My Favourite Casserole (+ update!)

Here's a recipe for my favourite casserole, which I made tonight for supper!

Sour Cream Noodle Bake
(originally found on The Pioneer Woman Cooks website)

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 large can tomato sauce
4 cups whole wheat rotini pasta (or pasta of your choice)
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese
1 green onion, chopped
salt and pepper

Saute ground beef with onion, add tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Simmer.

Meanwhile, boil pasta. Drain. Mix with cottage cheese, sour cream, green onion and salt and pepper.

Layer pasta with meat sauce, topping with shredded cheese.

Bake at 350* for 25 minutes.

Deeeeeelicious!

In other news, Reid is absolutely awesome! He's crawling, pulling himself up to stand on absolutely everything, eating everything under the sun, but still can't sit up on his own yet! He doesn't have any teeth yet, either...still flashes that gummy grin at everyone!

Reid and I are flying to Killarney on April 3 and staying for 2 weeks! Sort of one last hurrah before my mat leave ends and I'm back to work. I'm looking forward to seeing my family, and for them to see Reid in all his glory!

My mat leave is over at the end of May, so I'm back to work at my daycare on May 21. I'm totally nervous about going back and being apart from Reid all day. But in reality it won't be all that bad! Reid will be in the baby room, and I'll be in the toddler room, so I'll really only be 50 feet away from him all day. Which is a lot better than across town. Still, I will miss my little baldie. I am praying for peace about this decision, which really isn't a decision at all, because we can't afford for me not to work. So I am praying for peace about this new reality that will begin in May. Praying for peace that my baby will be OK with strangers. Praying for reassurance that the crying won't last forever and he will be happy and love his new little friends and his teachers. Praying that I will love my job and my little toddlers and that I will survive each day. Praying for courage as our lives will change, become more hectic, and our time with Reid in the evenings will be brief. This last year of mat leave was like living in a bubble and I can't remember what life was like before Little Mister came along. It'll be a hard adjustment, but one that can't be avoided.

Since January, I've been trying consistently to watch what I eat, exercise more and loose weight. My motivation for this is to be a healthier mom to Reid and to have healthier future pregnancies without the complications I had last time. I started off on Weight Watchers in January and have just recently switched to the free online website My Fitness Pal. So far I've lost about 8 pounds, which is a healthy, steady loss, but of course I am impatient and wish it was faster! Maybe I shouldn't have eaten those M&Ms today......!

Well, that's about it!
Happy Easter!

Split Pea Soup

Yesterday I made Split Pea Soup and it was absolutely divine. Here's how.

Split Pea Soup

2 T oil
1 diced onion
2 t minced garlic
1 package split green peas, rinsed
2 carrots, chopped
8 cups chicken stock
1 ham hock (I did not have a hock, but I had some ham in the freezer, so I just chopped some and added it)

Make it like this:
Saute onion and garlic in the oil, about 5 minutes.

Add chicken stock, carrots, ham and peas. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, simmer for about 2 hours. Peas should be soft and "mushy" then. Add salt and pepper to taste. If using a ham hock, remove now!

If it's too thick, add some hot water (or more stock).

It's that easy and oh so delicious.

Reid and his trick or treat bag from Auntie Amy.

Home Improvements (and mom and dad!)

It's been quite the eventful 2 weeks! Mom and Dad arrived on August 5 and we've been just going ever since. Mom has been especially busy...sewing blinds for my kitchen, scrubbing my bathtub, taking care of Reid, washing windows, cooking, grocery shopping and just doing everything for me...I feel quite lazy! But always appreciative. I love that my parents come to spend time with me here...maybe when I go home for Christmas it will be my turn to clean and scrub their house! Maybe. Here is our visit in pictures. 

Josh and Dad out for dinner in Eastern Passage.

Mom, Reid and I, out for dinner in Eastern Passage.

Mom and Dad, out for a walk on the Bedford Harbour front.

Our little family! That growth on my chest is Reid in his pouch under a blanket!

Self portrait...always amusing.

A nice passer-by offered to take our picture!

Dad and Reid!

I bought this "birth stat print" from Etsy. Cute!

Reid's change table area...the ribbons were Mom's idea and he does love them!

Mom made this hanging book display for me!

Reid's footprint art...2 sets of prints = 2 months of age!

Reid' s room...Erica, this is where I hung his name banner!

Close up of the hanging book display.

Lazy roman blind that Mom made, as per Auntie B's instructions.

We had extra fabric from the blinds, so Mom added some detail to the dining room curtains! What do you think?

The full view of the dining room curtains. 

Roman blind for the kitchen window.

If you are interested in making a hanging book display, click here. 

