getting ideas

i'm working on ideas for a co-worker's baby shower coming up in september. i've been torn between themes, but i think i've finally settled on an umbrella/rain baby shower. i'd like to do mostly white and blue, but i'm a bit nervous about it because the baby's gender is unknown. i figured if i stated that clearly in the invitation it shouldn't be a problem. any thoughts on that? too boyish?

sources: craftiness is not optional, donteatthepaste for the box, and i'm not sure for the rest...

squishy sqaush

today while i was working on spinach pie for dinner i realized i should probably have something to go along with it. i would be perfectly happy with just spinach pie for dinner, but there probably wouldnt be any leftovers for me if i didn't make more food! i searched for something to do with this butternut squash that has been living in our kitchen and found this recipe. it was colorful and wonderful! so wonderful that i'm going to post the recipe here for those that are too lazy to go get it (like myself).

garlicky baked butternut squash

• 2 Tbs minced fresh parsley
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (i used 4.... or maybe 5)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan

1. In a large bowl, combine parsley, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. add squash and toss to coat.
2. Transfer to an ungreased shallow 2 qt. baking dish. bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 50-55 minutes or until squash is just tender.

it really doesn't mention when to add the parmesan. i added freshly grated parmesan right before serving and shoved it back in the oven for a minute. i also sprayed my baking dish with cooking spray because i didnt read the directions. but i'll probably do that again anyway.

yum

this weekend we opened up a can of jeremy's homemade salsa, made a batch of homemade guacamole, and whipped up some of this roasted tomatillo salsa for taco night! it was SO good!

it's funny - i've been telling people i want to eat lots of spicy things while pregnant/nursing this kiddo to see if they tolerate spicy foods more later on - and that's exactly what i've been craving lately anyway! mmm chipotle tabasco polka dots!

$3.99 well spent

friday evening i got a phone call about doing my first home visit (!!) so i called jeremy to see when he would be home and while we were on the phone the honda died! (again!). so instead of doing my first home visit i had to head to mobile to rescue jeremy. actually, i got almost to citronelle and he called to tell me he fixed his car (with a (pink) pipe cleaner!) and was headed home. i decided to go to citronelle and wait for him there in case he had problems along the way, but he made it fine! i found some maternity work pants and a few other things at the thrift store (score!) and jeremy found this nascar steering wheel thingy for $3.99. it is supposed to hook up to a computer, but we didnt even bother with that because oscar LOVES it. then we went to subway for dinner (mmm.. veggie delite with sweet onion sauce - my fav). oscar lucked out - i got him chocolate milk.


he drove home with his steering wheel and honked at daddy a lot (we were following behind in case of more car troubles). i thought it was hilarious to see him driving along with his brown mustache! he's loving the steering wheel and has been taking us all for rides in the car (living room).

he's back!

we're glad to have aaron back with us for the school year! i tried to get this picture of them reading together before they saw me with the camera, but no luck. we've been having scheduled 'school' time this past week and then friday we went and got them their own folders to keep their worksheets in. they seem to look forward to it everyday, so that's good! i'm not quite sure how it will work out since they're on different levels.

early christmas shopping

while i'm thinking about it, i wonder if i should go ahead and get oscar a camera for christmas. he always loves playing with my camera, but also enjoyed playing with gramma's and uncle chris's cameras at the reunion. i found this nice orange one on amazon which will give oscar a camera of his own and me the satisfaction of buying an orange camera.

oscar walked in while i had the amazon page full of kid cameras and said 'look at all the cameras!! can you buy me one??' so i must be on the right track.

cake recipe

i found the cake recipe i used! it wasn't the one i linked to, but it was close. same baking directions, but used less oil and added applesauce.

hummingbird cake

• 3 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 c. oil
• 1/2 c. applesauce
• 3 eggs
• 8 oz. crushed pineapple with juice
• 2 cups diced banana
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 tsp. vanilla

cream cheese frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 c. butter
• 1 lb. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

hummingbird cake

for our unbirthday cake i made a hummingbird cake using this recipe (i think). if it wasn't that recipe, it was almost exactly the same. i think i used some applesauce in place of oil. it was very very yummy and i definitely weighed more at my next prenatal visit. it's frosted with cream cheese frosting with swirls on top and pecans pressed around the sides. i think i'll be making this again, but need to come up with an occasion for it first.

draw!pilgrim also had printable recipe cards for hummingbird cupcakes and printable cupcake papers and toppers! i already had my heart set on a layer cake with candles though..

happy unbirthday!

since we were going to be out of town for a week and hadn't had a game night in awhile, i decided to throw an unbirthday party or everyone using the party printables from draw!pilgrim. what a fun easy party! i changed the birthday sign into an unbirthday sign and used the place cards as food labels.

everyone got an unbirthday present (i had a $2 limit for each person) and a little baggy of goodies. we ate giant sub sandwiches, chips with homemade salsa and guac, mixed nuts and, of course, cake and ice cream! the printable bingo game was a big hit since we had a very wide range of ages. i also got a whole bunch of prizes ($1 toys, candles, candy bars, etc) for in the prize basket for winners. we all ended up with a few extra goodies.

thank you thank you to draw!pilgrim! and to howaboutorange for the link! what a fun, no fuss party!

hard day

we had a pretty rough day grocery shopping last friday. we went during nap time and that was a bad idea. luckily oscar got his nap on the way home in the middle of eating his ice cream cone. and then he finished up on the couch when we got home.

new arrangements

the other day while oscar was off playing with nana, i spent the day cleaning out the closet and rearranging the bedroom. i think the best part about the new arrangement is that i can watch oscar when he's standing at the sink. it's fun to see what kind of trouble he gets into when he doesn't know i'm watching.