Cookie Wednesday

Every Wednesday I get together with some of my good friends for "Cookie Wednesday." We take turns bringing ingredients for a favorite or new dessert recipe for everyone to try, and we have lunch, and visit, and let our kids run wild around the house. Well, today it was at my house, and we had a good size group: 6 women and 9 kids. It was Cecile's turn to be in charge of cookies, so she made a delicious double batch of blondies with chocolate chips and nuts. Yumm. I though I'd post one of my favorite dessert recipes--one we made two weeks ago, for Donut Holes. They are so easy to mix up and drop by spoonful into hot oil. Then I coat half in powdered sugar and half in cinnamon/sugar while they're still hot. I found the recipe online at: http://www.recipezaar.com/150591. Now when I get a donut craving, I have a cheap and easy way to satisfy it!

Surprise! Date Night

So Chad and I have been married 6 years now, and frankly, ever since moving to Arizona and having a kid, I've noticed that some of that "spark" has fizzled a little. Sometimes I try to make a special meal, or together we'll plan a trip to the valley for dinner and a movie. But last night Chad completely surprised me. I knew he was up to something when he had to go to the store by himself (something he never does), and he fixed breakfast, lunch and dinner, in addition to taking care of Bree all day while I relaxed. But that evening, I didn't even notice that he left, dropped Bree off with a babysitter, and brought our friends Sarah and Weston back with him for an evening of chocolate fondue and a movie. I was so surprised--especially because I know how much he hates to arrange for babysitters! We watched Failure to Launch, and I enjoyed not having to prepare or clean up any of the food. Chad knew that I've been going a little crazy lying around the house per my OB's orders these last couple weeks, and I can't express how much I appreciated the spontaneous fun evening. It may not have been a grand extravagant event, but it sure made my week!

Home Improvement

With only a few weeks 'til my due date, I decided it was high time to get the nursery ready for a second addition. It's a small room in a small house, and it will house both a boy and a girl, so some updates were needed. With my mom's enthusiastic help, Chad's not-so-enthusiastic help, and Bree's well-meant interference (she dressed herself in Chad's work gear), we're putting the finishing touches on the room this week. There's new dusty blue paint on the walls, new red gingham bedding for Bree (to match Mason's blue and red sports bedding that my sis-in-law gave us), a new area rug, and best of all: new closet organizers! Out with the old single clothing rod and shelf, and in with multiple shelves, drawers, bins, and space to hang both kids' clothes. It's so nice now to have peace of mind. Whether Mason comes tomorrow or 3 weeks from now, I feel ready. (Well, as ready as I can be!)

2008 Candidates

Lately I've been trying to take a more active interest in politics. Maybe I've reached a new level of maturity where I care about issues such as taxes, education, and homeland security. My goal this year is to cast an educated vote, so I've been doing a little research on the candidates and their views. I took couple quizzes (http://www.selectsmart.com/president/2008.html and http://www.speakout.com/VoteMatch/senate2006.asp?quiz=2008) to help match me with the candidate who best fits my political views. Both websites put Duncan Hunter and Alan Keyes at the top, with Mitt Romney and John McCain following. So now I know who to watch so I can narrow down my choice from there. It was interesting to take the quizzes and really ask myself where I stand on the important issues. Now if I could just get a candidate who would get the rest of the country to ignore that annoying Daylight Savings Time rule... So, I know November is a long way away, but who's your favorite candidate(s)?

New Year's Eve

Although I don't have a great picture to accompany this post, I just had to share my excitement at the fact that Chad and I actually went to a New Year's Eve party this year, and stayed up 'til midnight! Chad's days off fell on Dec. 31st and Jan. 1st, so I was determined to do something, since our social life as a couple is negligible with Chad's evening work schedule. Our friends Amy and Brit held the party at their house, and it was just us and our friends Sarah and Weston. We ate delicious and unhealthy things like wings, bean dip, weenies, chocolate fondue, and Chex muddy buddies. And we played Imagine If, Mad Gab, and Catch Phrase--all those group games that I love to play but rarely get the chance to. We were having so much fun that the clock actually said 12:03 when we broke out the sparkling cider to ring in the New Year!

It's a Major Award!

It finally came! My prize for being a winner in the Skinny Cow Queen of the Crop scrapbooking contest! Two days after Christmas I got the package in the mail: a Canon PowerShot 8.0MP Digital ELPH (a $350 camera!) and a Canon PIXMA iP4500 photo printer. Oh, my, gosh! I love this camera! It's sleek, has a huge viewing screen, great features--so much more fun than my old camera! And the printer prints great photos--up to 8x10! Merry Christmas to me!

Christmas with the stomach flu...

I'm starting to realize that all I will ever want for Christmas again is to have everyone healthy. At our extended family luncheon, there were so many little cousins running around, it was a literal germ-fest, which is how Bree contracted a stomach flu that struck in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve. She was up all night vomiting, and even though her tummy had calmed down Christmas Day, she was still so sick and exhausted that opening presents was too much of a chore for her. We did manage to enjoy ourselves though. Bree had so many toys, and an awesome chair that my mom upholstered to match my living room furniture. Chad got me some beautiful jewelry that I love. Mostly it was wonderful to be together with my parents and my brother.

Christmas PJ Tradition

In my family growing up, we always opened new PJs on Christmas Eve, and it's a tradition that Chad and I have adopted in our family. I found Chad some Grinch PJs, and when he opened them on Christmas Eve at my parents house, we discovered that my mom had bought my brother the same exact PJs! (One of these years I'll convince Chad that picking out PJs for me is not that stressful, and I won't have to buy and wrap my own!)

Christmas: Round 2

On Christmas Day Bree was sick, and we practically had to force her to open her gifts. This video is from the day after Christmas, when she was feeling better and actually enjoyed some leftover present-opening.