These are hands-down the BEST chocolate-chocolate chip cookies I have ever had! Easy to make and incredible. I have made them monster sized, as shown here, as well as half sized so they're more appropriate for snacks and school lunches. Don't over-bake these. They're tender and moist inside. AMAZING as soon as they've cooled enough to not burn you with molten chocolate (chips and/or chunks). The first 24 hours they're still absolutely amazing. After that they're as good as any other chocolate-chocolate chip cookies, and even better with a few seconds in the microwave to warm them up. I'd bake some to eat/use immediately then put the rest, formed, in the freezer and bake them as "needed".
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
September 29, 2012 at 08:59PM
I LOVE that the school lunch system is finally available online!!!! My girls rarely buy school lunches, so sometimes it's quite a while between when we put some money in their accounts and the time it is used. Now I get an email each weekend letting me know the balance in each of their accounts! AND I can add money to their accounts online, so no more wondering if they got the right money to the right place. It's the little things in life, really ;) via Facebook
Friday, September 28, 2012
September 28, 2012 at 11:55PM
Tonight we went to the elementary school carnival! Kids had a great time! I did have a completely new experience with a disgruntled student, though. I was standing near the line for the rock climbing tower. Lizzie had been waiting in line for nearly half an hour probably. Slow line. As her section of the line got closer to the front it got more and more compact. It looked more like a mosh pit than an orderly line. I suggested everyone take a few steps backward a couple of times. I have worked with most of the students waiting there and they were happy to comply and get a little more space. A few people behind Lizzie was a mother holding a place in line for her son. He had finished with another activity and she called him over. He came, but wouldn't stand in line. He was a big boy, probably in 5th or 6th grade. His mom tried to get him to stand by her but his only response was growling, anger, and throwing handfuls of grass thrown on her. I do not know if he has any social or mental disabilities. I tried to keep in mind that there may be extenuating circumstances, but he was really getting obnoxious. The groups of kids that had made it to the front of the line were all pretty small, lower grades. And rather intimidated by this large aggressive boy. Well, all but Lizzie. He tried to shove into line in front of her. She just politely said "Um, your place in line is right back there. You can't butt me." No fear, just told him like it was. He growled at her and stepped out of line again to push forward some more. After his mother called his name several more times and he nearly trampled a couple of first graders, I stepped forward to see if he would respond to me. I put a hand on his shoulder and asked if he would step back to his place so they could all have their turn. In my years around children I though I'd seen a pretty good variety of reactions. Not much truly surprises me. Except for this! He turned around and growled at me (not a surprise). Then he glared at me and looked me up and down. Then he stepped closer to me and poked me in the belly button! I do admit that I laughed. I've found with most children if they are trying to get a reaction from you, sometimes it is most effective to give them a totally unexpected reaction. They don't know what to do about it. But that wasn't the case this time. It just totally surprised me! It did embarrass his mother enough that she came over and physically intervened and got him back in line. For a few seconds. By that point, though, I "happened" to shift over so I was standing between him and the small ones. Have you ever been so mad you poked a lady in the belly button? via Facebook
Thursday, September 27, 2012
September 27, 2012 at 08:26PM Water 101: Don't Let It Happen to You!
