Cookies and Pups

I'll start with the cookies, just in case you don't care about the pups.  (You know you do.)

This is a recipe I found on Pinterest and used for Britt's Open House cookie bar (I know... I still need to blog about it).  Everybody really liked them, and I had several requests for the recipe.  I made a batch this morning with a couple alterations.  Yum-O.

Blueberry, Caramel and White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies 

(BCWCO for short)

2 sticks softened butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 Tbs. pure vanilla

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I subbed 1 cup whole wheat flour, just to make them a bit healthier)

2 1/2 cups oatmeal (the recipe said quick oats, I have used regular oats both times and it works great)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup Kraft Caramel Bits (the original recipe calls for 2 cups, which I think would be WAY TOO MUCH, but you can decide)

1 1/2 cups dried blueberries (when I made them today I used dried tart cherries, which I think I like better than the blueberries, but the blueberries were delicious, too.  I buy them at Costco or Sams Club.)

1 cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate (I used the white chips today, but MUCH PREFER the chopped white chocolate, which I used for the cookies for the Open House.  I used 1 bar of the Baker's brand per double recipe.  You could probably even use regular chocolate chips, especially with the tart cherries...?)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined.

Place flour, oatmeal, baking soda and salt into a large bowl; mix to combine.  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients along with the caramel bits, blueberries and white chocolate.  Mix until just combined.

Use a medium cookie scoop and scoop dough onto a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet (very important when baking with those sticky caramel bits).  Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until edges are just turning golden.  Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan.  Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Now for the pups.

 They are long-hair mini dachshunds.  I don't think I mentioned that earlier.  Their dad and mom (Elvis and Priscilla) have more of a medium-length hair, so other than regular baths, they haven't required any special grooming needs (brushing, haircuts, etc.).  Ace was a short-haired dachshund, but we are loving the longer hair since it is so soft and cuddly.   

Note:  A friend of mine asked why we hadn't named them Jack and Jill... and I'll have to admit, it WAS something we discussed.  It would be so cute, especially since their mom and dad have "pair" names.  But out of respect for my dear sister Jill, I didn't think it would work for us.  To have a child named after you is one thing, to have a dog named after you is quite another.  Plus, I imagined family times together, dogs included (I know how she loves dogs), and didn't think my sista would appreciate us constantly yelling her name.

If you would have asked me yesterday morning/early afternoon, I was ready to send them back.  They were rambunctious and crazy, having potty accidents here and there (mostly Ava), and chewing on everything they could get a hold of (rugs and carpet included).  They wouldn't come when called (again, mostly Ava), and I was exasperated trying to manage them both, all the while wondering what the heck I had gotten myself into.

But... they ARE only puppies.  We I knew what to expect.

Today they have been gems.  No potty accidents so far.  They love, love, love their brown fuzzy bed, given to us by our awesome neighbor Michaela.

And they are even beginning to fancy their crate.  Especially my sweet boy Jack.  They've made it through two out of four nights without waking up for a potty break (last night was the best night so far).

Yesterday I hustled out to buy them a play yard (thank you, Walmart; and seriously, do people really keep their kids in there?? -- I found it in the baby care section of the store), to keep them out of mischief when I'm busy or away.  They like it so far... YAY!  Freedom!

Oh yes, we did.

Not only did we hold true to our promise to Mar made nearly a year ago, we went one better.

Meet our newest additions, Jack and Ava.

(Both names tie back to our beloved Ace, who you can read about here.  Mauri named Jack, since an Ace is a playing card, and so is a Jack; Shilo named Ava, a three-letter name that begins with A... just like Ace.)

We will never forget!!

Jack is our feisty blue-eyed boy,

and Ava is our mild mannered (at least for now), black and tan girl.

We've had them less than 48 hours.

Apparently, when it's picture-taking time, they're asleep...

We do a lot of sleeping around here, too, so it all works out.

I was mentally prepared for one -- we'll see how two go.

Yes, it was somewhat spontaneous (although we were ready to get a puppy a year ago -- then we hit a few bumps in the road -- like a job loss and two weddings).  Bill had mentioned a few times in the past couple of weeks that we should carry through on our promise to get a dog.  ASAP.  Mar's friend from school, Paige, was getting a new puppy, and Mar couldn't wait to see him.  Next thing you know, Paige brought the puppy to our house.  I fell in love with him, and asked Paige's mom for the info on the breeder, who just happened to live nearby.  We took all the girls over to play with the puppies, checking out the two remaining available dogs.  Of course, we loved them.  Who doesn't love puppies??  But of course, we couldn't come to a quick consensus on what adorable dog to take home.  We decided to talk about it, and come back the following day.  That evening I received a text message from Paige's mom.  Paige and her brother had allergic reactions after playing with their puppy, so they had reluctantly made the decision to NOT get him after all.  Of course, I was thrilled ecstatic happy, since I thought their little guy was fabulous.  I told the girls, and we decided that we would play with the puppies one more time, then they could make the decision on what puppy to get.

