Day 365 - Nursery Reveal!

Tonight Quinn installed the curtain pull backs in the babes room, which is the final thing so the room is finally all ready!!! Just in time to be my last blog post for my year of something new - So wonderful and appropriate . . . the perfect transition from this blog to one that is sure to follow and be all about our new adventure as parents and to capture the lives of our sweet baby boys :)







New Years Eve 2010! We are off to Quinn's brothers to ring in the new year! Its sure to be out best yet :) CHEERS!

Day 364 - Town Topic

We have driven by probably a hundred times and many of those times had joked about going . . . and today we made that dream a reality. Lunch from Town Topic in KC - MO, yes please :)

The inside was a tight squeeze, luckily we were planning to order ours togo

The menu was much more extensive than I imagined and we have big plans to head back some day to try the biscuits & gravy, but today we had our hearts & stomachs set on cheese burgers (and because I can, since I am a very pregnant lady, and the sign said
'fresh pies' . . . a slice of blueberry pie too)

All-in-all it was a place worth checking out and the burger was great too


Other than the guy who asked is I was carrying 3 babies (luckily I was able to respond that there were indeed 2 little babes cooking), it was great and actually, I honestly thought that guy was the perfect touch to the experience :)

Day 363 - Yellow Melon

Please help identify this mystery melon . . .

I picked it up at Costco for a something new to try and figured I could do my research later to figure out what exactly it was since at Costco it was only labeled 'Yellow Melon'. Well, once home I found about 4 or 5 possibilities . . . but think it may actually just be called 'Yellow Melon' - clever.

Any who, it is actually a very refreshing tasty fruit. I sliced it into quarters

Removed the seeds

and cut pieces, just like you would do for a cantaloupe or honey dew

It was a great snack and I have to say if you ever run across a Yellow Melon and are unsure of what it really is - give it a try anyway :)

Day 362 - Coconut Water

Last time we were at the grocery store I picked up some coconut water to try it out.

I am not sure if people actually drink this on its own or if it is primarily used for cooking . . . either way today I tried some straight up and it was not bad, not something I will drink on a regular basis, but it actually was refreshing and had a very mild flavor.

Day 361 - A new movie treat, Reeces Whoppers

Quinn and I both had the day off today and decided to take full advantage and get out and go to a movie (we have been told many times this will not happen for quit some time after the boys arrive). We saw The Fighter, but the new thing for the day comes in the form of sugar. Before the show we stopped at Walgreen's for some treats and one of the candies we got were Reece's Whoppers

Quinn picked these out (he loves anything Reece's) but he was nice enough to share with me.

There are so many types and varieties of candy on the shelf today that I bet it's pretty difficult for a new one to 'make it' but these Reeces Whoppers have a good chance :) They are pretty good! and if you like Reeces & Whoppes already - you won't be disappointed.

Day 360 - Christmas with all my family - Lots of nice new things :)

Today really felt like Christmas! - All of my immediate family came to town and everyone being together and making the trip meant so much to me. This was the first time I had my entire family (Mom, Dad, Janelle, Nate, Michelle, Nick and little baby Liam too) to our house all at once. Our house is pretty small so we were all nice and cozy for the celebration and I wouldn't of wanted it any other way

Everyone made it into town around lunch time so we picked up some pizzas and got situated. We had our skype Christmas, on Christmas morning so most of the gift had already been opened, but Quinn and I got to open all our presents which was lots of fun!!

After presents and hanging out a bit we headed to church (also, so nice to have the family all together) and then dinner at Bristol on the Plaza and we wrapped up our day of fun with yogurt from Yogurtini - perfection!

This Christmas season was such a special one with our babies on the way and both Quinn and my families made many special arrangements to accommodate us. We are so very blessed and thankful!

Day 359 - Merry Christmas & Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Our first and only Christmas we will probably ever have where it's just me & Quinn, so I had to do something special - what can be more special than homemade cinnamon rolls!?!

Ingredients: (Makes about 20)

1/2 cup water
2 packages active dry yeast, (105-F To 115-F)
2 tbl spoons sugar
1, 3.5 oz. vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, (melted)
2 eggs, (large or jumbo)
1 tsp. salt
7-8 cups flour, (8 cups with jumbo eggs)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, (softened)
2 cups brown sugar
4 tsp.cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon milk


Directions:

ROLLS:
In a bowl combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside.

In large bowl, take pudding mix and prepare according to package directions

Add margarine, eggs and salt. Mix well

Then add yeast mixture. Blend

Gradually add flour; knead until smooth. Place in a greased bowl

Cover and let rise until doubled.

Punch down dough

and let rise again

(This is the first time I made real, serious dough and was so excited it worked!) *tip: I warmed the oven and ten turned off the heat and placed the bowl & dough there to rise. (about 85 degrees)

Then roll out on floured board to 34 x 21" size (I had to use our kitchen table since normal people don't just have huge boards to roll dough on)

Take 1/2 cup soft margarine and spread over surface

In bowl, mix 2 cups brown sugar and 4 teaspoons cinnamon. Sprinkle over top.

Roll up very tightly. With knife, put a notch every 2". Cut with thread or knife (I used a knife and it worked great)

Place on lightly greased cookie sheet 2" apart.

Take hand and lightly press down on each roll

Cover and let rise until double again

Bake at 350F 15-20 minutes. Remove when they start to turn golden.


