Thursday, April 30, 2015

A 15-Month-Old and His Pancakes

There are so many things that I don’t want to forget about my babies. And somehow this baby is now 15 months-old! I suppose I have to start calling Ephraim a toddler soon. I want to remember the details about my boys at every stage. What they looked like with their chubby baby cheeks, how they smelled of lavender soap and sunscreen, which toys they were attached to, and what they liked to eat.

These are the posts that are going to be the most meaningful to me when I look back at my blog.

I’m not a great meal planner, so when five ‘o clock rolls around some nights, we resort to pancakes. It’s a win-win though, since everyone in our family is pretty crazy about pancakes, often of the chocolate chip variety.

So here’s a little photo show of Ephraim and his love of pancakes while I talk about some of the things he’s up to at 15 MONTHS :)



+ He has the absolute best blue eyes. Add in his cute little smile, and he can melt any stranger’s heart!

+ He tends to be shy when we are in big groups of people.

+ He had a hard time transitioning to milk. Eventually I realized he would drink skim, since it was closer to water. Gradually, we’ve worked our way up to whole milk, and now he loves it!

+ Ephraim can eat more than Nolan. We’re starting to do things like make two boxes of macaroni and double the pancake recipe. And there aren’t many leftovers on spaghetti and pizza night!

+ When he’s done eating, and I ask him “All done?”, he grabs his shirt or bib and pulls at it.

+ We’ve moved up to size 4 diapers. He’s still pretty short, so he can fit in 12 month pants, but we’ve transitioned to 18 month clothes.



+ E hates diaper changes. He twists and kicks and cries. I found that playing him his favorite song, “My Lighthouse” will quiet him down.

+ Speaking of “My Lighthouse”, he claps all day long to signal to me that he wants to listen to it. Or he’ll get the TV remote to ask me to play him Rend Collective or Tenth Avenue North music videos. He has no interest in TV unless it is a song.

+ Ephraim loves his pacis. He still finds comfort in nursing if he wakes up in the middle of the night. He only nurses in those early morning hours, and at night before he goes to bed.

+ He is the LIGHTEST sleeper. Any creak of the floors when Steve and I are trying to get ready for bed and that boy is wide awake.



+ The dog’s water dish is a huge temptation for him, despite all of the lessons we’ve had about it. He gets so excited when we feed Ivy because he wants to play with her food and help her eat. He likes to give her treats, but he’ll tease her and run away with them.

+ When Ephraim wakes up in the morning and after naps, he’s not a happy little guy. He rolls around in his crib like he isn’t ready to be out of bed yet. (He gets this from me.)

+ He knows what toys are most special to Nolan (hello Hammie), and gets extra excited to find them. If Nolan tries to take the toys away, E sometimes bites him! Nolan was never a biter, so this is new territory.



+ He’s been in his big boy carseat for a month or two now, and even though it’s nice and roomy, I still miss that we can’t carry him inside in it when he falls asleep in the car.

+ Ephraim brings us little board books all day long, specifically “Clifford’s Animal Sounds”, “Clifford’s Peekaboo”, and “Jesus Loves the Little Children”. He seeks them out on the bookshelf and gets so excited to read them!

+ He is babbling a lot as if he thinks he’s telling us something. He hasn’t started using real words yet, though we know he’s said “Daddy”, “Ivy”, “Cookie”, “Cheese” at least once.



+ E throws some pretty terrible fits about food—like if we give him yogurt but don’t let him feed himself. He gets really mad when he wants something that he can’t have.

+ He loves to eat BANANAS, strawberries, pizza, bread, chocolate anything, oatmeal, cheese sticks, saltine crackers, squeezie applesauces.

+ Naptime is typically at 11 am and 3 pm, but he’s starting to transition to taking one extra long nap at 11.

Some days can get really long, but most of the time, this guy is so fun and full of love!

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

The Momofuku Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookie Recipe

Momofuku Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies

One of my traveling dreams has been to visit New York City. As a Chicago girl, I’ve always wanted to compare the two cities. We see New York as the backdrop of so many of our favorite movies and TV shows that I think it would be exciting to see in real life! Steve and I have been all along the east coast—within an hour from NYC, but just haven’t made the plans to go into the city!

So I hear there is a famous dessert shop in New York City called Momofuku Milk Bar. And when I stumbled upon their cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow cookie recipe, the photo was so incredible, I had to try it for it myself!

