Nursery and Baby Prep

I have not blogged in ages - I have a website/blog for my classroom which I have updated, and have been insanely busy as of late. I am trying to prepare my classroom and students for my maternity leave...I've also been reading many books on babies, nursing, scheduling...it's making me a little nuts. I'm feeling great, but I can tell that things are happening to prepare me for the baby's arrival. I find myself getting uncomfortable at times, and I can really feel it when the baby kicks me in my various organs. :)

We've completed the nursery and purchased pretty much everything that we'll need for baby's arrival!! I'm due in 2 1/2 weeks, and we're both convinced the baby will be a few days early. My doctor told me that she will not let me go more than a few days overdue, so I think it's safe to say that Baby Hubner will be here by November 17 at the latest!!! It is such an exciting time for us, yet we have no clue what we're in for! Adam and I are ready, and we can't wait to meet this little man. Here are some pics of baby "stuff!"

"Sassy" Water Recipe - You'll Love It!

I know I'm supposed to be thinking "fall" these days, but this refreshing water reminds me of spring and summer...however, it is PERFECT to serve any time of the year. I belong to two book clubs, and one of them regularly serves this water at our gatherings. It's just lovely...ok, can you tell that I'm really into it? It looks best when served in a clear pitcher or container, due to the sliced cucumber, lemon, and mint leaves which float among the ice cubes. (Hint: skip the adorable Pottery Barn glass jug with spout and go to Hobby Lobby...they have them there for under $40!)
Sassy Water!
3 1/2 pints of water

1 tsp. freshly grated ginger

1 medium cucumber, peeled & thinly sliced

1 medium lemon, thinly sliced

12 mint leaves
Honey - just add a little squeeze...unless you want the water to be even sweeter, of course

Combine above ingredients & let sit & chill overnight......the ginger gives it a nice jolt.  Easy & refreshing! 

Kiki and Maximo

Here are a few late-summer photos of our babies...Max and Kiki. Max has been growing up so quickly - he just had his "surgery" last week, and today is the first day off painkillers. He has been as sweet and cuddly as ever, and we are just in love with him. He cuddles us at all times, and about 4:30 am (when I inevitably get up to go to the bathroom) he wakes up too, and climbs under the covers and cuddles with my baby belly. It's the most precious thing! He often wakes us up with his loud purring, which is a bit frustrating, yet so darn cute. The neighbor boys (2 and 4) love Max, and he lets them pick him up, play with him, etc. I hope he continues to be good with kids!

Kiki is doing very well, and we think we've found the source of her allergies (Frontline flea prevention) so we're exploring other options. She is sooo good with Max, and we often have to pull him off her when he's in attack/play mode - poor thing! She still loves her daddy more than anyone, but I do believe I'm becoming his equal in her eyes, as I've been home with her all summer. Now I'm the one who feeds her, lets her outside, gives her treats, etc. Adam just gets to clean up after her!

Washington, D.C. Trip

I'm super behind on blog updating, but last weekend Adam and I took a trip to Washington, D.C. for our first anniversary! We had very steamy weather, and definitely odd weather (rainy, sunny, etc.) but a wonderful time. On Thursday, we flew in directly from Grand Rapids (awesome! one hour 10 minute flight!) and enjoyed a little sightseeing and nice weather - had a good dinner and then relaxed in the hotel room, knowing our next few days would be packed! On Friday, we woke up to hot, humid weather (93 degrees and 95% humidity!) and tried to get going as early as possible. Just about the time we were ready to walk out the door, we realized that the hotel room alarm clock was wrong, and we were over an hour earlier than we wanted! This ended up being great, though, because our early start let us see and do more throughout the day. We spent the morning on The Mall, seeing the monuments, and then arrived at The White House for our 12:00 tour!! This was definitely the highlight of the trip, as we were on a 6 mo. waiting list for a tour!! Just being there, in such close proximity to the President, the history, the hub of the country...wow. It was amazing and we were just in awe the whole time. No pictures were allowed inside, but as soon as we were off the front steps, we could take photos. We spent the rest of the weekend seeing the Smithsonians, National Archives, Ford's Theater (so cool!!) and the home across the street where President Lincoln died, DuPont Circle for a lovely anniversary dinner, more monuments, capitol hill, Arlington Nat'l. Cemetery, Georgetown (my fave) and so much more...all in all, a fantastic trip. I found myself having to stop and rest quite often, as walking around 7 months pregnant in high heat and humidity was NOT as easy as I thought it would be...neither was the extra weight on my feet! I tried to be a trooper, though, and I think I did a pretty good job. :) Here are a few pictures - we had both our iPhones plus our camera, so needless to say...there were hundreds of pictures. Putting together a photo album on Snapfish, like I do for all our trips, is something I'm pretty much avoiding at this point, because there are just too many photos to choose from! :)

