...we're having a boo bash

Daughter wanted to host a Halloween Party. I agreed and the day is upon us. Her little cute friends will be rolling in this afternoon and we have a lot of fun planned. Ghost hunts, pumpkin passing, cookie decorating. It might just be the 4-year-old event of the year. Daughter helped plan the whole thing and is super stoked. Pictures to come later.

Other items of note:
01. Gourmet sister and I have been planning the menu for our annual Halloween feast. Should be delish: black spaghetti with butternut squash and maybe a little witches brew. Mmm! Still trying to find a spooky veggie to serve. We believe in a balanced meal, even on Halloween. (ha!)
02. House Cleaning Booklets will be made available next week. I'm finishing up the final designing and sending them to the printer.
03. We are going to be dog owners tomorrow! Adopting sister-in-law's parent's havanese pup and are super excited. My husband jokingly said that our family feels "complete" now that we have a dog. hehe.

...29 weeks

This is a horrible scan of the sweet little profile, but you can still tell he is a cutie. Check out his handsome profile! He looks like his daddy.

Had an ultrasound today to confirm that my baby's brain problems had fixed themselves. He had some sort of hole in his brain from a cyst. My husband and I were so relieved when they gave him a clean bill of health.

The ultrasound tech told me through a smile that I had a "dancer" in my belly and that he was "not cooperating with the measurements because he was too hyper." Didn't surprise me. This little guy doesn't sleep. I can always feel him squirming around. She also told me he looked like he was jumping on a trampoline. She kept saying, "Holy Cow!! Are you feeling that??" I looked at her like she was crazy. OF COURSE I can feel this crazy babe in my belly!

Can't believe I am 29 weeks. The due date is swiftly approaching and the nesting instincts are raging. I'm off to knit a baby blanket...

...crafting books

The fact that I love to craft is old news. I love making things. Turning nothing into something. Making things pretty. I get a high from it.

I've added a few crafting books to my birthday/Christmas wish list. Nothing makes me happier than browsing a pretty book.

Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts: Martha, oh you! The crafting goddess. How could I not want this book? Flipped through it in the book section of Costco a few weeks ago and my head started spinning with excitement.

Bookcraft: Bookbinding: my new hobby. I love it. This book offers great step-by-step projects for the newbie like myself.

Re-Bound: Another bookbinder's paradise. Creating books from recycled and refurbished materials. Swoon.

Pattern and Palette Sourcebook 3: This isn't exactly a crafting book, but almost. Design is a craft. This book offers great insights into pattern and fabulous color schemes. Will come in handy.

...recently starred

Tons of good blogging lately! My google reader is jam-packed full of starred posts.
Here are some goodies:

Vintage-look button earrings via Grosgrain Fabulous
Recycled vases via P.S. I Made This
Wood clock via Mufn Inc (pictured above)
Creepy Halloween Treats via Armelle Blog
Thrifty Thursday Clock via my friend Kami
Candy Gram via Inchmark
DIY Grosgrain Ribbon Wreath via iDIY
Housewarming via One more Moore
Spinach and Lentil Salad with Blue Cheese and Tart Cherry Vinaigrette via Love and Olive Oil

What posts have you starred lately?

...daddy rarr

Have I ever introduced you to "Daddy Rarr"? He is a very important member of our family. Tragically, he went missing on Saturday. My daughter was distraught. They have been inseparable for 4 years. (Can you tell? He is a little mangled...) We did a full search of the house, yard, vehicles, and the park to see if we left him there on Saturday. Nothing.

This is embarrassing to admit, but I actually cried a little over this missing bear. He is straggly and old and dirty...but i think it gives him a charm. That childhood magic. My baby girl loved him and she still does. When I see her with him, I can still picture my pretty little one-year-old babe. I am not ready for her to move on.

UPDATE: After a DAYS of searching and many phone calls, Daddy Rarr is back home! Phew! My not-so-baby girl is cuddling with him right now.

