Weekend Wrap-Up....on a Wednesday

Doing a weekend wrap-up on a Wednesday? Why yes, yes I am. If our weekend was busy enough to warrant a 'wrap-up', just know that this gal is at the point in her pregnancy where she needs a couple of days to recuperate.


Last Saturday we traveled to M to the Izz-A's granny's house to attend Cousin Kassidy's 1st birthday party.

Happy Birthday, Kassidy!

This little cutie came down all the way from Tennessee just so we could celebrate with her. We had a great time chatting, eating some delicious cake, and...

...then Grave Digger decided to make an appearance.

Listen Luke, no matter how uncool you think it is, I'm gonna need you to return to the proper 10 and 2 hand position on the steering wheel.

And if truth must be told, in M to the Izz-A's hometown, any family gathering could end up looking like a Monster Truck convention.

Kassidy's mom, Aunt Lynne, brought Hamp lots of goodies, but she didn't want Big Sister Kate and Mama to be left out so she got us a little something, too!

Cute little aprons from 'thirty-one gifts'. Thanks Lynne!



We made it home just in time for me to join some friends for a night of dinner and shopping. The good thing about being pregnant is that I tend not to buy much when I go shopping, at least not for myself. I can't see the reasoning behind buying lots of clothes that I won't be able to wear but for a few months. Kate, on the other hand, racks up.

Kristin and Jobeth

Tara, Kerri, and me

We're all smiling and starving at the same time. Nothing like a good 45-minute wait to really get your tummy rumbling. Then when it's time to place your order, you completely over do it. Completely.

Step away from the bread, Hollie.

I just knew I was gonna have to make them stop at Wal Mart for me to run in and buy a big pair of sweatpants to make it through the rest of our night of shopping.

I didn't.

But I wanted to.




And on Sunday, we celebrated this little gal's 5th birthday...

...Cousin Anna. Love that smile!

I haven't gotten a new pair of sneaks in a long time, but if I did, I'm sure I'd react the same way.

Sometimes wild woman hugs can get a little intense. Cousin Lydia holds her own pretty well. I hope Hamp's ready for this!




A few other pics from the weekend:

Lookin' more like a big sis everyday

Kate's got herself a new 'do, thanks to Aunt Abbi!

Doesn't the back look ten times better than it did on Saturday? The birds will be looking for a new place to nest! Amen and amen.

And this last picture is my favorite...

Coffee Punch

Some of you requested the recipe for the coffee punch that we served at my shower. So, without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Miss Delicious to your recipe box.

Coffee Punch

*1 gallon strong coffee
*1 1/2 cups of sugar
*2 tbs vanilla
*1 quart of half and half
*1 gallon of vanilla ice cream
*French vanilla cappuccino dry powder mix (The recipe calls for the General Foods Individual packets --3 of them; but, we couldn't find the packets so we just bought the big container and estimated the amount. Just add some and taste it and continue this pattern until your taste buds start to smile)
*instant hot chocolate mix (optional... and the amount to add is up to you. I think it tastes equally delicious with and without it)

I know, I know, don't you just hate it when recipes aren't specific or don't have exact measurements for each ingredient? But it's okay, you really can't go wrong with this one. It's impossible for anything with sugar and half and half to taste bad. And really, you should make it to suit your personal taste. Some people prefer it really sweet, while others like it to be more of a rich coffee flavor. The amounts listed above are close to perfect, in my opinion.

1. Brew your coffee, add the sugar and vanilla, and chill.
2. In a blender, add some coffee, half and half, cappuccino powder, and ice. Blend together and pour in punch bowl. (Do this about 3 times) Then, just pour the rest of the coffee and half and half into the punch bowl and add ice cream.



Now don't go talkin' too much about this stuff in front of your regular cup o' morning joe. You'll give it a complex.

A little less talk and a lot more pictures

Before heading to my baby shower on Saturday, we had to overcome this obstacle:

We are still trying to locate the bird that comes and makes a nest in her head every night. I promise that I washed and conditioned this before she went to bed the night before.

After we tackled that mess, we headed to the shower...

My friend, Tara, recently started making cakes for special occasions. She did such a great job on the cake - not to mention, it was pound cake. Need I say more? Thanks so much, Tara!

I loved the little name tag on the cake. For some reason it made me a little emotional.

Hair problem solved.

Please tell me you all have had coffee punch. See how heavenly it looks sittin' in that punchbowl? That is the only special request I made for the shower. And I may or may not have insisted on a double batch.

With this pregnancy I've noticed that I will sport a jean jacket like it's my job. Call it my security, call it my lack of wardrobe, call it both if you will.

Thanks Aunt Marella and fam for the "Big Sisters Rock" T-shirt!

