A Sprinkle for Baby W

I am just so thankful for my friends.  They are so wonderful and thoughtful.  Dearest Jess & Chelle loved on this baby (and our family!) in such a kind and generous way by throwing baby Wallace a little sprinkle!  It was such fun to have special friends there to celebrate our fourth little family member and to share in our joy!

 

Everyone cast your votes!  Each person made their guess on whether we’d be decorating with blue or pink in just 6 weeks!

The Boys:

The Girls:

Thank you dear friends!!  We feel very loved by you!

Baby Wallace: 28-33 weeks

Oh, sweet baby – I am sorry!  5 weeks and no update on darling, little YOU!  

Oh, baby…you’re growing!!

During the past month of growth, baby Wallace:

Your gender is still sealed away inside that little envelope!  I’ve definitely thought the most about opening it in the past month, but my resolve is still pretty strong!  Abi (and on most days donald too!) are now being more convinced that you are now a little girl, but I am still strongly convinced of the presence of that ‘Y’ chromosome.  We shall see!  I am SOOO anxious to see if that moment when you arrive into the world and it is announced “It’s a …” will be “worth” the months of waiting…because right now I am missing some of the experiences that we had with Abi knowing that she was a girl.  Again…we shall see!  Either way, it’s been fun having two VERY different experiences and being able to compare them!

Baby is now the size of a pineapple, measures about 17 inches, and weighs almost 4 pounds.  Quite a bit of growing since the last post!

 

We have had a busy month, with lots of family in town, celebrating Doons’ birthday, Thanksgiving, and preparation during the advent season.  It has been such a beautiful month!  We’ve really enjoyed this last month of life as a family as we prepare for your arrival as well as the celebration of the birth of our Savior.

I am starting to have back pain quite frequently at the end of the day, so I am upping my hours of sitting on that birthing ball and expanding my very narrow repertoire of “pregnant pilates” exercises.  Some relief has been granted :)  I can not as easily pass behind people, what I mean by that is that baby has had many more “up and close” encounters because this ever-growing belly of mine is expanding and demands to be seen and felt at times!

This past month I was oh-so blessed with a sprinkle thrown by some of my dearest friends, more to come on that later.  We feel so thankful to have people who love our little bundle so much already.  Thank you, such gratitude!

The nursery/playroom transition is still in the process, but the final plans are making their appearances (at least in our minds!) so we’re encouraged by that.  I just keep telling myself that this baby needs love, some food, and thankfully b/c of our home in the western world, they’ll get some delightful diapers too!  This room is just a perk!  Abi is just so so excited!  We are just so in love with her and are so touched by her loving-kindness towards this little one.  At the same time, I am experiencing somewhat of a mourning period as the time with just our abi is coming to an end.  Similar to what I felt as Abi’s birth approached.  I am thankful for the beautiful phase that has reigned in our family, and I am overwhelmed by the ‘wonderfulness’ that I am told is approaching, and I faithfully take the word of those who are wiser and have lived more life than I!

Hopefully there will be another update on this sweet babe before their birth!  Oh goodness.

Hmm, something seems to be amiss…

The calendar says it’s the 20th of December…

My house looks like it’s close to the Christmas celebration…

Lord knows I’ve eaten enough sweets and the like to be VERY sure it’s the holiday season…

Yet, my windows are open because it’s 70 degrees outside.  Ahhh, Texas.

The Abi Diet – Butternut Squash Soup

Few things yell “IT’S FALL” to me like butternut squash.  There’s something that’s magnetic about it.  I’m pulled to it.  I don’t even know that many ways to cook it, but it still has some sort of power over me.

For this installment in the ever-growing ‘Abi Diet’ series – it’s Butternut Squash Soup.  Souls: prepare to be warmed.

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons chopped onion
• 4 tablespoons margarine
• 6 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
• 3 cups water
• 4 cubes chicken bouillon
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese  - but I only used one.

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, saute onions in margarine until tender. Add squash, water, bouillon, marjoram, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Bring to boil; cook 20 minutes, or until squash is tender.

2. Puree squash and cream cheese in a blender or food processor in batches until smooth. Return to saucepan, and heat through. Do not allow to boil.

*Here’s what happens when one does not correctly lock a food processor in place…oops.

*Does a person really need an excuse to buy croissants?  Don’t think so.  These little babies make me happy for many days post soup.

Happy Cooking!