They chose the little black girl.

Hmmmmmmmmm.... she WAS super sweet.

Then the breeder offered us a deal on two, and we took it.

Just like that.

I'm sure there will be a few "What were we thinking???" moments, but hopefully they are few and far between.  We bought a book.  We signed up for puppy training classes.  We purchased food, a crate (we will need another one eventually, but right now they both fit in one), doggie treats, chewing bones, and toys.  We have learned (thanks to our trusty guidebook) that the next 4 weeks are CRITICAL in learning behavior they will have for the rest of their lives.  So much pressure!

The only hiccup so far -- they like to eat the deer poop that is all over our yard.  Like it's kibble.  Yuck.  We are a tad worried that it could give them some kind of nasty disease, so a clean-up is in order.

Wish us luck!

Marry Me

Britta and Austin's wedding day was lovely.  Honestly, there's not much I would change, given the chance to do it all over again.  Near perfect.  I hope they thought it was, too.

Here are a few snapshots of the day:

(I know, there are a lot of hidden people in this picture... hopefully the photographer's shot was more successful...)

Austin's mom, Judy, made their {amazing} wedding cake... you can check out her cake blog here.

It was awesome to see Taylor and Lynnea again... this is the third time Tay's worn a tux in 6 weeks :-)

First dance...

Dad/daughter/mother/son dance... so sweet I almost started to cry.

The handiwork of the bridesmaids.

Sparkler send-off.

I will post more about our amazing family, friends, and "the help" another day.  And the Open House.  

Promise.

Decompressing

At this moment I feel relief as I take a moment to decompress.  Valentine's Day has been a bit stressful.  Added to a lengthy field trip from yesterday, packing up Britt and Austin and throwing together a Singing Time on Sunday, full-day preparation for the Open House on Friday and Saturday, drape sewing Monday through Thursday, a long drive home from Utah LAST Sunday, and a wedding and reception LAST Saturday, I am lucky to still be standing.  Or sitting, as the case may be.

But before I head down to the comforts of the basement to start catching up on weeks of past episodes of Top Chef Texas, American Idol, and whatever else has been taped for such a time as this, I thought I would quickly share the Valentine's Day solutions Mar and I came up with yesterday.

First, the box.

This cute mailbox was sent to us a few years back by my dear MIL.  She frequently sends fun holiday packages to the kids, and I believe she sent us this for Valentine's Day.  My kids (and the Primary kids, since I used it for Singing Time on Sunday, too, minus Mar's name) think that perhaps it's a Christmas mailbox... either way, it suited our needs perfectly.

Mar added a few lights to personalize it a bit.

We were able to shorten the post to make it desk-friendly, since it was actually two pieces screwed together.  How perfect is that?  {Perfect.}  (If you are wondering what that pink thing is on the floor, initially I thought it might be a dirty sock, since they are prevalent on the floors of my home.  I couldn't be sure, so I went to check.  Just as I had suspected, the item is still in that exact location, 8 hours later.  It is a pair of mittens, inside-out, one inside of the other.  FYI.)

I even had enough ambition and energy this morning to try something fancy with Mauri's hair, from a tutorial on Pinterest.  It turned out pretty decent, considering I pulled it off in about 5 minutes.

Not quite as neat and tidy as the original, but pretty darn fancy nonetheless.  I figured this would probably be the last year she would let me do something like this before she becomes too mature for a mommy hair-do.

And her Valentines?  Recycled, reused, repurposed.  They started out like this:

and turned into this:

After sending her out the door, I started working on the class party.  Oh yes.  I was in charge.  I hadn't planned anything prior to today, and figured I would fly by the seat of my pants.  Which I did.

I made crepes for the treat.  I had made some Sunday morning in an effort to use some of the extra milk we had sitting in more than one refrigerator from the Open House (more on that another day), but I still have lots and lots left over... and crepes can be made well in advance... and served at room temp... they worked out perfectly.  (Except that they take a while to crank out, especially when you are cooking for 36.  You read correctly.  34 students in Mar's class, a teacher, and a student teacher.)  I also put together a craft project for the class, another find on Pinterest:  Felt fortune cookies.

In the frenzy of the party there was no time for pictures, so I snapped a couple of Mar's when she got home.  She plans to add a little tissue paper to her take-out box and give them to her Daddy-o with a note that says "I am so fortunate to have a great dad like you!"  I can't take credit for the idea, but they DID turn out cute.  Trying to help 34 kids make them at the same time was a little challenging, though.  I truly appreciated the help from the two moms that came to assist.