Brook and Sam's Wedding

Adam and I spent the weekend in Detroit, at the Detroit Athletic Club, where Sam and Brook were married!
Adam was a groomsman, and was able to hang out with several college buddies. Our hotel room had a partial view of the field at Comerica Park! The wedding and reception were awesome, and we had a great time...congrats to Brook and Sam!

Mackinac Island trip

Adam and I joined the Hubners for a lovely long weekend on Mackinac Island...here are a few photos! There is a complete album on Facebook, too. :)

My Favorites...and a fab cookie recipe

I've been spending some QT planning for and buying for the baby's room....and I am officially "nesting." I am admittedly WAY too into decorating the house and finishing projects, and I am sure being off work for the summer does not really help.

Favorite 1: Etsy
I've been looking for just the right paint colors and accessories, and I found this Etsy seller (if you don't know Etsy...check it out...it's like Ebay for hand made or homemade items!) who has the most beautiful throw pillow covers...and cheap! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6793400
Here's a few examples:



Favorite 2: fresh paint
Here are some options for our formal dining room...it's not a very big room, but I love these rich, fall-like colors. They go with the rest of our home, too, which is shades of tan, brown, buttery yellow, greens, and smoky blues...we're still deciding which looks best, or if we'll scrap the bold color in general and go with a lovely ivory shade with matching drapes. These colors are a form of rust, but on this blog they look pink-ish...Benjamin Moore Audobon Russet is our top choice - it is one of these pictures, but it looks way better than blogger portrays it.





Favorite 3: White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut COOKIES!
Adam was gone all weekend, so I wanted to surprise him with his favorite cookie, upon arrival home...not my favorites, usually, as I am not a fan of nuts in sweets. But honestly, these are some of the best cookies I've ever made - I took a recipe from the ever-faithful and divine Southern Living Cookbook, and added my own twist (a very small twist.) IMPORTANT: Do NOT over-bake or even let them get too brown - it changes the flavor dramatically. Enjoy and make them soon - Meijer sells pre-chopped nuts and the Godiva white chocolate bars are located in the rack directly above them!

White Chocolate & Macadamia Nut Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening (I always use butter-flavored shortening when it calls for 'shortening' - not greasy)
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4-5 oz. macadamia nuts, chopped (I used the bag at Meijer, which were chopped pretty finely...this is good.)
1 (4 oz.) bar Godiva white chocolate, chopped into small chunks (don't use white choc chips - they have a stronger flavor and are not nearly as good, plus they don't melt very well.)

Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer (I used the Kitchen Aid big mama) until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in white chocolate and nuts with a spoon.
Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. (Do NOT use warm/hot cookie sheets for the next round in the oven - use cool cookie sheets, or the cookies will flatten to nothing.) Bake at 350 for 6-9 minutes, or until very lightly browned on the bottom (not browned on the top.) Cool on cookie sheets slightly, until you can lift the cookie off without it falling apart. Cool completely on wire racks. Makes 5 dozen, approx.
*These cookies have such a lovely flavor, and the nuts were so small that I didn't feel like I was eating a nut-filled cookie, which I normally don't like. They taste like pecan sandies, and are the exact right amount of sweetness. Adam's favorite!

