FINALLY! {Part One}

Well, after many years, we {FINALLY} have a baby! Back in January we adopted this little guy and we are SOOO in love!

Name: Sonny Liam Dominic Bargala-Krotzer 

We call him: Sonny or Liam

Birthdate: January 30, 2016

Time: 8:44pm

Weight: 6lbs 13oz

Height: 20 inches

                                                                                                                           

 This was Liam right after his birth. We arrived at the hospital a few minutes after he was born. He was born via C-section because there was a chance that there was meconium. Apparently, he couldn't wait to go poop until after he was born, so he did in utero and there is a chance that it could enter his lungs and turn to stone. So, they did a C-section to get him out.  

Since he was in the NICU, we couldn't stay at the hospital with him so after visiting with him for a few hours, and the birth mom for a few hours we headed home. We went back the next morning and the nurse came to meet us and said that they had to transfer him from Swedish in Ballard to Swedish on First Hill in Seattle (a few miles away) because his bilirubin had sky rocketed and the NICU at First Hill was better equipped to handle a serious case. 

So, the rhogam shot was ordered for the birth mom, but she received it only a couple hours before the birth so it didn't have any time to take affect. That meant that when he was born, her blood attacked his blood since she was RH- and he wasn't. When this happens, baby gets jaundiced really bad, and in this case, really, really bad. Normally they will put a baby under the lights when their bilirubin reaches an 8 or above and they start thinking about a blood transfusion when it reaches a 12. Well, little Liam's bilirubin reached 27 just hours after birth so he was transferred to Swedish at First Hill and was immediately given an IVIG (where they pump his blood out while pumping new blood in him) because his blood was so toxic. They also had him on the bili-bed, under 2 UV lights, and they wrapped his bed in tin foil to intensify the lights on him. The nurses were so nice here. We kept joking that it was his spaceship. One of the nurses actually drew a spaceship on his tin foil to make it his spaceship. 

He was like this for 4 days! All we could do was reach in and touch him. 

One day 3, I got to hold him for the first time, we sort of. They turned the lights off for 5 minutes to weigh him and feed him formula for the first time since he was on sugar water due to the IVIG. The nurse let me "pick him up" to zero out the scale. This was the first time I actually got to hold him! I was so excited! 

I was happy that Ron had his phone out to catch a picture of the moment, and that the scale was broken so I got to "pick him up" about 5 times before the scale worked. When he was under the lights he also had to wear the goggles to protect his eyes. This was also the first time we got to see his eyes since his eyes were closed when we first got to see him after he was born. 

He only was like this for a few minutes, but I enjoyed it so much as it was the first time we really got to see him and bond with him. Then it was back on with the goggles. But, I think he enjoyed the bonding too, because I held his hand later that day and he smiled. I was lucky to get a picture of that too. 

When he started eating bottles, we were able to turn the lights off for a few minutes and feed him. We cherished those moments because it was the only time we could see him and hold him. 

The nurses made this poster for Liam, and we loved it. He has been a great kicker since he was born, and we have joked that is the next kicker for the Seahawks, so this name poster is pretty accurate. It's blue and green and football themed. It is hanging up in his nursery now. 

Homemade Dog Treats

In May of 2014 we had the privilege of adopting an ADORABLE little dog.  We had lost our Campbell in March of 2014 and our cat, Sabi, in February of 2014. I wanted our next dog to be a smaller dog, but Ron wasn't convinced. At first. We went to an adoption fair in Puyallup and picked up this sweet girl. 

Meet Matilda! She is about 13 pounds of pure cuteness. She is adorable, lazy, loves balls that squeak, lazy, barks at everything, lazy, and loves fruit. Did I mention that she's lazy? More on that later because I have a recipe to write. 

We love Matilda. She has been ruling the yard, and her daddy since we brought her home. She is also a picky eater, and she doesn't eat that much. That was something I had to get used to. She hates Milkbones. When the UPS or FED EX drivers give her one, she buries it in the yard which attracts wild cats, which she then barks at. I still have an open box of Milkbones that I need to throw away or donate to the wild cats. I was tired of buying dog treats that she wouldn't like or she would eat a couple before she decided she didn't like them anymore, so I made some homemade.  I had intended on making these for years. Seriously. I mean years.  I bought these cookie cutters in November of 2012. I had intended on making them for Campbell, but I got self-absorbed with homework and housework that I never got around to it. 

The first thing you will do is preheat your oven for 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  

I used the 2nd smallest cookie cutter out of the bunch. They are a good size for our little dog and with this size the recipe yields roughly 70 treats. 

Did I mention that this recipe has only 4 ingredients? Well, it does.  It is super easy. I started and finished this recipe in under an hour. That's including making things more difficult than it has to be, which is our way of doing things around here. That's not always for the good, but this time it is. 

