Treat Time! Indoor Easy S'mores: S'more Pops

What if I said, chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers, without the bugs, gathering wood and twigs to make a girl scout fire, and no sticky hands?! Indoor, easy, yummy, special treat, fun s'mores! They are caaaaalled..... S'more pops. I knew we were going to try these after I spotted them here.

What you need:

Marshmallows

Toothpicks or Lollipop sticks (or anything you can skewer your marshmallow with)

Graham Crackers

Chocolate

We only had left over tiny toon marshmallows (from when I made the fondant for the littles' bday cake) :), I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, and all I had to poke was toothpicks, but we needed something for dessert, had little else in the house, and I was too tired to bake (it was getting towards bedtime, but we needed dessert to watch with our evening shows :)).

What to do!

*Melt the chocolate, either in the microwave at about 20 seconds at a time stirring well in between until melted, or over a double boiler (glass bowl set over a boiling pot of water, stirring constantly).

*Crush the graham crackers. You can just toss them in a baggy, smash away, could be a good release too, and it's efficient, effective, and nice and easy clean up (tip: let the air out of the bag when you seal it, so you don't pop it sending gcracker dust everywhere - we did not find this out from personal experience, though we did have a little escape out one side :)).

*Then poke, dip dip... i.e. poke toothpick into marshmallow, dip in chocolate then in graham crackers.

Then ENJOY!!! :) Like here, when a lil scruffy Hubby tried to pick off my display S'more pop ;) and you may have noticed an extra hand in the first pic.... that was the same Hubby digging in because I wasn't preparing them fast enough yet :-).

House Project: The Kitchen!

We're trying to finish up some other little home projects and reorganizing before we start... the kitchen!

Don't you love the kitchen? We spend so much time in there or looking at it or around it. I don't know about you, but I would love to have a more dreamy, inspiring, fresh, updated looking kitchen without spending tons of money.

Ok, I'm going to say a little phrase that is going to make some of you cringe, and some of you say, go for it! Painting cabinets... ahhh!

Hubby and I used to be completely against painting kitchen cabinets (or anything wood). Then over the past several years we kept seeing pictures of beautiful antique white or white cabinets (etc.) with fabulous new hardware that just makes for a beautiful clean and classic kitchen. Especially when we don't love our cabinets!

{Our current kitchen. The picture actually makes them appear nicer than they are in person ;)}

Now picture it with fresh cabinets! Oooh ahhhh, right? right? ;) So the question we're debating is: antique white or white white?!

{just a couple quick ideas: through google images}

{bronze hardware, painted inside of cabinets}

{couple hardware ideas}

First thought was antique white with bronze hardware, because it's pretty. Then we got an estimate for refacing just to compare and see if that was a possibility instead of doing it ourselves, the answer is nope! Doing it ourselves :). BUT we saw a white vs. antique white cabinet next to our countertop and it seemed like the white really popped nicely against it and pulled out the white specks of the countertop more too. And we have or will have all stainless appliances or stainless w/ some black.

{Our countertops, they are greenish/gray with black and white specks.}

We also have an open floor plan, so you can also see the family room (and the dining room) from the kitchen so we want to make sure that the styles align and are fluent from one room to the next.

{Our current pretty nakey family room, still needing lots of love. Also thinking about painting the brick white?? or moving the mantel down, and mounting the tv up there so it won't be too high, and putting up a new white pretty mantel that also comes down and around to box the fireplace.........}

And I would love to put in a tile backsplash! It was Newlyweds Next Door that really inspired me to want to do it! Hers look great! and Hubby loves the idea too. Hubby will also do the flooring too (it's old and vinyl), at some point! :) It's all going to take time but we'll save a lot by doing it ourselves :)

So here are the questions:

[1] Antique white cabinets with bronze/antique bronze hardware?

[2] White cabinets with chrome/nickel/stainless hardware?

[3] What color backsplash?

[4] Have you ever painted your cabinets?? Any tips?? We've read some different things online but would love hear from you!

Ready, set, what do you think! :)

Getting to knoooow you...

