Saturday's -25 Sweets recipes in 25 days!

tomorrow #4 Raspberry Laced Vanilla Cake

#3 White Chocolate Chunk Macadamia Cookies by Spirit of Christmas (book)

1 c butter, softened
1 c firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
2 1/2 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 c macadamia nuts, chopped
2 c white chocolate or almond bark (chopped) I used Wilton's candy melts
1. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture.
3. Stir in macadamia nuts and chocolate. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 oven 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from baking sheets. 6 dozen

25 Sweets recipes in 25 days!

This fabulous recipe has been moved to Aggieland Mommy Cooks.

Corn and Green Chile Rice

This recipe has been moved to Aggieland Mommy Cooks.

Lots and lots to say today!

1. Happy Birthday to Stephen's Dad! We hope you have a super day. We love you.

2. My grandmother's biopsy results show that she has a malignant tumor behind her lung. More info to come but please keep her in your prayers.

3.What a moron! I mean FREE DINNER!
We went out to eat for Stephen's birthday last night and it turned out to be quite eventful. He picked a place that we go to more than any other place in town. We have always had good service and the kids get free ice cream at the end of the meal. But last night was different.........
Our waiter arrived at our table wearing a "Certified Trainer" shirt which told me we had one of the best. He took our drink order...a coke for me, a Dr. Pepper for Stephen and one kid's lemonade. Easy, right? He brought chips, green sauce, and salsa to the table and asked if we would need another serving of sauces. No thank you. A few minutes later he came back and asked what we would like to drink. Ummm....Coke, Dr. Pepper, and lemonade, remember? He said he lost the ticket. As he left the table, he bumped into a chair at the next table. I thought it was out of embarrassment. Okay...it was just turning 6:00 and we were his only table. He brought the drinks and took our order. The special for Stephen, a Grilled Fajita burrito for me with the tortilla soup, and the kid's quesadillas for L & C. We waited and watched the newer tables get their food. He didn't even pass by our table for quite awhile, Stephen's cup was empty. By this time Caleb was getting fussy, he wanted food! The waiter came by and said, "Okay, what can I get for you?"

No y'all, I am not kidding. Stephen and I looked at each other in disbelief. It was like on the show 'Mad About You' when Jamie and Paul would go to that restaurant and Ursula (Lisa Kudrow) would walk up to the table for the first time and say something like, "Are you ready for your ticket?"

I told the guy we had already ordered. First he looked puzzled. Then he said he lost the ticket. "AGAIN?" I asked. He said yes. He didn't apologize or anything. We ordered again, adding an order of tortillas because, "our little boy can't wait that long" and I went to talk to the manager. When I got back to the table, my cold soup was waiting. Before I could eat half of it, our food arrived, with the tortillas, and the manager stopped by to see that our order was correct. Whew! So then Stephen's drink sat empty. When the waiter came by to see if everything was okay, my mouth was full and so I pointed to Stephen's cup. Stephen said, "Dr. Pepper" and the guy repeated, "Coke?" No, Dr. Pepper. He brought out a tray full of drinks, dropped them off at neighboring tables, left, came back with the tea pitcher and proceeded to fill Stephen's cup with tea. Stephen asked him what was in the pitcher. He told the waiter he had Dr. Pepper. So the waiter set the cup down...with tea in it....for Stephen to drink??? I gave him the cup and said he could take it. Then he came out with a new cup of Dr. Pepper for Stephen. We watched him bump into at least one other table. I really felt bad for the guy but how could he make so many mistakes? When Stephen went up to pay, he updated the manager on the events and she put her face in her hands. She told us he is one of the assistant managers! And Stephen told her that to top it off, that was where he wanted to celebrate his birthday. So..free dinner!

Advent Traditions

Advent, which comes from the Latin word for "arrival" or "coming," is a period of preparation for the birth of our Lord. Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and is the start of the Christmas season, which lasts through the Baptism of Our Lord. The first Sunday of Advent also marks the beginning of the liturgical year, the Church's "New Year's Day," at which time we change the cycle of readings we are using at Mass.

