I didn’t even think twice about pinning this lovely, luscious-looking “cookie” when I saw it on Pinterest last week.

Photo & Recipe – Texanerin Bakery

Peanut butter + chocolate? My two favorite things. Then I noticed the little “no sugar, no flour, no oil” tag and I thought – “Wow! Kinda healthy, too? TRIPLE bonus!” Of course I never even gave a thought to what it actually did have in it to replace all the good stuff.

We have been trying to eat “good for us” stuff around here lately – trying to be cognizant of our homemade ice cream sugar and processed food consumption. We haven’t been perfect, but all dinners this week have featured veggies from our CSA box and own garden and have been healthy and tasty. No Subway (eek!) or any other fast food, and minimal ice cream from that darn ice cream machine. (Ok, not really minimal, but in my defense…I do know that every ingredient in my ice cream is organic and I can pronounce it!!)

So when I started feeling a little chocolate urge last night, I pulled up this recipe and set to work. Garbanzo beans and honey. THAT is what replaces all the sugar, flour and oil? Um….ok. I had the beans and the honey and, of course, the Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips!

They are super quick, super easy and I pulled them out of the oven right as the girls were sitting down to dinner. I let them have one after dinner and they both were totally into them. Addie said hers was a little too “smushy” but Erin said that they “must be warm.” (I think her exact words were “But cold? Yuck. These need to be warm!”)

I actually really, really like chick peas. I eat them cold – so to me the cookies were good cold, but yes – they are delicious hot! It is that gooey chocolate and peanut butter and the chick peas just give it a little texture, but you definitely can’t taste them!

The cookie connoisseur of the house was not so convinced, however. I had showed him the pic after I pinned it last week and he commented on how good they looked. But when I said “there is no oil, sugar or flour in them,” and after swallowing his first bite, he asked, “Um…what is in it then?”

I told him and I’m not altogether sure he approved. I notice he did not take a plateful in to cozy up to and watch TV with like he usually does with my cookies.

But three out of four thumbs up in the house. That isn’t too bad a rating, I’d say.

Peonies. Now. At Trader Joe’s.

Don’t they just make you happy?

[Almost as happy as being able to see my dining room table again.]

That extra couple of days over the weekend has kinda thrown us for a loop around here. I am still thinking it is Monday, or maybe Sunday, but alas…it is almost nearly Wednesday already!

I finished up the last little bit of our mason jar lanterns from last week. J. helped me wire up the the handles this weekend. I found this much more pliable wire at Lowes…

And, voila! Now we have handles so we can hang our little candle holders…or just carry them around, I guess.

Hmmm…I guess I didn’t take a close up of them?

I’ve been a little bit preoccupied. The only other craftiness that has been going on is a full-on scramble for props & costumes for the church musical the girls are in this weekend.

Our little Eva (Silhouette machine) has been working overtime this week. Besides a bunch of stuff that I still need to photograph…it is already on set, so I’ll have to shoot some pics at the dress rehearsal, I cut the logo out of the flocked heat transfer vinyl and I just finished 40 tees for the cast & crew. So, that is my excuse for my extremely late post! (And crummy camera phone pics!)

Both ladies are in class plays at school this week and next, both are in the musical on Saturday, and Em’s dance recital is this weekend. So we are frantically trying to get all of the costumes for all of these activities in order. So I’m feeling that CT next week is just going to be more of the same. But please leave your crafty goodness so while I’m waiting at dress rehearsals and such, I can get some inspiration!

And I’ll be back soon.

(Ah, who am I kidding – I probably won’t be back til school is finally out and the last-two-week crush is all over.)

Ok, first of all – we so need to be better about taking photos of you, Nena. I might have found someone who is in less shots than I am. At any rate, we are sending you lots of birthday love today. Hope it is a great day – and the best year yet!

We love you! Happy Birthday!!
xo,
J, C, E & A

Most of you know that one of my best friends from high school has been battling
(and is going to win against!) breast cancer.
Since we couldn’t make it to Michigan to walk in her Relay For Life Walk on Friday, the girls and I wore our t-shirts all weekend and sent good thoughts to all of our friends who were able to turn out for her.
You can still donate to her team and help find a cure for cancer.
Way to go TeamVic!

To my Mom, who taught me all I know (and loves me no matter what shenanigans I’ve thrown her way over the years), to my sister who is the best friend to have in this world, and all of the moms in my life who have supported me in the path of motherhood and inspired me to be a better mom…I can’t say thank you to you all enough. I think the girls probably say (sing) it best today.

Happy Mother’s Day!
Love,
Care

Pretty much all I have been able to fit in around this here blog…little lists with some snapshots thrown in. It is crazy busy around here, but I really am loving every minute of it. And so, me thinks this is a good day to do a Friday Love…

Things I’m loving today:

Top of the list…my sister is coming to see me. To my house. Here in California. T-O-N-I-G-H-T! Woot! I have no idea what I’m going to do with her for the 24 hours (she is literally here for just only 24 hours!), but I’m hoping she is not planning on sleeping because I am going to soak up every minute I can with her.

Right behind my visitor excitement is the fact that we have a handyman who is pretty much tearing through my project list. Tomorrow he is coming to install all of the baseboards in our bedroom that he cut yesterday. After a year and a half (?) – we will finally have a finished bedroom. I can’t tell you how excited that makes me.

