Pizza Rolls

It was a loooong week last week. My sister and her baby ended up having some complications that required a longer hospital stay. Then we had her shower on the Saturday after the baby was born (oops!).

I had a particularly bad weekend, part of which was me somehow getting the van stuck sideways, at the bottom of my driveway, in a snowbank - twice.

Things seem to be getting back to semi-normal now and even though I'm still battling some pregnancy fatigue I am feeling pretty well for the most part. I'm hoping to take advantage of this second trimester reprieve before the weight and exhaustion of the third trimester hits!

Aaaand I've been cooking again! yay! Well, sometimes anyway.

Not in the mood for a regular pizza we decided to try a variation and do a sort of pizza roll type dinner.

We used our favorite no fail bread dough (Suzanne McMinn's Grandmother Bread).

Once the dough has gone through it's first rise - we punch it down and shape into two balls and let go through the second rise. Then, roll it out into a rectangle (or best you can) fill it with deliciousness.

We did a spinach, broccoli, pesto, garlic and ricotta filling (with mozzarella) and a ground beef, onion and cheddar cheese filling.

So, spread your filling around your dough. Then let your husband take over, haha. Mine did. Something about eggs and sealing it. Basically he whisked some eggs in a bowl, folded the dough over it's self in half and around. Just seal it the best you can! He used egg on the non-filling side to help seal it together. Brush egg over the top and slice a couple of vent slits in the top.

Bake at 450 till browned. We did ours about 23 minutes and they could have used maybe another 10. They were starting to brown, so we pulled them - but the leftovers were way better (and less soggy-ish).

Nom, nom, nom. These also froze really well. I'm thinking about making several more variations to stock the freezer. But maybe in single serving size instead of giant rolls? Oh, so many options!

quote for the week

I need to concentrate on these words this week. And next week. The week after too. And on and on.
My house, my life is driving me crazy lately. Too.much.clutter. Too many things in our space and in my head and filling my days. It's time to bare bones it.
We need to make room for the new baby. For the things we love. For ourselves. For breathing.

I really do (for real!) plan on coming to this space more. I've been spending too much useless time online. Playing games, chatting. These things are good (for me) in small doses, but sometimes they begin to take over way too much of my very precious time. I'm restricting my internet time starting this week, allowing myself a few minutes each day to touch base with people, to check blogs (because honestly, they are a wonderful way to start my day) to write in my own blog (to get a check on where I am, where I'm going). And that's it. Slow down on the mindless TV and internetting.
I've finally got most of my energy back, but very little motivation. I think I'm going to have to slowly force the motivation to return, and I can't very well do that while I'm wasting so much time accomplishing nothing.

Household decluttering starts this week too. In the most painful place. My books. Ouch. I just ordered several new ones - it's time to let go of the ones I don't love (and don't use!) to make room for more relevant and needed ones.

I don't know if it's nesting already kicking in, the urge for some early spring cleaning or my frustration at my total lack of motivation and progress. But I am ready for change. Now.

i have got a sister

I was going to post yesterday about delicious pizza rolls. But instead I spent 15 hours with my sister.

While she did this.

And this

And we welcomed this sweet little one into the world.

 

"Well I have got a sister, and she has got a baby with brand new eyes"

quote for the week.

"Procrastination isn't the problem. It's the solution. It's the universe's way of saying stop, slow down, you move too fast. "
                            - Ellen DeGeneres 


I like this view of it! This pregnancy is kicking my butt. I thought once I hit 12 weeks I'd be normal feeling again - ha! 

Though I might quite well be stuck in a cycle now of: I wasn't eating well or exercising because I was sick and tired. And now I feel sick and tired because I haven't been eating well or exercising. 

I keep thinking that I'll come back to this space, you know, tomorrow. Then of course it's tomorrow and tomorrow again - and again.

Quite honestly, I haven't been doing much at all. We did go to NYC to visit my sister in law just after Christmas for a couple of days (and got an inside tour of the google offices - amazing!). 

I was in bed by 9pm, go me! That seems to be my new routine. Only now I'm back working until 9 so we'll see how this goes! On NYE I was exhausted. I figured it was pregnancy and the trip home from NYC that morning. We had some friends over but just bummed around, low key. Didn't follow up on any of the hoped to be traditions from last year. Tree still hasn't been burned. Achievements and goals are still undocumented. Well, there's always next year. Turns out though - that my exhaustion that night was the beginning of a nasty head cold that almost 3 weeks later I'm just getting over.


Good news is I've been able to get up and cleaning a little bit. Cleaned our room, and almost caught back up on laundry. Gave the kitchen a good scrubbing. I've even been cooking a little again. 


So really, there hasn't been much to post about here. My life is pretty slow. Pretty quiet right now. I'm still working on not feeling guilty about it. Though I do think that quote is true. Like I said a few weeks ago (and I'm still trying to convince myself!) maybe it's a good thing. Clearly, my body needs the rest. Maybe my mind needs the rest. It's not like I've been utilizing all this down time reading books or anything that might be a little productive. 

