Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies - Delicious too!

As I've gotten older it seems like my "hobbies" have dwindled - especially now being a mommy. One hobby I hope to forever have is the treasure hunt for healthy recipes. Here is a particularly great chocolate chip cookie recipe that's very healthy! I found the recipe online but modified it a bit. I love to experiment in the kitchen! They turned out big and fluffy (a bit more doughy because of the applesauce instead of super rich with butter). Drew apparently liked them because all 4 that I left him last night were gone when I woke up this morning!

2 cups oatmeal
2 cups whole wheat flour (I grind mine)
1 tsp soda
dash of cinnamon (if you want to - I love cinnamon and use it in everything!)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
I did add a Tlb. or so of butter to soften the cookies - but you can leave that out if you want
1 cup of sucanat (the recipe called for 7/8 cup of honey or agave nectar)
1 tsp vanilla
Mix dry and wet ingredients separately and then combine.
Add dark chocolate chips or you can add 2/3 cups raisins, dried apples or craisins instead)

Bake at 350 for maybe 10 -15 minutes or so. I'm not good at keeping time!

The original recipe says that each cookie is approximately .3 grams of fat each. Not 3 grams -- .3 grams! That's good!

Little Abigail!

Abigail is now over a week old and we are loving every minute with her! She is such a great baby. My mother came and stayed with us for the first week and I don't know how we would have made it without her. She was such a huge help and it was a blessing to experience this first week with her. We've gotten nursing down and Abigail is sleeping well at night - praise the Lord! I hope that lasts! I am recovering really well - I actually thought recovery would be longer than this, so it's a pleasant surprise.

We find ourselves just sitting around watching her make faces and marveling at this wonderful gift from God. Drew is especially adorable with her - brushing her hair, cooing at her and even changing her dirty diapers! He's a wonderful dad :)

My dear friend Amy (her she is with Abigail only 2 hours old!) took her newborn pictures already.

Amy is super organized and keeps me on top of everything. Thanks Amy! Here's a link to the adorable pictures: newborn pictures They are too precious!

The birth went great - the nurses and doctors at Scott and White were awesome! Here we are with our wonderful doctor - Dr. Sulak just after the birth. She did an outstanding job!

Here's Abigail with her proud grandparents:

"Mama George and Pa"

"Grandpa and Grami"

Abigail's great grandparents (Drew's grandparents) came to visit her in the hospital. Their first great grand child!

Holding on to her great-grandpa's big hands!

Here we are going home from the hospital. Abigail is wearing her special outfit that her Grami made her.

Abigail has had a few other visitors:

Sally came to see her and I we had a great time catching up. It's so fun to both be mommies now! Her daughter Sophie is just one year older than Abigail (Sally and I had the SAME due date) so they are destined to be best friends just like their mommies.

Aunt KK and Uncle Jonathan and her cousins, Makenna and Molly had a great time meeting her.So did Lee and Aunt Yaya

This song is continually on my mind - "Praise God from whom all blessings flow". We Praise God for this new blessing in our life.
Well, Abigail is starting to stir -- off to feed her!

Abigail has arrived!

We welcomed Abigail Kaylea Alexander today, January 4, 2010, at 5:19pm. She weighed 8 pounds and measured 20 inches in length. It was an intense delivery, but she's here! Daddy is already changing diapers and enthralled with this little girl and Mommy is exhausted, but thrilled! Grandparents are all starry eyed and entranced by this little package that God delivered to His world today.

Abigail means "Father's Joy." This meaning is so very special. Her middle name, Kaylea (pronounced Kay-Leah) is a combination of both grandmother's middle names (and Mommy's middle name, too!)

She is eating well and is so very beautiful! Here are some pictures from the hospital...

My First Texas White Christmas!

What a wonderful surprise it was on Christmas Eve day to see snow start to come down in a flurry! We had just commented the day before (when it was 70 degrees) how amazing it would be to see the ranch covered in snow....little did we know we'd get our wish the next day! This was one time I was thankful for the crazy Texas weather!



It was just Drew and I for Christmas Eve and Christmas - so having our beautiful surroundings covered in glittery whiteness made for an extra special time together. We cuddled by the fire and enjoyed a beautiful Christmas - thanking the Lord for the birth of His Son!



The animals sure did love it!




To view all the pictures of our White Christmas, click here:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=56964740&l=08e9d1bb6e&id=5244184

Holidays at the ranch

Since I was unable to travel this year for the holidays, I had the joy of hosting my very first Thanksgiving and Christmas! My family came for Thanksgiving and we had a grand time hiking around, picking up pecans and enjoying the beautiful outdoors.



Drew and I got a bit of practice holding our newest niece, sweet little Molly. Drew looks like a natural at it! Now we just have to see how he is at changing diapers :)



We have so much to be thankful for this year: Drew's job, a beautiful place to live, being close to family, Abigail on the way, a great church family and so much more!

For Christmas Drew's family came to visit and we loved every minute of it!

Grami (Tami) lovingly made beautiful outfits and blankets for Makayla (due in Feb) and Abigail. I can't wait to bring her home from the hospital in it!



We are so excited for Mandy and Stephen (Drew's brother and his wife) and can't wait to meet Makayla as well. It's been so fun to be pregnant together!



The cousins are bound to be best of friends!


Here's a pic of all the girls:



And the brothers and "Grandpa":



To view all of holiday pics, click here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2776684&id=5244184&l=b6c039bbf0

This picture says it all:



These are the maternity pictures that my talented friend, Amy, took for us at 36 weeks! She took them out at the ranch that we live on. I'm now 39 1/2 weeks and we're anxiously awaiting her arrival any day now! Drew and I agree that this has been the loooongest couple of weeks of our life!

Drew is SO excited and ready to see his daughter!


I HEART her already!




Drew has asked what seems like a million times, "Can she just come today!!"


Here is a link to a few more of the pictures Amy took: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2765551&id=5244184&l=b647f2f771

Abigail's Nursery

With the design inspiration and help of my dear friend, Amy Busti, together we created Abigail's outdoor inspired nursery. Drew and my wonderful mother-in-law were also very helpful as well!

Here are a few pictures:



A cozy corner for all of our times spent cuddling and nursing! The dresser is a special piece that my Grammie gave me - it was my dad's dresser as a boy and then my dear Gramps had it in his room. I have so many wonderful memories of Gramps letting us kids get into his "treasure chest" that sat on this dresser and get whatever money was in it!





Since we live in a log cabin, with wooden walls, we wanted the outdoors to naturally be apart of Abigail's room. Drew found this pecan branch to hang as a mobile over her crib. She's bound to love animals and nature with falling asleep to this every night!



I made these birds from a pattern that Amy found online and just LOVE them!






This bike was a special treasure in my "little Italy" kitchen in the apartment that I lived in while Drew was in the game warden academy. Some pink spray paint made it so girly and pretty!



My mother-in-law slaved over stripping and painting this $10 garage sale bookshelf into the unique piece that it is now! Amy helped me choose the fabric and make the curtains. Her sweet mother, Pam, helped sew the bed skirt!



My mother gave me the gingham lamp and Kay Ohendalski quilted the beautiful blanket on the rocker. This nursery truly has been a labor of love from so many people and will be such a blessing to our sweet girl!