The Crainanator

No, the title isn't indicative of a new robotic superhero or a  name from one of Josh's characters on his various computer games...surprisingly, it is a sandwich.


Bet you didn't see that one coming, did you?


This sandwich started off with our love for avocado. Honestly, we could eat it each and every day and still want more. It is GOOD stuff. Well, Josh started out by putting together turkey sandwiches and adding in different combos which he then titled, "the Crainanator." Not wanting to be outdone, I had to come up with an ever better, yummier version of Josh's sandwich. It became my obsession. I was inspired by a sandwich I had at the Nordstrom Cafe one weekend while shopping with my mom and Eden. It was D to the LICIOUS. I figured, if they can make it, then why can't I?! Oh I don't know, maybe because I am not a chef in the slightest and they actually have knowledge in the area. However, once again, I refused to be outdone. 


So, what makes this sandwich so superb? Well, I believe it is the combination of the best ingredients ever along with a slathering of my special "spicy mayo." Oh and if you have ever been around me when I am cooking, you will know that I a) NEVER measure ingredients...with the exception of baking, sometimes and b) NEVER make something the same way twice. I like to think of my food as snowflakes, no two dishes are exactly alike. Plus, I like to let myself feel the ingredients out until I am inspired. I may be odd, but the good news is you don't have to live with me (sorry Josh, you do have to live with me). 


The "typical" ingredients:
whole wheat bread
romaine lettuce
avocado
turkey bacon (Safeway's Eating Right brand is da bomb dot com)
tomato (I am a snob and only eat the "on the vine" variety)
deli turkey (it won't taste good unless it's natural turkey...because I said so)
spicy mayo (read: mayo with a couple of dashes of cayenne pepper)
a dollop of Grey Poupon (with or without the men in limos)
swiss cheese (if you are into that kind of thing)

If you are detail oriented, which I am not, you will notice that not all ingredients are in this photo. That is because I have a baby, she started to cry, I snapped a photo before I had finished compiling ingredients, decided that you would get over it. 


Alright, so this is how I put it all together. I get out a flat pan and heat up the bacon just like usual. While the bacon is frying away I get all my ingredients together. If you are using cheese, please place a slice on one piece of the bread and add some turkey. As soon as the bacon is ready to go, set it to the side. Then, put a bit of olive oil on the pan (I usually use a pastry brush to smear it around) and lay the slices of bread on the hot pan.  I let them toast up until they are golden brown. Once they are done slather on the spicy mayo and Grey Poupon (yes, my brother and I used to call it POOP ON because we are funny like that),  lay the bacon on top of the turkey (I usually use one piece and just cut it in half), add the lettuce, avocado, and tomato, and then smash the other piece of bread on top. Cut in half to make it pretty. 

Now, take a big giant bite and then thank me for eating a sandwich that is just about what I think Heaven would taste like, if you could eat it. 


Just a note, you can just slice the avocado, but Josh and I prefer to slightly mash it guacamole style and add some cumin, garlic powder, lemon and lime juice, and a dash of salt and pepper. We find it easier to eat that way (I tend to have slices of avocado falling out the backend (haha) of my sandwich if I do not do it this way. Also, you can use regular bacon instead of the turkey bacon, but we like to think of this sandwich as a healthy alternative so using turkey bacon makes it seem a bit more justifiable. Don't judge. 


So, enjoy your tasty (and SHHHHH healthy) Crainanator!

Baby on the Brain

Since there seems to be a giant wave of pregnant woman, most of them having girls, I thought it fitting to design a nursery for a boy. Oh drats, I got that mixed up, I should have given some inspiration to all the mommy's needing GIRL nurseries. Well, sorry, I was in the mood for all things boy...especially seeing that I am in a girl's nursery each and every day.

So, please take a gander at my navy and citron nautical outdoor inspired nursery. Can you tell I just cannot do themes? I think God put something in me that keeps me from even being able to stick to a theme for more than 2 items. Seriously, I have design ADD.

