28/29/30 Weeks and Pumpkin Donuts

How far along: 28/29/30 Weeks (Sorry for the hiatus)

28 weeks

29 weeks

30 weeks

How big is baby: By the end of 30 weeks she is 3 + lbs

Total weight gain: 20+ lbs

Sleep:  Has progressively gotten worse. I now wakeup every 10 minutes to adjust myself and then by about 3 am I'm awake for the day.

Best moment of the week: Let's see if I can sum up the last 3 weeks. Christmas was great. We just sort of relaxed and spent time with family. Thankfully my job has given me lots of time off to be able to spend with everyone. Since I've been home I have gotten to get in the kitchen a little bit (something I haven't been able to do in a while) and even made some delicious pumpkin donuts with my new donut pan Christmas gift (thank you husband!!). 

The most accurate family picture for us haha

Food Cravings: Nothing particular. I will say that my iron clad will power has been non existent this holiday season haha. Anything that has come my way that looks yummy has gotten tasted. I'm putting my foot down now, my diet has to go back to normal seeing has I have 8 weeks till she's out.

Food Aversions: I got nothing.

Symptoms: Back pain and sciatic nerve pain. If I'm up on my feet for more than an hour then my body just feels wrecked. Other than that there have been little pains and aches here and there that have to do with my body preparing itself. I had a couple painful contractions the other night, but haven't had any since. 

Mood: Has mostly been stable. WELLLLL if you ask Ryan, he'd tell you I'm a grump. I don't think I'm THAT grumpy, but when you're uncomfortable about 80% of the day you might be a little grumpy too.

Movement: Baby "V" takes cat naps throughout the day for mayyyybbbeee 10 minutes, the rest of the time she is rolling and pushing and it feels like she's grabbing my organs :)  

What I’m looking forward to: My baby shower on the 31st of this month. I'm starting to get into the nesting part of this pregnancy, so it will be nice to start gathering all the baby gear necessities. As of today we are at 8 weeks!!! That's 60 days until our baby "V" is here!!!!! I'm ready to kiss that adorable little face and hear that little voice.

I just wanted to wish you all a very Happy New year!! 2014 started with heartbreak, losing our last baby. Throughout the year I was able to not only heal my heart and soul (thanks to my amazing support system), but my body as well with amazing nutrition. My happiest moment this year would have to be hearing/seeing my little girls heart beat for the first time and knowing we are expecting this huge blessing. 2015 my heart is full and so is my tummy haha. I may complain about the aches and pains, but I wouldn't want it any other way. Here is to a year of blessings and things that really matter. My goals this year include focusing on my faith and finances (debt free by 2016). I have so much to look forward to!!! Thank you all for taking the time to read my blog and for your words of encouragement.

Pumpkin Donuts

(You will need a donut pan to make these. Here is a link to some, they make mini donuts,not full size. Donut Pan on Amazon )

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup + 2 Tbs all purpose flour

1 3/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla extract

Coating

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter the donut pan. In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. In another large bowl (or that of a mixer)whisk together both sugars (make sure there are no clumps from the brown sugar). Add the oil, eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Once this mixture is blended slowly add the dry ingredients. 

I have found that the easiest way to get the mixture into the donut pan is to pipe them like you would frosting. You want to fill each donut about 3/4s full.

Bake for 13-16 min until a toothpick comes out clean. You will want to cool them slightly. In a big ziplock bag combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon. While the donuts are still warm take one at a time and put it in the ziplock bag with the sugar mixture and shake it up. Once the donut is covered place it on a cooling rack and repeat with the remaining donuts. Enjoy :)

Recipe adapted from: Cooking Classy

25 and 26 weeks

How far along: 26 Weeks.

How big is baby: Some people say an Eggplant some people say some root veggies…. Use your imagination.

Total weight gain: 20+ lbs…..

Sleep:  I don’t understand this word??? Let’s see…since I wasn’t able to post last week, I have gotten a stomach bug and baby girl grew a gazillion lbs overnight SO between those two things I’ve gotten minimal hours of sleep. If you could see the way I have my side of the bed setup in order to minimize hip pain, waking up with acid in my mouth, and easier turning radius, you’d probably laugh. I’m basically sitting upright with two pillows against my headboard. It’s the only way I’ve found I can sleep for more than 10 minutes at a time.

