Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Our New Little Man!!!

What a hectic past couple of weeks it has been. We got hit from hurricane Ike, and went without power for 2 whole weeks (which is not very fun with 2 little ones, and me ready to pop)! We were very fortunate though, with only losing a large tree in our backyard and most of our fence; lots of debris and clean-up. Our thoughts and prayers are with each and every one of you who have to continue the long battle of the damage left by Ike!
Only 1 week after the storm hit, our little man arrived (6 days early and still without power). After 4 days in the hospital, we were back at home, and a couple days later our power was finally restored!
We have a healthy baby boy, Jaxon, who is loved dearly by his 2 older sisters...who have been smothering him with kisses since his arrival! :-)
Here he is...our newest addition to the family!! Welcome to the world sweetie...we LOVE you!!!!




Thursday, September 11, 2008

Spiced Pumpkin Waffles

With fall quickly approaching, I thought I'd share this pumpkin waffle recipe I found today while skimming through a magazine...I can't wait to try this one out!

2 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. ginger
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. fresh-ground nutmeg
1/4 t. cloves
4 large eggs
2 C. buttermilk
1 C. fresh or canned pumpkin
1/2 C. dark-brown sugar
1/4 C. unsalted butter, melted
1 t. pure vanilla extract

Heat a waffle iron. Combine the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Whisk the remaining 6 ingredients together in another large bowl until smooth. While whisking, add the flour mixture and blend until smooth. Generously coat the waffle iron plates with vegetable oil and cook the batter in the waffle iron as recommended in the manufacturer's instructions. Repeat with the remaining batter. Presented in a heat-proof decanter, maple syrup invites autumn indulgence.
Makes 8 servings.

Optional Add-Ins: Just before pouring batter into a waffle iron, stir in chocolate chips, raisins, or chopped pecans.
Optional Toppings: Adorn waffles with sliced pears and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. When very crispy, they're also delicious eaten from hand (like toast) and topped with apricot or blueberry preserves.
Optional Go-Withs: Waffles pair just as well with sweet or savory sides. Pair with fruit at breakfast, or fried chicken for dinner. Serve with ice cream and hot fudge for dessert.

A giveaway just for you...

Debbie of Brigetandco. is having an amazing giveaway going on right now for a free apron skirt! Be sure and check it out here, the deadline to enter is Saturday at midnight PST. Good luck everyone!!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Ballet Baby

Oh my goodness....my oldest "baby", who turned 3 this past June, started dance class yesterday! She's never been away from my side before, but she went right into that class like such a big girl, and danced her little heart out the entire hour! :-) They only let the parents watch the last 10 minutes of class (so they aren't distracted the whole time), and then they get to show us what they learned. She looked so cute with her hands over head, twirling around; and her leaps over the "mud puddles"! She absolutely loved it ~ she was so excited when she came out of there, telling me about everything she learned and how much fun it was! I thought I'd share some pictures I took before we left for class....