2 yummy recipes and special friends

It has been another busy week at our house, and it's kept me away from my computer and this blog.  So here I sit, on a friday night excited to just stop by and say hi! Hi!!! :) Our friday nights used to be spent staying out late, eating dinner out, maybe watching a movie or going shopping. But these days, and for many days ahead, I think most of our friday nights will be spent just like tonight. Cooking dinner at home, watching Ella Claire dance around and play with her toys, and relaxing on the sofa thinking about our busy week and excited about the weekend ahead. I should also add that Friday nights at home also include hubby watching Swamp Loggers. There is something about that show that he loves, and I'll admit, I have gotten into it with him a time or two. Crazy, I know!

One thing I have been wanting to get on here and share is a yummy recipe that I found online. This popped up on a blog a few weeks ago and I immediately knew I wanted to try it.

Honestly, I didn't want to try it because it looked so good, it made my mouth water (even though the fresh mozzarella was calling my name). I actually was more curious about how corn would taste on pizza. That's right this pizza calls for corn. To my surprise it was wonderful! The corn and small amount of sugar give just the right balance with the pesto. 

Here is my pizza before heading into the oven.

and then after...

Idea from here, recipe from here. I also should say that I added A LOT of mushrooms to our pizza. I'm a mushroom kinda girl and I had a pack that was past it's prime in my fridge. We all really liked it and I will most definitely be making it again. 

After making the pizza, I had left over pesto and mozzarella, but not enough for another pizza. I decided to try this recipe. A little twist on the old grilled cheese classic. This was an amazing sandwich! Seriously, good! 

All it is, is fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and pesto, grilled just like a grilled cheese. Give this one a go, you will be glad ya did!

I am well over half way though with this pregnancy, (can you tell with all the talk about food???), and realized sometime last week that I haven't taken any pregnancy pictures. For some reason, I haven't been as thrilled to see my stomach get bigger and BIGGER this time around and I have simply forgotten to get pictures. I started thinking that one day our little Gracie might want to know what her momma looked like when she was carrying her around in her tummy, so I asked J to snap a quick picture. Here I am in all my 26th week glory...

And this time around I have a sweet little baby girl that just couldn't resist getting in the picture too.

I haven't compared this picture to how I looked when I was pregnant with EC at 26 weeks, I'm actually a little afraid too. People keep telling me that they didn't gain as much with the second, but I'm not thinking that's going to be the case with me. Running and working out during my 1st pregnancy kept me from gaining too much. The result of my first pregnancy keeps me from running and working out during this pregnancy. But, that's okay, one day there will be plenty of time to workout and run, and I will not want to then...right?

Earlier this week, we had dinner with some wonderful friends that we go to church with and live just a few houses down from. We have been neighbors for over 2 years now and soon these friends will be moving about 5 hours away. We will miss them terribly! Not only do we always stay at their house way too late when we go over for dinner, but we eat way too much! Windy is an amazing cook and I'll miss her friendship the most, but also her yummy food! :)

Their oldest son, Jacob, is just a little bit older than Ella Claire, and they are just at the age where they play great together. More like, Ella Claire follows him around and wants to do what he does. :)

Brian and Windy, we are excited for you and the opportunities that this new job will provide for your family, but you will be greatly missed! 

Okay, no more crying.... moving right along...

Ella Claire has been keeping us entertained with all that she can do these days. I'm having to be careful with what clothes she wears around the house, because a few times I've turned around and she is completely in the nude. No shirt, no bloomers, no diaper! She hasn't figured out how to unsnap a onesie yet, so she wears a lot of those when we are just hanging out at home. She also likes trying to put clothes on. Putting them on is a little trickier than taking them off, so sometimes she needs a little help with that. Otherwise, she ends up getting frustrated..

Or wearing them any which of way. And that's fun too!

Her choice of foods can also be amusing. Tonight for dinner we had a cheesy chicken casserole and salad. She had already eaten, but when she saw that we had lettuce, the begging began. That is correct, she preferred lettuce over cheese chicken and pasta! I can't imagine that.  She was actually saying, "lettuce, please!" She is just like her daddy though, and I've heard stories of how he would beg for salads as a child. He remembers eating salads while watching cartoons. Hilarious!

Alright friends, I think that's about all I have time for. I hope you have a wonderful, long weekend and make lots of family memories during this fantastic holiday! Happy Birthday, USA!!!