This is my sad picture of how big my belly is. Ryan took me hunting and obviously I no longer fit into my overalls haha

Best moment of the week: I guess this should actually say best moments of the last 2 weeks.  Thanksgiving was very nice, we had immediate family over and I baked entirely way too much haha. I may or may not have overdid it. I got some good deals online for Christmas gifts. Like I said before baby Lundberg has grown huge in the last couple weeks and my stomach has stretched tremendously, any moves she makes aren’t feeling very cute anymore. Worst moment of the week would have to be getting the stomach flu and having to get a couple IV bags to re-hydrate. Last night the kids got to get all dolled up for their Christmas program and they looked SO handsome/beautiful!!!

Food Cravings:  Well once I actually had an appetite  I craved French fries of all things…. Weird.

Food Aversions: All things this week. I wanted nothing to do with food.

Symptoms: Random back aches, ligament stretching, stomach itches to no avail, any movement feels like she’s trying to burst out (alien style) and acid reflux at night.  

Mood: I’ve been pretty ok. Tired….I guess. Is tired a mood? Sleepy?  

Movement: Well she has officially discovered what feels like every single one of my organs. She moves most of the day, takes a cat nap and then runs a marathon in my uterus.   

What I’m looking forward to: Christmas! We are hopefully decorating this weekend and getting our tree next weekend. We are also getting close to single digit weeks left!!! 12 weeks!!!!

24 Weeks (and a muffin recipe!!!)

How far along: 24 Weeks.

How big is baby: The length of an ear of corn

Total weight gain:  20 + lbs

Sleep:  I am officially lacking in sleep. My hips are killing me, I have to roll over every 5 minutes to relieve the amount of pain one side is in. Random side cramps also wake me up and make it so I can barely breathe. I guess she’s just getting me ready for her arrival.

Best moment of the week: It’s been a pretty chill week. There really hasn't been a lot going on. We should be having a lovely evening tonight tho!

Food Cravings:  Nothing…

Food Aversions: Nothing…

Symptoms: I’m uncomfortable and itchy!!! Winter has finally hit the PNW, and with it all the moisture in the air. My skin is the Sahara desert and is covered in little war wounds from my constant scratching. Poor skin. I’m trying to moisturize every second of the day to prevent my little knife hands from going to town.

Mood: Just cuddly I guess. I want cuddles from my babies and Ryan a decent amount of time. Other than that I’m just fine.

Movement: So much movement!!! She must have grown a ton in the last couple days, because she has been kicking my butt!!! I could feel her little fingers pushing on my stomach the other day. It’s such an amazing feeling that I will miss for sure. The only time it bothers me is when I’m trying to walk to do something.

What I’m looking forward to: Thanksgiving next week and all the baking that comes with it!!! As per usual I’m looking forward to the arrival of my little girl, and Christmas shopping for the kiddos!!

I do want to give a little shout-out to my mama who turned 70 today! She has been one of the biggest inspirations for me as a woman, as a mother, and as a person in general. She loves harder than any person I know and is the epitome of a beautiful woman who has aged gracefully.

I promised on Facebook that I would share a recipe for something I made this week. Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of it (I’m sorry!!!!!), but trust me when I say they were sooooo delicious! They were gone within 2 days. My son, Ezra, learned all about cranberries in school last week. As a result he realized he had never tried one and requested that I bake him something with fresh cranberries (they HAD to be fresh not dried). I found a recipe for White Chocolate chip Cranberry muffins, and I think this will become a breakfast tradition. I don’t even love cranberries and I loved these.

White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Muffins

You’ll need:

½ C unsalted butter (1 stick), softened

½ C granulated sugar

¼ C light brown sugar

2 large eggs

½ C sour cream OR Greek yogurt for a healthier version

2 Tbl buttermilk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 ½ C all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

1 C white chocolate chips

1 ¼ C fresh cranberries (plus a couple extra to top off with)

Directions:

1. Preaheat oven to 425, grease muffin pan and flour it (or you can use liners if you prefer, just note that the white chocolate chips will stick to them) *also note that this recipe yields about 14 muffins.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter, sugars and mix on high speed until light and fluffly (about 2 min).

