Chocolate Chip

i make a batch of chocolate chip cookies at least once a week.
i use the recipe on the back of the nestle toll house package.
i actually have it cut out and taped in the front of my cookbook so i don't always have to buy that brand of chocolate chips.
i can make it without ever looking at the recipe though.
instead of all the butter, i use half crisco sticks.
is that gross?
all butter = flat hard cookies
1/2 butter 1/2 crisco = fluffy, soft and chewy
and you have to make them extra big.

i don't make all of the dough at once.
i make enough for everyone to have one, then keep the rest either in the fridge or i freeze it in dough balls.
let the dough get to room temperature then pop them in the oven for fresh cookies any time.
i read to do that in a magazine once.

fresh hot cookies after school.
fresh hot cookies while reading books.
fresh hot cookies for dessert.
fresh hot cookies during play-doh time.

perfectly chewy and soft.
and huge, let's not forget huge.

cause, you know, cookies make every fun thing more fun.

QUIP O'THE DAY
my father retired from the military as a lieutenant colonel after 27 years when i was a sophomore in high school.

Double Oven

i have a double oven.
it's one of the best things in the world.
you can cook kid food in the top small oven in half the time.
the bottom oven is convection - the baking oven.
perfect even baking.
dreamy.

QUIP O'THE DAY
i really love text and fonts.  i love searching around for new ones, and finding reasons to use them.  my favorite is probably courier.

A Series of Series

the two little boys are playing "childcare."  they're wearing firemen jackets.  i have no explanation.

there are all of these random pictures floating around in iphoto, and i figured rather than bore you with a bevy of blogs, i'd smush them all into one.

i have all of these big ideas to "write" blogs. you know, with paragraphs that contain meaning and deep thoughts.  reality sure is inhibiting.

this morning, while i was applying mascara, i found myself caught in the crossfire of a fierce nerf battle between the blondes and the mirror.

there were some not-so-stray bullets that caused make-up application to be slightly more painful than usual.

today's "quip o'the day" might make this scene come alive all the more.

 

our legos are on hiatus so the boys have turned their attention to weapons.

have i told you about aquafresh?

i mean, you know about aquafresh, but do you KNOW about aquafresh???

our toothpaste tubes are normally disgusting.

like, beyond.

not so with the aquafresh!

this photo was not enhanced in anyway for the purposes of blogging.

clean.

lovely.

used by three boys for a couple of months.

worth springing the big bucks for.

we see you finn.

yeah, you.

a daddy's boy in a sea of momma's boys.

QUIP O'THE DAY

i usually sit on the bathroom counter to put on make-up.

Miscellaneous Memories

this month has already been a whirlwind.
we had our athletes in action winter retreat in estes park with 120 student athletes from the region.  super fun.  the boys love it.

we've decorated for jack's birthday which is st. patrick's day.

finn is trying and failing at learning the letter "S"
he'll call it "C" then "P" then "auuggghhh, can you remind me?"

legos and baking and bible study and books and kindergarten orientation.  that's life right now.

i definitely made both of those lego things.
yup.

QUIP O' THE DAY
when i was a child i would always build perfect color coordinated lego houses and my brother would destroy them with his lego helicopter.

A Pet & Polka Dots

jack cracks me up.

look at this "yellow card" we got home last week with his story and the truth.



he says, "i gave marcus a tiny hit on the back."  which according to mrs. allen was actually a karate chop.

he also made a sentence for homework that said, "my smile attracts girls."

i mean, really...



we have a new "pet"



jack brought home "hubble" from a birthday party this weekend. thanks gwyn ;)  it's one loved goldfish.





did i really wear this out?  yes.  yes i did.



cause my necklace matched the polka dots so well.