Monthly Archives: February 2010

Homemade Nursing Cover

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http://www.blisstree.com/…-nursing-cover/

Since I finally have some free time, I decided to work on my project of a homemade nursing cover. One of my co-workers had one of these and said they were very useful for breastfeeding your baby in public.

You can purchase a commercial one made by Bebe au Lait and it is known as a nursing cover or Hooter Hider, which sells for about $35.

I found instructions here for a homemade one which can be as inexpensive as $8. If you buy the fabric on sale, it can be even cheaper.

For full instructions, click here but the basic supplies you need are:

1 yard fabric, cut into the following:
26 x 38 inches (1 pc)
3 x 31 inches (1 pc for long strap)
3 x 10 inches (1 pc for short strap)
8 x 8 inches (2 pcs for pockets, optional)

2 D-Rings (I bought 2 inch but 1-1/2 inches should be enough)
1/2 yard (18 inches) corset boning (1/4 inch wide)
Matching colored thread

I wasn’t as talented as the person who put together the instructions so I ironed all my hems before sewing (per the instructions, she didn’t pin them, just held them as she sewed).

My completed one:

The neckline so you can see your baby while breastfeeding:

I added pockets to both inside corners to tuck in a tissue or washcloths as suggested.

Now I’m having fun making them so I have a few more fabrics so will try to finish them up before the baby comes. These may become gifts someday soon as I don’t think I’ll use more than one.

Let’s see if I can get some more baby projects done that I’ve been wanting to do…

Oatmeal Cinnamon Cookies with Milk Chocolate Chunks

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It’s actually been a busy few days but during some down time today, I decided to bake. Taking a recipe from my favorite cookie book, Big, Soft, Chewy Cookies, I made the oatmeal cinnamon cookies and added some milk chocolate chunks from a candy bar, used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour, and used a mix of white and light brown sugar.

Ingredients:
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tbsp dark molasses
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup milk chocolate chunks

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 F
2. Combine oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, beat together egg and sugars. Add butter and continue beating. When completely blended, add molasses and milk and blend again. Stir in the oat mixture, pecans, and chocolate.
4. Using a 2-ounce ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measure, scoop level amounts of dough and drop 2 1/2 inches apart onto an ungreased gookie sheet.
5. Bake until cookies are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and let them set for 1 minute. Using a spatula, transfer cookies to a rack and let cool.

Cookies may be wrapped individually in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to three days.

Makes 14-20 cookies.

The kitchen smelled delicious as the cookies baked, cinnamon and nutty. I let them bake a little more than 15 minutes because I like it a bit more crispy on the edges. Tastes like breakfast, great with a glass of milk or coffee.

These are different than the Tartine Chocolate Oatmeal Walnut Cookies since they are more cake-like. The Tartine recipe makes thin and crispy cookies so it will depend on what I’m in the mood for because I like these cake-y cookies too.

Biggie Pooh

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On my last day of work, I had a very BIG surprise from my coworker. He’s been warning me all month that I’d better have Ron come to pick me up on my last day because I couldn’t ride the bus home with what he was going to bring me. In the last few days I’ve been wondering what in the world it could be.

Well, here it is:

It’s called a Biggie Pooh! and boy, is it big! The baby will probably only be the size of Pooh’s paw. It’ll make for a very cute picture once baby can sit up. Until then, I have no idea where we are going to store it… it’s so huge!

Thanks Herb! It’s a really sweet gift.

Now the countdown begins… today is my first day off of work and I am enjoying relaxing at home and finally updating our blog. I have a few things planned for the next few days but I just really want to relax a bit before the baby decides to show himself as after he is born, I’m sure I won’t have much time to rest so want to energize myself now so that I can take good care of him.

I left my heart in San Francisco

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In walking downtown, Ron and I came across this new heart in San Francisco. There are a lot of these scattered around town and looks like this one was installed on Feb 11th, 2010.

Walking has been getting harder for me especially on the hips. I think it’s partially because he is dropping down so the weight distribution is different. My feet have been swelling a little more easily too which makes shoes uncomfortable. I had to remove my toe rings a few weeks ago because they were getting too tight. I hope my feet will eventually return to normal.

Blueberry and Cream Cookies (actually Blueberry and White Chocolate Chip Cookies)

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http://www.marthastewart….d-cream-cookies

My last baking feat for my last day of work. They have all said they will miss my baking so I thought I’d bring something on my last day. Plus the week after a holiday weekend is always super busy so a sweet treat always helps to make the day a bit easier.

I decided to try this recipe for Blueberry and Cream Cookies but with some changes because I didn’t have all the ingredients. I followed some of the substitutions recommended in the comments on the Martha Stewart website.

Ingredients

* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (used whole wheat flour)
* 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoons salt (used 1 tsp as recommended by others because 2 tsp made the cookies too salty according to the comments)
* 1 cup (8 ounces) Plugra European-style unsalted butter (used regular unsalted butter)
* 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
* 1/4 cup glucose (used agave syrup)
* 1 large egg
* 3/4 cup dried blueberries (used 1 cup blueberry preserves)
* 1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup Milk Crumbs (used 1 cup white chocolate chips but recipe for Milk Crumbs available online at Martha Stewart website)

Directions

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix together butter, sugars, and glucose until well combined. Add egg and mix until well combined.
3. Add flour mixture and mix until well combined. Add blueberries and milk crumbs and mix until well combined. Using an ice cream scoop about 2 1/8 inches in diameter, scoop dough into balls and place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Transfer baking sheets to refrigerator until dough is chilled, about 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to oven and bake, rotating pans halfway through baking, until cookies are golden brown and tops begin to crackle, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

I think the cookies came out a bit too sweet so I would reduce the amount of sugars and/or agave syrup (or glucose if following the recipe). One day I’ll have to try the Milk Crumbs recipe to see what they actually are like but since I had white chocolate chips, that’s what I used and it turned out fine. The cookies are pretty dense and cake-like and seem to go well with a cup of coffee or tea (to even out the sweetness). Because I used blueberry preserves, the coloring of the cookies were not that great looking but still tasted good.

Not sure how much I will be baking once baby is born but I’m hoping he will want to join me in the kitchen once he’s old enough.