Explanation

Sorry for my lack of posting...

This has taken over our lives, once again!  And we are LOVING every sweltering, super-hot minute of it!  :)

Too hot?

Funny how I changed my dinner plans...all because it just seemed too hot to have my oven on for too long today.  But the idea of making cookies for Garrett and his buddy when they get home from school...not a second thought about that same oven heating up my kitchen!  :)  Apparently my love for chocolate wins out over my air conditioning bill OR my dinner preparations!!!  

That being said, you wouldn't be able to resist either.  They're good.  Real good.

One of the greatest things about staying in Utah for a few extra years to get a Masters Degree out of the way for Steve, was the fact that we got to live minutes away from my little sister.  (My baby sister came to UT after we had left...so we missed out on the fun with her...sorry Dawnia!!!)  But it was so fun to have Dana close by...and NOT just because she passed this cookie recipe on to me, but because we had great times...lots of them!  One day we were dropping baby Garrett off at Dana's apartment, (see I told you it wasn't just for the cookies that I love her...it's the babysitting too!), and she came out with a plate of the best cookies I had ever eaten.  I demanded the recipe and have never looked back.  I even still use the same scrap of paper recipe that she wrote out for me that day...mostly because I love that it's in her handwriting and it makes me think of her the whole time I'm making them!  With my luck, the cookies probably wouldn't turn out as well if I transferred the recipe into my recipe book anyway!!! :)  

But, if YOU want to take your chances and try it from the 'typed' recipe...here you go!  

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies 1 cup butter 1 cup peanut butter 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 2 1/2 cups flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1-2 cups chocolate chips Cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars together.  Add in the eggs and vanilla.  Mix well.  Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.  Add to creamed mixture and mix till combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Bake at 350 for 9 minutes.

Why????

And it starts...

Olivia - Where Dad?

Me - Daddy already left for work.

Olivia - Why?

Me - silently thinking that we are WAY too early for the 'why' stage...and really, she hardly talks anyway...this can't really be happening!

Olivia - Where Gar?

Me - (wishing little Olivia hadn't slept in this particular morning) - Garrett's already at school.

Olivia - WHY?

Me - (laughing) Are you seriously asking me why?  Do you really want an answer?

Olivia - (super serious) Yes.

So there you have it, I have a whole new set of 'whys' to answer these days!  :)

Almost There!!!

Ethan is almost riding his big bike all on his own!  Big, in the fact that there's no training wheels, not  because of the size!  It's TINY...perfect for my pint-sized child!!!

I told him that what I wanted for Mother's Day was for him to learn to ride his bike - all by himself - so we'll see if he masters it by Sunday!  :)  He's almost got it!!!

Logical

I asked Garrett to try on his swim flippers from last year to find out if I needed to buy new ones for swim team this season.  While I was waiting to hear the verdict...I look out my window and see him out on the trampoline...in his flippers!

Crazy child!!!  He loved it and had a great time making up new games and trying to find out the best way to jump with huge feet!  Never a dull moment at our house!

My Girl

So, I am a firm believer in a well-stocked pantry.  Anyone who knows me, knows this!  In fact, my pantry is so "well-stocked" that half of it is now housed in my new upstairs pantry (aka...the closet in my office!).  So imagine my surprise (and delight), when I apparently had left the door open to said upstairs closet and this is what I find flying down my staircase!!!

Olivia, throwing down (many) packages of chocolate chips, mint chips, dark chocolate chips - I told you it was well-stocked...at least with all the important things!!!  Wheat and chocolate chips...what more do you need!!!

She'd toss them down, climb down to where they had landed - only a few steps down from where she started!  Come on!!! Cut the girl some slack, she's not even 2 and those scrawny little arms that she inherited from yours truly are getting used to hefting around these 12-ounce bags of chocolatey goodness!

She'd scoot down to the next bag and give it a good toss until she had reached the downstairs with all her loot!  That's my girl!  Go for the good stuff!  

What to wear???

I love how cute this skinny little kid looks hanging out of the dryer.  :)

And please don't judge me on the state of my laundry room sometimes!  I would give up almost anything for a larger laundry space!!!  Why they plan homes with this small of a laundry room is beyond me!!!!