The Reveal

This isn't your typical reveal.

but it's an exciting time for our family

and I would like to share.

If only these little cuties would hold still long enough for a good picture!

Or at least long enough that you can read their shirts...

There! Did you catch it?

Big Brothers!

Yes, BOTH boys are wearing Big Bro shirts! 

Baby III is due in May 2011!

I'm not a fan of the 1st Trimester. I get tired very easily, never have enough energy and go to bed between 7:30 and 8. I also have nasty food aversions, and while I've never actually lost my latest meal, I feel as though I could at any given moment! My trigger foods are highly acidic or oily--like tomatoes or my husband's popcorn. Ok. Must change the topic!!!

During pregnancies #1 and #2, these symptoms went away at about week 12. Today is 9 weeks, so my fingers are crossed! In the past the 2nd Trimester has been great and I hope to be so lucky again!

I can't wait to hold our sweet little baby! I just can't believe we're going to be a family of 5!

Blog Award

Jen over at [Frame Fanatic] gave me this award!

Thanks Jen! 

10 Things I Like:

(I chose to not do the usual Jesus-husband-children thing)

* A nice pedicure

* Traveling

* Coffee dates with a friend

* The sound of my boys' laughter

* That my BFF can now IM from her phone

* Mom's annual visit

* A good decorating makeover

* Babies

* The blog world

* Laughing & talking with my husband when we should be sleeping

10 Blogs I Read:

*Acorn Hollow

* Cowboy {Phraseology} 

* House of Grace

* House of Smiths

* IHeart Organizing

* Notes from the Heartland

* On The Banks of Squaw Creek

* Savvy Southern Style

* There Was a Bright Flash of Light

* White House, Black Shutters

Rules, if you're into them:

1) Post who it was who gave you the award

2) List 10 things you like

3) Pass along the award to 10 other blogs and let them know!

Happy belated 10.10.10!

Top Ten!

Can you believe it?!

I entered my Fall Wreath at Fireflies & Jellybean's Iron Crafter and I'm in the Top 10! 

 

So.... If you have a minute today to hop on over and vote for me your favorite finalist, that would be great! Thanks!

AKA: Coffee Table

Our coffee table isn't. It's not a table and it's not for coffee. It's not even the right height to put your feet up! I love it though.

My husband bought this trunk at an auction. I love that it's scratched and worn. Perfect for this:

And this:

I also use it as a desk as you saw in this post.

You want to know what's in it? Magazines! I'm afraid to put pillows or blankets in it, cuz it smells like moth balls inside, but I don't mind if old issues of Real Simple or Better Homes & Gardens smell a little funny.

We have two proper coffee tables in storage. And by "storage" I mean, taking up random space in the basement. One is currently used near the scary laundry corner to put clean clothes on. The other is at the foot of the bed in the guest almost finished room and it holds towels and/or suitcases. But this trunk works for now! 

What do you use as a coffee table? Something pretty to display more pretties on? Something comfy to rest your feet on? Something repurposed or unique?

My new friend Emily is having a coffee table link party. Stop by!

http://emilyaclark.blogspot.com/2010/09/coffee-talk-link-party.html

Homemade Marinara

Every time I go out to the garden I come back with about 10 tomatoes. I'm not complaining! We love tomatoes around here!

We canned some of our tomatoes.

I thought I would try making marinara sauce using some of the fresh tomatoes. It's so delicious and so easy! It does take a little time, but once you get started you can easily work on other things in between stirring the simmering sauce so it won't burn.

Start with just a few ingredients:

Chop the tomatoes (12-15) into chunks.

Brown 10-12 cloves of garlic in a tablespoon or so of olive oil.

Add tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup olive oil to the pot. (The recipe I used called for 2 tablespoons of sugar. I tried it that way and thought it was too sweet. I tried it again with no sugar and actually like it much better that way.) Then let everything simmer.

And simmer! I've found that the right consistency comes after about 3 hours of simmering. I stirred the sauce about every 10-20 minutes, depending on what else I was doing.

Just before you serve the sauce, add a handful of chopped fresh basil.

I also have chopped basil from the garden frozen in chunks using an ice cube tray. This is great when it's raining or I'm too busy to go to the garden to get the fresh stuff. I'm planning to make more sauce during the winter, so these basil cubes will come in handy!

Thinking like an Italian (did you know I spent a school year in Italy?), it's best to mix your cooked pasta directly with the sauce so it will get coated and really come together.

I served this last night when we had friends over. That's a huge bowl, by the way! I used a whole box of penne pasta and the entire batch of marinara for 7 adults and 2 kids. Everybody really liked it.

I hope you do too!

Fall Wreath

I'm participating!





Inspired by all the pretty wreaths in blogland, I tried my hand at making my own. 

It started with this:

I traced a circle with two different sizes of mixing bowls.

I got this:

Then I cut it out and taped the seams.

I wrapped and wrapped and wrapped twine in messy layers.

It took all of nap time and another hour or so in the evening!

See those pretty round papers by the wreath? They're coffee filters that I had my boys paint the other day while my husband and I were canning.

I had J spray the filters with water and then use acrylic. When I was a Kindergarten teacher I used watered-down tempura paints. That worked much better!

I let J2 use those crayola baby markers on dry filters, then misted it with water. 

Here's how they turned out:

I folded three filters and tucked them under some of the twine.

Now it hangs on the basement door that is across from our entry door!

I love it! Do you?