holiday mix

i'm thinking of doing a couple more of these for christmas.  xx!

rigatoni with tuna and sun-dried tomatoes

this dish is really good, and really, really inexpensive, really fast, and doesn't taste inexpensive and fast.  i'm gonna make this once a week i think (maybe double it because i wish i had some left-ovcrs right now)!

what you need:
a box of rigatoni
4 oz shredded parm
1 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
1 cup fresh parsley, divided
 6 tbs olive oil
2 garlic cloves, all chopped and stuff
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 pouches chunk light tuna

first, boil your pasta and cook accoding to package directions then drain

meanwhile pat tomatoes dry with paper towel and slice those and the parsley

heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat and add garlic and the pepper flakes and cook a couple minutes until the garlic turns golden and stir in the tuna and tomatoes, cook like 3 minutes until the tomatoes are tender.

then add the pasta, half of the parsley and half of the cheese and toss.

when you put the pasta on each plate to serve top with more cheese and parsley

enjoy!
xx

the snowflake massacre

okay that was a bit dramatic but i'd like to think that i'm pretty good at crafts.  however yesterday i was defeated by the snowflake coffee filter cut outs.  i spent an hour, folding, and cutting, and getting what looked like doilies, and one looks like an iron cross (how?!?!).  finally i pulled up a template where there was a gray area and a white area on the picture, and i kept cutting out the gray part and it kept coming out worse, finally i realized that you were supposed to cut out the white part and it took me a good half hour to notice what i was doing wrong but by that time i was over it.  all i wanted was to cut out snowflakes, dye the coffee filters and hang them from my window.  i know its simple, but i suppose i'm just overthinking, i don't even know.

i'm scared for it to snow now, i'll probably be in the corner rocking back and forth waiting for it to stop, i've never been so frustrated in all my life.  never again!

today i woke up in an abnormally good mood, i think it was because i looked out my window first thing and saw the most beautiful sky, full of winter snow clouds.  it's been a really relaxing morning, i've been cleaning up a storm this morning and c has turned our dining room table into an art studio and has been doodling away.

an ode to the prince

everywhere we go, my coco is the man of the day.  women stop dead in their tracks at the grocery store to exclaim, their hands over their hearts, "oh".  pediatricians walk into exam rooms and gasp, "that face!"  old men wink at him on the sidewalks, and say to me, "keep having babies. you're obviously good at it." my coco is a like drug. one hit of his sweet smile, one dose of his sassy and cute personality, and you're immediately addicted to children for life, it's been this way since he was a baby.  i want a million more coco's! one after another after another after another, i'm like afraid that i won't be able to go a minute without a coco in my arms ever, ever again.

and do i sometimes get lost? just the mom behind the adorable child? "don't mind me, i just birthed him, that's all."  um, yes. but happily so. everywhere we go, i get to see faces light up, bad moods erase, and serious old european people melt to a puddle of goo, all because of this silly boy. what could be more beautiful in the whole world than that?

this is the truth: my coco is one special little guy.  sometimes it seems as though his mere existence is proof that there is a god who loves us, because i think, how can there not be a god when something so perfect exists? sometimes i catch myself feeling as though his life is a reminder that he hears our prayers. sometimes i think i can look into my coco's eyes and see straight through to heaven.

linguine with eggplant ragout

i found this recipe in the current issue of the rachel ray magazine, it was one of those means from the "10$ spot", it was really good and simple, i piled mine high with parmesan and with a side of garlic toast.

you'll need:

2 eggplants (about 2 pounds)
1 pound linguine pasta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
one 14.5-ounce can chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
parmesan cheese for topping

first, preheat the oven to 350, and pierce the eggplants all over with a fork, place on a baking sheet and then bake until it's really soft, about an hour.

let it cool for a little, then cut the eggplants in half and scoop out the insides into a bowl or plate and set aside.

meanwhile boil your linguine in salted water til it's al dente, drain and set aside, saving 1/2 cup of the water.

in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes.  add the tomatoes (juice included) and cook until the liquid has reduced, about 10 minutes.  stir in the eggplant til it's all heated through and season with salt and pepper (i though it didn't need salt).

finally, add the pasta and basil; toss to coat. add the reserved pasta cooking water as needed. (i didn't need)

enjoy!
xx

construction paper christmas tree

so this morning my husband and c had craft time of their own and they made this adorable christmas tree!  i'm kind of jealous because i usually have to get my craft inspiration from on the web and books, this one he just popped right out of his head (but don't tell him i said i was jealous shhh)

follow the jump for an easy how to!

so i'm really obsessed with cleaning, i vacuum at least twice a day because i love seeing the lines on the carpet and i'm an obsessed couch cushion fluffer.  i'm also really really really obsessed with mrs. meyers cleaning products, so imagine my face when i was browsing my reader and saw the nester's collection!  i am so jealous this is such a dream!

via: the nester

mixtape

i don't really have much to say, C is asleep right now, first night without a diaper i'm only a little nervous because he's in my bed eeps!

i swear i'm like the worst blog owner ever. i'm always changing hosts and names but i'm pretty sure this address is permanent.
xx