Read more at: http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Advent/faqs.asp#whatis

As we are preparing our homes and hearts for the beginning of Advent, I was wondering what your family does to celebrate Advent...what arts and crafts ideas you have...what stories you tell...what songs you teach your kids....what websites you love...anything Advent related really.

Please share your family traditions here! Just click on "comments". I look forward to your inspiration.

Check out http://www.extravagantgrace.net/
Look for the picture of the advent wreath.

http://www.teachingmom.com/features/advent.html
http://miikogibson.com/advent_study.htm
http://biblekidsfunzone.com/Christmas.html
http://www.craft-central-station.com/projects/holidays/xmass-index.htm

The Memory of a 3 Year Old & Happy Birthday Stephen

Last night when I was putting Lauren to bed, I reminded her that when she woke up it would be her daddy's birthday. She replied, "We have to sing the birthday song." I told her that when the sun came up she could sing to her daddy.

Well, I wasn't home when she woke up but Stephen called me to tell me that when Lauren woke up she was screaming from her bed. Now, we try really hard to teach her not to scream from her bed and somehow she always forgets that simple request but she didn't forget what we talked about at bedtime. Stephen had raced to her room thinking something was wrong because most mornings Lauren gets herself out of bed. When he got to her room, she said, "It's your birthday!" I wish I could have seen his face because I'm sure it lit up like....a Christmas tree.

Happy Birthday Honey! I love you!

Taco Fiesta Chicken Lasagna

Moved to Aggieland Mommy Cooks

Our family Christmas Pictures

I know you can't tell in the pictures but Stephen is wearing a green shirt. The lighting in the studio made it look black.

Quick & Easy Egg Casserole Brunch

This yummy recipe has been moved to Aggieland Mommy Cooks

Thanksgiving, my Aggies, church adventures, and shopping

I don't think I've ever been away from blogging for 6 days before. Now I have so much catching up to do. I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving. We certainly enjoyed ours. My mom came down Wednesday afternoon. She had to leave my dad behind because he developed the worst stomach virus in their 37 years of marriage. Yes, 37 years! Wednesday night Stephen and I had a much needed date-night to the best place to eat in the state of Texas. We went to Christopher's World Grille where an order of raspberry tea is $4.50 and they don't make an entree for under $20. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that he won a gift certificate, we could never afford a place like that! Good eats y'all. We seemed to be at a loss for words since the kids were home with Grandma. We got to hold hands and just enjoy the moment. After the wonderful Greek Lamb Chops and Zihuatanejo Snapper we enjoyed some dessert and took our time leaving. When we got in the car we were surprised to see that we had only been gone an hour and a half.

Thursday Mom and I prepared the turkey dinner while Stephen tended to a nice fire and kept the kids out of the way. After stuffing ourselves like turkeys, everyone went down for a nap except Stephen and me. We watched the Cowboys. Well, I dozed off a little and woke up to Stephen standing over me, telling me it was snowing in Dallas (which is really Irving). For dinner that night we had our dessert, we were too stuffed to have any after the meal.

Friday morning I awoke with tons of energy, more than a 35 year old, 32 week pregnant woman with a 3 year old and a 21 month old should...I made my favorite breakfast casserole and had it in the oven before anyone else woke up. Stephen started bringing all the Christmas decorations down from the attic. We all started a little shopping after the big sale rush was over. Stephen's birthday is tomorrow so I usually buy for both occassions but he was with us so it made it hard. We made it home and put the kids down for a nap in time to watch my Aggies beat the hell outta t.u. WHOOP! What an exciting game it was, the Aggies played like they should have played all year. I asked Stephen what would happen if we played t.u. at the beginning of each season instead of at the end, I mean really, we beat them last year and they were National Champs! I was a little saddened by Coach Fran's answers to the questions he was asked as he was walking off the field. He was asked about his relationship with his players and he basically said, "No comment." 5 years at the best university in America....with the best student body in America...and he couldn't comment? I looked over at Stephen and said he is going to resign. Maybe this wasn't a big secret....I guess I figured he'd be fired like Slocum was in 2002. Sure enough, within the hour, he resigned as coach of the Aggies and said he wouldn't be available to coach at a bowl game. Ya know.....it's what A&M football needs but I have to give the man credit, he has been involved in several wonderful charities in our community and I only hope our next coach will do the same. Friday night Stephen and I took advantage of the kids' playmate (my mom) and we went to do a little shopping for the kids.

