Chocolate Kahlua Cake....

No...these are not the Kahlua cake, these are obviously the cookies I baked for Christmas.....mmmm....just had to include a picture! :-)

Here is the Chocolate Kahlua Cake! I originally got this recipe from my friend Lois at one of my bridal showers and I LOVE this cake! It is really moist and is so good fab with a dollop of cool whip or whipped cream on top of it! I normally dust the top of it with some powdered sugar before cutting.

Here is the recipe!

1 Chocolate cake mix

4 Eggs

1 pt. sour cream

1/3 c Kahlua

1 small package of instant chocolate pudding mix

3/4 cup oil

1 cup chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Carefully add the chips last, folding in. Grease and flour a bundt pan and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 45-50 minutes. This cake is oh so yummy!!!!!

Gone already?

I can't believe that Christmas is now gone and done! Crazy how it feels like it will never get there and then poof it's gone! It will now be 2010 and that means that in just 4 short months our little sweet pea will be here! I think we've just about decided on a name for him, but we're not telling until we've decided for sure!

22 Weeks on Christmas day! Look at that bump!!! (And that is before a big meal!!!)

My brother Eric and his wife, Heather

My mom and dad

My Aunt Dagne and Uncle Steve

Their kiddos, Marissa and Raynor

My mom's other sister, my Aunt Starr and Uncle Rodney.

We enjoyed spending time with our family over the Christmas weekend. We did Christmas day with my mom's side of the family at my Aunt's house and then we were off to Cody's side of the family on Saturday.

We've started getting some sweet little baby things! My mom got me a baby food maker that I just can't wait to use!...yes, I Will be making all of his baby food! I've had my eye on it for a while now and got it for Christmas!

We hope that you and your family had a nice Christmas! I'll be back later this week with some recipes!

Whew...

We have a very busy last few days!!! This week started off with our heater being fixed...finally, after 4 different visits from the heater guys! We thought we were going to have to get a whole new unit...uggggg, but thank God we ended up only have to replace a part and getting the system cleaned out...yea for that! ...now my dishwasher is leaking...uggg!!! Seriously, if it's not one thing, it's another!!!! ...such bad timing too!!!

Tuesday, I ran home to meet my good friend from high school, Kelly for lunch. It was SOOOOO good to see her and her hubby! I miss her so much, they now live in New York so we don't exactly get to get together too often!!! While there, I got to visit my mom for a little bit while she was trying to get all of their orders out for the holidays at the shop...I will be so glad for them once today is over and they can finally catch their breath again!

Our little boy is really rocking and rolling these days! I think he's going to be one smart boy! When I tell him to move around, he normally listens...awww!!! This week, his tastebuds are developed, his hair is coming in and he will be able to start grabbing things with his tiny, sweet little hands!

I'm taking a break from my kitchen for a bit...I'll have to share some of what I've been up to with some recipes later! So far, I've made spritz cookies, gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies and some chocolate crinkles. I've also gotten our mini cranberry salads done for tomorrow, I'm working on some spicy, seasoned crackers and I really need to go get started on the icing for our sugar cookies...whew! ...and that's just what I can get done a head of time! ...Oh yes, I also made a yummy chocolate Kahlua cake this morning! Gotta run, just thought I'd let you know what we've been up to!!!

Have a very MeRrY ChRiStMaS everyone!!!!!

It's Official...

We went to the dr. today and good golly our little sweet pea was hitting the poses! SOOOO cute! We are so in love! They say he has long legs and a big tummy!!!! We will be having our very own little (or I should probably say big, since he's measuring so large already!) baseball player!!! He was so kind to show us his tiny, little biceps, his baseball grip is already there...no kidding, in one of the pictures, his hand is formed just right to be holding a baseball! (He's going to take after his daddy for sure!) We are so very excited and can't wait to start picking out stuff!!! It was a fun appointment and it just makes everything so much more real now...so exciting!!!!! It's amazing how they could identify the organs, brain creases and folds, all of his little fingers and toes, all four chambers of his heart and so much more!!!