Navy & Citron Nursery by MalMal3 on Polyvore.com

Color: Sherwin Williams Navy SW6531

Crib: Ikea 

Lamp: Ikea

Rug: Dash and Albert

Light: Ikea

Cabinet: Ikea

Rocker: Overstock.com (the same one that we used for E's nursery)

Coat hanger: DIY (this would be so fun and I think easy to make)

Porthole Mirror: Amazon.com $21

Chevron fabric for crib skirt: fabric.com 

Wood planter: Ikea

Aluminum boxes: Ikea

Alphabet Wall: DIY, or would use this alphabet subway art

*Click on the link below the mood board to see the items and the prices

When I started this nursery, I knew I wanted navy. Yeah, NAVY walls. Daring? Yes. Totally the most rocking color ever? ABSOLUTELY. I honestly thought that with the navy I would choose orange as an accent color. It just so happens to be Josh's favorite color and the color we would have used instead of yellow and pink if Eden were a boy. Well, just as inspiration goes, I was suddenly hit hard by the urge to use citron with the navy. I literally fainted at the absolute fabulousness of that color combo. Okay, well I didn't literally faint, but I thought about it.

Despite this being a "dream" nursery (since there are no signs of bambinos anytime in the near future) I still tried to keep it to a budget, just as I would if I were designing it for a real live baby. This meant shopping where regular people shop, and not choosing furniture that cost as much as my house. Oh, and as usual I chose to shop "outside the box" by choosing items that were not necessarily in the baby section of the store. What can I say, I like to walk on the wild side...

What do you think? Would you be ready to be daring and have navy on the walls? Oh and for my two friends that are actually having boys, here's to you! 

Let 'Er Rip

So just because we had a baby does not mean we have totally fallen off the face of the DIYosphere. Look it up, it's in the dictionary...maybe the dictionary I made up...but in the dictionary nonetheless. 


I have truly been aching to get my hands dirty in the house (other than by changing diapers 24/7). I actually have two projects on the brain right now...ok well I have a lot, but two that are doable within the next month. The update that we made was actually done by Josh. I had no part in it, other than to say that I wanted it done. My excuse is that I was working full-time and just did not have a free moment to help...oh and because my wonderful hubby decided to do it without even telling me so in my defense I really couldn't help. 


Now, on to the project at hand. One of the first big projects we took on in our house was ripping up the carpet. I had peeked underneath it when we were first purchasing the home to make sure that the original hardwoods were still intact. Not only were they intact, but they looked in fairly decent condition. Well, we Josh ripped up the carpet in the living room, hallway, and Eden's room while I was busy cooking up a baby...seriously, I shouldn't have even stated that, but oh well. The one room we didn't get to during the pregnancy was our bedroom. 


When we were moving in we had decided that our master bedroom would be the last one that we focused on. Now, that wouldn't be what we would usually do or recommend to anyone...I think the master bedroom should always be a focus. However, in our house, the master was the room that needed the least amount of work, and we felt that it looked "good enough" to just leave as is since we had other rooms that desperately needed our attention. I still think this was a good idea because the room, although not perfect, still has a romantic touch to it and we are happy with what we have for now. So, without further adieu, here is the before and after of our in progress master bedroom...

BEFORE

(The serious BEFORE from our first showing)

AFTER

As long as you ignore the green tinted floors (seriously don't know why three rooms out of four have green flooring), the room is  actually looking fairly decent. Oh and please ignore the lump in the bed, that is our firstborn daughter, a.k.a Bella the dog, in the spot she frequents the most. Honestly, she is in bed from 10 p.m. until 2 p.m. the next day. It is ridiculous. Anyway, we still have a rug to add and some other touches, but for now I am just so happy to be rid of the carpet. Josh and I absolutely love hardwoods so it is nice to be rid of all most of it. That is right, there is still more.  Thankfully all that is left is a small square in our master bedroom closet which should take just a couple of hours to rip up and then we will be free from carpeting. I. CANNOT. WAIT. 

4 Months

Here we are at four months old. The last month quite literally FLEW by. I had a few breakdowns with this month, not because of her getting older, but because I didn't have many photos from her third month since I was back at work full-time. By the time I got home I couldn't take pictures because I refuse to use flash and have low quality pictures. Ironically enough the picture above is rather low quality because the clouds chose to roll right in while I was in the middle of the photoshoot. Lame. Oh well, I have moved on and am trying to make up for the lack of three month photos by obsessively taking fourth month photos. This girl really knows how to model. 