First of all, thank you so much for your comments on our Pink or Blue revealed post! We are so excited, I don't even know where to start!! I almost posted the pic confirming that Littlest is a girl, but Hubby said NO thank you. He's already upset she didn't have a shirt on in the sono pics!! He's already so overprotective, he doesn't know what to do with himself! He's thinking way into the future already but is glad that she will have *the best* big brothers to help protect her :-).

Now for the title of this post, sing it! Some random fun, some of these things many of you know, though new readers may not, so here we go, 8 NCF Facts!

[1] I love food. Ok, that isn't new. Sushi is my favorite food. Favorite! I love sweets. Pretty much taught my body to want something sweet after almost very meal. Yikes! :) Junior mints, Whoppers, Boston cream pie, Frostys, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzards, Chocolate Moose Tracks ice cream, sour patch kids...& many more ;)

[2] My biggest insecurity is essentially fear of rejection. I am always afraid that people don't like me, that I'm not funny enough, witty enough, that I might say something wrong, don't wear fashionable enough clothes (I am not a designer girl, I'm a try to look fashionable with look a like clothing, and sometimes/a lot that just doesn't happen :)), the list goes on. I love people and want to be friends with everybody. Ok, almost everybody :) there are some weird people out there. I realize that I have been judgmental and try not to be because I don't want peeps to judge me. I will be honest and say that blogland and tweetland have exacerbated my insecurity at times, but alas, the positives outway, and sometimes I just need to take a little break, make sure my head and heart are in the right place (focused on God and my family) and then dive back in. I love people and LOVE friends, I easily trust until that is broken and then I get hurt easily. And I withdraw when I get hurt. It's a bummer sometimes. I actually get upset at myself for being so sensitive. It's quite the convo with myself. ;)

[3] If I had to choose a favorite singer it would be Celine Dion, which I have gotten made fun of for. :) My Dad's side of the fam have always been fans and the more I heard the more I loved. Yes, My Heart Will Go On was grossly overplayed and dramatic with all the chest beating :). But her voice is amazing and even more ah-azing in person! (We've been to two of her concerts, one in Vegas a couple years ago :)). Can I get a whatwhat, I know there are fellow Celine fans out there!

[4] Our first dance was to Have You Ever Been In Love by Celine and we had The Prayer during our ceremony, performed by a National Symphony Orchestra violinist (my former private instructor), another violinist friend/fellow performer, and awesome pianist friend), so pretty.

[5] Loud chewing makes me want to pull my hair out. And since I have decided that I am a long hair girl and will never (pretty sure) chop my hair again, this isn't a good combo. I can't pull off short hair like a lot of y'all do!

[6] It drives me crazy when the sheets and blankets get all out of whack on our bed. One is way over here, one bunched up over there, you try to pull them up to the same place, snuggly on your neck, at the same time and they aren't together, nice and symmetrical, ahh. Just me? Little OCD? Ok :)

[7] My Hubby's current man crush is... Don Draper from Mad Men. From friends' recommendations we added it to our Netflix queue. We finished Season 1 last week and just started Season 2 last night! Addicting! While it's a bit scandalous and we almost stopped watching after a couple eps, the characters, time period, plots, very intriguing, and addicting.

[8] We are hooked on HGTV. The property shows, fixer upper shows (some are a little annoying, but most are fun), the design shows. We've been really enjoying watching David Bromstad from Color Splash. We might not always agree on all of his design choices but he is so entertaining, and we LOVE color in a home. Have you seen him sketch or paint? He is talented.

***Everything you read on this blog is real and true. I try to stay positive on our blog, not only because those are the wonderful memories we want to chronicle, but because I am not a fan when people are negative all the time. It brings me down! And then I feel like I need to be negative to be supportive. Real is one thing, and circumstances and situations happen, and those are real and very important, but not to be negative all the time. There are things and times I have wanted to blog about but haven't for reasons (that frustrate me :)), but that is going to change, because there are times I want to share my deeeeeep heart more, and I love the support network that everyone has created here in blogland, and so I will, without being cry cry. :) But nonetheless, all of the smiles you see in the posts are genuine, even if we occasionally bribe BabyBoy with a special treat for smiling in a pic, he genuinely wants that special treat. ;-) jk, we do try to smile and enjoy life as much as we can! It is easy to get stressed but we try to remember daily how blessed we are. ***

You with me on any of these? Or want to say hello and share a fun you fact... for fun? :)

Pink or Blue??????

