39 WEEKS!!!!!!!

WHOA NELLY!  How did we get to this point?!

Alas, here we are!  Things are SWELL.  I have been getting some sharp pelvic pains for the past week that subside when I walk around.  I wonder when they will become the REAL DEAL.

Time will tell!  Are the rest of you as excited as we are?!!!!!!!!!

I Betchya CAN Eat JUST ONE!

Here they are - the product of our "Martha Stewart" afternoon............CAKE BALLS (a.k.a CAKE POPS minus the sticks)!!!

I think they are the most high maintenance dessert I have ever attempted.  Thankfully, it was a three women show with Emily, Heather and I tackling the task of baking these suckers.  Let me describe to you the process:

1)  Bake a cake.  Any cake you like.  Allow it to cool.  (This part is EASY PEEZY).

2)  Crumble the cake into small pieces.  (Another easy - and FUN! - step). 

3)  Mix in some icing of your choice.  Use about 3/4 of the container.  (The messiness begins....)

4)  Roll the resulting batter-like substance into small balls and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.  They should be covered with saran wrap while cooling.  Speaking of which, I HATE THAT STUFF!  I mean, I realize it's job description involves "clinging"....but COME ON!  Sometimes, it's just TOO MUCH!

5)  Start melting chocolate.  We used a double boiler because Em's a genius.

6)  Remove the balls from the freezer.  Use a toothpick to dip each one into the melted chocolate.  This part is tricky and took us a few attempts to master.  The chocolate needs to be cooled a WEE BIT before you begin dipping.  And make sure you let the extra chocolate drip off for several seconds!!!

7)  Put the balls in the fridge and begin to prepare the "decorating chocolate".  This, of course, is an optional step but one that we felt was IMPERATIVE.  Turns out, it also caused us the most stress!  Did you know that water-based food colouring turns melted chocolate into some sort of disgusting and un-workable paste?!  WELL, IT DOES!  After TWO attempts at making some February-red chocolate, Heather GOOGLED to find out that you need to use powder or oil-based food colouring for the chocolate to maintain it's melty consistency.  WHO KNEW?!  Alas, we had to switch directions and melt some regular chocolate chips with which to decorate.

8)  Remove the balls from the fridge.  Put your decorating chocolate into a small ziplock bag.  Cut a TINY hole in the corner and DRAW, DOODLE and DRIZZLE the heck out of those cake balls!!!

9)  Put back in fridge.  Allow chocolate to harden. 

10)  Enjoy with FRIENDS :)

I think the entire process started around noon (and this does not include the running around and looking for icing and baker's chocolate) and we finished around 6ish.  But, who doesn't LOVE some quality time with loved ones in the kitchen?! 

The cake balls taste DELICIOUS in an OH-MY-GOSH-I-MAY-GO-INTO-A-SUGAR-COMA kinda way.  The good news is - the recipe makes about 40-50 and they go quite delightfully with a regular tea.  See where this is going?  The end result is many-a-tea-parties with nothing but steeping left to do!

Try it out and let us know how it goes!  Remember - you can mix and match any cake/icing/chocolate combo......just don't use water-based food colouring!!!

HELLO FEBRUARY!!!!!

This morning I woke up SO SMILEY and HAPPY for THREE REASONS:

1)  I slept GREAT last evening - for over 10 hours!!!!
2)  It is the weekend and Emily and I have a Martha Stewart date planned for today.
3)  It is FEBRUARY!  THE MONTH OF LOVE!  THE MONTH OF BABY P'S BIRTHDAY!!!!

Our daughter is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT going to be a February baby.  Well....unless I go into my 43rd week of pregnancy........(fingers crossed that this is not the case, PUH-LEASE!).  How exciting!  I wonder which day she will choose to join us.....(and who will win the high-stakes baby pool organized by Emily and Heather at school)!

Although the month's HIGHLIGHT will be welcoming our little girl into the world, February will bring many great things:

*  The Super Bowl (this is more-so a great thing for Phil....and other people who care)
*  Survivor (also a great thing for Phil)
*  The Grammy's and Oscars (oh how I LOVE a red carpet!)
*  Mom P's arrival on February 6th!!!
*  Lots of basketball action - GO BULLDOGS GO!
*  A five day holiday weekend = guaranteed quality time with the family!
*  Valentine's Day :)


So much to LOVE!
XOXO

Who doesn't LOVE a good pep talk? (Especially when it's from a 9 year old!)

"Only the good die young, my dear!"

You betchya. 

We love you Nana.  May you find peace with Grandad in heaven.

XOXO

Not Quite Ready to "SPICE UP" our LIFE!

Side note:  Yesterday I told Phil about the different ways that women believe they can naturally induce labour. 

While serving up beef tacos for dinner.....

Lindsay:  (looking curiously at the meat)  Hun, did you put in any spicy seasoning?

Phil:  Yes but I just didn't put in a lot because I don't want the baby to come tonight.

Lindsay:  Huh?

Phil:  You told me spicy foods can make the baby come early.  So I went easy on it.

Lindsay:  HUNNIE!!!!!!!  I think those are MYTHS!!!!!!! 

Thoughts after tonight's viewing....

1)  Movies with bad guys are way easier to watch than movies with natural disasters.  I mean....where do you place the blame in a situation like this?  Having somewhere to direct your anger is much nicer.


2)  We aren't going to Thailand for Christmas.  EVER.  Or at least until the story fades our memories.


3)  DONATE TO THE RED CROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

38 WEEKS!!!!!!!

Here I am at 6:15 a.m. - not the HAPPIEST CAMPER to say the least.  On the way into school my marking bin (and its contents!) became victim to the wind and, consequently, rush hour traffic.  Luckily, papers are far more resilient when it comes to being hit by a car and Phillip made a superhero move to recover all that was important.  PHEWFFF!!!!  (Thanks LOVIE!)

Our doctor's appointment this afternoon went GREAT.  We only waited for about 20 minutes (HOORAY!) and it seems the trick is to look "super pregnant" in order to be accelerated through the line-up.  I may just host my own "tight and bright" party at the next appointment.  That should catch their attention!  HA!

Apparently Baby P isn't quite ready yet.  This little bun is still a cookin' and I'm happy to keep her inside for just a bit longer!  She now weighs about 6.3 pounds, although somehow I managed to lose one kilo.  I think it was the cold bug that did it to me! 

Two more weeks until her due date!  I wonder which day she will decide to join us!!!!

Talk about a day-maker!

There's nothing like blowing your nose with "Wrestlemania" tissue at the nail salon.  It makes you feel like a REAL FIGHTER when it comes to sore throats and stuffy noses!

(Insert grunting/showing off my muscles pose HERE).

HEY YOU IN THERE!

Let's make a deal........

You tell me what the plan is and I'll get us some sleep.  Okay?

P.S.  Your Daddy is out playing basketball and we are sitting at home resembling one ;)

P.P.S.  11 months until this wonderful thing called "CHRISTMAS"!  You're gonna LOVE IT!