Sour Cream Coffee Cake

I am normally not a breakfast cook. There aren't many mornings in a year when I get up to make a full breakfast. My idea of breakfast is yogurt and a granola bar or instant oatmeal or fruit... very occasionally scrambled eggs and toast! If you are having guests overnight (which was the case for me and my sister last weekend) and don't have time to get a huge meal together, this is a great option for breakfast. Add some coffee and cereal or fruit and you have a delightful (not to mention light) breakfast!

My mother has a recipe for sour cream coffee cake somewhere, I believe. I'm not sure if this is exactly like it, but it turned out delicious. Very moist, and not too sweet. It makes a 9x13 pan, so you can either serve it right away or freeze some. I should have stuck some in my freezer, but I wasn't too smart at the time. ;)

I got the recipe from Ali at gimme some oven and I love all her recipes. I follow her on Pinterest and quite frequently see something that looks great. I followed the recipe exactly. Five stars for this! Next time I may try to make a more crumbly topping just for fun.

Cleaning Regimen

I think it is good to make goals. Every year I make "goals" rather than resolutions to see how far I can get. A resolution can be so easily forgotten, and most likely never followed through. I see my goals as something to strive towards... even if I don't fully reach them, at least I have made it a point to get there!

One of my biggest battles is keeping my house clean. Ask me to clean your house and I will take that any day! But my own? It is so easy to get behind on things. Especially the towers of pots, pans, plates, bottles... and piles of laundry that seem to accumulate from nowhere. Not to mention the clutter here and there. That has become a real issue since we made our storage room a nursery. So where to put all this stuff?! In reality, I don't enjoy the cleaning part of homemaking. I enjoy the cooking and baking and crafting and so forth. Actually I take that back. I do enjoy cleaning, but I don't like getting behind on everything! Those days where it takes all day (if not more!) to get my house clean is just not fun at all.

So, I have made it a goal of mine to try (attempt) to get better at keeping my house clean. I am not going to overwhelm myself with a huge list of things to do each day. And I know that I will never have a spotless house. That is just not me. I love to live in my home and do lots of different projects and enjoy my time with my baby and husband. They are more important than a spotless home. But keeping things tidy is important! Below is my new "goal" that I hope to strive for. I may not follow it perfectly every day. In fact, I know I won't! Things will come up, I'm sure. But I am going to at least try to keep a better home and follow this simple schedule.

Weekly Cleaning Regimen

Monday: 

Floors - vacuum/sweep, mop every other week

Tuesday: 

Appliances - wipe down stove, microwave, fridge, heater, any other kitchen appliances that need cleaning

Wednesday:

 Bathroom - wipe down toilet and sink, wash tub every other week (I do this with a cleaner and dish wand while I am in the shower)

Thursday: 

De-clutter - piles of papers, stuff thrown in a corner (lol), etc.

Friday: 

Dust - Everything from surfaces to window sills 

Saturday: 

OFF - I chose this as a day to have fun and take a break from the house

Sunday: 

Tidy rooms - just a quick cleaning of all rooms before we go to bed

Every Day:

1 load of laundry

1 load of diapers (if needed)

1 load of dishes in dishwasher

Make bed

Quick tidy of rooms

2 Months Old

My little girl officially turned 2 months on the 3rd. It's hard to believe, yet it seems like she has just always been with us! I'm sure you moms know the feeling...

Her 2 month check-up was last Thursday - the day where the icky road conditions began. Thankfully we made it to the office safely, and thankfully we were scheduled for a morning appointment! Our peanut is still a peanut at 9lb. 11oz. and 22 inches long. Her doctor was happy with the development though and was not worried one bit about her weight. One thing for slight concern was her head... because she favors her right side, her head has become a little misshaped. I have noticed ever since she was born that she loves to turn her head to her right side. She sleeps like that most of the time. Had I know, I would have tried to prevent it from becoming a habit. Buuut, I didn't, so now she has a slight bulge on one side of her head. Like I said, not anything for great concern, because it can be helped with massaging her neck and trying to get her to stretch it to the other side too. Since she is only two months old, her head has much more growing to do before it is anything permanent.

2 months 

A few days old.

Layla is now smiling and talking away to people, things on the walls, and the ceiling. It is so fun to watch her! We have started cloth diapering. The diapering part is easy... the cleaning part, not so much. I know it will be once we have it figured out, but I still am not getting clean diapers until they are washed umpteen-million times. It is actually not the diapers themselves as much as the cloth liners that go in them. I'm still experimenting... each diaper brand is different, and I know certain cleaning methods work for certain diapers.

She is still sleeping pretty well during the night. Of course we have our nights (like last night!) where she wakes up every few hours. But for the most part, she is sleeping anywhere from 4-7 hours at a time. Four being the very least, and seven is the most ever. Most nights, she is able to fall asleep on her own after being fed, changed, and bundled up. That is a new thing for her, since before I was having to hold her until she fell into a deep sleep.

We are looking forward to the many new developments in the next month or two! It is exciting when we reach new milestones. Like the smiling... it made Kyle and me so overjoyed to see our daughter smiling and cooing at us. :) Having a baby around is good for the soul!