The BIG News!

We are so excited to announce that a little baby 

GIRL 

will be joining our family at the end of June!

To share the news with local family members, we decided to have everybody over for cake and ice cream.  A thin layer of pink icing was going to be spread neatly between two layers of the cake so that, once cut, the cake would reveal the gender of our baby.  How fun!

To save money, I thought it would be a good idea to make the cake(s) myself.  Not so fun.

The cake was a complete disaster.

But, the party, nonetheless, seemed to be a hit!  (The baby girl gets all the credit for that!)

Here are some shots of the festivities...

the disastrous cake (with pink icing!)

Grandma Harvella did the honors

Jack thinks, "If having a baby sister means I get cake, then sign me up!"

Jack and his GG

A family shot

Aunt Lauren and Uncle Adam

Big Brother Jack (thanks for the shirt, Erin!)

Jack showing the muscles he'll be using to protect his little sister!

 

Baby Gillis (Number Two)!

Is this little one a boy or a girl? Stay tuned to find out....!

February Brunch Bunch

It was so fun to have the girls over for brunch bunch this month.  And the added bonus was that I got to meet Tammy's new baby, Zach!  (Jack was being a bit of a camera hog while we were taking the picture!)

I tried out a new recipe I got from a co-worker on the girls and it turned out to be a big hit.  Definitely one I want to make again soon.  Maybe this weekend....

Spinach Quiche

9" unbaked pie crust, well-chilled

(I used the recipe for pie crust that I found here and chilled the crust in the refrigerator while I put together the rest of the recipe)

butter or margarine

1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

1/2 pound Swiss cheese, shredded (2 cups)

2 cups chopped spinach

mushrooms (optional)

1 Tbs flour

3 eggs

1 cup half-and-half 

(my co-worker uses regular milk)

1 tsp salt

pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spread pie crust with 1 Tbs butter or margarine.

In a small skillet over medium heat, in 2 Tbs of melted butter or margarine, cook onions until tender, about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl with wire whisk or hand beater, beat eggs with milk, salt, and pepper.

Mix in onions, cheese, spinach, mushrooms, and flour.  Pour into pie crust.  Bake 10 minutes.  

Turn oven control to 325 degrees and bake 30 to 35 minutes longer until knife inserted in center comes out clean (I ended up having to cook mine for about 45-50 minutes before it was ready).

Makes 6 servings

While we were relaxing downstairs on the sofa, Jack took a blue crayon and decorated the wall... right in front of us!  He was quite proud of his handiwork and happy to pose for a picture with his work of art.

The Gravedigger's Daughter by Joyce Carol Oates

 

Talk about a depressing read...

I have read Joyce Carol Oates in the past (We Were the Mulvaneys and Haunted: Tales of the Grotesque) and I just can't decide if I am a fan or not.

I am not opposed to dark, malancholy books as a rule, but this one was just so sad and slow-moving that it became hard for me to find any point in reading it. I did finish the book and I do appreciate Oates' writing talent, but this book was just not for me.