winner!

Thanks to everyone for participating in my little game -- I had a blast seeing what you all came up with! I'm further convinced that my family is crazy, but it's always fun to witness :-)

I had a hard time choosing a favorite caption (though my dad's was the first to make me laugh out loud), so to be fair I turned it into a drawing. Every comment got you an entry, and Benjamin was my official name-drawer. I mixed the slips of paper in a shoebox and had little guy reach in -- without hesitating he pulled one out...

Congratulations to Uncle Randy!! Apparently, he takes being your favorite to heart ;-) You get to decide if you'd rather have the caramels or gift card... so be sure to let me know!

In other news, the snow is still falling and making everything both beautiful and dangerous. My boy shoveled our driveway so that I could get out a few days ago (and I'm glad I finished all of my errands then!!) but he hasn't had to go to work yet this week. We're watching a lot of movies and trying not to go crazy... honestly though, I'd rather not be driving in it even if I had somewhere to go! We're still planning to drive down south on Christmas, but the roads/weather get MUCH better south of Salem. It shouldn't be so bad!

We're also planning on attending Christmas Eve services at church tonight -- the children's drama was canceled but they asked if we would still participate in a living nativity. So unless the weather gets really bad again, Madeline will still get to experience being baby Jesus this year... just like her Mommy 25 years ago! We're not going to do anything stupid if the roads are bad though, especially not with such precious cargo in our car. Anyway, just some random updates from life. Here are a few more snow pictures:

check out how long that icicle is!!

baking frenzy

*Don't forget about the giveaway! You have until Tuesday night :-)

The boy and I were talking this fall and realized that we haven't met ANY of the neighbors since moving here. Well, that's not entirely true... we've met the neighbor's dog, Michael, who likes to poop on our lawn. And when I was overdue with Benjamin and trying to induce labor by mowing the lawn I briefly met one man. Really though, that's pretty pathetic. We've lived here over 2 years!! Since we're pretty happy with this house and neighborhood, we figured it was about time to settle in and meet some people.

It's not exactly easy to meet the neighbors, especially in the winter when everyone in OR hibernates, but I assumed that baked goods would be an appropriate avenue (and at least get them to open the door). I spent the week mixing, chilling, rolling, baking, and coating -- basically creating chaos in my kitchen. The results:

clockwise from top -- Russian tea cakes, meltaways, rum balls, fudge, peanut butter blossoms, double nut wonders, and wreaths (in the center)

I have to say I'm pretty proud, especially since half of these were new recipes to me. The rum balls are a specialty of Corey's grandma and I totally screwed them up last year, so I consider those especially exciting. The best part of my baking-week was simultaneously recovering from the flu, so I haven't been tempted to eat everything in my kitchen (at least not until this weekend, when I'm snowed-in and bored).

Yesterday our little family braved the snow, wind, and freezing temperatures to deliver some cookies. We only made it to half of the houses due to numb children and a few missing neighbors, but it was SO awesome to finally sit down and get to know the people around us. It was especially fun to get the local gossip for the street, and we had a great time laughing with the people next door while Benjamin entertained their older boys. I completely understand that there have been quite a few renters in our house over the years (hence a hesitancy to get to know us), but I'm hoping that our visits will mean new friends in the coming months. Here are some pictures of our cookies, ready to be delivered:

(I borrowed an idea from a friend to make the platters -- inverted bowls and cups glued to the bottoms of plates!)

