Here Comes Baby!

We officially have a baby on the way! Since Gunter decided he did not want to join the world on his due date, my doctor decided to induce. We arrived at the hospital at 8pm, so we have been here for a little while. Contractions have started and everything is going good so far( if you can say contractions are good). As of right now it looks like we will meet Gunter sometime tomorrow afternoon . If you are reading this please keep us in your prayers. Please pray that we have a healthy baby boy and a safe delivery. Thanks friends!

Update!

Well friends we have rain! Not a lot, but enough to be thankful for. We also have some in the 10 day forecast- yippee!!!
We do not have a baby. :( Gunter has decided that he just doesn't want to come out. Despite his Momma's begging and pleading he has chosen to stay put.... for now. Let's hope he changes his mind very soon!!

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Well here we are, 13 days away from Baby boy's due date. I'm so ready for him to be here I can't stand it!! I feel like a time bomb ready to explode. I look like I'm ready to explode too. This AWFUL heat isn't doing much to help either. I'm extremely hot natured when I'm not pregnant so these temperatures in the 100's are brutal on this momma to be! Oh how I would love a good rainy day! We need it to cool us off and quench the thirst of our parched plants. So does anyone know of a good rain dance? What about a baby dance?
As of right now there is no rain in the forecast and it looks like Gunter wants to stay put, but I will be praying for both to come soon. I mean rain and a baby, is that too much to ask? I will keep y'all posted. Until then I will be sitting, waiting, wishing, and PRAYING!!!

What's in a Name?

It has been brought to my attention that I have not revealed the name of my sweet baby boy on the blog. Sorry Folks! I guess pregnancy brain has gotten the best of me!  So let me introduce you to my baby boy...

   Harrison Gunter Johnson

He is waving Hello! :)

We will be calling him Gunter, which is pronounced like Gun-ner. The t is silent! How did we come up with his name? Well....Harrison was my Mom's maiden name and Gunter was my Grandmother Emma Lee's (my mom's mom) maiden name.  I knew that I wanted to use some family names since I wouldn't be carrying on my maiden name. I have always loved Gunter and knew I would use that for a little boy someday. We added the Harrison after we found out I was pregnant.

So now that you know my unintentional secret :)  let's get to counting down the days until our little Gunter arrives.

As of today we have 60 days, or less until baby boy makes his debut! I can't wait!!!!!!

And then God Laughed.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

In the past two years of my life I have learned so many things. One of the biggest things I have learned is that God really is in charge and he really does have a plan for each and everyone of us. I have been taught this my whole life, but it wasn't until the past two years that I learned just how true this is. I bet the good Lord gets a big kick out of us trying to plan our lives and thinking that WE are the ones in control. I'm sure most of you have heard the saying, " If you want to make God laugh tell him your plans." Well as I sit here feeling and watching (yes, watching) my sweet baby boy move around in my tummy I can't help but to think about all of the times I made God laugh....

" I am going to move far away after college. I will move back when I'm thirty and old because I will probably want to have kids by then, and I want to raise them in Arkansas near my family."

God Laughed

"I will NEVER be pregnant in the Summer. I'm just way to hot natured for that."

God Belly Laughed

"I am not going to live with my parents after I graduate college."

God Laughed

"Dusty and I are not going to have kids for awhile. We want to wait until he finishes Med school."

God Laughed

"You like a guy named Dusty? That's such a weird name.... I would NEVER date a guy named Dusty!!!"  

God Belly Laughed and fell out of his chair!

 * Yes, this really did come out of my mouth. I said it to my friend Adrianne when she told me she had a crush on some guy in another town named Dusty. Oh, and for those who don't know, my husband's name is Dusty. :)

Well those are just a few times in my life that I'm sure I made the good Lord grin. Needless to say he had some tricks up his sleeve! I'm so thankful he did! Even though I have had some tough times and I may not always understand his plans. I now realize that he has a purpose for everything and that his plan for me is way better than what I try to plan myself! If God had not been in control of my life then I may not be where I am today. Feeling blessed, thankful, incredibly happy, and anxiously awaiting the birth of our little Summer Baby! :)   God is so good!!!

And because blogposts without pictures are so incredibly boring. Here is a little snapshot of our GROWING baby boy (and GROWING Momma too) all nestled in for a ride in the car.

Lot's of Love,

Allison

My oh My! How I love pie!

Get excited...I have not ONE but TWO pie recipes to share with y'all today! I made these Easter weekend when I was the (self appointed) dessert chef for our family Easter lunch. On our dessert menu we had Strawberry Cream Pie, Buttermilk Pecan Pie, and Carrot Cake. They were all fantastic, but today it's about the pies!

Sadly, I don't have the best pictures to show you of these delightful desserts because I was too ready to dig in, to actually take the time to get a decent picture. However, I do have the recipes to share with you and I think that's even better!

Strawberry Cream Pie

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 6 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 (9-oz.) package chocolate wafer cookies * I used oreos because I couldn't find the wafers
• 1/2 (4-oz.) semisweet chocolate baking bar, chopped
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 qt. fresh strawberries
• 1/4 cup red currant jelly
• 1 tablespoon orange liqueur

Directions

1. 1. Whisk together first 3 ingredients and 2/3 cup sugar in a medium-size heavy saucepan. Whisk together half-and-half and next 2 ingredients in a small bowl; gradually add to cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly.
2. 2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Remove from heat, and transfer to a bowl; cover and chill 4 to 24 hours.
3. 3. Preheat oven to 350°. Pulse wafer cookies and chopped chocolate in a food processor 8 to 10 times or until finely crushed. Stir together cookie crumb mixture, melted butter, and remaining 1/3 cup sugar; firmly press mixture on bottom, up sides, and onto lip of a lightly greased 9-inch pie plate.
4. 4. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and cool completely (about 30 minutes).
5. 5. Spoon chilled half-and-half mixture into prepared crust. Cut 8 to 10 strawberries in half, and arrange around outer edge of pie (leaving tops on, if desired); hull and slice remaining strawberries, and arrange in center of pie.
6. 6. Cook jelly in a small saucepan over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes or until melted. Remove from heat, and stir in liqueur. Brush jelly mixture gently over strawberries. Chill, uncovered, 30 minutes.

This pie was very pretty and tasted great as well. I will say that with all of the time I put into making it I really wanted it to knock my socks off. It was very good, but my socks stayed on!

Buttermilk Pecan Pie 

This little wonder, however, knocked my socks right off! It was absolutely fantastic! This recipe comes from one of  P. Allen Smith's cookbooks. If you don't know who P. Allen Smith is then I suggest you google him right now! I'm serious! Do it right this minute!!! Then print off this recipe and go make this pie. You won't be sorry!

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup pecan halves
• ¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup dark corn syrup
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 pie crust

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a jelly-roll pan with aluminum foil, and lightly grease the foil.
2. Stir the pecan halves, light brown sugar, and dark corn syrup together in a small bowl. Spread the mixture out on the jelly-roll pan, and bake, stirring every 4 minutes, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the glaze thickens.
3. Remove the pan from the oven and spread the pecans in a single layer on wax paper. Let the pecans cool completely, separating them a spoon as they cool.
4. Lower the oven to 325 degrees F.
5. Combine all the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl, and pour the mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Scatter the chopped glazed pecans evenly on top of the pie filling.
6. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until set. Let the pie cool on a wire rack before serving at room temperature.

 Enjoy!!