Keepin Emma Entertained!

So we have noticed since being back in Ohio that Emma is sure a social butterfly. We think she did so well in Utah because she had so much to look at and do. She loves seeing and being with new people. We have been trying to keep her more "entertained" lately so that she is not just stuck at home being bored. It is nice because it gets us out and going as well. This past week, as Mike mentioned in the last post, we were able to go to the zoo as well as the Metro Park. The Metro Parks are these really nice state parks were they have walking and hiking trails, ponds and rivers for fishing, playgrounds, picnic sites, etc. They are really nice and well maintained. Anyway we have been meaning to go forever but have never gotten around to it. We went for the afternoon and had a picnic and went for a walk. It has been nice being able to spend so much time with Mike this summer. Once his research starts up again we won't be so lucky so we have to get our time in while we can.:)
We had a really nice day at the zoo as well. Emma did pretty well. It's always fun to see all of the animals and just take a nice day to be together as a family. We decided to get a season pass. You may wonder why we got a season pass when we are hoping to be moving in December. We decided it would be worth it to get Emma and "Mom" out of the house for awhile and when you get a pass to the Columbus Zoo you are able to get free or discounted tickets to most of the zoo's across the U.S. We decided that once we move we would hopefully still be able to use it in that way as well. So hopefully we'll get our moneys worth.

Setbacks

Well, I thought that I would be super busy with my research once I got back to school. I have an intense 3 week experimental design that I was hoping to start up once we got back from our Utah trip. When I got back I found out the vanilla samples that we ordered before we left for Utah, were never shipped. Yesterday, I found out that one of the analytical machines I'm using is down for repair for another week. So, I've had to push things back at least two weeks. The good news is this gives me plenty of time to write the 80 page introduction to my thesis that is expected of me. As writing a thesis is very tedious and boring, I've also found time to go to the zoo (Amy will post some pictures later I think), backup our entire hard drive, and write this blog post.

Our Utah Trip

So Long, Farewell...

So we had a WONDERFUL vacation to Utah and are finally back in Ohio. We had such a good time it has been hard for us to come back. We didn't realize how much we missed being with family all of the time. We were able to do so much and see so much of our families. It really was nice. Thanks to all of you for setting aside the time to spend time with us or letting us stay at your homes, we really appreciated it. Emma had such a fabulous time. She is soooo social and we love it. We just need to make sure to let that great quality shine even though Mike and I are both a little socially shy. It is amazing to see how much she has grown in the past month. She is smiling all of the time and starting to laugh. Her giggle is so cute and she can always put a smile on my face. Emma did pretty well on the flight home and slept for 8 hours last night. I was a little worried about her when I realized I hadn't woken up with her in the middle of the night. I guess we all have a little jet-lag.

Today was quite the adventure. It was such a nice morning that Emma and I woke up and went for a walk. After getting ready for the day Mike discovered that our car wouldn't start. We had to get someone to come and jump start it for us. After the car died 3 times and having to have 3 jump starts we decided that it was probably time for a new battery. After getting a new battery as well as stalking up our bare kitchen cabinets I realized that I had a message from Mike. He had called to tell me (3 hours prior) that he didn't have anything he could work on up at campus yet and asked if I could come and get him. Needless to say he didn't have a very productive day just sitting in his lab for 3 hours with nothing to do. I better turn my phone off of "silent" mode eh?

So we are slowly getting back into the swing of things, but it may take a little while. Once exciting thing is that I am going to see Harry Potter tomorrow. Woo Hoo. I'll let ya know how it goes.

Fun in Utah

So we have been in Utah for a week and a half now. It is crazy to think that we will be here for another 2. Emma has been doing great. She has her good and bad days, but for the most part they are good. We were so blessed on the plane ride because Emma did soooo well. I couldn't have asked for better. I was so sure that we would be the couple that everyone gave dirty looks too because our baby was ruining their flight, but she hardly fussed at all. We think she has really enjoyed all of the new things and people that she is seeing. I has also been a lot of fun because Emma is smiling a lot now. It just warms our hearts to have her smile at us. What a cutie.

So far we have gone to Adams wedding, spent time with our parents, went to the Pierce family "campout", and attended Ammons baptism. We have some more visiting to do as well as the Sharp family campout so we are definitely keeping ourselves busy. It has been a little crazy driving back and forth but we are enjoying the time to visit with family. It has been so long. I just might not want to leave. We have been horrible at taking pictures so hopefully we'll get a little better and will have some fun pics for our next post.

