ExtravaCANza!

Blinn and I chose this 98+ degree weekend to take our first foray into canning! We canned about 2 lbs. of string beans from our garden this weekend using my Grandma Hazel's spicy-pickled string bean recipe. It was definitely a bit warm in our little kitchen, but the final result produced 6 jars of pickled beans that we hope turn out well.

Our first garden continues to grow! I took some pictures of our tomatoes, jalapenos, green peppers, pumpkin, and our corn. We also have basil, red peppers, onions, and carrots, but I didn't want to make this any more veggie-heavy than it already is.

In other news, I had my first hamburger in 12 weeks today and it tasted gooooood! Could entry into the second trimester be the end of my food aversions?! I hope so, because I'm not sure if a life without steak and hamburgers is really worth living...sorry PETA.

Tomatoes & one of our pumpkins

Jalapenos and green peppers

Mark your calendars!

We're having a baby! My due date is February 26, 2009. Blinn and I are thrilled as are Baby C's Grandparents, Aunties, and Uncles. We had our 10 week appointment last Wednesday, and even though we were unable to hear a heartbeat, the Dr. did an ultrasound (so cool!) and confirmed the due date based on the baby's size and told us that the heartbeat is a healthy 164 bpm. Baby C is the size of a plum and, get excited, no longer has a tail!

In other news, we celebrated my Mom's birthday at our house on Sunday. It was a great afternoon for some of Blinn's famous flank steak and good company. Speaking of flank steak, our darling Gus sure enjoyed some. As Blinn was cutting the steak, apparently Gus was quietly (and for those of you who know Gus, you know he is FAR from quiet) standing under the cutting board getting drenched by the meat drippings. Blinn then told me that Gus had "some" (emphasis on the word SOME) steak juice on his head. Well, this is what SOME looks like:

His entire head was soaked! He is now known fondly as Steak Head. After this picture was taken, Steak Head received his 2nd bath of the day.