Pssst! Hey all you moms!

Shhhhhh, I've got a secret to tell you.  That's right lean in a little closer cuz you're gonna want to hear this one.  Many people lost their lives obtaining this secret.  Ok, not really.  I'm a mom not a double agent, but there was some crazy trial and error that may have put some pounds on my hips.

Wait, don't walk away.  This is a really good secret.  It can boost your popularity with all your kids' friends at school.  Uh-huh, that got you, didn't it?  The secret is how to make the best chocolate M&M cookies.

Are you ready to hear the secret.  Look left, look right.  Make sure no one else is around.  It's that good.  Just how good are they?  Just listen.  Exhibit A: My daughter came home from school saying that all her classmates were raving about the birthday cookies I made from scratch.  "The best they've ever had," she said.  Mommy points!!!  It's tough that the kid has her birthday at the beginning of school every year.  Bad timing on her parents part.  But what can you do?  Make the best birthday cookies ever and start the year off right!

And not to mention the infallible test.  The Husband.  Which brings me to Exhibit B:  My husband comes in and says he doesn't like chocolate cookies.  "They're too dry," he says.  But then takes a bite of my cookies.  "These are so good," he says, taking about a dozen more to eat.  "Those are birthday cookies," I remind him.

So are you ready for the secret?  Are you sure?  Because after this there is no going back.  Here's the secret and you can try it for yourself.  I'm not sure you should be taking secrets from me when it comes to baking cookies.  Normally, I'm really lousy at baking cookies.  I don't do cookies. Cakes, yes.  Pies? Excellent!  Tarts--Phenom!  Cookies and I have a mutual understanding, someone else bakes them.  So when my daughter asks, "Mom, can you make cookies instead of cupcakes for my school birthday treat?"  I panic.  I mean, I should be grateful right, that we live in the part of the country where you can still bring homemade treats to school.  Other places we've lived asked us to bring (gasp!)  healthy treats like bagels or pretzels.  Because refined flour is better than refined sugar....  Or better yet, no food.  Erasers and pencils. Really?  What kid wants to get erasers or pencils for some other kid's birthday?  A glow in the dark pen, yes, but not a pencil.  Then another school said we could bring treats as long as they are store bought.  Store bought?  You want me to put frosting on styro-foam and bring it in?  Because that's what it's going to taste like.  Cookies, cakes, that are store bought are loaded with unhealthy foods and stuff to improve their shelf life.  I don't know, maybe school admins don't want the kids to actually eat the food and this is their evil conspiracy with the local bakeries to keep kids from ingesting sugar.  Or maybe the School officials think moms (or dads for that matter) can't be trusted to make treats in their own homes.  Is that a Grade A certified commercial kitchen?  No?  Take those cupcakes back right this instant.  You could accidentally poison the whole third grade.  But I digress.  You want to hear the secret and have been waiting so patiently.  More patient than my kids when I'm on the phone so let us progress.

The secret is...the baking time.

That's it.  It's really simple.  Look at the baking time and decrease it by two minutes.  The cookies still have to be doughy.  They have to continue to continue to solidify on the baking sheet.  If you wait the whole time, you will fail.  They will be hard and crispy and overcooked.  This is especially true for chocolate cookies because you can't tell when they start to brown around the edges because of the chocolate.

Now if you like crunchy cookies, and I supposed there are some of you out there who do, well there's nothing I can do for you.

House updates

 Exterior of the house.  We went by everyday that the masons were out there.  In fact, I think they were kind of looking forward to our visits.  I could tell.  I would see one of them see us and then he'd tell the others and they'd all look at us.  They kept saying, "One more day," for about four days :0)  I love the color of the stone with the brick.  We were able to save about all of that half palette of brick and today we went and scrounged all the stone we could find too.  I love the classic look of the brick!

 I can't believe this is my kitchen!  I love it!  I love the simplicity of it, the colors, everything!  Obviously, flour is going to show up on those dark cabinets.

 Cultured stone fireplace.  It sticks out a bit from the wall.  But can't you see family gatherings here, stockings hung with care?  A big family picture or picture of Christ hanging over the mantle?

 Ok, so this isn't done, but I think the travertine is gorgeous!  I'm really excited.  That window faces the greenspace...so no neighbors!

And today they put in the wood banister!  Oak, but it's going to be lovely!

House Update

I am writing this because I realize that not everyone is on Facebook where I post most of my pictures.  So I thought I'd take the time to update this blog with pictures and stories of our house.

 This is the back side of our house.  You can see the bay window to the right and our bak door.  Those windows next to the back door are six feet high!

