mint chocolate chip cookies

I realized the other day that I haven't posted a recipe in a long long time!  What is up with that?  I am fixing that little issue today.  Right now in fact.

If you love chocolate and if you love mint, these little babies are for you.  These are some of my very very favorite cookies!  They are so yummy and so easy to whip up a batch.  They are also perfect for any holiday cookie exchanges you may have coming up in the next few months.  I promise you people will be asking for your recipe.  Also, this is a family recipe, how cool is that??

Look at me try to be all artsy fartsy with my pictures.  Are you proud?  I was!!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients: (these are in groups to make it a little easier)

Group one:

• 2/3 cups butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Group two:

• 2 large eggs**
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 package melted milk chocolate chips

Group three:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 package mint chocolate chips

Instructions: 

Blend together group one.  In a separate bowl, beat group two (I melt the chips in a glass measuring cup in the microwave with 30 second bursts, mixing between each one.  Then I just mix the eggs and vanilla into that same container).  Add group two to group one and mix.  Mix together group four, minus the mint chips.  Add to groups one and two and mix, when all mixed in, fold in the mint chips.  Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.  They sometimes don't look quite done in the oven, but I promise they are!  Don't overcook.

**You MUST use large eggs.  I used small/medium eggs last week when I made these for a family party and the dough was quite crumbly.  I baked them anyway and they were delicious right out of the oven but after they cooled they got really hard instead of being the soft chewy cookie they are meant to be!  If you only have smaller eggs, add another one or a little more butter.  If you find that your dough is crumbly at the end, add a little more butter (The dough shouldn't be super sticky, but it should never be crumbly).

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!  Thanks for stopping by.

-Megan

the middle of a lamp redo

I'm in the middle of redoing a pair of lamps I have over here.  They were brass but I've painted them white.  I'm trying to decide what color(s) of fabric I want to use for the shades.  I have a really pretty grey and white fabric that I love but I'm wondering if I should use some more color instead?  The good thing about the grey is that it will match anything.

Which is a good thing when your husband is a student, your furniture is mismatched already, and you don't have enough of the mullah to buy matchy matchy stuff.

Anyway, I thought I'd share what I've done so far and see what you guys think!

Also, we are moving soon and will have so much more room to live and breathe in!  It will be awesome.  

The thing that is not so awesome is the background in these pictures.  We currently live in about 30 square feet so please ignore the fact that my couch, desk, painting easel, hiking backpack for Peanut, and the rest of my life is in my bedroom.

Before.  This is not the original shade, nor will it be the one I recover.  I don't love the shape of it.

And after...so far.

I really love how they have turned out so far.  I can't wait to get them finished!  Now I need some opinions.  I got this little stool for a steal and am going to repaint it and attach some wheels to the top because my little man LOVES wheels.  It's not going to be the cutest toy but you can bet it will be his very favorite (I hope).  My question is, what color should I paint it?  His room is gong to be red but I'm thinking a  different color to give him some variation.  Thoughts?

Thanks for stopping by!  xoxo

-Megan

peaches everywhere

Guys.  GUYS!  Guess what happened?  Today Lindsey over at Better After featured my high chair makeover I did last year!  I was so excited!  I love her blog and she is so funny and definitely someone I look up to in the blogging world.  I've been doing a happy dance all day about it.

It's canning season over in my neck of the woods!  Do you can?  Do you wish you canned?  It is not as hard as it looks, you can totally do it.  Every year I get sort of nervous and then I'm always surprised at how easy it really is.  You just have to follow the directions.  

Today we did peaches.  I looooove peaches!  They are probably my favorite fresh fruit.  After the canning process I still like them, but I do prefer them fresh.  BUT...it is always the nicest thing to have a can of fruit to open up in the middle of the winter when you aren't sure what to pair with dinner.  Today at my mom's house there were six of us ladies and seven babies between us all.  It was cray cray for awhile there!

I sort of feel silly for using the "cray cray" word...

Anyway, after a few hours we had 147 quarts of peaches to call our own.  Basically it was awesome.  Busy but awesome.

Add to all of this that I was making dinner to take to a friend who just had a baby, making dinner for all of us who were canning, baking bread, baking cookies, and also doing all my laundry today.  I am ready to drop right where I am and sleep.  On the tile. 

Some of our lovely jars.

Not gonna lie, it sort of makes me giddy inside when I see those jars lined up all pretty like.

What do you guys like to can?  We are planning on salsa next week!

-Megan

a very easy receiving blanket and matching bib

My mom crochets around the edge of receiving blankets all the time.  I tried it once and it was just not my cup of tea.  But I still wanted to be able to give those nice homemade receiving blankets as gifts, especially after we had our little one and I realized just how many you need between poop, pee, and puke.  So I decided to try making a little "rag" receiving blanket.  It worked out perfectly!  It is also soo easy to make!  I am not a sewer.  Like at all.  However, I can do this one and so can you.  I took a few pictures along the way to explain how it works.  

