almond butter

yum is about the best word for it. I have a new favorite nut butter - almond butter! I don't know if it's any healthier than peanut butter, but it certainly is a tasty variation. Yesterday I spread it on apples and then sprinkled cinnamon on top. It was like a gourmet treat right from my own kitchen! Laina loved it, too.

5-Day Reset + Quinoa Recipe

Since I've had a couple requests to know how this went, I decided to post about it here. Last week I completed a 5-day cleanse called RESET and it really was great. I was a little skeptical at first but I did it and I'm so glad I did. It isn't a starvation cleanse or super colon cleanse or anything like that. It's designed to get your body in a totally healthy state and cleanse your body of unhealthy cravings for sugar and hi-glycemic foods. A "side effect" is weight loss, and even though I absolutely did not do it to lose weight, I still lost 5 lbs! Crazy.

In keeping with the healthfullness, tonight I made delicious Quinoa-stuffed tomatoes and I wanted to share the recipe:

1 cup Quinoa
2 cups water
pinch sea salt
2 Tbs olive oil
2 shallots, minced (I just used 1/2 small onion)
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 lb crimini mushrooms, minced
1/2 tsp whole fennel seeds, crushed
1/4 marsala wine
2 Tbs Tamari (or soy sauce)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro or basil (I used basil)
4 roasted tomatoes

Cook quinoa according to package directions (which is basically like rice, 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water w/pinch of salt, bring to boil, cover and simmer 15 mins or until water is all absorbed)

Saute shallots/onions in olive oil. Add mushrooms, dried basil and fennel seeds and saute until mushrooms are dark brown. Add cooked quinoa and mix well. Add marsala and tamari and mix well. Reduce heat and cover for a few minutes to let flavors mingle. Remove from heat and add fresh cilantro or basil and mix well. Fill roasted tomatoes and enjoy!

(To roast the tomatoes - cut off tops and scoop out a bit of the inner. Rub outside with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and roast on cookie sheet in 450 degree oven until slightly soft.) I way overcooked my tomatoes and they completely fell apart, so be sure to watch them!

Fall

It is cool today and really feeling like fall. The leaves are gorgeous red and orange and I absolutely love this change in seasons. I bought a couple pumpkins yesterday to put on the porch and today I bundled Laina up and took a brief stroll around the neighborhood to look at all the changing colors. I can't wait to make some hearty stews and warm soups and yummy pumpkin pie! I never realized how much I love fall until we moved to Colorado!

Laina got another tooth in the other day and a 5th one is barely cracking through now, too. She is constantly learning new things - her vocabulary is expanding exponentially of course, and she is starting to talk in (mostly) complete sentences. She also has learned to stand up all by herself in the middle of the room and balances standing all by herself for a few seconds. She is so proud of herself for doing this and then will flop back to the ground and do a little crawling strut all around the room. It's really pretty funny and we should probably get some video of it.

Laina also exclaims loudly "Daddy's home!" in the cutest high-pitched squeal I've ever heard every evening when Jay gets home from work.

Other things I am looking forward to this season are the long-awaited return of my favorite series, "24," the Twilight movie which comes out on Nov 21 (watch the final trailer for it on the Twilight Guy's blog), and having some time to read Stephen Lawhead's "Hood" which I picked up the other day and cannot wait to get into as Robin Hood is one of my all-time favorite stories and I'm anxious to hear it from Lawhead's perspective.

blog catch up

I've been so ridiculously busy lately that I haven't had time at all to update the blog. Well, here are some updates: Laina is a year and a half (wow!) and cute as ever with personality oozing from her pores, my craft fair came and went and wasn't too terribly exciting (probably sold just enough to cover my space rental, but I don't know for sure because my booth mate, Lauren, was keeping track of all things finance), we went to Lake Tahoe for my dear friend Heather's wedding, and I started a new at home business involving nutrition, supplements, and general health and wellness. I am still recovering from a long day at the craft fair yesterday, so that's about all the text I can type at the moment, now enjoy some pics from the aforementioned events:

Jay's self-portrait of us at the wedding

the gorgeous sunset the day of Heather's wedding

All the "barn girls" of the wedding

An absolutely beautiful ceremony overlooking Lake Tahoe from Sand Harbor

we stopped by my grandma's and aunt's on the way back to the Sacramento airport

Laina examining the sand at one of the beaches in Tahoe

the "b-i-i-i-i-i-i-g lake" as Laina calls it
(this is really Emerald Bay which actually is emerald color in real life, just not in our pictures)

my parents were gracious enough to
drive up to Tahoe for the weekend to watch Laina while we were at the wedding

Some of my dresses as we set up for the craft fair

Come visit me at my first craft fair!

