Happy Halloween!

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and a holiday that is made especially fun at a creative company, where people go all out. Since I'm still on maternity leave I am sadly missing the festivities this year, but Lori took some photos of our department. Quite amazing! The Mad Hatter's tea party (Alice in Wonderland) is the theme, and you can see more pictures on Lori's blog, and Lauren's blog.

From left to right: catipillar, card, mad hatter, cheshire cat, white rabbit, Alice.


Catipillar, Cheshire Cat, Alice. Pin It

Recipe Share: Stew in a Pumpkin

In the spirit of the holiday, I thought I'd share a pumpkin stew recipe. If your front porch pumpkin is still fresh enough, here's a good way to use it after Halloween.

photo from Taste of Home.com

Pumpkin Stew
10-12 lb pumpkin
2 lb stew meat, cut into 1" cubes
3 Tbsp cooking oil, divided
1 c water
5 medium red potatoes, cut into 1" cubes
4 medium carrots, sliced
1 green pepper, cut into 1/2" pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp beef bullion granules
1 14.5 oz can tomatoes, undrained and cut up
(maybe add another 1/2 can too?)

Brown meat in 2 Tbsp of oil. Add water, potatoes, carrots, green pepper, garlic, onion, salt & pepper. Cover and simmer 2 hours. Stir in bullion & tomatoes; Taste test and make adjustments as desired. Wash pumpkin and cute a 6-8" circle around top stem; remove seeds and fibers. Place pumpkin in a sturdy shallow baking pan. Spoon stew into pumpkin and replace top. Brush outside of pumpkin with oil. Bake at 325 for 2 or more hours, until pumpkin is tender inside. Do not over cook or undercook.
Serve stew in pumpkin shell, scooping out some of the sides of the pumpkin with each serving.
Serves 8-10.

Be forewarned I've only made this once, and I don't remember if it was great or mediocre. But it's a fun idea to play with. Pin It

The Latest Addition...

...to the nursery. I needed a back pillow for my glider-recliner (which I love). I've never made a pillow with cording before, and I don't know if I did it the most correct way, but it worked out fine. The corners are a tad bunchy, but you can't tell unless you really look close. I'm sure there's some trick to avoid that, but oh well. The fabric is by Paula Prass for Michael Miller (I ordered it through Etsy).
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Nursing Cover (AKA Hooter Hider)

I *finally* finished my nursing cover. It was pretty easy to make. You should try it (if you are in the market for one). If enough people tell me they want instructions, I will post a tutorial in the future.
My hands look really big in that first picture. I never realized... maybe that is where Ava gets her long hands from (yes, I know I just ended I sentence with a preposition but I don't care). Pin It

Angel Onesie

I made this a while ago and unfortunately the pics aren't so great. It's a brown onesie with angel wings on the back.
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Pendant Banner

Who doesn't love a pendant banner these days? Paula made this darling banner for Ava's baby shower, and it was so cute so I put it over her crib.
Her crib was in our bedroom at this time. I did NOT paint my baby girl's walls blue-grey. Let that be understood. Pin It

Baby Food?

So I have a question for you all, as a new mother. I'm interested in getting this Beaba Babycook food steamer/processor for making my own healthy, natural babyfood in the future. It is a steamer and food processor all in one.
My question is, how much baby food did you actually feed your baby? I mean, I see mom's just giving their little ones bits and pieces off their own plates. I don't seem to see a lot of baby food being served up these days. Is that a false perception? If I bought this Babycook gadget, would I use it? Ultimately I guess that is up to me, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on babyfood. Pin It