Lately, I’ve been on a quest to find the best chocolate chip cookie recipes, and in February, I posted about a cornflake cookie. I still had the box of cereal in my pantry, so I decided to give this cookie a go. There are quite a few differences in the recipes. The Momofuku one is definitely high-maintenance. It calls for very specific mixing times, and it requires chilling the dough before baking. The cornflakes are basically made into a dessert before you even add them to the cookie dough! But man, oh man. . . the cookies end up HUGE, and unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. There’s quite an array of flavors and textures—salty, crunchy, buttery, sweet, chocolatey, gooey. It’s an experience!

Ingredients:

For the Cornflake Mix:
5 cups cornflakes
1/2 cup milk powder (I used Carnation brand which came in a small bag)
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
9 Tablespoons butter, melted

For the cookie dough:
2 sticks butter, at room temp
1  1/4 cups sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1  1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1  1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
1  1/4 cups mini marshmallows
and 3 cups of the above Cornflake Mix

Momofuku Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies

DIRECTIONS:

Cornflake Mix

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. In a large bowl, crush up the cornflakes with your hands so they are 1/4 of their original size. Mix in the milk powder, sugar, and salt. Pour in the 9 T of melted butter, and toss to coat.

On a tray lined with parchment paper, spread the cornflakes and bake them for 20 minutes.

Cool them completely before using them in the recipe. Store the extra mix in an airtight container at room temperature.

Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies

Cream together the two sticks of butter, white sugar, and brown sugar in a stand mixer (with paddle attachment) on medium-high for 2-3 minutes.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the egg and vanilla extract. Continue mixing for 7-8 minutes.

Momofuku Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies

On low speed, add in the dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together (in a little less than a minute).

Momofuku Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies

Add in the 3 cups of Cornflake Mix, chocolate chips, and marshmallows and mix just until incorporated—30 to 45 seconds.

Momofuku Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. With an ice cream scoop, place 1/3 cup of dough at a time onto the cookie sheet. Pat the tops of the dough domes flat. Wrap the pan(s) tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour (or up to 1 week). Room temperature cookies will not hold their shape in the oven.

Momofuku Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. On a parchment-lined cookie sheet, arrange chilled disks 4 inches apart. (I fit 6 per tray.)

Bake 13-18 minutes, until cookies are browned on the edges and beginning to turn brown in the centers. Cookies will puff, crackle, and spread.

Momofuku Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies

Cool cookies completely on the pan before moving them. Keep in an airtight container for up to five days, or freeze :)

Momofuku Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies

The marshmallows seemed to drift out to the sides and get crusty, so the next time I make these, I may reserve the marshmallows for the end, and stuff them in the center of the dough so that they don’t get lost in the cookie.

Momofuku Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies

The Momofuku Milk Bar website has many other recipes as well (from their cookbook). I might have to try the “Compost Cookies” soon—which include pretzels, potato chips, coffee grounds, butterscotch, graham, and chocolate chips! I just heard that Target started carrying Momofuku cookie mixes!

When they get to be a little too crunchy, just pop them in the microwave for 20 seconds, and they’ll taste like they’re warm out of the oven again!

Enjoy!

Friday, April 24, 2015

Friday Favorites



I am not sure where the time is going, but it’s Friday again! I’ve been busy chasing around the boys all the week, and I am ready for the weekend!!


My favorite moment this week was when this beautiful boy took his nap on my chest on Sunday. Church mornings aren’t always easy for him. On most days, Ephraim’s morning nap starts at 11, which is exactly when our service starts. On Sunday, I had tried to get him to nap earlier, but he just played in his crib. Needless to say, after playing hard in the nursery, he was tired at 12:30 when we were leaving church. We stopped at Subway to pick up sandwiches and take them to my in-laws’ house. Ephraim got cozy and fell asleep in the car at the Subway. When he got to my in-laws’, I took him out of his carseat, fully expecting him to wake up, but he didn’t! I sat down on the couch with him, and he stayed asleep for an hour. It. Was. Wonderful. I really miss the days that he took all of his naps on me. There’s just something about holding your baby when they’re calm and peaceful. My boys never stop otherwise! :)



My favorite post this week was sharing how these two cuties got their names! Don’t they look like brothers when they’re split-screened like this? Steve and I think that Nolan has my eye color with Steve’s eyelids and eye shape. And we think Ephraim has Steve’s light eyes and my eye shape!  Aren’t genetics cool? ;)


If you missed yesterday’s post, I’m giving away a copy of Christy Nockels’ brand new worship album, “Let It Be Jesus”!  I’ve really enjoyed listening to it this week, and I know you will too! She has a beautiful voice and an incredible love for Jesus.