Pesto and Pesto Crostini Appetizer

This summer has been going by quickly! I'm so disappointed in our sub-par weather, and I hope August turns out to be a warm, sunny month. I've been spending my time working on my grad class entitled "Teaching Financial Literacy" - interesting topic and completely appropriate in today's society. I've also been READING. I've read so many books, and there have been several that are worth recommending. Check out my Facebook page "WeRead" section for my titles!

Last night I attended one of my book clubs, where I brought a really yummy appetizer - Pesto Crostini. I have been taking good care of my basil plants all summer, and I depleted them of their sweet, peppery leaves in order to make the homemade pesto - totally worth it! Here are the recipes!

Pesto
1/4 c. walnuts
1/4 c. pignoli (pine nuts)
3 Tbsp. chopped garlic (you may want to use a bit less if you aren't a garlic lover)
5 c. fresh basil leaves, packed
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 c. good olive oil (I used 1 cup - thought it would be too runny with all of it)
1 c. freshly grated Parmigano-Reggiano

Place the walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is throroughly pureed. You may need to scrape the sides. Add the Parmesan and puree 1 minute. Use right away or store in refrigerator/freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Pesto Crostini Appetizer
Skinny loaf French or Italian bread, cut into 1/4 inch slices (crostini)
Pesto
Cream cheese (I used Philly whipped)
Grated Parmigano-Reggiano

Place crostini slices on a cookie sheet - bake at 375 degrees for approx. 10 minutes or until lightly toasted - do NOT overbake, or appetizers will be difficult to eat. Remove from oven to a cooling rack. When cool, spread a layer of cream cheese on crostini, followed by 1 tsp. or so of the pesto - do not spread pesto to edges (leave an edge of cream cheese.) Top with grated or shaved Parmesan.

New Kitty and Summer Pictures

I finally had time to figure out iPhoto on my new computer, and was able to make my camera compatible with it...so here are a few pics I took recently, including our ever-growing kitten, Max, and some shots of Pentwater this year. Sadly, we said goodbye to Adam's convertible...the Beemer went to a good home, in order to make room for more baby-related "stuff." :-)

It's a.....

BOY!!

We're so excited, surprised, and in total awe of this whole process - when Adam scans the pics of the ultrasound, I'll post them...he is due sometime around November 13!! He was moving all over the place and very photogenic, according to the doctor - he kept pushing his face up toward the ultrasound 'wand.' So far, so good - he is moving all over the place as we speak, and Adam can feel him kick. The only down side is that he was in the 92nd percentile for size!! The nurse thought this was quite comical, because I was convinced I'd have small babies (my mom did, I was small, etc.) - apparently I was in denial on the fact that baby size is usually determined by the father - and Adam is 6'5! :) We shall see how big he ends up getting!

We're looking forward to the next two weeks, where we'll be visiting my family in Pentwater and deciding how to decorate the nursery! It's actually a little overwhelming, so I'm trying to just piece together ideas and come up with something we like...I'm a bit picky on the bedding, and so is Adam, so it's been a challenge to find something I like. I was certain that Pottery Barn Kids would have ten things I'd love, but unfortunately it looks like they're changing "seasons" and most of the bedding we like is out of stock, discontinued, etc. I'm hoping they show new collections soon! It would be nice to have a store here in GR, but hey - we have little else, so I'm not surprised. :)

Here's the link to our registry!
http://www.toysrus.com/ControllerServlet?searchBy=&defLName=hubner&defFName=kristin&defCity=rockford&defState=MI&maidenName=&maidFName=&maidCity=&maidState=®istryNumber=&submit.x=65&submit.y=4&target=search&userType=giftGiver&searchForPerson=primReg&whereTo=viewRegistry&firstName=kristin&lastName=hubner&city=rockford&state=MI