Something Saturdays on a Sunday (9/13/20)

Oh helllooo! So, ya know, it's always a million things going on around here. As always. One thing that has been sort of exciting but is also definitely a lot is Michael and I are now, like, on the board of a brand new non-profit created by my cousin and some other people. It's called RACE (Real Action Community Engagement) and it's "a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a better community by providing programs/resources to dismantle institutional racism, celebrate diversity, and empower people from all walks of life." You can check out our Facebook and Instagram for more info if you'd like!

Posts from this week 

Rose-6 Months!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart

Recipes from the blog that I've made lately
Just Chicken Pot Pie (although I add potatoes and carrots-that I chop and microwave for about 4 minutes-so that there's some veggies for the kiddo)

Lasagna

Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs

Cheesy Chicken

Homemade Cheddar Pierogi {with Caramelized Onions}

Mom's Pot Roast

3 Cheese White Pizza

Recent links bookmarked (visit my Pinterest for more)

Greek Gyro Recipe with Homemade Gyro Meat (The Food Charlatan)

Movies/TV Talk (assume there'll be spoilers)

Schitt's Creek-I finally hopped on the bandwagon and it is totally living up to the hype! Of course I love David. I also really enjoyed Alexis + Mutt and am fairly bummed that didn't work out. But I really enjoy/was surprised by the fact that even though these are privileged not great people...there is an under-layer of goodness to them that I feel usually isn't seen in this type of character. And I really like it.

Instagram Lately 

Something Saturdays (8/15/20)

Hi everyone!

I'm sorry for falling off the face of the planet. But Rose is older, I'm trying to make some time for the blog, and here we go!

First...I want to check in and not pretend that everything is totally normal. It's not. We're dealing with a global pandemic and a lot of social and economic issues. Life is very much in flux and very scary and hard right now. We are very fortunate to have not been hit badly economically, no one we personally know has gotten sick, and we also recognize we have quite a bit of privilege on the social issues front. We're trying very hard to be outspoken and proactive about the need we all have to change and learn and be anti-racist (google it! As I find helpful articles relating to all of these things I'll be sure to share on here and on my Instagram. One thing I have for the moment is this really great list of over 300 black owned businesses-specifically in Ohio but also nationwide.).

And yeah, on a personal level, we've just been pretty much quarantined. We don't go anywhere except doctor's appointments and occasionally a grocery run (Michael has had to go into work a handful of times but his office is only allowing 2 people in at a time, one on each floor). An exception was that our car lease was up so Michael had to go to the dealership to pick up our new minivan (yes, we have committed hard to parenthood and frankly I'm stoked about it. Ya know...as soon as we're able to actually go anywhere). 

Source

But aside from that, it's just us. Here. We don't see anyone. We're really trying our best to keep our exposure as close to 0 as possible because, frankly, it's scary and we don't want to risk our kids. But it sucks. I miss people and places and things (I miss nouns!) We have been able to enjoy the time together as a family of 4 and that has been wonderful. So...all in all...we're lucky and happy and healthy. I just want everyone to be able to say the same <3 

Posts from this week 

Flourless Peanut Butter S'mores Cookies {Gluten-free, Dairy free}

Recipes from the blog that I've made lately
We've started meal planning and OH MY GOD it's made my life so much easier. Here's what we've made from the blog this last week: 

Cheesy Chicken and Potato Chowder

Cheddar Biscuits

Recent links bookmarked (visit my Pinterest for more)

The Best Pancake Recipe: Lofty Buttermilk Pancakes-The Kitchn

Movies/TV Talk (assume there'll be spoilers)
13th-This documentary is so eye opening and so important for everyone (in the US, at least) to watch. I feel like it really connects some dots and explains some things that most of us never knew or even thought about. It's available on Netflix and also in full, for free, on YouTube.

Hamilton-Like...obviously it was just as good as everyone said. I love love love everything about it. And I think every musical should do this with its original cast and then release it after a certain amount of time. It's not the same as seeing it in theatre but it's such a great option for most of us who can't get to Broadway to see it. 