We were going to venture out again this afternoon and deliver the rest, but freezing rain and a lot of snow have deterred us. I have to say that I'm pretty bitter at the weather right now -- I should be relaxing on the couch with two high school friends, but both of their flights were canceled last night. We're driving down to be with family next week and I'll be grateful to see people then, but I'm still slightly angry at all of the wind/snow/ice. Here was our view this morning:

(I made a lounging snowman on the chair last night, and Corey made a "snow mound" on the ground, but obviously the wind wasn't impressed)

(that would be my footprint, showing the icy upper layer)

We've had some more freezing rain and snow dumped on us today, and at last check we had about 7'' in the backyard. So strange! Hopefully tomorrow will be a little better and I can at least get out of the house...

feeling generous (a giveaway)

Although I've still got quite a bit to do before Christmas next week, I've been productive over here. My house is looking pretty festive these days, and I thought it'd be nice to do the same with my heart. I've never actually read the official literature on love languages, but from what I can gather I'm pretty sure one of my languages would be gifts. It's fun to receive them, for sure, but I absolutely LOVE giving gifts away. One of my secret bitter thoughts of late has been that my ability to bless others with surprises, notes, and packages has been limited since having children. I spend a lot of energy composing gifts in my mind, but the follow-through has been difficult. So, to help my heart feel blessed and to (hopefully) bless someone else, I'm having my very first official give-away on this blog. Hooray!

Behold the choice of prizes:

a bag of salted caramels

a recent find from a downtown shop, and an absolute favorite in this house.
Keep them, share them, hoard them; they're versatile. Guaranteed to be the best salty/sweet caramel your mouth has ever tasted, and instantly addictive as well. Mmmm.

OR

a $25 gift card to Coldwater Creek. Can be used at their spa, their store, or online.

To be considered for this giveaway, you have to leave me a comment before next Wednesday and tell me what caption you would put on the following photo:

I'll unbiasedly* choose the winner based on my favorite caption and announce the winner on Wednesday. There may be consultation with my boy (who is not allowed to enter, by the way. Even if he does want some caramels. Ahem.) but ultimately it's me you're trying to wow :-)

Feel free to enter more than once. Each caption gets you an entry, as long as it's submitted before midnight (PST) on Tuesday the 23rd. Let's have some fun!

* totally a real word

confessions

I'm laying myself bare here, so be kind to me. There are several things I feel the need to confess:

• I'm a horrible housewife. I have to potential to be a good one, in that I know how to operate an oven, sort laundry, and vaccuum the floor. In fact, I'm the worst kind of horrible because of this potential! I should probably sub-confess here, while I'm at it:

1. I hate cleaning. UGH. I tolerate it when I have company (like someone cleaning with me, or watching me clean) and I mindlessly accomplish it when I'm on the phone (which is why my house was never cleaner than when I was talking to cousin-in-law Sarah several times a day) but I hate it so much that the sight of a horribly filthy house isn't even enough to sway me sometimes. How sad for my poor husband! (You should keep in mind that this is my current attitude, which is influenced by exhaustion and being out-numbered. In normal life, I'm swayed by filth.)
2. I hate shopping. Again, with company it's not so bad... but when that company is Benjamin, it could go either way. Grocery shopping is a chore for me and always manages to be an event. I come home exhausted every time! Clothes shopping is the same way, and just-because shopping always leaves me feeling guilty for spending money I probably shouldn't have (this doesn't reflect on good-housewife motives. Good housewives joyfully spend their husbands' money and don't think twice about it. They have to, otherwise they can't look cute for him. Ooooh that's a good sub-confession.)
3. I never look cute for my husband. When he leaves at 6:45 I am in my PJs, barely awake, and probably leaking milk due to the screaming baby (was that too descriptive? I want to paint the proper image here :-) ) When he comes home around 4 I'm in survivor-mode, with one or both children attached to me and most likely wearing half of my PJs (the other half having spit-up on it). If he's lucky I've brushed my teeth. If he's luckier, I managed to wipe my body down after said spit-up and no longer smell like it. I think the best that I look happens right before bed, when fresh clothes (probably new PJs) and a potential shower do wonders.

• I just unpacked my Christmas decorations. I know, I know... we're 10 days away! What can I say, this is an off year. BUT my husband braved the snow yesterday to get me a tree and managed to get this beauty for half-price. Wahoo! Isn't he sweet?

• I haven't cooked a meal in almost a week. Don't worry, we're not eating out every night... just a lot of leftovers. I should have been cooking this week but somehow it hasn't been on my priority list. That could probably be a sub-confession for the housewife, but the "grab whatever" method isn't good for anyone in this family.

• I haven't paid this month's bills yet. Yikes!! I keep forgetting, and then when I remember I get distracted again. For example, opening my computer to pay bills, seeing the pictures I just uploaded, deciding to blog about them, and wind up confessing to the internet. See? (Don't worry, the essentials have been paid. I would never forget something like rent!)

• This is a doozy. I have become a hypocritical babywise follower. (I keep waiting for lightening to strike or something.) But an attempt to fix this leads me to another confession...

• I'm sitting on the couch right now and listening to my baby scream. WOW can she yell!!! Really, I'm listening to both of them. Her screaming gets Benjamin whimpering because he's both sensitive and highly attuned to whatever "sissa" needs (usually he decides it's a binky, and usually he tries to put it in her eye)

• I haven't been to the gym in a week. Well, 6 days. And yes, I've been sick. But still.

I feel better. Don't you? It's nice to confess, and I almost feel motivated to do something about my transgressions. While I continue to ponder on that, here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure:

awww snow!
(did I mention we got snow yesterday?)

(and also strong winds? well, the wind didn't tip the table. that was my strong husband. but we DO have strong winds. strong and cold!)

poor sheep.

my strong husband didn't make the snow-drift, that was the strong wind

oooh, green

headed out for a walk

local foliage

bird!

heading home

oooh, red

my window-sill. does it make you happy, too?

flying solo

I'm almost through my second week of being outnumbered, and I have a few thoughts on the situation.
Firstly, as stressful as unemployment was, Corey being home until Madeline was 6 weeks old turned out to be a huge blessing. He's gone now, but she's sleeping so much better at night and Benjamin has finally adapted to being big brother. We have all of the elements needed for successful Daddy-less daytimes.
Secondly, the children have aligned against me. When Benjamin goes down for a nap, Madeline wakes up. When she's ready to sleep again, I have about an hour of free time before Benjamin gets up. "Free time" meaning time to shower, brush my teeth, clean breakfast dishes... have I mentioned that this is usually around 2pm? When Benjamin has a crisis, Madeline will inevitably wake up and scream her head off. EVERY TIME. This also happens when my hands are full of Benjamin and I can't escape right away, like bath-time and really-horrible-poopy-diaper-changing-time. When Madeline gets really worked up and starts screaming, Benjamin gets upset with her and I am serenaded by a chorus of wails. I think they plan it out.
Thirdly, I'm so over my head. The minute things start to stray away from my plan, everything goes out the window. Schedules, commitments, appointments... Yeah, right. I don't expect to be on time for anything again, at least for another 2 years. (Keep that in mind when inviting me places. Probably better to tell me the wrong time.)

Our first week was chaotic only because it happened to be my finals week for school. Bad timing!! I would have loved to spend my first solo-week hiding out in my living room, watching Madeline snooze and reading books with Benjamin. That's not quite how it happened, unfortunately, and instead we spent just about every day running around in circles. I have to say, for all of the aligned-against-me talk, Benjamin has been a real trooper. It can't be fun to move from car to house to car to store to car to house again, and he did a pretty good job of obeying me. My days of activity (with brief snippets of time to try and do homework) were exhausting, and that meant no desire to stay up late doing necessary homework once Corey got home. Bad timing again! I actually stayed on top of my work this semester, despite having a newborn (hooray again for Corey being home) but I still had quite a bit to complete before classes ended. I finished out the week with an all-nighter and 2 days of sitting in class, so my "break" on Sunday didn't feel very restful.

This week has been extra special because Benjamin isn't feeling well. He's super-clingy and tired, not to mention that he's stopped eating/drinking (except milk, which he can't have). Whenever I try and pay some attention to Madeline, Benjamin gets jealous and wants to be in my arms. When he's awake, he only wants to be watching Bambi. When he's asleep, Madeline's awake. I keep looking around me and thinking "where did my day go? Why isn't anything getting done?" but it's so exhausting to have two "babies" right now.

I'm excited to some day say that we've got a routine for our day (well, we HAVE one. it's taped to my fridge and getting dusty.) and I'm hoping that my energy starts to come back as well. In the meantime, I'm feeling pretty exhausted and guilt-ridden about all of the attention that Madeline isn't getting. She still sleeps a lot, but that only means that I want to engage her for the brief periods of awake. I keep telling myself that it will get better, because really it has to. For now, I'm watching December slip past me, wondering when I'll feel on top of my stuff again, and worrying that there isn't enough of me to go around.

This turned into a real downer of a post, sorry!! Things I can't say on the baby blogs because I don't want them to someday read about my negligence :-P As an upper, here's a picture from our trip to CA. My face has been smudged out because I have the power to do such things, especially when it's a horrible horrible exhausted picture of me. Benjamin's pants are missing because he had an explosive diaper mid-flight. What you can't see is that Madeline has spit up all down my front and is soaking in it, nor can you see the masses of baggage that we got to cart through the airport (and onto the shuttle. go us!) You also can't see that it's almost freezing outside, though Benjamin's blue toes might give that away. Welcome to my life!

business

I have another post in the works (one with actual substance for a change!) but Benjamin is ready to get out of bed and Madeline is starting to squawk for breakfast, so it will have to wait until nap time. In the meantime, Benjamin's blog has a big update and Madeline's has a few smaller ones.

Also, since it's been awhile, here's my latest diaper creation (for a friend at school -- obviously having a boy -- and due in just under 3 weeks. I feel for her during this end-in-sight-could-i-get-any-less-comfortable time!)

safari-themed, to match his nursery, and I tried something new with the layers (hiding sock roses and toys inside the blanket). I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, especially since my boy cakes tend to be waaaay less cute than the girl ones :-)

a little gift

I couldn't resist sharing this, especially since I wasted precious sleep hours playing with it last night -- and then almost woke Corey up laughing about it. I like that I can crack myself up ;-)

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Also, there are some blog updates for the little guy and princess frumplepants. Check out our good news!

fall with sister!

I'm finally finally getting a chance to post pictures from my sister's visit... it's just been that kind of month so far! Since this series of posts has already taken me through nap-time and could possibly end up being my Friday night activity, I'll keep it short and sweet.
Here's the short part:

oooh fall

yay for visitors!

Here's the sweet part:

Many more pictures (and a few more stories) can be found at their respective blogs. We're heading down to CA for some Thanksgiving fun next week, so I'm going to try and pop back in for a REAL post before then... Lord knows that after next week I'll have waaay too many pictures to share (Madeline's first trip, and all) and probably not a lot of energy (finals week already!!!)

JOB!

I've got a lot of homework to finish in the next few days, but I had 4 things I wanted to share:

1. My boy got a job!! He starts in December, and we are PRAISING GOD for this answered prayer. Thank you to everyone has been praying with us, and sharing your thoughts and concerns for our family.

2. Benjamin reached the year-and-a-half milestone on Sunday. Read about him here.

3. Madeline reached the one-month milestone on Sunday. Read about her here.

4. The rain has started in Oregon. I don't think I'll be going outside again before April, if I can help it. (Really, I can't think of a #4.)

My sister was up here with us for an extended weekend, so I'll be posting some pictures from that visit soon, and I'll be in class for the majority of this weekend, so I'm sure I'll be posting some whining as well. In the meantime, enjoy my children!

popping in

We have had an interesting few days over here, which I'm sure I'll write about soon. But in the meantime, there's FINALLY an update on Grammy's visit here and a ton of pictures here. Hopefully I can finish the rest tomorrow!

happy... all saint's day!

OK, I'm a little late on Halloween... but I think next-day counts as pretty good, considering. We had a relaxing day, with a visit to the mall and some Mommy/Daddy time in the afternoon. (Did I mention Grammy has been visiting us this week? Hence, the possibility of Mommy/Daddy time!) Benjamin, probably not a big surprise, was a monkey this year:

(complete with tail)

"What does the monkey say??" "Oooh ooh oooh!"

We were going to send Grammy, Daddy, and Benjamin out around the block for his first trick-or-treating experience, but our little monkey had a bit of an explosion during nap time and his costume ended up in the washing machine for the duration of the evening. Oh well! We improvised with a little camo-gear (see picture at top for hat, the pants match but aren't visible) but since it was pretty cold and wet outside anyway, we figured we could hold off for another year. Madeline borrowed a costume from our little friend Ryan (who was a month old last Halloween) and debuted as a pumpkin:

(obviously it's a little big on her!)

Since she spent most of the day sleeping anyway, she showed her spirit with this little get-up:

(awwww. so cute.)

I wanted to take some pictures of the monkey and pumpkin outside, since our trees are starting to look like this:

but the only sunshine we saw all day was the 5 minutes when I stepped out to take the above picture... and naturally Benjamin was napping. If the sun comes back out this week, I'm taking advantage!

As I said, Grammy was with us this week -- and I have a lot to post about! I'll be updating the kiddos' blogs in the next little bit, but probably pop back over to say they're done. My head is spinning a little with the fact that it's NOVEMBER already... I realize I had a baby in October, but where the heck did the month go?? So I'm also trying to play a little catch-up with schoolwork, bills, cards, and housework. You know, all those things I've been able to (mostly) ignore for the past 4 weeks thanks to major nesting pre-Madeline. Whew!

it gets better...

(more here and here.)

I started to write this post one week ago, and I'm glad that I never got around to finishing it. What I had written was basically a comparison of my first-week experience from Benjamin with one week of Madeline... and it was pretty depressing. I don't remember much from the first time around, which is probably why I decided to have another baby, but somehow I expected things to be so easy with #2. I couldn't ask for an easier baby than Madeline, but even easy babies need to eat every 3 hours (that means, with feeding and burping and changing and cuddling you're lucky to get an hour and a half of sleep between feedings...) and no matter how good your baby is, your body is still undergoing huge hormonal changes. So I've decided to ditch my frustration-filled downer post and focus instead on how good I feel now.

Because really, I feel pretty good. After the first few days at home I've been able to move freely with minimal abdominal pain, my body is starting to adapt to a broken (and somewhat non-existent) sleep pattern, and I don't *quite* feel as brain-dead as I did with Benjamin. Those are huge improvements from a week ago!

I think the biggest difference in my experiences this time around has been an ability to acknowledge that I'm in a stage of transition right now. When I'm feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, frustrated, or even blue for no reason at all, I'm able to recognize that my body is adjusting, my little guy is trying to figure out his new place in the family, and it definitely won't be this way forever. I'm anxious for Madeline to grow and start sleeping for longer stretches, but I'm trying to remind myself that she'll be hitting the one-month marker before I've blinked. Or the one-year. Or fast approaching on 18 months. Yeesh.

The other big difference this time has been an abundance of love from our church family and friends. My "moms" group at church has been bringing us dinner every other night, and many of my friends have stopped in for the day (or flown in for a few!) just to spend time with us. It's strange to say that Corey's current job predicament is a blessing of sorts, but even having him home with me has done huge things for my morale. We've been able to take both kids out a few times, and my life is starting to feel normal again.

Now, if I could just focus enough to get back into the swing of my homework...

heading home

after 3 *lovely* days at the hospital, Madeline and I are headed home! I'm looking forward to sleep without interruptions for vitals checks, my own bed, a long shower, and watching Benjamin play. I'm going to miss someone bringing me water and juice every few hours, and the constant feedback as I get used to breastfeeding (again). And it's pretty nice to have a steady stream of people coming in to tell you how gorgeous your daughter is ;-)

I've been updating on life and Madeline over here and will probably continue to do so for the next little bit. You can also check out Benjamin's blog, since I'm sure I'll be updating there in the coming week as well. Otherwise, I'll most likely be quieter as we get adjusted to life with two little ones!

(As a parting gift, here is Madeline at 9 hours old...)

baby!!

I'm sitting in the hospital late at night, listening to my new little one let out small whimpers as she tries to fall back asleep. She's perfect, she's beautiful, and I can't get over the fact that she's ours.


Madeline Joyce was born October 9th at 9:07am. She weighs 7 lbs 11 0z and is 19 inches long. Her head is full of dark, wavy hair, and her eyes are a lovely shade of "newborn blue". She has her Daddy's toes and fingers, her Mommy's mouth and nose, and a completely healthy everything-in-between. We are in love with this little girl already and thanking God for her smooth delivery into our lives!

Her birth story is available, along with more pictures (and some video that I'll most likely put up tomorrow). As usual, if you don't have access to the private blog(s) you should feel free to email me (bethany.bowers@gmail.com) and get in the loop!

Thanks for all of your prayers and well wishes during the past 9 months, and especially the past few weeks. We feel so blessed to have this gift with us!!

celebrating

Today is our 3-year anniversary... it's crazy how time can fly by, but I can still feel like we've been doing this forever.

(I love this boy so much!)

Daddy brought us donuts and hot chocolate this morning, and Benjamin enjoyed his first jelly-filled donut hole. (I don't know if you can see his upper lip or not, but he's really enjoying it!) Not unlike Daddy, little guy took about 45 minutes to get through this treat:


We had a few things to get through in order to be ready for tomorrow, but it was still a relaxing and fun day. Strange how having my house spotless before heading to the hospital was the best anniversary gift ever!!

My second cousin is spending the night with our little guy, so we had the chance to get out and spend some time together. We had an AMAZING dinner in downtown Portland, complete with a complimentary chocolate anniversary cake, and just enjoyed our last night of "freedom" (for a while, anyway!) I'm not supposed to eat/drink anything after midnight tonight, but I think that cake will be with me for the next 2 days anyway!!

We're headed to the hospital early in the morning and expecting a baby sometime before 9am (unless there's an emergency ahead of us), so keep your eyes on Rutabaga's blog for updates!


This is completely unrelated to anything, other than he's getting so big and we can't help celebrating his life as well --

"Wait... you're bringing home what?!?"

laboring

No, not me. Well, at least not officially. (On that front, I'm doing a count-down of sorts for this next week and you can find it on the pregnancy blog if you're interested.)

I was in bible study yesterday and we were talking about the way things are versus the way that things are intended to be, or could be, or should be if all was right with the world. I don't think that I have even half figured all of that out, but it was an interesting discussion anyway. We looked at the book of Romans to get some insight into a biblical perspective of the "should be" (etc.) and as I read Paul's assessment of the human condition as "a people laboring," I started to see a little of what he was getting at. That shouldn't be too surprising, given my current condition and the state of my thoughts these days, but still.

There's a lot of joy to be found in pregnancy. The excitement in the beginning begins to fade as morning sickness sets in, but then you see (or hear) the heartbeat and realize that a new life is growing, even if you can't feel it. The power of that may fade a little as the weeks stretch to months, especially if you're still feeling sick or tired, but then you begin to experience little taps and twirls as the life starts to explore its water world. As it grows and your stomach swells, the joy can turn to frustration with having to slow down, or eat differently, or maybe with how long everything seems to be taking, but then you realize that there's an end in sight, and a baby there, and that no one has been pregnant forever. I'll admit that the hardest part of pregnancy is where I am stuck currently -- when the movement becomes a painful pressure and my body begins to prepare for birth, when I can't get comfortable for longer than a few minutes, when I feel ready and have to continue to wait anyway... Especially the waiting. Because even though no woman has been pregnant forever, you can't help wondering if you might just be the first exception. How could something that has been so longed for, so anticipated, that will be so loved, not be as ready as I am??