 In our house we don't buy whole wheat flour. We buy whole wheat and grind our flour fresh. Why? It's healthier, and way cheaper than buying it in the store. It makes the food taste way better too. 

You can skip this step if you buy your flour. The recipe calls for 3 cups of whole wheat flour. I ended up using kamut because it was open and needed to get used.

In my kitchen aid I added 2/3 cup pumpkin puree, 1/3 cup of peanut butter, and 2 eggs.  I beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Then I slowly added the 3 cups of flour and mixed just until it came together. I rolled the dough out and used my cookie cutter to shape the treats.  

I used a fork to poke holes in the dog treats. Why? Because. I honestly don't know why I did that. Don't do it if you don't feel like it. I am one of those people that takes pride in the presentation of my recipes. That's probably why I did it. My husband is the opposite. I would be surprised if they he actually used the cookie cutter. No, I'm not making fun of him. Trust me. We have an understanding. 

I baked the dog treats for 10 minutes in the oven, rotated them, then baked them for an additional 10 minutes. Note that if you use different sizes of cookie cutters, or any at all, the baking times may vary.

The end result. Matilda LOVES these treats! Pumpkin is actually good for them as it aides in digestion and helps with an upset stomach.  Veterinarian's have long been saying that adding pumpkin to a pets diet regularly can have many benefits. 




That's not why I made these dog treats. Yes, I care about what my dog eats, but I didn't make them because pumpkin is good for dogs. This is why:

PRINTABLE RECIPE: click here

Salted Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Wow.  That is all I can say.  When you try these delicious cookies you will be hooked.  I had to show some serious restraint to only eat two cookies.  Remember my New Year Resolution to lose weight?  There was a brief moment when I would have gladly thrown it out the window for another cookie...

Salted Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie

    2 cups all purpose flour

    ½ cup Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder

    1 teaspoon baking soda

    ½ teaspoon sea salt

    ¾ cup cold unsalted butter

    1 cup granulated sugar

    1 cu light or dark brown sugar

    ¾ cup peanut butter

    2 eggs

    2 teaspoons vanilla extract

    2 cups dark chocolate chips

    additional sea salt to sprinkle over cookie dough

Directions:

Beat together the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until creamy.

Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.

Mix in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt. Add chocolate chips.

Scoop out rounded tablespoons of dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle sea salt over top of the cookie dough.

Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet before transferring to wire rack.

All I can say is that these cookies are SOOO good!  They are the perfect combination of salty, chocolate, and peanut butter all in one cookie.  You will not be disappointed.  It is a miracle that I only had two cookies.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!  

Recipe Source:  http://www.somewhatsimple.com/salted-dark-chocolate-peanut-butter-cookies/

 

2013

I know it's the 8th of January and many people already have their New Year's resolutions already written out.  It took me forever to think of what I really wanted to accomplish this year.  I even debated if I wanted to have any resolutions this year.  After much thought here they are:

1) Lose weight.  I've been trying to eat healthy and exercising everyday, but nothing worked for me.  So, I changed it up a bit and have been doing good.  I've lost some weight, but I want to lose a lot more! 

2) Remodel our bathroom.  I know, it's been on my list for three years now, but this year it will get done!  It will.  We need a few more items then we will be ready to start the remodel.  I like to buy what we need in advance so it doesn't hurt our budget all at once. 

3) Of course I want to do well in my classes.  This quarter is going to be brutal, but I can do it. 

4)  This summer I want to reorganize our garage.  With all the remodeling, it got out of hand and needs to be cleaned out again.  We will be making many more trips to the Goodwill! 

5) I want to complete one craft each month.  I don't know what they will be, but I really enjoy making crafts for my home and I need to do things that make me happy. 

6)  And lastly, I want to get pregnant!  I know, I know, you're tired of hearing about it.  I'm tired of talking about it.  But, that doesn't change the fact that it is something I want more than anything.  I would love to prove the statistics and doctors wrong (and any other skeptics out there)!  I know that if I have faith in my heavenly father, he will bless us.  

That is about it for my resolutions.  Hopefully next January I will be able to check all six off my list!  Keep your fingers crossed, and PRAY! 

2012: Year in Review

First, I thought I would review my 2012 New Years resolutions to see how well I did.  I did get good grades in my classes, but I changed my major.  Because I changed my major I decided that it wouldn't be worth it to get certified as a CNA.  

We did remodel our kitchen!  

I just love how it turned out!  We not only remodeled the kitchen, we also remodeled the guest bedroom and the living room and all the flooring in between!  

We did not remodel our bedroom or bathroom so that will most likely be on the list for next year (for a third year in a row)...

Some of the events of 2012 that I forgot to post:

1) We built a wood shed out of recycled fence boards!  