Supplies:

Two flannel fabrics (preferably matching), 1 1/3 yards of each

Scissors

A sewing machine

Steps:

Pre-step. If you need to, pre-shrink your fabric.

1.  Lay your fabric pieces on top of each other with the right sides facing out.

2.  Cut out your blanket and your bib (I just used one I already had.  I laid it on top and then "traced" around it with my fabric cutter.  If you don't have one, the blankets I make are around 39" by 43".  Nice and big.)

3.  Sew around the edge of the blanket and bib, leaving a slightly larger seam allowance than you normally would, about 1/2 inch.

4.  Snip around the entire edge of the blanket and bib with your scissors.

5.  Wash and dry to get that cute edge!  (You don't really have to wash it again, just rinse it and dry it)

Here is my seam allowance, just a titch bigger.

snip snip snip

Here is what the edges should look like, snipped all around.

Washed and ready to give away!

When I made this I had bought the fabric a few months ago and when I pulled it out I realized I didn't have enough!  Darn!  The store had closed so I pulled together my creative wits and made the bib rectangle and sewed strips together to make it big enough.  I don't normally do that.

So here is the rectangle bib, usually I do the traditional wider at the ends and thinner in the middle.

I hope you try it and love it!  Let me know if you have any questions.  What is your go-to gift to give to expecting mommas?  I love to give a blanket and a pack of diapers!

-Megan

getting to know me, day 7 (last day folks)

Question 10.  Who is your celebrity crush?

 

Answer 10.  I don't really crush on celebrities, but I do love a good movie character. 

I love Thor.  Eep!!

 

Question 11.  What is your biggest pet peeve?

 

Answer 11.  People chewing with their mouths open.  I cannot handle it.

 

Fact 10.  If I don't write things down, I do NOT remember them!  I swear I am like an old lady.  And not just since I was preggo either.  I just have the worst memory for things like grocery lists.  I still use an old time planner too, if I type it into my phone it does not even help at all.

 

Fact 11.  I try my hardest to finish the shampoo and conditioner bottles at the same time.  It is totally a game for me every time I get in the tub.  Haha, I'm always weighing them in my hands and trying to guess which one has more. 

Bonus fact.  After reading the above fact I realized I may be a little OCD...don't tell.

 

-Megan

 

On to new things!  Can't wait to share some fun projects with you!!

getting to know me, day 6

Question 8.  Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Answer 8.  Neither.  I used to be such a night owl before I got married.  I loved staying up late and sleeping in.  Then it just changed.  Now I would love to be in bed early and still sleep in!

I believe that is what we call lazy.  We can be honest here, it's a safe place.

Question 9.  What is a quote that inspires you?

Answer 9.  "People are like stained-glass windows.  They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is only revealed if there is a light from within."

-Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

&

"Motherhood is not a hobby, it's a calling.  You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps.  It is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in.  It's what God gave you time for."

-Neil L. Anderson

Fact 8.  I have a hard time finishing long projects.  I must have a short attention span or something because I get distracted with something new so easily.  I feel like it is getting better though, so maybe there's hope for me.

Fact 9.  I love things to be clean and I actually like cleaning but for some reason I have the hardest time actually starting the cleaning process.  Once I do though, watch out.  It will be clean and pretty much everything will be thrown away.

-Megan

getting to know me, day 5

Again, two questions and facts.  I am sort of wanting to post about other things so I'm trying to hurry it up!  I have a project that is almost done that I'm so excited about!  I should be all done tomorrow night so maybe I can post about it on Tuesday.

 

Question 6.  What is your guilty pleasure TV show?

 

Answer 6.  Round here we love Big Bang Theory!  I can't wait for the new season to start, especially after Leonard and Penny got engaged!!!  Who saw that coming?  Not this girl, at least not yet.  I really want to watch Downton Abbey but haven't every gotten around to it, which is probably a good thing.  I'm way to busy to watch a lot of TV.

 

Question 7.  What is your favorite way to work out?

 

Answer 7.  I hate all forms.  Ok maybe not.

Ok maybe yes.

 

I really don't enjoy working out.  Is that horrible of me?  Running is the absolute worst for me though!  I would rather do almost anything than go running.  I guess strength training and playing tennis would be the least evil ways that I can think of.

 

Fact 6.  I have broken my wrist twice, collar bone once, ankle once (which required two surgeries; one to put screws in and one to take said screws out), and possibly cracked two ribs. 

 

Fact 7.  The way I broke my collar bone is really funny.  I used to be so embarrassed by this story but now it's just hilarious.  I was riding my bike and ran into a stop sign.  Not a yield sign, or a speed limit sign...a stop sign.

 

-Megan