Natural Light

Oh for heaven's sake. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a whole room with THAT much light for no other reason than to have one desk? When I have a 6 bedroom house someday, this might happen. Beautiful!

via You are My Fave blog

Name Game

You know what's funny? I'm a lockbox when it comes to other people's confidential information, but when I have to keep secrets of my own, you may as well just shoot me, because I'm worthless. Hey, isn't being authentic and open a pretty good thing? I think so. Well, when it came to our baby name, Jonathan knows I'd eventually crack and tell everyone anyway, so here you go world, Truett Meisner is his name. We don't have a middle name yet, but we'll get there.

So far, so good. Bring it on....the weather, I mean. It's like 110 outside in Oklahoma, and this heat will kill a pregnant lady! I'm glad that we're going on vacation to Colorado soon. That will be a much needed vacation and relief from this scorcher of a summer that I like to refer to (along with many others) as the temperature tantrum of 2011.

I hope that all of my faithful readers have such a wonderful and relaxing weekend, and take the time to think of at least 3 things that you're thankful for today. God is good, all the time!

By the way, don't you love this little onesie Jonathan bought for me yesterday? He surprised me with it at work. What a fun dad already!

Mmmm

...sometimes I go to the computer to blog...and draw a blank.

+/-

All things considered, I'm failing at a few things and rocking a few others. Lets begin...

Could-be-better-if-I-tried-harder list

Working out (come on Michelle, get out of bed)

Going to bed on time (being 2 hrs late every night is no longer acceptable)

laundry (just 2 loads behind...or maybe 3)

drinking water (FAIL. How about never? Why has this always been a life struggle?)

Deserve-a-pat-on-the-back-and-a-hug-list

nursery progress (walls, paint, curtains, bed....check)

maintaining a positive attitude (all things considered, I think I am winning here)

cooking dinner (B+ on this, because 3 out of 7 is good at this house)

Jeannie + Harrison

Have you seen my husband, Jonathan's latest work? Amazing...

Jeannie+Harrison | Wedding Film from Jonathan Meisner on Vimeo.

Baby Room

After much deliberation, we've decided on a baby room look. Here is our inspiration, although ours will be slightly more modern. :) My mom is coming next week to make curtains and bedding, and I just ordered a crib tonight. Oh my! Let the fun begin!

Oh my heart...

I asked God to give Jonathan and I exactly what we needed, and we got a boy. I feel like I just won the lottery. :) I really can't wait to meet him, and see what color his eyes are, and if he's good at baseball, and learn what his favorite color is.

I think we know a name, but we'll announce it soon once we're sure. :) Thanks for all the congratulations! We feel very loved. Welcome little baby boy!

Chicken Pesto Pizza

To make whole wheat crust:

This recipe makes 2 medium-large pizzas.

1 tsp white sugar (put this in a large mixing bowl)

1.5 c hot water (add this until sugar is dissolved)

1 T active dry yeast (dump this on top until dry yeast foams slighty, about 3 min.)

1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil (add in remaining ingredients slowly while mixing)

1 tsp salt

2 c whole wheat flour

1.5 c all-purpose flour

Knead dough for 2 minutes, and break into 2 separate chunks. If dough is sticky, add a dab of olive oil and work dough into 2 thin pizza crusts, which should be medium thickness.

Add toppings and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Wahla!

Toppings:

Pesto

Spinach

Tomatoes

Chicken (thoroughly pre-cooked)

Parmesan cheese

Pesto seasoning

Prego Questions

Is it always depressing to put regular clothes in boxes? I'm not sure I was prepared to feel this emotion about growing so big. So, I put them in boxes. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

Is it normal to lose 7 pound in one day?! I'm totally serious when I say that I have NO idea how that happened. No, seriously. Trust me, I eat plenty.

Do you think having a new dresser is something that should be necessary? I was thinking about repainting one that we have, but I kind of want to get a newer bigger new one, because I'm sure we'll keep it and use it for years to come. Thoughts?

Do babies always kick more when they are cold? Every time I eat something cold or have a freezing drink of water, I got lots of punches.

Cucumber Salad

Need something light and refreshing? Try this side, which can be made in about 5 minutes!

You'll need:

1 red onion/halved/thinly sliced (use only 1/2 if you don't like your food very hot)

1-2 cucumbers (I used one HUGE cucumber instead)

3 Tbsp. rice vinegar

salt and pepper

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. dill weed

Mix....and refrigerate. This salad is best really cold! It made a wonderful morning snack. :)

July 4th Bomb Pops!

I saw this on You Are My Fave blog and decided it was the best idea ever. So much for store bough bomb pops, because these totally win!

Vanilla greek yogurt swirled with blended strawberries and a few blueberries and that's it?! Um yes!

Happy 4th of July!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops

These cookies are called muffin tops because they're really more soft and fluffy like muffins, and less like cookies (which means you can eat them for breakfast, right?) :)

Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Position a rack in the middle of the oven . Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed, mix the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended. Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it. Stir in the chips.

Using an ice cream scoop with a 1/4-cup capacity, scoop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2-inches apart. You could also simply use a 1/4-cup measuring cup if you don’t have a scoop. Use the back of the scoop or measuring cup to smooth and flatten the rounds.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 16 minutes. Cool them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool cimpletely.

OPTIONAL: Dust the cooled cookies lightly with powdered sugar. The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.