Giggles

Last night Logan and I made some monster cookies and bars to give to a friend and for us to snack on. They have oatmeal, 3/4 bag chocolate chips, 1/2 or less bag peanut butter chips, 1/2 cup peanut butter and everything that an oatmeal cookie normally has except for the raisins and half the amount of cinnamon. Logan does NOT like raisins. Although I added peanut butter I did not take out the real butter, which I think made them even better. Butter always= better. Here's what they looked like: After, well, there were a few cookies left...and a friend and his kids will enjoy some of the bars while his wife is out of town. Also last night, Logan was enjoying playing with Aj. When Aj is tired he is easy to get to giggle. I took this video with my cell phone (same with the photo above) so it's not the best, but you can still here Aj giggling if you turn your volume up-way up.

Getting Ready for Baby!

The past couple weeks have been very fun! Yes, this means I've been neglecting some of the homework I'm desparately needing to complete...I've been too busy.

A couple weeks ago I hosted a baby shower for my friend Heather. In case I haven't mentioned it enough times-- we're due on the same day, with boys who we're already planning will be best friends. A week or two after Heather's party was my own baby shower given by my friends Toni and Pat and Pat (both Pat Kings). Where has time gone?

This weekend we FINALLY got the baby gifts put away, washed all the newborn clothes, put them all away, painted the metal stars for the wall decor, painted white frames for decorating the opposite wall, and got everything hung. Once everything was put away I even packed my bag for the hospital! I figured it's about time I do that. Overall it was a very productive weekend. However, somehow I'm still feeling overwhelmed at all that I still want to do before baby arrives but I know that if he came today I'd be ready enough to be fine.

I still hope to send thank you notes, wash all the bedding in the upstairs rooms and tidy and dust the downstairs rooms, along with washing that bedding as well. There are other projects I'd like to get to but they'll probably have to wait.

For Thanksgiving we're having the feast at our house. I love to do that! Shaun's parents will come over. They are now planning to bring a ham (and I'm sure a few side dishes as they always do). Shaun is planning to fry a turkey (YUMMY!). I'm planning to make most of my traditional side dishes, using my favorite recipes of course. I'll probably make my cranberry-nut salad, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy (Shaun usually makes the gravy), green bean casserole, my yummy homemade cornbread stuffing, and, uh, whatever else I usually make. I still need to get to the grocery store to buy ingredients for the cranberry-nut salad and the stuffing. I'm pretty sure we have everything else. Oh, and we need more potatoes.

Our friends the Hendrick family will be joining us as well. Michelle plans to make the pies and rolls (I can't wait!). The Kroll family may be joining us but we're not sure yet. I've told my friends that they are welcome to come early and help me make the sides. :) That's the best part of Thanksgiving- cooking together in the kitchen. If I don't die of exhaustion I'm going to LOVE that day. It's always one of my favorite days of the year.

After Thanksgiving I'll be hitting the books again, writing a 40-page paper, finishing a few shorter papers, and giving a presentation (which I've not yet prepared). Fun, Fun. I also have a couple final exams scheduled for next week...I hope to be done with this semester by the end of next week, unless our baby arrives sooner.


Here's a Happy Thanksgiving email I received:

BE SURE TO CLICK ON PUMPKIN PIE
AT THE END.


HAPPY THANKSGIVING

TWAS THE NIGHT OF THANKSGIVING,
BUT I JUST COULDN'T SLEEP.
I TRIED COUNTING BACKWARDS,
I TRIED COUNTING SHEEP.

THE LEFTOVERS BECKONED -
THE DARK MEAT AND WHITE,
BUT I FOUGHT THE TEMPTATION
WITH ALL OF MY MIGHT.
TOSSING AND TURNING WITH ANTICIPATION,
THE THOUGHT OF A SNACK BECAME INFATUATION.
SO, I RACED TO THE KITCHEN, FLUNG OPEN THE DOOR,
AND GAZED AT THE FRIDGE, FULL OF GOODIES GALORE.
GOBBLED UP TURKEY AND BUTTERED POTATOES,
PICKLES AND CARROTS, BEANS AND TOMATOES.

I FELT MYSELF SWELLING SO PLUMP AND SO ROUND,
'TIL ALL OF A SUDDEN, I ROSE OFF THE GROUND.
I CRASHED THROUGH THE CEILING, FLOATING INTO THE SKY,
WITH A MOUTHFUL OF PUDDING AND A HANDFUL OF PIE.
BUT, I MANAGED TO YELL AS I SOARED PAST THE TREES....
HAPPY EATING TO ALL - PASS THE CRANBERRIES, PLEASE.

MAY YOUR STUFFING BE TASTY,
MAY YOUR TURKEY BE PLUMP.
MAY YOUR POTATOES 'N GRAVY HAVE NARY A LUMP.
MAY YOUR YAMS BE DELICIOUS.
MAY YOUR PIES TAKE THE PRIZE,
MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER STAY OFF OF YOUR THIGHS!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL

"Click" on PUMPKIN PIE


I hope you all enjoy your Thanksgiving as much as we will. Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Favorite Recipe for an Easy "Cheesecake"

After reading a friend's blog post of pumpkin cheesecake (go here) I decided to post this recipe. It's a 10-minute recipe and SUPER easy. My favorite kind! It's from memory so it might not be exact. It's easy to play with though.

