blissfullykruse

Sunday, October 30, 2011

LONG overdue POST...

I realized today that it's been over a month since I've posted, so here are some updates on what we've been up to over the past month, our off- and- running- fourteen-month old, and our latest happenings!

We have been to two weddings in October...Spencer's cousin John married Courtney in Ft. Wayne and my sister Annie married Ryan here in Indy. We were so honored to all be a part of my sister's wedding and couldn't be happier for all of the newlyweds. We have the greatest family, and if I do say so myself, the most precious flowergirl ever!

Photos taken by grandpa Kruse's barn, after J & C's ceremony...

Dancing with Uncle Q at the reception

Brandon and Kaleah

Grandma and very tired Jaycee

Great-looking families!

Claire is officially a toddler, now walking and nearly running everywhere. She is also quite the chatterbox...she can say: daddy, momma, eeeceee (Lucy), baaauuw (ball), shoe, baaa (sheep), naaay (horse), ooooh oooh (owl and monkey) and nigh nigh, and can point to her hair, eyes, ears, nose and sometimes her belly button, depending on her mood. She also points to everything and says "iss ahhh?"- very inquisitive, sneaky, and perfect! We have finally reached the 20-pound mark (barely!) and getting taller by the second. We are amazed everyday with how quick she learns and all that that little brain can remember! She doesn't miss a thing....

All laundry is a "hat" She gets this from her Aunt Annie!

Bounce house was a big hit at cousin Kaleah's party! Happy 2nd birthday, sweet girl!!

Emme showing CE how it's done!

So with October comes pumpkins, leaves, hayrides, leaves and did I mention leaves?? We love that we have over 40 trees on our lot (and CE absolutely loves them), but the raking...well, it's quite the ordeal. With a leaf blower, a rake (or 3!) and a chipper, Spencer pretty much has it down to a science this year!

Maybe my favorite photo, ever.

Stay tuned for our future posts regarding our latest DIY project ideas....watch out, master bathroom, here we come!!

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Thursday, September 29, 2011

{What We're Eating}

I love this recipe because it's lowfat, high in fiber and super healthy, but very low in fat. Plus, a great way to sneak in those fruits and veggies! Deeeeelish on a crisp fall morning...

Harvest Bread

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole grain flour (you could use 1 cup of either, but I like the mixture)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 medium zucchini, grated
1 medium carrot, grated
1 apple, peeled and grated
1 Tbsp honey
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first 5 dry ingredients in a large bowl. In smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, honey and milk, then fold in the zucchini, carrot and apple. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until combined. Pour into greased loaf pan (either one large or two small), top with nuts and bake for 35-40 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Enjoy!

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Sunday, September 25, 2011

Lovuhhhhh

Oh, how I love this beautiful ~~baby~~ toddler.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Fabric freak

I'm super pumped to get started on my next sewing project...especially since I bought the most adorable (and sophisticated) designer fabrics a few weeks ago. A combo of Amy Butler, Alexander Henry and Anna Griffin prints will hopefully be transformed into something like this:

...from this adorable etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/people/blumoondesign?ref=ls_profile

and/or this:

from this etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/DressReHERSal?ref=seller_info

I've practiced the ruffle pants for Claire's birthday outfit, but have some adjustments to make for attempt #2.

Wish me luck!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

{What We're Eating}

I made this lasagna for the first time last weekend for my sister's couple's shower, and I have to say, it was a huge hit. It was easy, and there's a lot of ways to make it healthy(ish)!!

Spinach Alfredo Lasagna
1 package whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained of juices (I just squeeze it over a strainer)
1 jar light Alfredo sauce + 3 Tbsp flour, mixed well (The jarred sauce tends to be pretty thin)
1 egg
1 cup light cottage cheese
1 cup light ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded (or grated) parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil noodles for about 8-9 minutes, until al dente and strain. In a bowl, mix together cottage and ricotta cheese, spinach, and egg. In the bottom of a greased (aka, cooking sprayed!) 9 x 13 baking dish, begin layering ingredients, starting with a small amount of alfredo sauce, then noodles, then cottage cheese mixture, followed by mozzarella cheese. Layer until all ingredients are gone and ending with mozzerella and parmasan cheeses on top. Bake for 45 minutes or until cheeses are golden brown on top. Enjoy!