a good little sugar cookiethere is nothing worse than a icky sugar cookie. conversely, there is nothing better than a great sugar cookie. the recipe in my Mom's cookbook is the best one i have found. the recipe calls for cream of tartar, so the cookies have that perfect tang to them.

cream together:
2 sticks margarine
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mazola corn oil
add:
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 cups flour (actually, just add enough flour to make the dough come together. this might be a little less than 5 cups....)
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda

roll into desired size balls and place on ungreased baking sheet. bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes (or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. do not over bake. no one like a crispy sugar cookie)

my frosting recipe isnt really a recipe at all. i just cream about a stick of butter with some powdered sugar, salt, milk, and vanilla until it looks/tastes how i like it. if one can get the ratio right than it is some mighty fine frosting. good luck with that. (i never said i was mrs. fields)

snow dayyesterday was the ultimate snow day! i had no idea a storm was coming so when i woke up and pulled open the curtains to this i was more than excited. the only person happier than me was LOUIS. he lives for the white stuff.

the baby's roomwe transformed my old bedroom into the nursery. a long time ago, my auntie brooke painted the walls a soft butter yellow with a beautiful/subtle diamond design. other than the walls, my color scheme for the room is white and chocolate brown. the chair (above) is the softest thing ever. it kinda looks reddish in this lighting, but it is yummy dark brown.

this is the crib. my aunt and uncle gave it to us (along with the matching dresser). we re-painted and cleaned it up a bit and now i love it more than anything!

the changing table/dresser. i cannot wait until i know if we are having a boy or a girl so that i can actually put some clothes in it.

i realize that everything looks super yellow in these pictures, but i just couldnt get my camera on the right setting. however, it is a BEAUTIFUL nursery and we are so grateful that my parents are generous enough to let us be here! *also, that is my stroller and car seat in the background. only a little while longer and then i can put those things to good use.*

the only picture taken at my office baby shower. these are my two favorite people at work, laffon and andy. they make my days so much better with their hilarious (sometimes offensive) emails and wild antics. we all celebrated my baby shower by chowing down at bonefish! they also pulled together some pretty amazing gifts for my little one on the way. i love my office people!

my work party

last night was the Outback/Bonefish Holiday Party. the Managers from all of our 37 restaurants came into town to celebrate the end of 2007. we all ate dinner at Maggiano's and then went upstairs to this spanking-new swanky bowling alley. there was so much planning involved with this event. from the travel plans for all 120 people right down to the organization of bowling shoes sizes for everyone! it was an absolute blast. doing this kind of stuff reminds me of why i have always had the pipe dream of being a wedding coordinator.

this was when we were trying to get the bowling lanes/shirts/shoes/teams in order. i kind of have the look of utter disgust on my face. that is because right before this picture was taken i was informed that ALL 120 people in my group were going to be carded on their way into the bowling alley. i had not been informed of this minor detail and i just sensed DISASTER. most of the ladies were in slinky cocktail dresses and didnt have their wallets (let alone IDs) on them. luckily, with my amazing mom's help, everything worked out.

my mom and dad had a great time bowling together. however, they did receive the "award" for the "worst couple's score". with a whopping 40 total points! they each got their very own lava lamp as a parting gift!

craig loved bowling! he didnt do that hot on the first game (which was crappy, because that was the only score that mattered for the prizes) but he picked up his "A" game afterwards. everyone was asking me if he was pro......there is nothing that craig cant do. how can one person be so talented at everything? *craig, disregard those last couple of sentences. i need to be able to fit in the house tonight and i cant have your head taking up all the room.*

i LoVE this picture. we had such a great time at the party. it was the cherry on the sundae that my parents were there.

i was the only one in the entire party that had a pink shirt with my name embroidered on the front. and if you dont think that i didnt get crap for that, you would be wrong. but hey, i was the party planner, remember?

