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Must-Have Baby Items for your Registry

5/31/2017

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. Thanks for your support!

For a lot of new moms on a budget knowing what you need versus what you can live without is a big question as they fill out their registry. I had this problem 2 years ago when I was expecting my son. I had some things on my registry but thinking about what I needed and what would fit in our small apartment was overwhelming. I never finished my registry due to my son coming early. This meant I went without some things totally, and some things I got later that would have been a dream to have from the beginning.

I registered at Amazon this time because it makes it easier for family far away to participate in a baby shower, and there is a very large variety of baby items. It's very fast and easy to do and they give you a list of items so you don't forget anything. They even have suggestions of top rated baby items that are commonly registered for. Also, I love that you get incentives for registering with them. For example, a 10% discount on items on your registry if you buy them yourself, 15% if you’re a prime member! And you can get a free welcome box full of great goodies for new moms!

A diaper bag- You might think I’m crazy for not having a diaper bag yet. Well we used tote bags, and when my sister lived with us she sacrificed a large purse for us to use. But this time around a dedicated diaper bag is on my list. Most diaper bags have lots of pockets to help you keep the bag organized, and are large enough to carry everything you need and everything you don’t. And the bags have come a long way from being just a shoulder bag covered in cutesy baby animals. My preferred is this sophisticated looking backpack diaper bag. The backpack design will be helpful when I need both my hands to handle both kids. And it’s not something my husband will mind wearing when he’s out with the kids.

A baby carrier/wrap-I actually had a friend give me a baby carrier and it was the best. If you have a baby who just wants to be held all the time, or you anticipate that you will never want to put your baby down, you will want one of these. When my friend gave it to me it made going grocery shopping, doing housework, and going on walks so much easier. This time I want a carrier that will allow me to wear my baby forwards, backwards, and on my back. The one on my registry has a hood too, to protect sensitive baby skin from the elements. I also would like this soft wrap carrier so I have more options of how to “wear” my baby.

Here you can see my husband wearing our baby when we first visited Pixar.

An infrared thermometer- Hear me out. We used a regular armpit thermometer for my first child and it worked just fine. But as he got older the struggle of keeping the thermometer under his arm long enough was real. I would have to do it a few times just to be certain I was getting an accurate reading. When we stayed at a friend’s house over graduation weekend and we had to borrow their thermometer. It was an infrared thermometer and it was so easy and amazing to use. But really, any thermometer is important to have.

Muslin swaddling blankets-I also had these the first-time around but not until late in the game when my son only wanted to be swaddled for a few more months. These blankets are perfect because they are big, soft, and light. I was worried about my son overheating and these helped ease my mind. I cannot say enough how useful these blankets are. (Although, my new little girl is a big mover in the womb, and doesn’t like anything encroaching on her space. If I wear too tight of pants, or rest something on my stomach, she starts kicking like crazy, so I hope she will want to be swaddled).

Here my son is just covered with one of the muslin swaddling blankets. He fell asleep before I could wrap him up! So of course I had to stop and take a picture of him sleeping so peacefully.

Sleeping gowns- My son only slept in one of these once in the hospital and I didn’t realize how amazing it was until I was changing diapers in the middle of the night at home later. I found that dealing with snaps and zippers in the middle of the night was what made my son become wide awake in the night. He would be fussing a little because his diaper was wet and uncomfortable but it wasn’t until I had to take him out of the legs of his pajamas that he would fully wake up. If I could keep him asleep while changing his diaper, it would be a lot faster and a lot less time up in the middle of the night. These gowns are perfect for that!

Bonus: I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the baby bouncy seat. At times when my son just wouldn’t sleep this seat was a dream. It gently bounced him and played soft music. Literally the best. He loved the music and when he was too big I still played the music for him from the seat to help him calm down. You can see my son to the right loving his seat. It's so soft and comfy. He also has one of his swaddling blankets!

Ok what do you think? What are your must have items? Did you use any of these and have any recommendations?

