Date Day!

With the last few weeks being so crazy with work and church and all-nighters with our elementary kids and a new campus in South County, Kit decided to take today off and we have been having the best day. Kit slept in, (so needed after this last weekend with the all-nighter) I don't really sleep in. Little did Kit know what a morning person he married. Then we made waffles and just woke up slowly, which is key to life with my Kit.

Then he took me to see cloudy with a chance of meatballs, which had some really funny parts, but I still think the story line of the book is better.

PS: I have seen the preview a couple of times but how good does the movie where the wild things are look? I mean, the whole thing about how we each have a wild thing inside of us and all that... I can't wait for that to come out...

If you haven't seen the trailer, check it out.

Then we went to lunch at one of our favorite places in Fullerton, Rutabagorz, which always lends itself to some great talks over some REALLY good food (especially when you really haven't seen your spouse in a few days, there is lots of things to talk about...)

I really appreciate being married to my best friend.

Thanks for today, Kit Rae!

Being with you and laughing with you makes for the best of days...

Southern Cookin'

So the other night I wanted to make a special dinner for Kit because of all the hard work he has been putting in at work and I thought I would make BBQ pulled pork sandwiches with homemade coleslaw. It was awesome, if I do say so myself and Kit said it was one of the best things I have ever made. So, I thought with a comment like that, I wanted to share the recipe. Besides, it's crazy easy!

For the pulled pork:

I bought pork shoulder (bone out) and covered it in a mixture of sea salt, ground pepper and garlic powder, as well as with 1/2 a red onion, quartered and sliced. I placed it in my slow cooker on low for 9 hours. After it had cooked for about 5 hours, I drained some of the juice and then added approx. 2 cups of BBQ sauce. (I used Sweet Baby Ray's original) then I let it cook for the remainder of the time. I just pulled it apart with two forks and put it on onion hamburger buns (because they are Kit's favorite.)

We ate them with the coleslaw and corn bread and it was pretty darn tasty. We put the coleslaw on the sandwiches but you could just have it as a side.

Here is the recipe for the coleslaw:

Here's a basic coleslaw with a tangy mayonnaise dressing, and it's a great choice for summer meals. Serve this coleslaw with barbecue or sandwiches.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Preparation:

Toss cabbage in a large bowl with the carrots. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour the mixture over the cabbage and carrots and toss to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate until serving time.
Serves 6.

There was no time to take pictures... we were too busy eating! But it was awesome, so try it with your family. It would also be a great one to do with having people over because there was lots of food left over.

Enjoy!

Summer Days...

Well, as we finally accept that summer is over and that fall is here, we were thinking what a fun packed summer we had and wanted to share some of the highlights.

Kit and I both turned 29. We are officially in our 30th year of life and we are excited about what is ahead.

Those were a lot of candles...

We celebrated Kit's birthday in Chicago, while at a conference, at a Cubs and White Socks game at Wrigley Field, 9 rows up from home plate. It was one of the most memorable moments...

(Ok, I am totally squinting, but it was a combination that the sun was so bright and that we were so excited to be there...)

Our little brother Ethan graduated from high school. It was really special to see him turn the tassel. Getting to see Andrew graduate, then Ryan, and now Ethan, it was really special to be together.

We received the referral for Ruby on July 1st. Gina happened to be in Redlands the day that it came and was with the Rosies when they first saw her little face. We all cried...

VBS was taken to the neighborhoods this year and it was such a blessing to be part of it.

We had a family vacation with Gina's family at the beach in Oxnard. It was a great week being together.

We then had a "family" vacation with our close friends from college up at Shaver Lake. Such fun memories were made.

Then we did a backpacking trip with Kit's parents. It was a very special time to be together. Rutherford Lake is Kit's all time favorite backpacking spot and so it was fun to go and see a place that he loves so much. Seeing how much Kit loves being outside and backpacking and camping is a really special thing to see. I just love that man!

And finally...

we found out that we are pregnant!

So what would be our biggest highlight of the summer?

I bet you can guess...

Baby Rae is due between April 8-11, 2010

So in case we forget to say it because we're distracted or sleep deprived...

Happy Easter!

Coffee Beans...

When I have a party or a shower or any type of special event, I really like to have a party favor for each guest. Remember how fun it was to go to a party as a kid and you would get a goodie bag when you went home...? I would think, "but it's your birthday, not mine.." I always thought that was so special.

I have done different things: small candles, cds, bags of special candies or home made cookies, tea bags... Well, with ruby's party, it had to be something special and this is what I came up with... Ethiopian coffee beans individually wrapped and attached to prayer requests for her.

Coffee is the number one export of Ethiopia so when my sister found these beans at Trader Joes (I love that store...) it just seemed perfect. Plus, when we made a pot using these beans, it was a REALLY good cup of coffee.

So then I had little cellophane bags and tied them off with burlap strips. The strips were not my favorite to work with, but I was so pleased how the bags came out. I then printed out the prayer requests and plan to have them placed next to the coffee bags on my iron cake stands.

Gosh, I can't wait for her to get here...

Pictures!

Kit and I tackled our hallway with family photos today. It has been a long time coming. I have had a folder on my desktop that keeps getting pictures placed and removed, over the last 6 months. We finally got the photos ordered at Costco, the frames purchased at IKEA (on a killer sale) and then placed them with little to no headache.

Here is the before...

and here is the after.

Fall is on it's way!

I can't believe that September is half way over! I am excited that fall is fast approaching and that means getting together with friends and family that include soups and sweaters and pumpkin carving and apple cinnamon desserts. I can't wait!

Our first fall event is beginning in the of October with our friends from college. We are planning to carve pumpkins and we are planning to have the white bean soup that I blogged about last week and I am so excited for how it's all coming together.

