Since I am in my 37th week of pregnancy, my doctor didn’t want me traveling the 4 hours to Houston or Austin to celebrate Christmas with either of our families this year, so they are coming to us! I have a belly picture to post and update, but I’m not sure when I’ll get around to that so I thought I’d share our Christmas card and wish all of you a Merry Christmas! Enjoy this time celebrating the birth of our Savior!
A couple days ago, I posted on facebook that I had done some Christmas cookie baking. I had a request to share the recipes, so I thought I’d post the links to them on the blog so that I could easily get back to reference the recipes in the future. I wish I could say I used old hand-me-down recipes with fabulous secret ingredients in them, but I didn’t. I did, however, reference one of my favorite baking blogs – The Brown Eyed Baker.
So, with that said, I gathered the ingredients and proceeded to make Buckeye Balls, Peanut Butter Blossoms, Snickerdoodles, Sand Tarts, and I have the dough in the freezer to make cut-out cookies later this week. Never in a million years would I have had the energy/motivation to do all of that on my own, so I invited some girlfriends over to help bake. It was such a fun afternoon (although exhausting at 9 months pregnant – I literally napped my way through the next day), that I hope we can make it a tradition every year!
Without further adieu… click the title or the picture to be taken to the Brown Eyed Baker’s blog for the recipe.
Yield: 6-7 dozen
1 ½ cups peanut butter
6 cups powdered sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
¼ cup shortening1. Line cookie sheet with wax paper. Mix together butter, peanut butter, sugar, and vanilla with a wooden spoon in a large bowl.
2. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Set them on prepared cookie sheet and insert toothpick into each ball. Chill in freezer until hard, approximately 30 minutes.
3. Melt chocolate chips and shortening over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from heat. Dip balls in chocolate and place back on cookie sheet. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, approximately 2 hours.
Store in airtight container in refrigerator.
Yield: About 4 dozen
2¾ cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a baking mat and put in refrigerator to chill.
2. Whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
4. Gradually stir in the flour mixture, beating on low speed just until the flour is blended.
5. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
6. In the meantime, mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
7. Scoop 1-inch balls of dough and roll in the cinnamon and sugar mixture to coat.
8. Place on chilled cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and bake for 10 minutes.
9. Chill the dough and cookie sheets between batches.
10. Let cookies set on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack. Store cookies in an airtight container.
Yield: About 4 dozen
Ingredients:
48 Hershey’s kisses, unwrapped
½ cup shortening
¾ cup peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
SugarDirections:
Preheat oven to 375. Remove wrappers from chocolates.Beat shortening and peanut butter in a large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls (I used my small cookie scoop from Pampered Chef and got exactly 48 cookies). Roll in sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.
Cut-Out Sugar Cookies (I’ll post some of my own after I get these baked & decorated!)
Yield: About 24 cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 15-18 minutes
2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar, plus ½ cup for rolling dough
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 large egg
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
2. Cream the butter, the 1 cup granulated sugar, and the brown sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg and vanilla; beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed.
3. Place the ½ cup sugar for rolling in a shallow bowl. Fill a medium bowl halfway with cold tap water. Dip your hands in the water and shake off any excess (this will prevent the dough from sticking to your hands and ensure that the sugar sticks to the dough). Roll a heaping tablespoon of dough into a 1½-inch ball between moistened palms, roll the ball in the sugar, and then place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, moistening your hands as necessary and spacing the balls about 2 inches apart (you should be able to fit 12 cookies on each sheet). Butter the bottom of a drinking glass and then dip the bottom of the glass in the remaining sugar. Flatten the dough balls with the bottom of the glass until they are about ¾ inch thick, dipping the glass in sugar as necessary to prevent sticking (after every 2 or 3 cookies).
4. Bake until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and their center are just set and very lightly colored, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets about 3 minutes; using a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Here are the Brown Eyed Baker’s tips for adapting that recipe for cut-outs:
And I’ll have to get back to you on the Sand Tart recipe – that recipe came from one of my girlfriends and I don’t have it here. Growing up we always made corn-flake wreaths too, but my mom is making those to bring up to our house this year so I didn’t tackle those.