The time is here!!!!! Ahhhhh!! :) But first, we have to thank God (as we already have) that Littlest looked great, and healthy, and very cute ;). Praise God!!!

{with a little hand playing by little mouth}

Then, Littlest was being oh so modest, that we had to try some tricks to see what was going on! First the (wonderful!) technician had me roll to my side, didn't work. I tried to poke and wiggle my belly around, Littlest moved a little but still kept closing the legs and putting a leg right where we needed to see :), and Hubby tried talking to Littlest too for cooperation. Then I got up and walked a couple laps around halls, while she sent some of her data in. Theeen, she got me up again, to drink a little can of juice to drink and jump around while she sent in more data. Still pretty much same position, but we were able to see!!!!!!

Are you excited??????? They are!!!

We had to wait, what felt like forever, due to Littlest's modesty, but now we know!!!!

We're so excited!!!!!!!

First, because Littlest looks great, little hands, little feet, little profile pics.....

and because we're adding to family... a...

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahhhhh, yaaaaay, I am going to have some reinforcements with all of the testosterone in the house, hehe! It's time to start stocking up on pink and bows and all things girly!! Hubby has already accepted the fact that the shopping is going to begin!!!!!! ;-) You know we are in love with our sweet, fun, boys and now we are so thrilled to add a little girl to the family!!!!

In the morning!!!

Tomorrow, today, whenever you read this with regards to Monday August 23rd, is the day!!! Our big, (just about) 20 week, sonogram when we find out Littlest's gender! Pink or blue???? I'm going to drink a lil juice or eat a little peanut butter or something with a liiiiittle sugar to get him or her going for his or her tv appearance :)

We would love any prayers that you could send Littlest's way! We didn't find out until 32 weeks with BabyBoy that something was wrong (which ended up, praise God, to be something one surgery could fix, with no other issues [though there was plenty of speculation and talk regarding other things that could have been wrong while he was in utero]). We fully trust God, that He is in control over everything, but being human beings made of flesh, it is still hard not to have a little worry in the back of our minds that everything is ok until the babies are born (that was something the doctors kept saying, everything else should be ok, but we won't know until he is born). I don't want to be negative, I'm just sharing our truth. We trust God,

Psalm 139: 13-14: For you created my inmost being; you know me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, your works are wonderful, I know that full well...

and we also pray for a completely healthy Littlest, growing just right, developing just right!

Thank you!!!! Now's your last time to guess!! :)

And if you missed it, check out some yummies on Food Fun!

Friday Food Fun

I love to cook and bake and most of all, I love to eat! Who's with me??

I think there is something really relaxing about cooking, and chopping, and such a sense of accomplishment when it's all finished and hopefully yummy! :) I also love that we know every ingredient going into the dish, and especially when it's all or mostly fresh ingredients!

Onto the food! I've tried some new recipes lately, here they are!

Sushi! Ok, this one isn't new, but we LOVE sushi. The boys too! It is our favorite food! Favorite!! (Salmon, tuna, snapper, mackerel nigiri and maki rolls, are what we mainly stick to :)) While I'm preggy, I've only been making veggie, mainly avocado, sushi at home. mmmmmm! Serve with (light sodium) soy sauce and wasabi! (and the babies can only eat veggie)

I usually make about 7 or 8 rolls at a time :) Normally plated prettier, but too hungry to make look prettier this time! haha

Proof of the littles' sushi love! You can get little chop stick helpers for the littles, BabyBoy loves using his chopsticks!

You may want to strip the baby for sushi, the rice gets and sticks everywhere! :) He says, "Why am I eating sushi half nakey?" haha

Artichoke Chicken*: Ok, if you love spinach and artichoke dip, you'll want to make this!

I spooned some extra sauce/cheeseyness on top so it might look a little funny, but so yummy!

Rasberry Oatmeal bars*: These are SO yummy!

So, I forgot to take a pic of when the prettiest ones were cut, we were so hungry, these were daaaaays later the last couple that were not the prettiest, but still yummy! ;)

Scones: A lovely special breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea! I make these pretty often :) from a Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Let me know if there's one you want the in depth recipe for! They're all so easy! I have little changes or tips too, let me know! Happy cooking!! Bon apetit**!