4 Month Stats
Length: 23.75 inches ~ 30th percentile
Weight: 11 lbs. 10 oz ~ 10th percentile
Head: 40.2 cm. ~ 25th percentile
(Apparently I was a bit off on her length last month...guess we have a petite girl on her hands)


Eden, here is what you have been up to lately:

You  are such a mover...you always want to be sitting up and looking around
You are able to pick up items and bring them to your mouth
You learned to roll over from your back to your tummy
You have stopped being swaddled because you kept getting stuck in your crib
You have decided that nap times are for babies (reminder: you are a baby!!)
You have been loving watching the other babies in the church nursery
You still absolutely love to smile and laugh at just about anyone who will look at you
You like to "play shy" with mommy
You have learned to LOVE playing with your toys and dolls


Eden is growing and changing at such a constant rate. We have been loving every minute of watching her grow up. Her personality is really starting to shine even more and it is fun to be able to watch her take on our traits (all the good ones of course, ha!). We love that she is such a social baby...which is probably good since her mommy would rather hide in the house. It seems like it is only a few days away that she will be eating her first bites of food, sitting up completely on her own, crawling, and taking her first steps. Oh and I may be a bit obsessive and probably shouldn't admit to this, but I have already started planning her first birthday. I am not ready for her to grow up, but planning parties is just in my blood. I get a rush. It's a sickness and I love it. There, it is out there for the entire world to see. 


Eden Rae, you are the best. Thanks for always modeling for mommy as she becomes a bit camera crazy on a daily basis. Daddy thanks you for being his constant play toy. 


Here are a few photos from the past month...

Being a silly girl at grandma and grandpa Crain's 

 Governor for the day

Mommy's last week at work

Our Dream Come True

One year ago today, at 5:24 a.m. (Josh actually remembered the exact time), I burst into our bedroom shouting like a mad woman, waving a positive pregnancy test in Josh's face. That day was such a whirlwind of emotions. I absolutely could not believe I was truly pregnant. After multiple negative pregnancy tests over the past couple of years and the idea that I was unable to bear children, it just didn't seem possible. While I was crying tears of fear, Josh was crying tears of joy. Neither of us could hold it together.

Thankfully I have a fabulous husband who reminded me that being a mom is something God wanted for me. I honestly had a meltdown thinking I was the worst choice in the world to become a mom. I am so thankful that He knew what was best for me!

Okay, this picture was taken later in the morning...after I had a moment to calm down. Well, okay, 90 seconds, because I still had to go to work. Seriously that was the hardest work day I have ever had to go through.

It is amazing that one year later God has blessed us with the most amazing baby we could have ever asked for. Honestly, we knew being parents would be fantastic, but never in a million years could be have dreamed up this little girl. We love her more than chocolate ice cream (and if you know me, that is a REALLY big feat). She has made Josh and I better people individually, and as a couple. Our marriage was made stronger by this beautiful girl.

(Photo courtesy of KC Photography)

Eden Rae Crain, we love you so much. You are such a wonderful daughter and we are so glad that you have joined our lives. We pray that we are great parents to you and that you love us even when we are singing at the top of our lungs and dancing around the house (which happens on a daily basis). We can't wait to continue to watch you grow and one day tell you all about the day that we found out you were coming into our lives.

XOXO,
 Your crazy parents :)

Dear Blog

Dear blog,

In an attempt to make you more user-friendly you have apparently chosen to rebel. Now all of our dear readers have nowhere to place their comments. This makes for agitated readers and a very angry blogger. Please stop being so mean Mr. Blog.

Yours truly,

The Crain's


**If you were trying to comment on the last post, but were unsuccessful, please feel free to comment here and I will answer!

Cloth Diapering: The Good, The Bad, the Downright Ugly

This is just the post I know you all have been waiting for. Well, alright, maybe just the handful of people that actually care, but I find it an important enough subject to put up on this ole blog. What is it that we are going to be talking about? Poo poo. Yep, you heard it right, we are talking potty talk today. 

Now let's get down and dirty and talk about our adventures in cloth diapering!

Aren't these just the prettiest? The colors just make me swoon each and every time I open up the drawer. We started Eden on cloth diapers one month ago, and honestly have loved every minute of it. Have there been some drawbacks? You betcha. I will get to those in a minute, but first lets talk about the details. 

We ended up ordering Eden's cloth diapers from Squishy Tushy (haha...that name never ceases to make me giggle). Why did we choose them? Well, we had trouble finding a local shop that had them in stock, we were using an American Express gift card so we needed to find a place that accepted them, and we LOVED their policies. See, cloth diapering is a fairly large investment and the greatest thing about Squishy Tushy was that they actually had a return policy on the diapers...honestly this was amazing since you rarely find that with cloth diapers companies (or at least that was our experience). The owner was extremely nice and accommodating and we highly recommend the company. In summary, Squishy Tushy, you rock our diapers off!