Go Gators!! We gotta train 'em up right.

Sal Gal, Marella, Kerri, me, and Abbi

Sal Gal, my mom, and me

Kate and all of her great-grandmothers

She loves crossing her legs and even rides in her car seat like that sometimes. I think it's hilarious because she's really such a wild woman.

The shower was so much fun, even though I started sweating while opening all of the gifts. I think it was a mixture of pregnancy hormones, being the center of attention, and oh, that blasted jean jacket.

After the shower we headed to watch the season opener of Matt's Mini-Cup race.

It was freezing but we had a good time, even though we ended up getting home way past my bedtime.

And on Sunday my mom and dad came over to have lunch with us and play for a while.

Kate makes them dress-up for the occasion.

Cinderella's got nothing on that dude.

He couldn't spare a square

Yesterday I went for my monthly doctor's appointment. Hamp sounds great, heartbeat is around 130-145 and he's super active. I will now be going every 2 weeks, which means the big day is getting close!

I've become a queen in my own right lately, as I've been spending lots of time on the throne. My bathroom visits are becoming more and more frequent. The lil' babe in my belly seems to have my bladder working overtime. I know ya'll don't wanna hear about my bladder, but it's been ruling my days! As a matter of fact, it's even noticeable to M to the Izz-A. Actually, my bathroom visits aren't what's being noticed, it's my toilet paper usage, on the other hand, that has caught his tightwad budget-conscious attention. He mentioned that we seem to be going through more toilet paper than normal and pointed to me as the culprit. Just the other day he looked at me with a serious face and told me that there's no reason for me to be tearing off more than three squares at a time. He even asked me how many toilet paper squares I normally tear off. Are you laughing as you're reading this, because dang!

I, Matt, take thee, Hollie, to have and to hold - as long as she controls and curbs her fondness for big wads of toilet paper?

I have made an attempt to help the situation and have done something I never, ever thought I'd do. I've started buying.....brace yourselves.....Wal Mart's Great Value brand toilet paper. I know, that statement does indeed deserve a big gasp. I am big on toilet paper and know a 'great value' when I see it, and this stuff really is worth the switch. I first discovered it at my sister, Sal Gal's, house. She had been using what I like to refer to as 'school toilet paper'. The kind of toilet paper found in schools and other public restrooms. It's almost see through. Then one day while visiting, I came out of her bathroom and proclaimed that she must have realized that while cutting back in certain expenditures is smart, cutting back in the area of toiletry is not. I thought that she surely had crossed back over to the Cadillacs of bathroom tissue and switched to her old fave. It about shocked me to pieces to find out that is was Great Value brand. I then knew that I had solved my 3 square dilemma. This could save me.

And indeed it has.

Ahhh, it's the little things, isn't it? Chocolate milk, rainy days spent in pj's, realizing you still have an hour left before your alarm clock goes off, and sharing toilet paper thoughts with you all on my blog...

This weekend was jam-packed and my camera rode around with me the whole time, but only made it out of the car once. Friday night I attended a Pampered Chef party at my friend Kristin's house. After most of the guests left I remembered my camera and managed to take a pic of the lets-pretend-the-party-is-still-going-on crew...the crew of gals that stick around a good hour after the party is over just because we're out of the house with no kids for once and are enjoying the heck out of ourselves.

Sorry the blogging has been lacking this week. Sometimes I got it, sometimes I don't. I'm having my first baby shower this weekend at Sal Gal's and am so excited to see all of this boy stuff! Hopefully I'll have some pictures to share next week. Kate will be by my side, helping me open all of the gifts I'm sure. She's been practicing her baby holding technique with all of her baby dolls. She looks as if she'll be a natural.



Happy weekending!


And please, keep it to a 3 square maximum would ya?

Off

I can't wait to go to bed tonight. Today was pretty boring and blah - just kind of off, if you know what I mean. Kate didn't sleep very well last night, which means I didn't either. She's usually a great sleeper and has spoiled me as far as that goes, so when she has a rough night, the following day is less than stellar for me. I sat through a six hour power point on reading comprehension and just about doodled a hole through my binder of handouts. When I got home my mom came over for a short visit and had dinner with us.



Before she left we took an awkward picture...


Mom didn't wanna smile because she had just taken a big bite of chocolate cake and it was all stuck in her teeth. Kate's reading a book that appears to be about the same size as her body and I'm smiling through my complete exhaustion. This picture is just funny to me.


On top of it all, Kate's sitting with me right now and trying to pick the freckles off my arm.


I think I'm done for the day. It's 8:39 pm to be exact and by 8:45 pm I'm hoping to have my head on my pillow. Now, if someone could please just relay this message to Kate...


I'm feeling incredibly thankful that tomorrow is Friday! Can ya tell?