We hope you are having a good week!

18...

My really good friends', Jenny and Leslie's mom and dad sent me this shirt a few weeks back and I am now able to fill it out a little bit more! Yea! So far, things are going well! We are almost halfway done! It's amazing how fast the time goes by!

Our little "Sweet Pea" can now hear us and is starting to get her/his groove on! When I lay down, I can now feel the little pitter patter inside...love it! Other happenings with our little Sweet Pea include the growth of her/his finger/toenails and the bones are now starting to ossify!

The side view...

Gobble, Gobble Till Ya Waddle!

The title pretty much sums up our Thanksgiving! We ate and ate and ate some more...all weekend! We went to my parent's home and C's mom and dad joined us. I totally love that we can all do Thanksgiving together!

C's mom and my mom cutting the turducken...sooo good

(It's a combination of turkey, duck and chicken)

Do you think I had enough to eat?!!!

Sooo good!

My mom and dad

C's mom and dad

Awwww...our last Thanksgiving with just the two of us...yea!!!

We're now getting ready for Christmas and I am sooo excited! We got the outside of our house done yesterday and we'll finish up the tree tonight!

So Sweet

We had a sweet little surprise in the mail about a week or two ago! This sweet little onesie from one of my really good friends, Jenny B...I love it and can't wait to put our little "sweet pea" in it! It's so tiny and soft! We love it! It's our first baby item so far! Yea!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Funny...

After school today, I had to return a call to a parent. She is just as sweet as can be and her child is just too darn cute! She was sharing with me her child's reaction to me now being pregnant. After she told him that I was expecting, his mouth dropped open and he says...."I guess I am happy for her mom, but that means that Mr. B has kissed her!!!!" ...he now wants to invite both of us to his birthday party so he can challenge Mr. B to a DS game! Too funny! Gotta love 'em!

I wore some of my new maternity pants this week and I must say...I HATE them! They are comfortable, but I'm constantly pulling on them to keep them up. My regular pants are too tight and aren't comfortable at school. They are just not the cutest things in the world...I think I'll stick to the dresses with leggings for now! ...anyone know of any cute maternity shops???

Quick & Easy Sweet & Sour Meatballs!

I recently found this recipe on the Kraft website and it was actually pretty darn good! ..it was quick and easy too!

3/4 pound of frozen prepared meatballs

1 pkg. frozen stir-fry veggies (the ones with sliced green, red and yellow peppers and white onion)

1/4 cup apricot jam

1/4 cup KRAFT Catalina Dressing

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

Dash or two of each: garlic and ground ginger

Combine all ingredients in a large skillet; cover (I like to bake my meatballs first, I just think they taste better that way!...the frozen ones are precooked, if you use fresh, homemade ones, of course you'd have to cook those before putting them in with the sauce!)

Cook on medium-high, heat 10 minutes or until meatballs and veggies are heated through...keep stirring!

Serve over hot cooked rice!

Shopping, Shopping and More Shopping!

I took last Friday off for our traditional day to shop at the Nutcracker Market in Houston....ahhhh so much fun and so nice to just have a day off to play! I went with my mom, one of her friends and my good friend Amy and her mom. We shopped until we could literally hardly walk anymore! That day ended with dinner at the Cheesecake Factory....oh yumm!!!!

We spent the rest of the weekend doing what else...shopping some more! I finally broke down and decided it was time to hit up a maternity shop for some clothes that might actually fit! Some of my stuff still fits, but most of my pants just don't seem to want to zip all the way up these days! Sunday, my mom and I went back to the Nutcracker Market for round two of some more shopping there. I was able to get a few Christmas gifts out of the way...yea!!!!

Kids say the funniest things.....
I sent a note home on Thursday to share our baby news with my kids' families, I also told my class that day and boy have I gotten some comments now that this baby news has had time to sink into their sweet little heads!

