A list of things. And stuff.

• The new challenge over at TAAFOMFT is up.  I'm just way behind, so nothing to share yet.  But I'll be back soon with my layout! 
• I made my first cheesy potato soup of the fall. 
• I also made pumpkin scones.  Not too shabby. 
• I'm also kinda convinced the pumpkin shortage is a hoax.  I'm able to find it everywhere now. 
• Best line of the night on The Office:  "Disposable cameras are great but...they seem wasteful. You never get to see the pictures." (after Erin takes the last pic on her disposable camera, then promptly throws it away).
• Although, 30 Rock had the most laughs tonight, by far.
• Tomorrow is Friday!  This makes me very, very happy.
• I have a really great coupon for Motherhood Maternity next week.  Can't wait to use it.
• I bought a new pair of brown Skechers last weekend.  I'll probably buy a black pair this weekend.  I heart Skechers.
• My friend Breanne is having a scrapbook destash right before her yardsale this weekend.  Check out all the great finds over here!

138.

That's the heartrate from today's appointment.   And great news -- I found out my ultrasound is in less than two weeks!  I've so been looking forward to that!

The photo is from today, 18w 5d.

Oh, and I bought a little something for the baby's room from buttercupbloom on Etsy.  Isn't it adorable?  There's definitely going to be yellow in the room...still thinking about green and/or aqua...

My evening commute

One of the things I like best about working in a small town is that I don't have to fight traffic.  Until now.  Tonight, I battled bridge construction of epic proportions.



6:35 pm  I walk to my classroom before leaving, and notice that traffic is backed up to the high school. 
6:38 pm  I get in my car, and leave the parking lot.
6:40 pm  A nice driver motions me onto the highway. 
7:18 pm  I cross the bridge...at this point, I have traveled approximately 1 mile.
7:53 pm  I arrive home. 

40 minutes in traffic.  For a commute that normally take 35 minutes total. Thanks to bridge construction that was supposed to be over a couple of weeks ago.  Friday is the start of a local well-known festival, which is sure to draw plenty of extra traffic.  If I leave right after school, I might make it home before dark.

Rainy day baking

The weather outside was cold and damp.  Actually, the inside was a little chilly as well.  Combine that with a craving for somethinng sweet, I searched for something yummy to bake and came across a recipe for pumpkin biscotti (by the way, if you enjoy baking and cooking, you really need to check out the rest of The Way the Cookie Crumbles...great stuff!)




It was at this point that I considered eating the entire biscotti loaf, rather than letting it cool, cutting it into pieces, then baking it again. 




But, I waited.  And then piled my biscotti into a cute mug!  I might as well do something with my mugs, since they're not seeing any coffee these days. 




Oh, and they're also great with a little chocolate spread on the bottom.  (But, then again, isn't everything?) 

What we're reading.

Childrens book.  Specifically, Mike is reading childrens books to the baby.  It's so sweet, and I have to keep from tearing up every time he does it.  This weekend, we picked up Green Eggs and Ham, One Fish Two Fish, Cordouroy (my all time favorite!), Little Bunny Kung Fu, and Chicken Bedtime is Really Early at Half-Price Books.  The rest of the books on the shelf came from the in-laws' house -- Mike raided the bookshelf.  And this weekend, Mom asked me if I wanted the Charlie Brown's 'Cycolpedia set that we had as kids.  I didn't hesitate to say yes!  :) 

Dinner at Old Chicago Pizza

Tonight we got to go out with Forrest and Ashley, Brian and Tiffeney, and Jon and Alisha to Old Chicago Pizza.  We waited for a long time (thank you, UK fans who refuse to budge), and contemplated using my pregnancy to get a table...lol.  We sat in the biggest booth I've ever seen.  I had a yummy baked apple with strawberry sauce for dessert (seriously, how can you feel bad about having a dessert that involves an entire apple?)  :)  It was all very, very yummy! 

Proof that I still scrap...

A couple of sneak peeks.  Why not the whole thing?  Because my silly white pen decided not to write.  I'll post as soon as I finish the journaling. 

But yeah, I'm back!  :)

17w 6d

I am not too thrilled about this pic.  I look kinda dumpy (funny, because I've barely gained any weight since last week).  And the sun was in my eyes.  And my hair is in my face.  Not the look I as going for.

Meet Ashley's new puppy!

I got to meet Bailee tonight.  1.5 pounds of pure cuteness! 

A few photos I've been meaning to share.

The cousins at an all-too short family reunion. 

Mike.  Holding a baby.  Seriously, this sort of thing doesn't happen!

Practicing note-folding skills with Ashley and Alisha last week.

I found this in a maternity consignment shop.  What about this top says "maternity"?  Definitely not the waistline.

