Ruby Tuesday 4

The three of us - just before an evening walk.

Dan and I take Ruby on a walk almost every day. We usually walk in our ward boundaries. Which in Utah, is a very reasonable distance. Some days we go further than others because we often run into our friends along the way. That's really the point of the walks. And to spend time with our little girl! It is so nice to get out of the hot house and have a change of pace.

It is somethng about the combination of the beautiful sunsets, the warm night air and the companionship of my two favorite people that make these walks so wonderful. They're the highlight of my day. We have so many happy memories already of neighbors running out of their houses to see the new baby or standing on the corner chatting for hours with us. I have the feeling when I look back on this first summer, these walks will stand out and make us smile for many summers to come.   

The World's Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are my all-time favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. I have no idea where I got the recipe from. It's scribbled on a scrap of paper in my recipe box and I'm certain that someday I'll go to the box and it'll be gone! I usually don't post recipes here, but I knew this way I would never loose the recipe. I highly recommend these cookies - they are so so yummy!

World's Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

In a Mixer, Combine 1 Stick (1/2 Cup) Unsalted Butter and 1 Cup Brown Sugar.

Add 1 Egg and 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla.

In a Separate Bowl, Mix 1 Cup Quick Oats, 1 Cup Flour, 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda, 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder and 1/4 Teaspoon Salt.

Add Flour-Oat Mixture to the Butter-Sugar Mixture until just combined.

Stir in 1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips and Scoop onto Cookie Sheets.

Bake at 375* for 8-10 Minutes (I usually end up cooking them closer to 10) until slightly golden on edges.Makes about 3 dozen smallish cookies with some dough leftover for the husband.

Enjoy a couple warm out of the oven with a cold glass of milk. You will not be disapointed!

Ruby - 1 Month

 

One Month. I can't believe it's been a month already. 

We love our little Ruby so much! She really is a great baby. Here are some of her stats:

Weight - Not really sure. More than 7lbs 5oz. We don't own a scale and she doesn't have a doctor's appointment until 2 months! But she's getting heavier! 

Diaper Size - Still in Newborn, but only for a little bit longer I think. Someone is starting to fill out!

Clothing Size - It's been so warm recently I've been dressing her in just onesies and a swaddle blanket. The onesies have been mostly Newborn size but some of them are getting kinda tight. Time to move to 0-3 Size! I put a footie pajama thing on her the one cold night and it didn't fit very well. She's quite long and slender. 

Likes - Eating, Taking Walks with Mom & Dad, Her Swing, Eating, Wetting Freshly Changed Diapers, Hiccuping, Being Held or Bounced and Eating. 

Dislikes - Being Burped, Sleeping in Her Crib, Getting into the Car Seat (She's Fine After the Car is On) and Getting Boogers Sucked Out. 

We love you Ruby! Slow down a little bit on growing up, okay? 

Love, Momma. 

Happy Summer!

I love summertime! Here are a bunch of reasons I'm so happy it's summer. 

* Chalk Art * My Birthday * Juicy Watermelon * Nightly Walks Around the Neighborhood * Out-of-Town Visitors * The Smell of Grilling in the Evening * Family Dinners in Uncle Von's Backyard * Frozen Yogurt * Summer Skirts * Fourth of July * Fresh Lemonade * Campfires * Picnics * Summer Wildflowers * Wearing Only Sandals * Pioneer Day * Homemade Ice Cream * Warm Summer Nights * Ripe Berries * Farmer's Markets * 

I'm not sure how summer is going to be with a newborn, but I think it's going to be a great summer no matter what! 

Inspired by this post. 

Image from here. 

Ruby Tuesday 3

This week was a big one for Ruby - She went to her first movie, went to church for the first time, went to the mall, she soaked herself with spit-up a couple of times and she started to get a hang of the sleeping in more than one hour blocks at night! Today she is four weeks old - Friday she'll be one month. I know kids grow up fast, but I really can't believe how fast time is flying by. 

Ruby is a pretty expressive little girl - here are some pictures I snapped this week - I think they're pretty funny. 

Is there anything you want to see in a Ruby Tuesday post? I'm open to suggestions and requests! 

Ruby's Room

I was planning on posting this a lot sooner but with everything that's happened over the last three weeks, I totally forgot. Here is the big reveal of Ruby's Room! We knew that we'd need to do a lot of work to make this room live-able but it's been so worth it and we're really happy with the result! Here are some befores and the corresponding afters: 

Our house has a third story and the stairs to get up there are smack-dab in the middle of the room. This room also didn't have any sort of storage or a closet. 