 This is the Eastern facing wall.  The brick is an amazing color.  I am so glad we went with this color.  The masons are used to seeing us come by everyday after school since I have to pick them up.  They always wave.

 So excited about closets!  We didn't have any in our last house so this is a real treat!  What should I put on these shelves underneath the stairs?

Laundry room with a bar!  Yes!  No more wrinkled white shirts!  I'll continue to post more updates!

Bay Window!

Hi!  I wanted to talk about my bay window.

So, before we decided to buy this floor plan, we went up north to look at one already built.  We drove for about an hour only to find that the road in was blocked.  We parked the remaining distance, arriving late so I felt like we had to rush through the house.  Anyway, we walked into the master bedroom and I sighed and said, "Look a bay window."  I honestly don't remember making that observation out loud.  My husband said I did, so I'll take his word for it.  Well, while we were going through our contract and adding certain things, Rob decided to add the bay window.  When I asked why, he said I knew I would like it.  Oh, I did, and I do!  I love it.  He sacrificed the half car garage for the bay window.

Why are bay windows so romantic?

I think it's because it adds another function to the master bedroom--a place to sit and talk.  Sure you can sit and talk in your bed, but this is a cozy spot with no expectations.  That may not be appealing to men, but it means everything to the Mrs.  It keeps the bed for its proper function.  Right now, I am sitting propped up in my bed writing.  I blog, write on my novel, skype, read, calendar all on my bed.  It will be so nice to have a place to sit in our room that is just for those things and keep my bed neat and made during the day and enjoy that place for sleeping, resting and etc.

Just imagine a space to talk, write, read!  It is heaven on earth!

New House!

Hello!  Long time no write!  We are building a house and I'm putting up pictures!

 First we did a ground breaking.  Week 1! 

 By the end of that week they had the frames up for the concrete!

 Week 2 they had the plumbing in place.  We had to wait a week for inspections.

 Week 4 They had the foundation ready to pour.

 We went back the next day and saw this!!

I drove over there and found the wood stacked and ready to go!  The next day they had it framed up!  I'll see if I can find the camera and upload those too. 

So, the story of the house:
Rob and I went back and forth about where to live (to stay in our ward or go elsewhere), what to buy (new or fixer).  We finally decided we wanted to stay in our ward.  We liked the people and loved our callings.  But what to buy!  I went and looked at the new builds and liked the idea of being able to choose what I could put in there, rather than buying a newish house and ripping everything out and redoing it.  The money that would go to fixing it up, we could just buy new and save us the hassle.  We poured over floor plans, discussed how much house we need, what we used rooms for.  We found a builder we liked and a floor plans that suited our needs.  But all they had was floor plans and we wanted to actually see one built.  So we traveled about an hour away to see one built.  It was crazy, our GPS took us to a road that was closed off.  We decided to park and walk the rest of the way instead of going all the way around.  When we walked in the house, I walked into the master bath and said, "Ooh, a bay window!"  Then said the house was good and we decided to sign the contract.  Well, when we went to contract, my husband decided to put in the bay window.  It was a splurge, something over the top, but I absolutely love it!  I'll talk more about the bay window later.

What's a romantic gift?

A long time ago in the 90's, I watched a remake of the movie "Father of the Bride." As far as remakes go, it's pretty good. But there was one part that I thought was a little silly. The bride-to-be bursts in the door in tears saying the wedding is off. When the parents dig a little deeper, they find that the groom had bought her a blender. Assuming he meant for her to be all domestic, she goes nuts and calls off the wedding. This is all sorted out of course and there is indeed a happy ending. But that brings to mind a question, what is a romantic gift? Romantic gifts , meaning, what expresses love, are different for each person. I'll have to say, my hubby got me a $300 Vitamix blender for Mother's Day. And we've used it more than all the jewelry he's gotten me. And guess which got him more smooches? That's right the blender. Was it a romantic gift? YES! Why? Because he knew I wanted it. Thoughtfulness, then is the key to romantic gifts. Do you agree?

Costco has me!

The problem with buying in bulk is that they got you! They know if you buy 200 rolls of paper towels, you are going to need them. Seriously, I'd probably save money if I bought a single roll of paper towels every week. Why, you ask, when you can buy them for half as much per roll at club stores? Here's why: Club stores lull you into carnal security that you will never run out of paper towels. Have a spill? Use a paper towel. Need to wipe a messy face? Use a paper towel. Need to scoop up a dead spider off your shoe? Use a paper towel. In short, you start using them as if you're politician and paper towels are the American dollar! You'll always have ample supply! If you just buy one roll, you'll be yelling at the kids not to dry their hands on the paper towels but use the rag hanging from the fridge for that purpose. It might save you hundreds, if not thousands!