Tanner’s new best friend

On Sat, my sister in law, Jenny, gave birth to a beautiful little boy named Caiden Lee Cross.  He was 8lbs 8 oz and 22 inches long.  Being an already well-behave little fella, he came right on his due date.  Jenny did a great job during delivery and according to reports, the whole family is doing great and came home from the hospital yesterday.  I sadly have only gotten my information second hand since I have not gotten a chance to meet the little nugget yet.  Saturday I will be visiting and taking some newborn photos of the little man.  I am sooooo excited for my brother, Jenny and their new little family and very excited that the cousins will be so close.  I hope they have as much fun together as I did (do) with my cousins.  Here are some pictures of the little guy just minutes and hours old.

I like this first one because we always tease my brother about his '”paw hands”.  They look GINORMOUS next to a newborn baby.

Such a sweet little boy.  I can’t wait to hold him.

 

AND…..just because it has been WAY too long since posting pictures of my favorite 8 month old.  I thought I’d throw some in for your viewing pleasure.  He is just getting basics of crawling under his belt.  He will get up on all four and rock back and forth, BUT no crawling yet.  He sticks to rolling and scooting to get what he wants.  He is happy, funny, sweet, and such a joy to watch grow and change everyday!!!

Winter Rush...

First off let me start by saying that I don't LOVE driving in the snow but I definitely don't mind it. I can see why all these crazy Minnesotans are afraid of it...It's these darn weather men. They get a hard-on for the impending snow and it's all they can talk about for days on end--changing the amounts, the areas of the heaviest snowfall, when it is going to arrive, etc. Yes, it is going to snow and yes it is STILL Thanksgiving. Take your time getting to your holiday destinations and you will be just fine people :) I'm not saying it's completely stress-free traveling in the snow but don't we have years and years of practice at this sort of thing, and MILLIONS of dollars worth of state equipment to clear our roads???? Relax, take your time, and enjoy the beautiful winter scenery that mother-nature provides. Most of all have a very happy Thanksgiving spent with people who fill your hearts and homes with lots and lots of love.

From the Northwoods-

Heidi

COMING IN DEC....12 Day of Christmas Cookies

What is this about you ask?? Well, I have been thinking about things to blog about and decided to take on a a Christmas project and blog about it. Every year, I usually host a cookie bake at my house, but since I am prepping my house to go on the market and don't technically live there right now, is seems logistically impossible to host a bake this year. Instead I will be doing my cookie baking and blogging about it. Starting Dec 1st is my 12 days of Christmas Cookies. These aren't going to be your Grandma's chocolate chips either. I am abandoning all that is comfortable and known to me in the world of baking (Classic peanut butter kiss, sugar cut-outs, and spritz) and making 12 days of cookies that I have never attempted to make before. Here's where you come in. I am taking suggestions for fabulous, fun, possibly daunting and time consuming cookies. Paul has already been scanning the cook books and giving me suggestions. (After I explained to him that brownies were NOT cookies, he grudgingly took the 3 types of brownies off the list) Please e-mail me @ heidi_lynnc@hotmail.com with any recipes you may want to see but never had the ambition or time to tackle yourself :) I will be making roughly 6 dozen of each cookie.

I will post the recipes and pictures of my final projects as they are produced. I will also be honest about the time and ease of the recipe so I can either encourage or warn other Christmas cookie bakers about it. Side note to family and friends- like what you see or not, you may just be getting a gift basket of these cookie creations. There is no way I am going to spend my Dec eating 72 dozen cookies :)

Up North Fun

So far I have been up north for 1 week.  We are still getting organized but, surprisingly, feel like we have enough space for the 3 of us.  Like I said in an earlier post, it isn’t easy going from a 3 bedroom house of you own to shacking up with your parents.  But like I also keep saying, it will be the best for us in the long run and is proving to be rather nice staying up here in Barnum.  It is also REALLY nice to have my mom around to help with Tanner.  If he wasn’t spoiled before with all the constant attention he got from Paul and me, he sure will be now with Nana and Grandpa La La (as dubbed by Jada and Niya).  Also the flood visiting deer hunters is pretty nice too. 

