20 Lessons Learned in the First Five Weeks of Motherhood

It's been 2+ years since my last post. I must be the worst blogger ever! A lot has happened since my last entry and I am now a mother. As a new mom I rarely have time to cook, so instead of a posting a tried and true recipe I thought I'd share some of the lessons I've learned as a new mom.

20 Lessons Learned in the First Five Weeks of Motherhood

1. All of the stuff I read in the baby books while I was pregnant went out the window the moment I met my little one. The first few weeks of motherhood are and should be navigated by survival instincts.

2. Just when I think I have a grasp on something my daughter will remind me within an hour that I am utterly clueless.

3. A shower is a privilege, not a right.

4. Elderly women in public places love babies.

5. When I am able to soothe my baby I feel like I have run a marathon while simultaneously receiving the Nobel Peace Prize and curing cancer.

6. My baby's smile can brighten any dreary day.

7. Colic is hard on a baby, but even harder for the parents.

8. Baby poop does not smell like anything palatable. Don't let anyone tell you anything different.

9. Always put your shoes on before putting baby in a Moby.

10. If I take baby for walks in 30 degree weather, people will think I am weird. I'm not weird; I'm Swedish.

11. If the only tasks I accomplish in a day are making lunch, eating lunch, and putting the lunch dishes away, it is a good day. Even if it takes me four hours.

12. Giving a baby a bath can be equivalent to putting someone's hand in warm water while they are asleep... they may or may not pee all over you afterwards.

13. I am amazed at how well I can function on 3-5 hours of sleep.

14. I never knew how excited I would be to see a car seat attachment on a grocery cart.

15. I have more respect for my own mother than I ever have before.

16. Anything can be turned into a makeshift bed.

17. I am starting to understand God's love for His children a little bit more every day.

18. I hear babies crying in my head even when there are none around...

19. Parenthood is by far the hardest journey I have ever embarked upon...and I have hiked up an active volcano.

20. I never knew that someone so little could so fully capture my heart.

Snö lyktor

Snow day in October? I'm okay with that.

I love the way the snow gently blankets the world in a sheet of white.

A winter wonderland.

Luke made his very first snö lykta. 

I think our neighbors thought we were doing some sort of satanic ritual.

Bring it on, Christmas. I'm ready for you.

We are carnivores.

This weekend Luke and I went to Jersey City and Manhattan to visit Immanuel. Gabriel was on holiday from his university, so he was there as well. New York City is one of my favorite cities to visit. There is so much to see, to do, and to eat.

The first thing we did when we arrived was pay a visit to our favorite churrascaria in Tribeca. It is good that there is not a churrascaria close to where I live, because if there was, I might commit gluttony on a daily basis.

I love animals -- I really do...but I also really enjoy eating (some of) them.

Next, we decided to check out the occupation of Wall Street. It was really interesting. From what I saw, it is much less volatile than the news is making it out to be. Here is what we saw:

It was really interesting to see, and very thought-provoking. 

After that, we headed to Rockefeller Center. I have been there countless times, but I still love to go and look at all of the flags on display. It is magical. I try to make it there each time I visit New York. Someday I would like to ice skate there.

I have the best brothers in the world.

We ended the evening by watching Braveheart in Immanuel's apartment on his big screen. It was awesome. 

That's all for now.

Soluppgång.

I love watching the sun rise over the hills.

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
         And the firmament shows His handiwork."

                                                      ~Psalm 19:1

Fångad av en stormvind...

Happy Autumn!

Today Messiah College graciously gave its employees a day off. I am so grateful for both of my jobs. I love my co-workers and the work that I do, but sometimes it's good to take a break to refresh and rejuvenate.

I've had an great day... please forgive my narcissism as I share it with you.

It was a day full of my favorite things...

I slept in until 7:15 am. It was fantastic.

First things first: coffee, my guilty pleasure.

 

I went for a run. I love running in the cool, crisp air.

After that I made myself a nice American breakfast while boogying to British pop (Lily Allen and Adele. I almost broke out the Spice Girls.)

Two scrambled eggs + two strips of turkey bacon + half of an English muffin + blackberries + orange juice (with extra pulp). YUM.

Note: to make the perfect scrambled eggs, cook them over low-to medium heat slowly. When they are still slightly moist, take the pan off the heat source and allow them to finish cooking. The eggs are delicious and you won't even need to add cheese because they taste rich and moist.