3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, vanilla, and beat on med high speed until combined (again about 2 min).

4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again (I tend to stop and do this often).  Add the flour baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and beat until just combined (about 1 min). Try not to over mix as it will result in tough muffins.

5. Add the white chocolate chips and beat on low speed about 30 sec. You can also choose to just hand mix these in the case that your mixer doesn't like mixing in “chips”. Stir in cranberries (do those by hand).

6. Using a large cookie scoop or ¼ measuring cup, scoop the batter into the muffin tin. They should be about ¾ full.

7. Top each muffin with 2 or 3 cranberries and bake at 425 for 5 minutes.

8. Without opening the oven door, turn down the temperature to 350 and bake for about 18 to 20 minutes. The total baking time should be 23-25 minutes. Once you hit the 20 min mark use a toothpick to check and see if they need a couple minutes longer or are complete. You don’t want over baked muffins….no one wants those.

9. Allow muffins to cool in pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.

Recipe adapted from http://www.averiecooks.com/2014/11/cranberry-white-chocolate-muffins.html

Some Fall Recipes

Since I started this blog as an attempt to document some of the things I enjoy baking or doing I FINALLY have some yummy recipes to add. The air is starting to get crisp and it seems like summer is starting to lose its grip on the weather. I actually don't mind, the only thing that is driving me nuts is the lack of pregnancy clothes I can wear (the husband frowns upon breaking the bank to purchase a new wardrobe). Since I no longer have a coffee addiction (thank you Isagenix) I've taken to drinking a decent amount of tea, and not just any tea. The tea that I am currently in love with is called Creamy Earl Grey and it's made by this lovely little Tea shop in town called Bramble Berry Cottage (Brambleberry Cottage). I adore going there to have a little tea party with my daughter or friends and trying all the different hand mixed teas they have to offer. Next on my list to try is there brand new Autumn Grey tea (think Earl Grey the pumpkin version).

I previously told you that a couple weeks ago my family and I picked a LOT of plums from my fathers property. We ended up saving half the batch to make Plum Brandy (that's Ryan's little project that I will blog about once it's all done fermenting and has been processed) and the other half to make Plum Vanilla Crumble Bars. The bars ended up tasting fantastic. They were similar to a Lemon bar only a better balance of sweet and sour with vanilla bean hints.

 The other recipe I am going to share with you are Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with a Maple Cream Cheese filling. This is something that I make every year when fall hits. It's a favorite of my family and friends and I get the request to make them often.

 Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Ingredients

For the pumpkin cookies:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup canola oil

3 cups chilled pumpkin puree

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the maple cream cheese filling:

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

8 oz. cream cheese, cold

2 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

To make the pumpkin cookies, preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices.  Set aside.  In a separate bowl, whisk sugars and oil together.  Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly.  Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.  Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.

Transfer the cookie batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip.  Pipe small rounds of the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1½-2 inches in diameter. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the pan for about 10 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat with remaining batter.

To make the filling, combine the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on medium-heat speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.  Add the powdered sugar, maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Be careful not to overbeat the filling or it will lose structure.  Transfer the filling to a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip.

To assemble, pair the cookies up by size.  Pipe filling onto the flat side of one cookie of each pair, and sandwich together with the remaining cookie.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm before serving.

 Recipe acquired from:  Annie's Eats

Plum Vanilla Crumble Bars

Crumble Topping

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/4 almond slices, toasted

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold butter

1 -Mix dry ingredients on medium bowl

2-Cut butter into cubes then, using a pastry cutter, cut into dry mixture until pea sized mixture is formed. Should be crumbly looking

   -Place in fridge until ready to use

Shortbread crust

1 3/4 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks of butter (3/4 cup)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 -Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

   -Combine flour and salt in a small bowl, set aside.

   -Cream butter and both sugars together. Add vanilla and mix.

   -Slowly incorporate flour mixture until combined. 

   -Press into a greased 8 x 8 baking dish.

   -Press shortbread dough into the pan spreading evenly. Use a glass as a small rolling pin to even out if necessary.

   -Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. 