You can't really tell from these pictures, but the windows casings were totally falling apart. We took off some of the wood and there was a two-inch gap between the windows and the walls. This let cold air in and bugs. It was so gross- there were always dozens of dead flies on the window sill. Not too good for a little baby's room!

This room is nearly impossible to photograph! We have a little bookcase that will go between the  crib and the glider but it's in Massachusetts... I'm not sure when it will make it's way to Utah!

This will be Ruby's Blessing Dress.  It has a little bonnet too. 

We'll put pictures in those frames eventually! 

This dresser is against a wall that we put up to enclose the stairs and create a closet underneath them Dan was super excited about the closet because it made this room count on appraisals as another bedroom (technically you need at least a window and a closet to be considered a bedroom).   

 

Here is the inside of the closet - it's really deep and has plenty of storage space. 

The doll in the middle was my favorite childhood toy - her name is Squeaker  because she squeaks when you hug her. The doggie on the right was also one of my favorite toys - Toto. I guess for two-year-old Candace, any dog was Toto. And the cute monkey on the left was our first official baby gift! Jenny surprised us right after we told her the happy news! 

Ruby's bedding is from the same collection as my bedding in high school was. It'll be great because she already has  Twin sheets and quilts and stuff for when she graduates to a big girl bed. In the meantime, I really love her Jennylind Crib! 

I intended to do a lot more crafty things for the Nursery, but this is about as creative as I got. I like to say that the Momma bird and the Daddy bird are watching over their Baby bird in the crib below!  The branch is from a tree that Dan cut down in our yard.

Well, that's the Nursery! We are so happy with it and I think Ruby is too. She doesn't have the whole sleeping in her crib thing down yet but that'll come soon! I hope. 

Three more reasons my husband is great.

Dan is really quite awesome. Here are three things that he's done just in the last 24 hours that have made me a very happy girl!
1. He drove me all the way to Orem to go to Yogurtland as a reward for being brave at the dentist. And the little girl slept the entire time we were out which was also a nice treat! I love love love frozen yogurt - I always get the plain ol' tart yogurt, fruit (this time strawberries and raspberries), gummy bears or gummy worms and mini cheesecake bites. I could eat it every day.
2. Ruby was wide awake from 2am to about 6am this morning. I'd had it at about 4am and Dan kindly got out of bed and rocked the baby so I could get some sleep. I don't think I moved at all for those glorious two hours! Sleep is at quite a premium these days.
3. June is the super sale at Bath and BodyWorks and I'd really been wanting to get up to the mall and get some new lotion. Previous to being pregnant, I'd really liked Twilight Woods and Into the Wild but now those smells make me super nauseous. Dan was up in Orem for work today and stopped in to get a new scent for me. I always think it's funny to send a man into a super girly store like Bath & BodyWorks but Dan is so manly it didn't even phase him. Mango Mandarin will be the official smell of the summer! That, and spit-up it looks like! :)

Ruby Tuesday 2

The Many Nicknames of Ruby Jane Workman

We put such great thought into this little girl's name but we also find ourselves calling her a myriad of other pet names. Here is a partial list - I'm sure as she grows it will also!

• Roo (or Little Roo, from Winnie the Pooh fame)
• Little Baby, Little One, Little Girl - pretty much "little-" anything seems to suit her!
• Munchkin
• BiliRuby (this was from when she was on the phototherapy to lower her bilirubin levels...)
• Rubix Cube
• Rooby Rooby Roo - spoken in a Scooby Doo voice
• KangaRuby
• Girlie
• Roobot - this one came from our cousin Tess
• Sweet Child O' Mine...well not really, but we do sing that a lot these days!

We can't wait to think of more.  And for those of you who've already had the pleasure of meeting her, feel free to submit your own!

Ruby Tuesday 1

 

Five Things about Ruby:

1. She gets the hiccups more than any other baby I've ever met.

2. When she sleeps, she places her hands under her head like a model striking a pose. She's always posing until we get a camera...She's like Bigfoot. 

3. She doesn't have a "Newborn Cry". If this girl is going to cry, she is going to cry - none of this timid cooing nonsense! 

4. She has very long fingers - possible future occupations for her include: Piano Virtuoso, Basketball All-Star or Champion Softball Pitcher!

 5. She is TWO WEEKS OLD Today! How did this happen?