Christmas Baking Recap

This holiday season I set out to actually do some baking!  I love to bake, but rarely do anything in "bulk" and don't usually branch out from a few tried and true favorites.  THIS year though, I made the mistake of following the cooking blog Lulu the Baker and found myself drooling over some of her sweets recipes.

So, I made myself a list, headed to the grocery store and attempted to find all of the correct ingredients. =)  For someone who doesn't do a lot of seasonal baking, this was a bit of a task.  I must say though, the recipes were super easy to follow, the ingredients weren't too hard to track down, and the end products were FANTASTIC.  Our families, friends and I were all quite pleased with the results. =)


 First off, not via Lulu, but rather "in a jar" from my Secret Work Santa:  Mini Chocolate cupcakes:

Next up, c/o Lulu, Chocolate Mint Cookies!  I couldn't find mint chips to save my life, so I replaced with some crushed up Andes Candies and Candy Cane... they tasted awesome!

Then I experimented with some Peppermint Oreo Pops.  I thought there would be a lot more cussing involved as I figured out how to do these. lol  But, it actually turned out to be quite easy!

And, finally, the HIT of the weekend, Carmelitas!  Our families LOVED these and several people asked me to pass the recipe along.

I am VERY happy with the way everything turned out, and plan to save all of these new recipes for the future!  Thank you Lulu! =)

23 Weeks

I'm a day late... sorry. =(  Been working on a lot of projects around the house recently.  More to come on that later! =)


Size of baby: According to Babyzone she's about the size of a mango!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Approximately the same as last week: 17ish lbs... depending on what I'm wearing and what time of the day it is. =)

Maternity Clothes: Maternity bottoms, regular clothes tops.

Gender: It's a girl!

Movement: Not as much movement recently... it's a little unsettling after getting SO much last week!

What I miss: Having a drink with friends at Happy Hour.  Twice this week I went to "Happy Hour" and drank a diet Coke. lol

Sleep: I've been sleeping really good the last couple of nights.  Jacob and I have been taking nightly walks through our neighborhood and I think the fresh air and movement before bed has helped.

Symptoms: Still getting round ligament pains and my legs are starting to swell throughout the day (back to normal the next day, but sometimes a little larger in the evening), so that's kinda weird. =)

Cravings: I"m kind of disappointed that I'm almost in my 3rd trimester and haven't had any weird pregnancy cravings yet! lol  I want to be able to tell my kid stories about the weird shit I wanted to eat when I was pregnant. =)

Best Moment this week: I was getting ready for work the other morning and Jacob came into the bedroom, saw me and got this huge grin on his face.  He came over, hugged me, rubbed my belly and said that I looked pregnant. lol  While I was not particularly fond of the fact that he was commenting on my size, the joy in his face was pretty great.

What I am looking forward to: I have the next five days off of work... I couldn't be happier!  Even if they are going to be full of Christmas prep related stuff!

22 Weeks

Size of baby: Babyzone didn't send me an e-mail this week with my stats. =(  But the website says that she's about 11 inches from head to heel.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm going to say 16-17 lbs... I just weighed myself, but I JUST ate dinner, so, I'm figuring some of that will digest by the morning. =)

Maternity Clothes: Maternity pants and leggings... so comfortable!  I even bought a couple of cute dresses/tunics, too.

Gender: It's a girl!

Movement: A lot more than last week.  But I only really notice it when I'm "resting" (at home or sitting down somewhere--it makes work meetings a bit more interesting! lol)

What I miss: Being able to bend at the waist.

Sleep: Getting a little harder to get comfortable at night.  I definitely need my "cuddle pillow" to support my front half.

Symptoms: I'm doing ok.  Nothing much to report. =)

Cravings: Nothing out of the ordinary.  I'm eating a lot of carbs these days (which isn't REALLY unusual for me) and I feel like I need to get some more fruits and veggies into my diet.

Best Moment this week: Jacob felt her kick!  I've been feeling kind of guilty that I was experiencing everything and he wasn't.... so I was REALLY happy last night when he felt the "thumping" in my tummy. =)

What I am looking forward to: Starting work on the nursery... though I don't see that happening until after the holidays.  I'm feeling busy enough these days!

21 Weeks

Size of baby: According to babyzone.com, baby’s about the length of a leek.

Total Weight Gain/Loss:About 15 lbs... I either lost a pound from last week or I'm fluctuating in pregnancy just like I did pre-prego.

Maternity Clothes: Maternity pants and leggings... so comfortable!

Gender: It's a girl!

Movement: Off and on.  Some days there's a lot, some days I don't know if I realize any at all.

What I miss: Not thinking in terms of how old my baby will be when... lol

Sleep: Pretty much the same as pre-pregnancy.

Symptoms: I'm feeling good.  Having a harder time bending at the waist though!

Cravings: Right now I really want chocolate... but that's nothing unusual.

Best Moment this week: Picked out some paint samples for the nursery... I think we decided.  I'm excited to get going on that!

What I am looking forward to: Shopping for curtain fabrics this weekend with my mom, while Jacob and his folks move furniture around so that we will have a "nursery" to start work on.

Today's the Day

This is it.  Today's the day that I'm pushing myself out of my comfort zone and making my most recent project public!

For several years I've been in love with my camera.  I've taken a variety of senior photos and engagement shots for friends and family.  On Thanksgiving, in fact, I took my little brother's engagement photos... and it was then, after I received so many compliments and positive feedback about them that I decided I need to give photography a try from a professional level.  So, for the past week I've spent many hours thinking about it, stressing about it, finally deciding to do it... designing the website and Facebook page for my new photography and design endeavor:  Pure and Simple:  Photography and Design.  I've designed and ordered business cards, purchased my own domain name, worked out a "business" phone number and even invested a nice, new SLR camera... now I just need to see if I can get any business!  =)

I'm a little scared, to be perfectly honest.  I thought about doing this several years ago, and even booked one appointment, but it just didn't go anywhere from there and I kind of gave up.  I have some confidence issues with my work... they always say that you are your own worst critic: it is SOO true!  Thankfully I have an awesome husband and friends/family who have been really encouraging and helpful.  So, it's with their support, that I've put my anxiety on hold and have decided to finally go for it!

I'm excited.  I LOVE photography and really enjoy the opportunity to photograph new people and places.  And, to think that I can actually turn my passion into a way to earn a few extra bucks for my growing family... even better!

In order to help move things along a bit, I have decided to start things off with a couple of specials.  You'll see these along the top of the web page:  25% off all photo sessions scheduled to take place by the end of February, and $15 in cash (or $20 photo/project credit) for every friends that any of you refer who purchases a photo session or design project.  I'm not sure how long the referral reward will go on... I guess we'll just have to see how many people take advantage of it and help me out! =)

Please, take a look around this website, contact me if you have any questions or want to book a session/project, "like" the Facebook page, and pass the links around to your friends.  My family and I would really appreciate it!

(Here's a few of my favorite photos from my photo sesh with my baby brother and his fiance, Jenn, last weekend... P.S.  Jenn has started her own wedding planning blog... I'm sure she would love some more followers/advice/ideas!)

Not the best quality on this one... but i think it's adorable. lol