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MOST BORING AWFUL SLOW PAINFUL TORTUROUS DAY EVER. I FEEL LIKE TIME IS SUCKING ME DRY. SO SICK OF WAITING. WHEN IS THIS BABY GOING TO BE BORN!?!?!?!?!?!?!??! #FOREVERPREGNANT </rant>
have been dead for years
but the idea
just lives on."
THE EASIEST MOST DELICIOUS DONUTS EVER MADE BY FUTURE YOU
excuse my excitement but these things are RIDICULOUS. Thanks to Pinterest, I came across Little Bit Funky’s ingenious canned biscuits into magically naughty donuts recipe. If you love donuts and don’t give this a try you’re INSANE! I love donuts but the notion of making them from scratch with yeast and patience is not something I had planned in the near future. This recipe helped me cheat my way into donut heaven.
Ingredients
4 tbsp butter
white sugar
cinnamon
canned biscuits (any kind BUT the flaky sort, I used Homestyle - Southern)
vegetable or peanut oil
Directions
- Melt butter in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon until you get the ratio of white n’ brown that you like— I did a nice medium brown.
- Heat up your oil, it should fill the pan about a 1/2 inch.
- Lay out your biscuits and cut a hole out of the center. I just used a knife because we don’t have fancy cutters and such.
- Throw them in the warm oil and flip them every so often. You want a nice golden brown color and you can always cut one open to make sure they are cooked through.
- Toss them around in melted butter and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar.
- Eat them ALL before anyone has the chance to make you share!
That’s how I feel. Four days until the due date but there have been no major signs or contractions to keep me optimistic that she will come anytime soon. I guess I am destined to be part of the majority that goes over their due date. Boo! Riley and I aren’t speaking— I’m on strike until she comes out. It feels like I have been pregnant for years. Every time I go out in public, strangers constantly ask me how much longer and comment on how I look like I am about to pop. I’ve been carrying around this whopping, round belly mass too long. I’m ready to trade it in for a cute little baby girl.
This is one of those times I wish I had kept my blog entirely anonymous because there is so much I would like to say and there is no one to say it to. I am so tired of the silly games that people like to play. I’m not allowed to have my own thoughts, I’m not allowed to feel anything or have any opinions. I am emotionally drained. At least some good things are coming out of this hardship, I’ve learned a lot about what I want and what I don’t. I don’t want to play games anymore.
IT MUST BE IN THE GARAGE IN A BOX. I WILL FIND IT. I LOVE THAT THING. SORRY, THIS IS A BIG REVELATION.
Sal is laying on the belly… Waiting for his little sister.
Living with my parents has its perks and its downfalls. One obstacle to be tackled was making my bedroom double as a nursery. I had to adjust my room (which is actually quite small) to suit both of our needs (plus Salinger’s). This is a peak at our girl space.
I should have opened the windows to get some more natural light but, you get the idea. I’m thinking I will do some photos of my favorite items in my room some day because I really enjoy the few little pieces I’ve collected through the years.
So, here’s a little break down of the photos:
- My dresser, topped with roses from Chris’ dad (still looking beautiful), candle, photos, lamp, and Alice in Wonderland glasses, filled with little doo-dads (do people say that word still?) from the shower like paper butterflies and wire flowers
- Riley’s dresser, topped with the record player, the teacup lamp from my aunt, and candles… painting above by your’s truly and the empty space beside it will soon be filled since I’m putting the final touches on my white rabbit painting
- The crib, with a Sleep Sheep attached— it’s pretty tops as far as magical sounds go… and the frog on the changing table is a humidifier
- Another shot of the crib to show off the little teapot mobile my cousin found and the video monitor mounted on the top of the wall
- The combo unit, filled with all the essentials and topped with the pad, diapers in a basket, wipes, sanitizer, and humidifier. The shelf and Hepburn frame have been mine for a long time.
- Behind the door, my purse and diaper bag
- My mom’s room, since my dad works at home, I have to spend the day in her room so we bought a pack n’ play. My sister found this swing on the side of the road and it works amazingly! We bought new fabric for it from the maker’s website and saved a lot of green.
Also, may we all please note how adorable Salinger looks today. He doesn’t even look real sometimes. He’s so photogenic. I keep his crate in the closet, along with a bucket of baby toys. We never really need or use the crate anyway so it’s worked out well.
Oh! And I don’t make my bed. Ever. That’s just how it is.
Cleaning the house for hours, dusting, vacuuming, steam mopping, and scrubbing baseboards, walking the dog five times, cleaning the kitchen— NO sitting down today. Riley, I will motivate you to come out and check out the commotion! We have a future to start!
