intentional living, little by little
Just a sneak peak! The full post will be coming soon! Mark surprised me with a little four-day “staycation” and we got a project crossed off of my list: Board and Batten! More details to come!!
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A heads up in case you are in the market for new light fixtures: on our trip to the big blue store, they had CRAZY deals in the lighting department! The prices were so great that we decided to snatch two light fixtures for the upstairs bathrooms!
Sometimes life gets so busy that I forget to notice and appreciate the little things. Here are some of the things I am loving this week:
I WANT TO REMEMBER… how much the big boys love our little blow-up pool on the back deck. They have been spending hours out there! I love to watch them play and imagine together; my favorite so far is policemen with water guns.
I WANT TO REMEMBER… how all of a sudden, J is everywhere! He is discovering every inch of our living room and even pulling himself up to standing. Time is flying with that boy.
I WANT TO REMEMBER… the awesome Craigslist deal I scored! For months, I have been looking all over for an affordable mirror for above our fireplace. No such luck…until last week! I found it on Craigslist and even managed to talk her down $15.
I WANT TO REMEMBER… how utterly delicious icecream sundaes from McDonald’s taste after a day with record high temps (with the heat index, it was 115 degrees!).
I WANT TO REMEMBER… dance parties after dinner, big wet smooches, and giggling brothers…we are so blessed.
M is such an interesting little guy. The older he gets, the more we learn about how he sees the world. He is very detail oriented and is particular about things. He has just recently become interested in Legos and we will find him in his room, surrounded by those teeny pieces, making rocket ships and laser blasters.
So I just knew he’d love this easy, open-ended craft using mini marshmallows and toothpicks. Mark showed him the idea and he was off! In hindsight, I think next time, we’ll either snap the toothpicks in half when using the mini’s or just use regular sized marshmallows. Our structures were quite fragile! But we had lots of fun!
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P.S. I’d like to add that while M was in his building element, his brother couldn’t take the temptation and just started chowing down. That boy…
As I mentioned in a previous post, the recipes in my “to try” pile have gotten out of control, so I have been going through them in an attempt to weed through and organize! Recipe #3 was cut from a magazine and since it calls for a boxed cake mix, it has been in my pile for ages. I rarely buy boxed mixes, but I found an awesome sale at the store last week and knew it was the perfect time to try this recipe!
Soft & Chewy Chocolate – Peanut Butter Cookies
1 package devil’s food cake mix
4 oz (1/2 of an 8oz. package) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on low speed for 2 minutes. Beat on medium speed for 2 more minutes.
2. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place on baking sheets. Flatten each ball in a criss-cross pattern with a fork dipped in sugar.
3. Bake 6-8 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set. Cook 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then remove to wire racks.
They are small and bite-sized and the boys loved them. Mark liked that they were chewy and not too sweet. So another winner! After three successful sweet recipes, I think I need to find something savory for my next experiment! My waistline will thank me! Stay tuned!