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Friday Faves #20-Patriotic Songs

5/26/2017

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This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. Thanks for your support!

There are a lot of patriotic holidays this time of year. We already had Armed Forces Day. This weekend is Memorial Day. June 6 is D-day. June 14 is Flag Day. Then it won't be long after that when July 4th will get here and we celebrate Independence Day! We are a music loving and country loving family, so that is what inspired today's Friday Fave question:

What is your favorite Patriotic Song?

Madalynn's first choice, and my first thought was Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA". After 9-11 this song had a big resurgence in popularity, but I remember it from years ago when it first came out and my husband was in the military. It is the type of song that everyone can sing and feel the pride it inspires for our country. My first copy of this song was on a cassette tape. You can order a CD on Amazon for a dollar at this link!

" I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me.
And I'll gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today,
'cause there ain't no doubt I love this Land,
God bless the USA!"

Alicia almost chose the National Anthem, but then changed to The Battle Hymn of the Republic. This is an all time favorite because as Alicia says, it is fun to sing but there is also a religious tie in as it talks about how we need to further God's work in our country and his truth will prevail.

"His truth is marching on!"

Here is a beautiful version by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It is available on CD or MP3.

The song that came to my mind after I thought about this question a bit is "This is My Country." I can remember my heart swelling with pride as I sang along to these words:

"What diff'rence if I hail from North or South
Or from the East or West?
My heart is filled with love for all of these.
I only know I swell with pride and deep within my breast
I thrill to see Old Glory paint the breeze."

I found this song on this CD that contains many other great Patriotic songs and hymns, such as "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", "Yankee Doodle", "America the Beautiful" and, "The Star Spangled Banner." They are performed by various artists.

Lindsey chose "America the Beautiful" as her fave. She said, "I just think the lyrics are so beautiful. It talks about how beautiful the land of America is, and the spirit of the American people (or at least what it used to be.)'

"Oh, beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife, Who more than self their country loved, And mercy more than life!"

"That is so beautiful. Heroes who love mercy more than life. I wish everyone knew how lucky the are to be born in this country where they have rights and freedoms others only dream of. Then maybe they'd stop fighting so hard to take them all away."

I found another collection of patriotic songs sung by Tennessee Ernie Ford! Wow! That takes me back! Who remembers his beautiful bass voice? I can just imagine how gorgeous these songs must sound in his deep, booming voice!

Finally, we won't leave out our National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner. A song more important than just the thing you sing before kick off at a football game. It is a song about a symbol of our country. "The land of the free and the home of the brave!"
When I was in college at BYU, I used to walk onto campus early every morning to go to class. Every morning, at 8:00 AM, The Star Spangled Banner was played. As it played, everyone would stop and wait respectfully with their hands over their hearts. I always felt proud and united at that moment with my fellow students that we would take those few moments to consider the blessing that we had of attending a school of our choice in a free country. Unfortunately, there are always a few who do not remember to stop and listen or who are painfully (to me) unaware of the etiquette that should be observed during the playing of the National Anthem. So, today I checked the USA.gov website to be able to share proper etiquette tips for listening to The Star Spangled Banner.

When the anthem plays and the flag is present, stand, face the flag and place your hand over your heart as a sign of respect.
If for some reason there’s no flag in the ceremony, face toward the music and act as if a flag were there.
Hats- if you’re not in a military uniform and are wearing a hat, remove it with your right hand and hold it over your left shoulder, while your hand is over your heart.
Members of the military in uniform should salute throughout the playing of the anthem.

Do people even teach these things to their kids anymore? I know that when I was growing up, on Saturday mornings my brother and I would wake up early to watch cartoons. The station would show the flag waving and play the National Anthem as the station started the day's programming. My brother and I would stand up, just the two of us and face the TV with our hands on our hearts. I am so glad that my parents taught us that respect for our country. (You might understand why better if you read this post.) I hope that the points I have just shared will help to remind others to teach these things to the up coming generation.

