smitten kitchen’s oatmeal cookies

In the dead of winter, I long for a substantial cookie. No, I don't, but I liked the way that sounded. I long for cookies all the time. But when you live in Colorado and get 24 inches of snow between bouts of sixty degree weather, you need a treat that will sustain you through snow days. This dense cookie seems to do the trick just fine. Introduced to me by a girlfriend, I love her forever for it. You will too, that is, if you appreciate thick, chewy cookies dotted with an occasional raisin or two. Add in some milk chocolate chips for an added surprise. Suddenly, winter is bearable again.

via Smitten Kitchen

happy birthday, son!

photo courtesy Anders·RuffToday is my son's sixth birthday. We're taking him out to his favorite Italian restaurant and throwing in a few LEGO-inspired surprises here and there...details (and hopefully a few photos) to come! Until then, look at this over-the-top LEGO party from party divas, Maureen Anders and Adria Ruff. Have a great Monday!

down with downton?

photo by Uli WeberLike many of you, I've got Downton Abbey fever. The BBC mini-series has me swooning and so does its period fashion. I can't get enough of this upstairs/downstairs drama and neither can my husband! If you're new to this Masterpiece show, catch up on season one (with subtitles) on Netflix. Season two episodes are best found Sundays on PBS or online (if you don't DVR). If you're tired of your coworkers talking about Anna & Bates, O'Brien & Thomas, Mary & Matthew, then just give in already and unleash your inner Edwardian.

See details on the VOGUE photoshoot of ladies Sybil, Mary and Edith here.

february focus: budgeting

Dollar ReDe$ign Project concept by Dowling | Duncan

My new year's resolutions are going well; I'm STILL purging and organizing into month two which feels a lot like a slap in the face. I may or may not be a bit of a hoarder. February's focus is a scary one: budgeting. Ouch. Hate this subject. I'm going to try something this month that I haven't done since I was a kid: the cash envelope system. Ever tried it? Each pay period, I'll pull out how much cash we'll live off for the next two weeks. Everything from groceries to gas to entertainment pocketed into separate envelopes. The catch? Instead of spending on the go, I'll need to work backward and budget how much I have and try to conserve (so I don't run out). The good part is that I will allow myself rollover dollars; what I don't spend, I'll add to the next pay period. Something tells me that I won't have rollover...this will be a good exercise in self-control and learning to live on what we already have.

What budgeting techniques have you adopted that have helped you stretch your dollars?

‘supper’bowl menu

I might get into BIG trouble for saying this, but I'm not [that] much of a football fan. My husband, on the other hand, is ridiculously into the sport. Still, there's no holiday quite as fun as SuperBowl Sunday with its laugh-out-loud commercials, halftime wardrobe malfunctions and mouthwatering finger foods. Pinterest is bursting with shots of pregame foods not to mention blogs posting their XLVI menus. Here is my wishlist of foods to consume:

Clockwise from top left: Parsley root fries, My New Roots. Meatball sliders, bon appétit. Chocolate covered peanut-butter Ritz sandwiches, spoon fork bacon. Fried Pickles, BS' In the Kitchen. Any volunteers to cater our event?