Our daffodils and forsythia are in full bloom, and I am loving that I have flowers to fill my vases! Just this week, the green buds showed up on the trees, and we were all a little bit happier!

Until. . . Wednesday. . . and we got SNOW!

I tried to ignore it, but then it snowed all day yesterday too! I sure hope it melts today!



But my very favorite part of spring so far has been this little mama:



Mama Robin decided to make her nest about two feet from my computer desk! I have been watching her come and go for several days now, and I am so excited to watch her in the next couple of weeks as she waits for her eggs to hatch. I’m hoping I’ll get some glimpses of her babies too! She isn’t entirely keen on me watching her through the window from such a close vantage point, but I think she’s pretty set on staying in her nest. I have been studying up on robins, and I think that the older I get, the more I am fascinated with nature and how well God created all living creatures!



My favorite part about Fridays? Friday night pizza! My mouth is watering already.

And then maybe we can follow it up with a little of this:



I’m hoping that you all have an amazing weekend! Catch you on Monday? :)

Follow along with me on Instagram! @floralandfudge

Linking up for Friday Favorites with Erika, Andrea, & Narci.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Our Boys’ Names

 



I have absolutely LOVED naming both of our boys. What a privilege to be able to choose the NAME of a new little person! Stephen and I found out that Nolan was going to be a boy in May 2011. We were completely open to having a boy or a girl, but at that point in the pregnancy, we had only decided on a girl’s name. That summer, I made lists of boys’ names, and Stephen would cross out and veto the ones that he didn’t like. Eventually, the last name on the list was Nolan—and we both loved it! We didn’t know anyone with the name Nolan—so it was a brand new name to us, not associated with any memory or negative thought. It was perfect for our baby boy. We didn’t give him the name because of its meaning, but for trivia’s sake, Nolan means “famous”, “renowned”, and in some languages “champion” or “chariot-fighter”. :)

As for Bruce, Nolan’s middle name was my dad’s name. My dad passed away when he was thirty-three from cancer (when I was almost four). It makes me so happy that my dad’s grandson can carry on a piece of his legacy!

We kept Nolan Bruce’s name a secret until after he was born. He was the first one that we told :)





Again, at the time of our gender ultrasound, Stephen and I had a beautiful girl’s name picked out, but we were told that we were having a second baby boy! For a couple of months, I didn’t know how I was going to pick a name that I liked as much as Nolan’s. We had some criteria for the new name. We wanted it to start with a different letter than S, R, or N. It needed to be two syllables like the rest of our names. We didn’t want it to end in the letter “n” like Stephen and Nolan. And I am pretty adamant about choosing names that aren’t on the Top-Ten-Most-Popular List.

I can’t remember when I first pitched the name Ephraim, but Stephen was immediately on board. I get asked about his name quite a bit, since it’s definitely an older name that people don’t hear often. There are several things we like about it:

1. Ephraim means “Fruitful”.

2. It’s Biblical.  Ephraim is Joseph’s second son. (This also makes him Rachel’s grandson.) Genesis 41:52: “The second son he named Ephraim and said, ‘It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.’” Even though Manasseh was the firstborn son, Joseph shook things up by giving Ephraim the birthright. The name Ephraim went on to be the title of one of the half-tribes of Israel.

3. We like that Ephraim has a “ph” in it, like Stephen. I insisted that it had to be pronounced “EE-frem” instead of “F-rem” because Stephen has an E sound, too. I wanted to give him the nickname “E”—from the first syllable. And I like the sound of it so much better!

4. It reminds me of Ephraim, Wisconsin—a quaint beach town in beautiful Door County, Wisconsin where my grandparents lived when I was growing up. (They lived in the town of Gills Rock though, which wouldn’t make for a great name ;)  I can’t wait to take Ephraim up there someday on a vacation!

There’s no real story for “Luke”—but it has been on my baby boy name list since high school :) It means “Light-giving”, and it makes for the perfect middle name for little Ephraim. We waited until he was born before we announced his name, too. :)


There you have it! How did you name your babies? I’d love to hear in the comments :)

 

Linking up with Andrea today!