How did we choose the type of diapers? Well, the true answer is that we are lazy and completely new to the whole cloth diapering extravaganza so we wanted something easy. Our stipulations were: snaps (most are velcro and we hear they wear out quicker), organic, and no stuffing required. Well, we really only found one option that fit those needs (and had great reviews to boot), the BumGenius Elemental. So far they are everything we had hoped for. You can tell they are very well made and should hold up all through Eden's diaper wearing years as well as any future baby Crain's. In short, we LOVE them. Is it normal to love a cloth diaper? Hmm, well, moving right along...

(Hey look! There is a cloth diaper peeking out of there...)

Alright, let's get down and dirty. The number one question we get relates to the cleaning process. Yes, this is where some difficulties lie, but honestly we haven't minded it one bit. We chose to buy a diaper sprayer to wash off the ones that, well, are dirtier than the others...you know the ones. We purchased a cute white pail from Ikea which holds our diapers until we are ready to put them all into the wash. There have been no hints of smell that come out of the pail which is quite fantastic. In the pail we also added a laundry bag that fits right over the pail and then when we are ready to wash we just pull on the handles, place it in the wash, and unzip the bottom for a mess free process. Seriously, no poo poo on the hands! 

We are still experimenting with our wash routine (we actually had our first case of diaper rash with cloth diapers, BOOOOO), but I think we have almost perfected it. In case you are curious here is the routine that we have found to work with our LG HE washer and dryer: 1 scoop Rockin' Green, Cotton/Towels setting, Hot/Cold, Extra Rinse, Heavy Soil, and then we toss in a soaking wet bath towel (to trick the washer into adding more water). We then dry the diapers on warm for 1 hour. The whole process takes 2 hours and 42 minutes and we start a load when Eden has one diaper left. Right now we are having to wash them everyday which is fine now that I am a stay at home mom, but we definitely recommend buying 18 versus the 12 that we bought. I think 18 is the magic number. 

Okay, as I mentioned we did have a case...or two...of diaper rash when we switched to cloth diapers. Yes, I had a sad moment over this because here we were trying to do something great for our baby and now she has an icky looking rash on her bum. Not awesome. The biggest suggestion we have to everyone is to persevere and try different wash routines. We are still happy with our choice of Rockin' Green and love their customer service. We chose the Classic Rock Smashing Watermelons, but I think I should have gone with my gut and chose Soft Rock Bare Naked Babies. We will definitely be using the latter when it is time to make our next purchase. Oh and we ordered them from a local company so it didn't have to travel far (it can even be picked up for free in the store, sweeeet!). We actually also believe that part of our problem was in the cloth wipes we were using. We loved the idea of using cloth wipes so that they could be tossed right into the wash with the diapers, but I hadn't yet perfected a wash for the wipes. We just started back up on the cloth wipes again (filled a spray bottle with water, added 2 drops of baby oil, a few drops of Dr. Bronner's, and a small drip of baby wash). Time to cross our fingers that this is a good solution that won't hurt our baby. Honestly the rash situation is much better and we just make it a point to let her "air it out" on occasion. This is her favorite time of day. Weirdo.

In the photo above Eden is wearing a "clementine" diaper. Seriously, I know I already said it, but I am IN LOVE with the colors. It is so fun to pick colors to coordinate with her outfits. When we ordered ours we just asked for a variety and specified no pink (so that we could use it on a boy later). The colors we received were: 

1 Twilight

2 Butternut

2 Ribbit

2 White

1 Sweet

2 Moonbeam

1 Grasshopper

1 Clementine

Hopefully I covered everything for those of you that are curious about cloth diapering. Honestly, we are so happy with our choice to cloth diaper. We cannot believe how much we are saving already! We do buy some disposables, but this is only for vacations or moments of desperation. I actually get upset when I have to use a disposable. The cost is quite high when buying cloth diapers, but we like to think of it as an investment. We can use these for years to come, as opposed to disposable diapers that just get tossed in the garbage. It is also refreshing to know that we are not contributing as much to landfills. It was kind of sickening to see how many were being dumped. We also have noticed that cloth diapers are quite bulky, but for us it was a good thing because Eden needed a little help holding her pants up and these do the trick. 