When I was reading Romans yesterday, I started to see that my impatience with life can be very similar. There are things to rejoice in, things that excite me, and intermixed are things that frustrate me and tear me down. While pregnant, you can get by on the euphoria of that first heartbeat, the quickening, making it to your last trimester, having your water break... or you can find peace in the knowledge that eventually, one day, your body will decide that it's time and you will hold new life in your hands. Likewise, there are plenty of things in life to keep me positive and smiling, even despite the bad that is tempered in, but there's something that I'm heading toward - a bigger purpose - that is a better focus of my attention. The "someday" that Jesus promises isn't as easy to wait for, because a due date doesn't jump excitedly from the calendar. It's harder to stay focused when you don't know how long you have to, and it's harder to find joy in that outcome when it could be generations away. Even so, should I deprive myself of the small miracles that can be encountered from the experience? Should I forget that something better is coming, and choose to dwell on the pains that I feel now?

"We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." (Romans 8:22-25)

I'm still mulling on this, but praying that I can trade my impatience for peace.

baked turkey ziti

[update/belly photo and tidbits available...]

OK, it's been awhile since I've shared a "bethany essential" recipe -- and I happened to have my camera around when I was cooking dinner the other night. I've found that I'm much more likely to try cooking something if a)it looks good, and b)the instructions are easy... even better if the easy instructions include pictures. Since I always assume that everyone is like me when trying new recipes, we have the following:

Baked Turkey Ziti (mmmm)

12 oz. penne or ziti pasta
1 lb. ground turkey
garlic salt
pepper
italian seasoning

2 tsp. canola/olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded & chopped
minced garlic

1 24 oz. jar marinara sauce
2 small cans diced tomatoes (though, I just use 1 regular sized can...)
shredded mozzarella cheese

First, cook your pasta:

(that's what penne looks like, in case you were wondering)

Drain it, set it aside.
Next, put your ground turkey into a pan to brown over med. heat. You can wait to season it after it's browned, but I much prefer the smell of cooking-meat when it's seasoned ahead of time... Either way, you want it to end up with some garlic salt, pepper, and italian seasoning.

(blech.)

(not blech. browned!)

In a big pan, heat your oil over med. and toss in those veggies (onion, garlic, green peppers. We added some zucchini from the garden, because it was there and waiting to be used in something. Don't worry, I'm not usually so grow-my-own-veggies-and-use-them...ish) While these are cooking, add a little salt and pepper (and a bit more italian if you're in the mood).

(little known fact: one of my favorite smells is fresh veggies getting sauteed.)

When the onions are translucent, pull the veggies off the heat.

(translucent onions, in case you were wondering)

Add your cooked meat to your cooked veggies and mix them up.
Next, in a large bowl (and I mean large!!), combine your cooked pasta, your veggies/meat, your marinara sauce, and your diced tomatoes. (I've found that this creates a lot of trouble if you throw everything together and then try to mix. Usually, the bowl is almost full when everything is combined... and thus ends up all over the counter during the mixing process. It's so much easier -- and cleaner -- if you combine everything in layers and mix as you go!)

(this step is the most dangerous, because it smells SO GOOD. try to hold off until it's been baked.)

(evidence of the nearly-overfull large bowl, post mixing)

Dump everything into a large casserole dish (9x13 is fine, if that's what's available) and cover with shredded mozzarella (really, I say cover, but I usually smother. we're fond of cheese in our house.) Bake for 40 minutes at 375*.

(don't be alarmed if your dish is really full. it won't spill over in the oven!)

As usual, I didn't take a post-baking picture. I'm really bad about that!! It looks the same as the unbaked picture above, but the cheese creates a beautiful browned armor of sorts over all of the pasta, and it's pretty hard to resist. I should also note that this is one of those meals that tastes just as good, if not better, as leftovers. The smell alone will make all of your co-workers jealous (or so I've been told by the boy, since my co-worker at this point is a toddler).

Let me know if you give it a try ;-)