The Thankful Tree

Yes, yes…more thankful posts in December.  However, even typing that sentence sounds so funny!  What a reason we have in December to be thankful!  Pressing on towards thankfulness being a daily choice and modeled behavior…

However, as November is notorious (and I’m thankful for that!) to spur something inside of you to be thankful, we created a ‘Thankful Tree’ for us and abi.  To encourage a daily discussion of what we were thankful for, to display it publicly, and to engage in some good, artsy fun!

In its humble beginnings…

Starting to get real good and fancy!

The Application…

Final…

Oh, we had so much fun!  Some of the notables from Abi were:

• Horseshoe Crabs
• Baby Jesus
• Spinning
• Our baby
• Really high swinging

It was often a beautiful time to recap our day and to laugh (one time Abi was in a mood and said that she wasn’t thankful for anything) – I’m planning on saving the leaves to reflect on next year, giving thanks for the bounty of 2010 and recalling precious memories.  Thankful for you, friends!

On being thankful – Halloween post in December

To posting on Halloween in December, to posting on a ‘series’ that was supposed to be contained in the month of November – there will be nothing about this that makes sense, I suppose!  But alas, here I am, desperately late posting about our Halloween this year – but thankful for the memories of gratitude and thankfulness that I have when reflecting on the weekend!

We had a blast at the zoo on Friday evening, although I think that Abi would vote that the zoo is more enjoyable during daytime hours.  (My camera unfortunately died as soon as we took one picture of abi – so these are phone pics, oh well!)

Thankful for the blessing of community.  Between block parties and carnivals at the local elementary school – we are blessed to live among families who love each other, love their city, and strive to serve others in providing happiness and beauty.

I am thankful for good friends.  For donald and I and for our Abi.  For traditions.  For the joy of eating grilled cheese and soup with ones who are loved.

I am thankful for family.  This is a sweet blessing, to be sure.

I am thankful for my husband.  And his creativity to make silly days like Halloween unique and memorable for us!  I am also thankful for chocolate chip pancakes!

I am thankful for not having to walk through life alone. 

Thanksgiving

"We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near." Psalm 75:1

"Never let us neglect thanksgiving...As the smiling flowers gratefully reflect in their lovely colours the various constituents of the solar ray, so should gratitude spring up in our hearts after the smiles of God's providence....We should praise God again and again. Stinted gratitude is ingratitude. For infinite goodness there should be measureless thanks. Faith promises redoubled praise for greatly needed and signal deliverances. For that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare. God is at hand to answer and do wonders—adore we then the present Deity. We sing not of a hidden God, who sleeps and leaves the church to her fate, but of one who ever in our darkest days is most near, a very present help in trouble. "Near is his name." Glory be unto the Lord, whose perpetual deeds of grace and majesty are the sure tokens of his being with us always, even unto the ends of the world." Charles Spurgoen, Treasury of David

We hope that your day is beautiful!  Happy Thanksgiving, dear friends!

The Abi Diet – Holiday Edition – Pear Pandowdy

Good ol’ Martha Stewart – she is always inspiring – at least in the kitchen!  Whenever she does a special on the ‘Today Show’, I am always salivating at the end of the segment.  So a recent indulgence…Pear Pandowdy.  I didn’t know what a Pandowdy was (go figure, my dad did though!) – and I believe the “official” definition is a ‘deep dish spiced dessert with a thick crust.’  Typically pandowdy involves apples…but leave it to Martha to break tradition.

PS – I had some pears to use up – this helps in motivation!

FOR THE CRUST

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup blanched hazelnuts, toasted and finely ground

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Salt

2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon heavy cream, for egg wash

Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling

FOR THE FILLING

4 pounds firm, ripe pears such as Bosc or Bartlett, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 -inch wedges

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup chopped dried figs

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

1. Make the crust: Pulse flour, hazelnuts, granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor until just combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, slowly add 1/4 cup water and process until mixture just begins to hold together. If dough is too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse.
   
   
2. Shape dough into 2 disks, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 disk until firm, about 1 hour. (Freeze remaining disk for another use.)
    
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough to a 1/8-inch-thick rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a piece of parchment. Cut dough into 2-by-3-inch pieces. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
   
4. Meanwhile, make the filling: Combine pears, granulated sugar, figs, lemon juice, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Transfer filling to an 8-by-11-inch baking dish.

 

5. Arrange dough pieces in a patchwork design, overlapping slightly and leaving holes in between as steam vents. Brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until top is golden brown and filling is bubbling in the center, about 55 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Happy Baking!