Week 37 and a Freezer Meal Party

This week was #37!

It won't be long now. 

These two cutie pies were on their best big-brotherly behaviour at my check-up this week.

Of course they were well rewarded afterwards.

Their drink of choice is a sample cup of whipped cream.

And for me?

Just a Grande Starbucks Double Shot on Ice.

Ahhhh....

Being pregnant in this weather is no joke. 

We get out to water the garden and play in the mornings 

and then after dinner we're usually out the door for a family walk or bike ride.

But during the day, we're usually tucked away inside with the AC running.

 I tried a new banana bread recipe this week.

The boys were only too happy to partake.

We attended our 6th baby shower celebration of the summer!

And speaking of baby showers...

In lie of a shower, a few dear ladies from our Bible Study group at church came over this morning and spent hours working in the kitchen, stocking my freezer with all kinds of meals and goodies to enjoy after Baby #3 makes his debut.

A am so blessed to have had these sweet ladies spoiling me!

And if any of you are looking for some freezer meal inspiration that is more than just a cream of chicken soup casserole, here's what my freezer now holds:

Sausage Balls 

(for dear husband)

We omit the onion.

The Pioneer Woman's Breakfast Burritos

Blueberry Muffins

Sausage, Spinach, and White Bean Soup

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Quinoa and Black Bean Enchilada Bake

Three Bean and Beef Chili

White Chicken Chili

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Quiche

Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

Viva la Vagrancy!

Another fun dinner party!

This time we were celebrating a friend's last day of work - with a soup kitchen themed party. 

It was my husband's idea - Ha!

I traded my beloved Fiesta dishes for paper and styrofoam products.

The table was covered in plastic with an industrial size garbage bag taped to the end. 

Another friend made that super fun banner - Viva la Vagrancy!

We drank root beer from paper bags and served saran wrapped rice krispie treats for dessert.

What a fun evening celebrating the end of an era of work and enjoying great fellowship with friends.

Our party favour included those items a soon to be soup kitchen frequenter might find themselves in need of - plus a gospel tract. ;)

Viva la Vagrancy!

Life As We Know It

This week I've had a hard time keeping up with my 'to do' list as well as keeping up to date with you, my family and friends. Since living life takes precedence over documenting it, that's been our focus this last week, but today I finally got around to picture taking - you won't believe how much Lynden has grown. We got out of the house this morning to run some errands and stopped at the library to play and read for a little bit.

He's now 7 months old!

While the boys were napping I made a little more project on my latest DIY mirror and reclaimed wood window frame. The glass has been cut down to size. Today I worked at scraping all the old junk off of the glass and it cleaned up pretty well. 

Two coats of paint later, all it needs are little nails to keep the glass snugly in place. 

Ryder was pretty excited to see 'Ryder-boy.'

We've been enjoying our own fresh eggs for a couple of months now. The excitement of feeding the chickens our scraps hasn't waned at all as far as Ryder is concerned. He's always eager to help.

This poor broody hen is always the easiest for Ryder to catch and carry around. 

Lucky chicken!

Finally! 

Ryder helped me pick the last of my red and golden beets to make a big pot of beet borscht for dinner. 

Here he is showing off a few of the little ones.

Two New Creatures Have Joined the Zoo

I've noticed that as the days and weeks pass, bringing us closer to the arrival of Baby Little Dipper, less and less gets accomplished. It may have something to do with the naps I try to sneak in while Ryder is having his afternoon. I anxiously await that nesting second-wind, because at this rate, the baby's going to show up whether I'm ready or not.  Hello week 37!

Ryder was my sweet shopping buddy on Tuesday. Everywhere we went, he saw hats and shoes, pants and socks - and wanted to try it all on, whether it was infant size or not. 

His reward?  A new pair of fuzzy brown bear slippers to keep his toes warm in our big cold house. We're working on names for these new creature friends, so comment if you have any suggestions. :)

THAT FACE!

Yesterday afternoon included another new milestone.  After his nap, Ryder begged to go play outside with Dixie and so I bundled him up and sent him out the back door. What followed was 30 whole minutes of uninterrupted exploration and play with our rascally little dog. The two of them have become fast friends and I certainly enjoyed a half hour of cleaning the kitchen and prepping dinner without the two of them underfoot. I sure do love to see my little boy growing up!  <3

On the menu for today... I have 4 Etsy orders to get started on, I plan to make a big pot of beet borscht for lunch (using up the last precious beet I received in my latest Bountiful Basket), and creamy homemade Pioneer Woman mac & cheese to accompany the pulled pork we smoked last weekend. 

Today I'm thankful for a hardworking husband, days to get stuff done at home, and the joy God gives in daily walking with Him. I am blessed!

Happy New Year!

Well, 2015 is here!  We had intended to wrap up the year back home with friends, but a broken jet changed our plans and Southwest ended up putting us up in Birmingham for one more night. 

Here are a few more pictures from our trip southeast.

A beautiful river canyon in Desoto National Park.

Date day with my guy, thanks to Pop & Mimi babysitting Ryder.

Walking through B'ham our last night. 

And now, here we are - home sweet home! As wonderful as family time is, nothing feels quite like home - especially after nearly a month of living out of suitcases, not to mention more than our share of sickness.

We were greeted in Reno with a beautiful dusting of snow. 

After a morning trip to Costco, our fridge is once again stocked and ready to get us through the next couple of weeks. 

Of course, I was anxious to get home and try out my new huge Le Creuset dutch oven (thanks Braden!) and what better way than homemade chicken soup for my 2 sickies?  

I started out by roasting a whole chicken.  Once it was finished, I removed the breasts for another meal and let the rest of the carcass and skin simmer in water with veggies. 

Before long, the meat that was left practically fell off the bone and I added seasonings and pasta before serving.  If you're looking for a recipe, here's one that I came across on Pinterest that looks great.  It was my inspiration, though I can't say that I followed it.  The only similarities between mine and this one were lemon juice and a few dashes of dill. 

Suffice to say, I love my new dutch oven and look forward to more experimental recipes in the days to come. 

It's great to be home and I'll make it my goal to be posting more regularly, now that we're somewhat settled. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

J

Tuscan Chicken Stew

Just wanted to share a great fall recipe that we enjoyed for dinner last night.

E.A.S.Y.
H.E.A.L.T.H.F.U.L.
D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S.

Need I say more?

I just happened across it the other day.
Tell me I'm not the only one that scrolls through endless pages of yummy recipe photos on Pinterest?!




I was a little bit leery about using all that fennel seed. I have it in my spice cupboard, but it smells pretty strong and I wasn't sure I would love the taste.  But that combined with the balsamic vinegar was perfect.  Don't skimp on the fennel!

http://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/2014/09/slow-cooker-tuscan-chicken-stew.html

A few modifications were necessary to make it in my kitchen.
1. I don't have a crockpot, so just made do with a large pot simmering on the stovetop.
2. I don't usually have wine on hand for cooking, so I just used chicken broth - you know that awesome stuff Costco sells that is from real chickens and requires refrigeration?
3. I browned the chicken thighs in a little olive oil in the bottom of my pot before adding the rest of the veggies, I think it adds better flavour than just straight boiling.

Here's Ryder boy getting into mischief while I'm tied up in the kitchen.