Friday, April 17, 2015

Friday Favorites



I have so much fun writing my Friday Favorites posts! I love looking back on the week and piecing together my favorite stories, moments, recipes, and any other miscellaneous things that are too good not to share! We have had a great week, and now that it’s Friday, we are worn out and ready for the weekend! Sometimes as parents, weekends seem just like every other day of the week as they start out with a 6 or 7 am wake-up call. But here’s to hoping that this weekend is slower, more relaxing, and fun, of course!


One of my favorite moments of the week: On Saturday, we were at our friend Scarlett’s first birthday party. The older kids were excited to go outside and play, even though it was pretty chilly. Steve went out with Nolan so he didn’t wander off into the woods. When I peeked outside at them, I saw this scene, and my heart melted! Nolan was up to bat for the first time using a stick from the woods. Nolan got his first hit ever—and off of a professional baseball player no less (my friend Nikki’s husband Josh)!



I am loving my new “Sinful” nail colors! Yesterday, I did a post all about nail polish techniques and tricks. It’s hard to get polish to stay on while running around with two little kids, so I gave some tips that I use to get a lasting at-home manicure. Astleigh and I also did an Every Girl Link-Up yesterday, so there are some other great nail polish posts to check out!


This has been my FAVORITE week weather-wise. On Monday, it was 75 degrees and heavenly! We haven’t had much rain, it’s been sunny nearly every day, and I have officially broken out the sandals. I definitely missed the ease and comfort of sandals! I posted this particular outfit on Wednesday, if you missed it. :)

The boys have spent some good hours in the backyard, and Ephraim now throws fits when he has to come inside!



Those knees kill me!! ;)
4

Pannekoek

Last night, I made one of our favorite breakfast-for-dinner meals! Oven Pancake (or Pannekoek) is so delicious, and my boys shovel it down!

This is all you do:

Preheat the oven to 425. Melt 6 Tablespoons of butter in a 13x9-inch glass pan for a couple of minutes while the oven is heating up. Mix 6 eggs, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of flour, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt with a fork until blended. (There will be lumps). Pour the batter into the 13x9, over the butter.

Bake for 25 minutes, then sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar! Serve with syrup and fresh fruit if you have it!

The sides rise up (and sometimes the middle), but this is okay. They’ll relax. :)


Ephraim has a favorite song. . . It’s “My Lighthouse” by Rend Collective. We have listened to it every day for months—and it makes him so happy! Several times a day, he will clap to signal to me that he wants to listen to his song. 

I was having the worst time getting E to lay down on his back to get his diaper changed. Tired of fighting him, I decided to play “My Lighthouse” on my phone every time I needed to change him. It has been working like a charm! He lays there calmly and claps to the music! Totally adorable. Even though I’m quite tired of the song, I would do anything to make this boy happy!
IMG_5254

I found one of my favorite quotes on a journal at TJ Maxx yesterday! Isn’t it so true?

“I believe in Christ, like I believe in the sun, not because I can see it, but by it I can see everything else.” C.S. Lewis.
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The other night, we were watching a Candace Cameron Bure film called, “Finding Normal”. I LOVE Candace, and I thought the movie was a super cute romantic comedy—perfect for a Saturday night at home! It definitely had a “Sweet Home Alabama” vibe, where a self-centered city girl meets a selfless country boy and starts to see life in a whole new perspective.

I want to give you the chance to see this movie—and many other faith-based films as well!

Have you heard of “gMovies”? Think Christian Netflix—streaming movies at home with faith and family-friendly content.

I want to offer one reader a 6-month free subscription to gMovies!

Why gMovies?

—Instant access to over 300 hundreds Christian movies and TV shows with new titles added monthly
—The whole family can enjoy a variety of entertainment including Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Drama, Documentaries, Thrillers and more
—Stream from your iPad, Android, or PC. It’s also available on DISH.
—Only $4.99/month (obviously, for YOU it’s FREE)
—No contract; cancel anytime
—Powered by UP, American’s favorite TV network for uplifting entertainment



If you would like to try gMovies for FREE for two weeks—enter the code below on their site!

1. https://vod.gmovies.com/gmovies/secure/signup?productid=38

2. enter code: FREETRIAL42

These are the next three movies that Steve and I will be watching on gMovies: “Amazing Love” with Sean Astin, “Far From Home” with Barry Watson, and the documentary, “The Road to Emmaus, PA”.




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Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Must live in US or Canada.”


HAVE A FABULOUS WEEKEND!

fri faves 4-171

Follow along with me on Instagram! @floralandfudge

Linking up for Friday Favorites with Erika, Andrea, & Narci.

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