Five on Friday!

Earlier this week I shared some fantastic news on Instagram. For all of you who have been praying alongside of us, I just want to let you know that the Lord has heard our prayers and answered in the form of a miracle! On Tuesday Dad went in for his third round of chemo and the doctor went over the results of his recent CAT scan. The tumor in his lungs has shrunk from 6.7 to 2.4. This is truly the very best news we could have received - an answer to prayer. We still have a long way to go but we are incredibly thankful that dad has been feeling great (embracing the shaved head!) and are all so optimistic that we are all going to get past this. So I want to thank you all for your continued prayers and for not forgetting about us during this time. Please don't let us fall of your prayer list. We are so thankful for you!

For those of you who are new, you can catch up on this journey (here).

We have a really busy, exciting weekend ahead! On Saturday night we will be attending the 4th Annual Casino Night benefiting the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte. Matt's firm is sponsoring the event and we are so excited for a fancy night out! Also on the books is my favorite consignment sale of the year which we will be getting up bright and early for tomorrow. Then on Sunday my sister arrives for a few days!

I guess we should get on to the Five on Friday, right? Now that we are officially into March I have spring on my mind...

- ONE - Last weekend I crawled into the attic and pulled down some spring stuff, including Caroline's Easter basket! I cannot wait to fill her basket up with goodies this year. Earlier this week I dropped by the dollar spot at Target and hit jackpot for Easter basket items too! I know it's early for shopping but I couldn't pass up the deal so I grabbed some sunglasses, a plate, sippy cup, bunny ears, bubbles and more! Now all I need is to add a few snacks and some Easter books! Here are a few of the books I'm deciding between for Caroline...

Duck & Goose, Here Comes the Easter Bunny // The Berenstain Bears and The Easter Story // Guess How Much I Love You // God Gave Us Easter // Happy Easter, Mouse // The Donkey Who Carried a King // Llama Llama Easter Egg // The Runaway Bunny // The Easter Story

- TWO - Speaking of Easter, every year I whip up THE BEST CARROT CAKE EVER. No really, it is the BEST. It's a lot of work but so worth it. Anyway, I cannot wait to make this cake soon. You can find the recipe (here).

 - THREE - One of my favorite springtime activities planting tons of new flowers, plants and my herb garden! I am really hoping our hydrangeas we planted last year are going to pull through and bloom this year.

- FOUR - Time to put away the dark polishes and bust out the light pinks! I love springy manicures! Lucky, Lucky Lavender is one of my favorite OPI colors for spring.

- FIVE - I am anxiously trying to use up the last of my fall hand soaps and candles so I can get to my favorite fresh scents of the season.

Wanna join Darci, April, Natasha and I on the Friday fun? You can link-up on any of our four blogs every Friday! All you have to do is...

1.) Write your post about five things you're lovin' this week (or any five things you want to share!).

2.) Share the logo on your blog and link back. 

3.) Link-up at the bottom of the post so some new readers can check out your five things and say hello!

Favorite Homemade Baby Food Purees

Caroline is a garbage disposal these days when it comes to food. If she sees you eating something, she grabs for it. There are very few foods she dislikes and thankfully she's not a picky eater (yet). She's mostly on table food now but we still send a container or two of pureed foods with her to daycare as well.

Anyway, I noticed as her appetite picked up so did our grocery bill. I was spending upwards of $50 a week on organic squeeze packets of food for her until finally I threw in the towel and decided to make it myself. I started with cubes of single fruits and vegetables purees and experimented mixing them into different combinations until I found what she loved the most.

A few of Caroline's favorite purees these days include Sweet Potato, Apple & Corn Puree, Blueberry & Chickpea Puree and Butternut Squash, Apple & Carrot Puree.

Before I jump into recipes, a few items necessary for making baby food include a good blender (I use the Ninja blender found here), ice cube trays (here), freezer bags and tape for labeling.