That's it. No more water for me or my family! I can't believe the government doesn't protect us from these things! ;)
September 27, 2012 at 02:47PM
Twenty-four hundred dollars staring me in the face. Or rather, conspicuous in its absence. 15 fillings?!?!?!?! I'm so sorry you're related to me, daughters :( via Facebook
September 27, 2012 at 01:37PM
Finally, one of our favorite places -- the library! via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/QFzrOSBLWc/
September 27, 2012 at 01:35PM
The letter sorting area at the post office via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/QFzhV7BLWQ/
September 27, 2012 at 01:32PM
Learning how a bank counts a stack of bills. via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/QFzHkGhLV6/
September 27, 2012 at 12:47PM
Off to the dentist! Not for me this time (yea!) But for the two youngers. Sadly, it's their first dentist appointment :") We've spent so much money on my teeth and kate's teeth that since theirs were looking fine we kept putting it off. Sadly, on closer inspection recently it appears that Sabrina DOES have the same lack of enamel that Kate has :-( So she's likely to be a doozy. Lizzie's teeth look really good, though, so my fingers are crossed. Especially since Lizzie has nightmares for months after so much as a flu shot, and panic attacks for months before the next one! This could get exciting. via Facebook
September 27, 2012 at 11:33AM The Maternal Lens
I don't usually share these things, but I checked my timeline and could see all those "private" messages on there :-/ I've "hidden from timeline" now. -- Janelle (so you know *I* actually wrote this part)
September 27, 2012 at 08:00AM
Must. Get. Up. Man, I cannot drag myself out of bed this morning! 1...2...3!!! Okay, i'm sitting up. Progress! via Facebook
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
September 25, 2012 at 03:59PM
I've seen all the jokes about people posting about going to the gym on FB... but I don't care. I WENT TO WATER AEROBICS. AND DID THE WHOLE THING. AND LIVED! And I'm dang proud of myself. So yes, I'm posting it on FB. Deal with it :P via Facebook
Monday, September 24, 2012
September 24, 2012 at 07:37PM
Apparently when Michael and Sabrina went to pick Kate up from soccer there was a girl who was not dressed appropriately. Daddy asked Sabrina: "Is that an appropriate way to dress?" Sabrina: "No. ... awkward!!!" (It's hard to get the inflection across, but it's really very funny. Guess you had to be here.) via Facebook
September 24, 2012 at 06:36PM
Michael told the girls to quit gobbling down the garlic bread and "pay attention to the food mom put a lot of thought into today" Sabrina: "Fat, you mean?" No. Not what he meant. For the record: 15 bean soup with ham hocks which cooked all day. The girls are determined to name every bean they eat, which does drag out the meal. via Facebook
Sunday, September 23, 2012
September 23, 2012 at 10:04PM
Lizzie has doubts about the tooth fairy. Then the tooth fairy wrote a tiny message back and she is satisfied. In reality she knows it's a game... But she doesn't really want too admit it it out loud yet. via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/P8anq4hLQG/
September 23, 2012 at 10:02PM
Sabrina was so excited that grandma came to her soccer game! via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/P8aZGbBLf0/
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
September 21, 2012 at 11:23PM
A couple of days ago Sabrina approached me with a request. She wants lessons. Ninja lessons. It has been determined that what she wants is to learn karate. She'd be such a cute little ninja! via Facebook
September 21, 2012 at 09:36PM
Kate figured out a foolproof way to get what she wants from wishes. You know how if you say what you wish for, it won't come true? but it's so hard to not say what you wished for? Simple! Wish for something you DON'T want, then tell everyone! via Facebook
September 21, 2012 at 03:11PM
I may not be wearing the coolest jeans, or a fancy shirt. My shoes are scuffed up, and I didn't bother with socks. My hair is dirty and my nail polish is chipped. BUT I have the very newest, most popular, up-to-date virus! This is one super-trendy cold. And my tissues are pretty posh too. :) via Facebook
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
September 18, 2012 at 07:25PM
Wow, it cools off FAST once the sun goes down! It was pretty hot at Sabrina's practice, but Lizzie's practice has a few more minutes and I'm getting kinda chilly. It must be September! via Facebook
September 18, 2012 at 05:24PM
