Coffecake experiment!

Wow, it's only been, forever...since I last updated. Pregnancy apparently makes me very lazy when it comes to blogging!

I was craving a spice coffee cake, so I just mixed one up and tossed it in the oven. Here's to hoping it actually works! I used to make this as a "normal" person, before the days of gluten free, so I'm basically experimenting in general right now. I just subbed the cake mix with a GF cake mix. *crosses fingers* Here's to hoping!

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package spice cake mix
• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant butterscotch (or vanilla) pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray the 9x13 pan. 
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix, and pudding mixes. Add the eggs, oil and water, mix until well blended.  Pour into greased baking dish.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Sprinkle lovingly over the goodness in the pan.
4. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn the oven down to 325 degrees F and bake for an additional 35 to 40 minutes.  

Hoping it works...

We have 5 weeks until my due date! It's hard to believe how fast time has flown by. I vacillate between feeling ready and not feeling anywhere near ready. From talking to other friends, apparently that's pretty normal. *chuckles* I think that's good?...

We've had one baby shower thus far, three to go! (homeschoolers have no friends, thus so many events!) We've been blessed up to this point with many second hand baby items and furniture. TBG and I have only had to buy a chest of drawers! (and that was on clearance!) Everything else we have has been given to us. God is so good! We're really hoping that we can get all the other smaller essentials through the baby showers. We'll take whatever we can get, of course, but it's been a real blessing to not have to worry about buying big ticket items! 

 My personal hope is that in a week or two, TBG will be done stripping and refurnishing the sliding rocker we were given. (I have a vendetta against white painted wood. It's too fake!) Once that has been finished, if we haven't already, we'll be putting the car seat and stroller into my car, splitting up the other baby furniture pieces to the grandparents (my parents will be getting a carseat and stroller for babysitting purposes), and then I can park in the garage again! Huzzah! I have to admit though, it has been nice to park on the street-it requires that I get my daily exercise in. And now that I'm starting to show a bit more, I don't know how easy it would be to get in and out of the car in the garage...

 We're toying with a construction idea. No idea if it's possible or not, but we like the idea. Our condo has vaulted ceilings in the dining room and TV room. We want to make a loft over the dining room. It would allow more space for my sewing and his crafting. And then if we're still living here when we have #2, if #2 is a girl, we can move our office stuff out of the closed office and give her that room. (if #2 is a boy, then they can learn to share! We'll just move all the bookshelves out of that room and into the office then) It's all ideas that we're playing with, but they're fun ideas to us. ^_^

 In the meantime, there's a decorative/useless ledge that's around our kitchen area, overlooking the TV room and dining room. We made a catwalk from the top of the stain banister to the ledge so our kitties can have a safe place to perch and watch the baby when he comes. They have a horrible fear of small children, so we figure it's the nicest thing we can do for them, all things considered.  In the meantime, they've been getting nervous by all the new furniture and changes. Coping well, but still clearly a bit nervous. (don't really blame them though...)

 Well, if the coffeecake is a success, I'll post a photo. For now, I should be productive and clean up a bit. *sighs* 

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a success! Woot! It tastes so good! I think my only change for next time will be to add 1 tsp cinnamon to the batter itself. But that's just cause I like my coffeecake full of spice!