Our Life: February week 3

February 13-19, 2011

:: just pictures of our normal life this week... not too much to say either ::

enjoy. :)

Happy Valentine's Day :)

37 weeks... we're almost there!

Em wrapped her hair up by herself... just like mama. :)

Life: February 2

February Week 2

Feb. 6 - Feb. 12

This was a BUSY week.

Sunday: Time to try to relax and get ready for the week.

Monday: 7 am and 7 pm meetings at school, with a full day of work in the middle, including an OB appointment during my lunch break.

Tuesday: Grandpa Sasha's 60th birthday, Pete worked 7-11 pm

Wednesday: Preliminary Fine Arts Festival

Thursday: ::BREATHE (and make about 400 pretzel hugs)::

Friday: I came home at lunch (and missed the luncheon) due to sheer exhaustion and feeling sick. We have had about 25% of our student body out sick at the middle school (there is a NASTY virus going around) so when I started feeling sick I decided to play it safe and go home.

Saturday: Memorial service for our friend's dad and then Pete worked 3-11 pm.

And those are just the highlights! Phew.

Now, for the photos:

My sweet little girl. She was happy... but the sun was in our eyes so it made for an awkward photo.

A rare moment this week... finding time to play together at home.

Yes, they were playing football in the house.

Usually the toys in the living room are all contained on this one little bookshelf,

but for much of this week, they were a bit out of control

(as evidenced in the previous pictures.)

A self portrait (if you can call it that) in the reflection of the car, waiting for Pete to go with me to another OB appointment during my lunch break.

We had a faculty Valentine's luncheon on Friday and we were each supposed to bring Valentines for the other faculty. Emily and I made these little pretzel hugs.

They were super easy, but by the time I was done I had made several hundred!

(I was very glad to be done unwrapping Hershey Hugs!)

The pretzel hugs, all wrapped up and ready to go!

February Week 1

January 30th - February 5th

Welcome to February!

This week we're continuing a look around our house, specifically in the kitchen.

I am not a great cook, but I love to eat meals at home as a family, and have inherited some pretty decent family recipes from my mom and other relatives, so most nights, when we can, we're at home cooking.

Also, I am probably the pickiest eater you'll ever meet, and my husband is the easiest to please eater, so I have it pretty easy... I just make what I like, and for the most part, he likes it too! :)

Emily is a little picky... but for a toddler, she does pretty well. (She gets that from her dad!)

The one thing I don't like about cooking: the dishes.

Fortunately for me though Pete helps a TON with dishes and clean up after dinner. In fact, when he's home, he does more of that than I do... especially these days, as we near the final weeks of this pregnancy, and that is something I am oh so very grateful for!

So, a look around our kitchen, at some things nostalgic and others... not.

(I never promised interesting blogs... just daily life!)

*A full and cheerful bowl of citrus that makes me happy.

(I LOVE these cuties... I probably eat 2 of them a day!)

*Bright little bowls that also make me smile because they were a small, unexpected gift from a friend.

*Super simple, happy little curtains I made a few years ago

*A pitcher that I bought back when I was living in Spain

*An aloe plant that was a gift from one of the most difficult students I've ever taught!

*The cookie jar some of my girlfriends from high school painted...

well, stamped... and then gave us as a wedding shower gift

*Colorful IKEA prints up on our shelf along with my cookbooks (out of order I might add)

*Another wedding gift, drawn by my mom's friend Nancy...

if you look carefully, to the left of the apple tree there's a barn and near it it says 'Sarah and Pete' and then 'July, 11, 2004'

This is the dinner prayer/blessing that we used to sing often at dinner when I was a kid. :)

*Em's play kitchen that her Gpa and Gma Sasha gave her for Christmas.

...and the YUMMIEST chocolate chip cookies I have EVER had!

Well, chocolate-white chocolate chip cookies :)

They are seriously amazing...

(and I thought all, ok, most chocolate chip cookie recipes were the same... Ha! foolish me!)

Here's the recipe:

(Try it! You won't be disappointed!)

Ingredients

2 sticks of butter (1 cup)

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate chips

1. Mix the butter (I softened it first), sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs until it is creamy. Hint: Mix it a LOT!

2. Then add the flour, baking soda, and salt, mixing it until it is just mixed. Do NOT over mix this.

3. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Simple, and simply amazing.

Life: January 4

January 2011

Week 4

Jan. 23-Jan. 29

Em has been loving the "Pinkalicious" books,

so today we made pinkalicious cupcakes :)

Grandma Patches came on Monday, so we had to quick clean the guest room up and get it ready again. We love having company, and are glad that this little room is getting so much use!

I have some old photos of myself out, next to recent pictures of Emily and am constantly amazed at how much she looks like me.

I finally re-decorated the living room.

Simple, but I've been enjoying that the 'stuff' we have in our house isn't just stuff, but that it also tells stories about us.

For example, from left to right:

1. The Torre del Oro, in Seville, Spain, where Pete asked me to marry him.

2. The bridge over the Iowa River between our dorm rooms and the music building where we took many, many walks in college.

3. A canvas print of the 3 of us in Laguna Beach, the weekend of Paul and Laura's wedding.

4. Trafalgar Square, where Pete lived in London, and where I visited him while wedding planning in college and then where we celebrated his 30th birthday.

Taking a break from running around to enjoy some oranges, fresh off the tree.

Grandpa Patches flew in on Friday morning.

Saturday we went to Mickey's House.

(aka Disneyland)

See you next week!