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!