Plum Filling

5-6 cups plums, pitted and sliced

1 cup water

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

   -Add plums and water to wide pan and heat through, them add sugar and vanilla paste

   -Cook over medium heat until plums begin to break down, about 30 mins

   -Let mixture cool a bit and transfer to food processor, and give it a whirl

   -Put the mixture back in the pan, and continue to cook until thick paste forms, making sure to stir constantly, it will burn if you don't stir!! Even if you think that it’s taking too long keep stirring and let it thicken up.

   -When you can scrape your spoon through the mixture and you see a trail, you're almost there. This should take about 15 minutes. (Make sure you really cook this down enough. If you don't the filling will be too runny and not hold the bar shape. You really have to get all the water out of the fruit.)

   -Once you see a thick paste form, you're done, spread over shortbread and sprinkle crumble topping on top of the plum filling layer. 

   -Bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the toping begins to brown.

   -Remove from oven and let cool. Cut into bars to serve. Store in fridge to keep filing firm.  

Recipe acquired from: House of Brinson

I'm still alive, I promise!!!!

First off, I am terribly sorry for the hiatus. This summer was packed full to the brim. It was started by the departure of a family that is so dear to me. My best friend Allyson and her beautiful family moved away to Georgia. As a child with a retired father that basically grew up on the Air Force base, this is nothing new to me. It was always the case I’d make a new best friend only to have their family get orders by the end of the year, and I would heart-breakingly cry my eyes out all summer, only to have the process repeat itself the next year. This scar had somewhat healed itself in the last 18 years and this move definitely disturbed it. Even though she’s hundreds of miles apart I know that we will leave off with our SNL inside humor and love for books the minute we are together again. I managed to successfully pull off a surprise going away party for them (barely….John, her husband, tried his best to ruin the surprise) and we had an amazing time.

Right after this we got some amazing news that was so exciting and scary to hear. We found out that we were expecting a baby. The reason I say this is so exciting and scary have to do with the last year that we have experienced. You see Ryan, my husband, and I have been trying to conceive a baby since June of 2013. We were actually successful twice, but sadly lost both babies. No one likes to talk about miscarriage and I never knew how hard of a subject it was until it happened to me. Last June was when we found out we were expecting our first little bundle and, after having two successful pregnancies resulting in my beautiful children, I was so in love and excited. About the second week in July is when I lost the baby and I never knew how hard that would be until it happened. I didn’t know having a miscarriage could throw you into a state of depression and anxiety. I’m so thankful that I had my family and loving husband to take care of me through that time, they were the only things that were able to sort of snap me out of that.

We started trying again a couple months later and again were blessed with a pregnancy in November. I felt so good about this one and just knew that everything was going to be ok, that we were finally going to get our miracle child!! January 10^th we lost our 2^nd baby. I took this one a lot better than I did the first time, although emotionally it never gets any easier for yourself or your spouse.

Ryan and I decided we were going to wait to try again until the summer and just enjoy our little family. Unfortunately I was still suffering with the aftereffects of the miscarriages and my anxiety. In about March I had decided that I wanted to do something about it and I was going to see a counselor.  It was about this time that my boss had started to lose a ton of weight and shared with me about this superfood that his wife and him have found success with gaining back their health. Me, being ever the sceptic, told him I wanted to look into this. I was already eating a “vegan”like lifestyle. I didn’t consume dairy, meat or processed foods. I tried to eat raw vegetables and fruits at all times, and I hardly ever consumed sugar. I also worked out on a regular basis. Once I looked at the results that 100’s of real people all around the world and many local to Spokane, I couldn’t believe the healing qualities of this superfood and cleanse. I made the choice to try it in the hopes that it would help me to conceive and maybe drop a couple lbs. I was amazed at week two with not only the weight I had dropped, but my mind had so much clarity it was like I was 100% me, not the 70% I had been running on. I had little to no anxiety and energy for days! I never knew that I was missing out on that. I was ecstatic. I remember going shooting with Ryan one day and he looked at me and said, “Natalie you just seem really calm and happy lately”. If you knew what I was suffering through before you’d know this was a huge compliment. I had canceled my counseling appointment and was looking forward to life. We decided in May to go ahead and try again.