* I have tips or changes!

**said like Julia Child ;)

Pink or Blue for #3??? (and Baby Bump Pics :))

Ok, that didn't rhyme. :) How about: We're full of glee, will it be pink or blue for #3?? We are due to find out Littlest's gender in one week!!! August 23rd at 9:30am (EST)!

We are so excited!!! We can't wait to find out, we need to plan! haha. Cliche or not, we will be ecstatic whether Littlest is a boy OR a girl. A little tired already just thinking about three under the age of four ;), but ecstatic! A healthy Littlest is first on our list of course, especially with what we've been through with past pregnancies!

A boy??

I won't be able to help giggling if Littlest is a boy, I will be even more outnumbered. But to see all of the boys grow up together, see them continue to adore and look up to each other, teach each other, ask where the others are if they're not in the same room, they are so sweet! Yeeees, there is, and will be, mischief and roughery, competition, a lot of wrestling, but even more love and support. We LOVE hearing BabyBoy say, "Good job Little! ... Good job saying dada, Little! ... He's standing by his-self! ... He's walking! He's doing it all by his-self!" "Yaaaay!" Yeees, sometimes BabyBoy takes his toys (most of the time he gives them back and says, "When Little is all done playing with that toy, then I can play with it." :)) and occasionally he's a little rough, but he loves his baby.

A girl??

If Littlest is a girl, I will be giggling too. We'll stock up on bows, sweet tiny dresses, plenty of pink, and I'll dream about the days when we'll go shopping together and cook together (the boys cook too! and tolerate a little shopping :)), all of the things that my Mom and I enjoy doing together. I love how Jennifer put it when she wrote before they found out the gender of their newest little, I would love to see her big bros be her protectors.

And most of all, we pray for wisdom pretty much every day to raise our littles to be Godly boys and men (and women of God if we are blessed with a baby girl).

Baby Bump Pics: 16 Weeks: Going out for a GNO :)

17 1/2 Weeks: Going out for a day-date with the Hubs :)

18 Weeks - Please excuse the hair and overall look, I wasn't feeling the best that day :) but things are not always "perfect" right? ;) And you cannot compare me to other preggies on their first or second preg, or other third and forths that look incredible, ha.

We're 19 weeks today!! Pic to come, I am in sweats and t-shirt right now, you don't want to see that ;)

Your turn to guess: What do you think Littlest is going to be??? Here are some Old Wives' Tales facts that might help or be completely irrelevant in your guessing abilities! :)

The String Test: When I've done it: mostly circle: GIRL When Hubby's done it: mostly straight line: BOY

Cravings: a mix of salty and sweet at different times ;) and meat :) : BOY and GIRL

Carrying: I've carried high each preggy: BOY edited: oops that's GIRL

Weight: I feel "wider" and that I've gained more weight in my face (legs and... bottom) this preggy: GIRL

Fetal Heartbeat: 16 wks 134: BOY

Acne: especially early on, throughout the first trimester, I was fighting my 15 year old face ;) : GIRL

ETA: (thanks Randall@HFTM): Chinese Calendar: GIRL ETA again: some versions say BOY!

BabyBoy has been set from the day he found out he was going to have another baby, that it's a "Baby sister" "A girl" :) (and we had never used those terms :)) My guess at the beginning was boy, then felt more girl, and now I can't choose! I felt like a lot of "girl" symptoms but the heartbeat is throwing me off. :) Hubby says girl, although he just said deep down thinks it's a boy. We are not helping your guessing, haha.

So what's your guess? :)

p.s. thank you and bless you if you read to the end of this post! I am trying not to make my posts too long ;-)

Simple Summer Fun: Making Snow Cones at Home Edition!

This*:

Plus these**:

Equals: Big smiles and simple fun!

"a snow cone!" :)

crunch crunch :)

poor lil Little hasn't gotten a bite yet, sweet lil mouth needs a few more teeth first ;)

So refreshing, so easy, and so much fun! :)

* Clearance at Walmart

** Reusable snow cones and pack of syrups from Target!