17 weeks


This pregnancy is flying by. Enjoying the weekend with family and will post more soon!


almost 21 months and a bit past 16 weeks


this kid.  almost 21 months and it seems that this picture captures him quite well right now.  what a happy camper.

then there's this babe.  seriously growing.  can't wait to hear it's heartbeat tomorrow and someday in the coming weeks find out if we're having a girl or boy.  I was convinced it was a girl earlier on based on how sick I was but now I really think they're going to tell me it's a boy.  we'll see!



Strawberry picking


We went strawberry picking yesterday with our buddies. Anderson is at the perfect age to sit with me and help put the berries in the basket. 

He's also at the perfect age to taste a lot along the way, get covered in berry juice, and pass out on the way home. 

Now onto making some jam if we don't eat all the berries first. May be a good activity for us this weekend with the storms that we're supposed to get!

Banana Pancakes



And we're back! After an unsuccessful attempt at pancakes this past weekend I woke up motivated to make a new recipe. Usually pancakes are left for weekends around here but I'm much more inspired to cook in our new kitchen and with more energy in the morning!

I came across this recipe the other day in mad Hungry and figured it was worth trying. With a few very ripe bananas on hand I mashed one up and added it right in. You can make this recipe without the banana, add in berries instead, or simply get creative however else you see fit. It's a great base recipe. 


Recipe thanks to Mad Hungry by Lucinda Scala Quinn

Ingredients You'll Need
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 1/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Real maple syrup of course!

In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients then form a well in the center of the bowl. Add the egg, butter and milk. Stir until combined. 

Let batter rest for 10 minutes!!

Now heat your griddle and melt some butter on it then start the pancake making. I like to use a 1/3 cup to drop the pancakes in. This time Anderson helped. 

Serve immediately with warm maple syrup. Remember you can also freeze pancakes! 

Enjoy!

I could get used to this



The rain stayed away today so after Anderson's nap we decided to head to the pool. After some time there I figured we would head home and I'd make dinner then I got the brilliant idea of trying out a winery not too far from us that serves pizza.


Anderson loved the wide open space, Benjamin enjoyed a glass of wine, and we all loved this new little life we're living. 

I could get used to this place being a little pizza stop for us. I told Benjamin this must be what it's like living in Napa. We both laughed knowing its not at all what it must be like to live in napa but hey- it's as close as we'll get for awhile!

Am I Showing?

I was pretty obsessed with showing with Anderson. I was your typical first time mom so ready to show the world that I was with child. 

This baby didn't give me much time to anticipate showing...






We don't have any full length mirrors in our place yet so I get to take pictures in the bathroom mirror or reflection of the microwave. Sorry little one. 

Feed the fish? And a 20 month update


We had another walk to the pond after Anderson's nap yesterday. Why feed the fish though when you can feed yourself?

Speaking of naps by way of update and mainly to remind myself what he's doing at 20 months the kid is taking 3 hour naps. He's ready for his nap around noon but sometimes he's not down til 12:30/45. That's becoming a problem when he wakes up at 4:00! The past two nights he cried for awhile when I put him down by 8 and last night didn't fall asleep til 9! 


Since this is my first babe I just take guesses as to why this is. 

1. I think I need to shorten his naps down to 2.5 hours but with packing and unpacking I've admittedly enjoyed the 3 hours. 

2. He has been introduced and then hooked on watching Shaun the Sheep- a mostly silly british show with no words just claymation. Sometimes it's a bit scary though perhaps for him so we're taking a break from it. Do bad dreams start around this time?

3. Teething again? We've had a nice break but I think the 2 year molars may be making their way in. This morning during his breakfast he stuck his finger back into his mouth and said "ow". 

So- my plan this weekend is to get his naps down to 2.5 and realize it'll probably take a week to all flush out but maybe that'll result in some easier bedtime routines and morning that downs start before 6?! A pregnant mommy can hope. 

Seasoned parents- any other advice?!

In other news he's your typical active boy, talking up a storm, loves any sports ball, and as of this week really into the alphabet singing at the end "now I know....ABC...."  Sometimes on repeat. 

Everything is also "I do too I do too" and now we've started the "why why why" stage too!


on failure and success




I recently got an email from a site I follow entitled "Have you Ever Failed at Anything?"  Preach it.  Before having a kid I probably would have found it hard to admit much failure.  I was on top of things and loved getting them done, not on time, ahead of time.  Now I feel like I drop the ball all the time.  But do I really?

Janey of Photog Mommie said,

...the thing that keeps me going is realizing that with each failure, comes a success.
And for me, the successes (especially this one) is far more important than any failure.
So, there you have it - I've failed quite miserably at keeping in touch with you - but I've succeeded in being a mother of two babies.  And that's a big deal!! 
So, I haven't been great at posting recipes, the whole reason I started this blog.  But here's the thing, I'm growing a baby, a recipe that takes serious hard work and is completely out of my control.  I'm also raising a very active little boy- one of the greatest blessings of my life.

I've had to let go of looking at other bloggers thinking I should ditch this thing all together, start a new site that will surely look more impressive, or better yet get jealous and envious of people I don't even know and angry at them wondering when the heck they have time to read books, take amazing pictures, make amazing food, edit all those pictures, raise kids, homeschool, etc etc etc.

ENOUGH.

I'm having a blogging reset. I really want this space to be inspired by what lb's good spoon is dishing up not just on the table, but in my day to day life.  This site has evolved into that and it's here to stay.

So, thanks for sticking with me, reading, commenting, and being excited for us in this new season of our family's life!


I'm Off my Game

14 weeks. baby number 2 gets belly pictures taken in the reflection of the microwave.  how special.


At 14 weeks pregnant its safe to say I haven't cooked in about 14 weeks.  No.  But realistically maybe 8.  This baby has given me serious food aversions and once again has had Benjamin excited for the time I'm ready to cook again.

While unpacking books this past week I was excited to see my cookbooks again and am anticipating a day in the very near future where I get back to making some tasty things.

This weekend I got back into it a bit with many failed attempts.  I'm so off my game.  I made my go-to pancakes with Anderson and seriously messed them up.  I'm not even quite sure what happened but they were not good.  I also made guacamole which is usually an easy no-fail winner, added too much salt, and found it inedible.  We had brats last night and I didn't cook them enough.  I need help.  I need to get back to using my cooking brain.


All that to say I had some encouragement from Musselman's to cook up Honey Apple Butter Baked Beans thanks to a jar of Apple Butter they sent my way and I can say these actually turned out right.  They were a crowd pleaser and I think would be a nice dish to bring to a BBQ because who doesn't like homemade baked beans?

Here's the recipe, thanks to and loosely adapted from Musselman's.  Hooray.

{Ingredients You'll Need}
  • 1 cup Musselman's Apple Butter
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 small onion, diced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1 can great northern beans, drained, rinsed
  • 1 can black beans, drained rinsed
  • 1 can red or pinto beans drained, rinsed
1. Heat the oven to 375.  Mix all the ingredients except the beans in a large bowl then add in the beans. Pour into a 2 quart baking dish or casserole and bake for 50-60 minutes until hot and bubbly!

Serves 8.




I'd Call This a Good Day


Summertime is about watermelon dripping down the belly of a toddler. 


It's about that same toddler devouring two ears of corn. 

It's about walking to the pond, feeding the fish, and watching daddy catch one.