Gearing up...

Baby E's room is coming right along. Hopefully his crib and dresser will be here next week. I will post pictures then.
This past week I went to gymb*oree to look through their sale stuff and use a coupon I had.
I was so excited to find they had several items for boys with tractors on them!
I think Baby E's grandpa will be excited to have a little tractor buddy. :)
Here is what I ended up getting for our little guy to wear this summer...

Just Because...

she makes me smile, and laugh! I came across this picture today and was cracking up - I forgot about it! It was taken on Sept 28th. Oh my this little girl can be silly & brings us such JOY!

What a difference a year makes

Just thinking about Baby E arriving in some 40 days.
I saw a picture of Baby K from last February & thought, I wonder what she looked like on March 29th, 2009? Since my c-section will most likely be on March 29 or 30th.
Well I found this picture from March 31, 2009.
I think I would have laughed like crazy if someone had told me that day I would be having another baby a year from then! LOL
Well here is Baby K on March 31, 2009...

January In Review...

Just pulled this stuff off the camera.

Here are pictures from a day that Baby K decided her Baby Doll MUST be held while she ate lunch. :)

One day I told Baby K it was time for her nap, she quickly went down the hall, this is where I found her, curled up for her nap. Silly girl!

She keeps finding this brown knit headband of hers & wearing it like a necklace. Sunday after church I took her dress off so she wouldn't mess it up while she ate. Underneath her dress I discovered that she had the "headband" on, guess daddy didn't catch that when he was dressing her that morning.

Baby K LOVES to read and be read to, I often find her sitting with a book "reading." I tried to sneak some video of her doing this but she caught me. The resolution is poor but it's still pretty cute.

Reading

New Phone

I should upload pictures from the camera to the computer so I can update you on life & how totally cute Baby K is - but I thought while you wait I would share that I got a new cell phone (same number).

It was free & it's Purple & I love it! (I'm sure you really don't care but I'm pretty pumped about it!)

Must Have!

Black & Decker Paint Stick

I told my husband to blog this but he said he "doesn't blog." Well for those of you who don't know my husband you should know that he doesn't often have high reviews of gadgets. You know, the gadgets that are suppose to make a job easier and are good in thought but fail in design. He's an engineer and is irritated by poor design and poor productivity. Makes sense right.

Well we need to paint the baby room. I love to paint but physically am not able to do it right now. My husband is not a fan of painting but will do it (and does a great job) when it's required or if I beg enough. LOL

He found this product online last night and decided to give it a try.

Husband Review: REALLY LIKES IT! I'd say he'd give it 4.5 stars out of 5

Price reasonable. Functionality great. Time saver. We will not likely paint a room without this ever again. Clean up takes some time but not bad.

Too Cute!

I just love it when food (especially sweets) are aesthetically pleasing.

Because of this picture I saw on foodgawker posted by the blog La Casserole

I now MUST buy valentine peeps and make some hot chocolate - I just HAVE to - how could you not want to make something this cute?

On another note I read a cute idea for a Valentine treat the other day. I can't wait to have a reason for Baby K to give this Valentine.

A mom mixed up some rice crispy treats & rather than pressing them out in a cake pan she took the warm mixture and molded portions in a small funnel and then placed on a pan to cool. This made the treats look like "kisses." When they were cool she wrapped each one in foil and added a little strip of paper to each one that read, "A Kiss from (insert child's name)"

Oh my goodness it's just the cutest idea I've heard in awhile and I can't wait to try it someday.

Pancake Poll

I'm taking an opinion poll...
Which do you and your family enjoy more

Buttermilk Pancakes

or

Sour Cream Pancakes?

I rarely eat pancakes, I'm more of a waffle girl. But my family likes pancakes and I've been making them more. I have a buttermilk recipe that works great but I've found some recipes for Sour Cream based pancakes and want to know if they are better, are they as fluffy?

Thanks!

PS - I may not like to eat pancakes but I sure am loving making my sweet daughter "Jungle Pancakes" I got some molds that make Monkey, Lion and Elephant pancakes and they are pretty dang cute! Not sure Baby K really appreciates the cute factor but she does like to eat them & I always show her the "animal" before we cut it up. Last week the Lion had some blue pox - blueberries will do that to a lion you know. hee hee

Cheesecake day...

Today I taught a friend how to make a cheesecake. I've been learning for years and practicing a lot to get the texture and flavor and yumminess of a cheesecake just right. I'm not perfect. I'm not the Cheesecake Fac*tory by any means but I do like to make them and people seem to enjoy eating them.

So because today I shared with a friend some key tips in making a great cheesecake, I thought I would share a few tips on my blog.