Cloth diapering is definitely a decision that has to be made with careful consideration, but I am so thankful that we were able to make it happen. If you have questions, ask away in the comments or email us at thecrainsnest[at]gmail[dot]com. I think I secretly get a thrill talking about poo.

*Nobody paid us to be nice about their products. We bought each item with our own hard earned money and just really like to brag about products that we love. Mmmmkay?

You're Fired!

Ok, you are not really fired. I'm not fired either. Really I was just feeling the need to channel the Trump just then. The truth is my work and I had a mutual breakup today at 12:00 p.m. As I had mentioned in this post my job was ending in January. Since I no longer work for said employer, I will go ahead and reveal who my boss is (I know a lot of people already know, but this is for those of you who are not in the know). 

See that nice looking man there? That is Governor Ted Kulongoski, Oregon's 36th Governor. 

In May of 2009 I was right in the midst of a layoff and received a call from the governor's office asking if I would be interested in a position. Seriously, this was a dream come true for me. I had loved the job that I was at, but with it ending I had no idea where I would end up. I had always dreamed about working for the governor, but never in my wildest dreams thought it was possible. 

The job itself presented many challenges, but it was fun and most days I truly enjoyed going into work. My actual job title was public service representative, which basically means I answered the governor's phone line, welcomed his guests, and coordinated his proclamations. It was ironic that I answered phones all day since I pretty much shake at the idea of answering a phone. Oh and I also gave myself the title of bodyguard. Seriously, don't mess with anyone in my office, I am scary. 

Anyway, today marks the last day of Governor Kulongoski's administration and the beginning of Governor Kitzhaber's. For those of you that are not into Oregon politics, this is the first time in history that a governor has been elected for a third term (you can only serve two terms in a row, but can serve another term later on). I really think today is bittersweet. I am so over the moon excited that I get to stay at home with my baby, but sad that I will no longer be working with the governor. I am also having a difficult time adjusting to the idea that I no longer have to be on the lookout for jobs (I've caught myself looking for jobs twice this past week). I have been employed since I was 15 and a lot of that time I was working full-time, even throughout high school and college. So, just for the sake of it, here is a look back at my employment history.

• Mail Depot clerk (this job lasted for many many years)
• Espresso Time barista (my parents were my bosses)
• Children's Ministries Assistant Supervisor
• Nanny
• Housecleaner
• Nordstrom intern
• Department of Administrative Services Receptionist
• Children's Ministries Coordinator
• Office of Economic Analysis Assistant
• Governor's Office Public Service Representative

I actually am quite convinced that I am missing a job or two, but apparently these were the ones that left lasting impressions. 

Well, time to start my new job (after a little celebration, of course)! I'll let you all know how being a stay at home mom and real estate assistant works out after I get my feet wet a little bit. Here goes nothing...

*Please note that I will not publish comments that obtain your personal views on politics. I am not posting this to hear how you feel about certain governor's or their policies, it's really just to tell you a little more about what I have been up to lately. Thanks for keeping this blog free from argument  :)

Fire Free Smores

Every Christmas, our small group has a white elephant gift exchange. We are also asked to bring food or desserts. This year I knew exactly what I was going to bring and I am so happy that I did. Now, I know the photo above kind of looks like a big blob of you know what, but I promise it is actually quite delicious. I mean like, ooey, gooey, chocolately deliciousness. Okay, all of my smarty pants friends are hating me right now for my use of words that are not technically in the dictionary, but thankfully I think they may still love me after this. Or not.

Now, I cannot take credit for this dessert at all, other than the fact that I made it and then ate it. The original recipe was found here. Yes, I am in love. I do not get a whole lot of chocolate in my life now that I am living dairy free, BUT this was chocolate, and had no dairy, and was made with items that can be found right at your regular grocery store. I am just too cheap to frequent specialty stores that actually carry foods that I could eat. I am much too simple for that. I followed the recipe almost exactly except that I used Ghiradelli's semi-sweet chocolate chips, and Nucoa margerine (both found at WalMart). Also, I suggest not wandering off to go play with your baby before mixing the chocolate with the rest of the ingredients. The items just don't melt well together when the chocolate has cooled off, just saying.

Seriously though, even if you are not allergic to dairy, this is a fabulous dessert. Is it evil that I am posting this on the third day of January, right after everyone has chosen to eat healthy, exercise, etc? Oh, don't worry, you will thank me later. Now, go buy yourself some Golden Grahams, pour yourself a nice cup of coffee, and start on these right away.