And I am back again

So after another several month break, I am back again. I have been a little bit busy thanks to the most awesome thing I have ever made:

Since he was born on September 11 of this year he has kept me running around, here he is expressing his opinion on bath time:

And all snuggled up happily sleeping:

This year also was our first year hosting Thanksgiving in our house. So I spent the day baking and cooking with a lot of success. The day started with some amazing Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel icing that I found on pinterest, sadly I don't have a very good picture of those since they disappeared really fast. So fast I decided I just had to make them the next day too. I think they are going to be our traditional holiday breakfast.

After breakfast I started the turkey. It was definitely the biggest turkey I have ever cooked at 23 pounds. Even after sending leftovers home with people we are just going to use up the last of the leftover turkey in Turkey Noodle Soup tonight.

We also had stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and a mashed sweet potato dish. When Alex finished up the leftovers of that dish he let me know he would definitely wants more. For that I used fresh sweet potatoes that I then mashed with butter and brown sugar, then it was topped with alternating stripes of candied pecans and mini marshmallows.

Finally we had Pumpkin Cheesecake that my mom made (this is my favorite fall dessert) and then to make my husband happy I made a pecan pie with a cinnamon roll crust:

It turned out really well according to those who actually like pecan pie.

I have been busy with some craftiness but sadly that will have to wait until after Christmas is over and presents have been opened before I post anything about it. I will say I have fully completed one person's present and that is for my brother Wil. Hopefully I will have plenty of time to get the rest done. (which shouldn't be difficult if I could get my butt off pinterest and working on presents)

Well I am off to work on presents (I am home from work today with a migraine and a simple crochet project may be distracting enough to help me relax).

Cute picture of the day: Little Liam and the super adorable Anastasia

Been gone a long long time

Well, I have been away for a while due to all of the exciting things going on. First off, Husband and I are having a baby boy, due September 19, 2013. We have tenatively settled on Liam for his name. No middle name yet, but I like being able to address my belly by name when he kicks me. Also, I am currently home for work due to health reasons. So for the immediate future I am home. You would think this would give me time for crafting, but not so much. Due to medications I tend to sleep alot, but I am working on it.

Another big thing is that my husband and I are looking to buy a house soon. Currently we are narrowing down neighborhoods, but it is exciting. I am really looking forward to getting the nursery set up. Our theme for the nursery is going to be dinosaurs, which should be adorable. Our little Liam is our little velociraptor.

He is going to be a lot of work to take care of, but a lot of fun. :)

I also am trying to declutter, so anything that we don't use that is still in good condition I am putting up on Craigslist for some extra money to maybe put toward some nice furniture. I would love to not move the futon with us, unless it goes in whatever room Alex uses for his board games.

Today's cute animal:

A Very Productive Day

Today was extremely productive. I went to Joanne's crafts and spent two gift cards that I got for Christmas. I had a great time. Then I got out the sewing machine and made some things for my sister-in-law Jesse.

First is what she asked me to make for her, a business card holder:

It has snaps to hold it closed. 

Since I don't want to just mail her that one little thing, I had to make a few others...

Here is a little tea wallet:

This next is something I am planning to make a few of for me and Alex. This is a reusable snack baggie. The inside is a laminated cotton material that can be wiped clean or hand washed. 

 Once I was done with all of that I prepared me and Alex's lunches for tomorrow:

This top one is Alex's. From the right: Apples that have been soaked in pineapple juice so that they won't brown for breakfast. For a snack there is bell pepper strips with hummus. Lunch is lasagna with a small piece of triple chocolate cake for dessert. Not pictured is a trail mix to go with breakfast made of sunflower kernels, pistachios, banana chips and dried cranberries.

This is my lunch: Apple slices, baby carrots, Laughing cow garlic herb wedges, sesame crackers. In the little red cups there is mini-pepperoni, hummus, peanut butter and a small piece of triple chocolate cake.

I had a lot of fun making our lunches and I am looking forward to figuring out what to pack for lunch tomorrow!

Ending today with a super adorable animal:

Breaking Radio Silence

So, I think my last post was in June (I have been super slack). Well, here is to a new year and possibly more focus and actually keeping up with this.

I spent some time today thinking about where I am right now and where I want to be by the end of the year. I am not setting a goal of I want to lose X number of pounds and be all around awesomer than I am now. I am trying to keep the goals measurable and attainable. Here is where I am at now:

1) Stop drinking energy drinks like Redbull or Monster. Just do regular coffee or Herbal Teas for my caffeine needs. I logically know that I can get caffeine and health benefits from the coffee or tea but energy drinks are a bunch of chemical garbage with no real health benefits. If it doesn't help me and actually hurts me it is time to dump it.

2) Pack lunch for me and Alex a majority of the week (at least 4 of the 5 days). So much money is wasted on eating out and it is really unhealthy as well. Time to focus on my health and what I am eating and make sure what I am eating is worth the time it takes to chew.

3) Cook at home a majority of the time. This goes with the one above, we eat out so often and the food is (to be fully honest) often suspect quality. I came home from work yesterday and was initially feeling I didn't want to cook and wanted to go out. Then I started getting stuff out of the fridge and I ended up making an awesome Orzo with chicken and cajun alfredo sauce. It was fantastic, I got to be creative and had lunch to take to work today (it was amazing cold).

4) Keep up with this blog...We will see right

So here is to 2013, a new year with new challenges and new opportunities.

First adorable animal of the year: