Kendra's Kampfire

Monday, May 7, 2018

Maternity Mondays - Week 38

Holy cow friends. This is it. This is my last week being pregnant!! It really hasn't sunk in yet to be honest. I am so incredibly excited, but also really nervous! Due to a concern with the umbilical cord, they are wanting to induce us a week early. So when we walk into the hospital next Saturday night, we know we will be walking out as a family of THREE! Which is so incredibly overwhelming to think about.

Awkward

-Everything about my physically is awkward at this stage

-The number of times I get up to pee in the middle of the night - my poor husband

Awesome

-Getting my last mani/pedi for awhile. I had to choose a baby blue color in honor of our little man

-Knowing we made it as far as we can go. That is such a blessing and a relief to us

How far along? 38 Weeks

Maternity Clothes? Yep. I'll be honest. I'm pretty much living in my comfy pj pants and a baggy shirt. Nothing else makes me feel as comfortable at this point.

Stretch Marks? Just the couple small dots on my hips, but those are the only ones so far!

Best Moment this Week: Having one last Me Date, treating myself to a mani-pedi

Miss Anything: I think being able to sleep comfortably. I know sleep will be few and far between in a week or so, but being able to physically get comfortable will be a small blessing

Movement: This little man is one stubborn dude. On Friday, I didn't feel him at all, so we had to make the trip to Labor and Delivery. Even though his heartbeat came up strong on the NST, the doctor was concerned for lack of movement when she did the ultrasound. She told us that if the movement was still not what it should be, to call back the next day. Low and behold, the next day, no kicks. Went back in to L and D, heartbeat was incredibly solid, and we had little movement on the ultra sound machine. They scheduled me for another NST for Monday for an extra day of monitoring just to be safe. Flash forward to Sunday, he's moving up a storm. This little guy likes to keep us on our toes!

Food Cravings: Not really, just looking forward to eating a deli sandwich :)

Labor Signs: Just the Braxton Hicks at this point, and is becoming more and more exhausted a sign of labor? ;)

Looking Forward to: This time next week, I might be a Mom. And the blessing of that is not lost on me. I just cannot wait.

# Pregnancy

Thursday, May 3, 2018

Hubby's Hockey Tourny

Kendra Petrellese 3:14 PM 0 Comments

Oh CAHA. Each year my hubby plays in the California Amateur's Hockey Association tournament, and it is one of our favorite weekends of the year! This was our 4th year, 4th year! Every year, the same group of guys get together and kick butt at the tourny down in San Jose. The past few years, Mike and I have gotten a hotel and stayed in San Jose with the team, and treat it as a mini getaway. We spend most of the days at the rink, then go up to the awesome bar/restaurant they have that overlooks the rinks and pig out on bar food and beer. Then we usually all go out for a team dinner and hit the town for some drinks after. This year, obviously, looked a bit different for us. Me being 9 months pregnant, it was just going to be too much for me. So this year we stayed at my parents house in Castro Valley and drove down for each game. It worked out well, but we definitely missed spending the whole weekend with the team! The guys on the team, and their wives/girlfriends have become like our second family, and we feel so grateful to have this awesome group in our lives!

Here's a look down memory lane of past tournaments!

2014

This was our first year back in 2014! It was 11 am and we had already celebrated with 3 mimosas each, oh what a fun day we had

This was 2 weeks before he proposed! He had told the team, so they all knew, but I had NO IDEA!! We look like babies!

2015

In between games we went to Dave and Busters! Played some games, had some shots, and had an awesome time.

Our group out for drinks after a day of hockey!

2016

One of the only times you will see my hubby drink alcohol is on this weekend :)

2 of my favorite girls - out with our men!

2017

Last year I attended a John Pardi concert with work friends the day before the tourny, and the concert was right across the street from the hotel Mike and I were staying at! Definitely a fun way to start the weekend early!

Hubby snapped this pic of me before the first game :)

As a thank you for freezing my butt off at the rink all weekend, hubby treated me to some Cream :)

Last year my poor husband's back went out in Game 3, so he had to sit out the last game of the tourny.

2018

9 Months preggers but still cheering my man on!

All the wives/gfs!

Silly hubby photobombing. Love this girl so much

Some of the best men I know!

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Tasty Tuesday

Kendra Petrellese 3:30 AM 0 Comments

Hey all, happy Tuesday! I am sharing a recipe that has become a staple in our house lately. It is from my favorite, The Pioneer Woman, who always has guilty pleasure recipes that Mike and I really enjoy. This dish is great for a family weeknight meal, but it is also easy to make for a party or group get together because it makes a lot of portions.

Red and Green Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

-1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

-1/2 Whole Onion, Diced

-1 Clove Garlic, Minced

-10 ounces, weight Fresh Baby Spinach

-4 Tablespoons Butter

-1/4 cup All-purpose Flour

-2-1/2 cups Whole Milk, More If Needed

-2 Tablespoons Chopped Basil

-2 Tablespoons Chopped Parsley

-Salt And Pepper, to taste

-30 ounces, weight Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese

-1 Jar of Marinara Sauce

-1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese, Plus More For Sprinkling

-1 whole Large Egg

-12 ounces, weight Jumbo Pasta Shells (25 To 30 Shells) Cooked Until Slightly Firmer Than Al Dente

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and saute until the onion starts to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, stirring continuously, until it's slightly wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove the spinach from the pan and let it cool slightly, then place it inside a few paper towels and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Give it a rough chop and set it aside.

Turn the heat to medium-low, then, in the same skillet, melt the butter and sprinkle the flour over the top. Whisk it together to make a roux, then cook it for a minute or two. Slowly add the milk, whisking out lumps as you go, and cook it until the white sauce is thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in half the basil, half the parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Add another 1/4 cup milk if the white sauce is too thick. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, the rest of the basil, the rest of the parsley, and salt and pepper to taste until combined. Stir in the chopped spinach mixture.

To assemble the shells, use a spoon to fill the pasta shells with the cheese mixture. Place the shells seam side down in a 9 x 13 casserole dish or disposable foil baking pan. Pour the marinara evenly over the shells, then ladle the white sauce over the marinara in a zig-zag/line design. Finally, sprinkle with more Parmesan.

Bake it in a preheated 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

***To freeze, cover the unbaked shells tightly with heavy foil and freeze for up to 6 months. To bake the frozen casserole, place it in a 375 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours, then uncover and continue baking for 10 to 30 minutes, depending on how frozen it was.
OR
***Thaw the pan in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours, then bake as directed.

# Recipes