Tamara normally writes on here, but I have taken it over for one special day. Today is our 8th anniversary of our marriage, and I have loved every minute that I have been with her. She is my joy and my life, and a day without her is like a day without sunshine. Trust me, I know, because for eight long months last year, we spent the whole week apart and would see each other just for a few hours each weekend. Through it all, she stayed by my side and supported me, even when the going seemed to be too tough to handle. And I know she’ll be there no matter what else comes our way.
I love you, Tamara, and I hope we get to spend 80 more years together (although we will be quite old by then!)
Here is a little something I put together to remember our special day.
This past weekend Phil’s brother and his wife, David and Grace, came up for a quick weekend visit. Saturday we went to the Cheesecake Factory, IKEA, and the Braves game. If you go to Cheesecake Factory anytime soon, make sure you try the Red Velvet cheesecake. It is so yummy, and $.25 of any slice goes to Feeding America. Last year they raised over $400,000. Connor and Savannah had a great time at their first baseball game. It was a quick, busy weekend, but it was great to spend time with family.
ser·en·dip·i·ty (n) the art of making happy discoveries, or finding unexpectedly pleasant by chance or sagacity
If you are ever in Manhattan, you have to stop by Serendipity 3; they serve this blow your diet, creamy, dreamy, icy blend of chocolately goodness.
Frozen hot chocolate and popcorn is one of my favorite snacks and I have definitely passed my love for this yummy snack on to my kiddos.
I included the recipe for the frozen hot chocolate! It is “yummy in the tummy” according to Connor.
Frozen Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 6 half-ounce pieces of a variety of your favorite chocolates
- 2 teaspoons storebought hot chocolate mix
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3 cups ice
- Whipped cream
- Chocolate shavings
Preparation
Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place it in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted. Add the cocoa and sugar, stirring constantly until thoroughly blended. Remove from heat and slowly add 1/2 cup of the milk and stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
In a blender place the remaining cup of milk, the room temperature chocolate mixture, and the ice. Blend on high speed until smooth and the consistency of a frozen daiquiri. Pour into a giant goblet and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Enjoy with a spoon or a straw. . . .or both!
Most mornings I try to beat everyone up so I can exercise. If that doesn’t happen, I have some cute little exercise buddies to workout with.
I attempted yoga one time with the kiddos and decided that yoga was best done alone. It’s hard to hold a pose when your 3-year old thinks it’s completely hilarious to knock you over!
These pictures were taken when I was doing a Jillian Michaels workout. Throughout the workout, she will always say, “I know your tired but keep it up.” Now Connor’s favorite thing to say is “keep it up, Momma.” Now that’s what I call an awesome personal trainer!
You can’t beat the combo of chocolate, marshmallow, and cookie. Yummy!
Flour and sugar plus 4 kids equals a huge mess, but they had so much fun and the finished product was oh so good!
S’mores Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup light-brown sugar
1 large egg
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, cut into 30 squares
15 large marshmallows, halved horizontally
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse oats until finely ground. Add flours, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; pulse to combine. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, scraping down side of bowl. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture just until combined.
Drop dough by tablespoons, 1 inch apart, onto two baking sheets. Top each with a chocolate square. Bake just until lightly golden, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Remove sheets from oven; heat broiler. Top each cookie with a marshmallow. One sheet at a time, broil until marshmallows are lightly browned, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.