As for my shopping list, I purchase all my groceries from Harris Teeter (out of convenience) but recommend stocking up on the frozen food from cheaper places if you don't mind making an additional trip. You can also save money by purchasing the butternut squash and sweet potatoes whole and washing/peeling/dicing them yourself...but I've found the extra few bucks is well worth the time saved! Total cost for my ingredients is usually around $20 (or less if items are on sale) and last me a few weeks.

 

Grocery Shopping List
1 Container Butternut Squash {washed, peeled, diced}
1 Container Sweet Potatoes {washed, peeled, diced}
1 Bag Gala Apples {washed, peeled, diced}
1 Bag Frozen Corn
2 10 oz Bags of Frozen Blueberries
3 Ripe Bananas
1 Bag Carrots {washed, peeled, baby cut}
1 29 oz Can Pumpkin
1 16 oz Can Chickpeas

Note: I purchase my fresh vegetables already peeled and diced with the exception of apples. I don't peel my apples to save time and my mini doesn't mind small pieces of skin in her purees.

Sweet Potato, Apple & Corn Puree
Wash, peel and dice sweet potatoes and apples. Boil apples until tender. Steam sweet potatoes until tender. Boil corner until no longer frozen. Mix desired amounts of each item into your blender (I use equal parts) and blend until pureed. You may need to add water (1 tbsp at a time) to reach desired consistency. Pour into labeled ice cube trays, placing a layer of wax paper in between trays and freeze. Run warm water over bottoms of trays to pop out the frozen cubes. Place in freezer bags and transfer labels from trays and add the date. When you're little is ready to eat, heat cubes in the microwave until warm and melted.

Blueberry & Chickpea Puree
Run frozen blueberries under warm water until thawed. Drain chickpeas. Mix desired amounts of each item into your blender and blend until pureed. You may need to add water (1 tbsp at a time) to reach desired consistency. Or, if too thin you can add baby oatmeal (1 tbsp at a time) until you reach desired consistency. Pour into labeled ice cube trays, placing a layer of wax paper in between trays and freeze. Run warm water over bottoms of trays to pop out the frozen cubes. Place in freezer bags and transfer labels from trays and add the date. When you're little is ready to eat, heat cubes in the microwave until warm and melted.

Butternut Squash, Apple & Carrot Puree 

Wash, peel and dice butternut squash, carrots and apples. Boil apples until tender. Steam squash until tender. Boil carrots until tender. Mix desired amounts of each item into your blender (I use equal parts) and blend until pureed. You may need to add water (1 tbsp at a time) to reach desired consistency. Pour into labeled ice cube trays, placing a layer of wax paper in between trays and freeze. Run warm water over bottoms of trays to pop out the frozen cubes. Place in freezer bags and transfer labels from trays and add the date. When you're little is ready to eat, heat cubes in the microwave until warm and melted.

Making Caroline's food takes me several hours on a Sunday afternoon but it is so much fresher and healthier for her. I can't believe it took me so long to kick the packets to the curb and home make her food. Truth be told, I was pretty intimidated by the whole process but once I jumped in I realized I kind of enjoyed it! It makes me a little sad that this will be our last batch of purees as Caroline has been showing less and less interest in them and prefers food she can feed herself now.

What is your mini's favorite puree combination?

Charlie is NINE!

Charlie is officially 63 dog years old! Saturday we celebrated.

In all honesty, these past 10 months have been rather rough on our fur baby as he's had a hard time adjusting to having a human sister and sharing our attention. Don't get me wrong, he is sweet to Caroline and we are very thankful that he's also very protective, but he really doesn't love her yet like we'd hoped. In fact, I think she kind of scares him. These days she comes barreling down the hallway after his furry tail and it freaks him out. He loves her most when she's sleeping.

Saturday afternoon we put the baby down for a nap and surprised Charlie with his favorite peanut butter birthday cake from Canine Cafe. His excitement was uncontainable and he ate his 4 inch cake in one large bite while we unsuccessfully chased him around trying to remove the doily from the bottom of it. Good times.

The Birthday Boy!

A few of my favorite photos of our furry boy..

Previous Birthday Pawties: Charlie Turns Eight {post} Charlie Turns Seven {post} Charlie Turns Six {post}