MAMASTUFF

Gender News!! {Mommy Blog}

11:38 PM



Well ladies and gents, we have some gender news to share as well as some amazing 3D shots of our little one!! I will upload those later. Back to our news.


…it's a BOY! 

Yes, our sweet little Holland has made his gender well known. He is very boy indeed! I swear he is going to look just like my husband, no complaints there ;) I am almost positive he has his mouth and forehead (it's pretty distinct). 

I must say, I am still a bit surprised. I was pretty darn sure we were having a girl, so much for those motherly instincts! However, I can't wait to meet our Holland.

William Holland Cooper, after his daddy.

And folks, I am officially outnumbered in our house hold. My husband, this little guy, and our Kolohe (yes, I am counting our puggle in our boy/girl ratio). 

I had so much fun announcing the news to our family tonight. I was going to wait until tomorrow, but I was just too excited. I spent the evening driving around leaving single blue balloons at my parent's house, sister's and brother's. Their reactions were great!! We kept our 3D/4D ultrasound a surprise which made it even better.

Our little boy is so loved already. We truly are blessed. And...I'll admit it, like being the only girl in our home, at least for now.

♥

PROJECTS

Saturday Cheer from GOODKNITS.

12:26 PM

Hey folks,
No gender news yet to share with you, but here is a little something to cheer you up!



omgknits from GOODKNITS is offering a special 10% off code to readers here. This code will be valid through February and is as follows: THISTIME10. Just enter it at checkout. Head on over now and give her shop a peek. I just ordered one of these lovely doily blankets myself in a beautiful custom red/brown, and let me tell you, it is oh so soft, plus it looks fabulous draped over the back of my couch.




Happy Saturday to you and happy shopping!!
 ☺


recipe

Recipe Share: Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

5:05 PM

Looking for a quick, easy, mid-week meal? This roasted red pepper pasta is delicious and healthy. We served it over a whole wheat penne. The whole wheat and fresh thyme give it an earthy, nutty taste. The two are a great match. This pasta takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. Not bad if you ask me, and you will be left with sauce to freeze for another day. 

Ingredients: 
yield: 4 servings (with left over sauce to freeze or store for later)
2 large red bell peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion,chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 cup artichoke hearts (cut in half) 

several sprigs fresh thyme (pulled off stick)

salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound cooked whole wheat penne
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
homemade bacon bits-cook your bacon, chop up or crumble based on how crispy you like it ;) (optional)

Method:
1. Roast red peppers over gas flame, under the broiler, or on the grill. Roast for about 10 minutes, or until peppers are completely black, turning occasionally. Place peppers in a paper bag to allow to sweat. Peel the charred skins from the peppers and remove the seeds. The skins should sort of slip off. Chop the peppers and set aside.

2. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until softened. Stir in garlic, red peppers, and diced tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes over medium-low heat. Add freshly thyme basil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
3. If desired, purée the sauce using an immersion blender or transfer the sauce to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth with some texture remaining. Note: this is optional, we chose to leave our sauce chunky this time.
4. Return sauce to sauce pan. Toss in artichoke hearts. Heat through.

5. In a large bowl, combine pasta and sauce. Garnish with parmesan cheese, fresh thyme, and bacon if desired. Serve with a chunk of crusty bread.
Store any remaining sauce in tupperware or glass jars for freezing or refrigerating for a quick and easy mid-week meal.

Enjoy!






MAMASTUFF

::Bump Watch::

9:11 PM

And here is where the mommy blog comes into play. All those baby bump photos I know you are *dying* to see ;) you knew they would come sooner or later right? I must admit, I love my growing bump. With any luck we just may know if we are having a baby girl Cooper or a baby boy Cooper by this Friday. I am so excited! This should catch us up.

 {Week 10}
{Week 11}

{Week 11, just a wee bump}



{12 weeks! Goodbye first trimester! Christmas on Oahu.}

{13 weeks}

{14 weeks, it's growing!}

{and finally…15 weeks}

{birthday bump!}

Which brings us to this week at 16 lovely weeks along in our journey. Tune back in next week for another bump watch photo. And possibly some very exciting boy/girl news! Any guesses?

We love you little Cooper!!

Sincerely,
Mom

OURSTORY

Hello 22!