Saturday the 3 girls went shopping for Daddy's birthday. What fun to drive through nasty cold rain and go in and out of shops. When we got home, we were surprised to see that Stephen had decorated most of the house. It looked so beautiful! Saturday after we all woke up from our naps, mom treated us to Red Lobster, yummy!

Yesterday we made it to church...forgetting that the nursery isn't open most holidays...and took the kids into the sanctuary with us. Thank goodness I packed a bag of tricks but that didn't work for long. Lauren did a wonderful job, probably because Grandma was there to help, but it was only a matter of time before Caleb couldn't sit and snack any longer. Since my belly is so big, I can't do much to help Stephen so he took Caleb out. About 10 minutes later he came in to show me that Caleb's sleeves were soaked...I think he was going for a 2nd baptism because Stephen said he dipped both arms in the fountain outside the church. Stephen was taking him to the warm van and said he'd be back. It is so hard to take the kids to church right now, sometimes Caleb doesn't want to stay in the nursery, I know it will be even harder when we have a newborn. I want to make it all the way through advent without missing mass but I don't know if that's realistic. Oh the guilt!

We had a nice lunch at On the Border....walked through the Aggie tent sale...and then it was home to see Mom off. It was such a nice, relaxing holiday. I don't want a big rush to Christmas, I want to enjoy each and every day. I am very excited about listening to Christmas music...I have found a great station online that plays Christmas music and my classroom is decorated as well.

Which brings me to today. As I was coming to work I heard talk about our new coach coming from Houston. I emailed Heather in Florida...why does she always hear Aggie news before me? I live here for goodness sake! She said there's a news conference scheduled for 11:00 today (now) and she thinks it is to name our new head coach as Mike Sherman, the offensive co-ordinator from the Houston Texans. He already has Aggie ties and he led the Green Bay Packers to 3 NFC North titles so this may be just what the Aggies needed.

Please take a moment to pray for

One of my best friends' family.

Lisa's father-in-law: his colon has ruptured where it had been reattached after the surgery last week. The surgeon went back in to repair it and clean out all the infection that he had. He actually developed 3 different infections last week. All of them very serious. Then they Care flighted him to Harris downtown (he was at Harris Southwest). Now he is in the Trauma ICU and his kidneys have shut down and they can't keep his blood pressure up. They want to do a 3rd surgery today because they left the wound open on Sat.
Today's update: Johnny had surgery at 5:00 yesterday evening. The doctor removed his gallbladder, put in a port for dialysis and cleaned out his system again & inserted a colostomy. So now he is still in recovery mode and unaware. He is on a 24 hour mild dialysis and still the same.

Her mother-in-law: has Pulmonary Fibrosis, which means the air holes in her lungs are gradually degenerating and closing up, so it's harder and harder for her to breathe. She's been dependent on oxygen 24/7 since she was diagnosed in 2005 and she's been confined to her scooter since last year. Johnny was her primary caregiver until last month.\

Don't forget about all the doctors and other healthcare providers! Keep the family safe as they travel to and from the hospital and please lift them up as holidays are always the hardest times to endure health crisis.

Caleb keeps us very busy!

Look at our little stinker. Saturday we took him for his first haircut so we could have our Christmas pictures done minus the 'Shaggy' look. See that picture? That's about as long as he would sit in that chair. Well... he sat a little longer as long as I made a fool out of myself and did Aggie yells. He likes that. When we got home, I trimmed and I trimmed until I was satisfied with his hair. In my next life I am going to open a kids' haircut salon where each station has a children's theme and is playing a movie that will capture the kid's attention! Anyone out there on board?

