Taking a Break

It's Monday, and as I look out my window into the backyard it's all gray and winter-y. The weather people say it looks like a "massive winter storm" could be coming our way - but, I never believe it til it's on the ground.

This week I've decided to go on a little vacation. No, nowhere sunny and warm. And, it won't take me long to get there. You see, it's just a little vacay from the ol' computer. Sure I'll still need to check emails, etc. now and then - but, overall, I'm turning it off so I can focus on home and health for a bit.

So, if you start to wonder where on earth I am... I'm catching up on life. Things I've found myself neglecting for the sake of my "virtual escape". :)

Mac N' Cheese Please!

Before I share the most-awesomest-delish-mac n' cheese recipe, I need to take a look back a year ago. This is my lil girl - exactly a year apart - in pictures!

I could easily feel very sad about a few things:

1) I kinda miss those chubby cheeks

2) Her hair was so short and baby-ish

But, instead, I praise the Lord for my big, strong, healthy 2 yr old! She has a sense of humor, she's intelligent and I'm so thankful for her! It's fun to take a look back - and just be amazed at how children grow so quickly.

The last few nights I've been having a HORRIBLE reoccuring dream about my girl. It's always starts the same and ends the same - though the details surrounding it vary a little. It's always that I end up losing my girl in some terrible tragic way. Awful. I woke up crying in my sleep TWICE last night! Ugh. Praying this dream could just go a-way! {and this miserable head cold...but, that's another post}

To take my mind off of that - I have a wonderful recipe to share with you. We had this lastnight and it was a hit! It's probably my new favorite mac n' cheese recipe. So cheesy!

Double-Cheese Macaroni

16 oz. box elbow macaroni

3 c. cottage cheese

1/2 c. butter cubed

1/2 c. flour

1 t. salt

1/2 t. white pepper

1/4 t. garlic salt

3 c. half n half cream

1 c. milk

4 c. shredded cheddar

Topping:
1 c. dry bread crumbs

1/4 c. butter, melted

1) Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, place cottage cheese in a food processor; cover and process until smooth. Set aside.

(oh, come on! You knew I would have to show off my newest gadget, right?! Besides, have you ever heard of processing cottage cheese?)

2) In a large saucepan, melt better. Stir in the flour, salt, white pepper and garlic salt until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 mins. or until thickened.
3) Drain macaroni; transfer to a large bowl. Add the cheddar, cottage cheese and white sauce; toss or stir to coat. Transfer to a greased 9x13.
4) Combine crumbs and melted butter - sprinkle over pasta. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes or until bubbly. (and YES, it's a heaping dish that will leak all over your oven and make your home smell like you are burning it down)

I served this with some steamed broccoli and almonds with a little italian seasoning on top. :) And, yes, I was the only one who ate the broccoli and almonds - my 2 year old took one bite and literally used the words, "yuck". SERIOUSLY, 2?

Blogs to Share

In the last few weeks I've come across some Intriguing, Interesting and just plain Wonderful blogs and sites. Share-worthy stuff.

A Bowl of Moss and Pebbles is so serene and deep. I love her calmness. I love her thoughtfulness and thoughts about nature and what not... my kinda reading. And, it helps to know I'm not the only weirdo who likes cold weather. Did I mention that in all this GREATNESS she's just 19?! What was I doing at 19?

{in}courage is probably my new fave. I love every.single.day's worth of reading. And, yes, I do check it daily. SO encouraging! And it's one of those sites that make me want to jump into the Word and get growing... truly, truly, stands up to it's title! They have a book club, too - which, is totally worth your checking out! I'm planning on joining up for their read through Ann Voskamp's book here soon.

Sew Much Ado is challenging and makes me want to bust out my sewing machine (learn how to use it) and get busy! She offers patterns, tips and LOTS OF tutorials! All your crafty-homemaker types {or, the wannabe's like me} should head there... now.

So, there ya go. Some fun new reads for your blog list!

Lots of things jammed into one post

I'm random.

Always have been.

And today is no different. Especially as I woke up feeling VERY random... er, did I even sleep lastnight? Not being able to take anything while pregnant for a VERY congested self is awful. And I suspect Ava is having bad dreams lately... so, the combo means... very little sleep for me.

Date night was fun lastnight! We had a FREE Noodle Zoo meal and then {drumroll} went curtain shopping. You see, still, after almost 2 years - we have ZERO curtains up in our home. So it was well overdue! We found what we wanted and are on track to have a full living room of curtains by this weekend. *Fingers Crossed* My question is... WHY are those things SO expensive?! Oh well. The hubs was on board with paying whatever - so, we'll just do as we are told. :) And I have to just say - THANK THE LORD - for friends who ask to take your child so you can go on a date. I am so so so so thankful for our special 'sitters last night! :)

Let me put up a horrible-quality picture right now.

These two coffees - oh my. I bought the starbucks the other day after having the biggest craving of my life for vanilla coffee, thinking it would be vanilla-latte-ish. It's. Not. I'm so seriously disappointed with it. It's bitter - no matter how I make it - and, it was expensive. Lesson learned. To the left is the Folgers, which, I think gets a bad wrap. I grew up on folgers and didn't become a coffee snob until college... this week I went back to my roots. I had a high dollar coupon for this bag of coffee - making it less then $4! And guess what? It TASTE like hazelnut, smells good when brewing... and is smooth! I told my hubs that I might be making the switch back to Folgers in all categories here soon. Especially as the price of SB keeps on the upswing! See, random.

