been avoiding eye contact with the fish guy too, now is your time to be brave and order a few good "pieces of fish!" =)

I revised a few things, as I normally do, but the big thing I would change is to let the Salmon marinate in the glaze for a while. Do it earlier in the day, stick it back in the fridge in a zip loc bag and you'll have less to do when dinnertime comes around!

Lime and Honey Glazed Salmon with Warm Black Bean and Corn Salad

by: Rachael Ray (revised)

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided use)

1 medium red onion, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon ground cumin (1/3 palmful)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 2 limes

3 tablespoons honey (3 gobs)

1 teaspoon chili powder (1/3 palmful)

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

1 (10-ounce) box frozen corn kernels, defrosted

1/2 cup chicken stock or broth

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (I despise cilantro so I left this out)

6 cups spinach (I only used 2... 6 seems like an awful lot)

1 avocado, chopped (optional... I added this and really liked it!)

Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil (twice around the pan). Add the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, preheat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. In a shallow dish, combine the juice of 1 lime, honey, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the salmon fillets to the lime-honey mixture and toss to coat thoroughly. Add the seasoned salmon to the hot skillet and cook until just cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

To the cooked onions, add the bell pepper and corn kernels and cook for 1 minute.Add the chicken stock and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Add the black beans and cook until the beans are just heated through. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the juice of the second lime, the cilantro and the spinach. Toss to wilt the spinach and then taste and adjust the seasoning. Add chopped avocado if desired. Serve the lime-and-honey-glazed salmon on top of the warm black bean and corn salad.

My obsession of the week... this adorable Liz Lange Lena Diaper Bag! That's right! A diaper bag in leather and ZEBRA!!! It even has a matching changing pad. Enough said. Spigg-a-licious.

I decided to get back in touch with my crafty side and this is what I came up with. They're for Jordan not for me... in case you had any doubts. :) Cute baby shoes can be really expensive so I figured, "I can do that." Unfortunately, they are too big for her right now so I will have to be patient until she grows into them. Hope you like them!

Sorry I have been MIA but I had a lovely virus on my computer. Luckily, my wonderful, talented and handsome husband was able to fix it! Nothing like a handy man!

Anyway, I would be remiss if I didn't post something about the Oscar's. So here is my favorite, least favorite and the dress I would be most likely to wear...

Cameron Diaz! I love how classy and effortless she looks! The perfect look for the Oscar's. Just the right amount of bling! I think she looked stunning and therefore gets my vote for Best Dressed!

Oh, Sarah Jessica Parker. I know you just want to be fashion forward but come on now. I can deal with the dress but I can not forgive the orange spray tan. How many celebrities does it take to teach you people. Pale is better than orange any day! She should have at least switched to a cool colored dress because the yellow only makes it worse. SJP... Worst Dressed.

Penelope Cruz. Always gorgeous! I would wear this dress any day of the week... but I'm not sure I will ever have an occasion to wear such a dress! I'm sure I could come up with something if I try hard enough. (Stop shaking your head at me Sean!) Anyway, I won't give her Best Dressed because it not all that original but it is probably the dress I would be most likely to wear out of everyone at the Oscar's.

Ok, well that's what I have to say about that. Short and sweet. Sprigg out.

It's Foodie Friday again so here comes another meat-free recipe that we thought was excellent! Don't be intimidated by the long directions, it's really not as complicated as it looks at first glance. Oh and a little tip I've learned the hard way, always read all the way through the recipe directions before starting! Hope you enjoy and as always... Sprigg tested. Sprigg approved!

Pumpkin Gnocchi
by: Rachael Ray

2 lbs butternut, kuri squash or sugar pumpkin, peeled and cut into bit-size pieces

2 tbs EVO

salt and pepper

3 tbs butter

4 cloves garlic, very finely chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 cups whipping cream

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

2 bundles farm fresh spinach trimmed and washed or 3/4 lb bagged spinach, stemmed

1 lb good quality fresh gnocchi (I used whole wheat, boxed gnocchi which is a healthier option)

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for topping

Preheat oven to 400 F.

On a baking sheet, toss squash with EVO and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Roast 30 minutes, turning once. Remove squash, turn off oven.

When the squash has been in the oven about 15 min, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat a skillet or pot with butter over meadium heat. Add garlic and cook gently 3-4 min, stirring frequently. Add wine and stir 1 minute, then add cream and bring to a bubble. Reduce heat to keep cream at a rolling simmer and let reduce 7-8 min, until cream coats the back of spoon.

When the water come to a boil, add salt and, working in batches, add spinach and wilt for 30 seconds. Remove to a plate with tongs and drain. To the same pot of water, add gnocchi and cook until they float and are hot through, about 3 min.

Arrange most of the squash and spinach on the platter. Then, toss drained Gnocchi with sauce and arrange on top of the squash and spinach. Garnish with remaining squash and spinach and lots of freshly grated cheese.

After many failed attempts we have finally captured a little bit of Jordan laughing! So, turn up your sound because my little girl is cute! Cute!! Cute!!! (I may be a little biased...)

I LOVE motherhood! I truly have never been more satisfied with my life as I am right now! However, here comes the but... BUT I have been more satisfied with my body. This new mom bod has come with a new challenge. The clothes that once fit me pre-pregnancy no longer flatter my post-pregnancy curves. Instead of crying over my scale, I am going to take this shopportunity to examine the current fashion trends and how they can work for a mom on the go!

1. 2010 Trend: Ruffles! Ruffles are adorable, classy and just plain fun! A definite trend worth experimenting with!

This shirt is fantastic! It's pretty much universally flattering. Ruffles and a v-neck draw your eyes up to her face, a tie wraps around the waist emphasising the smallest part of the torso and the bottom half of the shirt flows away from the body de-emphasising a belly. All in all I give this an A+ as a trend and a mommy friendly fashion! But, beware, ruffles below the waist can have an undesirably "voluminous" effect.

2. 2010 Trend: Animal Prints! The print that keeps on giving! God sure knew what he was doing when he dressed the leopard! But, my favorite has to be the zebra print. (Ironically, I have an eerily similar print across my belly these days. TMI?)

I love this zebra skirt in a gray rather than black stripe. This softer version allows the print to translate into a more daytime look. I'm loving it with a simple cotton top but would go with some cute flats as a more practical alternative.

3. Trouser Jeans! Now this isn't exactly a 2010 Trend, it's more of a "classic" in my book. The 2010 jean trend would most likely be the dreaded skinny jeans. Oh skinny jeans! You do not make me look skinny at all!!! The fact of the matter is that skinny jeans look great on stick people! But, hey, if you look good in skinny jeans more power to ya my dear stick friend!

Ahem, like I was saying, Trouser Jeans! These jeans are golden! A good trouser jean that flows straight down from the hip to the floor, preferably in a dark wash, are a pro at camouflaging a troubling mid-section. Add a mid-rise to the mix and your well on your way to looking like your old self well before you even reach the gym!

A good friend of mine gave me some advice when I was still pregnant that I thought was great. She said that the best thing I could do to feel good and get through tough days was get up, take a shower and dress for the day even if the only thing I would do all day is get spit up on at home! And, I must say, I feel better when I do! But, to all my fellow mom's out there, even if you going to sleep in the same pj's you woke up in... YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!!! And don't you forget it!

Today's Gospel reading is FANTASTIC! Lk 6:36-38


Jesus said to His disciples:

"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you."