The Lion King (2019)-You know what? I liked it. I appreciated it visually and liked the casting choices (I was kind of meh on Beyonce though-I know, I know, blasphemy-but she was fine). 

Instagram Lately 

Something Saturdays (5/9/20)

Well hi there everyone. Sorry it's been awhile since we've really chatted. How are all of you doing with all the craziness of the world now thanks to COVID-19? Thanks to being in newborn phase it honestly wasn't a huge change of living for us first but now that life is starting to get more manageable I'm definitely missing being able to go places (and poor James just wants to go to the museum or zoo so so bad). It's also hard not being able to have the grandparents come over, they miss James and Rose and are worried she won't know them :( But we're all currently safe and healthy and functioning which is more than so many people, so we're doing ok. 

And we're settling in to life! We have our routines, Michael's been working from home since his paternity leave ended, which has been nice. James has learned to love his sister (although he could stand to be a touch gentler lol) and Rose is the light of all of our lives. And tomorrow is my 1st Mother's Day as a mama of 2! It'll be low key obviously but I'm looking forward to it. 

Recent Posts

Rose's Birth Story

Rose-2 Months!

Rose's Newborn Photos

Rose-1 Month!

Movies/TV Talk (assume there'll be spoilers)
Babies (Netflix documentary series)-I love it. It's SO fascinating and ya know...cute babies.

Instagram Lately 

Something Saturdays-on Sunday (2/9/20)

Hi! Currently no baby but boy oh boy I know it's coming soon and eeeeeeeeep. So we've just been trying to do some last minute cleaning, freezer meals, etc. and enjoy our time together. Last week we had 2 play dates (Michael's cousin's daughter Ava who is a couple months younger than James came over and then later in the week my cousin's daughter Ava-who is 10 months older-came over. We call them baby Ava and big Ava to differentiate lol) and we visited with Michael at work one morning. Michael's mom also came over Friday afternoon and helped me clean a bunch of stuff which was such a big help. This weekend has been awesome-we got to play in the snow yesterday and today Michael and I had our last pre-baby date at an awesome cafe and bakery called Blue Door. I had some delicious chocolate hazelnut crepes and a side of breakfast potatoes and onions that I'm pretty sure I could eat all day. Michael got a massive croissant breakfast sandwich that he still hasn't finished. I'm loving life right now and am so excited to meet our new addition but also anxious about things changing-all totally normal and all stuff I felt before James too. So...yeah. I'll try to check back in next week if there's still no baby, but keep an eye out on my Instagram if you're eagerly awaiting news of when we have a new arrival!

Something Saturdays (2/1/20)

It's February which meeeeans-there's a 99% chance we're having a baby this month! Which is why we've been cracking down and getting a lot done the last few weeks. We've been making freezer meals, packing out hospital bags, going over info, finishing projects, etc. AND we finally finished baby girl's nursery!

It's mostly gray and white with a couple pops of pink, and a loose elephant theme (the crib sheets, art work on the wall, plus some toys). I LOVE these prints we got from Lotus Nursery Art on Etsy (we customized the quote in the middle to "Have courage and be kind."

Something Saturdays (1/11/20)

Well this week has been full of getting lots of things ready and dealing with the fun fun transition of James to his big boy bed. He actually has been doing really well at night but woooo his naps are a rollercoaster (and he frequently skips it entirely which is miserable). But it's going better than I feared it would so yay! And he's so cute.

We also went on the hospital tour today (we switched hospitals from the one where we had James, and this one is a brand new building with birthing suites) and I'm really excited about it! It's lovely, hopefully things go smoothly for us when the time comes lol!

Posts from this week 

Baby #2 Update- 32 Weeks

Recipes from the blog that I've made lately
Garlic Parmesan Chicken Lasagna (I made a double batch and froze one for post-baby)

Graham Cracker Pie Crust

Peanut Butter Cream Pie

Recent links bookmarked (visit my Pinterest for more)

Salted Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate (How Sweet Eats)

Movies/TV Talk (assume there'll be spoilers)
The Witcher-Well we finished the season. And "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher" will be in my head for all time. Definitely while we wait for season 2 (SO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS!)

