On a hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie!!

[milk image source] [cookie image source]

It is no secret that I love to eat.  I could live on cheese, but I do not think I could live without a glass of milk and a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies...I mean I could...but you know what I mean.  Every Christmas I make a ton of goodies for the wonderful folks who take care of our dog whenever we travel.  This year I want to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe and solely based on the photo above, I think I may have found it!  I came across this awesome blog, The Nerd's Wife (love the name, by the way!) and found this post about butterscotch chocolate chip cookies.  They look so perfect and I cannot wait to try the recipe!  I mean seriously, don't they look delicious?

Be sure to check out The Nerd's Wife!  And if you are as interested as I am, you can find the recipe for those cookies here!  I am hoping to try them out this weekend!...I will be sure to give an update.  :)

I NEED an actual calendar...a paper one.

2011 wall calendar at kate spade

I used to carry a planner and I was attached to it.  I had everything written in it and never forgot a thing.  My husband kind of made fun of me and told me I needed to step out of the Stone Age and start using Outlook or some other online calendar that I could either access from our laptop or my phone.  I did that and since then, I have missed a few things!  I have either forgotten about appointments or double-booked us for things and it is making me crazy.  The problem is that I hated the reminders it sent me, so I turned them off and forgot to periodically check the calendar until it was too late and I had forgotten a birthday or missed a doctor's appointment.

I'm not sure if I want a desk calendar where I can see a whole month at a time or if a smaller journal-type planner would be best...but I do know that I need something where paper and a pen are involved...I guess I am just too old-school and I do not see that ever changing.  Here are a few that I find pleasing to the eye:

2011 Colorful Monthly Planner Box

2011 Calendar by The Fancy Lamb

2011 Quotable Calendar

2011 Paper Source Booklet Calendar

2011 Weekly Planner by Nicopapergoods

Yesterday morning my son had an allergy appointment and since my husband had taken the day off, we were all going to go together and then head out for some fun. The appointment was for 8am and for all of us to get showered, dressed, pumped full of caffeine, fed, and out the door it meant that I had to get up earlier than usual since I have to shower and do my hair and make-up before ever leaving the house. I applaud those who can roll out of bed and rush out the door, but I am just not like that (I got this from my mom.). Anyway, I got out of the shower, did my hair, yelled to my husband that he needed to get ready before our son woke up, went to make the coffee, and decided to check the reminder card to make sure that the appointment was for 8 and not 8:30. Well...it was for 8, but it was not for Monday morning...it was for TUESDAY!! Ahh!! We laughed about it and were both glad that I had gotten a jump-start getting ready since we had a fun-filled day planned after that appointment...but then got slightly annoyed because our son slept in til 8...which means WE could have slept in til 8, which hasn't happened in years!! Oh well..

Present!

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a fabulous weekend!  We had a great one and it is still going on for a few more days!  My husband took a few days off from work and we have been on a little staycation of sorts and have really been enjoying our surroundings.  I have to be honest, though...it is taking all of the restraint I have not to start thinking about Christmas preparations.  I feel like I start dreaming about decorations, gifts, and baking earlier and earlier each year and that needs to stop.

This holiday season I am determined to savor every single day and stay present!

click here for that fabulous gift wrap!

Each moment is like a gift and I am going to treat each one as such.  November has already been magical for us as a family.  As cheesy as that sounds, we have had so much fun being in the moment and enjoying each others company and everything around us...and some really great food and music thrown in there too.

Here is just a little glimpse into our lives over the past few weeks.  I just love my little family!

Great Cajun Cook-Off and Food Fest!...so much fun.

I mentioned here and here that we lived in New Orleans for nearly five years and miss that city terribly!  This festival took us right back!...and the proceeds went to five great charities!  It was great watching our son dance to the music and fall in love with Mardi Gras beads!

...then home to play with our doggie and chalk...and cars!

My birthday was perfect!

A 'Happy Birthday' message written in chalk, fun at the park, my husband's homemade Swedish meatballs (though he is not Swedish), and a red velvet cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes, complete with a tea light because my husband said I had to have a candle and he forgot to buy some = the best day ever!

at an art festival on the most beautiful day ever!...complete with funnel cakes and beer!

We learned a few valuable lessons yesterday at that festival...Never ever wear black pants on a day you plan to eat funnel cake:

 Also...do not attempt to get a family picture when your son is over-tired:

...And in case you decide it is a good idea to hang from a tree like a monkey, be prepared to have your hand ripped to shreds:

It seems like my life can sometimes just fly by without really enjoying it and I hate that.  I feel like sometimes I miss really fantastic moments because I am too focused on what's next..."What am I going to wear to that party?," "What am I going to bake for Thanksgiving?," "What color scheme do I want to use for our Christmas tree this year?"  ...but I can promise you one thing...none of those questions popped into my head in those moments pictured above...I was 100% present.

Starting a new family tradition...

(source of this fantastic piece)

I am slightly crazy when it comes to family traditions.  I want everything during the holidays to be the same as it was when I was a kid, is that too much to ask?  Sometimes it is...especially since I live on the opposite side of the country now.  Getting married and having a child and a dog certainly changes things and while I still hope to keep many of my family traditions, I also want to create new ones with my own little family.

Last week, I posted this collage of images I collected.  While it appears to be inspiration for a Thanksgiving table or perhaps just a bunch of random Thanksgiving items,  it's not.  By now, you know my mind works in weird things and seeing all of those things grouped together, actually inspired my new tradition:             Our Yearly Thank-You Box.


Here is the plan:

1.  For the entire month of November, each member of our family (my husband, my son when he is old enough, and I) will write down one thing each day (or every few days) for which we are grateful that year and place it in our thank-you box:

 
 2.  On Thanksgiving day we will open the box as a family and read what everyone wrote:

 

3.  Those will be recorded in our family gratitude journal under each year:

I am so excited to get this going!  I feel like gratitude should be a part of our daily lives and hope this little family project will help us to reflect back on the year as a whole and realize for how much we truly have to be thankful.  I also think it will be fun to look back at years past.

I do believe our dog is also interested in participating...

I am thankful that this blog is just my creative outlet and not my job because I am taking a few more days off without feeling guilty.  Have a great weekend!  I'll see you back here on Monday!  :)

[Sources for the images from the collage above can be found in this post.]