Neighborhood boy finally gathers his courage and approaches his mom. boy, dead serious: "Mom, I need to tell you something." mom, slightly terrified: "oooookay?" boy: "I have a girlfriend." mom, slightly terrified: internal dialogue 'what the heck?! You're only 7?!?!?!' mom, playin it cool, said out loud: "So who is it?" boy: "Sabrina." mom: "Oh, well, that makes sense." they then talked about being friends and having friends that they really enjoy being with :D No, Sabrina doesn't know. It's a little boy from her class at school. via Facebook
September 18, 2012 at 03:11PM
I just ate the yummiest pear ever. I like pear sauce, fruit leather, or dehydrated, but in general I'm rarely impressed by a real ripe pear. So often the texture isn't really appealing. Since I like them in other ways, though, we did plant a pear tree this spring. It even grew a few pears! Most of them fell off early, but one of them actually seemed to have ripened nicely on the tree. So this afternoon I picked it. And I just ate it. And WOW. I would happily eat several more! I believe it was a Seckel pear. Also called the sugar pear. It's smaller than a Bartlett or Anjou, but finer textured with a little different flavor. If this is what all pears tasted like then apples and bananas would have to step aside for another lunchbox contender! via Facebook
September 18, 2012 at 03:03PM
Oh. My. Yum! Best pear I've ever eaten! via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/Puya4AhLVS/
Monday, September 17, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
September 16, 2012 at 10:29PM http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/refrigerator.png
I need this fridge. http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/refrigerator.png
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Soccer Games, pt.1
via My Adorable Trifecta http://adorabletrifecta.blogspot.com/2012/09/soccer-games-pt1.html
Friday, September 14, 2012
Our Favorite Things 2012
via My Adorable Trifecta http://adorabletrifecta.blogspot.com/2012/09/our-favorite-things-2012.html
September 14, 2012 at 07:42PM
Watching a Green Lantern cartoon as a family. One of the characters just mentioned "boot camp" and Sabrina asked what boot camp is. I told her it's basically a camp where people work really hard to learn something, and is often associated with the military. S: I want to go to boot camp! Me: What would you learn at boot camp? S: Let me think about that.... (a few minutes later) I know! I'd learn how to cook. (long pause) I could also learn how to drive! Cause that must be hard. But I think I'd need to be a bit older first. (another pause) Maybe I could learn to drive a motorized scooter. A little one. I would have to work really hard. Me: Perhaps you should learn to get your chores done by yourself first. Anyone up for hosting a boot camp to teach 7 year olds to cook? or drive? via Facebook
September 14, 2012 at 02:25PM
Woo Hoo!!!! I got two photo packets comped for spending the day at the school. That's REALLY nice. It's like actually being paid! :D via Facebook
September 14, 2012 at 02:02PM
Just got home from school. 5 hours of negotiating 700+ elementary school kids and a double handful of siblings all wrangled, managed, and gotten through the photography lines. Phew, I'm tired! via Facebook
Thursday, September 13, 2012
September 13, 2012 at 01:14PM
Off to the dentist. I have a tiny sliver of hope that we can keep this to just a couple hundred dollars to patch the tooth up, but really I expect it's going to need a crown. Eh, we don't need to eat for the next month or two... or three, anyway, right? I'm super proud of myself because I'm going all alone without any anxiety meds. Wish me luck. via Facebook
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
September 12, 2012 at 08:20PM
Tonight I tried another twist on a classic: zucchini lasagne. No noodles! I made the sauce with ground beef, onion, garlic, usual seasonings. Then instead of a can of tomato sauce I used several fresh tomatoes from my garden. I blanched and peeled them, then removed the top bit and pureed them. Yes, it was very watery, but I just boiled the sauce down to a nice consistency. I used long slices of zucchini in place of noodles and chopped the left over bits of zucchini and tossed it into the simmering sauce. Tonight was game night (all three teams won tonight!) so I took a chance on the delay / bake / warm settings. Worked perfectly! I put it in the oven before we left, and we came home to fresh hot lasagne that had just finished baking and was being kept warm. Michael has not tried any (I'm not surprised), but the girls seem very happy with this variation. Kate said "Mom, this lasagne is not the way you led me to believe it would be." {stern face} "It's even BETTER!" via Facebook
September 12, 2012 at 08:33AM
My girls are on their third bus / bus stop assignment so far this year. I hope this one sticks, because I love it! Right across the street, and they can leave the house about 15 minutes later than they have been. I can watch them at their bus stop from the comfort of my usual chair. In fact, they were waving at me just before the bus came :) via Facebook