I would love to hear from anyone (if there’s anyone still reading this with my lack of blogging lately) else who has favorite Christmas cookie recipes! Feel free to comment & share!
First up – a little bit about what’s going on with Hadley in there…
Baby's now the size of a honeydew!
From now on, baby's growth is mostly in the plumping up department – though she won't get much longer, she'll put on a pound or more of baby fat before birth. Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight. (taken from the bump.com and babycenter.com)
How Far Along: 34 weeks and a day (well technically today is +2 days, but the picture is from yesterday)
Total Weight Gain: somewhere between 25-30 pounds (it’s been fluctuating a bunch lately, and I keep forgetting to ask the doctor at my appointments) Also – I can’t believe I’m posting that for all the world to see – but I do want to be able to look back on this and remember where I was at each point in the pregnancy…
Maternity Clothes: Starting to get a little tired of wearing the same thing every single day.
Best Moment this week: Getting a prenatal massage. Definitely a must-do for this point in the pregnancy! It was so relaxing.
Gender: Still a girl for all we know! - Hadley Ann :)
Movement: I can feel her all the time now – in addition to the jerky little kicks, I can feel her rolling around and squirming in there. She also gets the hiccups a couple times a day (and night). They’re cute at first, but when they’re waking you up at 3am they lose a little cute-ness.
Food Craving: Food in general! Hadley must be going through a growth spurt this week because I am hungry ALL. THE. TIME.
Sleep: Still not too much trouble here – I wake up once or twice a night still, sometimes because of Hadley kicking, sometimes to go to the bathroom – but I typically don’t have too much trouble getting back to sleep.
What I am looking forward to: Getting the nursery done! We’re hoping to get the last few things this weekend and finally put some stuff up on the walls in there!
Belly Button: Still in, but hanging on by a thread – and if I laugh or cough it pops out (TMI – sorry!)
Symptoms: Still feeling pretty good – no big complaints here :) Although walking and getting up from a sitting position are getting harder and harder. I always thought the “pregnancy waddle” was because people just got so big that they walked like they were overweight. I’m realizing it has more to do with pain than anything else, though! It’s amazing what kind of aches and pains a little 5 pound baby can inflict on you!
And here’s the latest belly picture…
I mentioned in my last post about Christmas cards (which are on their way – yay!) that we had a really busy November. This time of year is always so busy between the holidays, our anniversary and of course, football season, but with a baby on the way, that just added to the hustle and bustle! I already blogged about our anniversary, but since then, we’ve had 2 baby showers, 2 doctor’s appointments, family in town, and a holiday out of town!
First up – the first baby shower, which was thrown my my sister Katie, sister-in-law Kelly, and friend Amy. The baby shower was on the 13th of November and I am finally getting around to sharing pictures!
My sister made the invitations and almost all of the decorations at the shower – she’s so creative!
My sister-in-law made this adorable “bootie bouquet” behind the “cute as a button” chocolates. When I brought them home, Matt seriously thought they were real flowers!
Part of the spread – homemade from scratch cinnamon & caramel rolls courtesy of my dad!
Melissa gets the prize for being the most off on the “guess-the-size” game; my grandma was almost right on (although it does look like she’s a little bit high as she’s going around the bump)
My sweet friend Liz MADE this quilt for Hadley! So precious!
Some of the guests…
Baby James was all tuckered out after all the attention from the ladies
Family shot – my mother-in-law came up from Houston, my mom came up from Austin and my grandma came down from Minneapolis!
Matt and I feel so blessed to have family and friends who care for us and are so excited to celebrate with us during this time! In addition to this shower, Matt’s office threw us a baby shower the following week! Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures there, but we had a great time and were so blessed by the people in his office as well!