...we've been "boo"ed

Last night, some sweet person "boo"ed us, leaving the most delicious fall cookies ever on our doorstep. I wish I knew who it was. I'd be hounding them for the recipe. The perfect, crispy on the outside/chewy on the inside, spice cookie ever. If you have a recipe for this and would like to pass it along, I'd be eternally grateful.

Still sick around here. Is it possible that I am actually worse after 6 days? I feel like it. Slept for 2 whole hours last night because of coughing. It really stinks. I'll try to squeeze in a nap today. The rest of my family seems to be on the mend. My pregnant body just doesn't seem to be able to fight off this darn flu. Tylenol, Robitussin and Halls have become my constant companions.

I'm going to take a weekend hiatus from blogging and try to recover from this nasty bug. We plan on watching a little college football, lounging around, drinking cider and eating soup. Hope you all enjoy yourselves!

...i don't condone guns

Guns scare me. I didn't grow up in a gun-packing family, but I certainly married into one. J gets great pride every time he can talk me into shooting.

On Saturday morning, we were visiting the in-laws in Idaho. I wandered upstairs after a sick and semi-restless nights sleep to find my little family, in their pjs, shooting a bb gun outside. My heart stopped for a second and quotes from The Christmas Story started flooding my head. I asked my hubby, "What are you doing? I don't want my babies shooting a gun!" But, I also coldn't bare to tear them away. They were getting such a thrill, as was their proud father.

I ended up joining in on the game. It is true. No making fun of my form. I have held a gun a total of 3 times. And I was scared. And I am sporting a mammoth belly. I did pretty well, if I say so myself. Shot the milk carton 10 out of 10 times. J chose a harder target for me: a small metal pole in the garden about 1/2 acre away. Got it on my second try. Beginners luck. I had my eyes closed.

28 weeks pregnant in that picture. Belly is amazingly large with baby #3. Baby Bean jumped with joy after every kick of the gun. I think he takes after his daddy...they'll be hunting buddies one day.

...chicken noodle soup

Success! I was able to get my 2-year-old - with a temperature of 102.8 - to eat. (Very little, but he still ate.) The reason for such success? Homemade chicken noodle soup. It came close to killing me, standing for that long over a hot stove, but it was worth it seeing every single family member gobble some of this down. (My 4-year-old hasn't eaten in 4 days, so this was a serious thrill.)

SUPER-EASY CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP (must be easy if you are to make it when sick...)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 cans chicken broth (I prefer using 2 boxes of the freerange chicken broth from Costco. Way yummier...)
1 can vegetable broth
1/2 pound chopped cooked chicken breast
1 1/2 cups egg noodles
1 cup sliced carrots (Best when fresh from in-law's garden!)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

How To:
In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion and celery in butter until just tender, 5 minutes. Pour in chicken and vegetable broths and stir in chicken, noodles, carrots, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving.

...sickness craving

We are all sick, sporting high fevers and coughs. Please excuse me if there is a bout of silence here. I'm probably sleeping...or cuddling my sweet, sick kids. Not sure what is ailing us, but we've lost our appetites. The only thing we can bare to put in our tummies is Autumn Punch: a marvelous, sweet-yet-tangy drink.

AUTUMN PUNCH
2 oranges
8 whole cloves
6 cups apple juice
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 1/4 cups pineapple juice
How To:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stud the whole oranges with cloves, and bake for 30 minutes.
In a large saucepan, combine the apple juice and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the nutmeg, honey, lemon juice, and pineapple juice.
Serve hot in a punch bowl with the 2 clove-studded baked oranges floating on top.

...the cleaning system explained

I've received quite a few emails requesting my weekly chore list. Before I divulge, I must add a disclaimer. In no way do I profess to be a housecleaning expert. My home is frequently sub-par. (My excuse is that I live with two little tornadoes who find great joy in following behind me as I vacuum, leaving a trail of crumbs along the way.) This is housekeeping the Hannah way: imperfect but acceptable. I can answer the door anytime knowing that my house will be almost-in-order. It is leaps-n-bounds ahead of my old "clean the house on Saturday and watch the house deteriorate until next Saturday" plan.

