Days 22-29

22. So, I forgot to take a picture on the 22nd, but I posted this on FB recently so enjoy 16 year old me versus 22 year old me. The funny thing is I weigh the same in both these pictures, but I look like I've lost weight. I'm totally cool with that.

23. Living in an apartment has its perks. Like finding good condition furniture out by the dumpsters. We got a desk (where my sewing machine and computer we got from my MIL will live) so I needed a desk chair. This is the $20 Wal-Mart special, haha. Luckily my husband put it together and I didn't even have to "help".

24. This is my hair. Normally I straighten it and sometimes I'll wear it with it's natural curl. Unfortunately with the cold weather and heater on a lot of the time it's ridiculously static-y. This is what it looks like when I've brushed it out to straighten it.

25. Quinn didn't have a special outfit to go home from the hospital in, but when I was born I had the whole to-do. The bonnet she's wearing was mine. I sent a picture to my mom and she started crying. It was adorable.

26. An attempt at a family portrait. Quinn was not having it, haha. I'm very rarely in pictures since I'm the one taking them, so you'll almost always see me with the "Myspace angle".

27. Does anyone else find this obnoxious? The huge tires, the metal thing on top (what is that even for?). Also, it's on an F-150 so the tires outweigh the truck. Ugh.

28. My mom and baby girl :D The whole family went over to my older sister's house to celebrate my mom's birthday. She's been eating healthy and loves breakfast so I made a healthy apple cake and my sister made an egg white casserole and fruit salsa. After dinner Brenda, my mom, and I went to a Premier Jewelry (and chocolate!) party at a neighbor's house. All in all it was a pretty fun night.

29. While I was putting Quinn down for her nap she started sucking on my shirt so I put her down to go make a bottle. When I got back with the bottle, she was fully asleep, but sucking on her hand. It was precious. I love my baby girl.

P4P

I don't know if anybody from the Wichita area reads this, but if you are you should know about Paxten. For those of you who don't know, Baby Paxten was a little girl at my church (couldn't be more than two) who has had leukemia since she was 9 months old. We've been fervently praying for her in my Sunday school class ever since. A few hours ago she went to be with God. Her mother is strongly on my mind. I cannot imagine what it feels like to lose a child and all I want to do is squeeze Quinn and never let her go. I'm writing this to just remind you that when your loved ones are doing something to annoy you or they aren't doing things the "right" way, just remember that there's no guarantee that they, or you, will still be here tomorrow.

I'll be praying extra hard for all the little ones in my life tonight. And especially hard for Paxten's mommy and daddy.

These Are My Confessions

Yes, you now have an Usher song stuck in your head. Ha!
I'm linking up with Alyx at Every Day is a New Adventure for Sunday confessions. I tried to make a Catholic joke here, but it just wasn't working out. Imagine a hilarious joke, please.

1. I only own one pair of leggings so sometimes I'll wear them more than one day in a row. Provided I can manage to not get spit-up on them. They're just so dang comfy.

Out of stock :( That's why I only have one pair.

2. Unless we have somewhere to go, Quinn stays in her pajamas until she spits up or otherwise gets them messy. I'm not wasting a super cute outfit on just myself.

Carter's has the cutest pjs.

3. Sometimes to "get back" at my husband not changing the toilet paper I won't change it either. As a strike or something. This always backfires on me because then he just keeps not changing it, so I finally change it. I really should just change it in the first place.

4. My feet are always cold, but I don't like wearing just socks. Often, I will sneak them under my husband. Either under his bum while he's sitting on the couch or, if I'm feeling devilish, under his shirt. He's always so warm!

5. I'm having a hard time coming up with confessions. I'm going to be taking notes this week to prepare for next week's post, haha.

Messy Mom Monday Numero Uno

Linking up with Jess from Dude and Sweets today for a little peek into reality.

Just to the right of this picture is the desk that is also covered in stuff. Receipts, change, and cups.

That desk is a new addition (found by the dumpster, score!) so I can finally have my computer and sewing machine up, but it causes space issues.

My tiny laundry room. One of the few storage spaces we have in this tiny apartment and it got filled up QUICK.

And Quinn's room. Disclaimer: She cannot crawl yet so the cords do not pose a hazard. However, since she's recently started rolling over all willy nilly they're number one on the list of things to move.

Ugh. I think I have to spend today cleaning now that I've shared this. I'd just rather read blogs and play with my baby, okay?

