40 weeks!

So, it's officially my due date, but still no Saw-baby.  My doctor thinks he won't make his official appearance until next week sometime.  I'm hoping earlier rather than later...

Below are some official "Due Date" pictures. 

Check out that rocket belly!

  Hopefully, this will be the last baby bump post!  Have a great day!

Christmas Cookie Failure...

If you know me, you know that one of my favorite things to do (especially around this time of year) is to bake cakes, cookies, and candies.  Something about it makes me feel warm and full of the Christmas spirit.  With that said, one thing I have never been able to master is the art of cutting out Christmas shaped cookies to decorate.  I like soft, moist sugar cookies, but if I want to cut them out, they are always a little too sticky.  A few days ago, I found a recipe on the Food Network website that promised a perfect cookie that would be easy to cut out.  On Tuesday afternoon, I mixed up all the dough and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator.  Last night, Steven and I put out the floured wax paper and started to roll out the dough...It did not work as advertised.  Partly because Steven kept adding more and more flour (even though I told him that it was going to change the texture of the cookie completely) because it seemed to be the only way to keep the cookie from sticking to the paper.  After a lot of work and A LOT of extra flour, we finally got the cookies on the pan to bake. 

Steven scooping the dough out of the bowl.  Please excuse the flour on his head.  He accidentally hit it on the pointy edge of the cabinet above, and rubbed his head with his flour covered hand. 

Rolling out the dough

I got frustrated, so Steven took over.

After baking the cookies, we did a quick tasting and our concerns were confirmed.  The cookies were awful.  No amount of icing and candy could make it worth the calories involved :(

Although Steven kept trying them anyway...gross.

When all was said and done, we decided to throw out the cookies and try a different recipe later this week (since the doc thinks I will still be carrying Saw-Baby for a little while longer).  Hopefully, we will get it right the second time around...suggestions or recipes welcomed!

Steven's war cookie-making wounds from hitting his head, not once, but twice on the edge of the cabinet. Last night was a fail in multiple ways.

 Happy baking everyone!

Christmaspalooza's Past

Every year, my best friends and I would throw a huge Christmas party called Cristmaspalooza.  I am feeling pretty sentimental this year, so here are some of my favorite pictures from past Christmaspaloozas' past...

Christmaspalooza 2005

Susanna, Taylor, and I

Fun friends :)

Watching HDK try to tow all of our cars away...This is where the hatred began for my husband :)

senior pics with Sue

We were practically babies.

 Christmaspalooza 2006

I miss these girls so much!!!

D-Box caught Sue under the Mistlebell...kissy kissy.

BFF

Wall sit competition...Nate downed a 1/2 carton of egg nog while dominating the competition.

Steven showing off Callie's Christmas sweater.

Christmaspalooza 2007

my lovely friends :)

Tacky Christmas sweater time...a Christmaspalooza tradition (thank you Callie for providing them all)

sisters :)

Christmaspalooza 2008

Christmaspalooza 2009 (the final installment)

5 years and counting!

Kent caught the girls under the mistlebell

the finale

Merry Christmas, my fellow paloozers!  I miss you all so much!

$10 Thrift Store Chairs

Because you know I love a good bargain...
So, Steven built a table for our dining room, but we have had trouble finding just the right chairs to go with it.  I didn't want to spend a lot of money on chairs that weren't the perfect ones, so we decided to go with a set of "for now" chairs that I found at the thrift store.  They were only $10 each!!!  However, it is important to point out that they needed A LOT of work.  Steven sturdied, sanded, painted, and then removed the seats of each chair so I could upholster them.

                                                                           BEFORE:

After a trip to the fabric store, I found 2 yards of leftover material (in the color I wanted) for only $6.00!  I already had the padding and extra batting on hand (leftover from another project), so I didn't need to get anything else to complete the upholstery work.   After all was said and done, below is a picture of the finished product.  Now the family will all have a place to sit when they come to visit us when Sawyer arrives :)

                                                                            AFTER:

Finished product with the table

He's almost here!

37 1/2 Weeks

Only 2 1/2 weeks to go!  So far, I feel really good.  A little swollen and uncomfortable, but I hear that goes with the territory.  I am still working and finishing up my fall semester of grad school (next Tuesday will be our last class).  We are so close to finishing the nursery.  We didn't do too much (no theme), but I think it is beautiful and Sawyer will be very happy.  I promise I will post pictures soon!