Here are my Top 3 Tips (I have more but I can't share all my secrets now can I?)

#1 - smooth batter is key, the best way to soften cream cheese is to place the packets in the oven while you are preheating it for baking your crust. Also, use eggs that have been at room temp if they are cold they will chill parts of the cream cheese and keep the batter from being smooth
#2 - no matter what recipe I am using I always add 2Tb of flour to the cheesecake batter if the recipe doesn't already call for it.
#3 - bake it in a water bath - worth the extra work (it's not that much extra), it will require a little extra cooking time (at least this has been my experience) but it is SO worth it. I tell you this is KEY to having no cracks in the top of your cheesecake, bakes beautiful & even every time.

Stuck

I think it would be fun to blog something new, however I have no idea what to blog about. We are finally having Christmas with my sister and brother-in-law this weekend so there will be pictures for sure. :)

In the meantime I have just been busy being mommy, cleaning up toys, making meals, etc. I have also been in nesting mode/list making mode.

I am itching to paint the baby room. I started it a little but didn't get far. If you're bored and you are a good clean painter then come on over. I'd love some help.

Picture Comparison

For those of you who wanted to see 3D sono pictures of Baby K from 2008 and compare them to the 3D sono pictures of Baby E here are 3 pictures of
Baby K

Introducing Baby E

Here is a slide show of some 3D pictures of Baby E at 29 weeks.
If you double click on the slide show it should link you to the actual scanned pictures and you can view them larger.

In one picture he is holding his big toe with his hand. He had his tongue out in a few pictures but you may not be able to notice since they are a little small. I just want to scoop him up and kiss him but I think for now I will let him stay safe inside me, where he is also quiet and easy to please. ;)

Baby E: Photo shoot and more

Ok, so I'm going to try & scan/post the 3D sono pictures we got of Baby E today.
I have to say, "MAN! Our kids look like their daddy and that's all there is to it!"
Baby E is definitely a boy if there was any doubt about it, there is no more (note: I will not be posting the proof of this of which I'm sure Baby E will thank me one day!)
Not only does he look like his daddy he also looks very much like his big sister,

Also I would like to say Craig*slist is awesome. I found the double stroller we need by posting a WTB (Want To Buy) ad on there and someone read it, had one in good condition and with extra seat covers and for much less than the sale retail of a new one and after checking it out yesterday we are now the proud crazy owners of a double stroller! WooHoo!

I went shopping this afternoon and found several clothing items marked 75-85% off and bought items for $3.00 or less for our little man to wear. Things from newborn to 12 months and hopefully seasonally appropriate, unless he starts packing on the pounds too fast. ;)

Now we just need to paint the baby room & order a crib. Oh, and change out the pink ribbon and lace on the bassinet for the little guy.

More Christmas Pics

Here are pictures of Baby K enjoying our Christmas celebration at Grandma & Grandpa W's house.
We had a lot of fun.

Oh My Oh My...

If you are not a fan of the blog Cake Wrecks then I'm pretty sure you are missing out.
Today's post was about Baby Shower Cakes and since I am pregnant I just had to share these with you...
Seriously, who comes up with these ideas? Who actually gives these cakes to their friends??? Is the mother-to-be suppose to act like she loves the idea or the "creativity" or is she suppose to laugh? I think it would be difficult to mask my thoughts about receiving a cake like these, and maybe even more difficult to eat a piece.
She has several past posts about baby shower cakes if you want to do a search. Seriously, there is a post from several months ago where someone ordered a C-Section cake! (looks like mommy's belly with incision & baby coming out - WEIRD!!!!)
Ok here is the cake post from today...
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2010/01/labor-of-love.html

Perspective

Well I really need to post pictures from the rest of our Christmas Celebrations. We had Christmas with my husband's family after New Years. We had fun hanging out with family and Baby K had a BLAST running around with her cousins. I will load the pictures soon. I just keep forgetting to bring the camera downstairs.


Anyway,
I saw this picture on a blog today and I thought it was fitting as an illustration of some thoughts I've had recently. I may ruffle some feathers with this one. Oh well.
I found it sad that the media & those the media interviewed New Year's eve (and the days that followed) all of the responses seemed to be something along the lines of, "Thank God 2009 and this whole last decade are OVER! They were the worst!" "Bring on 2010 - it is going to be amazing! It has to get better than last year, right?"