On the way out to recess today, a little girl comes to me and says : "Mrs. B, I think I believe you now..." I say, believe me for what? "Well, you know I know now that you are really having a baby because your tummy is starting to look fat!" ...followed by a giggle by her!

Then, after school...I have a VERY sweet mom who does copies and projects for me each week. Her son looks at me with her standing there and says "Yup, you're getting fat, I think you're going to have to go on a diet now." His mom then very sweetly told him that women are supposed to gain weight when they are pregnant because it's healthy for the baby...he then follows with "well, I guess you're going to have a whole lot of weight to loose when it decides to come out! " Gee, thanks, I needed a seven year old to remind me of that part of it!!!

We'll see what tomorrow and the next five months brings now! If they think I'm getting "fat" now, oh boy will I be in trouble! ...Have a great week!

Hash Brown N' Egg Bake

I made this a few weeks back one Sunday morning and it was sooo good that I had to share! You can make it the night before and bake it in the morning too!

Hash brown N' Egg Bake

1/2 cup butter

1 (16oz) package frozen hash browns

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

2 cups Swiss cheese, grated

2 cups diced ham

4-5 eggs

1 cup of milk

chopped onion to taste

garlic powder to taste

Meld the butter in a 13x9 pan and add the hash browns. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes. Combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over browned hash browns. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. (I made it the night before and browned the hash browns, add the egg mixture once the hash browns are cooled, cover and place in the refrigerator over night. Bake the next morning.)

14

Well...I am now almost done with week #14! I'm starting to get "the bump"...it shows up way better after about dinner time! My pants are just starting to get more snug around my waist, a shopping trip will probably be in our near future! We go back to the dr. next week and then after that the next one will be the BIG appointment and I totally can't wait! Here are a few pictures, not the greatest, but they'll do....

Enchilada Casserole

I haven't shared a recipe lately, so I thought I'd share what I made this past Friday night...enchilada casserole...mmm

1 1/2 pounds ground meat, browned

1 small onion chopped

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup (mushrooms are one of the very few things that we don't like, so I just use 2 cans of cream of chicken instead,)

8 oz. sour cream

10 oz. can of enchilada sauce

1-2 Tbsp. of chili powder

corn tortillas

grated cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven to 350 and lightly grease a 13x9 pan.

Brown the ground meat with the onion and drain off the fat.

In a bowl, combine the soups, sour cream, enchilada sauce and chili powder. Add the ground meat and stir.

In the pan, place a few corn tortillas, torn and slightly overlapping. Spread a thin layer of the soup and meat mixture. Put another layer of corn tortillas on top and repeat, ending with the soup mixture on top. Top with grated cheddar cheese and bake for about 40 minutes. Allow to stand for about 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween! We didn't do much this year for Halloween, stayed home, passed out candy and grilled some burgers! Captain America came by to visit...aka Colin!

My mom made these adorable candy/moon pie owls for my entire class (they were sooo excited!)...and one for Colin too! Aren't they cute?!

She sent some treats for us too! C got a candy apple with carmel, chocolate, sprinkles and chocolate covered bing cherries...his favorite part!

I got a spiffy new apron that I put to good use this afternoon when I baked some Halloween cupcakes!

We hope you had a happy, fun and safe Halloween!

Whew, TGIF!

What a week it has been! All I can say is TGIF!!! This was the longest, busiest week EVER! It was report card week, the first 9 weeks of school is already over! I can't believe it! I try so hard to stay on top of things, as my hubby would say, I am just annal! Hey, I get things done, normally early and I don't have to worry! Yea, well that bit me this week! We have these lovely almost two page forms to fill out on EVERY child, I had them done, just needed to print them....THEN...our tech aid came in and added a new Adobe something rather and poof, all of my forms, for every student was now blank!!! AHHHH, I totally had a panic attack and was sooo stressed out, it was not even funny. My principals even had to call in the tech guy for the district to see if he could fix them, FINALLY, the afternoon before report cards were to go home, he was able to save them, thank God! That was Monday and Tuesday...