1:52 PM

Yesterday I welcomed in year 22 with friends and family. A wonderful day it was. We started the day off with a little birthday breakfast, then my husband took me off to do a little birthday shopping. :)  I found a couple lovely ceramic birdhouses for just $9 each! Only one of them made it outside, the other one is happily sitting on a little shelf in the living room. ;) It's just too cute to be out in the weather. I also was treated to a new blanket, finally I have one of those cute and snuggly ruffle blankets. All of which we found at T.J. Max. I love that place. If you have one near by, they have the cutest housewares. A good amount of the stuff reminds me of something Anthropologie might or occasionally does carry for a fraction of the price. How can you go wrong there? I also found myself a birthday dress to show off my birthday bump. Spoiled? Yes, I think so.
Will spent the afternoon at the rugby field, I in the kitchen. I finally got a little baking done! It'd been a while. I must say, I greatly enjoyed the time. Then for a house full of friends, nachos, games, and this delicious cake made by the lovely Grace Brodersen. Meyer Lemon Cake with Lavender Cream! I have been dreaming about it for months. You know those dishes or sweet treats you see that look to-die-for only you don't quite feel up to making it, if only someone else would…well that's how this was. And after much waiting, well I didn't have to make it. The perfect birthday treat. The perfect birthday day really. We live such a blessed life.

Thanks friends and family for making it a great one!

{aren't they fabulous?}

{deliciousness}

{birthday dress}

{last day at 15 weeks! grow baby, grow :)}


Until next time. ♥


RECIPES

Recipe Share: Sleepytime tea

8:24 PM

This cozy comfort drink had been long forgotten until today. There was just something about the cold, chilly, dark and gloomy weather that sparked this memory in my mind I suppose. Maybe it was the long over due rain that made me want to do nothing but curl up with a blanket and a hot drink. Anyhow, whatever sparked the memory, today was a perfect day for it.

This is a drink my mother use to make for me on those cozy days in the house, or on late nights when I couldn't sleep. It actually isn't tea at all, but sweet milk rather, and it is ultra calming.

Ingredients:
milk
honey
cinnamon

Method:
Heat milk in small sauce pot. When warm stir in honey to taste, and a few shakes of ground cinnamon. Pour into your favorite mug, put fuzzy socks on, and sip.

Ahhh, nostalgia.


OURSTORY

One year and counting.

8:20 PM


Well hello my once again neglected blog. I bet you can guess what I'm about to say next…I've been busy. Ha, you've heard that before. And believe it or not, I really don't have a whole lot of recipes to share with you nor projects. I have done very little baking lately, strange I know. As for crafts, the only thing I have crafted lately is a giant D.I.Y rosette wreath for a friends wedding. I think we used about 100 or so felt rosettes to cover this giant of a wreath. The result was lovely and made for a happy bride. :)

On another note, hubs and I spent two whole days celebrating our first wedding anniversary. My husband is one sweet man. He insisted one day was to celebrate our first year together as a married couple, and the next day to celebrate our coming year together. No arguments from me! It isn't often we get two whole days together.

Sunday we enjoyed breakfast out at one of our favorite little breakfast spots, Hanks Creekside. This little place never fails us, though there is almost always a wait. Trust me, it is worth it. Next came a walk in Railroad Square, then we were off to get our massages! After, we felt so lazy and relaxed from all the pampering that we snuggled up and took a nap. What a treat! The rest of our evening was spent out with friends for dinner and ice cream. Oh yes, and we shared our dreaded year old cake top, and let me tell you, it tasted a year old, maybe more. ;) We each managed to get one bite down, I attempted bite number two but just couldn't quite swallow..year old carrot cake with year old cream cheese frosting, it makes for a really, really bad cake. But after a year of that cake taking up a significant amount of room in our freezer I was determined we at least give it a try, and so we did. Where did this tradition come from anyways?

We got lucky with Monday being a holiday, and headed out to the coast to watch the whales and chow down. Chow down we did. Chowder, calamari, fries, and a cheeseburger for the boy. It was quite the feast. And well friends, that is how we spent our time.

Tuesday was back to work, today was the start of the new school semester for Will. Back to the daily grind.





♥

OURSTORY

This time last year.

12:19 PM

Just about this time last year I was frantically scurrying about doing all sorts of last minute wedding whatnot, including my final dress fitting just days before our big day with my sister and lovely bridesmaids by my side. How time flies. Now we get to sit back, relax, plan our first anniversary together, and watch our good friends do all the scurrying as they prepare for their big day next month. Oh it feels good to be married!

♥

 

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