Kings Island Hallowfest

This afternoon after lunch we took Riley to Kings Island for their Halloween celebration. What fun we had! They had an entire area in the park dedicated to this festival for children.

On the way in we grabbed a map and a bag for trick-or-treating. We headed to the petting zoo(the goat seemed to be Riley's favorite), a corn maze, a haunted house, pumpkin patch where Riley picked out her very own pumpkin and lastly to the dance floor where a D.J. was spinning some age-appropriate tunes. No dancing for us though, the music was too loud and Riley was covering her ears!


There were also picnic tables set up to decorate your pumpkin with markers. Riley drew all over her pumpkin and Dustin put together a "cat" mask for Riley, which she absolutely loves! However, the glue stick we used to decorate the mask isn't the best at keeping the pieces on the mask, but that's easily fixed!

We came home and I actually cooked! As many of you know, I really enjoy cooking but haven't been able to stand much kitchen time since being pregnant. Any little smell sets me off, and sometimes just the sight of something unappetizing is too much too handle. I prepared my Dad's famous BBQ hamburgers. I know Dustin was very happy to have a home-cooked meal, and a little shocked at the prospect as well. Ha ha!

We watched the Bengals(I think they won) and I went to sleep early at 6:00p.m. I love an early bedtime.

It's very chilly this morning, both breezy and cool. I promised Riley some baking this week, so be on the lookout for a new recipe. Not new to us actually, one of my Summer favorites.

Have a great week!

xoxo,

Jackie

Week 8: Tired

I apologize for the lack of posts this week. I've been very tired and nausuaes to boot! Not a good combo. I'm feeling a bit on the upswing, so I hope these good feelings last!

Likes: Fresh fruit, crackers, pretzels, hot tea
Dislikes: Anything creamy (sauce, sour cream, etc.), coffee, cabbage

xoxo,

Jackie

Catching Up

Hi All,

Time to get back in the groove of this. I swear, if I miss a day, that's it. So hopefully I can get caught up a bit here. First, I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes. It comes from the Food Network magazine. These breadsticks(an Olive Garden knock-off) are REALLY good. When I make these, I'm able to split the dough in half and make 2 batches on 2 seperate days.

Almost-Famous Breadsticks

Ingredients
For the Dough:
1 package active dry yeast
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour,plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons unsalted butter,softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fine salt
For the Topping:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter,melted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of dried oregano
Directions
Make the dough: Place 1/4 cup warm water in the bowl of a mixer; sprinkle in the yeast and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, butter, sugar, fine salt and 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons warm water; mix with the paddle attachment until a slightly sticky dough forms, 5 minutes.
Knead the dough by hand on a floured surface until very smooth and soft, 3 minutes. Roll into a 2-foot-long log; cut into 16 1 1/2-inch-long pieces. Knead each piece slightly and shape into a 7-inch-long breadstick; arrange 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with a cloth; let rise in a warm spot until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Make the topping: Brush the breadsticks with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Bake until lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt with the garlic powder and oregano. Brush the warm breadsticks with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with the flavored salt.

You will not be disapointed in these. I'm planning on making these along with some dips for an upcoming playgroup. I've also included some pictures of my little helper. She likes to roll her dough and then eat it raw. At least she's enjoying herself!

Our weekend was pretty uneventful, as it usually is. I guess that's what happens when you work 3rd shift! Saturday, we ran a few errands and then I was able to get some cleaning done around the house while Riley napped. Sunday, we headed to Sams Club after church to pick up a few things then headed to JCPenney. Funny story here: So we don't usually shop at JCPenney, but I received a coupon for $10 off any purchase in the mail, and Riley needs some new clothes, so I thought this was a good opportunity to pick up a few things for her. So we chose a dress and a pair of pants for Miss Riley. I decided to take Riley back out to the car while Dustin paid because she wouldn't stop climbing the manequins in the store. We're on our way out when Dustin said he lost the coupon I had handed him exactly 15 minutes earlier. The funny thing is (although he denies it) is that Dustin is NOT good with coupons. About 2 months ago, I handed him a stack of coupons to pay for our groceries. Again, I was taking Riley out to the car while he paid. Again, we arrive home when he finds the coupons stuffed in his pocket. I guess you have to laugh:)

That about catches me up. Upcoming busy week! My Wednesday morning Women's group with our church Crossroads begins, there are a few playdates planned and I'm also meeting my Mom and sister along with my niece and nephew in Columbus on Thursday. I'm so excited! I don't see my parents as often as I previously did because I work all weekend, and my sister...well, I haven't seen her since Thanksgiving. So this will be a real treat! I'm going to do my best to not to blow the whistle on my pregnancy (I'll be 8 weeks this upcoming Tuesday) so I can tell everyone on my upcoming trip to Georgia on October 9. At least if I'm tired I can blame it on work. Stay tuned for an upcoming post on our visit in Polaris.

xoxo,

Jackie

First MOPS meeting

Yesterday Riley and I attended our first MOPS( Mothers of Pre Schoolers) meeting with Jenny, Ethan and Carly. MOPS is a Christian organization where the children play in the nursery while the Moms meet over breakfast. The meetings are bi-monthly and include crafts, guest speakers and games. We had a nice meeting and I even ran into a women named Carrie that I attended high school with at Jackson. What a small world. I ran into her last Summer at a park, so it was nice to see her again. Riley, Ethan and Carly had a great time in the Nursery!

