baby.bedding

I made some baby bedding a couple of weeks ago for a friend (not for myself!). She brought me a picture that looked similar to this, and I went with it. Honestly, it was surprisingly easier than I thought it would be! :)

I loved making the blanket, and I can't wait to make a similar one in a smaller size. I just wanted to cuddle up under it! I love the nubby fabric on the bottom...one of my favs.

I must say, I'm inspired to make bedding for our baby after this! It'll be my winter project. :)

apple.pie

Oh boy!  I made an apple pie today to take to a friend's house for dinner.  It's not my recipe, but I promise you that if anyone knows how to make an apple pie, it's Lorna M. from Josh's parents' church!  I found it in the church cookbook. :) 

She has one fine apple pie recipe, and I will forever use it!  Not only is it as easy as pie (pun totally intended), it's sooooooo good! 

I'll share...

Apple Pie
Fill a pie crust with sliced apples (5-6 cups).  Put 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 2 teaspoons flour on top of apples.  Dot with butter.  Mix 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup flour, and 1/2 cup brown sugar.  Place on top of other ingredients in pie shell.  Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then 375 degrees for 50 minutes.

Notes:
1.  The apples will look like WAY too many in the shell...they are not.  Pile them up.
2.  I mix the sugar, cinnamon, and flour, and then I put it on top of the apples.
3.  When I put the butter, flour, and brown sugar mixture on top of the apples, I kind of pat it down to make it stay.
4.  I always bake it on a cookie sheet covered in foil because it ALWAYS overflows. 
5.  I check the timer after about 30-40 minutes to make sure the topping isn't burning.  Cover it loosely with foil and continue to bake until you feel like it's done.  I usually end up baking my pie for a total of about 45-50 minutes (both temps combined).
6.  Let it cool and enjoy!

**When I don't have a crust handy, I also use this as an apple crisp in an 8x8 greased dish!

pumpkin.carving

Like father...like daughter.

Pumpkin carving is serious work.

pregnancy.brain.round.2

These are going to start coming quickly! :)

I was talking with my friend, Katie, today on the phone, and I was telling her about this other mom that I met yesterday.  My side of the conversation went something like this:

"Well, she told me that she freezes a lot of food, which makes sense because she has a lot of kids...4 of them."

And then I realized (I'm sure with Katie's help) that I AM PREGNANT WITH MY 4TH CHILD!!  Hello?!!  I guess I'm going to be one of those moms "with a lot of kids" come March. 

glamorous.life

I just want to share (just for a moment, of course) about the glamorous life that I lead.  As of right now, it is 12:13.  I should be starting lunch, but I'm not.  I'm doing what I want to do...because I do lead such a glamorous life that I stop for no one.  Except for my toddler....

...who is currently naked.  She's potty training (her choice).  But she just had an accident.  Her second of the morning.  I've spent about 15 minutes this morning simply cleaning up potty.  And with her, if I haven't been cleaning up her potty accidents, I've been wiping her bottom. 

She potties about 4 times per hour.  I secretly think she just wants 4 skittles per hour (her treat for pottying in the potty).  What can I say?  She's a smart girl.  Again, back to my main point:  I stop for no one.  Except my 5 year old...

....who has completely rearranged the kitchen and family room into one huge tent.  She, of course, made it with the biggest blankets that she won't be able to refold alone.  I may just have to stop eating bon-bons and watching my all favorite shows later to help fold those.  When did she make it?  Oh, while I was cleaning up that last potty incident. 

Again, back to my main point about my glamorous life:  I stop for no one.  Except my 7 year old...

...who needs assistance with her cursive.  Otherwise, the name "Jesus" ends up looking like "Jesians" because she was looking at Ephesians while she was in the middle of Jesus and all of the sudden was mixing up words.  "Why do I have to use my eraser so many times?"  I don't know.  Why do I have to clean the kitchen 3 times a day?  Unanswered questions in life. 

So, here I am...stopping for no one today (just like everyday, of course).  I was barely able to squeeze in breakfast this morning, I'm still in my pajamas, my hair is a mess, and (gasp!) I still haven't brushed my teeth today.  Ick.  But I really don't care.  I have 3 (almost 4) healthy children to hold in my arms, a husband who is a rock, and families on both sides that I couldn't do without. 

Glamorous life?  I think not.  Beautiful life?  Yes.  I am choosing to love where I am in this world.  I am so extremely thankful for all of the ways we've been blessed...more than we deserve, and yet the blessings continue to roll in.  Incredible.