Me at my smallest right before I got pregnant

On June 26^th we finally got those 2 pink lines that I wanted to see so badly. Since then we have dealt with so much uncertainty with not wanting to get our hopes up. We are now successfully 15 weeks pregnant, and so in love with our life and what it has to bring. I truly believe proper nutrition and cellular cleansing helped me get my baby. I’ve praised Jesus for bringing the people into my life (Jerrod and Sarah) who introduced this to me and led me to Isagenix.

 Me currently @ 15 weeks pregnant

Now, onto more current items, Bella has started 2^nd grade and Ezra Kindergarten. They absolutely love being back in school (I have the only child that counted down the days till Summer ended and school started). I’m so thankful I have kids that enjoy learning, Bella has even complained that her teacher is babying her and needs to give them harder reading material. How is she my child again?!?! Haha, I definitely was not as eager a student when I was her age.

This blog might be changing a little bit, I’m hoping to post more for one. I will also be adding some more personal life events to it as well. Lots of pregnancy talk (sorry in advance), as I realized that since this may be my last pregnancy I should probably document it, and what better way than through my blog? I will still be adding random recipes, especially as pumpkin seasons is upon us. This weeks will be the Vanilla bean Plum Bars I made from my father’s plum tree.

I hope you all have an amazing week, you’ll be hearing from me a lot more in the near future. To anyone that reads this and has gone through or is going through a miscarriage and thinks they have no one to talk to, please please please message me! You really don’t have to go through this alone! You are not bothering me I promise. 

Been a min or two...

I'm an awful blogger!!! I'm so sorry for the lack of posts :(. Spring took over my life with children's sports, gun shows, and well....life. There is, however, a light at the end of the tunnel. Sports and school are ending this week!! Soon I'll be working 4 tens each week and using my Friday, Saturday, and Sunday's to go camping!!!

Before I post about some amazing pancakes I made for my family this last weekend, I would like to share about some amazing changes in my life. I recently made the choice to focus on my health this summer. I started a 30 day system (that may just turn into a a life system) about 12 days ago. This system focuses on removing the toxins and replacing with all the nutrients your body needs and craves. I have been a faithful coffee drinker for at least 10 years and I'm proud to say I haven't had a coffee in 12 days and I have more energy than ever! I also battle with some bad anxiety issues, and I have been feeling so calm now. I've lost 10 lbs (again still only after 10 days) and I couldn't be happier. I have also been feeling  more confident (bought this lovely little bikini) with my body. My husband is starting this Monday and I can't wait for him to receive all the benefits of this amazing system. If any of you want more information about it send me an email or a message!! I'd be more than happy to share!

Now, onto some very important things:

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

For the pancake:

1 Cup Flour

2 Tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp Salt

1 Cup Milk (I used some leftover buttermilk, to make these vegan you could use almond/soy/coconut milk)

1 Tbsp Oil (it called for Canola, but I used Coconut)

1 Large Egg (sub 1/2 cup of applesauce for vegan recipe)

For the swirl/filling:

1/2 Cup Butter (or Good Earth vegan spread) melted

3/4 Cup packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp Ground cinnamon

For the glaze:

*Now I veered with this one and created something with ingredients I had on hand. The recipe wanted a cream cheese glaze*

1/2 Cup to 3/4 Cup of Powdered sugar

Milk 

Maple Syrup (organic pure if you can)

1. Prepare the cinnamon filling: In a medium bowl, mix the butter, cinnamon, and sugar together. Put into a big zip-lock bag and set aside.

2. Make the batter: In a medium bowl whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt). Mix in the wet ingredients (milk, oil, and egg) until it is just combined. 

3. Mix all the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl. Start with the powdered sugar and slowly add the milk. You want a consistency that's not too thick and not liquid. Once you get that consistency add a little bit of the maple syrup. If you absolutely love the taste of maple syrup add a decent amount, if you only want a hint of it, add less.

4. Pour the batter onto a skillet or your favorite pancake pan. After you have all that will fit in one sitting, cut a corner of the zip-lock bag and start your swirling on the pancakes. Flip them once one side is done and vice versa. Top with the glaze and whatever add ons you'd like. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the sun!!!


Based on a recipe from: http://www.life-in-the-lofthouse.com