When you know better, you do better. [Pumpkin Angel Food Cake w/Salted Caramel Glaze]

I am officially tired.  I feel horrible for even saying this but I am so done with this pregnancy.

Part of me is trying to cherish every last part, to remind myself this is PROBABLY my last baby and enjoy all the wonderful things that come with being pregnant.  Feeling her kick, how womanly I feel, getting away with wearing a bikini when there is no way in hell I would wear one otherwise.

[36 weeks, last Saturday at Haliewa Alii Beach Park]

But I'm just so tired.  My back hurts, my stomach feels stretched beyond belief.  I can't keep up with school, WIC appts., cleaning, and now a pissed off toddler with a sprained wrist.  I just want to cry most days, and take a nap.   Thank God for my wonderful husband who would let me do just that if I just asked, but alas Mommy guilt just won't let that happen.

Yesterday the family celebrated Labor Day by attending a birth rally in Waikiki.  The family that protests together, stays together right?  Just kidding.....it wasn't a protest just a call for health care to support evidence based maternity care instead of care based off of opinions and basically just the way "they've always done it." [If you want to know more check out www.improvingbirth.org] We had a great time getting to meet some awesome people in the birthing community here on Oahu.  I got to talk to other women about encapsulating my placenta, home birth, and ring slings without anyone batting an eyelash. 

National Rally for Change at Kapiolani Park

Lily might have gotten TOO into it.  She was shouting "Eat your placenta!" at cars while they drove by and when the cops came to check our permits she told Andy, "I would never talk to cops!"  Not quite sure where that anti-authority attitude came from....well maybe I can guess.   We did a prayer at the end saying what we were grateful for and I am really just grateful that my daughters will grow up not being afraid of childbirth, knowing pregnancy is a beautiful, natural and healthy thing.  Not an illness. 

Which is what I keep trying to remind myself.  

36 weeks + 3 days and it will all be over soon and I won't even know where the time went.

Although hopefully these weird pregnancy dreams will stop, I dreamt last night that I gave birth easily at home, baby's feet first [not likely.] But then I found out the baby was a boy and I was pretty pissed off about it and wouldn't even pick a name for him. 

 So I told Andy we better pick out a boy's name too just in case.  I hope I wouldn't be quite so melodramatic if that were to happen but when I told Andy this he was not so convinced.  Hmm. 

[Feels like it.]

Again this is one of the blogs spiraling into nowhere.  My Mommy brain feels like mush. 

Soon, soon this little girl will make her entrance and I'll remember what I knew all along.

It is worth it. <3

Side note:  Super excited, Fall is here!

Well pretty much as "here" as it's going to get.  It's still hot, there's no way I'm getting to wear any kind of scarf or Ugg boots but Hey, the Fall flavors are back at Starbucks and I'll take what I can get.

Along with my beloved Salted Caramel Mocha I'm definitely getting in the pumpkin mood!

Made mini Pumpkin muffins the other day and still had enough left for another recipe, so Pumpkin Angel Food Cake with Salted Caramel Glaze it is!

Next month is pumpkin patches, costumes && FOUR adorable kids to dress up!

I can't wait. 

Pumpkin Angel Food Cake

w/Salted Caramel Glaze

Pumpkin Angel Food Cake:

1 box Angel Food Cake mix

3/4 cup pureed pumpkin

1 1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 tbs. flour

1 cup water

[1] Put oven rack on lowest setting & preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

[2] In an electric mixer beat all ingredients together.

[3] Pour into an ungreased Angel Food cake [tube] pan.

[4] Bake for about 45 minutes until top is nice and brown.

[5] Let cool for 15 minutes then turn upside down onto a glass bottle and finish cooling for 2 hours.

Salted Caramel Glaze:

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. sea salt

[1] In a small sauce pan melt butter and both sugars together.

[2] Whisk constantly while it comes to a boil and let cook for 2 minutes.

[3] Add heavy cream, continue whisking, cook for another 1 minute.

[4] Turn off heat and add cinnamon and salt.

[5] Let cool completely before pouring over cake.  

It's a Girl Raspberry Blondies!

Baby boom time!!!  

I have so many pregnant friends right now all due right around the same time, unfortunately I don't live by any of them so I just have to make do with virtually feeling connected to all of them and watch their bellies grow on Facebook.  I love being due around the same time as people I know just to enjoy being pregnant together, go through each stage together, etc.  It's right around the time when everyone starts finding out the gender of the babies.  One of the funnest parts of pregnancy to me.  

We didn't find out for Oliver but from the beginning my Mommy intuition told me boy and it drove me crazy more than anything to not be able to prepare and choose a name that this time around we knew we would be finding out asap!

So it seems a lot of us are having girls!!!  This is where the cutesy side of me kicks in and I can't stop looking at bows, pink, frilly, adorable-y girls only type stuff.  So far I have 8 friends expecting girls, 4 that have recently delivered girls & just 1 expecting a boy.  As well as a few more expecting to find out in the next few weeks.  So I'm not sure what's going on, maybe the world needs more sweetness or isn't afraid of the hormones but watch out cause the girls are coming! 

Yesterday another one of my friends announced that she is expecting her 3rd girl. 

When I'm pregnant with a girl I can tell because I start craving sweets immediately!  I used to kind of brush off that kind of stuff, like how can you just tell what you're having?  By random cravings and what you "think"?  But after 4 pregnancies I think I can finally say I believe Mother's Intuition is a powerful thing!  

So in honor of the girls.  Sweet things that they are and make me crave and a little pink for fun I baked up these Raspberry Blondies yesterday.  Sweet and a little tart, kinda like my Lily Pax.

These are great to make when your pregnant too, I call them a one bowl wonder.  Only one bowl for everything when baking is a rare thing.  Enjoy! 

Raspberry Blondies

1 cup AP flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

8 tbs. [1 stick] unsalted butter at room temp.

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup almonds chopped

1 cup fresh raspberries

Zest from 1 lemon

[1] In a stand mixer cream together sugar & butter.  

[2] Add the egg, vanilla, lemon zest & salt.

[3] Slowly add in baking powder and flour until combined.

[4] Fold in chopped almonds.

[5] Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper, making sure some over hangs.

[6] Spread batter evenly in pan with spatula.

[7] Sprinkle berries on top.

[8] Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes.

[9] Let cool and refrigerate for 1 hour before cutting into squares.

And a side note, I am officially 24 weeks today!

This pregnancy is flying by and I can't wait to meet our sweet little Tulip Bea. <3