The other pictures were taken a few minutes ago, Stephen sent them to me. Caleb was waiting for his breakfast and decided to go exploring. He hasn't done this before because it is rare that the table is cleared off. Again, he is a stinker but at the beginning and end of the day, he is the most loving, snuggly boy around.

Great news and I love my doctor!

I had my doctor's appointment today. I told Dr. Blasingame about the bad sonogram experience at the hospital and how I didn't even get any pictures and she asked if I could stay so one of her girls could do a sonogram and print some pictures. So I stayed for another hour and we saw the most amazing things not only in 2-D but also in 3-D. Abby was asleep most of the time and the 3-D couldn't pick up an image of her face through the placenta but I rolled over on my side and we saw her hands...and ear...and then her eyes and nose and she even stuck her tongue out a few times. For awhile it seemed as if she was playing peek-a-boo because she kept covering her face with her hands.

The great news is that there is no spot (Choroid Plexus) on the brain....the placenta is not low anymore...and Abby was not breech today. Prayers answered, God is Great!

Big Announcement

The sonogram tech told me what I'm having even though I told him we didn't want to know.
Double click on the video to find out the gender of the baby.
Please feel free to leave a comment by clicking below on "comments".

Little Pig, Little Pig, Let me come in!

A friend of ours bought this cute house for her little boy and we thought it would keep Lauren busy for hours. She loves to color and she is very good at staying in the lines. So we printed our 40% off coupon and headed to Hobby Lobby to buy the house. We told Lauren we'd put it together right after dinner. Poor Stephen wasn't allowed to finish eating because she begged him to put it together. Caleb-who is ALL BOY, let me tell ya- started knocking it down before it was even put up. He was like the Big Bad Wolf except he decided he wanted to go through the windows- and he's never even seen the Dukes of Hazzard. After Caleb had had enough of Mommy and Daddy telling him no, he started knocking the house down! We could not believe this sweet, precious little boy. He even picked it up by the roof and just plopped it over on it's side. As you can see in the pictures, he finally gave in and went through the door. What a stinker he is!

My new house!!

Crock Pot Enchiladas

This fantastic recipe has been moved to Aggieland Mommy Cooks

My Aunt Ellen's Eggnog

This amazing recipe has been moved to Aggieland Mommy Cooks

Prayer request

I just found out that they have found a tumor behind my grandmother's lung. They will do a biopsy on November 23. Please pray that the tumor will be benign. My grandmother is 80 and her health has been deteriorating over the last few years.

Layered Mint Chocolate Fudge

This has been moved to my recipe blog Aggieland Mommy Cooks.

Thank you Honey!

Yesterday I read on a friend's blog how to make your own header. I went home and asked my husband if he could look into this since he is the computer genius in our family. Bless his heart...he got started and just wouldn't stop. I mean we stopped to run to Hobby Lobby but the minute we got back, he was at it again. That was really not easy since I didn't know EXACTLY what I wanted. So he whipped something up and he did a good job but it wasn't symmetrical y'all. I know, I know, who cares right? Well, ask him about the house I wouldn't buy because the front door was on the far left, not even close to the middle. Anyway, a woman has the right to change her mind and that's what I did. So back to work he went. I told him he could use 3 pics, 4 pics, 6, or 8, I didn't care but it had to be symmetrical. He came up with a good header but the darn thing wouldn't center. His bedtime, 9:00, came and went. "Honey, you can go to bed and we'll worry about it tomorrow." Nope, he wasn't going to go to bed without figuring this one out. At around 10:20, sleep deprivation set in and he thought he lost my entire template. He fixed it and finally realized he did need to get to sleep. Well, he must have gotten started on the centering issue as soon as I left for work because when I got my first chance to check email, he left a message that he got the header centered! Now we're just going to work on a little tune for your listening pleasure. So...thanks Stephen, I love you!