Cream Cheese Frosting:
To make frosting, mix all ingredients until smooth and frost warm rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

Merry Christmas to me!!! These are so worth the effort (but be warned - it is a large effort!)

Yummy :)

Day 358 - Christmas Eve at our house & Dinner at Sullivans

No more trips back to Nebraska after Thanksgiving . . . that's how Q & I decided to handle travel since I am oh-so pregnant with twins. So tonight we had our first ever on-our-own Christmas Eve. We decided to go to Sullivan's steak house (another first, although I have been tot he one on Omaha) anyway. We had a really nice dinner

(that wine glass in front of me is Quinn's - duh!)

Our meals were delicious and the service was great too

After dinner we did get some family time in. We went to Quinn's brother house to visit a bit and have some dessert (yummy cannoli's).

We headed home to relax a bit before going to midnight mass at our church. We often do midnight mass back in Omaha with my family, but always have to get there early so we can all sit together, so we decided to head to our mass early too - just in case, even though it was just the 2 of us . . . and so we got lots of extra prayers in :) The procession into mass was abloutely precious and brought me to tears. A sweet little girl, about 4 years old and with special needs walked in with Father, carrying the baby Jesus that she placed into the crib scene in front of the church. What a perfect way to start the celebration of the greatest gift - Jesus's birth!

Day 357 - My Brest Friend

Check out this fancy new pillow Quinn bought for me today.

It's my 'brest friend' for feeding the twins. The lady from our breast feeding class told us about it, so we decided we will give it a try - I'll take all the help I can get!!

Day 356 - Glace

Tonight we went to Glace, a great new ice cream place in town and I am so glad we did.

They had a variety of interesting flavors and plenty of traditional ones to choose from too. I think my favorite thing was the chocolate & caramal sauces. It was seriously the best ice cream I have had in along time (maybe ever)

Amazing ice cream! = Happy pregnant lady :)

Day 355 - Sweater Comb

After about a week of hunting for a sweater comb, I finally found a site that had just the thing, CLICK HERE. I had to order it online, but once it arrives I will be sure to add some pictures of a demo of the tool.

I heard about this in a Martha Stewart magazine or maybe the TV show a while back and have been wanting one ever since. Hopefully it's worth all the effort!

Day 354 - A new Knitting Project

Today I went to the yarn store and got a new type of yarn, a new set of needles and am starting a project for someone I have never knit anything for, before. I also had to have the yarn shoppe wind my yarn for me, which was another first . . . I can't wait to finish so I can share with you.

It's off to a great start!

Day 353 - Curtains for the Nursery

Tongiht Quinn got all of the drapes hung in the nursery - They look so great!

These are the same panels we hung - I didn't use the valance, but some sheers instead. Once I reveal the nursery you can see how it all came together :)

Day 352 - Ill Momma-to-be

Well, I made it just over 33 weeks of pregnancy without getting sick, but today that all changed. I have never felt so icky! (seriously, it has been a terrible day)

It started at about 4:30 A.M. this morning and I have done nothing all day.

I've called the doctor twice, just to be safe and everything seems to be safe for the babies so I am just taking it easy!

I am starting to feel better, so hopefully I will be able to get in a good nights sleep tonight and start to feel better soon.

Day 351 - Fancy Tape Dispencer

I recently saw a commercial for a nifty little tape dispenser and thought, is that really necessary - well, my dad was recently visiting us and he gave me one which I used tonight . . .

The verdict is - it really is worth it! It was very useful and made gift wrapping much easier. The tape ran out quicker than I would have expected, but it was very handy

Thanks dad!

Day 350 - Diaper Bag!

Tonight, I had one of my book clubs and got a big surprise when I got there - my diaper bag!! My friend Lindsey know I really wanted this particular bag and coordinated with all of the other book clubbers to go in together to get it for me, wha hoo!!

They also threw in these cute bibs :) he he

Thank you so much ladies for your thoughtfulness - you made my day! My week :)

Day 349 - Pierponts

Tonight Quinn and I went to dinner to Pierpont's. It's a great restaurant at Union Station and I thought it would be a perfect spot to get in the holiday spirit, plus we had a Groupon to use.

They had a special promotion on their menu for a salad, small plate, entree and dessert so we each did that - it was a lost of food, but everything was so delicious and it was the perfect way to get to try lots of different items


Our waitress was so sweet and when she found out we were pregnant with twins she put candles in our dessert for us :)

We had a wonderful night out!

Day 348 - Storage Cubes & Side table

Today an early Christmas present arrived! I have been trying to find the perfect solution for an end table in our little nursery, but since space is tight I wanted something that could also be used as storage. I asked for 2 of these great storage cubes and tonight they arrived.

They are so great. The quality & craftsmanship is awesome and they hold tons of toys and books! Check back soon for the completed nursery pics to see how they look in the boys room.

Day 347 - Cheesy Bites Pizza

Tonight we decorated our Christmas tree. This is always one of my favorite Christmas traditions. As a kid my family always made it such a special night and Quinn and I have carried on the tradition to our family



Normally we would to make a nice dinner together, to sit and enjoy in front of our beautifully decorated tree, but tonight we decided to keep it simple and order a pizza, and in the spirit of doing something new, we went with the Pizza Hut cheesy bite pizza :)

It was pretty good, the regular stuffed crust is better and all of the tempting commercials sure make this pizza look better than ours did, but it did accomplish our main goal - simple, easy dinner.