Baby Bump Watch

32 weeks and counting...

Bonfire :)

Last week, Steven did a lot of work cutting down trees that were dying/heavily damaged after the hurricane.  We thought it would be fun to invite some of our friends over for dinner and smores by the fire on Saturday.  Unfortunately, the fire did not want to cooperate...the boys diagnosed several different reasons why it wouldn't start, but in the end it was sort of a lost cause.  We had a lot of fun anyway just eating, talking, and watching football.  Here are some shots of the "huge" bonfire :)

Steven working hard to get this fire going.

the Yosts



Steven literally standing in the fire to roast some marshmallows.

the girls + Brock :)

Farmhouse Table

Last year around this time, Steven and I saw some men tearing down an old tobacco barn right down the road from our house.  After a little inquiring, I found out that they were going to throw all the wood away, so I asked if we could take it off their hands.  I am obsessed with old distressed wood (i.e. Restoration Hardware furniture).  Steven decided that he would use the wood to build a traditional farmhouse table for our new dining room, which I was thrilled about!  Below are some pictures of the process.  Chairs to come soon! 

The beginning of the building process.  Auburn engineering textbooks put to good use here...weighing down the table legs... Interesting story: We actually picked up those table legs at a yard sale for 50 cents each!  Lowe's price: $16 each...abooyah!

tobacco barn wood used for the top of the table

After sanding and staining we finally have the finished product!

I love all the imperfections!!!

Thanks, Steve!  I love it!

Celebrating Baby Sawyer :)

Beautiful cake at the Meadows'

 Last weekend, Steven and I made a whirlwind trip down to Alabama to celebrate the future baby Sawyer Meadows with our families and friends.  After driving for 12 hours, we finally made it to Opelika and spent the night at the Meadows' house.  I guess because we were so excited, Steven and I both woke up very early the next morning.  We decided to go out for a walk because it had been over a year since we had been back there.  The sun was shining, but the air was crisp and cool; it was a perfect fall morning!  Later, we got ready and made our way over to Steven's Aunt Janet and Uncle Bo's house who hosted the entire Meadows family for lunch.  Lunch was delicious and the company was awesome.  They all showered us with gifts (we felt so blessed!).  We were so happy to see everyone and catch up!

Later that afternoon, we went back to the Meadows' house and watched the Auburn vs. South Carolina game.  We won!  I was so happy for our team!  Afterward, we grilled out and ate dinner while watching more football and telling stories.  I love to be around the Meadows family!  They are all so happy, and I know that Mr. Steve and Mrs. Theo are going to be excellent grandparents to little Sawyer!

Steven and I (plus baby bump) with the cake :)

Hanging out at Bo and Janet's house after lunch

 Very early Sunday morning, Steven and I made our way to North Alabama to visit my family.  We made it in time to go to church with my parents at Hillsboro Baptist.  It was so great to hear my dad preach;  it made me think back fondly on my childhood.  Afterward, Steven and the boys went to run some errands while all the girls got ready for the shower in the fellowship hall.  Mom and Dad got little man a crib and dresser, which will be perfect for his nursery, and we were showered with lots of presents, advice, and love from everyone else. All the ladies who helped were so amazing and made everything look incredibly beautiful!  I couldn't ask for better friends and family! 

Steven and I hung out at the house for the rest of the afternoon with the family.  Later, we all went to Betsy and Michael's house in Huntsville.  It was our first time to see their place.  I loved it!  Then, we met Mom and Dad at Zaxby's for a late dinner (we even got to eat with our friend Kevin Walsh!).   After dinner, we went back to the Osborn's for a slumber party and video games.  The next morning came way too early.  We took our time packing up all the gifts and furniture and grabbed a last minute lunch at John's Bar-B-Que.  We needed our white sauce fix! 

There are no words to express how much we love and miss our friends and family in Alabama.  You all mean so much to us.  We can't wait to introduce you all to our little man in a few months!

Steven and I at the baby shower at Hillsboro Baptist Church on Sunday

the McCulloch girls

Mom with little Abby :)

I love these ladies!

Cutest cake ever, right?