Heath Bar Cookies

I recently spotted this recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe, a wonderful food blog. These cookies weren't escaping me until they were hot out of the oven and in my tummy! If you know what is best for you, you will make these cookies asap!
Yes, I know... I am still working on my food photography :)

Heath Bar Cookies
*Note: this recipe requires chilling the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes, so plan ahead!

*Makes about 4-5 dozen cookies (I got about 3.5 dozen..)

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped Heath Bar pieces (Eight 1.4 ounce bars) or 1 (8-ounce) package of chocolate-covered or regular toffee bits

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. In a large bowl (or the bowl of an electric stand mixer), with an electric hand held mixer, beat together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs and vanilla and mix until the mixture is very light in color and creamy. Add the flour mixture and stir to combine. Once it is about halfway combined, add the heath bits and mix until all the ingredients are mixed together. Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes to an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. On cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or a Silpat liner, scoop the cookie dough into about 1-inch balls. Place the dough about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets (these cookies have a bit of spread to them!). Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are just starting to brown. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Preggo Beach Day

Since the weather miraculously took a turn for the better, we headed down to the beach! Our friends Charlie, Sofia and Luna joined us! Sofia is literally about to pop, due April 4th and I still have about 9 weeks give or take :)
*Hide your eyes if any of this offends you!

pictures were a sensitive subject :)

naked baby!

Luna pondering

Preggo 1 and preggo 2

Family photo

Belly Bump!

My view from up above...

Baby Shower for Sofia!

My dear friend Sofia is expecting her 2nd baby and its a BOY! Lots of friends got together to celebrate her upcoming arrival...
There was tons of yummy food and delicious homemade cupcakes!
We were also required to play a game I have never heard of. First, you have to chew up 2 pieces of bubble gum and then form that chewed up gum into a little baby figurine. The person to create the best baby figurine wins! It was probably one of the stranger things I was asked to do at a shower :)

31 Weeks

Little blurry but you get the idea....

9 weeks and counting... oh dear! Time is flying by.
Baby P is approximately the size of a head of lettuce. Weighing in at around 3.2 pounds and 18 inches long.
Baby P is moving furiously and I swear it confuses my uterus for a jungle gym half the time.
We are starting to think about the baby's room and very thankful for some of the hand me down items we have received so far :) Every time I walk by that room it seems so empty but I know in literally just a few short weeks there will be a little baby in there. The anxiety is setting in.... in a good way... but I'm not sure if I would rather stay pregnant for a few more months to get more comfortable with the idea of actually having a BABY! I'm sure being pregnant for a couple more months will quickly change my mind :)
This was just for fun... I swear I'm not really that big... I was totally sticking my belly out... ha I'll try to think of some more excuses later!

Garden Update

Our garden keeps growing believe it or not. I was pretty sure everything was going to die off but lucky for us, our veggies and fruits are almost ripe enough to eat!
We have even added to our bunch - Heirloom tomatoes and grape tomatoes as well as heirloom bell peppers and mini bell peppers. We will stop at some point but for now it is just too much fun!

Watching our garden grow...

Our garden that we planted a few weeks ago has started to take off. Thanks to all the sparatic rain and sunshine, we may have fruits and veggies before we know it!
Unfortunately, the snails and bug have found our lettuce and mushrooms found a cozy home near the strawberries but hey, at least its organic!

Mr. and Mrs. Hansen

Last Saturday, we were invited to our friend's wedding in Ojai. Chris and Erin are two wonderful people we met many years ago, when Tyson and Chris were working together on the hand crew. They have been together for quite a while and decided to tie the knot. Their wedding took place at the beautiful Acacia Mansion in Ojai. The weather was beautiful... following some rain, I was a little nervous Friday when it was overcast and drizzling. Luckily, the sun came out and I literally felt like I was on a little vacation in Ojai.
The property was wonderful... there was a very large house, open to the guests of the wedding to use and admire throughout the event. The reception took place on a large patio surrounded by citrus trees and twinkle lights. In the back, there was a quaint little garden where appetizers were served as well as a classic Saloon with a bar and pool table. Around from that were live animals that lived on the property. Two horses and a massive white dog.
The ceremony was beautiful and Erin looked amazing! Ever since I have known these two, they are always the life of the party... and ANYONE would back me up on that. They are always the first on the dance floor and the last to leave! It was a night that will be remembered, and as you can see from the pictures... maybe not for some of the guests :)

Beautiful AND Delish!

Ty feeding the horse... Who won?

Yes, there were costumes...

The dancers of the evening!

The Girls...
There was an airplane making contest and who do you think won??? Tyson of course!

Then it just went downhill from there... I got to watch it from sober eyes... hilarious!

Luckily, we caught one pic for us.... Baby P even made an appearance! This is the 28 week update. That's quite a belly!

Daddy Practice

For the past two weeks, I have been attending a prenatal workout class at the YMCA. Sofia is my partner in crime. Finding a babysitter for her daughter Luna is often a challenge, so Tyson offered to watch Luna while we boogied our bellies away.
Sofia and Luna came over to our house around 12:30pm and we set Ty up with all the necessary precautions... diapers, snacks, car keys, car seat, and the baby backpack. Tyson is one of Luna's favorite people, so it was NOT hard to leave her. As we were headed out the door, we could hear Luna laughing and playing... she was obviously in very good hands.
During our class, I was thinking about Ty and what he and Luna might be doing together, also about the fact that it was his day off and he was signed up to watch a 2 year old for 2 hours. I wouldn't ever question his ability to care for Luna... he is already an amazing daddy.... I was just worried that this daddy practice might scare him in preparation of our little bundle. I was very wrong :)
We arrived home just past 3pm and we could still hear Luna laughing and playing. We walked otuside and there was Luna - naked with one foot in each dog bowl filled with water. She was having the best time and Tyson was all smiles of course. Tyson filled Sofia in with their activities... they walked to the park with Kayda and played on the swings, slide and gave sticks to the dog. They walked home (Luna in the baby backpack... wish I had a picture of that!) and immediately went outside to play in the water. When it was time to go home, Luna gave Tyson the baby backpack and begged for him to strap her in it. He walked her out to the car and tucked her in her car seat. Sofia and Luna drove off and Ty looked at me and said, "That was a lot of work!"
Two hours goes by very fast but those two are like two peas in a pod! I can't wit to see our little 2 year old with Dad.... I am sooo lucky to have a husband that loves the outdoors, loves nature and is NOT afraid to get dirty. At this point, I can't see past the newborn stage for our baby but whatever might be in store for that little baby is surely an adventure!

I don't have any pictures to share but I think Eddie took a secret video of Tyson in the baby backpack.... so there might be an update in store :)

Baby countdown: 12 weeks, 6 days
The baby is as big as: a head of cauliflower (16 inches, 2.5 lbs)