Cookies

Today would be the perfect day to try a new cookie recipe.  It's cold and gray outside, and there is nothing like the smell of cookies baking. 

Hot Cocoa Cookies

I can't take the credit for this recipe.  I found it here.  I halved the recipe because I had a limited number of bitty marshmallows.  Jake goes through them pretty quickly.

• 1 1/4 cup room temperature butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 4 packages instant cocoa (don’t use sugar free)
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup mallow bits

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add in eggs and vanilla and stir until combined
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, hot cocoa mix, baking soda and baking powder.
5. Add in flour mixture to butter mixture until well combined.
6. Fold in mallow bits and chocolate chips.
7. Drop by 1 1/2 tablespoon rounds onto parchment lined baking sheet.
8. Bake for 9 – 11 minutes until edges are lightly browned.
9. Remove to wire racks and cool.

Yum!!  I will say that I left them in a bit too long. Because of their color, it was hard to tell when they were done.  They were a little crunchy, but I happen to love crunchy cookies.

So...my little man has been studying youtube videos about claw machines to get tips. I'm. not. kidding. This was the catch on his second try at Walmart. He spotted this item and called it a "guaranteed grab". I think he got that off of one of his training videos. ;)

 
We had a surprise 4 inches of snow last weekend.  We were suppose to get a dusting.  We had to act quickly because the temperatures were expected to warm quite a bit the next day.  I took Jake to the "big hill" at our local elementary school.  He had a blast!  I know I look a bit scared. I was trying to hang on!  The temp was hovering around the freezing mark and many sledders had been there before us. That made this steep hill very icy.  We had to struggle to get up, and then I had to dig the heels of my boots in to keep the sled from flying down the hill without us.  I was barely hanging on when I took this iPhone picture.

Trevor was in the studio last weekend.  I just love his sweet face.

The icing on the toes just cracks me up!

I just love this shot of Trevor and Mommy.

Here is a family favorite from Mike and Kathy's lifestyle home shoot.

We had to talk Mike into this pose, and it's my favorite!  Every family that schedules a home shoot is getting this pose! ;)

I have a busy night ahead. I'm photographing the variety show for an area elementary school.  I can't wait to see these kids perform!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Last week my family got together to celebrate my dad's 70th birthday.  The kids had such a blast together, but they can get pretty crazy.  (I'm always relieved to have my nephew, Cam, to keep things under control when the kids are downstairs. Thanks, Cameron!)

I know it was a great evening for you, Dad, and I'm glad! You deserve it! We love you so much!

Here are some of my favorite shots from the evening.

 
I got the boy registered for kindergarten. Wow...that was a lot of paperwork! 

I am really excited for him. He is so ready now.  We've been working on basic math and letter sounds on some new apps that I bought for the iPad.  I'm actually pretty excited about how much he already knows.  I was very surprised that when given a letter sound, he can almost always pick the appropriate letter.  His favorite new app is this one:

Super Why

We finally have a weekend that is not crazy busy, so I think we are going to work on shoe tying.  

Dan and I took him to the car show last weekend. We had dinner after at our favorite downtown pizza place...Vito's.  Jake ended up covered in chocolate gelato!  I really thought this shirt was ruined.  It took soaking it in oxyclean water with an oxyclean paste on each spot, but I finally got it clean.  

Jake loves hanging out with Rick and learning new games on the Xbox.

Julia and Kristin came to the studio last weekend.   This session was a hoot!  I'm glad I asked my babysitter, Livi, to help out.  We needed the extra hands!  

"Hmmm...I can't decide if I like my pretties better or your pretties better!"

After our studio session, I went to Mike and Kathy's house for a home shoot.  I knew my nieces would make it special...and they delivered.  This is my favorite of the two of them.

I love this one, too!

There will be more to share soon!

Back in action...

It seemed like I waited forever. The order was placed on December 22, and the new iMac arrived on January 8.  Forever, right?

I am really proud of myself. I spent 4 days adjusting to this platform, reformatting EHD's, uploading software and plug-in's, transferring files, etc. I had a list of questions that google was just not answering for me, and I had a calibration conflict. That's when I called in a professional...my friend and fellow Shutterclub member, Jeff Hirsch.  If you are changing platforms, he is the guy to call. He knows PC and Mac and can hold your hand through the entire process, if necessary.  Like I said...I'm proud. I did this mostly on my own.  I'm so glad that I did. My images look amazing on this monitor. This iMac makes sense...the way files and images are moved...everything is user friendly. I'll never go back!

Jake has been busy just being Jake.

He took the guardrails off his bed...just like his sister did many years before him.  He was ready.  I was worried, but it's been great. There hasn't been a single fall, and they've been off for over a week. If you know anyone local who would like a free set of guardrails, have them call me.

My busy guy likes to climb in my lap at the end of meal time and when I'm working.

Sometimes a guy just needs a snuggle from mom.

I've had problems keeping him full, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

He's also very protective of his candy and sent a strong message to his sister on this bag.

Like I said...I can't keep him full. After a big spaghetti and meatball dinner, I caught him doing this with the leftover pasta while helping to clear the table.

We enjoyed the very little bit of snow we had right before the New Year.  Our winter weather has been very disappointing. This year is shaping up to be like last year...very little precipitation and above normal temps. I'm not getting much use out of my new Coach books...a great find at a discount store!!

The little bit of snow we had was very wet and great for packing. This is Jake's very first snowman.

Jake struggled a bit with the cold air and was not at all happy when I called him in from the snow to do a breathing treatment.

 

Kate really enjoyed her holiday break and even threw herself a party to celebrate her 21st birthday.  I was so impressed with the job she did. She planned, invited, decorated, arranged, and baked to perfection!  I showed up and took the pictures. :)  

 

 Rick spent quite a bit of time helping her in the kitchen the weeks prior to the party. I was pretty impressed with him, too. ;)

Even Izzy couldn't believe how much Fun Dip that tummy could hold.

I started shooting again right after the first of the year.  Lily and Emma came to the studio.  Their mom sent me a picture of the outfits she was planning on using, and I just happened to find the suitcase right before the shoot. I thought it would match...it was perfect!

I had a home lifestyle shoot for Natalie, Jon and family.  This is my favorite shoot...especially with a newborn.

A few days later, Jon brought the kids to the studio so we could get this shot.

Noah came to the studio this past weekend, and I hope to have some peeks soon! 

These sweet girls are 6 months old already. I can't wait to have them in the studio next weekend!

After their session, I'm heading to my sister in law's house for a lifestyle shoot with my nieces! Fun!