Normally I'm not a big shopper, but this time I had some killer coupons. I drove to the a shopping mall while listening to my childhood idol, Carola. It made me nostalgic. 

I ended up purchasing some really nice things.

I love secondhand bookstores. It's actually a problem. I have an addiction to buying books. Usually I go to Midtown Scholar, but I recently discovered The Book House and fell in love. It smells like books -- the best smell in the world. I couldn't stay very long -- it wouldn't be good for my bank account. 

When I'm elderly, I want to turn my house into a bookstore.

 Autumn and winter are my favorite seasons. I could live outside from October to March.

 

I ended the afternoon by visiting one of my favorite orchards: Paulus. I purchased house-made peach salsa and apple cider. The cider is the no-sugar-added kind...the kind that tastes like the cider that we used to make from the fruits of our apple trees in Sweden.

That was my day. How was yours?

I'm alive. (Don't worry.)

Royal Wedding Extravaganza

Top of the morning to ya!

I'm back! For now, at least. Life is so busy that I barely have time to breathe -- but I'm loving every minute of it! I'm so blessed and grateful to have a loving (and ridiculously hilarious) husband, a wonderful family, amazing friends, two jobs that I adore, and really great co-workers. 

I do miss blogging, though. And what better day to get back to it than on a royal holiday? I love royal weddings. This day was almost as exciting for me as when our beautiful Swedish Crown Princess Victoria wed her beloved Daniel last year. Congratulations to Prince William and Catherine!

In celebration of this joyous occasion, Luke (my hubby) and I decided to throw a Royal Wedding Extravaganza! We decided that a day off would do us both some good (Luke worked two "normal" 13 hour days + two 17 hour days and I've been swamped at work this week -- so we thought we deserved it!) 

I asked one of the loveliest Brits I know what an appropriate British morning treat would be -- she suggested quiche and scones, so that's what we made!

Luke loves spicy food, so we decided to make Chorizo Quiche. Here is the recipe:

Chorizo Quiche

Adapted from The Food Network.

Ingredients:

Butter, for greasing the dish

Crust:

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

8 Tbsp chilled unsalted butter, diced

5 Tbsp chilled water, plus extra as needed

Filling:

6 oz chorizo, or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed, and cooked until crisp

4 eggs

1/2 c Mexican crema, or creme fraiche

1 c grated Manchego, Swiss, or Pecorino Romano cheese

1/2 c diced russet potatoes, boiled until tender and cooled

1/4 c whole milk

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Grease 9-inch tart pan or glass pie dish with butter.

Place the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the chilled butter and process to a coarse meal. With the machine running, add 5 Tbsp of water in a steady stream until the mixture forms a dough. Add additional water, 1 Tbsp at a time, if the dough is too dry.

Shape the dough into a ball and press into the bottom and sides of the prepared tart pan or pie dish. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line the crust with foil and fill with pie weights (or dried beans). Bake for 15 minutes. Cool completely (can be made 1 day ahead).

Mix the chorizo and remaining ingredients. Pour into the prepared crust. Bake until the quiche is puffed and cooked through, or when a knife inserted into the center of the quiches comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

To top this delicious morning treat off with something sweet, we also made:

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

Adapted from The Food Network. 

Ingredients:

Blueberry Scones:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp sugar

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks

1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones

1 cup fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze:

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 lemon, zest finely grated

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sift together the dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, cut the batter to coat the pieces with the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream. Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough. Fold the blueberries into the batter. Take care not to mash or bruise the blueberries because their strong color will bleed into the dough.

Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 3 by 1 1/4 inches. Cut the rectangle in 1/2 then cut the pieces in 1/2 again, giving you 4 (3-inch) squares. Cut the squares in 1/2 on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with a little heavy cream. Bake for 15-20 minutes until beautiful and brown. Let the scones cool a bit before you apply the glaze.

Technically you should make this simple lemon glaze in a double boiler (i.e. over a pot of simmering water with a heatproof bowl set on top), but it's even simpler to zap it in the microwave. Mix the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar together in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon zest and butter. Nuke it for 30 seconds on high. Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps, then drizzle the glaze over top of the scones. Let it set a minute before serving.

Add a spot of tea and you're ready to go. Cheers!