Kitty Thursday

The cat is not out of the bag. I repeat...the cat IS NOT out of the bag.

Ok, seriously...I have turned into a crazy cat lady!

One of my fav's!

I'm one of those people that when I find a recipe that I really like, I make it all.the.time. And I'm most especially fond of ones that are super simple and easy to throw together. Actually, I think those are the only ones I even try.

This is one of my most favorites EVER. When my friend asked for the ingredients for it the other day, I realized it had been far too long since I've made it. I don't know what it is about it (because it is so simple) but everyone loves it. juC and I can eat it by ourselves in a matter of days!

Summer Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

--1 box Farfalle pasta (bowtie), cooked per package instructions and run through cold water to cool off

--green grapes, cut into 4ths.

-- diced celery

--cashew halves & pieces

--Marzetti slaw dressing (I'm sure there are other slaw dressings, but this is usually the only one I find and the best I've tried)

--(optional) shredded chicken (When I do the chicken, I cook chicken tenders with some seasoning in the slow cooker for a few hours until it's super tender then shred it. Otherwise, we do grilled chicken on the side)

Mix all ingredients in the desired amounts, mixing in the slaw dressing last to get the desired consistency you want. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

See, amazingly simple, and just amazing. Hopefully I don't eat it all before juC gets home for dinner.

Kitty Thursday

Kitty Thursday--On a Tuesday Night

It's a sad, SAD day when you realize that all you ever post about is your cat. I swear, I'm not a crazy cat lady!!

I am quitting my "job" blogging for Milan Maternity at the end of the month. I think that will open things up again for me to blog on my personal blogs the way I used to. The only good thing about that is that I won't look like a crazy cat lady anymore to the 3 people that read this blog.

Now, on to my cat....

Not only is my belly a comfy space for the little babe inside, but apparently it's pretty comfy from the outside, too.

Kitty Thursday

Kitty Thursday

Our bay-bay

I think almost everyone is aware now that baby #3 is a wee wittle boy. Poor little jC...he kept saying it was a girl, and was completely and totally convinced. I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe that he was one with the baby, and knew it's gender. But, when I did the needle and thread test (holding it over my belly, circle motion means girl, back and forth means boy) it said it was a boy. And since it was right with luC, I couldn't help but believe the needle over little jC. And the needle was right!

Something not many people know, though, is that I'm planning to do a home birth (don't call me crazy!!!) with this little one. Which means that this was the first (and probably only) ultrasound I've gotten during pregnancy. So seeing him was so, so amazing! There is just something about seeing that there truly is a baby inside of you that just blows the mind.

And the good news is that little jC took the news of this new baby being a boy quite well. And I'm even more excited than I was before to have a sweet little newborn in our home come November(ish)

Kitty Thursday

Kitty Thursday

Thank you, izC's tail, for ruining a perfectly cute picture.

Poppin' up

We are still getting used to and organized in our new house. It's partly been fun. But since we still have a large box full of random things sitting in our bedroom, it's been quite the process that I can't seem to complete. I've felt overwhelmed by it all.

On the positive side, I love flowers and have loved seeing what random flowers pop up around our new house that the previous owners planted. The only thing is, there isn't really much rhyme or reason behind where these flowers have popped up. I wish I would have taken pictures as they have come, but haven't. However, the most recent flower motivated me to.

Right outside our back door is a MASSIVE rosemary bush. (Which is a little surprising in itself.) I noticed something growing in the midst of it, and was surprised yesterday when I saw it was a calla lily.

I thought this was quite entertaining. But perhaps I'm easily amused.

Kitty Thursday

izC wants to find out about her family history, too.

If I could freeze time...

I without a doubt would.

With another baby on the way, I'm trying so hard to savor luC's babyhood as much as I can. In 5ish months, she will no longer be the baby in the family, and there is a part of me that mourns that loss for her. I know this time will pass all too quickly.

I have been so easily frustrated with my children these last few weeks, but I know that this time won't last forever, and it's images and times like this that I want ingrained in my mind forever.

Kitty Thursday

izC loves the new couch, too.

I'm in love.

When we moved into a house with a "formal living room" I knew that I needed just the perfect couch to go in it. For months I scoured Craig's list, trying to find the one. But, to no avail. Then when my sister was here, we went to one of my favorite antique spots, at which time I spotted the perfect couch. And lucky me, it was on sale. After sending a picture to juC to ask his permission, it was purchased. Then, as the cushions were getting loaded into my car, I saw that the antique dealer had left the "Salvation Army" sticker with the original price on it, for considerably less than what I paid. Oh well, I guess all that extra I paid was the finders fee...and I truly don't feel bad about the price I paid at all.

And now I have the perfect couch (for me) for our "formal living room". Or as I like to call it, our receiving room.

And I don't care what anyone thinks, I'm in love with it.

A family secret

(If I'm remembering this story correctly...) When my parents were first married, my mom made my dad a grilled cheese sandwich and she got in trouble for missing a key ingredient. A key ingredient she had no idea belonged in a grilled cheese sandwich. But according to my dad, a grilled cheese sandwich isn't a grilled cheese sandwich without sugar.

Yep, that's right. Sugar.

So from then until forever more, grilled cheese sandwiches were made in their household with a heaping spoon of sugar spread between the bread and cheese. I really don't know if this is a southern thing (my dad was born and raised in South Carolina) or a "my dad" thing. Either way, it's the best way to make and eat a grilled cheese sandwich. And it's come back to life in my house now that I have found that it's something my 3 and a half year old will actually eat. (He is absolutely the pickiest eater, alongside my daughter). So now that I have another lunch option for him, I'm slightly more than happy.

If you'd to try our families "Perfectly Sweet Grilled Cheese Sandwich", all you need is:

-2 pieces of bread

-spreadable Country Crock (or whatever is your brand of choice)

-slice of cheddar cheese

-a spoon FULL o' sugar

Make sure your pan is heated, and assemble your sandwich as your normally would for grilled cheese, but spreading the sugar to the inside of the bread that will be cooking first. After cooking, enjoy it's sweet cheesy goodness. I know it might sound simple (or to some even gross) but I promise...you'll thank me later.