Well, there you have it! Our glorious visit. Mom leaves on Sunday and there's no doubt I will miss her! It'll suck having to do everything for myself again....! Just kidding. I will miss her for other reasons, of course!

What's for supper? Honey Chicken Enchilada's with Mexican Rice!

Here's what I made for supper tonight - it was delicious and easy!

Honey Chicken Enchilada's

Mix together and let marinate:

1 lb chicken, shredded (I bought a rotisserie chicken and chopped that up)

1/4 c. lime juice

1/3 c. honey

1 T chili powder

1 t. garlic powder

2 c. enchilada sauce (I could not find this at SuperStore, so I went to the "ethnic" aisle and found some red Mexican-y sauce. I took a gamble and it turned out OK! I think buying taco sauce from the salsa aisle would also be acceptable.)

1/2 c. heavy cream (I had whipping cream at home and used that)

shredded cheese

8-10 flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350*.

Spread half the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Roll each tortilla with the meat mixture and a handful of cheese and place in pan. Mix together the rest of the enchilada sauce with the heavy cream, pour over the tortillas. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 350*.

I served them with:

Mexican Rice

1 c. white rice

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

1/2 t. cumin

chopped onion, green pepper and tomatoes (as much as you desire!)

salt and pepper

1 t. garlic

Heat some oil in a pot, add rice, stir for a few minutes. Add the chicken broth, cumin and garlic. Season with S&P. Add the onion, green pep and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and let cook for 20 minutes. 

This was really flavourful and easy. A great side dish to the enchiladas!  

Here's a picture of my baby. 

Reid Spencer

On June 3rd, Josh and I met our son, Reid Spencer Gorman! He was born at 2:46pm, weighing in at 3 lb 14 oz, and 16" long. Reid was born 6 weeks premature and was born via emergency c-section, due to his heart rate dropping several times. Since he's been "out", Reid has been doing really well. He is in the NICU, breathing on his own, and getting better at breast feeding every day! We're not sure how long he'll be in the hospital for - of course the doctor's don't give you a time frame since every baby is different. In the 8 days since Reid's birth, he's improved so much. He's eating more and more and gaining weight pretty much every day. We can't wait to bring him home!!!

Reid Spencer, June 3 @ 2.46pm.

A little bit jaundiced - chillin' under the phototherapy lights!

Wide awake.

Very proud dad!

Family picture!

Totally in love with this boy.

Skin to skin time - best part of my day.

Sneak peek, baby news, and being crafty.

Last night, Josh and I had some maternity pictures done by my friend Danielle. Here are a few sneak peek pictures:

And now for baby news: most of you know that I've had pregnancy induced high blood pressure and have been on medication since December. In the last few weeks, my BP has been going up and about 2 weeks ago my OB put me off work on sick leave. She also upped my current medication and added a new pill to the mix to try and bring it down. Anyway, this past Friday I had an ultrasound and we found out that Spartacus is quite small, only 4 pounds. This is apparently due to the high blood pressure, which causes a lack of blood flow through the placenta, making the baby small. So. That being said, on June 8 I have another ultrasound where they will measure his/her weight and growth. If Sparty hasn't grown in this 2 week period, my OB may make the decision to induce labour/do a c-section. If he doesn't grow, it means he's better out than in, hence the early delivery. The goal is for me to get to 36 weeks (June 15), which would make Sparty 4 weeks early. So right now there is nothing set in stone as my OB is just waiting to see how Sparty does and we're just playing everything by ear, which is frustrating and annoying! I want to know!! I am nervous about having a premature baby, but my doctor tells me he is totally healthy and everything, just a bit small, so I know he will be OK when he's born. I did have 2 steroid shots (in my bum!) to help with lung development, so that will help if he does come this early. The bonus of this situation is that my mom is coming, probably around June 15 (her birthday!), as I'll probably end up having a c-section and will need some Momma lovin' from her. So seeing her in June is very exciting, and then she and my dad will come again in August. So that's the news - it's pretty overwhelming to all of a sudden be having a baby in 3 weeks (probably less) instead of 7, but I know that God has got it under control and I'm trusting in Him and the knowledge and expertise of my doctor (who is amazing). The good news is that we get to meet our little baby sooner rather than later!

Moving on to being crafty: I found this picture on Pinterest and thought it was something that even I could do! I bought a canvas from Michael's and some craft paint from Dollarama, and went to town. We're going to do monthly footprints for a year and hang it above the crib. I think it's a really cute idea! I should take some more pictures of the baby's room, as some things have changed and we've added a dresser. I shall try to do that this week.

The Holy Trinity & a baby shower.

The Holy Trinity crib blanket from my mom!

