Funniest Face!

Seriously, she cracks me up.

 

Mah Belly(button)

For posterity's sake I have to post that, as of 39 weeks and 6 days, my belly button has not popped out.  Although it is a little deformed from the baby in my belly...  :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Since we are all in the Fall spirit around here (Hubs perhaps begrudgingly), I decided to use our leftover pumpkin from our pancakes to make some cookies. This recipe came up on The Pioneer Woman's site and it sounded the best of all the recipes I found, so we decided this would be our foray into the pumpkin cookie world. Hubs does not like the combo of sweet/salty and I'll admit that I wasn't much for putting salt on top of my cookies, so I decided to add Fall sprinkles to the top instead. Here are the results:

I'd like to send a shout out to HomeGoods for their fabulous selection of Fall sprinkles.  As you can see, we have the colorful leaves, pumpkins with chocolate sprinkles and the fall color sprinkle medley.  They are delicious!  I will definitely be making these cookies again.

Cloth Diaper Giveaway!

The Cloth Diaper blog is giving away over $1000 in cloth diapers!  To enter, go to http://www.clothdiaperblog.com/cloth-diaper-blog-super-stash-giveaway and check out the multiple ways to win.  (And, yes, I'm also trying to win some cd's for our new little one.  We're trying to be as green as possible when it comes to diapering!)

Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Barley Soup (aka Our Winter Staple because it's easy and delicious!)

This makes quite a bit of soup - enough for dinner, leftovers another night and a couple of meals in the freezer, too.

1 1/2 lbs. beef stew meat
1 cup 1-inch pieces green beans (frozen)
2/3 cup uncooked barley
3/4 cup whole kernel corn (frozen)
1 cup mixed veggies (frozen)
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans diced tomato w/garlic, undrained
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups beef broth (I use low sodium)

To prepare: Mix all ingredients together in a 3 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 9 hours (or high heat setting for 4 to 5 hours) or until vegetables and barley are tender. NOTE: Fresh vegetables may be substituted for frozen. I usually add additional frozen mixed veggies and corn to the soup. Serve with warm, crusty bread. :)

Why I love Chick-Fil-A

(Or perhaps I should say "why I love small children.") I was at Chick-Fil-A yesterday eating my yummy sandwich with extra pickles and drinking my lemonade with no ice when a little boy and his family came in. Clearly, he was very excited about being at CFA because he bursts in with a, "And they have a PLAY area here where little kids can run around and PLAY!" He proceeds with additional commentary on the play area while his dad orders their food. (I should mention that I am sitting at a table on the side of the restaurant by the windows with my back to the door, so I have a pretty good view of most of the restaurant and the play area. Seated near me in a booth are two guys and a girl who look to be in their early twenties and mostly bored with life.) Next thing I know, this head pops up over the booth near the guys and girl. "Hiiiiiiiiiiii! Can I come sit with you?" I am trying not to crack up at this kiddo who is SUPER excited to be here. One of the guys actually says, "Sure Dude, come on over." The dad then tells the little boy to sit down, eat his lunch and stop bothering people. As the little boy is "eating," I continue to hear commentary about the chicken tenders, french fries and the play area. Man, I wish I had such enthusiasm for life! I love kids.