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!!!

Good Friday Morning!!

How do you start your day?  I have gotten into a habit of starting my day with one of these...

A LARGE cup of coffee. I'm not really picky about what goes inside as long as its creamy and sweet and definitely caffeinated, unlike Jeremy, who prefers his coffee black. No thanks.

These sweet ones keep me mighty busy in the mornings and if I don't have a chance to eat breakfast before lunch time, my coffee helps keep me going.  :)

Last week Madelaine, EC and I had a special visit from Sara Jane and Laura Katherine. Sara Jane and I try to get together any chance we can.  Our girls are just 7 weeks apart and we are hoping they will be friends for life.  Madelaine, is a few months younger than the big girls. In a few months the 7 month gap between and M and EC won't be as noticeable, and before we know it, she will be playing right there along with them.

These girls really do love each other.

Do Ella Claire's clothes look familiar? We just got a few shirts appliqued and I can't get enough of them. They rarely make it to her drawers because she wears them, I wash them and she wears them again.  :)

My, how they have grown in just 1 year! Drinking out of sippy cups like big girls! Happy early birthday to LK, who will be one next week!

I love these leggings EC is wearing as much as the appliqued tees.  I just so happened to catch them on sale at baby Gap for 7.99 during the no sales tax weekend in August.  I bought 2 pairs and she wears them so much, that I wish I would have bought more, in different colors of course! I've checked the website and they are all sold out. Bummer!

Earlier this week,  one of Ella Claire's Christmas presents arrived! Yay!! It was too heavy for me to pick up, so, when Jeremy got home, I asked him to push it into our junk, craft, storage, I mean guest bedroom. Seriously, it drives me bananas that I am using this room for storage.  One day very soon, I am going to clean it all out and make it pretty again!  ANYWAY, I heard Jeremy laughing and walked down the hall to this precious sight.  Ella Claire was helping Jeremy push the box.  I had to grab the camera and take this picture to help me remember this moment forever!

...and just because one of the reasons I write this blog is to help me remember the simple things we do everyday, here are a few new things Ella Claire is doing.


-Stomping her feet and making this "I'm annoyed" sound when she doesn't like something or I tell her no. Now, where did she learn this???

-Shaking her head "NO" to EVERYTHING! I knew this was coming.  For a while now, she has been shaking her head "yes" to certain questions we ask. Now, everything is "no". Lovely!

-My favorite new thing is something she started a few weeks ago.  At certain random times during the day, she will run up to me and put her arms around my legs and rest her head on my leg. OH MY! I can't explain how much I love it when she does this! It's so neat that she has started to express how she feels about things....the good and the bad! :)


Well, goodbye for now. I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Next week is going to bring so much fun..lots of baking, shopping, sleeping and eating! Can't wait!