Lemon Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
2 cups flour
Filling:
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon extract (optional)
Powdered (confectioners) sugar to top
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour, and 1/2 cup sugar. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.
- Bake for 15 to 20 min, until firm and golden. Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup flour, eggs, and lemon juice. Pour over baked crust.
- Bake for an additional 20 min. in oven. The bars will firm as they cool. When cooled, use sifter to top with powdered sugar, and cut into squares
Vegetable Calzones
recipe from A Cozy Kitchen, I only slightly modified the original
Ingredients
Olive Oil
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
Pinch o’ salt
1/2 cup butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup broccolini
1/2 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 12oz. prepared pizza dough
3 tbsp. jarred marinara sauce
1 mozzarella ball
Directions
- In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt to skillet and cook onions for 20 min., or until brown and caramelized.
- While onions are cooking, preheat oven to 400F. Place cubed squash on baking sheet, toss in olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pep. Roast for 15 min. or until soft. Remove and set aside.
- When the onions are complete, add the broccolini and mushrooms, saute for 5-10 min. Add the garlic to the top and cook until just fragrant.
- Flour your work surface and roll out pizza dough. Transfer to a piece of parchment. Add sauce to one half, top with vegetable mixture, add the butternut squash, and finish it off with a few slices of mozzarella.
- Fold dough in half, over the filling, and crimp as desired to seal. Transfer the parchment with the calzone onto a baking sheet. Slice a hole at the top to allow steam to escape. Cook in over until dough is puffed up and golden brow, about 15-20 min.
Notes
My un-fancy grocery store didn’t carry broccolini or cremini mushrooms. No problem, though, I opted for plain old broccoli and simply chopped it into smaller pieces. I bought baby bella mushrooms and they worked just as well. I made three small calzones instead of one large. I made extra veggies but I also should have purchased more pizza dough. They were incredibly hard to seal because I had so little dough. These would have also benefitted from a touch of basil in the filling. Oh, and make sure you buy a good marinara sauce, preferably something with a bit of flavor, it will really help the final product pop! These were outrageously good and I will be making them again.
This day has taken it’s time coming around. The last trimester has truly tested my patience. I am waiting for my life to start! Every day brings Riley a little bit closer to meeting the world. I am ready, I am so ready— at least, as ready as I will ever be/feel.
Yesterday I had my weekly ob appointment. No stretch marks at all! It’s a miracle! My doctor commented on how great my muscle tone in my tummy was, how it was all baby in there, and how I had no stretch marks. I asked her if she thought I would see them after the baby was born but she said I definitely don’t have any and won’t get them after the birth. Delight! My cervix has moved up a bit but I’m only a little over a centimeter. Although I was a bit discouraged, I’m so thankful for good health & a wonderful, easy pregnancy. If I make it to next week and she hasn’t arrived, I’m due for an ultrasound to make sure it’s safe to move forward in the pregnancy. If not, I will be induced but this is only if my fluid is looking low or some other irregularity. If all is well, I will be induced by the 8th.
This week I am trying to keep busy to help pass the time. Yesterday I didn’t let myself stop moving from 7:30 am to 1 am. Today I am working on a accompanying painting for the Alice in Wonderland piece I completed earlier. This one is the white rabbit and it’s… not bad… I’m just definitely not an artist.
Around noon today, the ground shook. We live in Florida so we knew it wasn’t an earthquake but, it certainly felt like one. The plates rattled and it was pretty shocking. Turns out that they were blasting the ground at a rock quarry by the house. Too bad that didn’t motivate Riley.
I’ve been cooking up a storm! I made some incredible tortilla soup, better than any restaurant. The next night I whipped up these magical calzones I found on pinterest. I thought they were outrageously delicious but, I’m a fan of anything pizza-like. Last night we had salads and stuffed zucchini, filled with veggies and goodness. My parents were a huge fan of these but I definitely thought of a few changes I would make for the next time. My mom said she would eat them every night and my dad said he wants them at least once a week.
And, of course, the baking had to ensue. I can’t go one week without baking something. Last week I made chocolate chip cookies, the week before banana and walnut muffins, and before that baked banana cake. Yes, I have a thing for bananas. But yesterday inspiration struck and lemon bars were born. They are delicious! However, next time, I think a bit more lemon extract will be in order because I like the tartness to counteract the sweetness.
Anyway, recipes are soon to come, for anyone interested. I feel like I am forgetting a hundred things but, that’s alright because none of it is probably too thrilling anyway.
Stunning.
God, this is so beautiful!
Seems like it may be a combination of both. Distract the weak minded, but those who try and fight back will be censored and detained.
(Source: forbiddenfruitcocktail, via al-khowarizimi)