Let's teach love of God and Country and use some of these beautiful songs to help us do it. We need to build up and not tear down in today's troubled world. What patriotic songs do you love?
Have a wonderful and meaningful Memorial Day! Talk to you next week.

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Delicious Banana Pineapple Bundt Cake

5/25/2017

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This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. Thanks for your support!

This is a recipe I actually came up with after our road trip and before the weather turned hot. Since Lindsey is still suffering with a little bit of jet lag and wasn't up to Renny's Recipes today, I thought I would share one last cake recipe with you before ovens are tuned off for the summer. If your Memorial Day Weekend is taking on a Luau flair, this could be the perfect dessert for it.
When I came home from our trip, I found about 3 very ripe bananas waiting to be made into something. I decided that a bundt cake would be fun. To make it have a Polynesian attitude, I also added pineapple. Then, I decided to split it and add a pudding based frosting to the inside as well as on top. It turned out really well. If you don't have a KitchenAid yet, click the link to order one. Click and purchase! Such a great system!

Here are some tips on making this cake:

When it comes out of the oven, it still will look super moist. Let it cool for 10 min. so it will start to pull away from the sides of the pan.

It will be nice and brown on the bottom. Let it cool the rest of the way before slicing it for the filing.

The filling will ooze a bit. The cake may slide, so you might want to hold it in place with some skewers in a couple of spots.

If you don't have a bundt pan yet, click here orhere for a couple of options.
Click on the button for the recipe:

Banana Pineapple Bundt Cake

The pudding frosting makes it so decadent!

Moist and delicious!

Be sure to subscribe to our blog for free printables. More are coming!
If you need some ideas for your Memorial Day gathering, check out this post.
Have a wonderful holiday weekend and be sure to check back tomorrow for Friday Faves!

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Fantastic Orange Chiffon Cake

5/22/2017

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This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. Thanks for your support!

Last week I shared the recipe for Pots de Creme. They turned out super great and everyone liked them, but the problem with them is that they only called for egg yolks! That left me with 6 egg whites to use in some way. I got to thinking about it and I thought, "That is 6 eggs short of an Angel Food Cake. But, I think a chiffon cake takes fewer yolks." Ha! I hadn't made a chiffon cake in years, so I forgot that even though a chiffon cake takes many egg whites to get its fluffy texture, it also takes about 5 yolks. I don't like having either yolks or whites left over in my fridge! I like everything to match! So, of course, that led me to develop a recipe that finally evened everything up! This Orange Chiffon Cake turned out big, fluffy and delicious and now my egg whites and yolks all match up again!

Now, if unlike me, you don't have a bunch of extra whites sitting in your fridge, you will have the uneven white to yolk problem when you make this cake. But, you can always make Pots de Creme with your extra yolks later in the week. Trust me, you won't regret it.
I frosted the cake with a super delicious orange frosting. Below I have posted the recipes for the Orange Chiffon Cake and for the Orange Frosting!

Orange Chiffon Cake

This cake is baked in an ungreased 10" tube pan. If you don't have one, you can find one here.
When you take it out of the oven, let it cool inverted. I had to use a bottle to set mine upside down because the cake had risen so high! I measured it when I turned it out of the pan, it was 5 1/2" tall.

I tinted the frosting just a little to give a light orange tint. It had a sweet, gentle orange flavor. I loved it!

When you slice it, be sure to use a serrated knife to saw it. Always do this when slicing Angel Food or Chiffon cakes. That way you won't squish them.

I have one more cake to tell you about tomorrow, but then my bake free summer will begin! We are hitting the 100 degree temperatures at last here in Phoenix. It has been unseasonably cool throughout May so far, but our luck has run out! Let me know how you use up left over whites and yolks in creative ways and come back tomorrow for one last cake recipe before summer.

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Must-Have Baby Items for your Registry

Friday Faves #20-Patriotic Songs

Delicious Banana Pineapple Bundt Cake

Fantastic Orange Chiffon Cake

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