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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Summer Veggie Recipes

Thought I would try using the Blogger app on my phone to update the ol' blog while sitting by the pool :-) Might have to fix a few formatting issues when I get home, but hopefully this will work. {{disclaimer over}}

I want to share a few summer veggie recipes that I have come across, tried, and loved this summer! Nothing's better than a meal with veggies from the garden. Now, we don't have a garden of our own, but I buy farm-fresh produce on occasion and friends and neighbors have been kind enough to share their harvest with us :-) Maybe one day we will have a garden of our own... we were just a little busy for that this year ;-)

Beans in a Blanket
 
 

There's a farmer down the road who Jason does some side work for. He gave us a big grocery bag full of green beans. He recommended that we try them this way: bundled in groups, wrapped in bacon, and broiled. Everything is better with bacon, right? So I tried the recipe and they were AH-MAZING! I would even prefer these over potatoes with a steak... And I LOVE potatoes. Yes, they were that good. :-)

Ingredients:
Fresh green beans
Bacon 
Seasoned salt
Olive oil

1. Wash green beans and snap off ends. Preheat broiler.
2. Toss green beans in a tiny bit of olive oil and some season salt.
3. Bundle 5-6 green beans of like size together. Wrap a piece of bacon around the bundle and place on a broiler pan. 
4. Place under broiler for 20 minutes. Turn about halfway through. 

I have to admit - they weren't the prettiest thing that has ever come out of my oven, but they were yummy!

Boiled Corn
 
Corn on the cob is a delicious summer staple... and I saw a recipe earlier last week that made me think, "Why hadn't I thought of doing this before?" You basically just add a cup of milk, half a stick of butter, and some salt to your boiling water. It gives the corn delicious flavor! Tried it this week... Loved it 

 
Zucchini Crisps
 
The same farmer I mentioned earlier gave us a huge zucchini. I love zucchini... My hubby, on the other hand, only likes it prepared certain ways. A friend shared this recipe on Facebook recently, and I couldn't wait to give it a try. These. Were. DELICIOUS. :-) Hubby even approved ;-)

Fresh zucchini
Olive oil
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
Salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil and spray. 
2. Slice zucchini into 1/4" thick slices.
3. Dip slices in olive oil, and then cover them with breading mixture (cheese, breadcrumbs, seasonings). You have to press the breading onto both sides to get them covered well. 
4. Sprinkle any extra breading on top of the zucchini in the pan. Place in oven for 22 mins. No need to flip :-)


These were scrumptious!!! Definitely making them again. Ate so many that I had a tummy ache later that evening, LOL. Try them - you won't be sorry!

What are your favorite summer recipes?  Always looking for new recipes for when I get stuck in a side dish rut. :-)

Monday, July 15, 2013

Professional Pics


Now that most of Jesse's baby announcements have been sent out, I can finally share them on here! I apologize if you didn't get one in the mail. If I sent one to everyone, I would've gone broke. I designed these in Photoshop and had them printed through Nations Photo Lab. I'm really pleased with how well they turned out!
 
 
 
And... now that his announcements are sent, here are some of his professional newborn photos by Kelly Brewer Photography.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And... here are a few of my professional maternity portraits that I had done by the same photographer. Looking at these pictures is so surreal... feels like AGES ago.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Definitely felt weird being on the other side of the camera. :-)
 
...Till next time, xoxox
 
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Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Babies, babies, and more babies!

I had a baby. My sister-in-law had a baby.
....And now, my friend Megan had a baby!
 
So guess what that means?
 
More beautiful baby pictures!!!
 
I took these maternity photos of Megan, her husband, and their little boy.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
...And,
 
introducing Addyson Megan. Born 7.3.13 weighing 9lbs 15oz.
She's PRECIOUS!
 
Megan trusted me enough to try my hand (and eye) at some newborn photography. Not to toot my own horn, but I think these turned out pretty well :-)
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Can't wait to watch this sweet little girl grow up!