Please remind me of all of this when I start complaining about wiping bottoms, my messy house, and home schooling.  Because the time will come when I will complain...quite possibly later today. :)

pregnancy.brain.round.1

I don't know about the rest of you while you're pregnant, but I have SERIOUS prego brain!  I confuse things oh-so-easily.

Now, I've labeled this as "round 1".  We all know that this is not the case.  This is just the first documentation.  I'll be sure to document further instances as they arise, and I assure you that they will! :)

Here we go...

I made beef stew the other night for the first time.  It's a pretty simple recipe.  I put it on the table, and Josh says, "Did you do something different this time?"  Nope.  Same recipe, but I had noticed that it seemed a bit "soupier" (is that a word?) than usual.  We ate it.

Got the leftovers out last night.  I said, "This is so much more watery that usual.  I just don't know what went wrong!"  Josh: "Are you sure you didn't leave anything out?"  I was sure.

I decided to get out the recipe to double check.  Meat...check.  Potatoes...check.  Carrots...check.  1 cup water...ch...uh-oh.

And there it was.  1 cup water.  Simple enough.  Right?

Let's just say that when you put 4 (FOUR!) cups of water in your stew instead of 1 cup of water, it makes a bit of a difference.  It is a bit soupier at that point.  Oops.

scavenger.hunt

This was a really cute activity in Meredith's curriculum the other day. She had to find objects around the house that started with the same letters as all of the letters in her name.


I gave her a bag (to carry her items) and sent her on her way. She can be slightly helpless at times, but I didn't help her a bit on this task! She was excited to work on it all by herself. Here's what she found:


M-marker
E-elephant (small)
R-red shirt (not pictured...she forgot to grab it)
E-elephant (large)
D-dog
I-ipod (very creative!)
T-toothbrush (not sure where this one is either)
H-hanger

october.menu.planning

Again with the late menu planning!  :)  Nothing to blame except busy-ness and the fact that we were out of town for a few days.  That always slows me down! 

Oct. 10-16
10/10: out of town
10/11: leftovers
10/12: beef stew
10/13: chicken manicotti (freeze one for next month)
10/14: pancakes
10/15: enchilada casserole (new recipe)
10/16: pork stir fry

Oct. 17-23
10/17: chicken patty sandwiches
10/18: no cooking!
10/19: creamy chicken and wild rice soup (freeze 1/2 for next month)
10/20: goulash
10/21: honey glazed pork chops (new recipe)
10/22: homemade bbq chicken pizza
10/23: breakfast casserole and blueberry muffins

Oct. 24-30
10/24: spaghetti
10/25: roast and potatoes
10/26: grilled rosemary pork
10/27: chicken pot pie (new recipe)
10/28: skillet penne and sausage supper
10/29: chili and cornbread
10/30: fall harvest party
10/31: candy*

Any new recipes on your menu for this month?  If so, please share!

*actually we usually get together with friends and do a carry-in before we trick-or-treat

croaked

Lesson of the day: if you're a little frog who can jump through the crack of a door while it's open, you need to move quickly...extremely quickly.

Because more than likely, the man of the house (who doesn't like to keep the doors open any longer than necessary) will shut the door much faster than his three lovely daughters.

And this, my dear amphibian friend, will result in your death.

The lady of the house will find you (because she's extremely observant). She'll think you're pretty disgusting. She'll take a picture. She'll post you on her blog.

Next time, just stay out. Please.

ideas.ideas

So, Christmas is just around the corner. I'm going to be starting my shopping within the next month, and I'm looking for ideas from all of you!

I have some ideas already, but I'm always looking for more. I'm really trying to not bring more STUFF into our house. I'm fully aware that this is not even remotely possible, and we're going to be doing some things to combat the STUFF.

So here's what I'm looking to know:

1. What are you putting on your kids' Christmas wish lists?

2. Do you have any ideas to share that won't put more (or at least a lot more!) STUFF in my house?

3. Are you making any homemade gifts for your kids/family members/co-workers/etc.?

4. If so, what are you making? Please share any links if you have them.

***UPDATE***
Everyone is sharing such great ideas, and I wanted to share ours too!
-movie/popcorn/pop package for all of the kids.  We do movie night here almost every Friday night.  The girls rarely get to drink pop, so I thought it would be extremely fun for them to each get their own 12 pack of mini-pops, a big box of popcorn, and a movie.  (One of my friends suggested this to me last year, and I loved the idea!)
-My mom and I just discussed the girls taking some cooking classes at our local candy shop. 
-I told Josh that this year we're going to make pumpkin rolls for his adminitrative assistant and his boss.  I'll post this recipe one of these days soon...yum-o. 

Thanks everyone! :)