I can’t believe November has basically come and gone since my last post! November has been such a busy month for us – but we are looking forward to a slightly more relaxed December (assuming Hadley decides to stay put until her due date). With December, comes Christmas preparations! We already have our tree and lights up on the house (pictures to come…) thanks to my hard-working husband, and I started working on the mantle and other Christmas decorations around the house yesterday. In addition to that, it’s time to order our Christmas cards! Last year, I made our cards in photoshop and had them printed, but with all of the other baby stuff we have to prepare for, I don’t have time for that this year. Lucky for me, Shutterfly is offering 50 free Christmas cards to bloggers! Can you believe that?? They have some beautiful designs too – check them out here! I have been playing around with some pictures we took after our baby shower the other weekend to find one that will work for our Christmas card – I love photo cards!
These Christmas invitations are making me wish (almost) that we were hosting a Christmas party this year, too…
Once Hadley is here, I may use Shutterfly to make some photo gifts for family members too 
Yesterday I celebrated 3 years of marriage to my wonderful husband :) AND the 31 week mark in this pregnancy.
We decided after our first anniversary to not do anniversary presents, (with it being so close to Christmas) and have decided to spend whatever money we would have spent on presents, on doing something together. Last year we went to San Antonio for the weekend. We stayed on the Riverwalk and ate delicious food all weekend. This time around, I really didn’t feel like sitting in the car for a long drive, and with it being in the middle of the week, we just decided to stay in. I cooked Matt’s favorite meal (lasagna, garlic bread and Caesar salad), Matt enjoyed some wine (I’m sure I could have had a small glass, but I think even with the doctor’s OK I still would have felt guilty), we exchanged cards and just enjoyed our evening in.
Three years ago…
And today… 
Looking at this picture I am starting to see the baby weight spreading to my face. Apparently I’m storing up reserves for the winter ;)
Yesterday also marked 31 weeks! Hard to believe that in 6 weeks Hadley will be considered “full-term” and could come at any point from then on!
How Far Along: 31 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 22 pounds (I think – I just realized that I didn’t ask the doctor about this at my last appointment like I usually do)
Maternity Clothes: Starting to get a little tired of wearing the same thing every single day.
Best Moment this week: We had our tour of Labor & Delivery last weekend. I think it definitely made things feel a little more real for Matt, and it was a lot of fun for both of us to see the rooms we will be in and the nursery!
Gender: Still a girl for all we know! - Hadley Ann :)
Movement: I can feel her all the time now – in addition to the jerky little kicks, I can feel her rolling around and squirming in there. She also gets the hiccups a couple times a day (and night). They’re cute at first, but when they’re waking you up at 3am they lose a little cute-ness.
Food Craving: Food in general! Hadley must be going through a growth spurt this week because I am hungry ALL. THE. TIME.
Sleep: Still not too much trouble here – I wake up once or twice a night still, sometimes because of Hadley kicking, sometimes to go to the bathroom – but I typically don’t have too much trouble getting back to sleep.
What I am looking forward to: This is actually happening today, but we are having a maid service come out for a quick cleaning and I could not be more excited! Cleaning the bathrooms has become quite the task, and although Matt has “graciously” offered to clean while I can’t, he doesn’t exactly have the same standards for cleanliness that I do.
Belly Button: Still in, but hanging on by a thread
Symptoms: Still feeling pretty good – no big complaints here :) Although I have noticed that the fatigue from the first trimester is starting to come back a bit. Naps are my friend. :)
And here’s the latest belly picture…
I am now entering my 30th week of pregnancy! Hard to believe there are less than 11 full weeks left before Hadley will be here!
Here’s a little bit about her right now.
Baby's now the size of a squash!
Baby's energy is surging, thanks to white fat depositing beneath her skin. And since she's growing so fast (weight will triple by birth), things are getting kind of cramped in the womb. What all this means for you: Get ready for some more kicks and jabs to the ribs. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain.
How Far Along: 29 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 18 - 20 pounds (I think – I just realized that I didn’t ask the doctor about this at my last appointment like I usually do)
Maternity Clothes: Starting to get a little tired of wearing the same thing every single day.
Best Moment this week: This was technically last week, but seeing her in 3D was awesome! I already shared the pictures below, but I know that is something we will treasure forever!
Gender: Still a girl for all we know! - Hadley Ann :)
Movement: I can feel her all the time now – in addition to the jerky little kicks, I can feel her rolling around and squirming in there
Food Craving: Nothing really in particular anymore
What I miss: Just being able to do basic things without being out of breath – I discovered that I can’t grocery shop and talk on the phone anymore. Tried that this week and was SO out of breath I had to stop and rest for a minute!
