12 Days of Baking...

Feel free to share your's I have!!!

You've heard of the 12 days of Christmas, well in this house it usually is the 12 days of baking madness. I absolutely LOVE to bake, but I've been doing so good diet wise. I'm down 38lbs in 6mths. So, this year presents a new challenge, b/c Lord knows I love to lick the bowl after each goody I make...LOL. Every year since I've been on my own with DH and now *B* I've always been elected to do the family treat/goody nibbler platter with cookies, fudges, candies, and what-not. I swear I have to start 12 days before Christmas to get everything done so I'm not in a big rush. This year I was trying to think of things I could make that were no-bake/no or less fuss, just as tasty, and I could double up more than a couple things in one day without losing my mind. I've came up with a few that aren't going to be too time consuming and I think I'll be able to cut it down to 5-6 days. Thankfully the week of Christmas DH is on vacation so I'll be able to be in the kitchen doing what I need without little hands tugging on my apron strings...LOL.

But, I thought I would ask if anyone has any favorite sweet treat finger food recipes that they like to make this time of year or anytime of year really that they would like to share in my comments? If you have something no -bake, fat free or low-cal major plus, if not that's fine too...b/c I'm losing now if I gain I'll just re-lose it again. No worries. Happy Holidays. I'll share my fav recipe in my comments first.

The Grinch and Lump of Coal it "SHOULD" Be....

I'm telling you I'm so sick of yelling at my child that he's dwindling away my Christmas spirit. I know that he doesn't mean to (or maybe he does since I only notice him pushing my limits), but good grief how am I going to handle the terrible two's if this is what I'm dealing with now. My voice is hoarse from the one billion times a day I tell him to "Stay Out of the Christmas Tree NOW!!!" Or how about the thousand times a day I tell him not to pull the stockings down. Then there is the new things I have to yell about such as spitting, pinching, and biting. At the beginning of each day my telling him starts out nice, but after six or more hours of repetitively having to tell him not to do the same thing my patience are so thin I find my voice raised and patience no where to be found. Therefore I'm ready to change out his Christmas gifts for lumps of coal. Although he would probably finding getting black and sooty to be just as fun I bet...LOL.

I find myself in a rather grinchy mood due to all the hostility in the house. I'm not sure if I'm on edge due to AF being in town or what, but I'm sooooo not in the spirit. I know this weekend we have a couple of fun things planned such as going to see Christmas lights, the drive-thru live nativity scene at our church, and the Christmas Candle Lighting here -> in Historic Roscoe Village. I'm hoping that this few things will put me in better spirits, b/c before I know it that big day will be here, and even before that I'll have to start the Christmas baking that I am elected to do each year, and I don't want to pass my bah-hun-buggy-ness onto anyone else. Wish me seasons greetings and Happy Holidays, b/c I'm hoping to pass what little bit of umph I do have in all that onto you my faithful readers.

Coming Home!!!

They both get to come home if things keep progressing for them both, on Monday. H*attie FINALLY got to hold H*unter today too. J*ordan said she sobbed. Melt my heart. I missed it. I've been up there everyday, except today b/c I'm soooo wore out, and wouldn't you know she finally felt up to holding him today and I missed it. Oh well, it was her moment any way. I'm so proud of her, that my heart feels like it might explode with joy. I can only pass on what I know and bestill in her all the motherly values that I have, and hope and pray that she will be an excellent mother. I'm excited that they will both get to come home together though. WOW!!! God does hear and answer prays. Thanks those that have said some. Now I'll leave you with a pic they sent me today. I love it eyes wide open......I just want to smoosh and goosh and kiss all over him.

AF Once Again

For documentation purposes I wanted to put it in here that AF made her nasty appearance once again today after having to take Provera. Boy, how I missed and loved the months before *B* when I didn't have to take that nasty stuff, and it just arrived on it's own. Oh well, onto yet another cycle. Not that that is of major importance.

And, for those that are wondering we're taking a break in the TTC department for awhile. To many things going on in the homeland right now.

Calling All Prayer Warriors

Here is what has been going on with H*attie and H*unter.

Yesterday:
In total she ended up needing 5 blood transfusions and 2 things of platelets. Her bleeding slowed to almost stopping, and she passed lots of numerous large blood clots. She had blood work done and and her white blood cell count was triple what it should of been, and she was running a temperature of 105.1. Her Dr. started her on antibiotics. H*unter wasn't tolerating his feedings and throwing them all back up.

Today:
Hattie's temperature has come down alot. It was 101.3 last time I talked to her. Her white blood cell level is still very elevated. She's still not held H*unter except for the day he was born laying beside her in bed. H*unter was given his first feeding at 9am this morning and he took in 20cc and held it all in tolerated it VERY well. He's had 2 more feedings since then one of 25cc and one of 20cc and tolerated them both well only had a little spit up after one. H*unter has also dropped 2oz of his weight upon weigh-in this morning since birth. But, now that he's tolerating feedings the Dr.'s don't look for it to be a problem.

Now for my title.....so many of you that know already are praying for them, but that those that don't know what is going on please if you can spare a prayer, would you? They can definitely use all the faith that anyone can put out there for them. As for J*ordan in all this he's being the ROCK. He's showed so much strength, and only broken down to cry when he heard H*unter's first cry when he was born and I saw him cry once on the phone talking to his mom away from everyone. He's being strong, and I'm trying to be there for all three of them. I'll keep you posted as things change.

I'm An Aunt!!! (Again)

H*attie had her baby last night. Little H*unter L*ee made his appearance into the world at 8:41pm. He came out screaming but with poor color and lung sounds. We were all able to hold him breifly for pictures then they took him to the NICU in the hospital. They put him on a breathing mask then switched him to a nasal cannula, but today he's holding his own and not needing oxygen at all. That little one is a fighter and a definite trooper. Poor H*attie though is not doing so good, and needs prayers. Her uterus was still boggy and not contracting back down at all last night or still today, and she's had to have three blood transfusions and clotting platelets, and be put back on the pitocin drip in her IV. Her Dr. has been talking possible need of a hysterectomy if she's still having problems 24hrs post-partum. She's so tore up over all of this and it's been a long hard road for her thus far. I just pray that things don't have to be to extreme for her.

Dusting off the Blog

I figured since my last actual entry was October 14th, that I would add in blogs on dates of things I remembered below this one. I know I should just write it when it happens, but life has been crazy hectic here. There was Halloween, H*attie's baby shower, and now the hustle and bustle I'm going through to get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I swear the stress level never ends in this house. Not to mention my blue-nose pitt*bull is pregnant and going to drop those babies probably this coming weekend....ARGH! Just been ALOT of stress. Once the new year is here I'll be relieved. Maybe by then things will quiet down around here a bit. I can only hope. In the dusting off though I thought I would let you know there is cute pics in the two entries below of the Cheekster for you all to check out. In that I'm going to hopefully call it a nite. I'll leave you with pics of Hattie's baby shower. The theme was "Adding a Little Harvest Pumpkin to the Patch".

I made her that diaper cake. It was my first time at making one and I did a rather good job if I do say so myself, but it took me 5 hours. Next time now that I know how to do it I'm hoping it'll take like an hour.