Just in Time for the Cold...

Sweet feet and little hats to match!  I whipped up these baby booties and some matching baby hats to send to a friend in California that had a baby ohhhhhh, ummmmm..... a month ago?  I promise I will become a more punctual crafter now that work is not sucking all my energy.  (Did I mention that I had my last day of work?  Yippee!)

Anywho, I made the baby booties from a pattern found in this book, and the hats I cheated as usual and used my knifty knitter.  Now they are on their way to a good home.  I hope they like them!  :)

That Darn Cat

That darn cat is not supposed to be up on the back of the couch.  He knows this, and I know he knows this because I have successfully trained him to stay off of other cushions.  He is now totally trained to stay off the back of our loveseat, but I think he is going to test the waters (and my patience) with EVERY OTHER CUSHION until he runs out of options.  You know, just to make sure I really mean it.

You Aren't Going to *BELIEVE* This!

It has been pretty chilly and rainy here in Arizona, more so than usual, but I never expected that it would actually SNOW here!!  This afternoon I peeked out the window to check out the rain that was falling and I swore that I saw a flurry, and then a few seconds later I was sure I saw another one!  By the time we made it to the back yard to get a closer look at the situation, it was really snowing!!

(Do you see the flurries?  I swear they are there!  My friend Alicia suggested that Arizona is attempting to win me over, I think she might be right.)

Nothing stuck around, of course, but it was wonderful to see snow falling outside my window, even for just a short while.

Washing Instructions

"Machine wash with like colors"

Something tells me that's not going to be an issue.  :)

Have I mentioned how much I love adorable pink baby onesies?  I think they're my new favorite.

Baby Shower

A couple of weekends ago we had a baby shower back in San Diego--  It was wonderful!!

I wish I had thought ahead and taken more pictures of myself with people, but pictures of people will have to do.  :) 

 We of course had to play the "how big is the baby belly?" game...

...which Brooke won!  And, in case you are wondering, NO she did not cheat using her own baby belly.  She won fair and square, and was seriously within about 1/4 inch!  Way to go Brooke! 

Later I got to enjoy opening all the cute pink girly things, and visiting with friends and family that we don't get to see often enough. 

Thanks to everyone who came and made the day so special! 

Pumpkin Carving 2010

The "before" shot: 

Clearing out the pumpkin guts: 

Tracing the pattern:

Carving and trying not to injure myself: 

And the finished product!  

I think it is one of our better pumpkin carving attempts.  Today, we are enjoying the fruits of our labor (aka roasted pumpkin seeds!)

Flagstaff

A couple weekends ago Brett took me out of town for a little getaway to Flagstaff.  It was very nice to get out of the desert and enjoy the mountain scenery and cooler temperatures for a couple days.  Here are some pictures from our trip: 

Relaxing by the fire pit at our hotel:

On a hike.  Lesson learned:  6 months pregnant + high altitude hiking= not the best combination. 

 Look!  Greenery and snow!!!!!

There were lots of pretty flowers on our hike:

I sure wish I could take credit for this awesome shot, but it was all Brett's handiwork: 

Too Cute Baby Skirts!

After a lengthy hiatus, my crafting mojo has returned!  This is thanks in part to finally figuring out how to work me new serger, which is amazing by the way.

My latest addiction is making these adorable baby skirts!

They are so easy, and since they were made with fabric I had on hand, and jeans that I no longer have any hope of fitting into, making them was completely free.  Can't beat that.  

If anyone feels inclined to make their own, there is a fabulous tutorial here. 

New Couches!

It's the little things that keep me going around here.  Things like new couches!! 

Our poor, tired Iowa couches had seen better days.  They were recliners, and to put it lightly they were entirely dysfunctional.  I don't think I will ever purchase another couch with moving parts.  It just doesn't end well, especially if you plan to move them...ever. 

It's amazing how new couches and an area rug can revitalize a space.  Also, as you can see from the picture, Moose is a huge fan of the giant ottoman.  He pretty much thinks it's the greatest thing ever.  Next on the agenda is finding some end tables we like that don't break the bank.  There is talk of making our own...but we will see how that goes!  More on that later. 

Something to Hold You Over

I have been such an absentee blogger.  It really is pitiful.  Life has thrown us a couple of curve balls in recent months that led to some stress/upheaval/whatnot.  It also contributed to my lack of motivation to craft/blog/etc. 

But, never fear!  It's not all bad, we did manage to get the baby's room painted (don't tell our landlord, kay?).  It's a lovely shade of lavender.  The room is still a work in progress but here is a sneak peek!