The baseboards needing to be painted today, also forced me to finally find a color for our trim. We had a little paint Goldilocks going on around here…”That one is too white! That one is not creamy enough. That one is too yellow.”

And I think…we have finally found one that is juuuust right! Benjamin Moore’s Chatsworth Cream. It’s pretty. Not that you can see it in my horrible florescent lighting in my garage, but trust me…I’ll take photos once it is up in our much better lit bedroom.

Other things my handyman completed…hooking up my new fridge and range! We are now cooking with gas – look out! And even though these beauties were really all I wanted for my birthday, I was treated to some other lovely gifts, too.

Sometimes I just wander into the kitchen and stroke my lovely double ovens, or give the fridge a loving pat and whisper kind words into it. There is nothing like making you feel truly like a grownup than buying new appliances. Even though we have bought 2 houses, these are the first REAL appliances we have had to purchase. So you can imagine my angst and the months of research and shopping. The dishwasher (the appliance that started the whole waterfall effect!) is on the list…J. just found it on a super sale! Then the appliance trifecta will be complete!

Our house has become a lego minefield. But I’m really loving it! Em is obsessed with the Harry Potter legos. (All you who sent her gift cards…this is what she combined them for!) I thought we were going to bypass the whole lego stage, but it is here and in full force! And it keeps them occupied for hours.

I have been putting away all of my awesome birthday gifts and snapping photos all week to share with you, but I almost think that deserves a post of all its own. So, maybe I can squeeze that together later this weekend after my sister leaves…oh, I did tell you, right? My sister is coming todaaaaay! 😉

And last but definitely not least, it is Friday. If that isn’t reason enough to be filled with love, I don’t know what else is.

Happy weekend, everyone. And to my most excellent mom, my mother-in-law, my sister and all of the lovely moms in my life – I wish you a day filled with love and peace. Happy Mother’s Day!

So, I turned 40 today. I think there has been a little trepidation of the big 4-0 for the past few weeks. I really liked being “thirty something.” Forty…40! It just seemed kind of…well, old.

But then I had a lovely “last night of being in my thirties,”  and I woke up to affirmations from my sweet husband that he “kinda liked having a 40-year old wife in bed next to him” and I realized that I didn’t really feel any different today than I did last week, or even last year.

So we started on with our day and went to get coffee and bagels. As I sat with our friend Mike, who we like to call our “California Dad/Grandpa,” I realized that I think we look forward to Saturdays with Mike and Zee as much as they do, and we are so incredibly lucky to start each Saturday out with them.

We went to pick up the girls who were staying with Aunt JB & Uncle Jeff while we went to the Coldplay (awesome!) concert on Friday night. And I thanked the luck of the universe that we have them to jump in when we need a little extra support, that they could offer the possibility of a sleep-in (even though we were both up before 8am!), and then they presented me with their most excellent “tower of 40” gifts. (And pretty, pretty flowers too!)

I now have gift cards to spend at each of my favorite stores and awesome little gifts from each as well.

J. and the girls gave me their sweet cards and presents. And even though we were “doing the kitchen” as my birthday present, a few little gifts slipped in – including a little blue box. I didn’t…couldn’t…complain too much. 😉

I was overcome with love just watching the girls in their pure excitement for me to unwrap “their present now!”  How grateful I am for all three of them. And how lucky I am to be so loved by them.

I have been facebooking about the 40 card project that my friend Jamie (in cahoots with J and my parents) had masterminded and executed with such care and love. Today I received many more cards and I continue to be in awe at the friends and family who took time to send me such great memories and love.

I’m up to 23 cards in…including some serious ones that qualify as works of art – not even in the same category as other cards! My mom and dad’s is like a mini-scrapbook! I’m so thankfuI to them since I know how long something like this takes to complete.

We arrived home after lunch and a movie to an entire basket of 40 different chocolates and more love from a dear friend.

Just when I think the day is complete perfection, J. whisks me off to a friend’s home where an entire intimate dinner party is waiting for me. My favorite people and an entire night of perfect fun.

We started and ended with a cake of some sort. The “cheese (birthday) cake.”

Every detail beautifully tended to.

Great food.

40…yes, FORTY little thoughtful gifts.

All my favorite kids joining us for the most amazing dessert…it has moved to top of my all-time list.

The evening ended with a launching of my very own “wish” lantern. Just like the lanterns in Rapunzel.

My one short day of being 40 has taught me…that I really like being 40. Really. It has taken me 40 years, but I finally feel like we are right where we are supposed to be. Here with my family, surrounded by loved ones, in our beautiful little community of friends. I have arrived, my friends, and while it has been quite a ride, I’m so happy to finally be here.

Thanks to the beautiful sunny weather sprinkled with some rainy days, Addie’s and my garden is booming. Our tomatoes are just hanging out waiting to ripen. Makes me happy this lovely Sunday morning.

Em was thrilled to get to ring not only chimes but BELLS as well this past Easter Sunday.  I absolutely love to watch her sing, play, and just thoroughly enjoy music so much. As I might have mentioned a time (or twenty) before, the musical genes skipped RIGHT over me. So I’m thankful they came out in her, and grateful her very musical Daddy can help cultivate her mad musical skills. Meanwhile, I’ll just sit back and enjoy the shows.

Jesus Christ Is Risen Today:

Chimes: (I missed half of this because I was trying to get my offering out of my purse…and couldn’t find my purse…and well, just completely unprepared!)

And the last song: (and a wink and near miss from Em – but nice recovery 😉