Anyone who enjoys deer hunting knows that it is not just for the possibility of getting that big deer that draws you out.  It’s all the fun that you have at deer camp.   Here’s some pictures of some of the fun we had last weekend.

Here are the guys sitting by our nice cozy, little campfire.  I am pretty sure that Josh (far right) and Barron (far left) are complaining about the heat scorching their backsides in this.  Paul and my brother Nolan don’t look too phased.  Maybe their CCL (Cold Coors Light) is helping.

It’s a little dark but here is a picture of al of us girls.  Back row: Ashley (cousin), Makayla (niece) and Lindsey (cousin)  Front Row: Saniya (niece), Me, Jada (niece)

Saniya playing in the snow.

Jada standing on the start of our GIANT snowman.

TEAMWORK

Good work guys and gals!!  (just to give a frame of reference- My brother-2nd to left- stands about 6 feet 3 inches) 

The finished product complete with arms and beer can eyes.  Not as wholesome as Frosty but you get the idea.

Of course the next NATURAL thing to do in a snow storm is ride dirtbike… oh wait…it’s not???

Here’s Josh (family friend and master mullet man)

Barron- “Hey Heidi, If I ride this around will you take some pictures of me??”
Looking good Barron! (cousin)

Hope you all had as much fun in the snow as we did!!!  There was also a giant snow fight that broke out but that was my cue to take my expensive camera and take cover in the house!!

Till next time from the North Woods-

-Heidi

Quick update

I had a successful deer hunting opener and I shot my first deer, a small buck. Got the first deer of the year out of our group too. I shot it on evening of opening day. I didn't know if I would have to guts to actually go through with it but I did and had an EXCELLENT shot, might I add. Right through the heart and lungs so I was very proud of myself. It is nice to get the first one out of the way now so I can sit and wait for the BIG buck that I will get next time :)

Other than being a successful hunter this weekend, I have now caught Tanner's cold and am suffering through that. All while trying to pack up our house and deal with all that too. This week's project is to move Tanner's crib, clothes, and other necessities because we will be staying up north as of next week and coming back down to Danube in short trips to continue packing and finish some projects to get the house ready to put on the market. Tanner will be able to stay with my mom as we make the 3.5 hour trip back and forth. You know just a normal, crazy busy, day in the life :)

Gotta just keep on keepin on!!!

Weekend Plans- Deer Hunting Opener Up North

Yes, I hunt. I am a hippie who likes to go deer hunting- I am a very complex girl. Actually my whole family goes deer hunting including: my mom, dad, brother, grandpa, aunts, uncles, cousins and husband. Every year my mom and dad host opener up at there place in Barnum. It is lots of fun family time, filled with spirited competition about who will get the first and biggest deer. I actually just went hunting myself for the first time last year, until then I had always just gone out and sat with my grandpa in his comfy shack where he sits in warm luxury while the other hunters freeze their hinnies off sitting 12 feet up in a tree. Now I am one of those stooges who are decked out in blaze orange with a frozen bum.

I have been prepping all week (by prepping I mean mainly sitting on my couch/playing with Tanner thinking about how much stuff I have to pack/cook). This morning, the van is ready to get packed (Paul's job since I do EVERYTHING else) and we are ready to hit the road with all the rest of the MN hunters. Wish me luck!! I hope I have good news to report on Monday when I get back!

What's for Supper?? Clean out my cupboard Mexican Chicken Hot-Dish

I am not really one to cook with recipes. More often than not I will throw something together that I roughly remember by heart or, like tonight, just simply throw something together with stuff I have in my cupboard. Since we are moving soon, I am on a mission to clean out my cupboards and start using the food I have stored in them. I just hate moving food and the less I have to move/toss out the better. I decided that I would blog about my "Cleaning out my cupboards" recipes...good and bad you'll get them all with my honest review of how it tastes.

Tonight: Clean out my cupboard Mexican Chicken Hotdish



Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts
1 package Spanish Rice side dish
1 2/3 cup water
1 can black beans
1 can green enchilada sauce
1 can corn (I used corn from my freezer I froze this summer)
some shredded cheese
dash of cumin, coriander, garlic powder, salt and black pepper


Cube and cook chicken

Add rice and cook following directions on packet

In casserole dish mix- Chicken and rice, black beans ,3/4 can enchilada sauce, corn, and a hand full of shredded cheese.