Don't forget our soldiers...

When you are making your Christmas Card list, add just one more:
A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington,D.C. 20307-5001

Holiday Cooking Blogger Style

http://overwhelmedwithjoy.blogspot.com/2007/10/holiday-cooking-blogger-style-2nd.html
I just found this wonderful site where you can post your favorite tried and true holiday recipes.

If you're new to my blog, welcome and while a few recipes are listed below, there are many more...check out the labels section on the right. I try to post new recipes every day so come on back y'all!

Baby It's Cold Outside

Well, not that cold yet, but it's coming. I love this weather as long as I can be inside, by a fire, sipping a hot drink, and snuggling up with my family. Today when I went home for lunch, my wonderful husband had Frito Pie waiting for me, how perfect. Caleb went down for his nap early and Lauren wanted to color in her room so it was just the two of us. That doesn't happen very often at all. During our nice quiet visit, Stephen dozed off a few times but who can blame him? He only gets about 5 hours of sleep each night, I couldn't do it.

Back to the cold weather...I found a gift card that I got for my birthday (Don't you just love it when you find "money"?) and I splurged on 2 Christmas CDs. Josh Grobin's Noel and Burl Ives' music from the Rudolph shows. Now I know what you're saying, yes I did rant and rave yesterday about Christmas coming too early but I promise I will not listen to the CDs until Thanksgiving. I'm just excited about having them.

Gobble, Gobble

Moved to Aggieland Mommy Cooks

Santa Claus is coming to town! Friday!

Yes, you heard me correctly. As I was driving to work this morning I heard a commercial on the radio that Santa is arriving at our mall this Friday night, November 9. Are you kidding me? Let's slow down people. Halloween came and went and is only a memory. I'm ready to dust off my Bing Crosby White Christmas CD but let's spend the next few weeks anticipating what we are truly thankful for and let's experience the chaos in planning our meal.

I would love to take the kids to all the fun and festivities they have planned for Santa's arrival but not before Thanksgiving. This is a ploy to get us to spend money now and to get our kids to start the begging now. I will not be a part of it. I won't take my kids to the section of the mall where they have Santa set up. Where are all the Advent and Nativity decorations?

Speaking of Thanksgiving, my parents will be coming here for Thanksgiving this year. Stephen and I decided a few years ago that we want to start our own traditions and while we knew some feelings would be hurt about us not going to Fort Worth, we realized with little ones that we can't stress ourselves out to make others happy. Are you with me on this one? How many of you have "been there, done that?" We want to have a nice TG meal which I will prepare (if Mom will let me) and then we'll watch the Cowboys. That's what we always did growing up and I can't wait to watch another game with my dad. Friday we'll anticipate the annual A&M vs t.u. game and we'll crank up the Christmas music while we decorate the house and bake the 100th batch of Chex mix. Then we'll spend the weekend resting and relaxing.

Lauren asks us every day if Grandma is coming. We show her on the calendar how long it will be before Grandma comes and she still wants Grandma to be here now. She talked to my mom Friday night and then asked to call her on Saturday. I always put the phone on speaker but this time Lauren took the phone and walked around the house talking to Grandma for almost an hour. When we hung up she cried and cried because she wanted Grandma to come right away. I called my mom back and let her listen to the saddest little 3 year old. When we hung up the phone we made a countdown chain and explained how we'll take one link off every day and when they're all gone, Grandma will be here. She caught on to that pretty quickly, yesterday she asked if she could tear them all so that Grandma could be here now. It's going to be a long 17 days.

Halloween!

We sure have had fun this year. The kids and I watched The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown on Tuesday while Stephen filmed an Elementary show. Yesterday we carved the Jack-O-Lantern-which Lauren designed, put on costumes, went to the mall for Trick-or-Treating, went to a small festival for Trunk-or-Treat, and then went to some houses in our neighborhood. I'm not sure who was more worn out when we got home but I haven't slept that well in weeks!