 I just love how good it turned out!  It is now filled with firewood which puts us at ease.  If there is a power outage like the one in January, I know that my little family will be cozy and warm!  Heating a home on a generator is crazy!  It's so expensive and wasteful.  All we need a generator for is our freezer (every 4th day without power and our refrigerator (a few hours a day).  Maybe to charge our cell phone as well, but that's about it.  We already have a generator hooked up to our well so we have running water (albeit, cold water) which is wonderful!  This little shed is so cute and really helped us feel more prepared in case of an emergency.  

2)  We had an awesome ice storm in January!  It first started out as a snow storm.  We had about a foot of snow fall in one night.  It was so beautiful!!!

A tree in our yard weighed down by all the snow

Maple weighed down just outside our back door

The view outside my front door

Pine tree in our courtyard

In our courtyard

It was so beautiful until the next morning when it all turned to ice.  Then it was a pain.  We lost power for five days!  I did really well being without power for five days (Ron was in Texas) except I was so lonely at home!  Usually I had the TV on or music to help me feel like I wasn't alone, but without power I felt so alone all day long!  That was the only bad thing about the snow storm for me.

3) Ross, Desirae and Anabell came up to visit for awhile.  I really needed some sister time.  I miss her tons!  And, Anabell too!  I really needed that visit.  I'm hoping that this next year I can fly down there to visit them.  We will see if tickets go on sale.  Keep your fingers crossed!

4) 2012 also brought some not-so-good news.  We were officially diagnosed with infertility.  We had been hoping for a little one since we got married, but found out that there is a greater possibility that we will not be able to have our own children.  There is still a possibility, but a very small one.  That was hard to hear and it is still hard to deal with.  It's a day to day struggle, but we seem to be managing.  After five failed treatments we needed to take a break.  This Christmas was the hardest by far.  I wanted no part in the holiday.  I didn't want to visit family, or anything.  I just wanted to hide away.  We didn't do that.  We forced ourselves to put a smile on our face walk out the door.  We will see if there are any little miracles in 2013.  We hope so more than anything!!  But, we are also very cautious to have hope.  The last failed treatment just about devastated us.  All we can do it take it one day at a time, one hour at a time. 

Here's to 2013 and to all of the good things that will happen, the trials that we will endure, and anything else that gets thrown at us! 

Happy Anniversary!

Yesterday, December 30, Ron and I celebrated our fourth anniversary!  I can't believe that it's been four years, and yet, I can't believe that it's only been four years.  We kept saying that it felt like we've always been married.  That's a good thing, right?  

We started off the day with homemade waffles from Ron's new waffle maker that I got him for Christmas.  

The waffles turned out to be so delicious!

After breakfast we played video games for a while then headed out to go to dinner and movie.  We went to Red Robin for dinner.  It was so good!  I've never finished a burger at Red Robin until yesterday.  I had eaten only one waffle for breakfast so I was pretty hungry!  We sat in the bar area while we ate lunch so we could watch the game.  Once the Seahawks won, we went to Barnes and Noble and walked around for a bit since we had plenty of time before the movie.  We ended up buying a 2013 calendar to hang up in our dining room that was on clearance for half off!  Not bad.  

We went to go see Cirque Du Soliel's new movie "World's Away" that is in theaters.  We had gotten some movie tickets for Christmas so we were excited to be able to go see it!  It was in 3D which was worth it.  As good as it was, going to see them in person is that much better!  One of our Christmas gifts for each other was tickets to see the "Amaluna" show in February.  We are so excited because they sell out of tickets so fast and we managed to get two and, BONUS, we received a military discount!  I am so looking forward to going!  This will be their fourth show that we've seen in person!  One show for every year we've been married.  

 

This is the video of the show in February that we are going to.  

We had a wonderful anniversary!  It was made that much more wonderful because we didn't have to pay for anything!  We are looking forward to what this next year will bring!  

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with a Lemon Glaze

For our neighbors this year we decided to do 12 days of cookies.  We thought it was a unique gift and a wonderful way to thank them for putting up with us for another year!  

We made these cookies on day 8 of the 12 days of cookies.  I signed up a couple years ago for the Food Networks 12 days of cookies where they email you a cookie recipe everyday for a bakers dozen of days (13 instead of 12).  This recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis.  It sounded AMAZING so I had to make it.  Let me just say that these cookies are soft and moist, almost like a cake.  I tried one before I made the glaze and one after the glaze and the lemon glaze really completes the cookie!  I think this is one of my favorite cookies...

Lemon Cookies with  Lemon Glaze

Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies:

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Pack the cookies into a decorative container.

Just in case you want it, here is her recipe on the Food Network website.  She lists the calories and nutritional information just under the recipe (like there is any nutrition).