To create my current plan, I combined three cleaning systems: My friend Kiersta's, the Fly Lady's, and knowledge from my magnificent mother. Together, I was able to make a handy little cleaning system. From the FlyLady, I learned to have three routines per day: a morning routine, a task list, and a bedtime routine. (The FlyLady is a wonderful program, but overall, it was much-too-much for me.) From my friend Kiersta, I learned to divide the chores between the weekdays and take the weekends off. I personally brought a knowledge of what needed to be done to keep the house spick-n-span. (Thanks, Mom.)

My chore list isn't profound. It is probably full of things that you already do in your home, but hopefully it will help someone out there. It is obviously tailored to me and my house, but you can change it to your own specifications.

1. empty dishwasher
2. check calendar + to do list
3. scriptures + journal

MONDAY
01. laundry (including all bed sheets)
02. vacuum
03. mop kitchen
04. wipe down doors
05. deep-clean bathrooms

TUESDAY
01. send out birthday cards + thank yous
02. clean car

WEDNESDAY
01. clean out fridge
02. clean kitchen (floor, rugs, surfaces, cupboards, pantry, etc)

THURSDAY
01. grocery shopping
02. clean bedrooms (vacuum, dust, baseboards)

FRIDAY
01. re-organize kid's rooms (this really has to be done weekly in my home...)
02. clean living + family rooms. (dust, vacuum, baseboards)

SATURDAY:
focus on family day

SUNDAY:
01. update family blog
02. work on church assignment
03. read church book/conference talk

01. pick up house
02. run dishwasher
03. start tomorrow's to do list

As for the bigger, home maintenance items, I follow good ol' Martha's schedule from an essential book in my homemaking library: Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook.

And there you have it. Nothing earth-shattering or new. I am almost embarrassed to share. (For some reason, my housekeeping routine seems so personal. Almost like sharing an entry from my diary. Maybe I am self-conscious about my housekeeping skills. Who knows.) I hope it helps!

***If any of you are interested in the spiral bound/cutely designed chore book I am making, please let me know and I'll make it customizable and more universal.

...signed up

I have a weakness for swaps. They are way too fun. I just signed up for THIS one over at Design Crush. Paper + Crafting + Calendars = Hannah's IDEAL project. Can't wait to design a little calendar for my partner! Wanna join me?

...props to a friend

I have so many talented friends. They are always amazing me! Check out one of my high school friend's new fabric line. Beautiful and so fun!!! I am certainly going to be on the lookout in spring 2010 for this fabric! Way to go, Melissa. You are incredible.

...sometimes I wish I wasn't pregnant

I have not been super sick or in an excruciating amount of pain. Really, compared to my last pregnancy, this one has been a walk in the park. I love feeling this peanut baby shake-n-shimmy. I love brainstorming baby names and dreaming about the baby's hair color. (Will he have brown hair like his sister's? Another fiery-but-sweet red-headed boy? Or be a toe-head like his mother was?) There are so many things I love about being pregnant.

But, some days, I wish I was regular-sized. Especially when Shade Clothing has an amazing sale. On EVERYTHING. Go buy something. I'll live vicariously through you.

...i'm too busy for housework

I grew up in a home with a mother who was a tad anal-retentive about cleanliness. She hated things out of place, dusty furniture or crumbs on the carpet. My mother could not go on with life until the house was back to her standards. She wasn't just a woman who liked things clean. I actually think my mother enjoyed the scrubbing, polishing and cleaning process. Sadly, I didn't inherit her passion for cleaning. I hate cleaning. But, growing up with an ultra-clean mother not only gave me a knowledge of how things should be done, but also a love for order. My home isn't always to my mother's standards. In fact, I often feel anxiety when she comes to visit because I worry she will see my dusty floorboards or fingerprints on the windows. (She never mentions them, though, so my worries are probably unfounded.)

It was always a mystery to me how some of you found the time to craft, make healthy meals AND keep a perfectly clean home. I was just trying to survive by doing the minimum until my friend Kiersta, a home-organization guru, taught me about her "system." She made a list of all my chores and divvied them up between 5 days. Saturdays were my free day and Sundays were my day of worship. Oh, my. This plan SAVED me. It took me between 30 minutes and 1 hour to finish my chores everyday and my house was always in pretty good condition. It is a system that works perfect for me.

