The summer is going by quickly, and I haven't done the best job of keeping my blog up to date.  So here is an overview of what we have been up to...

1.  Trying new recipes

I made these Oatmeal Crispies (PW recipe) for the first time.  They taste just like Grandma made them.  The best part is that the batch makes enough dough to freeze half of it for later!

2. Hanging out with good friends

This picture is from the fourth.  Our lovely friends Matt and Amy hosted the

"First Annual Fourth of July Pancake Breakfast."  It was a success, so hopefully there will be more to come!

 

The rest of the fourth was spent with my family at the cottage. We celebrated my Mom's 50th b-day. If you want to see the details, check out my sister's blog. It was a big weekend!

3.  Oh, and did I mention....we are expecting a baby McCauley in January!!!

The picture below was taken over Mother's Day weekend..only about four weeks

13 weeks

After Matt took this picture he said, "Woah, you actually look like your pregnant!"

I think we are FINALLY getting used to the fact that this is really happening and we are thrilled. :)

It was fun thinking of a creative way to tell the news to Matt's family since its their first grandchild.  We gave this mug to Polly (Matt's mom) as part of her Mother's Day gift when we visited in the spring.  It took a second for her to realize what was inside the mug (If you know Polly, you know that she loves coffee and I'm pretty sure she loves babies too). hehe  The family was definitely surprised :)

Enjoying her "special mug."

We skyped my family to share the news.  My Mom was pumped that she was the first one to find out, although she guessed that I was pregnant before I even got the words out of my mouth!  I guess it was due to her "motherly instinct." :) My Dad is pretty excited about doubling his number of grandchildren since my sister is due at the end of the summer!  The bragging has already begun. haha  And, of course my sister is excited to be an aunt and have a cousin for Natalie and Stratton.

So, if you have been wondering what has been going on in our lives....there ya go!  Just a couple of things ;)  We are feeling very blessed and will keep you updated!

I'm getting very famliar with the airport...

I'm a little behind with my blog posts, so here we go...

We were able to make a last minute trip to the McCauley's over Memorial Day weekend.  It was a really fun and relaxing trip.  I don't have many pictures from the trip, BUT I did document our long game of Phase 10.  I am usually not a big competitor but I won both games!  Not to toot my own horn, but I rarely win so I was quite proud (even though it was mostly luck haha).

Our other recent trip was to my hometown for the wedding of one of my best girlfriends from high school.  It was so good to have our entire group of friends together again!  The rehearsal dinner was laid-back and lots of fun.  It was at a bowling ally!  (Jackie and Alex became friends through the bowling team in high school--very cute :)

 Some of my pictures of the reception didn't really turn out well but everything was beautiful!! 

It was so great to be with such wonderful friends!

Luckily, I tracked Matt down for a few pics at the reception. I finally caught on to the fact that Matt, along with some of the other dates, were hiding out in the bar to watch golf. ;)

And I thought he was in the bathroom...hah!

Cute picture of my parents

Another highlight of the trip was visiting my family.  We had lots of fun playing and hanging out!

I just can't get enough of these cuties...and I get to be an aunt to another nephew in just two short months!!!

A Happy Ending

For the past couple of weeks there has been a black cat hanging around our neighborhood.  He had a collar and we could tell that he was definitely lost.  The neighbors (including us) started to feel bad for the little guy and began to put food out for him.  (Yes, I know...bad idea...)  So, after putting flyers up with no response and this cat following us around non-stop, Matt decided to call an animal shelter.  They suggested to check on craigslist to see if the owners posted something.  Within minutes, Matt found the owners!  We called and found out that they live in KEY WEST!  Yes, they were on vacation here when their cat jumped out of the window at local grocery store.  They are coming to get him this week.  :)  I am not big on black cats, but we couldn't help but feel bad for this friendly cat.  We are very happy for him and his owners to be reunited.

I think Beacon is happy to have us all back to himself too :)

Homemade Mac'n Cheese for Big Kids!

Every once in a while I really want some mac'n cheese, but I always feel too guilty to buy it in the box from the store.  So, I was really excited when I found (on Pinterest, of course) this recipe and it tasted so good! 

Ingredients

• 8 oz macaroni pasta
• 8 oz American cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup fat-free Greek yogurt (I use 0% Fage)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 cup shredded leftover chicken (optional)

Instructions

1. Cook macaroni pasta for 8-10 minutes in salted water, until al dente.
2. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining the pasta.
3. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
4. Add 1/4 cup pasta water, the yogurt, and 1/3 of the grated cheese and stir until the cheese has melted.
5. Stir in remaining cheese, one small handful at a time to prevent clumping.
6. Add additional pasta water as necessary to thin the cheese sauce.
7. Stir in peas and chicken, if using, and serve warm.
8. To reheat, microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between. If you think it needs it, add a tablespoon or two of skim milk or water. It's usually creamy enough after it's heated thoroughly but it's up to you.

A Couple of Notes:

*I didn't add the peas or chicken.

*Instead of using shredded American Cheese, I used the old fashioned Kraft Singles (I think the last time I ate this cheese was when I was 8 years old haha).  I just shredded the cheese into smaller chunks and slowly added it to the pasta, allowing it to gradually melt in.

*This recipe may not be super healthy but at least it is easy and homemade with real ingredients (not like the box version with a packet of powdered cheese--although it is still yummy ;).

Enjoy!