2 months to go!!!!

That's right! 60 days (ok well, 59 days) until my due date!
Heck yes!
I'm so ready to be un-pregnant! (Spell check says that isn't a word.)
I organized all the baby clothes, thank you Katy and Zoe and Afton for the wonderful hand-me-downs! It will make life a lot easier!
We have crib, brand-spanking-new car seat, and hospital outfit ready to go!

I'm trying to get a lot, and I mean A LOT, of sewing done before the timer is up. With my new found talent for sewing, I'm making Christmas gifts this year for just about everyone. So far, most of my nieces are covered and I'm working on the rest this week. The boys are proving tricky to pick things out for.....luckily there are only 4 nephews vs. the 8 nieces! Plus, I'm making some outfits for Afton and Eowyn that match. After Christmas, I'll post pictures of most of my projects, I'm pretty darn proud of them! :)

Rouladen Recipe

I keep getting requests for my recipes, so I'm just going to start sharing the secrets of my kitchen. Starting with this German dish that is simply wonderful: Rouladen

2-4 thin slices of steak. Now we're talking long and skinny, like a ranch steak.
rice vinegar (just enough to soak meat in overnight)
1/2 cup diced onions
5 tablespoons diced dill pickles
3-4 slices of wheat bread cubed
3 cups chicken stock
1 package lipton onion soup mix
1 package of brown gravy mix
German stone ground mustard (NOT deli style brown mustard)
toothpicks or twine

Marinate your meat in vinegar overnight in a ziplock bag, turning occasionally.

Prepare stuffing:
Mix onions, pickles, and bread, slowly moisten with a little bit of chicken stock.
Mixture should be mushy enough to mold, but not overly soggy.

Spread mustard all over one side of each steak, layer with stuffing, roll and secure meat with toothpicks or twine.

Lightly brown rolls on all sides in skillet using EVOO.
Add remaining chicken stock and Lipton's soup mix, cover and simmer for 35 minutes.
Remove rolls to cutting board.
Stir gravy mix into liquid in pan until thick, this is your gravy.

I like to slice the rolls up into pinwheels and serve over roasted red potatoes or Spaetzle, pour gravy over the top.

Traditionally, Rouladen is a poor persons dish as it uses the cheapest cuts of beef, also it has bacon in the stuffing, I just leave it out. It has become a very popular dish at German festivals and is a change from the better known wursts (German sausages) that are usually served. It is very filling, full of flavor, and inexpensive to make. Most ingredients are things I have on hand, I am half German ya know and pregnant: pickles stay stocked at all times.

Enjoy!

Whelmed?

"I know you can be overwhelmed or underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?"
-10 things i hate about you

I feel so overwhelmed lately! I find myself more easily annoyed, quicker to temper, and sooner to yelling. And I hate myself for it.

Nothing seems to go right lately! Nate is having issues with BYU deciding he didn't really graduate. Medicaid denied me because I failed to turn something in (it was faxed in by ASU, not my fault) and so I get to fight with them. I haven't seen a doctor here yet and feel super guilty, but can't afford to. I have hardly prepared for this baby, once again, guilt. No one helps clean up, no one else cooks, no one was ready on time for church at 1 pm on Sunday, everyone stays up past bedtime, everyone gets up way too early, no one naps, the kids are off from school this week and fight all day long, the dog can't be trusted around Afton and so I have to keep them separated at all time which is just so fun, and on and on and on and on it goes.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

No, that didn't really help.

The bishopric came by tonight, promised not to give us callings until after baby. yay.

Seriously. OVERWHELMED.

Trying to focus on the good....that's hard to do when there doesn't seem to be much good lately.

Two posts? In one day?

Yes. Because my puppy is just too pretty and I had to share. :) Love my Ben!

Getting close....

Here I am (looking just lovely) at 31 weeks.
We had been outside for 3 hours walking around.
I grew a butt!

Sewing Fear, overcome.

Sewing project #1, quilt for Eowyn.

Sewing project #2, Halloween dress for Afton.

Pumpkin Crisis is OVER!

Now that pumpkin can once again be found in pretty little cans, sitting on the grocer shelf,I will share my recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. :)

Preheat oven to 350

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup veggie oil
1 tbsp Vanilla

Cream above ingredients until well mixed.

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
4 tsp pumpkin pie seasoning (or 2 tsp cinnamon & 2 tsp nutmeg)

Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture, dough will look like cake batter.
Then mix in 1 cup mini-semi sweet chocolate chips.

On greased cookie sheet, drop by 1 tablespoon, bake for 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

yield 4-5 dozen mini cookies. BITE SIZE!

They should be a more cake like cookie and store nicely in a ziplock bag.