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Jesse - Two Months

Jesse turned 2 months old on July 1st!
 
 
And, to compare to last month's picture:
 
 
And another comparison pic:
 
 
 
Loves: You love eating, sleeping, swinging on the front porch swing with Momma, snuggling with Momma, sitting in your bouncy seat and punching at the hanging toys, watching your mobile go 'round and 'round, laying on your kick & play mat, and playing with daddy at the end of the day.
 
 
 
 

Eating: You are addicted to the boob. Mommy can't even hold you against herself for a minute before your little head is bobbing and you're lookin' for the goods. You eat every 2-3 hours during the day, sometimes even more frequently than that during the evening. You still do great with taking a bottle, but we've changed the kind of bottle that you get. The Tommee Tippee bottles were putting too many bubbles in your belly, so now we use the Playtex Drop-ins and your belly is MUCH happier. :-) Mommy loves how you cup your hands together when you're eating. More recently, you've begun grabbing onto Momma's shirt as you eat. It's so sweet. You almost always fall asleep when you're eating, and then Mommy has to wake you up to get a good burp out of you. You usually stay awake for a while then before you fall asleep and nap until your next feeding.
 
 
Sleeping: Something amazing has happened!!! Two days before turning two months old, this little man...
 
 
I don't know how/why it happened, but you miraculously started sleeping through the night right before you turned two months old! You were waking up religiously at 3am to nurse, and sometimes also at midnight. But then, one night, you just slept... the whole entire night through! Momma woke up around 3am, for our usual late night rendez-vous and just about had a heart attack when I realized YOU hadn't woken me up like you usually do. I tiptoed over to your room and made sure you were okay... and sure enough, you were snoozin' away! Every night since then, you have fallen asleep between 9 and 10pm and then slept till 5 or 6 in the morning. Momma is holding her breath that this trend continues, especially when I start back to work in mid-August. You're so cute when you sleep... sometimes you lay your arms straight out at your sides... sometimes straight above your head. Sometimes you snore, too :-)
 
 
  
Fun Facts: ***You weigh 11 pounds and 13 ounces (56th percentile). ***You're wearing size 0-3 months clothes... but they are starting to get tight, especially your sleepers.  ***You got your first set of shots at your 2 month doctor appointment and Momma was more traumatized than you were, I think. ***You are fickle when it comes to bathtime. Sometimes you like it, sometimes you don't. ***Momma took you to the doctor this month over some skin irritation. The doctor ruled the rash over your face, arms, and chest as just a bad case of baby acne. Momma isn't convinced, though. I think your extra sensitive skin doesn't like perfumes and lotions (especially on the clothes/bodies of the people who hold and snuggle you) because you tend to break out after being exposed to these things. ***You're still my blue-eyed baby boy! Your eyes keep getting lighter and more vibrant. Maybe you'll have blue eyes like your Pappy Caudill, or maybe they will change to green like Mommy's or hazel like Daddy's later on. ***While you will sleep all night long in your crib, you DO NOT like napping in your crib! This is something we are currently working on. The longest Mommy has got you to sleep in your crib for a nap has been 36 minutes.
 
 
bath time
 
blue-eyed baby boy
 
Firsts: Overnight trip to the mountain, meeting with his cousin Harper, real smiles, first shots, sleeping in your crib, sleeping through the night, trip to a restaurant. It's been a fun month as you're becoming more aware of your surroundings. You're figuring out what makes you happy and you're interacting with Momma and Daddy so much more. We love you, Jesiah Blaine!
 
loving your mobile
 
love seeing your sweet lil face in the rear view mirror
sweet smiles
hanging out with Nanny on the mountain
relaxing with Mommy on the mountain
snuggles with Momma
 
napping with Momma on the mountain
he's so handsome
meeting his cousin, Harper, for the first time
much better ;-)
my big boy!
happy boy <3
sweet cheeks!
could stare into his eyes for hours...
me and my boy
kisses - till next month ;-)
 
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