Mike's happy face.  :)

And, finally, some puffy clouds.  So pretty!

A stream-of-consciousness post

It was a good day.

While grocery shopping, I found a shelf stocked with canned pumpkin.

I wasn't greedy, and only bought four cans (leaving plenty behind). 

I wore the cutest maternity top ever. 

It was so comfy.

I had a vegetable craving.

No, really.  Go figure.

I've had Ice Ice Baby stuck in my head all day.

One, because it's Mike's ringtone on my phone.

Two, because it was played during an NPR report this morning.

Yes, NPR. 

The grass is really ugly and brown.

We need rain.

But the forecast this week is 90s and sunny.

I have tv premieres scheduled into the calendar on my phone.

_________________________________________

Also, there's a big giveaway going on over at Angie Delarie's blog.  You really should check it out!  I mean, look at all those tags!  (The border strip at the bottom is my absolute fave!) 



A glimpse into Mike's childhood

While we were at Mike's parents' house for their annual family reunion, Mike decided to check out his old toys stored away in one of the building in the backyard.  You know, for the baby.  Not so Mike could bring home his Hot Wheels and play with them.  :)


I loved Fisher-Price Little People when I was a kid.  Apparently Mike did, too, because he had the parking garage and the western town.  Our kid is going to have fun with these toys someday! 




I finally got to see his old-school metal Tonka trucks (you know, the kind that could have poked your eye out?).  :)  I have to admit, they were pretty cool!


Chuck Norris.  Sadly, this was Matt's, and not Mike's. 



But we did explore Mike's baseball card collection...including one he made himself.  Of himself. 

We came home with several of Mike's stuffed animals, Hot Wheels, books, and tractors. 

Look what my students made!

Every year, I have my students make a Rube Goldberg device.  This year, I used the annual Rube Goldberg contest theme -- water a plant.  Here's what one group came up with -- I'm super impressed!

16w 5d

My waistline is definitely expanding.  I'll probaly even break down and buy maternity pants this week. 

Yesterday was the 15th...you know what that means!

The new Fave Things challenge is up!  I'm going to admit, this month's theme was a struggle for me:  scrap your favorite poem.  Why?  Because I'm not a big fan of poetry.  I don't think I've really read any since high school.  So, I racked my brain right up until the last minute, when I decided to look up a little Shel Silverstein.  And I came across this verse from Where the Sidewalk Ends:  There is a place where the sidewalk ends/And before the street begins,/And there the grass grows soft and white,/And there the sun burns crimson bright,/And there the moon-bird rests from his flight/To cool in the peppermint wind.

Which immediately made me think of this photo.  Which I actually had a printed copy of.

This page came together much faster than I anticipated.

I'm really happy with this for a variety of reasons:  1) I have been drawing a blank about this challenge for about a month, so coming up with anything felt like a huge accomplishment, 2) it came together in about 30 minutes, 3) it's one of my favorite pages I've made in a long time...I'm digging the simplicity.  Maybe the creativity is coming back (I think it helped that I took a 90-minute nap before scrapping).  I think it still needs some stiching or something around the woodgrain border...what do you think?

Happy Birthday, little sister!

Today I want to wish my sister a very happy birthday!  You are such a great sister (you turned out much cooler than I thought you would when I was 5 and enjoyed pushing your baby swing to scare you!), and I hope 25 is an amazing year for you, Brittany!  I hope it brings all sorts of wonderful things your way!  I love you!

Lola is afraid of something

One night back in June, I found Lola staring down a small corn snake that had found its way into the basement.  She was very curious...not aftraid...it didn't affect her at all.

Lately she's been refusing to (or at the very least, incredible tense and apprehensive when she has to) walk down to the basement.

The basement.  Where her food and, most importantly, her litterbox are.

The reason?  The best thing that we've been able to come up with is one very loud cricket.

This cat stared down a snake...so, a cricket?  Really, Lola?

Last week, after cleaning up one "surprise" she left for us, we decided to keep her in the basement while we were at work.  I felt bad, because she really was scared, but the girl has to use her litterbox.  That's non-negotiable in this house.  It must have worked, because last night she actually followed me to the basement when I took a load of laundry down.  She's still really tense when she's down there.  But she goes, so that's a big step.

And now, for your enjoyment, here's a pic of Lola not being tense: 

Cute things I want to hang in the baby's room.

• Cute robot alphabet poster.  I think this would be perfect in a darker yellow.
• Map of Europe.  Because Mike teaches World Civ.  Perfect!  :)
• You are my Sunshine.  So sweet!
• Green and navy blue bike and bicycle print.  There's a good chance this kid might know how to ride a bike before it can walk.
• Pretty swirly print.  Mike wants something kind of abstract.
• Modern typography birth announcement.  I love the idea of this in yellow, green and grey.