In other news, I actually look kind of pregnant!  Fancy that!  It only took me forever to start showing.  The other day I was at JC Penney buying a cute little baby outfit, and the cashier asked me who was having a baby.  Depressing.  But, it only gets better from here! 

Now, all I need is for someone to please send a memo to the State of Arizona and tell it that it is time to cool off!  Then maybe I will find my motivation and actually be able to get my craft on.  :) 

Gnome & Friends

I checked out this cool book from my local library, and just had to try out a project from it: 

I set out to make this cool gnome, owl, and raccoon for Brooke's son, Truman. 

They were a lot of fun to make.  I made them a couple months ago at the height of my morning sickness.  Turns out that embroidery is the perfect activity for when you are too sick to get your butt off the couch.  :)

The patterns for all three can be found in the Doodle Stitching book.  The only thing I modified were a few colors, and I sized down the owl and raccoon patterns so that they would be handheld size and more in proportion with the gnome. 

Check out the book, it has lots of great ideas!! 

IT'S A GIRL!!

Brett and I were both very excited to learn on Thursday that we are expecting a beautiful baby GIRL!!!!!

We love her so much already.  ♥

Now the baby crafting can really begin!  

Handy Husband

My husband's mechanical/technical abilities never fail to amaze me.  Here he is last weekend when he replaced the motor that rolls our car window down, and fixed the air conditioner. 

Estimated cost of repairs done by a mechanic:  $500
Actual cost of repairs done by handy husband:  $43.00
Handy Husband:  Priceless

The World Needs to Know About Spaghetti Pie

I was guilting myself over posting this because the picture of spaghetti pie simply does not do it justice.  The husband did not get home until after dark this evening, which made my pictures less then stellar, but today, I'm setting that aside, because the world needs to know about Spaghetti Pie.  This is more important than any of my own insecurities.  So here it is: 

2 large carrots (peeled and diced)
1/2 pound spaghetti
1 15 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
8 to 10 mini meatballs (optional)
1 teaspoon oregano
salt & pepper

The Rules:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Boil spaghetti for approximately 6 minutes, then add in carrots.  Continue boiling until Spaghetti is al dente.  Drain and transfer spaghetti and carrots into a large bowl.  Stir in tomato sauce, 3/4 cup of  mozzarella and ricotta cheese.  Stir well so that spaghetti begins to cool before adding the egg. Then add egg, meatballs, oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and pour into a 9 inch pie dish. Sprinkle top with remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until top is golden brown and bubbly and pie is set. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Serves 4 to 6.

Here is what you get:

We thought it was a really nice change of pace to the usual 'spaghetti and red sauce' that we do so often around here.  I think you should try it this week!

P.S.  In the interest of full disclosure, I did not think up this recipe all by myself.  The original can be found at another blog called Cooking With My Kid. 

Exciting News #2

Wow, my last post announcing an exciting announcement fueled much speculation among those who read my blog.  My inbox runneth over.

I suppose exciting news would be a more appropriate term than exciting announcement.  You already know we are having a baby, what else is there?

Well, another recent development is that I got my degree!!  Yes, I already had a degree, but this time I got my Bachelor's in Business Management!  I am so thrilled that after all these years in school I have at long last completed my bachelor's degree!!

(Name intentionally blacked out so the looneys on the internet can't track me down)

I got my degree the same week that we found out that we are having a baby.  As excited as I was, the whole baby thing made me forget pretty quickly.  I managed to tell my dad and my grandma, but not too many people beyond that.  The whole thing passed without much fanfare because I attended an online school and the graduation ceremony is being held in Salt Lake City, which I decided to skip. 

I ended up going to Western Governor's University which I discovered after my friend Amanda read about it in Time magazine.  The article was called "The Best Online School You've Probably Never Heard Of."  I would say that is accurate on all counts.  One of these days (here I go with the procrastination and excuses again) I will get around to writing about my WGU experience.  Something that, in retrospect, I probably should have done while I was still taking classes, not now when baby brain is causing me to forget minor details.

So long story short, that's my news!  Aren't you proud of me?  ;)

Chiropractic Love(rs) and Other Matters

So, I feel like I could go about another 300 years without having the energy to write a blog post...  But here I am, writing for you.  Partly out of guilt, and partly out of fear that my followers would soon rise up in revolt and storm the castle.  It's a pretty well-founded fear.  In any case, here we are. 

About a million years ago (okay, May) around the time of my last blog post, we went to Washington!  While we were there, we got to visit these cool people:

We checked out Spokane which was really, really pretty, though kind of rainy.  I'm not sure what else I expected from the great state of Washington.

