It's been a while

Well, I've done it again. I've let my little blog sit... for months. I've missed it though I have to confess, I've spend a lot more time in the past 7 months looking at cloth diapers online than vintage fashion. Oliver isn't a big fan of letting my sit on the computer but I use my phone to browse when he's nursing or sleeping. If only typing on my phone was faster, I would have probably blogged much more.

This blog was my creative and, to a lesser extent, emotional outlet. I've missed it, however I'm not sure if I will be keeping it's premise the same. At this point in my life I'm much more of a mommy than a fashion fan and my photography is more the gummy grins of my baby than creative works of art. So, I may be changing it up but we'll see as time goes on.

I do still have my Etsy shop. I still need to add more inventory to it. Most other things have also stayed the same, except my baby boy is growing and learning to crawl and give mama kisses.

 

Life is good.

Happy Birthday Trey!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Husband Trey.  

You are my  best friend and the smartest, most loving man I know. You've worked so hard to provide for me and our little boy. We couldn't ask for a better Daddy and Hubby. 

I hope this year is your best year of your life yet. I'm glad you've chosen me to spent it with.

I love you.

What's New?

I've been working on editing pictures and adding items in the Sincerely Rae Etsy shop in the rare moments when Oliver is asleep and I'm not sleeping along with him. I'm pretty excited about the new pieces! I've had some luck in my latest procurement adventures and I'm loving the results.

Teal Green Day Dress

 Blue & Pearl Cardi

 

Flight Attendant Blouse

I've been trying to find the proper name for a collar like this. If you know, please let me know.

Spring Fling Skirt

Bold Floral Skirt

Enjoy!

Pretties on Pinterest

I was lurking around Pinterest.com today and found some pretty pictures. That site is amazing for inspiration. Especially when I've been on my couch for the better part of a month. My growing boy is inspiring, the TV, not so much.

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Mexican Chicken Casserole

My head is still so out of the blogging world, I have over a thousand posts in my Google reader to read. The sweet baby is just way more important though. I'm enjoying every moment with him, even the ones where he wakes up every 30 minutes at night from being so gassy.

I wanted to share this yummy casserole recipe with you. It's a winner with the husband so hopefully you'll like it too.

MEXICAN CHICKEN CASSEROLE 

1 chicken, cooked and cut in pieces (or 1 lb. ground beef)
1 med. pkg. tortilla chips
1/4 c. onion
1/4 c. chopped green pepper
Chili powder to taste (1 tsp.)
Garlic powder to taste (1/2 tsp.)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can Old El Paso tomatoes and green chilies (10 oz.)
1 sm. pkg. Cheddar cheese

In 9x13" pan place tortilla chips. Place meat over chips. Mix soups, can of tomatoes with green chilies, with chili powder, garlic, onion, and green peppers and pour over meat. Grate Cheddar cheese and sprinkle on top.

Bake at 350°F for 1 hour.

Can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Serves 6-8.

Two and Three Weeks Old

I can't believe my baby boy is three weeks old already! We've been doing really good but most of our time is devoted to sleeping or nursing. That's why I haven't done a blog post in over a week! My brain hasn't been processing anything fashion, photography or vintage related. It's been all Oliver all the time.

I did put up a few new items in the Sincerely Rae Etsy shop, you should all definitely check those out.

Since I missed putting up the baby's two week old pictures, here they are:

Two Weeks Old

(Click for full size)

Three Weeks Old

Labor Inducing Eggplant Parmigiana

I was racking my brain for a post that wasn't baby related but honestly, that just seems silly right now. My every waking moment revolves around this little guy and I'm perfectly happy with that at the moment. I can't believe he'll be two weeks old tomorrow. It's crazy to think that I could still be pregnant with him right now.

I was so ready to have him the week I started going into labor. I goggled labor inducing tricks and read tons on random forums. Castor oil was not an option though, I only tried the wives' tales about food. Since I figured no real damage could be done by food that I had eaten before in the pregnancy. I tried spicy foods, cumin and pineapple. What I think really did the trick was the Eggplant Parmigiana.

I came across this article: Eggplant Parmigiana Alla Scalini's

According to the article 300 pregnant women have eaten this Eggplant at Scalini's and gone into labor within 48 hours. If the women bought the parmigiana and didn't go into labor they get a gift certificate for a free meal. Win-win.

Even if you aren't preggo, this recipe is so delicious. I froze an extra pan of it and I can't wait to break that out once our lovely friends aren't bringing us dinner anymore.

Ingredients

3 medium sized eggplants

1 cup flour

6 eggs, beaten

4 cups fine Italian bread crumbs, seasoned

Olive oil for sauteing

8 cups of marinara sauce (recipe below)

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 pounds of mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 cups of ricotta cheese

Directions

1. After you wash the eggplant, slice them into 1/4-inch thick slices. You may choose to peel the eggplant before you slice it. However, you may want to leave the skin on since it contains a lot of vitamins.

2. Place the eggplant slices on a layer of paper towels and sprinkle with a little salt, then cover with another layer of paper towels and hold it down with something heavy to drain the excess moisture. Let them sit for about an hour.

3. Working with one slice of eggplant at a time, dust with flour, dip in beaten eggs, then coat well with breadcrumbs.

4. Saute in preheated olive oil on both sides until golden brown.

5. In baking dish, alternate layers of marinara sauce, eggplant slices, ricotta, parmesan and Romano cheeses, until you fill the baking dish, about 1/8 inch from the top. Cover with shredded mozzarella cheese, and bake for 25 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.



Scalini's Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons of chopped garlic

3 Tablespoons of olive oil

8 cups chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)

1 cup onions, chopped

1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper

1/8 cup of fresh chopped sweet basil

Pinch of thyme

Pinch of rosemary

One teaspoon salt

One teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Lightly saute the onions in olive oil in large pot for a few minutes.

2. Add garlic and saute another minute.

3. Add tomatoes and bring sauce to a boil, then turn heat low.

4. Add remaining ingredients, stir, cover and let simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Recipe courtesy of John Bogino, Scalini's Italian Restaurant, Smyrna, Ga.
www.scalinis.com

 

So, the day before I gave birth I had those false labor contractions for a few hours in the morning. Then I went to the market, bought all these ingredients and got cooking. I don't know if it was the delicious eggplant that put me into labor that night or the 3 hours cooking in a hot kitchen. Either way, I gave birth and start to finish my labor was 12 hours. 

I really wouldn't recommend eating a huge meal when you know you might give birth soon. Let's just say it wasn't pretty or delicious the second time...