So having a party means making invites and having fun with decorations and the fun details.

So these were the simple invites I came up with and I am so excited how they turned out. It was just a matter of using scrap pieces of paper and a stamp that I got from the dollar section at Michael's Craft Store.

Then I found this idea for banners on the website ETSY. I think that there is so much potential for how they can be used. This is the one that I came up with for our pumpkin carving party.

Because I liked the idea so much, I decided to make one for Ruby's party too... I'm just planning to hang it on our mantel.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

I LOVE kids books. I could write a blog every day just about them. One of my all time favorite books is "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by her vegetarian husband Ron. It was given to me for Christmas when I was little and it has been a favorite ever since.

I saw recently at a movie preview that they are coming out with a movie based on the book. It doesn't really look like they are the same story but I thought it would be so sad if the movie was the only version that you saw, so as a shout out to one of my favorites, please check out this amazingly creative story before heading to the theater. You will not be sorry.

ps. This book is so special to me that when I have had a bad day, Kit reads it to me before I go to sleep. But don't tell him I told you...

Party Planning!

Well, I have been working on baby girl's party/shower that we will be having in October and I have been having so much fun with all the little details. The food is going to be so tasty and I wanted to have little markers for each food item so that guests would know what was in each dish. This is what I came up with.

(Nothing that a little wire and my needle nose pliers can't do...)

I used the cookie cutter that I used to make the invites to get the Africa shape.

I am so excited about how they came out. Each one took me about 2 minutes.

Jeesh, I just can't wait to get that little one here already...

We love fridays...

Kit and I are always off on fridays and we really try to make sure that we don't plan stuff so that we can just have a date day. Needless to say, we have had a really fun day being together. We had breakfast in a hole in the wall place in Brea called Choice Burgers.

(Don't let the name fool you, the breakfasts are really good...)

Then we headed to the Apple store, which Kit could seriously spend HOURS in. (It is fun to see all the new products and toys...) We are now the owners of snow leopard (which, thanks to my favorite nerdling, will make my technology life so much easier and faster.) Then we headed to Williams-Sonoma and finally found a jalapeno stuffed pepper griller.

(Our friends Mark and Jamie introduced us to it and it has changed our grilling lives...) The options are endless of how you could personalize your jalapenos.

Then we headed to Trader Joe's and got some ingredients to make the following recipe for lunch. Giada really has a gift. We made this recipe and we both loved it. It's crazy easy too!

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup

and Grilled Crustini Bread

~from Giada~

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 sage leaf
• 2 (15-ounce) cans cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cloves garlic, cut in 1/2
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 slices ciabatta bread
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Directions

Place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and shallot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sage and beans and stir to combine. Add the stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the garlic and simmer until the garlic is softened, about 10 minutes. Pour the soup into a large bowl. Carefully ladle 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Be careful to hold the top of the blender tightly, as hot liquids expand when they are blended. Pour the blended soup back into the soup pan. Puree the remaining soup. Once all the soup is blended and back in the soup pan, add the cream and the pepper Keep warm, covered, over very low heat.

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the slices of ciabatta bread with extra-virgin olive oil. Grill the bread until warm and golden grill marks appear, about 3 minutes a side. Serve the soup in bowls with the grilled bread alongside.

We hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as we did. Again, this woman is brilliant!

Happy Friday!

bragging on my sister...

So my sister just finished the pillows for the baby girl's room and they could not be cuter. I am very proud of how hard my sister has worked to make this room a little haven for our niece and these pillows are such a fun addition...

Let get her here already, jeesh!

The curtains are in the turquoise flowered print and then we found all the other fabrics at JoAnns.

Make me an instrument of Thy peace...

I came across this prayer again this morning and it moved me to tears. I thought that I would share part of it.

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness; light;

and where there is sadness; joy.

Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

and it is in pardoning that we are pardoned...

Francis of Assisi

"that's a good meatball..."

Ok, so I have really never had a recipe for meatballs. I mean, my mom and my grandma have made them and they are amazing, but they just aren't as good when I try to make them. My mom gave me another recipe and Kit said it was a five star dinner, which was such a compliment, because Kit is the cook in our house. I cook but he is THE cook.

It made me realize that I need to be braver in the kitchen, to try new things and then I might find more family favorites to add to my repertoire.

I made a caprese salad to go along with it and the combination was AMAZING! So remember, meatballs are not only found on spaghetti... they will however be found at our house a whole lot more per Kit's request...

Have fun being brave in your kitchen!

ps, you can borrow Kit if you would like an encouraging soul to cook for...

Fish tank update...(again)...

Kit recently finished the woodwork on the base of his fish tank. He did such a great job and he can't wait to finally get the fish in there. He is planning to paint it and I am not sure about the hardware, but he is really pleased with how it turned out...

So if any one wants to come over for a swim, the pool is ready!

"By jove, I think she's got it!"

So with our recent travels, I have realized that I am not a very good packer and am usually pretty disorganized when it comes to getting my stuff together. (Who am I kidding, I am disorganized even when I am NOT traveling...) But, I think that I have recently figured out a way that has made life so much more organized.

Gardening tool totes.

You find them in the outdoor section of places like Target and Walmart. The thing that makes them different from other totes is the pockets and the durability. These puppies are meant to be dragged around in the dirt and stored outside. Mine has a thick vinyl lining and the whole thing is water proof. And did I mention the pockets?! Everything has it's own space and is easy to get to.

Here is mine. I got it at a discount store in Fullerton for $4 and have used it over 15 times. The way I figure it, the bag will be paying me to use it.

(Though Kit says that's not really how it works...)

Hey, if I can get organized, ANYONE can...