The good news:  I made it.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Her Honor

I went on a field trip with Mauri today to Ameritowne.  Lex and Shi both attended as 5th graders, but this was the first time I chose to volunteer.  Probably out of guilt, since I have postponed events and activities (including a birthday celebration, for goodness sake) with promises of recompense incessantly over the past few months.

I had to drive separately, thank heavens - that bus ride might have killed me off - because I needed to arrive 30 before the kids for "training," which turned out to be a 5-minute spiel of much ado about nothing.  I think most of the parent volunteers were there merely for crowd control should the mannerly 5th graders turn into a disorderly rabble.  Except for the unlucky parents in the Bank and Snack Shack -- they were pretty darn busy.  I, on the other hand, had the good fortune of choosing to work at the college.  Free education, without the lure of fun items and toys to buy.  The only offering would be a student ID card, which could be laminated for $1.  I am the queen of lamination, and my expertise was actually required on an occasion or two.  Other than that, I spent some passing moments on my phone, repinning away on Pinterest (because the kids working in the college were on it).

The week prior, Mar had been elected to be the Judge of Ameritowne, following in the footsteps of her big sister Shilo.  I chose to work in the college because it was next door to Towne Hall, and I had been advised that I could should not work in the same business as my child, so next door was the next best thing.

(swearing in the Ameritowne mayor)

(setting up her office)

  I snuck over a time or two to check out how all that judging was going... it was almost always packed to the brim with criminals of the worst sort:  those who refused to Tebow in front of the Snack Shack, or say "cha-ching" in front of the bank, runners, and rule breakers.  Mar had to make quick judgements, and require the payment of tickets all day long. 

Another volunteer mom was taking pictures, most likely for the yearbook, since she has been in charge of the FVE yearbook for the past few years.  She had her big professional camera, snapping away all day long.  At the end of day, she pulled me over to show me a shot she had staged that she thought was soooooo funny.  I found it disturbing.  She had told Mar to pose like she was taking a bribe from another business owner.  Neither of those 5th graders had the slightest idea why she was having them pose that way, and I fumed about it on the way home, wondering how I could best handle the situation.  What was she thinking?  That was NOT the values the kids were there to learn, and certainly NOT the values Mar would feel comfortable representing.  Mauri had been sworn in and had promised to be honorable and fair.  

Should I email the teacher?  Should I email the mom directly?  She is also one of my neighbors... I don't want to offend her, but I feel like I should say something.  I would be horrified if that picture ended up in the yearbook or an end-of-year video.  I've decided to talk it over with Bill before doing something unkind or rash.  It still gets my heart-rate up, though.

Other than that little incident, the day went smooth as butter.  I think it was a fun and educational way to learn about business, finance, and government.  The kids all had a blast.

Once we were home, Mar and I stressed a bit about Valentine's Day.

It's tomorrow, you know.

We need to make a box.

Mar needs to fill out Valentines for her classmates.

After the past few weeks I've had, another trip to the store just felt too overwhelming, so we brainstormed, and...

Valentine's box:  done.

Valentines:  done.

Almost instantaneously.  Stay tuned tomorrow for our fabulous solutions.

A Shi Shout Out

I have neglected to mention that Shilo DID make an individual State-qualifying time... at the B League meet in the 100 Back, with special allowance (she should have been swimming in the A League meet, but was going to be in UT for Britt's wedding, so her coach cleared it with the other coaches, giving her the opportunity to try for the qualifying times in her two oh-so-close events.  She wasn't "competing" in the meet, just swimming for a time).

I am so happy for her!

Today, while I am home making a mess of the kitchen I spent all day yesterday to clean, she's at the State meet.  Lucky for me (and a great tip from a fellow swim mom), I found a link online to watch the meet live.  I love technology.  Love, love, love it.

So what if Shi's seeded last in her event?  She's competing against the top, for goodness sake.  The pre-purchasable tickets sold out because Missy is competing.  Remember Missy?  She's seeded #1.  Probably because she holds the world record (the WORLD RECORD) in the 200 Back.  Seriously, she's a future Olympic Gold Medalist.  And she's swimming the State high school meet.  She set a national record in the 200 Free, 20 minutes ago.  I saw it happen.  Live.  {Love.}  And that's just the Prelims.

So what if Shi doesn't have the fancy span-dangled knee-length FASTSKIN competition suit that apparently every other swimmer has (I wouldn't have known, had I not been able to watch it.  Have I mentioned that I love technology?).  Live and learn, that's what I say.  Next year, Shi, I will make sure you have one of those.  I will be the best swim team mom EVER.  I will make locker tags.  I will host team dinners.  I will be involved.  Thank you for forgiving me of my flailing this year.

I am so proud of you for setting a goal, giving it your best effort, and achieving it.

You are awesome!

Love and Marriage

Just a quick peek from the weekend, since it's highly unlikely that I will get a chance to post again for another week or so.

I couldn't wait to share.

Details are coming soon, I promise.