Instagram Lately 

Something Saturdays (1/4/20)

Finally recovering from the insanity of the holidays! I worked all weekend and then worked on stuff at home during the week-I also got a new phone (woo/blech lol). Wednesday we had breakfast with Michael's dad and stepmom and brother and sister-in-law and then drove to Youngstown during James' nap to spend the rest of New Year's day with Michael's mom's family. It was very fun and very crazy. Thursday some of Michael's aunts and his one cousin who is 8 months older than James (his mom is the oldest of 11 and the toddler's mom is the youngest of the 11 lol) were at his mom's house so we hung out there for a bit too and visited. I'm not working this weekend so looking forward to getting lots done (including James transitioning out of his crib to his big boy bed tonight! EEE wish me luck).

Posts from this week 

Best of 2019 on Instagram

Recipes from the blog that I've made lately
Slow Cooker Amish-style Shredded Beef

Perfect Roasted Carrots

Something Saturdays-on Sunday (12/29/19)

Happy last weekend of the decade! It has been a super busy and super wonderful couple of weeks!

My brother and sister-in-law came into town the Thursday before Christmas. It had been 2 years since I'd seen Josh and 3 years since I'd seen Jill (she'd never physically met James!) and the second they got to my house from the airport we got back in the car for an ultrasound appointment I had! It was so fun having them with us and seeing baby girl moving and being cute (she was doing a lot of stretching again and also lip pursing/pouting. At one point her foot was by her face and it looked like she may have been trying to suck it lol). Friday night we had dinner with them and my dad's side of the family, then after James went to bed Josh and Jill came over and hung out for a bit. Saturday I had to work but then we hung out at my mom's for a bit and Sunday I also had to work but my mom's family's Christmas party was that day and-even though we couldn't make it in between work and James' bedtime-I went to an after party game night after James went to bed. Monday my mom and Josh and Jill came over to hang out for a bit before James' nap (because I then had to work again after). Tuesday was Christmas Eve! I picked up Josh and Jill from my mom's and we picked up brunch on the way to my house. Then we played a board game while James napped and after nap we made cut out cookies, my mom picked up dinner and came over after work, we had hot chocolate/hot cocoa (hot chocolate for me, hot cocoa for everyone else), and watched Muppet Family Christmas. After my mom and siblings left we had James open a present of Christmas pj's and we put out the milk and cookies for Santa. Christmas arrived and I had a very excited toddler on my hands. We opened presents (and boy he has become a pro at ripping wrapping paper) and then played for a little bit before my mom and Josh and Jill came over for breakfast and presents. I made Baker Bettie's overnight cinnamon rolls plus bacon (and my mom brought hash browns) and then we all enjoyed our time together. Michael's mom came for a bit too and James opened more presents. Then naptime came and everyone left (and we said our big goodbyes to Josh and Jill since their flight left that evening). I made some turkey and cheese sliders, applesauce, and mashed potatoes for our Christmas dinner and then Michael's dad and stepmom came over for...more presents lol. James was so incredibly stoked on the entire day (he honestly almost didn't fall asleep for his nap, it was dicey). The next day Michael was supposed to go back to work but then James looked at him and said "Daddy play with James?" and he decided to work from home. Little guy was clearly exhausted because he slept in that day and then took a long nap too. Since then we've just been doing more visiting with various out of town relatives and now Michael's brother and sister-in-law are here too. James and I got brunch with them and some of their cousins and we might be having dinner with them and Michael's mom and sister tomorrow. So yes lots lots lots going on but so much fun!

And also now cracking down on pre-baby prep! AH!