(I'm linking them because I'm always afraid to post someone else's pics w/out permission...even if it is free advertising.)

My jack-o-lanterns will all have sad faces this year...

My friend Carolyn found this recipe in a gift shop, and texted the photo to me.  Sounds pretty yummy, and it might even persuade me to puree my own pumpkin, seeing as how the Great Pumpkin Shortage of 2010 is upon us and canned pumpkin is so difficult to come by.  It's a shame, because my favorite cupcake flavor is pumpkin.  On top of that,  I recently found out about this pumpkin scone recipe.  Maybe someday I'll know how yummy it is... 

The thought of no pumpkin goodies saddens me.  Maybe a decaf pumpkin spice latte will make me feel a bit better.  :)

Baby's first 5K

Today was the annual "Born to Run" 5K event.  How appropriate that this was baby's first 5K.  I walked the entire race (because the last time I ran was sometime in July) in about 48ish minutes.  That's an estimate, because I don't think anyone gave me my time when I finished.

For some reason I look skinny in this photo.  It's deceptive, trust me.  But I'll have to remember to use this angle more often.

My new favorite commercial.

My belly and other topics

15 weeks and 6 days.  The Bella Band is getting lots of use at this point (so much that I now own two). 

--------------------------------------
I just ordered some new scrappy things...I decided some Thickers and Sassafras Lass would be fun!
--------------------------------------
Tonight I started and finished reading volume 12 of The Walking Dead.  Not a whole lot of action this time around, but tons of build-up and uncertainty, and a slightly unexpected ending.  I'm guessing it'll be about 6 more months until the next volume comes out.  (It just hit me...I'll probably be reading the next volume in between feedings and diaper changes.  Zombie comics and babies...those two things just don't sound like they should go together.  LOL.)

--------------------------------------
Tomorrow is Friday.  Hooray for jeans day! 

Stuffed peppers in 10 easy steps

Today was full of problem solving:  what to do with the leftover spaghetti sauce and 1/2 pound of hamburger?  The obvious choice would be a pasta dish...but we just had spaghetti Monday night.  I thought about it off and on throughout the day.  It finally came to me on the way home -- stuffed peppers.  My mom is so good at making these.  Mine were a little different, but not too shabby, either.  Here's what I did.

1. Gather ingredients:  about a cup of leftover spaghetti sauce, 1/2 lb. of hamburger, a green pepper, 1/2 a cup of rice.
2. Call husband, tell him about your brilliant dinner idea, and ask him to pick up mozzarella cheese (because he passes four grocery stores on the way home, and your idea didn't come to you until you passed the one grocery store on your commute). 
3. Brown hamburger and cook rice.  Separately. 
4. Wash and cut green pepper into quarters.  Boil for about five minutes or so to soften them up just a bit.  Place the pepper quarters in the bottom of a small shallow casserole dish.  (Okay, so we're not stuffing them so much as we're piling food on top of them.)
5. Combine spaghetti sauce, rice, and hamburger.  Cook on medium for a few minutes until mixture is heated.  I used a separate saucepan for this.  Because washing dishes is fun.  :P
6. Place hamburger mixture over the green peppers.  Remember, we're not stuffing, because we made too much...well...stuff. 
7. Oh, I forgot to mention that you should heat the oven to 350.  I always forget this part.
8. Preheated yet?  Good.  Now just place the casserole dish in the oven for about 15 minutes.  It should be just the slightest bit crunchy on top.
9. Remove dish.  Add cheese, as much or as little as you like.  Change oven setting to a low broil.  Mine stayed in for four minutes, but I checked it every two minutes. 
10. Remove, cool, and enjoy!

And in case you didn't know, stuffed peppers are best followed by mini carrot cupcakes.

Right now...

I just finished a marathon grading session.  I'm still not caught up, but I got a lot of the tedious stuff out of the way.




I'm so thirsty (probably because I can't breathe through my nose).




And my face is super itchy.

You really thought I was going to share a photo of that?  :)


Oh, and it's way past my bedtime.  'Night, all! 

Attack of the Giant Grasshopper!

Just a fun pic from this afternoon. :)

Mike's new shirt

Yesterday I told Mike he had to let me buy this shirt for him.  Isn't it just perfect? 

And look -- he likes it so much he even let me take a photo of him wearing it!

Some pics from today

Two from our trip to Cracker Barrel...






And one from our trip to Starbucks.  It's decaf.  And yummy!

Things I'm looking forward to this weekend...

• cooler weather
• a pumpkin spice latte (decaf, of course)
• time with Mike
• a free Monday
• sleep
• not trying to rush out the door by 6:40am to avoid getting behind the school bus
• maybe some scrapbooking?  it's been too long!

Have a wonderful weekend!