WHAT?! Agreed, some horrible things happened in the last 10 years. Terrorists, War, Death, Economy tanks, etc. But really the WORST ever? Maybe I feel this way because I'm sitting her in my warm heated home while it is freezing outside (and only getting colder). I wish I had Oprah's cash flow so I could buy out stores and stores of long underwear, blankets, hats, gloves, warm hotel rooms, food, and send people out to warm up the homeless and rescue them from this awful Artic cold. People are on hard times, no jobs, no money, no home. People have loved ones fighting against terror & hate. Agreed these are all horrible things. But do we let them drown out all the good things? Is life really that bad?

We still have freedom(s), we still have people who have money and food and jobs and homes who are sharing with others. Most of us are living on less than before but on the other hand most of us are not hoping against hope we survive living on nothing. Most people in America can find clean water to drink. Food to eat (even if it's not your choice of food, it's food). Most of us have shoes, even if they have holes in them, still they are shoes.
Most important, no one is telling us we can't worship Jesus. No one is stopping us from trusting God to provide for us. Most of us have someone who loves us, who shares their possessions or time or talents with us. I'm confident that as a whole, our 2009, even our past decade, most of us have had it better than the majority of the human race.


So my question is, why are most of us ungrateful for what we did have and only looking on to what we might have in the near future? Why are we so entitled to have a better 2010?
I am looking forward to what good things God has planned for 2010. I love stories and experiences of reconciliation, repentance, hope, love, joy, peace, life, provision, etc. I hope when the bad things come (because they will) that God gives me eyes to see what I do have and that my heart & mind have the strength to believe that's enough.

Fun Easy Treat!

FOUND: Impressive treat that is easy, cute and sweet!

Check out what I found at the Decorated Cookie

She suggests making these for New Years party, I also think how wonderful these would be for a girls birthday party, carnival theme children's party, a princess themed birthday party, a baby shower, a bridal shower, etc. Oh the possibilities! Love it!
I also think what a fun activity to make with your kids! You could even do this with 2 yr olds (if you can keep them from eating themselves into serious hyper activity! LOL).

Directions for glittery marshmallows:
Skewer marshmallows or put on lollipop sticks.
Working with one marshmallow at a time, very quickly dip a marshmallow into the water, remove immediately, blot on a paper towel and immediately sprinkle with the sprinkles to coat. Let dry.

New Floor & Christmas Pics

Here are some before and after pictures of our new kitchen/dinning room floor. I took the "after" pictures before the trim and quarter-round was up so it's not really a true "after" picture but you can see the difference!
Also there is a slide show of Baby K on Christmas morning and a few days after. She LOVES her new chair and her baby dolls. The toy baby stroller is a new toy at GG's house and she sure had fun with that.

Sweet Pics

We finally got around to having 1 yr pictures taken of our sweet girl and some holiday pictures as well. Sadly daddy isn't in any of the pictures because he was called out of town for work. Looking forward to family pictures this spring after Baby E arrives!

ALL TIME FAVORITE COOKIES!!!!

Ok people - I LOVE baked goods. I have some favortie cookies. But I stumbled on a new cookie recipe a couple of weeks ago and it is now (and maybe forever) my

ALL TIME FAVORITE!

So soft, so chewy, so athesticaly pleasing, Yummy, yummy, yummy. I would compare the texture to that of a soft warm brownie, a turtle brownie.
So get your baking groove on and whip up this yummy cookie.

Turtle Thumbprints

Adapted from Better Homes and Garden
Posted on Foodgawker by Elizabeth's Edible Experience (thank you Elizabeth!)

Cookie Ingredients:
1 egg (separated)
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups finely chopped pecans (all used for rolling dough in)

Filling Ingredients:
16 chewy caramels, unwrapped (like Werther's)
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping Ingreds:
1/2 cup (3 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon shortening

Directions:
1. Separate egg; place yolk and white in separate bowls. Cover and chill egg white until needed. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat well. Beat in egg yolk, milk, and vanilla.
2. In another bowl stir together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until well combined. Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours or until easy to handle.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a small saucepan heat and stir caramels, vanilla and whipping cream over low heat until mixture is smooth. Set aside.
4. Slightly beat reserved egg white. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in egg white, then in pecans to coat. Place balls 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheet.
Using the back of a 1/2 teaspoon round measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each cookie.
5. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are firm. If cookie centers puff during baking (which they most likely will), repress with your measuring spoon. Spoon melted caramel mixture into indentations of cookies using a teaspoon.
Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool. (If necessary, reheat caramel mixture to keep it spoonable.) 6. In another saucepan heat and stir chocolate pieces and shortening over low heat until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool slightly. Drizzle chocolate mixture over tops of cookies using a fork and a quick back and forth motion as the chocolate drips.

Let stand until chocolate is set. Makes about 30 cookies.