Recipes from the blog that I've made lately
Extra Flaky Biscuits

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

Creamy Chicken and Biscuits 

 

{No Spread, No Chill} Vanilla Cutout Cookies

Recent links bookmarked (visit my Pinterest for more)

Salted Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate (How Sweet Eats)

Movies/TV Talk (assume there'll be spoilers)
The Witcher-Ok I'm only 1 episode in and Michael is significantly more into it than me but I like it? I'm intrigued for sure. And I love Henry Cavill.

Instagram Lately 

Something Saturdays (12/14/19)

WOO.

It has been crazy. Thanksgiving happened (and was fun, although James ate like 2 rolls and apple pie and that's it lol). Then it was just crazy time getting ready for his birthday! His birthday party was last weekend and it went perfectly (I'm actually planning on sharing a post about his party!) Then Michael was home Monday and Tuesday (his actual 2nd birthday) and we ate lots of yummy food, decorated for Christmas, and on Tuesday went to go see Santa which was magical. James was starstruck, it was so sweet. So now we're just doing more getting stuff done and preparing for next week: my brother and sister-in-law come into town (YAY!) I haven't seen my brother in 2 years and my sister-in-law in 3 years so I can't wait to spend a ton of time with them and then it will be Christmas so yeahhh the business just keeps on going!

Posts from this week 

Baby #2 Update-28 Weeks

Recipes from the blog that I've made lately

Perfect All-Butter Pie Crust

Just Chicken Pot Pie

Garlic Butter Chicken

Creamy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

Recent links bookmarked (visit my Pinterest for more)

Best Breakfast Pancakes (Once Upon a Chef) - we actually made these together on James' birthday!

Movies/TV Talk (assume there'll be spoilers)
The Good Place-FINALLY caught up with where we're at in the current season and I just wanted to say this show is amazing and I love it. That is all.

Instagram Lately 

Something Saturdays (11/23/19)

Just been a crazy couple weeks of life, getting things done, enjoying the cute James, etc. BUT I did have my 30th birthday and it was pretty wonderful. Michael took the day off work and we went to the McKinley museum (which neither of us have been to since we were kids and James hadn't gone to yet) and that was super fun. Michael also got me the most delicious chocolate peanut butter cake, chocolate peanut butter pie, and chocolate caramel tart from Studio Bakery. Then Michael made dinner (which was extra special because he never does that-largely because he doesn't know how) AND maybe even better...cleaned everything up. Then after James went to sleep Michael's mom came over to stay here while we went to get dessert at a local restaurant. It was so much fun and I loved it. 

ALSO-if you're looking for some recipes to make this Thanksgiving check out these round ups I've posted: 
Thanksgiving Recipes 
Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes Round Up

Something Saturdays (11/9/19)

Hiiiii.
Let me break my life down for you.

It's my birthday next week (I turn 30!)
Then Thanksgiving happens.
James' birthday and birthday party are the 2nd week in December.
Then ya know...Christmas.
I have a variety of doctors appointments due to the whole pregnancy thang.
Baby is coming end of February and there's tons of prep involved therein.

SOOOOOO it's insanity.

But life is good. We're enjoying each other and our time as a family of 3. Last Sunday we didn't do much of anything, we just spent time together (James was blissful-he kept making us sit on either side of him and then cuddling against one of us and then leaning the other way and cuddling the other one). James and I have been baking together some and it's been so nice. We made cookies this last week and love love loved it (also HIGHLY recommend Cook Nourish Bliss' Flourless Pb S'mores Cookies) Michael took a half day off from work on Thursday and James was so happy (and showed his appreciation by eating 90% of his burger at dinner lolol). So yeah...life is good. Busy and good.

Something Saturdays (10/26/19)

Let's seeeeee....Last Saturday we got James new shoes that he enthusiastically picked out himself (from a stack of shoes we picked lol). Sunday we hung out with my mom and ate at Tlaquepaque (yum) and James was so cute and did so good! On Tuesday we visited with Michael's cousin and her new baby, Lincoln. But really James just played with their dog, Stella lol. Wednesday the weather was decent enough that I took James to the park which he was so excited about (I feel so bad that we won't be able to go at all soon because it's going to get coooold). And yeah other than that we've just been living, doing our thing. Tomorrow we have trick or treating, it'll be James' first time actually going out. So fun!

