We're home

Exhausted and ready to be home! I've got a week's worth of stuff to catch up on (including loving on Claire), but I'll be back to share our fun with you soon.

When I grow up

This is what I want to be able to quilt. I just love quilts that are crazy, messy with colors. Isn't this beautiful? I was able to find the free pattern, so I'll keep it in my folder of "some day I'll do this" projects.

I'm learning

To sew, that is. Here are the pajama bottoms I made today. I had to adjust the length to make them a bit more pleasing to my husband (yes, that means shorter), and I still don't quite understand the instructions, but happened to make it work anyway.

Disclaimers:
*No, my armpit isn't hairy, it just kind of looks like it in the picture. However, it is evening, and I haven't shaved in over 12 hours, could just be my five-o-clock shadow.
*In spite of the fact that I have lost ZERO pounds since being pregnant, I did want to show that I am looking a bit better. And my boobs look good in this shirt. Is that vain?
*I can't figure out why all the pictures I upload to Blogger look funky. The color is never quite right, it just never looks as good as it does in Lightroom. I don't know what my problem is.
*I don't know what's on the floor behind me, I'm just hoping it's not a hairball from the cuties on the bed.

I'm putting my sexy self to bed now. Hairy pits and all.

Per your request

My cute little loaf pan is a gift from my mom. It's Le Creuset and she got it at TJ Maxx for a great deal. In fact, I have several bakeware pieces she's gotten for me and I love them all.

The recipe is from my Healthy Cooking magazine (my favorite recipe magazine).

Makeover Pumpkin Spice Bread

With less than half the fat and just one-fourth the calories of the original recipe, more people can feel good about eating this fall favorite. Heidi Figiel - Bridgeport, W. Virginia

SERVINGS: 32

CATEGORY: Low Fat

METHOD: Baked

TIME: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 45 min. + cooling

Ingredients:

• 2-1/4 cups sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour, and you couldn't even tell)
  
• 1-1/3 cups cake flour (I didn't have cake flour, so I just used bread flour)
  
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 4 eggs
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup canola oil

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin, buttermilk, applesauce and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Transfer to two 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves (16 slices each).

Growing Bread

Claire never ceases to humor me with her cute little sayings.

*Tonight I baked Pumpkin Spice Bread (in my cute new loaf pan) and Claire declared that we were "growing bread".


*After dinner, while eating a doughnut, Claire says, "Not bad, not bad at all."

*When she goes outside to pick a tomato she comes back to say, "My own red, ripe, juicy tomato plant."

*We've started the phase, "What's this, mommy?"

*And my favorite, "I love you, mommy."

(I took a quick break from making market bags to whip up this cute little hat for Claire)

I'm so proud

Sorry to keep you hanging. I meant to tell you about Jeff's big news sooner, but I was waiting for the official news. For those of you who don't know much about Drum Corps, I'll just say this, in the land of marching band, it's BIG. This is professional, this is the big time, this is like the NFL for football. I'm so proud of Jeff, he's finally realizing one of his dreams!

Feeling lazy

I've been feeling lazy today, so I decided to make a quick list of the past few days to remind myself that even if I've had time for a nap and extensive blog reading I've still managed to accomplish a few things (even if that doesn't include cleaning the house).

Saturday:
*Got up and worked out (this should count as two, getting up to work out on Saturdays is hard)
*Crocheted most of Jessie's bag
*Quick trip to WalMart (not a good idea on a Saturday)

Sunday:
*Cleaned up the sewing machine and learned how to do all the basics on it.
*Baked a Sweet Potato Pecan Pie - YUMMY!



Monday:
*Early workout
*Eye doctor appointment
*Lunch with my mom
*Made a few appointments
*Went to Home Depot, purchased and replaced the kitchen sprayer with this bad boy ALL BY MYSELF (who needs a man?)


*Went out to dinner at Famous Dave's to share Jeff's big news with his parents (I'll post it for you when it's officially released)

Today:
*Another early workout
*Winco and Costco shopping
*Picnic in the back yard with Claire



*Enjoying these last days of summer!

Goodbye, Hello

We're back! We decided to take a quick trip up to McCall for the week. We had a GREAT time, except I forgot my camera... so no pictures for you. I know you're broken-hearted, but time will heal. Or maybe this will do. Just pretend the shiny, happy faces are Jeff, Bethany and Claire.
We didn't do a whole lot, just relaxed, ate, slept, swam and did a little sight-seeing.
As always, it feels so good to come home, even if there's a mountain of laundry hiding in my closet. I came home to some Happy Mail from the lovely Erin. Yummy Vanilla Chai Organic lotion, the cutest scrapbook of Claire, Body + Soul magazine and little sticky notes. THANK YOU ERIN!! I love my Happy Mail!


I also came home with this GREAT find! Well, I didn't find it, Jeff's grandma gave it to me while we were visiting her this week.

It's a Dressmaker C-55 A. I'm dying to know what year it was made, but I can't seem to find the info on the internet, and the manual didn't even have the model # on it, I had to search to find that. But I do know that grandma had it serviced in 1998, so even though it's old, it should work just fine. I'm excited to try it out! Here's a couple more pics...

I hope you all had a great week and have an even better weekend!