Over the top of the mixture pour rest of enchilada sauce and then sprinkle another handful or two of cheese over the top.

Bake on 350 until cheese starts turning a bubbly golden brown.

Serve topped with sour cream or salsa if you happen to have some :)

ENJOY!!


Review: Both Paul and I thought it was DELICIOUS!!!!! So, 4 thumbs up!! I'll definately have to throw this together again in the future :)

Ch-Ch-Changes

It’s official- Paul, Tanner and I are packing up and moving.  Where you ask???  Roughly 200 miles N-NE of Danube-To Moose Lake/Barnum/Duluth area.  It is something we have been tossing around for a while and earlier this month decided to make the leap and just go for it.  We talked about if we could live anywhere else in the state where would we choose, and we both said Duluth.  We will be staying with my mom and dad until we sell our house in Danube and find a property of our own to buy.   Paul has been scoping out job prospects in the electrical field and is excited to be using his schooling and his full potential.  I am tossing around the idea of going back to school to get my teaching license so I will be certified to teach grades 5-12.  We are very excited about the changes we are making.

I am not going to sugar coat or lie about the reasons for our big move.  The main reason was that things were not working out in Danube.  We have made some great friends but were not being treated with love and respect from Paul’s father, who Paul has been farming with.  It is just too hard to thrive in a situation with so much negativity and is not an environment we want to have our children be around. We also want to be closer to a supportive network of family.  They say it takes a village and we are firm believers in this.  Right now the closest support we have is from Paul’s mom and Stepdad who are great but still an hour away.   My brother and sister and their families are 2.5 hours away and my parents at the moment are 3.5 hours away.  We are excited to be extremely close to family and are sure that the cabin and my parents new house in Barnum will be flooded with family visitors year round- enough to fill our family fix.

Along with the excitement also comes fear of the unknown, and an overwhelming amount of work it is going to take to pack up a house and move with a 7month old baby.  I must note that we are doing this all within the next month, so overwhelming may be an understatement to describe my feelings at the moment.  There is also the fact that we are going from having our own house and plenty of space for our family of 3 to living with my parents.  It will be an adjustment for sure.  I am just very fortunate to have parents who are so supportive and willing to help us out.  (I personally think my mom is looking forward to having the company and getting to spend so much time with Tanner)

  I don’t think it is an easy decision we have made, but in the long run will be a decision that is best for our family.  Paul and I have the view that we are good people and hard workers so things will just end up working out for us. We (ok MAINLY ME) are trying to maintain our normally laid back attitudes through this whole change and keep thinking about the positives. 

On to our next big adventure…

Tanner’s New Tricks

Everyday Tanner does something new that baffles me. 

Here are some pictures of the news stuff Tanner can do.

He can drink from a cup.  (Or at least he is learning)  WIC now endorses drinking out of a normal child's cup rather than a sippy cup to promote healthy speech and brain development.  I still have sippy cups for on the go, but with every meal he gets his cup of water and LOVES it!!

    

He eats baby snacks like they are going out of style.  He wasn’t too keen on feeding himself until recently.  Now he eats them and loves them.  His favorite are Baby Mum Mums.

 

  

He wakes up and plays in his crib.  He used to just lay there and wait for someone to come get him.  Now, he flips over and starts playing with his toys.  I often find him laughing and playing with his Tigger after he wakes up from nap time.

   

 

He is just becoming such a big boy and more and more independent.  It is so fun to watch him grow.

Fabulous 50!!

She's been celebrating all year folks but today, Candy turns the big 5-0!! Happy birthday Mom!!

This free photo slideshow generated with Smilebox

Recovering

This weekend hit me…..HARD.  Not only did I attempt to keep up/entertain my nieces but I also got broad-sided by a very icky stomach bug.  I will spare you all of the entirely gross details but lets just say i am slowly recovering and Gatorade is my best friend.  Thankfully the sickness really didn’t kick in until Sat night, AFTER my sister had arrived.  She was able to take over as mom of the house and even did my dishes for me :)  (Everyone knows how much I HATE dishes so doing my dishes for me is nicer than buying me a Tiffany and Co necklace…OK maybe that is a BIT of an exaggeration, but I do HATE doing dishes) 

Sadie and the girls left yesterday and Paul took over as Mr. Mom and had a full day of taking care of Tanner while i slept and tried to recharge my super powers.  Today I am back among the living (barely).  Here are some pics of the fun filled weekend we had.  We played, went to Nelson Farm in Litchfield, and carved all of our SPOOKY pumpkins.  My cousin Lindsey came to visit and help with this which was good since the girls were afraid of touching the pumpkin goo.  It was a great weekend full of fall fun!!

