It's a B-O-Y!

Our family addition is a boy!! Out-numbered again :)

I am thinking of going bold for the nursery. Bold blue, red and some green. Baby blues just aren't grabbing me. Diving head first in registry research now and trying to keep things simple. There are literally gadgets for everything you think of. Call me a mean mom but I just cannot justify a wipe warmer...

Hopefully I am not eating my words on that one!

DIY: Vanilla Latte Sugar Scrub

The saga of sugar scrubs continues. Luckily my mom asks me every year if she is getting more of it, so it's safe to say she isn't sick of getting receiving it for Mother's Day! Although last year I did change it up for body  butter...Anyways this year I was in the mood for a real 'wake-me-up' concoction. Again, the amounts of ingredients are all pretty much eye-balled & done by smell!

Gather & combine: granulated sugar, fresh coffee grounds, vanilla extract & oil.

I wasn't particularily thrilled with the muddy color it took on (one ratio I tried to stick to is 1:3 part coffee to sugar). But it smelled & scrubbed fantasticly so I'm still calling this one a winner!

A 9-Part Photo Project

As most of you are already aware--Cody & I are growing our little family! I can't decide if we are two becoming three or four becoming five. Either way, the countdown is on for October 8th!

We are four months into what I'm affectionately calling an alien invasion (I swear I don't even recognize myself with the mood, enegry level & taste bud changes!). I am so happy to have Katy helping me document my growing baby belly!

I am not sure how consistently I will be around here posting, but I still want to keep this blog going! My usual desire to keep my hands busy with creating & cooking & whatever other project I can find has been replaced with a new found love for naps! Hope ya'll don't mind if I get a little baby crazy over here, being a mother is a path I have always desired. So much of this site will likely focus on little ones for a bit while I get it out of my system--I am going to be a mommy!!!

Cake-Cookie Easter Experiment

I have been wanting to work on my baking skills more lately. Since Cody loves soft sugar cookies, I figured that would be a good place to start! My idea was to use an egg shaped baking dish for egg shaped soft sugar cookies. I used this recipe ( --followed it to a T!) and with some baking tweaks-- I guess they turned out ok?

First, I wasn't prepared for the dough to rise so dramatically! The 'cookies' doubled in size during baking. This doesn't reconcile with my baking experience, but then again I wouldn't label myself a baker!  So with Cody's help trouble-shooting assistance, a well placed baking dish guaranteed a flat bottomed egg shaped baked treat. The texture of the cookies were more like a moist mini cake. Cody promised me they still tasted good, so they got to live on for a heavy coat of frosting on Easter Sunday!

They certainly weren't the prettiest thing I've made, but I can't be to hard on myself since there were many compliments received on the flavor!

Spring Slump

The warmer weather & sunshine I have been craving have returned. And all I can think about doing is shaking my house upside down and majorly purging my belongings! Plus, my allergies are kicking my butt this season..I usually don't get more than a day visit from them. So it's been slow around our house! No fun projects, no fun new recipes...I did however find a soft sugar cookie recipe I want to bake for Easter. I purchased an egg shaped baking pan (picture the Reese's egg candy size) that I am anxious to test out. And then hopefully one of these next few weekends will include a garage sale! 

So yay for spring & our avocado tree is dripping with avocados--finally!

Garlicky BBQ Pork Chops

Decided to give pork chops a go a few days back and I got the nod of approval at the dinner table, so figured I would pass this one along. Gather up granulated garlic, ground mustard, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce and BBQ sauce. Oh and some pork tenderloin!  The first three ingredients were combined and used as  rub on each piece of pork. I started off the cooking with a dash of oil and a healthy amount of Worcestershire sauce in the pan. And then I started to be nervous about having the meat stick to the pan (even though I used a non-stick pan--I've done it before!). So I added BBQ sauce and water to the mix. The extra moisture (plus keeping the pan covered) saved me from drying the meat out as well. Sweet bonus.

I also usually make a sacrafice cut on one piece just to make sure they're cooked thoroughly. Para-noid. I could and should use a meat thermometer but I just cut the one I plan to eat so theres no chance of complaint! These took about 7-8 per side over medium heat to be pink center free. And yes I went carb heavy on this meal--baked potato & garlic toast. Yum-O!

Ins & Outs

It's been a whirlwind few weeks! I've enjoyed my travels, but I am happy to be home again. There is certainly a lot to catch  up on around here, including laundry! I spent a few nights with my cousin Danielle & her family as they eased into becoming a family of 4, a trip to Disneyland and flying out to Florida. 

Rock painting & foot-printing with Danielle's little men!

Finally visited California Adventure, loved every inch of it!

Lots of sight-seeing and wildlife in beautiful Florida (manatess, dolphins, sadly no gators). We managed to sandwhich our trip right in between the rain storms too. Whoopie!

And now I'm loving home, sweet home!