Yaay! My Garden!

I absolutely LOVE PlanGarden.com! Here's my planned garden for 2010! (feel free to click to enlarge :>)

2010 is here! yaay!!

I don't really think i should be blogging today, considering my mind is in a HUGE fog, so much so, that I ended up in Breman, GA, 40 minutes west of Atlanta, when I SHOULD have been on my way headed east!

So, anyways, I have big plans this year - bigger than I knew! This year, I plan to have the home I've always wanted.. clean, organized, welcoming and always full of people! That's right! I plan on upping the visitor factor BIG time.. visitors, lunches, a few dinner parties and special events should make the place fun. I also plan on finishing a few home projects we have in the works and taking our homeschooling and our marriage to a whole new lever this year. BIG goals for a big year!

I love to knit.. and I love cupcakes.. so...

Ok, so I admit, I am a lover of both knitting and cupcakes (although I don't eat very many anymore!). For those of you who don't know, I am an AVID knitter, if I'm doing nothing else... i am knitting! So when I saw this episode of Matha, I was floored! I ask you, how much more adorable can one get?

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies!

As I prepared my meal plan about a month ago, i came a cross a chocolate chip recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Cheeseslaves! This blog has made my transition to eating the Nourishing Traditions way, so much easier with tips, recipes and general healthy eating knowledge. I highly recommend this book to EVERYONE! It's amazing the lies we've been told about what we eat by the food industry and the FDA, and this book clears the matter up! The book is actually:

oh, sorry.. got completely off track.. :) I came across the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (that I have modified since then, mostly because I didn't have everything I needed at the time!) Feel free to use the original recipe above, or my modified recipe below, they are both honestly very good, but my modifications made this already amazing recipe produce even more perfect cookies! I have never baked a more perfect cookie then these! Crisp on the outside, soft an chewy on the inside. enjoy!

The "Perfect" Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour (i used fresh ground, but regular whole wheat worked too!)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 TBSP salted grass-fed butter (butter from grass-fed cows)

2 TBSP organic extra virgin coconut oil

1/2 cup plus 4 tablespoons organic evaporated cane juice (we got our Florida Crystals Organic Cane Sugar at walmart)

1 large pastured egg (or free-range if you can’t find pastured)

1/4 teaspoon water

(original recipe calls for) 6 ounces organic non-GMO chocolate chips (available at the health food store) BUT I ran out and used 2 oz Ghirardelli all natural 60% cacao bittersweet baking bar. NOTE: it's good with both! if you want the healthier version, use the chips. If you don't mind, use the bar. I will use the chips whenever i have them, they do not effect the taste of the cookie, but they do effect how health they are.. :)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. MELT the butter until just melted, pour into a bowl and add the coconut oil and sugar. Mix by hand until just blended. Add the egg and water and mix until just blended.

3. by hand, stir (or fold) in the flour and baking soda until just blended.

4. Add the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed. OR use a knife to cut your bar into slices, and then cut across he slices so you get small chunks about the size of a pinky nail. mix them in until evenly distributed.

4. pick up rounded Tablespoons of dough, and gently shape into a ball (don't handle to much!) and place onto baking sheets (I line my baking sheets with Silpat silicone baking mats). Bake 10-12 minutes.

5. Transfer cookies to wire rack. Store in airtight container.

Easy Peasy! perfect cookies! enjoy!

Home parties for... Nintendo DS? :)

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I have to give kudos to Nintendo for this marketing approach. I LOVE it! The marketing strategy is outstanding. Gives a new meaning to the Tupperware Party. "Product Parties," in essence, where each guest received their own DS to sit around, play and relax with friends! Not only did they get the word out to a market that could actually afford their product (and more then one at that - gifts for daughters, mothers, friends, etc.) , but they took on a new target audience that has not traditionally been a user of their product, professional women. They CREATED a new market, and it worked!!

Wish I could do the same thing with my Handcrafted Soap and Bath items... hmmmm.... ;)

Not Me! Monday: My ignorance, My bliss? :/

"Are you feeling guilty for not washing your child's swimsuit after they wear it? Feel greasy because you don't wash your hair every day? Overcome with embarrassment because your child was rude while out to dinner? We'll don't be! Not Me! Monday was born out of my desire to admit some of my imperfections and reveal a few moments I'd rather forget. You may find it therapeutic to join in and do the same thing!"

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else has not been doing this week.

When I read about Not Me! Monday, I figured I had better jump in with both feet and add it to my weekly blogging experience, since there are too many imperfections to count!!! LOL Talk about a leap in blog content! So, on to the denial! ... as for me? Here's what I have NOT been doing:

I have NOT been ignoring the HUGE laundry pile that mocks me.. YES!!! as if it isn't even there. total and complete ignorance, on my part. If i dont look at it, it wont be there, right? wrong... only works until everyone has nothing to wear.. and you have to start wearing your husbands undies.. haha! Ok, so, thankfully! HUBBY to the rescue! he saw me sinking and came to my rescue. My hero!!!

I have NOT been feeling completely overwhelmed lately, to the point of hiding behind my new favorite show, and burying my head in a book every chance I get. It's time to get back on top of it all, a day at a time.

and, here's a biggie! I have NOT been allowing my kids (and myself) to eat all manner of AWESOME things!!! {{pukey face}}.. we must cut that out now.. vacation is OVER! LOL

Cheap BG 2.0"s anyone!?

So, I've listed some used BG 2.0 in great used condition on Diaperswappers, and thought this would be the easiest way to share all of the photos. I'm selling them for $5, $4 and $3 a piece!

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