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
September 11, 2012 at 03:50PM
This afternoon I went to a water aerobics class. For senior citizens. And it kicked my hiney! I'm not too sore (yet), but I feel like my energy has been squeezed out of me like toothpaste. Toothpaste squeezed neatly from the bottom of the tube so there's nothing left. Not the kind from a kids' bathroom that's just twisted and smooshed so it's really only half gone. via Facebook
Monday, September 10, 2012
September 10, 2012 at 06:55PM
I made homemade pizza for dinner tonight. It was good enough that Michael had seconds. Which is kinda a big deal since the major ingredient in the crust was something I don't think he's ever eaten before: cauliflower! No grains involved... does that make it something you could eat Joseph? It was really quite good. via Facebook
September 10, 2012 at 11:26AM
Rough dental morning for us. Michael chipped a tooth and I broke about half a tooth right off! Ugh. On a more positive note, though, I just finished doing vision screenings on 1/8th of the elementary school (there were 8 of us who ran all the kids through in less than 2 hours. Phew!). I tested all 3 of our girls and they can all see just fine. I'm grateful for the little things right now, lol. via Facebook
Saturday, September 8, 2012
September 08, 2012 at 03:44PM
Note to self: No matter how clever you are about wearing goggles, face mask, and gloves while washing and juicing carrots, if you are an idiot and don't take any precautions above washing your hands before and after removing the frozen juice cubes from the tray, you're gonna get a migraine anyway. Dummy. via Facebook
Friday, September 7, 2012
September 07, 2012 at 05:17PM Recipes, Breads
I'm currently eating this: http://pinterest.com/pin/160440805446239903/ made with fresh raspberries I picked this morning from McBride Briar Patch and Ghiradellii dark chocolate chips.
September 07, 2012 at 05:10PM
Sabrina was just asking what the name was on a book. It was Carol Higgins Clark. She said that was funny because it sounds like her teacher, Chlorine Clark. Which actually WAS funny because it's Corinne Clark, not Chlorine. via Facebook
September 07, 2012 at 12:54PM
Beautiful morning! Dropped the kids off at school, cleaned out the van (okay, that part wasn't so pretty), picked up my fabulous sister-in-law and two of their kids and went raspberry picking! Then on the (roundabout) way home I stopped by the library for a new audiobook. I checked out and was almost out the door (with 5 audiobooks and two paperbacks *sigh*) when the "Friends of the Library" shelves caught my eye. I usually glance across them, but today I ran across 5 books I simply had to get. Fortunately the librarian had some plastic sacks for me to haul all the stuff back to the car. Now: dishes, and baking! I've got my heart singing for some Dark Chocolate Chip Raspberry Bread! via Facebook
Thursday, September 6, 2012
September 06, 2012 at 09:26PM
I was part way through a Doctor Who episode this afternoon. I was just going to finish watching it before going to bed. I forgot that the episode is "Blink". I'll never sleep again. via Facebook
September 06, 2012 at 02:08PM
In case any of you with boys have a spare suit size 6 or 7 (maybe could make 8 work?) that you're done with, I'd love to take it off your hands! I promise to send it on to a boy in need after Halloween. Bonus points if it has pinstripes :) Sabrina wants to be the 10th Doctor (Doctor Who, David Tennant's version) for Halloween. I found some great Converse for her to wear (for $2 at a thrift store!), but I have a feeling a dirt cheep or free child's size suit is going to be harder to find. And on a related note: the 10th Doctor in a tuxedo?! Lovely. (Season 3 of the reboot, The Lazarus Experiment) via Facebook
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
September 05, 2012 at 08:33PM
Started the day at my first ever PTA Meeting. I've always been part of the PTA, and even helped out at some school things, but this was the first time I've made it to an actual proper meeting. No good deed goes unpunished, though -- I was designated the person in charge of the Box Tops / Soup Labels / etc. for the school. At least there are some helpers and I can contact them all by email :) I think it will actually be a good project for me. via Facebook
Monday, September 3, 2012
September 03, 2012 at 06:19PM I wouldnt mind having a split personality
Split personality could be handy!
September 03, 2012 at 04:16PM
Watching the end of Season 2 (Doctor Who, of course). Doomsday. It's so sad :( via Facebook
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