PS James helped me make cookies today and it was super impromptu so I tried out this chocolate chip cookie recipe that was quick (no chilling) and just browned the butter-because...why not. It called for melted butter anyway which 99% of the time means I'm going to brown it lol. It was pretty good! 

Something Saturdays -on a Sunday (10/20/19)

Hi hi hiiii. Life is crazy. Running around after the world's best toddler and prepping for brand new baby. It's hectic and a bit stressful but mostly pretty awesome. So yeah. <3

Posts from this week 

Baby #2 Update-20 Weeks

Recipes from the blog that I made this week

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Perfect All-Butter Pie Crust

Just Chicken Pot Pie (subbed out scallions and added in some potatoes, corn, and carrots)

Exceptional Chocolate Chip Cookies

Movies/TV Talk (assume there'll be spoilers)
This Is Us-Randall is precious and SO HELP ME IF SOMETHING HAPPENS WITH KATE AND TOBY-grrrrr. Baby Jack is adorable and I refuse to allow the happiness of that baby be brought down by relationship drama.

Instagram Lately (a few highlights from this week on Instagram)

Something Saturdays (10/12/19)

Hi! It's me! The blogger who never blogs anymore.

Howdy.

So yeah, stuff continues to be busy. James' potty training is going well. We found out the new baby's sex (doing a pregnancy update this week--hopefully--and I'll reveal it then!) and things are just getting real so we've been working on being more productive on getting through our to do list. So yeah just busy but life is good!

Oh and! I got a chance to check out this new cookbook from Kristen Tomlan the creator of DŌ in NY-I'm in looove.

Something Saturdays (9/21/19)

This week has been wonderful but also a LOT. We started potty training James last Saturday (using the "Oh Crap! Potty Training" method-I bought the book). Michael worked from home all week to help which was great. James is doing SO good (he's been accident free for 4 days now) and I'm crazy proud. But then the poor little guy had a high fever yesterday out of nowhere and was not himself at all. He just wanted to snuggle and sleep. So it was a good occasion for his first movie-we watched Disney's Tarzan. Luckily. after a dose of infant acetaminophen he was much better and was pretty much back to normal today. So yeah! Hopefully he's better now and hopefully potty training keeps going so well! 

Something Saturdays (9/7/19)

This week was AWESOME.

Michael was off work on Monday so we just got to spend some fun family time. Tuesday and Wednesday James and I just hung out and got some stuff done. But then THURSDAY WE WENT TO THE CLEVELAND ZOO!!! Their African Elephant enclosure is amazing (and they're my favorite animal) and they also have a cool giraffe encounter where people feed giraffes lettuce. We saw so many animals and James had so much fun. The weather was also flawless and it was a slow day so no crowds, and Michael was with us because he took the day off. It was perfect. I don't work all this weekend, either, so hopefully we'll have more fun! James is always so happy when we're all together <3

Something Saturdays (8/31/19)

Hiii. Hello. It's Labor Day weekend! I've been working the last few days but then I'm off tomorrow and Michael has Monday off so fun family time should ensue. And today was Michael's dad's birthday so we went out to dinner and had some cake and ice cream back at his house. James had an awesome time (and 4 scoops of mint chip ice cream). This past week has been super weird but great, though. Tuesday Michael worked from home so that he and James could come with me to my doctor's appointment and hear the baby's heartbeat. James was super excited to hear "baby heartbeat" and was so sweet and just grinning while we heard it. Michael also worked from home Thursday so he could be home with James when I had to go to work. So we've had lots of fun and I'm excited for this week!

Recipes from the blog that I made this week
Slow Cooker Amish-style Shredded Beef

Recent links bookmarked (visit my Pinterest for more)

No-Churn Salted Caramel S'mores Ice Cream (Yes to Yolks)

Instagram Lately (a few highlights from this week on Instagram)