Days 17-21

Well, I was planning on having blog posts that were more than just Project 366. Unfortunately, there's really nothing going on right now. Well, nothing worth writing about anyway. Onto the pictures.

17. We FINALLY got Quinn to sleep in her pack'n'play. She still has some troubles getting to sleep, but it's working. For four and a half months she slept on my chest while I slept on the couch. I'm so freaking excited to be sleeping in a bed again, it's kind of insane.

18. This was my mish mosh of a lunch. I was lazy and didn't want to actually prepare anything. Avocado with pepper by itself is pretty good, but I got way too much cheese and didn't eat it all. Mmmm, mozzarella.

19. This is a cellphone picture so the quality may not be great. We were shopping and Quinn got tired of sitting in the stroller then got tired of being in the carrier, but we were almost leaving so I just put her on my hip. Next thing I know she's knocked out while I'm holding her like this. It was adorable and hilarious.

20. While putting Quinn to sleep I saw these bears. They were our toppers on our wedding cake. Interesting fact: they came from the Dollar Tree. BAM.

21. I made fried chicken nuggets for dinner. And scalloped potatoes. It was pretty good if I do say so myself.

Days 10-16

10. Quinn and I went over to my older (step)sister's house. She has a two year old girl and a son that's 10 weeks younger than my daughter. We played and hung out. Chloe is the most adorable toddler ever. I absolutely adore her. Here she is trying to decide which toys each of the babies can play with.

11. This is a rare picture of Quinn completely zonked out and on her back. And you can catch a glimpse of my (very) painful eye infection. This is the second time that's happened and the second time I've had to go to TWO doctor's to actually get a prescription. Next time I'm just going to walk in and tell them what to give me.

12. Quinn likes playing peek-a-boo, but only on her terms. And unfortunately she usually plays with a used burp rag. I guess that's my fault for leaving them within her grasp.

13. Chloe's birthday was last week and her party was the 15th and this is how I wrapped her book. I only had Christmas paper and baby shower giftbags so it got wrapped with tissue paper. And I made the elephant card. I was feeling creative I guess, haha.

14. My poor Saints lost :( This picture was taken when I was pretty dang sure they were going to win. Oh well. There's always next year. I really want to get Baby Girl a Saints jersey (and her dad wants a Cowboys one), but they're so dang expensive! I guess I need to start hitting up E-Bay now for a toddler size jersey.

15. Chloe's party table! Red velvet and vanilla cupcakes, pink Whoppers, and Valentine's day M'n'M's. It was hectic, but fun. Toddlers are the cutest because they still don't quite understand what a birthday party is.

16. My (not so) little brother and I went and saw Sherlock Holmes today while my mom babysat Quinn (for the first time she's ever been babysat!!!) and worked on getting her to sleep in her pack'n'play. It worked and she still loved Nana when she woke up, haha!

Days 6-9

6. J and I did some hardcore cleaning last weekend. This is our bedroom in the middle of it. Oddly enough, this is cleaner than it was when we started. I still need to clean off the dresser and go through the bookshelf, but the closet looks amazing compared to before. And the bed is actually made, haha.

7. I had grilled cheese, applesauce, and milk for lunch. I felt like a little kid, except for the fact that I had used Colby Jack on my sammich instead of American. It was a nice, lazy day.

8. I got my craft on. I have no idea what sparked it (could possibly be the plethora of crafty blogs I've found lately...) but I decided to cover old formula cans with scrapbooking paper and ribbon. They turned out pretty cute and are great for travel and keeping office supplies in.

9. Since it's been in the 50s (in JANUARY!) Baby Girl and I went on a walk. This is near where we live. HUGE field and small housing area. Behind me (from the picture's perspective) is another housing development in the works. It's a nice area to walk in except the sidewalks kind of suck.

Tasteful Tuesday: Sunken Apple Cake

(originally called Versunkener Apfelkuchen, but I don't speak German)

Ingredients

Cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tb baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup milk
• 8 medium (about 3 lbs) cooking apples, cored and diced (peeling is optional)

Glaze (optional)

• 1 cup powdered sugar or 1/2 cup powdered sugar plus 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract
• 1 to 2 Tb milk

*Note: I didn't peel my apples and it was just fine, however I didn't dice them I just sliced them. It'd be a lot easier to eat if they were diced, but I missed that part when reading the instructions the first time. Also, I used the glaze with vanilla extract and it was good, but Alyx prefers it with a cinnamon/sugar mixture on top instead and I'm sure that'd be just as yummy.