Thursday, we took our classes to see Where The Wild Things Are. We did a big unit on the book all last week. Woo, hoo, a morning out of the building! The movie was very different from the book and had lots of added scenes, which why do they have to add certain things to movies when they know it's based on a very popular children's book? Anyway, the kids enjoyed it and didn't pick up on most of those things anyway, but still.

Today, was just CRAZY!!! We had an assembly for Red Ribbon week this morning. We did a unit on the book Pumpkin Soup this week, so I thought it would be fun to let my kids actually make some pumpkin soup, they loved it and had so much fun! Then, we had an end of the nine weeks honor assembly...with a fire drill right before it and did I mention that it was also test day...3 tests I gave and got graded...and entered into the computer! WHEW!!!

Now, I just want to do nothing for the weekend! I need to go shopping and get some bigger pants, this waist line is beginning to expand now! ...can November 11th please come a little sooner??!!! Have a great weekend and a happy and safe Halloween!!!!

zzzzz

ZZZ...zzz...that's about all I seem to want to do this week! zzz.....It's been pretty uneventful around here for us, which is kind of a good thing! The hubs is doing a show for work tonight so I baked some yummy oatmeal, chocolate chip cookies. I love the smell of fresh baked cookies in the house!

Our good friends Valerie and Brandon just found out that they will be having a sweet baby boy in March! We are so excited for them! Congratulations you guys!

Now...I just can't wait to find out what our little "sweet pea" will be! That's all I think about these days. Hmnmm will be we doing more pinks or more blues... guesses anyone?! This whole thing is just amazing to me. We're now on week 13, the last of the first trimester...whew! Time in my head now revolves around when my next Dr.'s appointment will be...I've never been so anxious to go to the Dr. before!

We hope all of you are having a good week so far, Friday is getting closer!

Aawwww...

We had another dr.'s appointment today and got to hear our "sweet pea's" the heart beat for the first time!!!! YEA!!!! Sooo neat! I was really pretty nervous at first, until they found it then I was much better! We are so very excited and now I just can't wait to find out what our little "sweet pea" will be!!! We just keep praying that we all stay healthy now! This swine flu mess is driving me nuts!!! ...it better stay FAR away from our house! We hope you are having a great week!

Paintin' Pumpkins

It's been a rainy, rainy weekend, so I painted pumpkins this weekend While the hubs cleaned out part of the garage...we are slowly trying to get ready for our new addition! I think they turned out kinda cute, myself! I love the fall and I love getting ready for the holidays!

Have a great week!

Yellow Bowl

One of the people who I most admire is my great-grandmother. She was a wonderful cook and when we were little, I can still remember going to my grandparents house, going to church on Sunday mornings and then coming home to a house filled with the yummy smell of "Yellow Bowl" in the oven. That's what my mom always called it growing up because my great grandma used to make it in a large yellow bowl. I thought I'd try making it my self, so I called up mom to see what exactly was in the stuff we called yellow bowl. Here is the recipe!

1-2 pounds of tenderized round steak

flour

salt/pepper

2 cans V8 juice

baby carrots

potatoes

Cut the round steak in to small pieces, coat in a mixture of flour, salt and pepper and pound. Brown in a little bit of veggie oil and then place in a good sized casserole dish that has been greased.

Add some baby carrots and pour the V8 juice on top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Take out of oven and add potatoes, cover and bake about 1 more hour.

Soooo good!...and not too hard to do!

An Easy Weeknight Dinner

We had this for dinner last night (along with some broccoli and fruit) and we'll be having leftovers again tonight! I love it when I have leftovers!