Fluffy Pumpkin Cheesecake:
1/2 can pumpkin
1 small container (8oz?) cool whip
1 block cream cheese (8 0z?) softened
1/3 cup sugar
Pumpkin Pie Spice (2 tbsp? start with 2 tsp and see if that's enough-I'm not certain which it is.)
graham cracker crust- I like to use individual pie crusts so I buy or make a few little ones.

Whip ingredients together, put in crust(s). Put in fridge until ready to serve. Always a hit! I usually double the recipe to be sure to have enough. I make this at least once each season at home and quite often for potlucks during the holiday seasons. Enjoy!

I want to try my friend's pumpkin cheesecake but it will have to wait until I have time. She's a wonderful baker so I'm sure it's delicious! I've added it to my mental list of things to do while on maternity leave. Ha! I have so many things that I want to accomplish during that time while I'm home with the new baby, with the kids home from school over break, and then when I start the next semester... I really should write these things down!

Food Storage

Shaun, Logan, and I visited Sam's while in Topeka today. We were able to stock up on water, juices, LOTS of canned fruit, new pillows, and many other items. Once home we had to find a place to store all of our new stuff. Luckily we have two pantries, one upstairs near the kitchen and one in the basement storage room. We've needed to organize these again for a while now. Shaun asked me to go downstairs with him as he brought down our newest purchases. I started moving and organizing our large, mobile shelving. After bringing everything downstairs he worked on organizing the built-in shelving. By the time we were done, approximately an hour after returning home, we had shelves that resembled a grocery store's. We also had a large bag full of boxes and trash. I LOVE to be organized. I was seriously tempted to start right in on the kitchen pantry but had to pass on it due to the time and needing to do a few other things before heading to bed. We hope to do it next week during a free evening, or next weekend.

I just have to say--- ANYONE would be happy to have the food storage we have. I'm proud of us. We've come a LONG way with our food storage and have managed to store at least three or four months worth of food, minus water. We talked about the need for adding both drinking water and water for other uses. That might be our next step.

The best thing about our current food storage is that it's all food that we'll eat (that IS the point) and it's all easy to make foods. We could probably use more of some basic ingredients such as flour (maybe) but we have tons of sugar!

Logan's update- The doctor appointment went as expected. After a week on the oral steriod and Advair inhaler, nothing has changed. His lung function is still unchanged and lower than it should be. The doctor decided to check his sinuses so he ordered a CT scan which was immediately scheduled at the hospital across the street. Logan enjoyed the CT scan and can't wait to tell all his friends about it! Later we received a call from the doctor's office. Everything was normal with the CT. Nothing wrong, yet again. So, now they want to try a different medication. We worry about his taking meds for a condition without an explanation of what is wrong but we also want to figure it out. On Monday he'll start the new med, whatever that may be. We need to call the doctor's office back to find out and have it called in locally.




I took these pictures of Logan a couple weeks ago while working on a photo assignment.

Furniture and A Night Alone

Yay! The boys' furniture is in at Direct Buy Johnson County! This means we need to now go to Lenexa (near KC) and pick it up. Then Shaun will have the pleasure of assembling everything over the next few days. The boys have been busy cleaning their rooms in hopes that they have a shared room with bunk beds very soon. They will also have a new large dresser to share and the baby will have a nice table/dresser for her/his room. Oh, and we should know if it's a boy or girl the first week of August! Things are moving right along.

In order to go to pick up everything Shaun and I decided that we'd leave tonight...this is where a night alone comes in... We have a lot going on tomorrow evening and want to have plenty of time to pick up a U-Haul, get everything loaded, drive home, unload, and then drop off the U-Haul here in Manhappiness. Shane has a baseball party at 5 and I have a photo gig at 6 (wedding reception for couple recently married in Spain). So, what better than spending the night in Kansas City? I'd considered calling a few friends who live in the area as I'm sure they wouldn't mind having guests but this was too easy for me. Shaun and I haven't stayed alone in a hotel since our friends Heather and Jeff's wedding (um) a few years ago (5 now or 6? I've lost track). I can't remember why we did then, I think maybe it was between the rehearsal dinner and the wedding. Although I was thinking the kids were at the wedding and I remember being sick with strep throat for a few days prior. Dang! It has been a while.

After work I am going to go home and pack quickly (will only take five minutes) then we're dropping the kids at a friend's house and heading out on our own. I like the sound of that. Hopefully we'll grab snacks at home or on the way and then, if we're up to it, find somewhere nice to eat dinner, perhaps in the plaza, possibly Cheesecake Factory which I know Shaun would like. Then to the hotel where I plan to soak in the pool unless there are kids playing roudily. Or we may just stay in our room and um, relax. Tomorrow we'll sleep in and then have a nice continental breakfast before heading over to Direct Buy around 9:15 or so. I think they open at 9:30 so no need to rise early!

Ahhhhh. I'm sooo looking forward to quiet time. Maybe I can convince Shaun not to snore...