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10" Bundt pan or 9x13" pan. 
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl beat the butter until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually add the sugar to the butter and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the flour mixture and milk.
3. Beat the egg whites on low speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high and beat until stiff but not dry. Fold 1/4 of the whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining whites.
4. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Spread with half of the apples. Top with remaining batter, then the remaining apples.
5. Bake until golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then transfer to a rack and let cool completely.
6. To make the glaze, if using: Combine all the glaze ingredients, stirring until smooth and of pouring consistency. Drizzle over the cake and let stand until set.

*Notes: 

It also says you can use a kugelhopf, but I have NO idea what that is.

I halved the recipe (2 eggs, since you can't really halve an egg) and used a smaller pan. Cooked for about 45 minutes, I just kept checking it. It turned out great.

The butter being softened is REALLY important.

If you've never beat egg whites before, don't worry like I did. It's not difficult.

And now, the best part of recipe posts, pictures!

(I am not a photographer by any means and the cake is beige so these pictures don't look fab, but I promise it's delicious!)

Even my almost 2 year old niece (her birthday's tomorrow! Happy birthday Cee Cee!) liked it and if a toddler likes it then it's gotta be good, right?

Also, which is a better title: Tasteful Tuesdays or Breenah Bakes? Even though it won't always be baking... Hmmm....

ETA: I think I'm gonna go with Breenah Bakes (And Sometimes Cooks). I'm fancy, huh?

All About Alyx

Today I'm telling you about a giveaway by my friend (and not just bloggy friend, I've known her since high school) Alyx's blog Every Day is a New Adventure. She's reached 200 followers (only a little more than me, haha) and she's giving away quite a bit of cool things. So head on over there and check it out!

Also from Alyx is a recipe for Versunkener Apfelkuchen, which translated to Sunken Apple Cake. I'm posting it tomorrow to introduce a new weekly post called Tasteful Tuesdays. I'm actually doing a real blog thing! Now I've got to go finish making the Versunkener Apfelkuchen (which I'm probably not pronouncing correctly) and it's looking goooood.

It's Actually Project 366 Silly Leap Year

2. I snuck this one of J playing his Star Wars game. He doesn't appreciate my running commentary, but I think I'm pretty dang funny.

3. I know I said I was gonna try to get some non-baby ones, but the next three feature her. What can I say? She's pretty much my whole day at this point. But she's cute, so it's okay. This is her with a monkey from Nana. I love how it looks like she's actually talking to him. However, she threw him aside right after this picture.

4. I'm in love with this picture I took of her, I just wish she was wearing a cuter onesie. I'm in no way a photographer. All I have is a simple point and shoot Nikon, but sometimes I get lucky.

5. I rarely get pictures of myself since I'm always the one taking pictures and when my step-dad takes pictures, I never see them because he never uploads them to email to me. And he's one of those sane people who doesn't have Facebook. Anyway, what I'm getting at is this is the kind of picture you'll see of me. I took it "myspace style" because it's easiest. You get the added benefit of baby hands all over me. She loves touching my face.

Beginnings of Project 365

I didn't update as much as I would have liked in 2011, but most of the time it's because I didn't feel like I could convey my thoughts into words. Something wrong with the train from brain to fingers, I guess.
Then Quinn came along and it became too difficult for me to think let alone blog. She's four months old now and doing  better about not being held all the (freaking) time, so I'm planning on trying to blog more. I'm going to start that by attempting Project 365. One photo a day for the entire year. I don't think I'll update every day, so there may be five or so photos in one post, but I'll definitely be taking at least one picture a day. I'm also going to try to not have them ALL be baby related. However, the first picture is going to be, of course.

Most baby books recommend having someone stay and help you for the first three months post-partum. I don't think most baby books understand the lives of most people. My mom works full time (mostly to provide insurance for the family) so she wasn't able to take more than a couple days off of work. She also lives about 35 miles away, which isn't as far as some, but it's much too far for us. And travel takes up at least an hour so she doesn't get up here as much as she'd like. Today she came up after church and cleaned our kitchen. Of course she had to take some time to play with her granddaughter. I'm hoping this is a good omen of things to come in 2012. Happy times with my mom and daughter (and husband too!).