Last Saturday, Austin turned 1 month old!  For the Chinese, reaching your 1 month birthday (man yue) is quite the big deal.  But seriously, not only is it a celebration for him… but we survived the first month of parenting!  I’ve got to say, raising a newborn is a real test of patience, arm muscles, mental, physical, and emotional boundaries.  Our little man is so worth it though!
We had some family come to visit Austin for the first time and join us in a feast to celebrate.

Red-dyed eggs are made to symbolize happiness and the renewal of life.

And many babies get their heads shaved so that their new hair will grow in thicker.  However, we were too chicken as parents to shave his head, so instead, we trimmed his mullet and cleaned up his long hairs.  The hairs will actually be brought back to Taiwan to be made into two different calligraphy brushes.  One bigger brush will have his birth information and Daddy’s name on it and a smaller brush will have his birth information and my name on it.  These two brushes will be made of marble and are a keepsake for Austin to be given to him on his wedding day.  How cool is that!?  Aren’t traditions so fun?

Look at my cutie sporting all sorts of handmade goodness.  Aviator hat c/o The Sunshine Stitch, Mr. Mustache Booties from Pleasantly Plump Knits, and handmade blanket from my coworker Lopa (thanks girl)!

Austin is saying “Look at me, I’m a big boy now!”

I can’t get enough of his little feet.  Bare feet.  Feet with booties.  Whatever it is, it’s one of my fave body parts on him!

And here he is with his friend Mickey!  They are about the same size… for now!

Just wanted to drop in and wish everyone a Happy Lunar New Year!  Our little family of three celebrated by venturing out to a friend’s house for a celebratory FEAST!  I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

We seriously had like 4 courses, ate for hours and stuffed ourselves silly.

Yay!  Family photo! 

Uncle Sam starting his lessons already.  Lessons on what?  Not sure…

Austin received two red envelopes – lucky guy!

Ladies posing.

Baby Austin meets Baby Wesley for the first time!  And 1 year old Audrey is super confused on which one is actually her brother haha!

These two are sure to be buddies.    What we learned from the outing… Austin can sleep through all sorts of noises, positions and different people holding him~!

P.S. The winner of my two year blogiversary giveaway for a February Feature Sponsor spot on my blog is Alison of aPearantly sew!  Congrats girl!  Please send me an email at sandyalamode(at)gmail(dot)com to claim your prize! 

Hope you all have a prosperous and healthy Year of the Dragon!

I loved that my first pregnancy coincided with having this blog.  It’s been a pleasure sharing my bump outfit pictures with you as well as what’s been going on with my body through the 40+ weeks carrying my Baby #1 (not sure how many more will follow at this point, but will keep you posted, HA).  Even cooler are those charts out there where you can track your bumps’ size by fruits and veggies, the one I used was from The Bump.  You guys have always been so encouraging, sweet, and helpful with your kind comments throughout it all.  I can honestly say that I kind of miss my bump already, especially since my belly is like a slab of dough with stretch marks all over it… but having my baby on the outside is truly amazing.

And because I love lists… here are some things I am excited to be able to eat/drink again:

- raw salmon sashimi (or any raw sushi for that matter)
- crackers with brie cheese, goat cheese, feta cheese… all of the cheeses i couldn’t have
- sangria (and other mixed drinks)
- Quizno’s sandwiches (since some had deli meat)
- medium rare steak
- cookie dough (made with eggs)
- sunny side up eggs (where the eggs are runny)
- diet wild cherry Pepsi

P.S. Remember when I had you guys Guess My Due Date and I said I’d send a prize to those who guess the correct date?  Well, Jenni Austria Germany was the only one who guessed it right (Dec 28)!  So girl, send me an email at sandyalamode(at)gmail(dot)com and I’ll mail you a little something when I get the chance! 

P.P.S.  The winner of the Salvaged Strawberry $25 credit giveaway is Kayla from Love Sparkle Pretty!  Congrats girl!  Send me an email at sandyalamode(at)gmail(dot)com to claim your prize!

Which weeks bump outfit is your fave?

What foods did you miss the most when you were pregnant?

Bonjour
Sandy à la Mode readers, I’m Shea from Bon Chic Bon Gastronomique. I’m so
excited to be able to guest post for Sandy while she’s enjoying her time as a new
mommy (or while she’s enjoying her last few weeks of pregnancy…depending on
just how cozy baby à la mode is)!

adapted from CupCakes and CrabLegs to include more Oreos

Ingredients:

1 package Oreo cookies (30 cookie pack)
2 – 11 ounce bags of white chocolate chips
20 mini -size candy canes (or 10 normal-sized candy canes)

Directions:

1. Crush candy canes in a food processor until the pieces are very fine.
2. Melt white chocolate (I use the glass bowl over pot of boiling water method).
3. Dip each Oreo in the white chocolate, then lay out on parchment paper.
4. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes.
5. Let them cool for about 30 minutes.

You may not end up being able to fully cover 30 Oreo cookies, but this also accounts for the fact that you may eat a few Oreos during the process.    These were a huge hit at the workplace and I imagine they’d be so at any Holiday Party!

P.S. If your name is Aik and you blog over at Friends & Family – then CONGRATS!  You won the Luce $30 credit giveaway!  Please email me at sandyalamode(at)gmail(dot)com and I’ll put you in touch with Ashley!

What foods are you planning on making for your Holiday Parties?

So I realize these are a little bit overdue, but I’ve been so caught up with being full term and the fact that it’s totally a waiting game right now that I forgot to post pictures from our Baby Shower #3!  The one that happened to be in town and in the comfort of our own home.  It was thrown by my good friends Nancie and Sam (with the help of John, Rena, and Alex too)!  On the day of the baby shower, they all came over about 3 hours earlier with bags and bags of food and dishes and decorations and we slaved away until the first guest arrived.  There was a HUGE array of appetizers, entrees, desserts and drinks.  The decor was an assortment of blue, green, and orange with an “A” and sports theme.  Thank you Ria Photography and Lori for capturing the fun event!

Here we are… Mommy and Daddy to be! 

Can’t wait to put these cute clothes on our baby boy!

Bruschetta, turkey burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, and so much more!

The dessert table was a fantastic line up of cake pops, cupcakes, nutter butter cookies, chocolate covered marshmallows, cookies, pumpkin fluff, fruit and the list goes on…

A few of our guests mingling.

Who can free the naked baby from the ice cube the fastest without actually touching the ice cube?  Some techniques were blowing, pouring beer in the cup, crushing the cup to melt the ice with hand warmth.

Play-doh baby making time.  Top left baby in red was the winner, congrats Lawrence!

We got a lot more items off our registry and our first pack of diapers and wipes hehe.  Thanks friends!!

And the parting gift was cookies and sports theme suckers with a chevron thank you tag!

We’re just sitting here patiently waiting for my water to break, the contractions to start, and for baby to be born so we can put all this stuff to good use! 

This was our first Thanksgiving that didn’t consist of a pigging out with a ton of family or traveling.  We stayed right here in town, in the comfort of our own home, and enjoyed the nice 60 degree weather.  It was a lot quieter than we are used to, but we know that this is the “calm before the storm”.  We are soaking up every bit of time that we can spend just the two of us.

On Thanksgiving day, we spent the whole day cooking and eating.  Pumpkin pancakes + waffles, hash browns, bacon, and turkey sausage for brunch.  Rosemary basil chicken + cranberry sauce, mashed sweet potatoes, corn casserole, green beans and fried onions, mini pumpkin pies and sparking juice for dinner.  Followed by grapes and pears as a late night snack to prepare us for the madness of Walmart Black Friday (errr rather Thursday).  Prego ladies and kids need stay away.  But the day wouldn’t have been complete without talking to Marv’s family on speakerphone and my family on Skype.

Black Friday consisted of waking up early and scoring some deals.  Followed by dinner with friends at a Chinese restaurant.  And then Saturday, we watched “THE GAME” – Michigan vs. Ohio.  The whole time that Marv and I have been together OSU has won this rivalry game.  The back and forth of scoring put me in so much stress that it could have been labor inducing, but we FINALLY beat them and baby is still happily inside my belly.  He might be a little conflicted on which team to root for and what to wear once he’s born though… my vote is for BLUE. 

OH yea and I how could I forgot!  I need to announce the winner of the Jean Jean Vintage $50 credit giveaway!  Well, if your name is Meg and you blog over at Henning Love, then CONGRATS!  Please send me an email at sandyalamode(at)gmail(dot)com and I’ll hook you up with Jean Jean Vintage!

How was your Thanksgiving and Black Friday weekend?

So I have a confession to make.  Sometimes when I’m in a blog post preparing frenzy, baking lots of stuff, taking lots of outfit pictures, etc. I get so backed up in content that I don’t have enough time to post then.  Case in point, this post here.  It’s a “The Dish” one if you couldn’t tell from the title, but I actually made these ONE YEAR AGO.  But then somehow November and December got away from me and then I figured it was too late to post about a pumpkin recipe, although I do not have a problem with pumpkin desserts being made year round, mind you.  SO anyways, I figured it was about time I post this… since recipes never really go bad, thank goodness!

Chocolate Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (adapted from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients

For the Cookies
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Filling
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup canned solid pack pumpkin
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup of chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

1. Prepare cookies: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
2. Place butter, shortening, and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add egg; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in half the flour mixture, then the milk and vanilla. Mix in remaining flour mixture.

