1/2 way through and we are surviving the holidays!!

So Paul and I survived the holiday (Round 1). Even the snow storm couldn't stop our Christmas plans! On Christmas Eve after 5-7 inches of snow we made the trek to his Grandma and Grandpa Barnes for Christmas Eve pizza! (Unfortunately we had to get on the road before it got too late and icy so we had to duck out on the dice game..a favorite of mine) We made it to Ramsey to my sister and Mike's house. The four girls got to show us their haul of presents before getting sent to bed so Santa would come. We spent the night in Oak Grove @ my parent's and went to Kristi's traditional x-mas breakfast which was nummy as usual. Grandma and Grandpa Huesmann almost decided not to come because of bad weather but were swayed by the heavy guilt trip of "It's not the same without you" :) Plenty of games were played. There was lots of laughing and even MORE eating. (Surprisingly I weighed myself today and haven't gained any weight..the baby must be gobbling up all the nutrients I take in) We spent the rest of a relaxing weekend at my parents house watching movies, working on snowmobiles in the garage and just visiting. Roads were great on the drive home until we got about 30 or so miles from Danube. The wind blows like crazy out here because of the lack of trees and covered Hwy 212 with snow and drifts.

Round 2:
Tomorrow (NYE) Paul and I will be heading back to Oak Grove to celebrate New Year's eve with my family (My mom has decorated the 3 stall heated garage and created a barn dance for family and friends to enjoy) A trip to Goodwill today proved successful. We found shirts, cowboy boots, and a hat for Paul. (a few other goodwill treasures made it into our purchase somehow too) After ringing in 2010 we have family x-mas with Paul's Mom, Stepdad, Brothers and sisters @ his sister's newly purchased house in St. Francis. (i find it funny that I end up moving out here and Paul's sister and cousin have both bought houses in the St Francis School district in 2009) We will get to see Paul's new nephew Xavier who was born on Dec 11th so I am excited for that. Then I feel confident that our 2009 holiday season will be complete! Hope everyone else had a fun-filled, joyous holiday season like we did!! Here's to a GREAT 2010!!!

Caramel Macchiato Thumbprints :)

Well, here's how my cookies turned out. Not quite as pretty but they are certainly DELICIOUS. They have just a touch of coffee flavor that I love and are perfect with a cup of coffee or ice cold glass of milk. They actually weren't as hard to make as I expected either. (a little more labor intensive than your standard chocalte chip, but worth it)

Tip: If the indents are a little shallow after baking use your thumb or finger to make a bigger depression to pour the caramel into. (theis must be done right after they come out of the oven though)

Recipe


2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder or granules
1 tablespoon hot water
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/4 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
18 caramels (from 14-oz bag), unwrapped
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon shortening


1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, dissolve coffee powder in hot water. Stir in cookie mix, flour, butter, vanilla and egg until very soft dough forms.
2. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart. Using thumb or handle of wooden spoon, make indentation in center of each cookie.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.
4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave caramels and milk uncovered on High 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring once, until caramels are melted. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon caramel into indentation in each cookie. Cool 15 minutes.
5. In another small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and shortening uncovered on High 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds or until chips can be stirred smooth. Drizzle chocolate over cookies. Let stand about 30 minutes or until chocolate is set.

Cookie Making Today!!

So this afternoon my friends and family are coming over for our annual cookie bake!! I provide all the cookie basics (flour sugar, etc.) and they bring the extras for a cookie of their choice. Then we bake away until we have piles and piles of delicious treats to share with everyone!! I can't wait to see what we make this year :) The picture is the cookie I am going to attempt to make called a Caramel Macchiato Thumbprint. I'll post the recipe and pictures of my finish product after today :)

24 weeks down- 16 to go until baby comes!!

I had my 5 month appt today with my doctor! (who, btw, I just LOVE!!) I feel like she has probably delivered 1,000 babies and just tells you whats up. For example- at my first couple appointments she told me that I couldn't be healthier and more ready to be poppin out kids!! :) Today she measure my belly and checked the heartbeat (still in the 150's) and the baby is moving A LOT!! I think we have an active one on our hands! I did lose a few lbs since last month so she told me to add a snack or two a day, something I can TOTALLY handle. I have plenty of reserves so the baby is FAR from hungry I bet. We can't believe that I am due in less than 4 months...Time is flying by and I have a feeling it will be March before I know it. Good thing the nursery is finished and is just waiting for a baby to fill it up!! The picture is of a shirt i bought at Macy's during my Chicago trip. It was just too cute to pass up!!

Chicago trip

>This past weekend I flew to Chicago with my mom, my aunts Kristi and Cassie, and my cousin Ashley. We found cheap airfare ($50 round trip) so decided to have a little girls/shopping trip. It was tons of fun!! I was super tired from walking around all day but we did a lot of sight seeing and shopping!! I went with the best of intentions of x-mas shopping but of course came home with a bag full of cute maternity clothes from Macy's and lipstick from Sephora. Guess I'll have to finish my shopping this week in Willmar...oops!!