I typed the chores up on index-card sized cardstock and them laminated them. I keep them on a mini-easel on my desk. I love visualizing my progress, so I use a dry erase marker to cross things off as I complete them. It works great! I have a goal to design cute house-cleaning cards in the near future and spiral bind them.

I want to know your house-keeping secrets. How do you amazing women do it all?

...most recent designs

Still staying pretty busy designing around here. I just finished up a slew of blog designs and am working on a few fun invitations and announcements that I'll showcase later.

Here is a taste of my most recent blog designs:

...recipe featured

Dianna over at Whatever DeeDee Wants asked me to participate in her Blogger Recipe Roundup. I am sharing my Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie recipe. It is delish!

...pasta with basil chicken + sundried tomatoes

I love cooking. I especially love cooking long recipes with interesting ingredients. Maybe that is strange, but I get the same thrill from cooking as I do from crafting. It is creating something that my family will enjoy. I love seeing the finished product coming out of the oven and making a beautiful presentation of the dish.

But, lets be realistic. Every meal can't be like that. Who has the time? I usually make 2-3 "ooh" + "aah" meals a week and the rest are quick and easy.

Here is one of our favorite 20-minute-meals. Don't be fooled by the cream of chicken soup. (I usually pass on recipes that have that as an ingredient, so I understand your apprehension.) It really is a fantastic, flavorful, and EASY meal! Enjoy!

Pasta with Basil Chicken + Sundried Tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
4 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
salt and pepper to taste
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can cream of chicken soup (or mushroom if you like that...)
3/4 c. water
1/4 c. sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp dried basil (or 2 tbsp fresh chopped)
4 c. cooked wide egg noodles
1/4 c. parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is done, about 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet.
2. Heat remaining oil in skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook 1 minute. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in soup, water, tomatoes, vinegar and basil in skillet.
3. Return chicken to skillet and heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cook 2-3 minutes. Serve chicken and sauce over noodles. Sprinkle with cheese, if desired.

...to grandmother's house we go

Off to spend the day with my sweet grandmother. She has been emailing me like crazy asking to see her great-grandchildren. (I love that my almost 90-year-old grandma uses email to communicate with me.)
But...I wanted to share a fun link with you before I head out. I have had my handwriting made into a font twice by two different people and I love writing my journal in my own hand. Well...almost my own hand. It usually costs money to have those done, but I recently found a new, super-fun website called fontcapture that will create a font from your own handwriting FOR FREE. Yay! (I love free things...) I'm off to make the Hannah-Handwriting Font #3. Enjoy!

...saturdays

I love Saturdays. Not quite as much as Sundays, but it is still a full day of husband time. We have deemed Saturday "Family Fun Day." The morning is spent out-and-about enjoying each other. The zoo, a hike, lunch at a fun restaurant. We have even been so lame as to spend that time running errands. It really doesn't matter what do, though. We just love being together. (And, I might as well take advantage of that before the kids turn into teenagers and it is no longer cool to hang out with Mom and Dad on the weekend.)

Today, we went out to eat. (fyi: The kids wasted 90% of their food. Drives the cheapskate in me crazy.) The afternoon was spent preparing our yard for the winter. Pulling up flowers, mowing the lawn super short, and harvesting the garden. Planted 8 new bushes. Am feeling almost prepared for the cold.

But, in other news, I bought a new desk. I had some criteria for the new desk when we were looking. First and foremost, it had to be cheap. Like, really cheap. Second, it had to be wood. Third, it had to be simple, yet pretty. (Cheap Enough for Hannah + Wood + Pretty = Seemingly Impossible.) I didn't think I would be able to find what I was looking for. I wanted a smallish desk that would look good with the black/wood craft table in my office. I've been looking for one for 6 months and finally found it at Staples. (Seriously...of all places!) Anyway, even though it looks a little drab in these pictures, it is gorgeous in person. I love the clean lines and the hidden drawers and compartments. It makes me happy.