3. Drop about 2 teaspoons dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies spring back when lightly touched, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and let cool 10 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheets and transfer to wire racks using a spatula; let cool completely.
4. Prepare filling: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together cream cheese, butter, and confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg; whip until smooth, scraping down the bowl as necessary.

5. Pipe or spoon about 2 teaspoons filling on the flat sides of half the cookies. Place 5-6 chocolate chips on top of filling. Sandwich with remaining cookies, keeping the flat sides down.

And there you have it!  A little time consuming, but so worth it.  These little mini bites are perfect for a Fall Holiday party or potluck!  Don’t worry, all the whoopie pies you see in this post had already been consumed (last year), it was only a matter of minutes at the office. 

Well, I just wanted to say once again how THANKFUL I am of this blog, my readers (you), and my sponsors.  I am so happy to always share with you all the daily happenings in my life and honored that so many of you care enough to read and leave comments about it!  Hope you all have a safe, wonderful Thanksgiving holiday filled with a ton of good food!  Our menu will consist of a young chicken (it’s just the 2.5 of us so we didn’t want to go all out w/ a turkey), cranberry dressing, creamy corn casserole, green beans, mashed sweet potatoes, and mini pumpkin pies! 

P.S. If you have a little one in your life… a daughter, son, niece, nephew, or have friend’s with kids, then don’t forget to enter The Rice Babies $20 credit giveaway!

P.P.S. Have you voted for me in the Soon Maternity Blogger’s Style Challenge yet? 

What’s on your Thanksgiving menu?

Entries for this giveaway have been closed, thanks for entering!

Hey all!  I’m back again, but this time with a TASTY GIVEAWAY!  I had a similar giveaway last year and it was such a hit that I decided to bring it back.  Sweet Lydia’s shop is not just your regular old sweets shop, but her focus is sticky gooey heavenly marshmallows, with her most popular item being S’mores!  What more could you ask for?  If you are looking for the perfect holiday treat for your Thanksgiving or Christmas party or as a stocking stuffer or really to just indulge on yourself, look no further!

 I just HAD to create a photo collage with some of her treats.  Have I got your drooling yet?  That was my goal. 

{BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY #3 of 6}

Enter to win a box of Sweet Lydia’s Mixed Fall Box of Smores (that’s 3 Pumpkin Spice and 3 Apple Cirder Smores, YUM)!

To enter:

1. What is your favorite kind of birthday cake? (mandatory entry)

For additional entries, leave a separate comment for each action.
2. Visit Sweet Lydia’s and leave a comment with your favorite item!
3. Be a Google Friend Connect follower of this blog
4. Like Sweet Lydia’s on Facebook and write on the wall saying I sent ya
5. Follow @sandyalamode and @sweetlydias on Twitter
6. Blog, facebook, or tweet about this giveaway (make sure to include @sandyalamode and @sweetlydias in your tweet) and include the link (one entry each). 

Feel free to use this tweet:

Celebrate @sandyalamode’s birthday with 6 #GIVEAWAYS! Enter to win @sweetlydias fall smores! http://bit.ly/vc0Pzo

This giveaway is open to U.S. readers only and closes on Monday, November 7, 2011 at 12PM CST. Good luck!

Don’t want to wait?  Take 10% off your order with code “THANKS” at checkout!

Entries for this giveaway have been closed, thanks for entering!

Hi friends (old and new)!  Today, I am joining in on the October Followers Fest hosted by the lovelies:

With the Fall season in full force right now, there’s a bunch of things that get me super excited about it… such as pumpkin desserts, apple cider, wearing scarves and boots, leaves, and more!  It’s also a nice break from the hot, humid Summers we face here in Kansas City (although not really looking forward to Winter just yet, let’s not talk about that).  Here’s a little collage I put together to show off some of my Fall Favorites. 

1 This photo just screams beauty and fall.
2 Loving the colors in this Aisle To Aloha Fallen Leaves canvas painting.
3 A scrumptious looking pumpkin dessert, need I say more?
4 What a fun little craft idea, don’t you think?
5 A girl can never own enough bags, like this Nine West one!
6 What a fun and cozy little dining room setup for fall~!
7 Kind of just love everything about this outfit, especially the leg warmers.
8 I would love to end each fall day with this refreshing apple cider cup.

Hope you all enjoy this upcoming beautiful fall weekend!  It’ll be a much needed relaxing one for me as I need to soak up the last bits of this year before I turn another year older on Tuesday.    But wait, before you go…

P.S. Have you entered the Yellow Heart Art GIVEAWAY for an 8″x10″ print yet?

P.P.S. And how about the ISOTONER smarTouch gloves GIVEAWAY to kick off the Cold Hands, Warm Hearts Swap?