Not too much else to our day. Riley and I ran into Kroger for some milk after the meeting and then headed home. I've included some pictures of Riley that I took in front of our house before MOPS. I thought it would be fun to do a "school" picture with Riley even though she's not attending preschool, but will be attending MOPS. Close enough, right? I also included a picture of Dustin and Riley working on her new counting puzzle in the kitchen and a picture of Dustin riding on Riley's back. That's the one of them on the couch. I had to include this because Riley is always asking us if she "can ride on our BIG back." Dustin recently began asking if he could could ride on her back, and of course, she obliged. She's nice like that!

xoxo,

Jackie

P.S. Please don't mind the overall condition of our front porch. Yikes! I just reviewed the pictures. Our front door desperately needs a paint job, and our porch is general needs some TLC. Also, I'm still figuring out blogger and photo layout. My pictures always end up in the beginning of the post even though they're uploaded after the text. Hopefully that's something I'll figure out soon!

A Morning With Friends

Riley and I had the pleasure of babysitting Carly this morning while my friend Jenny took Ethan to his first day of Mom's Morning Out. The girls enjoyed some snacks and then had a stare-down in the playroom! Carly is a sweet little girl who just turned 1. We love to have Carly and Ethan over for playdates!

Soon after my friend Nicolle stopped by with her girls Alizah and Ellie. Busyness has prevented us from getting together more this Summer, so we were super-excited that the girls could make it this morning. The Moms had the opporunity to chat while the girls played and Carly napped.

Soon it was time for Jenny to pick Ethan up from school. He came back in and the kids enjoyed watching Dora. Notice Riley's purple shirt? The front says "100 Princess". Isn't that the truth?

xoxo,

Jackie

Peach Bread

Peach bread

1 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 cup milk (skim, half and half, etc)
3/4 heaping cup unsweetened apple sauce or sour cream
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups peeled, pitted, and chopped peaches (I add a splash of lemon juice and a sprinkle of sugar) DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 16 muffin cups or flour/butter 13 x 9 pan.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the oil, milk, applesauce, vanilla extract and sugar. Stir the wet mixture into the flour mixture just until moist. Fold in the peaches. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups.
Bake 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.

**I typically bake this is a 9x13 pyrex baking dish. We eat half and freeze rest.

Cameras, Photos and Playgroup

I cannot find the camera. Anywhere. Yes, the camera case is right where it should be. In the cabinet above the dishwasher. The camera, not so much. I coyly asked Dustin the other day, "Babe, where's the camera?" To which he replied, "I don't know. Where did you leave it?" Ah, he knows me too well. See, my sneekiness didn't work. Dustin rarely uses the camera. Unless I lug it somewhere and advise to be on the lookout for photo opportunites. So until then, I will continue to search for it. It is probably hiding in one my various bags I use for outings. I'll look harder this weekend.

I bring up the camera because part of my blogging effort was to include photos in my post. I have about 1000+ photos stored online, but no story to accompany them. So I promised myself I would begin documenting these posts with pictures. Patience, people. Patience.

On to more important things...this morning Riley and I spent at my friend Janice's house. She's a sweet woman in my playgroup and Mommy to a 3.5 year old with a baby on the way. Missy and Logan also joined in on the fun. It was a great way to spend a Friday morning.

More this weekend!

xoxo,

Jackie

How I spent my Labor Day

Nap at 10:00a.m.--check

Nap at 2:00 p.m.--check

Lights out at 7:00p.m.--check

Certain my mind is playing tricks on me that I'm more tired now than two days ago because I'm positive I'm pregnant--check

xoxo,

Jackie

And baby makes 4...

Here's how I *knew* I was pregnant. My wedding ring was getting tight. I had heartburn, and I never get heartburn. I wanted chips and salsa. Bad. But I was hesitant to take a test to be disapointed. See, we've been trying for this since November 2008. And yes, we did take a couple breaks along the way for various reasons. But there had been so many months, the previous 3 mostly, that I had really wanted to be pregnant. But it didn't happen. Dustin bought the test on Saturday while he was picking up black beans and cake mix for a bbq we were attending Sunday. He arrived home and handed me the test. I was hesitant to test...disapointment rearing its' ugly head again. I promised to test before I left for work that night. But, I stalled. And didn't test. And left for work. And experienced the worst heartburn ever. But then I thought, "do I have heartburn b/c I'm pregnant, or do I have heartburn from the cheap, $2.95 for 1 lb of generic coffee that my precious husband bought for me?" I wasn't sure.

I arrived home from work on Sunday Sept.6 at 8:30 a.m. and took my test. IT WAS POSITIVE! Yeah. And then I was tired. Very tired. Now that I'm assured I'm pregnant, the awful pregnancy symptoms will begin. The sleepyness, heartburn, cravings, too-tight clothing, acne, etc. And I'll enjoy every moment of it.

xoxo,

Jackie