Lessons learned in pregnancy...

• Maternity pants are likely to make me lazy because they don't require buttoning or zipping...I hope I can remember those things once I move past maternity-wear.
• "Women don't fart until they're pregnant" (quote from my husband)
• Carrying a baby feels like stuffing a dodgeball beneath uncomfortably tight skin...insert a hairless squirrel into the dodgeball, and have it flail about periodically in a wave-pool of juices. Then, before lying in bed at night, strap a heavy watermelon to your stomach.  Lay down, and see if you can lay on your back for very long without feeling a little bit like you're suffocating.  Now roll from side to side periodically to get comfy, all the while balancing a pillow between your knees. (Also, imagine an achy pelvis and bruised ribs). 
• Babies respond to sugar in the womb just as much as they will out of the womb...don't give kids soda.
• Don't tell your wife you think she looks full-term when she still has 4 months to go.
• Don't register for every baby gadget on the market...
• Say "no" to underwires.
• If you're picking garden beans, don't straddle the rows; this may induce a pesky limp.
• If coffee makes you want to gag, try Chai Tea.
• It's okay to eat breakfast twice.
• Looking at the scale at the Doctor's office may cause tears.
• I've been told that "outie" belly buttons eventually recede.
• Sometimes laughing can turn instantly to bawling...particularly if your bladder betrays you.
• Be active, but don't overdo too quickly if you haven't done a particular exercise for a while.
• Seeing my belly move for the first time scared me (but now it's comforting and highly entertaining).
• Bending over doesn't squash the baby.
• Your body will probably feel foreign...
• Only you can choose your attitude (hard to remember at times when feeling icky).
• Sometimes I feel left out of certain activities and miss Ryan, but he feels left out when he's away too...grass isn't always greener...
• Always pack snacks, water, and extra clothes...
• Know where a bathroom is at all times (or a backyard in a pinch...)
• One of my pregnancy mottos: Why bend over when you can use your toes?
• If shaving your legs was a bit of a chore before...it still is...
• Expect to wet yourself at some point during pregnancy, but hope you're lucky enough to not...
• Embrace waddling.
• No woman wants to hear from a man that "birth can't be as bad as it's made out to be"...that's just playing with fire.
• Though it's often uncomfortable, I want to keep this baby safely growing inside for as long as he or she needs to be healthy.

Spaghetti Sauce just like Mom's

So here is the spaghetti sauce recipe I've grown up on... I'm including a few pictures just for fun...and because I have this dream of being like the Pioneer Woman... :)  (Find her at:   http://thepioneerwoman.com/    or     https://www.facebook.com/thepioneerwoman)


Spaghetti Sauce

8-10 Quarts of blended tomatoes
1 c. blended onion (you can use chunks, but we always had to be sneaky because Dad loathes onions)
4 cloves minced garlic or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
24 oz. tomato paste (add the cans one at a time so you can tweak the amount based on how thick you like your sauce to be)
1/4 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. dried basil
1 Tbsp. salt
3/4 tsp. black pepper
2 bay leaves

Directions:  Put all ingredients in a large pot, and simmer until it reaches the consistency you desire.  If you cook on the stovetop, make sure to stir in fairly frequently so it doesn't scorch).  You can also use a giant Nesco roaster or even just a big pan in the oven overnight on 200-250 degrees to cook the mixture down.  If you are able to juice the tomatoes ahead of time so that you're working with mainly pulp, things will move along much more quickly...).  Once the concoction is to your liking and you've taste-tested the bubbly goodness, jar it up, and either pressure can it (15 minutes at 11 lbs. pressure) or hot water bath it (20 minutes according to family tradition or 40 minutes according to my canning book). Some will also suggest that you add 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice per quart of spaghetti sauce to ensure that it is acidic enough to help prevent botulism.  I did this last year, but my husband thinks it taints the flavor a bit.  I never noticed a difference, but you decide what to do.


Don't be shy; if you taste test your sauce and think it needs a bit more spice, go ahead and add what you think is missing because the flavors/amounts may vary a bit based on how ripe the tomatoes are & whether or not you juice them...

Start with lots of fresh tomatoes...  Rinse them, and take out the core along with any icky spots that wouldn't taste or look good in sauce.  Cut them into pieces that are manageable for your juicer.

This is the juicer I grew up using...that's why I have big arm muscles...

This is the juicer/chopper that I'm so glad Ryan got before we were married...

Here is the juicer making quick work of separating the juice from the pulp...

The pulp gets to simmer with lots of spices to make a nice, thick spaghetti sauce that smells AMAZING!  The juice you saw earlier will get seasoned and canned too, but having the two separate saves so much time with thickening the sauce.

Once the sauce reaches your desired consistency, it can be ladled into clean jars (or eaten on the spot if you have some noodles handy).  Heat new lids in hot water (to soften the rubber rim), and screw on the bands.

Lower jars into your pressure canner (If you're using the hot water bath method, you'd need to have enough water to cover the jars, but the pressure method only uses 3 quarts of water...I used to be scared that I'd explode a pressure canner, but it's growing on me now... :o)

Make sure jars don't touch each other (and not the canner walls either!)...They may rattle and cause breakage...losing a jar is like pouring gold off a cliff...very sad.

Once the pressure goes completely back to zero (or after your hot water bath timer goes off), remove jars so they can cool on the counter.  They should give a "popping" sound as they seal on their own...but don't push on them while they're hot.  Then, take a nap...