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Friday, March 23, 2012

26 weeks along...baby is a dancing diva in my tummy!


Measuring your baby from top to toe with his legs extended, he is about 14 inches/35.6 centimetres. He weighs a little more than 1.6 pounds/ 760 grams. Your baby's eyes begin to open around now. Response to sound grows more consistent toward the end of the seventh month, when the network of nerves to the ear is complete. He also continues to take small breaths and although he's only breathing in water and not air, it's still good practice for when he's born.

Two more...I'm just excited that I am scrapping fairly regularly again!


Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Introducing...



Baby "Probably a Girl" Stinky Toes Neufeld!!

The doctor said the baby is in breech position (I felt it turn on Monday...UGH UGH!) and with its legs all tucked up underneath it, she couldn't tell for sure but thought it was probably a girl from what she could see. So, it seems that we are still in suspense!

The great news is that the anatomy is perfect and heartbeat is good and solid. Size is pretty much right on with my estimated due date. And with my blood pressure being normal (for now), we both have a clean bill of health! Hooray!!! Keep your fingers crossed, everyone!

xxoo

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Bumpity Bump Bump!

A few friends asked me to post some pics of the bump...I took these a few minutes ago in all my scruffy glory :) Here you go girls! I am going for my ultrasound in the morning so we will find out if it is a girl or boy! What do you guys think?



Homemade Wonton Soup Recipe..."Restaurant" GOOD!




This is a recipe I got from allrecipes.com. I made it for our Chinese supper night at Grandma Neufeld's this past weekend, and it was a hit! Ty and I were really surprised at how good it was...definitely rivals some of the won ton soups we have had at many different chinese restaurants in the past. The best thing about this recipe is that it is EASY! Try it...you will not be disappointed!!

NOTES: I used Campbell's reduced salt chicken broth in the box as it has no MSG. I also did not add the shrimp. It also helps to boil the wontons in a separate pot of water so that the broth does not become cloudy from the flour dust on the wonton wrappers. One package of wrappers is more that plenty for 8-10 servings! ENJOY!


Ingredients

1 bunch green onions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, divided
6 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 egg
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (16 ounce) package wonton wrappers
8 cups chicken broth
16 uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (optional)
1 medium head bok choy, torn into 2-inch pieces
16 snow peas
1 dash soy sauce, or to taste (optional)
1 dash sesame oil, to taste (optional)
Directions

Dice the green onions, and set aside all but 1 tablespoon. Slice the mushrooms, and set aside all but 1 tablespoon. Finely chop the 1 tablespoon of green onions and 1 tablespoon of sliced mushrooms, and place in a bowl with the ground pork, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, egg, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Stir to thoroughly mix the pork filling.
Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the pork filling onto the center of each wonton wrapper. Use your finger or a pastry brush to lightly moisten the edges of the wonton wrappers with water. Fold one corner of the wrapper over the filling onto the opposite corner to form a triangle. Press the edges together to seal. Moisten the two long ends of the triangle, fold them together, and press them firmly to seal.
Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Drop the wontons, one by one, into the broth, and let them cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until they float to the surface. Reduce heat to a simmer, and gently stir in the shrimp, bok choy, and reserved sliced mushrooms. Let the soup simmer 2 more minutes, until the shrimp turn pink, and then drop in the snow pea pods. Garnish with the remaining green onions and a dash of soy sauce and sesame oil, and serve immediately.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Pre-K Valentine's Party




Today was Sebastian's Pre-K Valentine's/Last Day of School before the February Break Party. It is always so much fun to experience the excitement of these holiday parties with a group of 3 and 4 year olds...it really makes you smile and laugh a whole lot! These are some photos of the boys enjoying their party meal of hot dogs and pizza, as well as Sebastian with his Valentines.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

The Valentine's Day card that the grandchildren sent to Lola and Papa...



Lu created it! A similar card to the template that I posted a few days ago :) LOVE IT!

Monday, February 13, 2012

We MUSTACHE you a question...

will you be our Valentine?

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Photobooth on MAC is one of the kids' favorite things...

