Cookie Exchange

I have friends that have a cookie exchange every year. You bring 4 dozen cookies and take turns going through the cookie line "in rounds", usually ending up with over 4 dozen cookies. Last year I made cookies that tasted good, but were not all that pretty - and they were clearly not high on the "desirable cookie" list I was determined to do better this year.....

Another requirement of the party is that the cookies have to be homemade. At 38 weeks pregnant, I decided to bend the rules a little..... Here were my ingredients.

I ground up the candy canes and sprinkled them on top of the cookies just before they were done in an attempt to add some Christmas cheer( and make the cookies look less ""break and bake").


Again this year, the cookies tasted awesome, but were still in the "cookie dog" category. I guess I need to be content to be best in show for cookie eating, not baking.

39 weeks

I realized that if I open the shades in the bathroom, I don't need a flash and the pictures will be better.....duh

The Tree is Up!

I already posted about putting the tree up last week (and River's hatred of it), but had not yet posted a picture (and wanted to since I blog as a journal). I think we went a little small on the tree this year, but like it. I especially like all the ornaments and how each means something different to me. Where did I get it? Who gave it to me? How long have I been hanging it on the tree.

Good times. I only wish I could have been drinking while while putting up the tree this year! I don't even have that excuse for the fact that it is crooked!

I just cleaned the oven....nesting or sick of smelling smoke when I cook? :)

Self-Induction Attempt #1

Pineapple! I have heard that eating fresh pineapple is one way to self induce. Since I like pineapple.....I figure why not!

It was a great addition to our breakfast of bacon and chocolate chip pancakes. I told Allan that all meals from now on need to include either a fruit or a veggie. For some reason, this has been hard lately (even thought it should not be).

Trying to stay healthy, one meal at a time.....

To the three people who read my blog....any other tips to self induce? I have heard:
eggplant parmigsain
McDonalds Big Mac with extra special sauce
castor oil (yuck, no thanks)
crawl around like a baby/clean on your hands and knees
sex
spicy food - can't do it with the nausea and heartburn.

I am ready to go at this point!

The Cookie Diet

When I weighed in at the Dr's office on Friday the nurse told me I had lost a little weight. I told her it was the non-stop cookie diet I had been eating for the past few days. Here is the deal - in my 38 weeks pregnant world, if you replace meals with cookies, you won't gain weight!:)

The cookie diet started at P.E.O. on Wednesday night. As normal at the December meeting, I sat next to the cookie table where people were leaving all the cookies they had made and brought (for snacks and for the cookie exchange afterwards). I discovered years ago, that if I sat by the cookie table, I could eat cookies through the meeting. How smart am I?

There were lots of good cookies, but by far, my favorite was "White Trash Toffee" which was brought and served out of a cool whip container (I kid you not). My friend and I ate a good 1/3 of the container before the meeting was over and I was seriously tempted to just take the container and hide it before the meeting ended (and all of the other vultures came to eat cookies).

See recipe below......
White Trash Toffee
40 saltines
1 cup of light brown sugar - packed
1 cup butter
12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1 handful plain roasted almonds (chopped)

Spray a rimmed cookie sheet with Pam, spread the saltines next to each other other on the pan.

In a saucepan, bring butter and sugar to a boil and cook for 3 minutes, until thicker, but not to caramel.

Pour over saltines, bake for about 3 minutes, it will come out bubbly.

Sprinkle chocolate chips over the saltines and put in oven for 1 minute.

Take out of oven, spread chocolate over the saltines, sprinkle with almonds.

Allow to set in the freezer for about an hour, break into pieces.

Hoard carefully.....

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Soon this beautiful hat will be mine!

I logged on to Google Reader today and Another Mother Runner showed up as having a new post. I logged on and saw that they had announced the winners of their "humpday giveaway" for Wizbang Hats. I saw my name jump out at me from the page! I am a winner!

I have been following Another Mother Runner (Dimity and SBS) for at least a year now. Stalking (um, following) running blogs has become somewhat of an obsession since I got pregnant. I have also been reading lots of running books and watching lots of running movies. At 39 weeks, pregnant, I am ITCHING to get back out there, even if it is just walking the dog and running a minute here and there.....

Just one more plug for Another Mother Runner. Here is what I love about their giveaways: You don't have to "like them on facebook", "like the company on facebook", email three friends that you love both the blog and the company, and jump through three other hoops. You just need to post! Horray and thanks again Another Mother Runner and Wizbang Hats!

38 weeks - blah Monday

My camera is either dying or I need to clean the lens (which I just did). I feel like I look MUCH bigger this week. Maybe it is that I am not wearing black? Perhaps I should have Allan take pictures of me instead of relying on the guest bathroom mirror? I like the way my hair is looking these days, I am sad it is all going to fall out post baby (at which point I will chop it all off).

Another good weekend of doing stuff, but not to much stuff with plenty of rest. I hope to take pictures of the tree tonight to post tomorrow. Poor River is terrified of the tree and is now spending most of his time in the box and looking at me with a forlorn expression on his face. This is an improvement in that he is now staying on the same floor as the tree for longer than 3 seconds. Poor baby:(

The Case of the Black Eye

Picture from Thursday

Allan got bonked in basketball on Tuesday evening and called me Thursday, telling me he had a black eye. This has been the case for much hilarity and my attempting to claim credit!:) It is fun to look at it every day and see it getting more dramatic.....

Remember - it is not what actually happened, it is the story you tell....


Picture from Saturday

My Favorite Thing

So CVS had a deal on Black Friday - buy a Starbucks Double Shot, get $1.69 back in "extra bucks" (so it was pretty much free). Of course I bought one with my card and another with Allan's. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE I am now sad that I have already consumed both and am trying to justify going to buy more....maybe I could buy them using the "extrabucks"? I have to go back to CVS today to get a script for Allan filled...

I am completely obsessed at this point.

Thankful for Thursday

Wednesday is my busiest day of the week so when Thursday rolls in, I am usually thankful. Partly because I don't have to be at work till 4pm! A big part of this is because I am still scaling back for the impending baby landing. I need to remember that I am NOT lazy, just getting ready. Exciting plans for the morning include: laundry, cleaning, picking up crap, etc. Then off to meet Amy for the One of a Kind show at the Merchandise Mart before heading to work.

It has been an interesting week so far. Baby was VERY active most of Sunday, Monday and 1/2 of Tuesday. Then he went almost silent - to the point that I had to lay in bed on Wed morning and actually feel for kicks. At that same time, I got crampy, crabby, and pretty sick. I thought it might be the calm before the storm but slept GREAT Tuesday night and last night and am feeling really good today. We shall see.

Yesterday I took some 37 week pictures in the guest bathroom (19 lbs gained). I am constantly impressed by both my mad blogging and photography skills. *snort* I have also decided that ALL pictures of me need to be taken from above (compare the picture from Sunday night with the ones here).

These "front" shots kinda mystify me. I feel huge but don't even really think I look pregnant in them....must be a combo of the black (slimming) and photography angle (super slimming:).


NOW I see it! People at work yesterday were saying I looked bigger and lower. Hopefully I can keep this baby cooking for another 7-10 days!