 My mom made me this beautiful crib blanket. For some reason the pattern is called The Holy Trinity - although I think we made that up and that's not actually the official pattern name! Anyway, something about only using 3 fabrics in the 1 blanket. We picked out the middle wren fabric back in January when Mom and Amy were here in January on fabric.com. Mom was on her own to get the red and grey fabrics, and she did a great job! I love the look of this blanket and almost want to hang it on the wall as a piece of art, it's so pretty!

A close up of the gorgeous wren fabric!

Last night my friend Chelsey threw a double baby shower for myself and my friend Katie. We had a great night with the rest of our bible study girls, playing games, eating and opening up lots of lovely presents!

Katie and I at our joint baby shower!

Decor for a dollar!

Last night Josh and I went to Dollarama. You just never know what you can find there, and last night I found these:

They are plastic-y wall panels that you can attach to each other with silver hoops - they are meant to be a room divider, hung in a line. But I think they work well as wall art, too! They are $2 for a pack of 2, so for $4, I think they are pretty cute. There were 3 other designs to choose from, but Josh liked these best! They also came in black, if you so desire.

In other news, Josh and I had fun with the camera on our laptop last night! Hence the poor picture quality. Here I am at 29 weeks!  The last picture is Josh wearing some little starfish goggles that I bought for Codie from Dollarama! Cracks me up every time I see it!

What it looks like so far....

The baby's room, that is! Josh and I (mostly Josh) have been busy getting the baby's room ready. We (he) painted (Ben Moore Piedmont Gray) and Josh even laid new carpet all by himself. It looks amazing and I'm so proud of him! We had already bought the crib from Kijiji a few months ago, so we moved that in. And the change table we've had for over a year, as I bought it from the family I was nannying for in 2010. We still have some things to add - a rocking chair/glider and I'd like a bookcase as well. So it's a bit bare right now, but I think it will be very comfy and cozy once we get the finishing touches moved in.

Crib!

The little shelves on the wall were Josh's contribution!

Free baby printables I found online and got printed at Staples. Cheap art!

Such a very pretty mobile from Erica! I'll put a chair in this corner too.

Change table and closet door. Am still thinking about something to hang on this wall, as it looks quite bare as is!

And today we bought this...

Well, the baby buying continues. Today we bought this off of Kijiji:

Cute but not too cute. Plus, the swing portion comes off so that it can be a bouncy chair on the floor. Anything that has a squirrel and owl has my vote.

Then we bought this....

Last night Josh and I bought this crib and mattress off of Kijiji.

 

It is quite early to be buying this, I suppose. But Rosie, Amy and Codie are coming to visit on Wednesday night for a week, and I thought Codie might enjoy having a crib to sleep in while she's here! Plus, we're going to need one eventually! So we just went ahead and bought it. We are quite happy with our purchase!

I also have this change table, which I purchased back in 2010 from the family I was nannying for. They ended up moving to Monaco and sold off their entire house and its contents. I loved this change table and bought it when they moved. The diapers are for Codie, so that Amy doesn't have to pack an entire package of diapers that take up a ton of space.

Right now these items are set up in the spare bedroom, but they will eventually be moved next door into the office once it's painted and ready to become a nursery.

I bought this...

Even before I was pregnant, I have been looking up and researching different strollers. I googled and read reviews and looked at pictures. If I was bold, I would venture into Babies R Us and take some for a spin, hoping to avoid the salespeople wondering when my baby was due, because of course, I wasn't even pregnant at the time! Now the time has come to test drive these suckers for real. I had been looking at this stroller for a few weeks since we found out we were having a baby.

During the American "Black Friday" sales, the Canadian Babies R Us store joined in and had this stroller for $100 off. Since this was such a great deal, we went for it and ordered it online. We chose black, although I was tempted by the Plum or Turquoise/brown, but Josh wanted black, so we went with that.

Thanks to my exceptional "putting things together without instructions" skill, we had this stroller together in a few minutes. Josh was left looking at me in amazement as I clicked and snapped things into place with little hesitation. I think I impressed him. Am I correct in thinking that this is a prominent Duerksen gene? I know my sister and some cousins are much better at this than their husbands. Needless to say, I left Josh in the dust while I assembled our stroller. Of course, this is only my opinion and no doubt Josh would disagree heartily with me.

 

 Of course, we haven't really tried this out in the real world. But I have wheeled it enthusiastically throughout the house, and so far, so good! The thing I like best about it is that is came with a bassinet that clicks into the stroller to use when baby is little, and also a bassinet stand to use in our room for sleeping. It also comes with a "universal" car seat adapter, so we just need to buy a car seat and it should fit. It'll get its first real try-out when Mom, Amy and Codie come to visit next week. I'm sure Codie will let us know how she likes it.

We had an ultrasound last week! Everything is looking great!