We have about 300 pictures and about 200 of them are of Dora and Elmo alone! LOL






Just Like Daddy...and Bob!



A few weeks ago the boys were bathed and dressed in their new PJ's from Great Grandma Deanna. Before bed, they decided to put on "work" boots and their hard hats to be just like daddy! Then they got their "hammers" and "fixed" the wall, just like Bob the Builder! They were so proud :) It was quite amusing!

Ham and Cabbage Soup...YUM YUM!




This soup is so delicious and super easy, especially if you have leftover ham to throw in! You can add in some cubed potatoes if you want it to be a bit heartier. I just defrosted some last night for a quick supper with buns, and it tastes even better, if that is possible :) Try it!

Ingredients

6 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
4 stalks celery, chopped
6 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium head cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup barley
2 cups diced ham
1 tablespoon dried parsley

Directions

Place the chicken broth, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, cabbage, barley, ham and parsley in a large pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

We have babies in our bellies too!!

Sebastian and Gabriel are pretty fascinated with my growing belly and the fact that there is a baby in it. So fascinated that they wanted to have babies in their tummies too! Sebastian put Dora the Explorer in his PJ shirt, and Gabriel put Big Elmo and Little Elmo into his PJ shirt. They were pretty proud to be "just like mama"! So priceless :)



Saturday, February 4, 2012

Need some help decluttering? I SURE DO!!


My sister sent this DECLUTTERING CALENDAR to me . It certainly makes sense and is "do-able" as it gives you a starting point...that is where I think I get hung up most...where do I start?! Eeeeeeek!!

Anyway, I thought I would share this with you all in case you needed a gentle nudge as well! ;) LOL

http://www.mysimplerlife.com/2012/Decluttercalendar2012.pdf

Found this on LeeLou Blogs! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!




Check out all of the adorable FREE Valentine's card templates :)

http://leeloublogs.blogspot.com/2012/01/free-valentines-day-cards.html

This Week's Sketch Challenge for Me and Lu...


...join us and post your layouts too!!

You Know Who You Are!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Mmmmmmm...chicharron!!






Here are my monkeys sharing daddy's snack of chicharron (pork rinds) and spicy vinegar for dipping :) These chicharron were enormous and they looked so funny eating them...they were as big as their faces!! :)

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

This is what I am attempting to make for supper tonight...


Sebastian is obsessed with eating rice noodles and he especially loves Singapore Noodles...I'll let you know if it is a hit or a disaster! :)

Sing Chow Mai Fun (Singapore Fried Rice Noodles/星洲炒米粉)
adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine, Nov 2005, pages 64-65
Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
8 dried or fresh shiitake mushrooms
12 ounces of fine dry rice vermicelli (Wai Wai brand recommended)
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and sliced thin
1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
8 green onions, root end trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound char siu (Chinese barbecued pork), cut into matchsticks
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
For sauce:

3 tablespoons Madras (hot) curry powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 cup chicken broth
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons hot chili paste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Method:

1) If using dried shiitake mushrooms, soak them in hot water for half an hour. Drain, then cut off the stems. Slice the mushrooms thinly.
2) Put the rice vermicelli in a large bowl and soak in enough hot water to cover, until the noodles are soft (about 8 to 10 minutes). Drain noodles and set aside.
3) Start by heating up 2 tablespoons of oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the curry powder, the ginger, and the minced garlic, and saute until fragrant. Add the chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar, and chili paste. Stir to combine and then cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
4) Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large wok over high heat. Add in the remaining garlic and ginger, and stir-fry until the garlic starts to become golden. Add in the celery, onion, pepper, sprouts, green onions, and mushrooms. Stir-fry for 3 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften. Set the vegetables aside in a bowl.
5) Heat the last 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok over high heat. Add in the shrimp and stir-fry until they start to turn pink on both sides. Add the char siu and toss to combine.
6) Add in the noodles and the vegetables. Pour on the sauce and also add the oyster sauce. Mix the ingredients thoroughly to coat all the noodles and incorporate all the vegetables.
7) Serve hot.


Photo and recipe taken from Rasamalaysia.com