However, I don't want this to turn into another 6 months of lazing about. I can rest and still be productive. Maybe I can't get done all the things I did before but I can do somethings. 

So. You all know how well I do at setting and keeping goals (stop laughing). I think I'm going to set itty bitty tiny goals for myself week by week. Little goals. And maybe I'll surprise myself and want to do more.

This week:
While I'm feeling lazy: pick up the darn knitting!, meal plan for next week
While I'm feeling motivated: do a load of laundry, vacuum, do at least one make-ahead cooking for the lazy days. 


See. Tiny goals. Notice I didn't say make progress on knitting. Or do all the laundry. Itty bitty.


And maybe I'll even see you again tomorrow! Happy Sunday!

quote for the week

Christmas - that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may weave a spell of nostalgia. Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance - a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved.
                                                           ~Augusta E. Rundel

It was a bit of a different Christmas this year. Because of my first trimester sickness and laziness, there were quite a few things that got left undone. A lot more sleeping and a lot less creating and celebrating. I was feeling a little blue over the things that got left undone and unmade. Over the things that didn't work out - like every cookie we made that ended up burned or crumbled  or stuck to the pan. Over the traditions that had to be changed this year, for various reasons.

But somehow no one noticed the things left undone. So we ate a few less cookies. The floors went unmopped and the laundry hasn't been put away. It still all came together, beautifully. Quietly. Blissfully.

It was a lesson in letting go - and one I suppose I need to get used to over the next few months. It's been a long time since there has been a newborn in the house but I'm pretty sure that there will be many, many things left undone over the next year.

So even with me just getting over my first trimester symptoms, The Husband recovering from knee surgery, my youngest sick with a stomach bug for the last several days and my oldest leaving this afternoon for a week with his fathers side of the family out of state - well, it's not quite what was in my Christmas dreams. Though it was beautiful all the same and I'm sure this Christmas will weave it's way into some of our favorite family memories too. Hours and hours spent playing new board games, and wrapped in the love and warmth of new quilts from Nana.

quote for the week (and something new!)

What is Christmas?  It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future.  It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.  

                                                                       ~Agnes M. Pahro

 

 

 

 

 

 

This holiday season has been a little different than the last few. In some ways it's been crazier, in some ways it's been slower. A lot of things are going undone and some traditions have been put on hold. 

 

Other traditions like cutting our tree down on the coldest snowiest day of the year, seem to still be in place. It was cold. Really cold. And there was at least a half dozen times I stepped into a surprise mound of snow that swallowed me up to my waist and I had to roll out of. 

 

 I am definitely feeling some tenderness and nostalgia for past holidays. I feel like I've been sort of limping through this holiday season. And I have. 

I mentioned a bit ago that I've been napping more. Letting some things go (like the dishes and the laundry!) I've been spending a lot of time away from this space while I slow down.

 

And I've also been spending a lot of time planning and hoping for the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baby number three will be joining our family right around July 2nd 2011!

 

 

And now that my first trimester is coming to a close, I plan on spending much more time back in this space very soon!

Merry Christmas!

handmade holidays: gifts for babies and young kids

Note: This has been sitting in my qeue since 11/9 :/

I haven't done much of anything since then. I'm not just ignoring my blog, I'm ignoring a lot of things.

I was going to add to this, but maybe I'll just do a part 2. Maybe not. But if I don't post this now, at the rate I've been moving Christmas will be over before I get around to posting it!


 *~*~~*~*~

Tell me these aren't the cutest darn things you've ever seen? I really need to get moving on this learning to knit thing!!

baby monster pants!

no tutorial, but still a stinkin' cute idea over at Barefoot Witch: a stuffed triceratops! 

Make a baby hooded towel and washcloth  following this tutorial

image source

Easy baby blanket - knitted project

Hooded Baby Sling

Soft Baby Blocks


If you head on over to MarthaStewart.com you'll find 34 wonderful ideas! I'm loving the Felted Stuffed Animals, the Animal Nightlight, this fantastic Artists Organizer (I've seen the pencil holders before but love the option to include an art pad!)


Also at MarthaStewart.com you'll find some great handmade baby ideas! How cute are these washcloth puppets? Not handmade, but could certainly be vintage and I'm sure spruced up with some handmade accents - beginning a Classics Book Collection (I think this is a great idea for someone of any age, really!) Soulemama had something similar in Handmade Home that used old cozy blankets - no matter what material, I think it's a wonderful idea. I think for a gift, it would be cute if each pocket was stuffed with a little something. A stuffed animal, a book, some crayons. Shirt Pocket Quilt.

The cuteness is almost too much for me to bear! I'm thinking these washcloth duckies would make a great themed basket with  the washcloth puppets I mentioned earlier, some handmade hooded towels (also linked earlier in this post) and some baby soap. I'm a big fan of themed baskets, and could you imagine the cuteness overload with all those soft, cuddly, homemade bath items for baby? :sigh: