I realized I have been a bad cyber mom and have completely neglected to announce that we are soon expecting a second little bundle of joy! I am now 17 weeks and we are dying to know if we are having a little dude or dude-ette! We find out February 20th so check back for a gender update! Hannah seems to understand that there is a baby in Mom’s tummy, but of course its hard to be sure. She gives the baby kisses sometimes and it is enough to melt your heart. I swear this pregnancy is flying by faster than the first! People are very adamant that the second baby never gets the same attention as the first, which all though this may be true, I have already decided to try my hardest not to let that happen. I think its so important to have enough time to bond with your baby and not always have the other children around. The new baby needs alone time with Mom. That being said, I also want to make time to spend alone with Hannah. I dont think we will have a jealousy issue because Hannah loves babies and is very good at sharing, but you never know.

Although we are very excited about this big life change, it does bring a certain amount of stress. We now have to find a place to move soon. We still live in a one bedroom apartment, and having one kid in here is crazy enough! We also need to get a new car because our two door golf just inst gonna cut it anymore! It’s a tight squeeze as it is. I would also prefer to be at home full time and not splitting my time between a million other things. Working wears me out, bring Hannah is a blessing and a curse. Needless to say, we have a lot to be praying about and a lot on our minds. Lord preserve my sanity!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been talking about making homemade marshmallows for literally, years! On Christmas Eve I finally did it, and it was a smashing success! They are so good in hot chocolate, its crazy. Store bought marshmallows tend to get kind of foamy when they melt in cocoa but these get gooey and give a great flavor. I also love the little flecks of vanilla bean you can see in them. They make a stellar gift and I have given them to lots of friends since. This is the recipe I used and it was great!

Homemade Marshmallows

3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 cups cold water, divided
12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
1 cup light corn syrup (or glucose)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 vanilla bean, seeds removed
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Nonstick spray

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Add the vanilla seeds. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes.  While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.

Combine the confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Line a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with aluminum then spray with pan spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel or sharp knife dusted with the confectioners’ sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

 

Yesterday I FINALLY got a chance to catch up on some of my favorite blogs and do some exploring! Here are a few gems I found, mostly related to things I want to do in the new year.

Here is a sweet idea to support the kids from Sandy Hook Elementary. The PTA is hoping to create a winter wonderland to welcome the kids back to school in January, and they are asking that people cut paper snowflakes and mail them in so they can do something very special! Make and send snowflakes to:

 

Connecticut PTSA

60 Connolly Parkway, Building 12, Suite 103,

Hamden, CT  06514,

by January 12, 2013.

This is my new (amazing) Moleskin 2013 agenda! It’s huge and beautiful! So excited to fill this bad boy with lists and the like.

I’ve entered the Apartment Therapy 2013 “Cure”. I’ll be getting emails everyday to help me organize my messy house! Totally pumped for this! Let me know if you enter too! Maybe I’ll try to post some about the experience as well.

Although I dont have trouble sleeping, I still thought this diy sleep salve sounded divine. I also thought it might releive my little one during this phase of teething! Stinkin molars! I also thought I’d try my hand at these homemade peppermint patties! Yum!

A clever list of quick and easy weeknight meals...always useful!

Apparently there is a new thing called “slow blogging”. I like this idea because then it means I’m trendy and was before my time rather than a lazy blogger.

And last but certainly not least, a new blog I ran across….I think this girl and I are kindred spirits!

 

 

Gracious sakes, i can’t believe I haven’t posted here since July! As much as I love this space, I love my daughter more, and I felt like I needed to focus on my little lady more and not worry about my blog.

I have to say, this past year being Hannah Lou’s mama has been such an amazing experience. she is so loving, and sweet. We just celebrated her first birthday in October, and it was so great as a mom to see all our friends share in our love for our girl.

I can’t wait to post birthday pics up here. I planned and worked on cute decor and party fun for months!

I was telling Nicolai yesterday how I felt like I hadn’t been blogging because of a lack of projects and inspiration. He just laughed and pointed around the living room to about 6 things I have been working on in the last week or so! Hopefully I can find so time to get a few of these fun diy’s up!