Yesterday afternoon Ava & I worked on a baking project together. She adores working with me in the kitchen - and I'm learning to loosen up, let the mess happen, and teach her things. We made Blueberry Moon pastries. Yum! It's a simple 4 ingredient recipe and takes a total of like 20 minutes to make (with baking). Ava loved helping me roll out the crescent roll dough and a few times I felt my eyes go misty just watching her learn and LOVE being with me! Can it always stay like this?! Her favorite job was brushing the tops of the pastries with egg.

Here's the recipe:

Blueberry Moon Pastries

3 (8oz) cans crescent rolls

21 oz. can blueberry pie filling (you can use your favorite filling if not a blueberry fan)

1 beaten egg

sugar for topping

*Optional extras: white choco chips, chopped nuts, coconut

1) Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease two cookie sheets.

2) Separate crescent rolls. Place 1 heaping T. of blueberry filling on the larger end of each roll *top with extras if using* and roll up.

3) Brush the tops with beaten egg, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake 10-14 minutes or until golden brown. Best served warm - makes 24!

It's a super easy recipe to make with your toddler or little one! And, taste FABULOUS warmed up with a mug of coffee. :) Good luck!

And, my last random thought for the day...
I GOT A FREE BOOK! or, I'm getting one :) Not sure how many people read the blog "{in}courage" but I love it! And recently they asked how many of us would like to read Ann Voskamp's, "One thousand gifts" but couldn't buy it. Well, that was me! No $ left in the ol' book fund! But the book intrigues me. So I put my name in and got this email yesterday....

"We have received your request for a free copy of One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp and thanks to the generosity of the Bloom (in)courage community, Zondervan, and DaySpring, we are pleased to tell you that we are able to provide you a free copy!"

Seriously, folks, it doesn't get much better then that! So, anyone else reading it? thoughts?
That's all the randomness from me today. Enjoy your Wednesday!

Tuesdays Tips & Tricks

G'day all! Hopefully your Tuesday started out well... or will end well. Tonight the hubs and I have a DATE NIGHT so, yea, I'm pretty excited :) We have one gift certificate left over from Christmas which means one more FREE meal! {we really never make it past January with gifts like that} :)

Today's Tips & Tricks are taken from the "Corn Starch" booklet. Enjoy!

- Make your own windshield washer fluid: Combine 1 c. isopropyl rubbing alcohol, 2 T. ivory liquid hand soap, 1 gallon water and a few drops blue food coloring. Mix well.

- Tired of pesky bugs in your home? Create a mixture of equal parts Argo cornstarch and plaster of paris. Sprinkle this around cracks and crevices in your home to control cockroaches. They will eat it and turn into little bug statues. {cruel?}

- The trick to a light, fluffy omelet? Add a t. of cornstarch when mixing the eggs!

- Make your own cough syrup: Mix 4 T. lemon juice, 1 c. honey and 1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil. Heat, then stir vigorously. Take 1 t. every 2 hours.

- Here's a recipe to give baby a soothing bath: Mix together 1/4 c. nonfat dry milk, 1/4 c. whole, dry buttermilk, and 1 T corn starch. Store in a glass jar. Pour 1 T. of mix into baby bathtub or 1/4 c. into full size tub. This makes a great and inexpensive gift for new moms!

and finally... today's WINNER idea!

- Create your own finger paints in custom colors. Add 1/4 corn starch to 2 c. cold water and boil until mix thickens. Let cool slightly, then pour mixture into a few small dishes or containers. Add a few drops food coloring to each container to make various colors. Also add a few drops of DAWN detergent to each bowl to help with cleanup later. Make sure paints are totally cooled down before using!

Sure beats buying those expensive paints!

A room for my soon-to-be eldest :)

Yesterday we had a family day. Hubs switched days and made Thursday our family play day! It was wonderful and today I'm kinda missin' him {sniff, sniff}. We made our way over to a very large mall in WDM and he graciously let me walk through Pottery Barn Kids. Most of you know my battle with that store - super cute things, super huge prices! But - their Spring 2011 Ideas book was out, so after roaming around and taking mental pictures... I snagged my copy and we left. :)

Lastnight I poured over the catalog dreaming of what we could do for our very special 2 year old / soon-to-be big sister! What I lack in funds I also lack in good, creative ideas. My friends have been wonderful at funneling ideas this way. :) So, anyway, as I looked through my book I started making notes on some of the pages... am I the only weirdo who does this?! My magazine looks like this now - on many pages...

And after all my notes I came upon a few realizations...

1) Love pink.

2) Love all things girly

3) REALLY want to make this a place that can transition with her at least until she's 5!

4) I can totally make some of these things!

And would you believe that while I was thinking these very thoughts a show came on tv called, "Design on a dime" where the host was learning how to make canvas art! Something I reallllly wanna do! {how hard can it be to scratch a few lines and circles on a blank canvas?!}

So it begins. I'm in idea gathering mode & starting to find pieces here and there to make this special room. So exciting! Afterall, this is a very special little girl I'm talking about!

{can u tell we are rearranging? infant clothes, queen mattress and toys all jumbled together}

And the winner is...

Thanks to all of you who participated in the "Everything Christmas" review and giveaway! I loved hearing your Christmas memories from this year!

And the winner is...

Emily over at Pocket Full of Posies !!!

Em, your book will ship out this week :) And, good luck in the blogging world as you begin! Emily is just starting out with blogging - so, take a peek at her super adorable site! I know she'd appreciate it!

As for me and my little fam... we are heading out for dinner tonight. And speaking of all this Christmas stuff - we are still using good ol' giftcards. :) Thank you Ober's for sending this momma to the Cheesecake Factory!