Some of you have already gotten this info in an email, but I wanted to put it on the blog too for anyone who isn't on my email list:

Dear Friends and Family,

I am pleased to announce that Laina's Laundry will have a sales booth at the 37th Annual Friends Craft Fair in Littleton, CO, on October 4th, along with Stella Bini and Saxon Moss. Please stop by and say "hi", and take advantage of the coupon below for 20% off your total order. We'll be at booth #B20 from 9am-4pm. Shop early for the best selection! Please forward this post on to anyone else who might be interested! And, if you are unable to attend, check our websites for any remaining items after October 4th (see below for links).

The Friends Craft Fair, held in Ketring Park in Littleton, Colorado, is a large venue for over 300 sellers to showcase and sell their unique handmade items. So, besides getting some great baby and kids items from Stella Bini, Laina's Laundry, and Saxon Moss, you may find other great items for yourself or for gifts, as well.

Details:
Who - Stella Bini - bibs, burpies, blankets and "droolers" (www.stellabini.etsy.com)
Laina's Laundry - diapers, baby leg warmers, and baby dresses (www.lainaslaundry.etsy.com)
Saxon Moss - wooden toys and playscape puzzles
What - 37th Annual Friends Craft Fair (http://www.littletongov.org/museum/events/details.asp?ID=5)

When - Saturday, October 4th, 9am-4pm

Where - Booth B20, Ketring Park, Littleton, CO (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=6000+S.+Gallup+St.+Littleton+CO+80120+United+States)

Why - come support all things handmade and find great items for yourself or for gifts!

See you there!!!

~Jenna

Trip to CA - belated post

I was waiting to get these pics from everyone who took them while I was in California last month. I, of course, forgot the camera so didn't take any pictures myself. Anyways, Laina and I left Jay at home all alone and trekked to California to visit family and friends. We were gone for a week and we crammed a lot into that time! We stayed with my parents and visited with them and my brother who was over from Japan on summer break (he teaches English at a school there). Later in the trip his girlfriend, Kazu flew over too so we got to meet her as well and she is very sweet. My grandma Sally and aunt Nancy also flew down from Sacramento to visit with me and Laina!

We headed down to Orange County for a night to visit some friends. I wish we could have spent longer there and really wanted to visit our old church, Rock Harbor, but it just wasn't possible this trip. Hopefully next time!

On Sunday we had a wonderful dinner over at Grandma and Papa Hoskinson's, and Laina's aunt, uncle, and cousins came up to visit, too. It was so great to see everyone and Laina had a blast riding her cousins bikes.

On to the pics...

at breakfast with grandma Theresa, uncle Jesse, Great Aunt Nancy and Great Grandma Sally!

playing airplane with grandpa Ali

playing the piano with papa Hoskinson, cousin Kaity and cousin Conner

Reading with grandma Hoskinson and cousin Kylie

Cousin Kylie with Laina laughing at something apparently funny

Laina's dear cousin Kaity who she really adores and looks up to!

handsome uncle Jesse and beautiful Kazu

Hanging out with grandma Theresa

the adorable starving stray kitten that my parents found and rehabbed

swimming in grandpa and grandma Ali's pool

Cuddle time with uncle Jeff and cousin Conner

Getting some love from aunt Erin

Visit from Granma and Papa

We had a wonderful visit from the Hoskinson grandparents over the Labor Day weekend. Laina got a new bike and helmet which she absolutely loves (sorry no pics of that yet with our own camera). On Monday we took a hike in beautiful Castlewood Canyon which is so close and convenient it's a little ridiculous we don't go there more often!

It was so nice to have family visit and even take on babysitting a couple times. Jay and I got to go to church all by ourselves (Laina normally goes in the church nursery, but I never realized just how much extra time that takes to get her ready and out the door and then checked into nursery) and actually sit and listen to a sermon together for the first time in I can't remember how long (normally either Jay or I are serving in some capacity). Granma and Papa also watched Laina on Wednesday morning so I could go out riding which was so nice!

The day before they came, Jay actually found a baby bird in the front yard which he almost slaughtered with the lawnmower! We weren't sure if the mother was around, and it appeared to be hurt, so we ended up taking it to a wild bird rescue in Denver the next day. Laina loved the little yellow bird and when she saw it would say "awwww" and lean her head over to the side - it was soooo cute!

Laina really is developing such a cute little personality. I will have to catch some more video of her really hamming it up.