Due Date!

Today is the big day - our due date with our baby.  I don't expect we will be meeting each other today, or even tomorrow, so we decided to mark the special day with a family date.  We went to Collingswood, NJ, for a craft fair and a trip to the kid-friendly Pop Shop diner.  I also got to meet baby Emily, the one-week-old baby of a good friend of mine.  It was a very nice day, with lots of positive baby and family vibes.  So even though we won't be meeting today, it was nice to mark the occasion with some special activities.

Confessions of a blog addict...

I don't know how this happened. I never thought it would happen to me. Yet, here I am, totally addicted to blogs! The blogging part is way fun, and I can't forget that, but the collecting of various blogs and following them is my real love. I love peering in to other people's lives, seeing the things they cook, the way they live, their organizational techniques, their fun crafting ideas. I just can't seem to get enough!

One day, when I have crossed off all the things on my to-do list, I will spend some time highlighting my favorite blogs. However, that list keeps getting longer, as I find more and more things I want to do by finding more great blogs out there. What a dilemma!

Belly Cast

I ordered my belly casting kit from Amazon eight weeks ago, and have been so excited to do it.  Finally, tonight (at 38 weeks, 1 day), Chris and I completed the cast.  It was a bit uncomfortable sitting still for so long, but the end result is great!  The plan is to stamp baby's newborn footprints at the top of the belly, just as they were all during the pregnancy.  Other decorating ideas have yet to be decided.

PHOTO COMING SOON!

Homemade chili - delicious and freezer-bound!

(Source)

I made the Barefoot Contessa's chili with beef brisket. Not sure I needed to use brisket, and probably could have gotten away with ground beef at a better price, but wowzers, is it good! Just a couple spoonfuls as I was cooking it might send me into labor! I won't give away the whole recipe here (but you can click on the source link for the official Food Network recipe), but I will say that I had to use 2 TABLEspoons of chili powder, 2 TABLEspoons of cumin, 1 TABLEspoon of cayenne, and 1 TABLEspoon of red pepper flakes.  No, not TEAspoons! I'm amazed the baby hasn't been born already with all that spice!  And here's one more for the freezer.

Hoo Are You? Week #1

I found a fun new linky party today.  Each Monday, Night Owl Crafting hosts Hoo Are You?, which is a linky party featuring five fun questions.  The idea is each blogger participating will post the questions and her answers on her own blog, then link her post back to the original post on Night Owl Crafting. Each blogger is meant to explore the other blogs as a way to get to know other bloggers and link to their websites.  This sounds fun to me, so here we go!  Week #1 for me!

Here are this week's questions!

1. Do you exercise regularly and what do you do?

Umm, no, not official exercise.  I wish I did.  I can't find the time (as I sit here blogging)!  But I do run around all day after a toddler, and soon, I'll be running around after two kids, so I think I'll do my heart some good that way.

2. Do you have any weird sleeping habits?

At 38 weeks pregnant,  yes!  I require many pillows just to be comfortable.  There's an hourly switch from left side to right side, and so most of the night is spent turning over and over.

3. How often do you vacuum?

I should do it way more often, but Luke hates the vacuum, and I simply find it difficult to do it at a time when he's not home.  It's rare for me to be home without him.

4.Do you accessorize and if so what is your favorite thing to accessorize with?

I don't accessorize much, but I do love scarves.  I have a ton of them, and could always use another!

5. What is your favorite drink during the summertime?

I LOVE margaritas, but right now, that's not an option.  Lemonade or virgin margaritas (complete with salt on the rim) is a nice substitute.  I also really love fresh-squeezed orange and lemonade.  Yum!

Messy Kitchen

Oh, and since all that cooking has been going on, I am now procrastinating.... I am blogging and facebooking and Interneting while the mess sits inches from me, staring at me and just waiting to be cleaned.  Ugh!  I do love cooking and organizing, but dishes and food mess is just gross!  It will be here another 15-20 minutes in case anyone wants to come over and take care of it for me.... anyone???

Big Batch Cooking Weekend!

In preparation for baby Kelly, I am batch cooking.  We need a freezer full of healthy things to eat.  I have been doing lots of recipe searching, grocery shopping, cooking, and freezing.

This weekend I made ratatouille, three trays of Mexican lasagna, a double batch of bean soup, and a triple batch of taco soup.  Chris also made 22 of his delicious turkey burgers! Coming up this week: pulled pork, vegetarian chili, beef brisket chili, and beef and black bean fajitas.  I will be posting all the recipes on the blog soon.  In the meantime, you can find them on my Pinterest recipe board.  When I post these recipes on the blog, I will include any changes I made to the recipes, as well as little tips for doubling or tripling the recipes.  

Not Just a Housewife Giveaway!

Oh, how I love Stacey at Not Just a Housewife!  She provides me with endless inspiration for home projects, recipe ideas, kid crafts, and a lot more.  I would say hers is the blog I visit most often.  She has a huge following, and each Tuesday, she hosts a linky party with nearly 300 links!  I am always stopping by throughout the week to catch any new additions.  I usually find the blogs I love most through her linky party.  And so, I'm sure you can see why I love her blog!

But today, I am in love even more!  Why?  She is hosting a giveaway of the Black and Decker steam mop. I've had my eye on it for a while, but since cleaning the floors is often the last item on the cleaning list, I did not take the plunge and buy it myself.  When I saw the giveaway, I had to enter!  I do so want that mop!  You can also enter her giveaway, which ends soon, by clicking here or the image below.  Good luck!