this was at the very end of the night, when we were handing out the prizes. those two men are my "boys" (i guess if one was being respectful, one would say "bosses"). they are very good to me and gave me a dozen roses for putting the whole party together. i look like i am wearing a gold tent. which isnt too far from the truth. i had a terrific time doing this party and now i feel like i can go have my baby in peace!

it's a no goso, here i am, at the hospital today. that was my very first medical bracelet and i was incredibly excited about it! the doctor gave me a shot in my arm that made my stomach muscles loosen (that way, she could maneuver the baby easier). then the doctor proceeded to push on my stomach as hard as she could. there were little tears coming out of my eyes, but i didnt make a peep! the doctor managed to get the baby's head dislodged from my ribs, but not much more than that. after about 10 minutes, she decided that the baby just wasnt going to move. that was a lot of pain! i am kinda sad it didnt work, but at least the baby is happy and healthy in it's little breech position. so, unless the baby decides to move on its own in the next couple of days......... c-section around the 1st of february!

i am leaving work right now to head up to the hospital. i havent been able to eat anything this morning (doctor's orders) so we (and by we, i mean the baby and me) are pretty hungry. we'll see how this baby-turning thing goes. blog you later.

great cookies. fAT belly. naughty kitty.as my dear aunt would say "you know me, i dont want to brag, but........" these cookies are the absolute best. however, the silly thing is is that i didnt invent this recipe, so really i have no bragging rights. but i did stumble across this recipe and i just had to try them. i highly recommend baking a batch for yourself.

Peanut Butter Cookies
Adapted from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook
11⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
3⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature
3⁄4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (for sprinkling) sugar
1⁄2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄2 cup peanut butter chips
1⁄2 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside. In another large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter chips. Place sprinkling sugar on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crissscross pattern, but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

new belly shot. four more weeks to go. ha HA! i literally did survive working at the Outback. actually, i have had a great time working there and i will miss babysitting my men while i go and babysit my own little one.

holy crap. there are two places that louis is not allowed to be. the stroller and the crib. i think i have now posted pictures of louis in both of these places. i am not proud of the fact that we have a hard time disciplining him. it makes me sad. we better learn more effective parenting skills for our human child.

stubborn little thing
so, i have 30 days left. my baby is breech. his/her little feet are down and head up (painfully poking into my ribs). i have tried the "flashlight" theory as well as the hula-hoop exercises. nothing seems to work. i go into my doctor on monday to see if he/she still hasnt moved and if not, then on wednesday i get an external cephalic version (where the doctor manually moves the baby from the outside). if the "flipping" doesnt work, then i will have to get a c-section a week before my due date. i am trying not to get too freaked out slash depressed about the whole thing. however, i cant help myself. i know that there could be a lot worse things happening with this pregnancy and that i should just relax, but easier said than done. i have fantasized about labor and delivery for the past 8 months, i just feel like scheduling a c-section is so unromantic. i wanted to experience the whole "oh crap, my water just broke. we gotta rush to the hospital. push. push.push. the baby comes." i guess, at this point i am just buying trouble because i still have a month for things to change. but i am obsessing about it. oh well. whats going to happen is going to happen. i feel blessed that i am even having a baby and that he/she is healthy (a little booger, but healthy).

more trinka trinketstonight, craig and i went to his grandparents' house. grandma trinka took me on a tour of her house, letting me pick out whatever i wanted. i found these babies in the kitchen and i was so excited! i have always wanted to get hobnail salt and pepper shakers but they are fairly pricey. this particular set is incredibly beautiful. there is nothing like scoring great family heirlooms.

who invented you?that is what craig says to me when i do/say something stupid. he just said it to me, five minutes ago, when he saw all of these pictures i took of louis. (these two are just the tip of the iceberg) but this first one is of louis, on my parents' bed. my mom got these sheets out of the dryer and threw them on top of him. that is when he reached nirvana.

louis can feel the freakin pea. for sure.

*mom, on a scale of one to ten, how annoying is this post?*