Sleep: Still not too much trouble here – I wake up once or twice a night still, sometimes because of Hadley kicking, sometimes to go to the bathroom – but I typically don’t have too much trouble getting back to sleep.
What I am looking forward to: We have our tour of labor & delivery scheduled for next week. Should be fun to see where we will actually bring Hadley into the world!
Belly Button: Still in, but hanging on by a thread
Symptoms: Still feeling pretty good – no big complaints here :) Although I have noticed that the fatigue from the first trimester is starting to come back a bit. Naps are my friend. :)
And here’s the latest belly picture…
I’m a day late on this, and I don’t actually have the room ready to show off yet, so I thought I’d do a quick post on our choices so far for Hadley’s nursery.
Here is the room right after we painted and had gotten in the crib/dresser:
Walking in… this is a small room so it’s tough to take a good picture of it. Paint color is Portobello by Sherwin Williams
Crib and Dresser are the Salerno line by Pali 
This corner by the window is where the glider will go…
Looking back out towards the door (don’t mind the fan – I told you this was right after we painted!)
I have the bedding already, but the bumper is in the process of being monogrammed by my friend Keely (check out her etsy shop, The Buggy Boutique – she makes the cutest stuff!) – so I thought I’d just share pictures of some of the other things we plan to do in here…
Here’s the bedding: It’s the scallop pique nursery bedding from Pottery Barn Kids. I am using different sheets than what’s shown, adding a different monogram, thanks to Keely, and changing out the ties as well.
Here’s the glider we ordered: It’s the Newco Taylor Classic Swivel Glider – ordered from Babies R Us. I’m thinking we might have to order the ottoman that goes with it too for those late night feedings.
I’m still trying to find a rug I like for a good price, and same with window treatments, a book shelf and I think a cubbie system to help organize her closet. Here are a couple of my ideas so far…
Rugs: I’d love to get one of these in a round shape – but those seem to be so much more expensive!
Window Treatments: The wall her window is on actually has a vaulted ceiling, so I’m trying to find a solution to being able to have a cornice board up there and hanging drapes from inside, otherwise I may just do a roman shade or some other type of shade.
Decorations:
I’m going to try to paint a canvas with Proverbs 3:24 " When you lie down you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep with be sweet” on it to go over her crib. If I can’t make it look cute enough I may try to find someone on etsy to do it for me! I’m also painting a little H that I’m going to cover with scrapbook paper to go on one of her shelves, and I’m going to try to make my own closet-clothing organizers based on the idea I saw here -- http://blissfullydomestic.com/2009/baby-closet-dividers – and maybe a bow holder as well. Hopefully I will have time to get all these crafts done with the holidays coming!
I guess that’s about all I have to show – we don’t have a bookshelf picked out yet either, so no pictures for that yet. Hopefully I’ll have some more progress on the nursery soon and can show off the final product!
Thanks for stopping by! Check out the other links on Kelly’s Korner for some more kid room/nursery inspiration!
This morning we had an appointment for a 3D ultrasound. This was elective, so we had to pay for it ourselves, but I think it was totally worth it. We got some great shots (although some are more clear than others.)
Hadley was snuggled up with her “pillow” most of the time, like in the picture below. She was asleep at first, but a couple big yawns and stretches later and we could tell we woke her up (the ultrasound tech had me bring a Dr. Pepper with me so we could get her moving around).
Stretchin’ out. Love these little legs and feet!
Little tiny ear
The first photos we got of her, her lips were all puckered up like this. Mmmm… Dr. Pepper… this stuff is sweet!
Big yawn! Ugh – do I have to wake up?
I think this is the best full shot we got of her face. I can’t wait to compare these to her first “outside” baby pics! 
We don’t have another doctor’s appointment until the first week of November. At my last appointment, they pretty much said we are on “cruise control” until the 36th week or so. I’ll try to be a little more regular with the belly pictures too, since I am definitely growing each week!
