Just a BOOtiful Weekend

Happy Halloween! I love Halloween, and I loved this beautiful weekend! Did you see my sweet little giraffe? He was the cutest thing! Well, Saturday I made cookies for Halloween; it is my favorite cookie recipe...they are WONDERFUL. I made them for our trick-AH-treaties, but sadly, we didn't have any! HA, oh well! If you know where we live, you'd know that it would be amazing to have any Halloween guest. That just means more cookies for us and for Shad's coworkers!

Here is the best recipe EVER!
Sugar Cookies:
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Royal Icing Using Egg Whites:
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 cups confectioners sugar

For Sugar Cookies: In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside, In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 to 4 minutes). Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough.Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about one hour or until firm enough to roll.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove one half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch.Cut out desired shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking. Bake cookies for about 10-12 minutes (depending on size) or until they are brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Frost with royal icing, if desired. Be sure to let the royal icing dry completely before storing. (This may take several hours.)

For Royal Icing with Egg Whites: In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites with the lemon juice. Add the powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use. I used the color gels from Wilton that you can get from Wal-Mart or Hobby Lobby to color the icing. Just a small little dab with a toothpick will color it plenty.

LAS

I've been working on a project that goes over Lawson's bed. It took FOREVER to find these lovely canvases...the size is kinda strange, I guess- they are a 16 x 40. Once I found them, I had to wait for them to so on sale...I'm was not going pay $40 a piece for them plus replace a bunch of paint! So I've got them now, obviously, and I'm slowing starting on them...like the sloth in Eric Carle's book. (I know my Teachy friends know the book)

Oh, I had a little helper too. He chilled on the couch and listened to Jack Johnson-

Month One

What you are doing, Lawson? We usually get up three to four times in the night to eat and then we rock-rock to drowsy land. I'm still staying in the guest room with you, but you sleep in your bouncy. I'm hoping you can get in your big boy bed soon. You've gotten so big! We went to the doctor a little over two weeks ago and you weighed 8.12! You are smiling, and you laugh in your sleep which totally cracks me up! What is so funny?!

Wishlist

I go for my checkup on Thursday...I'm not sure if I want to get on the scale or not. I just feel flabby, but I haven't done one single thing to get back into my old clothes! Well, unless lifting Halloween Oreos counts. I have ALWAYS had a sweet tooth, ALWAYS! But, when I was pregnant with Lawson the sweet tooth VANISHED! I couldn't think of sugar without feeling sick...or passing out. Yuck, only meat and whole milk please.

A couple of weeks ago Shauna, William, and Cait brought us these...it was a sugar celebration! I really want one. Lawson and I may talk Shad into going to Jackson to the Bass Pro Shop...and then stopping my Gigi's.

Fall Loves

Fall lets me love-

Ditch flowers....

They make great arrangements. I hate picking flowers out of my yard to put in the house...I want my yard to be blooming too! So in the fall, I jump ditches.

There is something about Halloween Oreos. I seriously could eat a whole pack.

Door arrangement- my aunt and mom made. I love it.

Doggies

Everyone always ask....How are ya'll doing? - they are referring to Handsome, and the new mommie... then 9 out of 10 times the second question is...How are the dogs doing? I love this- everyone knows that Blue and Ivory are our children too, and they have always lived like a princess and prince. The answer to their question is always the same...Ivory is great, but we knew she would be. And Blue is good. He actually listens better now...he's still wild, but he is very curious and wants to smell. So we let him, and he gives Handsome the softest licks...so very soft. Blue has always been a lover.

However our attention just isn't on our 4-legs anymore, and Blue requires A LOT of attention. The first week Blue was very blue... he would not have anything to do with me. He wouldn't love on me, give me hugs, come when I called, and he wouldn't even take a nap with me.

J-E-A-L-O-U-S.

So we have had to put some extra effort into loving on Blue, making him feel special, and letting him break a few rules... BIG NO NO- Sitting on the couch. He was actually asleep in this position, but when the camera was brought out he woke up.

Wildlife

Since we live in the middle of NOWHERE...we see quite a bit of wildlife. We have all kinds of babies at our house...and I'm thinking they are twins though. We didn't see their momma...Shad promised she was in the woods. The sweet babies were eating acorns.

Newborn Pics

So PANIC attack last week...but it's done; newborn pictures are DONE! So I'm able to breath again. It was a really stressful day for both of us, but Lawson did fairly well- mom, the photographer, and I watched him for at least two hours as he looked at us with big blue eyes. We did EVERYTHING trying to get him to sleep...fed, rock rock, used the bouncy, fed, rock rock, turned on noise...anyways you get the point. His sweet eyes were sooo heavy, but as they would start to shut....BAM they were right back open, scared he would miss the excitement. But FINALLY, he gave in and went to sleep and the fun could begin. I'm posting a link from the photographer's site. I hope you enjoy looking at our sweet little one. We love the pics near the end when he has his little mouth opened. :)

http://www.photodex.com/share/ChuckSimsImages/k44b8mg4

Mine

All mine.....and overfilled with love and gratefulness.

Now

New life....

given to us....

totally stole our hearts with just one breath....

forever changed with God's blessing.

Lawson Allen

September 20th at 11:55 PM

6 lbs. 12 oz. and 20 in. long