While we were there (praise the Lord!) Brett was able to get adjusted!  Here's the story:  Brett's absolute favorite person in the entire world to be adjusted by is Keven, and vice versa.  This makes the many states (and occasionally, time zones) that separate them quite problematic.  Ever since graduation day Keven's wife and I have had the joy of listening to our husbands complain about not getting proper adjustments.  So here you have it, reunited at long last:

Brett may or may not ever admit this, but "going to Washington to visit friends" could probably be translated as "going to Washington to get adjusted with the added benefit of seeing friends."  The world may never know.

Hmmmm....what else?

We helped ourselves to a ride on their kid's teeter-totter, which I am certain I have not done since elementary school.

Beyond that, June was a rather uneventful month.  Just to give you an idea:  I usually take at least 500 pictures a month, sometimes over 1,000.  In June, I took 16.  I have a couple more things to tell you about, including another exciting announcement, but these things involve me dusting off my camera (and getting off my butt) which I promise to do at some point this weekend...  Just not right now.  So, I will make you sit on the edge of your seat until then.  :) 

Brett's (World Famous) Salsa Recipe

Ok, so maybe it's not world famous, but it is delicious!  I highly recommend that you try it out:

1 large can Contadina crushed tomatoes with roasted Garlic

1 can chopped/diced Jalapeños

1 can chopped green chiles  

1 medium onion

1/2 bunch of cilantro

Real tablespoon of Salt

Real tablespoon of Pepper

Real tablespoon of lime juice

1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic (more or less to taste)

Place 1/2 can of Crushed tomatoes, full can of Jalapeños and chiles, salt, pepper, and garlic in blender.   Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds or so.

Chop the onion and cilantro to desired sizes (smaller is better) and place in bowl with other 1/2 can of crushed tomatoes.   Stir until mixed.  Pour the contents of blender into the bowl and mix.  Mix in Lime juice, and you have salsa!   

REALLY Big News!

Ok, so I haven't blogged in forever + 3 days.  But I promise I have a really, really good excuse that will make you forgive me: 

WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!  

We are beyond excited, and as I'm sure you can imagine, I can't stop thinking about all the adorable little baby crafts/quilts/goodies/etc. that I finally get to make for my baby.  

What does this have to do with not blogging, you ask?  Well, this baby is making me tired.  Like, beyond exhausted.  Like, more tired than I ever knew I could be + 10.  So, it's not that I don't care, it's just that I'm sleeping. 

You forgive me, don't you? 

Thanks, I knew you would.  :) 

Distraction

I apologize for my recent blog hiatus.  I spent the last week or so combatting some sort of virus.  It basically amounted to me doing nothing but laying around and going through 700 boxes of kleenex for several days.  So, rather than writing a substantial blog post, I am going to distract you with this cute picture of Moose:

We leave this weekend for an out-of-town trip, so I promise, promise, promise that I will have lots of interesting things to blog about next week! 

Amazing Mac N' Cheese

I don't know if this particular version can technically be considered a mac n' cheese, since I didn't actually use macaroni noodles.  So call it what you like, either way it will still be delicious.

The Ingredients:
1 box pasta of your choice
1 can (10 1/2 oz.) Campbell's Cream of Cheddar Soup
2 cups (8 oz.) Shredded Cheddar Cheese (or any variety)
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup milk
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. garlic pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground mustard

The Rules:
1.  Cook pasta until al dente
3.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl
4.  Transfer mixture to casserole dish and bake with foil cover at 400° for 40 minutes.

And you're done!  It's super easy and amazingly delicious.

Enjoy!

Viva Las Vegas!--Day 3

Las Vegas Day 3 was kind of a lazy, uneventful day, but I'll give you the run-down anyway.  To kick things off, we went to the grand canyon store.  We did this last time as well, but I can't get enough of that place, so we went back.

Naturally there was an alien in a giant tube of water.

Then we walked around the city center where, if you desire, you can dine in this cool wooden orb thing.

It was also full of stores that I refuse to shop at based solely on principle since you can feed an entire third-world country with the cost of a single one of their handbags, but that's a different rant for a different day.

Then we strolled to Bellagio with its pretty glass ceiling...

And conservatory...

Which happened to have an ant theme this time.  Would not have been my first choice, but maybe that's why I'm not the horticultural guru at the Bellagio.

At least the hydrangeas were pretty.

After wandering around we went back to the MGM where you can go to CBS Television City and screen potential upcoming tv shows.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but we actually had a lot of fun doing it!  The show we watched was pretty interesting, I hope it makes it to tv!  It was a fun experience, and something that would definitely be different every time you go.

The rest of the afternoon was spent being deliberately lazy, but that's what vacations are all about, right?