Ice Cream Time

It's hot here in Columbus. It just rained, but instead of cooling things down, it just made it more humid and stickier. Summer is here, and of course that gets me thinking about ice cream. I worked at Casper's Ice Cream in Cache Valley for two years, and am now studying ice cream here at Ohio State. Some would call me something of an ice cream expert. Anyway, that reputation has grown here in our ward in Ohio, and a couple of weeks ago I was asked to show the scout aged boys how to make homemade ice cream. It forced me to finally put my ice cream formulation into a recipe format. I thought it would be a good idea to share it, so everybody can give it a try. It was developed for a five quart ice cream maker:

Professional Vanilla Ice Cream:

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Powdered Milk
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/4oz Unflavored gelatin
3 Cups Milk
1 quart heavy whipping cream
1/3 cups corn syrup
1 egg yolk
2tsp Vanilla

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate pot add milk and cream (do not heat). Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients making sure powdered milk does not clump. Once dry ingredients are added, turn on heat. Add corn syrup and egg yolk while heating and stirring. Stir mix constantly until temperature reaches 175˚F (Almost to boiling, but do not let boil). Quickly remove from heat and place pot in tub (sink) of ice water. Stir until mix reaches below 50˚F (slightly cool to touch). Place mix in ice cream maker container, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

The next day: Add vanilla to mix. Place container in ice cream maker. Layer two inches of ice then a layer of rock salt until ice reaches the top of the container. Freeze until paddle slows down. (The harder you freeze the mix in the ice cream maker the better texture you will have). Harden ice cream in freezer overnight.

Makes approximately 1 gallon of ice cream.


Simplified Vanilla Ice Cream:

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Powdered Milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 Cups Milk
1 quart heavy whipping cream
2tsp Vanilla

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl add milk and cream. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, making sure powdered milk does not clump. Add vanilla. Place in ice cream maker container. Layer two inches of ice then a layer of rock salt until ice reaches the top of the container. Freeze until paddle slows down. (The harder you freeze the mix in the ice cream maker the better texture you will have). Harden in freezer overnight.

Makes approximately 1 gallon of ice cream.


To make different flavors I just mostly experiment. I can give these tips however:
Added flavoring extracts should be about two teaspoons.
To make a flavor base (actual fruit, etc.) add some light corn syrup and blend. Flavor bases can be added before heating or after (depending on microbial risk). A good rule of thumb is about 10% of the mix.
To test if there is enough flavoring in the mix, it should be slightly stronger than what you want in your final ice cream. This is because the freezing process adds air and dilutes the flavor.
A base that I like to use is 1/3 cup cream cheese mixed in well with 2/3 cup corn syrup.
Freeze the ice cream as hard as possible before adding inclusions (cookies, candies, whole pieces of anything), then stir in the inclusions to the ice cream.

I hope you enjoy your ice cream this hot summer. Go ahead and call or e-mail me if you have any ice cream questions. It's fun for me to share my ice cream knowledge.

Show Down with the Lactation Consultant and More!

Sorry if this post provides "Too Much Information" but it has been a huge accomplishment for us so I had to write about it. A couple weeks ago I was pretty much ready to give up on breastfeeding. Emma was refusing to nurse (at all) and it was getting really ridiculous. We decided to go to the lactation consultant one last time and see if there were any more tricks up her sleeve. I went in with the attitude that it was hopeless and that the lactation consultant wouldn't be able to help us at all. After an hour of screaming her head off, Chris Harter, the lactation consultant, won the showdown, and Emma's stubborn streak was broken. Chris said we just needed to show Emma some "tough love". We thought we were doing a good job of letting her fuss before giving her a bottle, but it wasn't good enough because Emma has a mind of her own. Ever since that day Emma has been nursing like a champ and it really seems like a miracle. I never expected to be at this point. Hurray!!!! for Emma.

So we were without Mike this past weekend. He had a conference in California and was gone for 3 days. We sure missed him, but luckily Emma was pretty good for me so that was a blessing. Mike had another interview and this time it was for a cheese company in Colorado. It would be great to be closer to home, but we'll see. Everyone wants to hire someone right away and Mike won't be finished until December.

So I did some retakes of Emma in her blessing dress and they turned out so cute that I had to share. She is finally starting to smile, but it is hard to catch her in the act.



This one is my favorite