1 pound ground beef

1/4 cup minced onions

2 14.5 cans of stewed tomatoes (I chop mine in my mini food processor)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. sugar

1 cup uncooked macaronies

1 can of corn or peas (optional)

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and drain off fat.

Add tomatoes and seasonings, bring mixture to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for five minutes.

Add macaronis and corn or peas- if using, cover and then simmer for about 15 minutes.

Uncover and simmer until macaroni is tender.

Happy Fall Ya'll!

I am sooo glad that fall is finally here! It's been fairly cool the last few days and we've gotten some much needed rain! The only down side to that is that that means indoor recess for three days...yuck! That's ok though because tomorrow we are off for Fair Day! Woo, hooo! Our county fair is this weekend and the Friday of, pretty much everyone closes down for the parade...I'll be going to lunch with my hubby instead of the parade, he still has to work...poor guy! This also means that I will be getting out all of my fun fall decor, yea!!!! Have a great weekend everyone!

Nieman Marcus Cake

I needed something sweet the other night, so I baked this yummy Nieman Marus cake. This cake is so easy to make and it doesn't take long either. It's really more bar like than an actual cake. Here is the recipe!

1 Box yellow cake mix
4 eggs. divided

1/2 C butter

8 oz. package of cream cheese

2 C powder sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13x9 pan.

Mix the cake mix, two of the eggs and mutter. Mix well, the batter will be very thick/stiff!

Combine cream cheese, powder sugar and the remaining two eggs. Mix well and pour over cake batter.

Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean!

Cool completely and cut into squares and enjoy!

WOW...

Wow...that's all we could say tonight when we looked up and saw this while we were grilling our dinner! It was the most beautiful rainbow we have seen in a long time, there was even a lighter one above the brightest area...two at one time! We had to take some pictures and share! Have a great week!

Scalloped Potatoes

It's been a while, so I thought I'd share another recipe! This was our dinner tonight...mmmm...steak, squash, scalloped potatoes and rolls.

We went to Sam's Club today and picked up some steaks while we were there, so I thought I'd do some scalloped potatoes to go along with it, they turned out really good and creamy!

Here is the recipe!
5 potatoes (I used the small red potatoes tonight, which I why I say 5...)

1 1/4 C milk

2 Tbs. butter

Salt/Pepper to taste

2 Tbs. flour

3/4 cup Velveeta cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees

In a pan, melt butter, stir in flour, salt and pepper and then add the milk all at once. Cook until thick and bubbly. Stir in Velveeta until melted.

In a casserole dish that has been greased, layer the potatoes, pour part of the sauce mixture on top, place the rest of the potatoes on top of the sauce and then place the rest of the potatoes on top, then top with the rest of the sauce and the shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake covered for 35 minutes and then uncover and bake for about another 30 minutes or until potatoes are done.

It's official...

I hit the BIG 3-0 on Tuesday! Yikes, that just sounds so weird!!!! We've had a busy last two weeks now with school starting, so we didn't actually do a whole lot...Sunday, our friends Morgan and Lindsay met us for lunch after church (thanks you guys...we got you next time!), Sunday night we went to eat with hubby's family, Monday, my mom came into town to do lunch for me and the girls at school and then Tuesday night, we just had a date night and went to my FAVORITE place, Huisache Grill...soooo yummy!...so, I guess all I did was eat for my 30th! Ha!

These are the adorable box lunches that my mom brought us for lunch! She did chicken salad sandwiches, fruit, chips, a German Chocolate Cheesecake and then had these ADORABLE cookies done! ....I just loved them.....a bloggy friend does them and you HAVE to check out her work, she does some pretty amazing things with her cookies and they are oh so yummy too!!!
CLICK HERE! To see her blog!

Look how cute they all are!!! Love the colors too!

C sent me this Edible Arrangement....yum!

And this is what I found when I got to school that morning....

My team got my room....good!

They had confetti everywhere!!! ...now it's almost Friday and I can't wait for the three day weekend!!! ...until next time!