Bump Photos

20 Weeks

 24 Weeks

.... and I'm now 25 weeks. Only 15 left to go!

Cumberland Fair and other fun!

What a great weekend!

Friday morning we woke up with 3 dogs in our house. How did that happen?

Friday night Ben was hunting, so Mackenna and I enjoyed some outdoor play and cuddles on the couch. A perfect way to end a pretty stressful work week.

When Ben got home I surprised him with prime rib for dinner, his favorite meal. I have never made anything like this before, and it was a hit! He said it was just as good as Texas Roadhouse. And in Ben's world, that is a perfect prime rib.

Served with his favorite side, a loaded baked potato and au jous.

On Saturday, the Mainers in us went to the Cumberland Fair. It was a HOT sunny 80 degree September day. We were a little over dressed for the heat wave, but had a blast. For lunch I got Mackenna a corn dog, and she loved it! 

Cruisin around the fair

We took Mackenna on some rides. Yes, that's Ben and Mackenna on the far left slide! 

We put together Baby D's first purchase, a Mamaroo! I've been eyeing one of these ever since I found out we were pregnant, and found a returned open- box item at Target for an awesome deal, so I snatched it up. There is even a "car ride" motion button, how cool is that...

I made homemade Brown Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake. Heaven. 

Recipe to come soon...

Sunday morning we went out to breakfast at Windham's newest breakfast joint, The Grateful Bread. I'm a sucker for it because it serves Coffee By Design in unlimited refills. Ben got these breakfast pancake tacos, which were so cool looking I had to get a photo.

Sunday we went to a birthday party for Madi at Smiling Hill Farm. Another beautiful day, and Mackenna loved another chance to see animals. It was a great afternoon! Happy 2nd Birthday Madiysn! 

And lastly, we wrapped up this Monday morning with Mackenna's first day at her new "school," The Little Red School House.This is the best photo I could get of her, in the car before we got out and went in. But if you look closely you can see her dimple and how big her smile was. She had a great first day.

Farmhouse Table

A few months back, Ben made us this fabulous new dining room table.  He loves wood working, and is always looking for his next project. We were in the market for a new table, and I wanted something family friendly, that would last forever. Ben had the solution, he'd make just what we wanted.

I showed him some inspiration photos that I loved online, and we settled on using plans found on Ana White's DIY site. We are also using her site for Mackenna's twin bed plans. See all her site here: Ana White

For a stain, we used a bleached white wash on top of a darker stain, with some sanding in between coats. It came out perfectly. Pottery Barn-ish, without the Pottery Barn price tag. Materials and stain came in at just under $200.00.

All framed up in the basement!
(I wasn't great at taking photos throughout the building process.)

Viola!

The table isn't small. It can seat 8-10. And up to 12 if you really wanted it to. Since we love entertaining, we wanted to maximize all the space we had in our dining room. It measures 96" long, and 40" wide. Ben also made 'aprons' for the end of of each side of the table, that we can add to fit additional end chairs.

Ben came up with the design of the bench, to match the table. 

And on the opposing side, I found these affordable set of chairs that are kid friendly. You can't stain metal with pasta sauce, no matter how hard you try.

I absolutely love how the stain/ white wash combination came out.

It fits the room perfectly. The final product is just what we were hoping for. Something sturdy, rustic- looking, and family friendly. Many memories, delicious meals, and "cheers" will be had at this table over the coming decades. 

Rug: Ballard Designs

Aluminum chairs: Overstock

Burlap Runner: Ebay

Welcome to the world, Quincy!

Yesterday Ben and I had the pleasure of meeting Quincy, the newest addition to Ethan and Jessie's family. Just a little under a year ago we were in their wedding, and here we are in the hospital meeting their son. I had to snap a few photos, of course. He is a super handsome, very healthy, sweet little boy. Little Quincy and our Baby D will be just about 4 months apart, so we know there are plenty of play dates in the future. And who knows,  maybe even a first day at Windham Elementary together. We couldn't be happier for these two to become parents.

Ben, "I'm ready for another one." Well, thats good. Because you're having one!

The glowing mom. 

Overnight Crockpot Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

This morning's breakfast was a welcome treat from our typically chaotic weekday morning routine. I found this super easy recipe online, threw it in the crock pot last night before bed, and viola- Breakfast in the morning! We all loved it, and tonight, we are enjoying it with ice cream. 

Here are the super easy directions. I added nutmeg and a bit of honey. 

Throw 2 sliced apples, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon in the bottom of the crock pot. Pour 2 cups of oatmeal and 4 cups of water on top. Do NOT stir. Cook overnight for 8 – 9 hours on low. 

Wednesday morning breakfast at The Siemens! 

Apple Picking

On Sunday, we met Nana and Grandpa Rodney at Thompson's Orchard in New Gloucester for some apple pickin'. It was a beautiful Maine fall afternoon and Mackenna had a great time. Shes been asking for an 'abble' every night when she gets home.

Trying her first apple, ever. 

Fun with Nana and Grandpa Rodney.

Apple Stuffed Pork Loin

Maybe in my next life, I'll be a food blogger. I could get used to this...

I'm embracing the fall weather and fall cooking. Well, mostly the eating. But the cooking and fall too. This past weekend we went apple picking, and I already had this recipe picked out to make the following night. It didn't disappoint, and I love meals I can throw on the crock pot in them morning and its ready and smells delicious when I get home. I recommend this to anyone!

Ingredients

Pork Loin, 2.5-3 lbs. (We used a 1 1/2 lb seasoned loin)
Red Delicious Apples, 3 sliced
Honey, approx 4 T
Cinnamon, 2 T

Directions
Lay the apple slices (from two of the apples) in the bottom of the crockpot.
Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Cut slits in the pork loin (approx 1/2″-3/4″).
Drizzle some honey into the slits.
Then place apple slices into the slits.
Place the pork loin into the crockpot.
Drizzle the top with the remainder of the honey.
Place the rest of the apples on top.
Then sprinkle the whole thing with cinnamon.
Cook on low for 7 hours.

We served ours with curry cous cous, which I love. And Ben, just eats.