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Busy Morning

Jada and Saniya, my nieces, are staying with me for a few days since I have not really had much time to spend with them over the past couple months. They are so much fun have around and definitely help keep me busy.

Since 7:30 this morning: (Note-I am writing this @ 9:30)

got a 4 & 5 yr old up an dressed, got a 7 month old up and dressed, attempted to make waffles, failed, made pancakes, OJ and turkey bacon instead, fed girls and Tanner, dealt with argument over which movie to watch, started Scooby Doo for girls, put Tanner down for a nap, washed all my dishes, cleaned up waffle fiasco, swept and cleaned kitchen, swept and cleaned dining room..now time for me to eat and get dressed before we "start" our day....

a day in the life....

Better have some coffee :) I have a busy few days planned for us!

Oprah’s Book Club

As you may see to the left, I am currently reading an Oprah book club pick. I can’t wait to tune in and actually know what my girl Oprah is talking about this time. OK..so I have to admit that I am not the MOST loyal Oprah fan, although I do love her. My watching her mainly depends on if it fits into my schedule. I have always LOVED the book club idea. It is not very often where you actually get to see an author go into such depth about what their thought process and intention was while writing a book.

The book is called “Freedom” by Jonathan Franzen. It takes place in Minnesota and has (so far) really kept my attention. The writing is REALLY good. Being the literary snob I can sometimes be, I truly appreciate a good writer (even though “good” is completely a matter of subjectivity). I am also happy to announce that I am almost on pace to finish in time to be ready for the discussion with the author. I talk like I am somehow going to be part of this discussion when in actuality I will be watching it on my DVR and drinking a glass of wine while nodding in simple understanding rather than saying “wow, this book sounds good. I should read it,” like I normally do.

I am really getting into the Oprah book club idea (went to the Book club website and everything) and might have to participate in all the ones on Oprah’s final season. Who’s with me on this one????

Changing it up

Many who know me, know that I am not one to shy away from challenging endeavors in my life. I like to label these endeavors as “adventures.” I consider myself a very adventurous person and Paul, legally bound by marriage to me, has developed his own love of adventure. We actually make quite a great team and I feel that together we can do just about anything we wanted. (There was a legitimate conversation the other day about moving to a tropical destination after watching House Hunter’s international and see what houses go for in Belize) These are the kind of adventures we are talking about….OK..maybe a move to Central America is not in our immediate future but we may just need to change things up here soon.

I guess I’m not ready to talk about it yet, because honestly we don’t even know ourselves what may happen…BUT the idea of change is exciting. If you battle change and try to keep your life as static as possible, change can be terrifying. But if we embrace it and roll with the punches as we carve out our little space in the world, it can be the most exciting thing ever. It is consuming my mind and thoughts these past few days. Sorry there are not more specifics but I promise to share with my LOYAL blog followers (all 14 of them) as soon as I know myself. I guess the point of this blog post is to express my need to follow my heart and intuition knowing that if I am real, and generous with all I have to give (love, respect, time, kindness, empathy, etc), I can’t help but be happy right??

“There is nothing wrong with change if it is in the right direction” –Winston Churchill

PS. I am NOT pregnant for the 13,000th time. That may change in the near future too but is NOT the big change I am talking about :)

# 4,167,354th reason to LOVE Minnesota

The unpredictability of the weather really keeps you on your toes and causes you to keep clothes for all types of weather on hand…just in case. **4 and under can get away with the sans clothes option**

Last year on this day in Danube, MN it was 17 degrees and SNOWING!!!! Today it is 88 degrees and SUNNY!!! Feels like SPRINKLER WEATHER!!!!! Oscar and I had to cool off after our walk to the park. Tanner missed out on the fun because he was sawing logs in the stroller before we even got home.