Pumpkin Cookies with agave

I got a FABULOUS recipe off of Xagave.com for pumpkin cookies. Oh. My. Goodness. They are sooooo good! And I would say healthier than many treats because instead of sugar they contain agave, and I used all whole wheat flour that I personally ground my little ol' self. That counts for some goodness, right? Anyway, here is the recipe and the link to the xagave site where I got it from. They have lots of other yummy recipes also, that I am definitely going to try because this one came out so good. I get my agave at Trader Joe's. It is very decently priced. In fact, the best prices I've found. I know Sam's Club also carries it now, and you can buy it in bulk off Amazon. But the price is still about the same as Trader Joe's.

I also made banana bread with cauliflower the other day. It was top notch! I got it out of my Deceptively Delicious cookbook. Love that book!

PUMPKIN COOKIES

15 oz. can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups agave nectar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 cups chocolate chips
1-2 cups rolled oats (optional)

Steps:
Preheat oven to 325. Mix pumpkin, eggs, butter, agave, and vanilla with electric mixer until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and mix with pumpkin mixture. Add chocolate chips and oats (optional). Bake at 325 for around 12-14 min. or until fork stuck in middle of cookie comes out clean.

Note: For a crunchier cookie, add rolled oats. I don't believe in crunchy cookies, so I didn't add the oats. :)

8 Months Old!!

"Bear"ly There

Maybe it was a full moon, or a new black hole appeared in space, or something like that. I'm not sure what caused it, but my three-year-old son appears to be turning into a bear. I found this foot print he made the last time it rained... :)

Spa Day

Yesterday I had a spa day. The full treatment, too!! I had a manicure, a makeover, my hair done, AND a massage! I was going to post a picture of my nails, but my camera battery died. I'll try again later. I highly recommend the local place I went; it was called "Little Miss' Byood" (beauty for those who need a translation of that one). The cutest little stylist made me over, too... :)

Tortilla Flats

Monday was a day off of school (Civil Rights day), so we decided to take a little trip with the kids. Nothing too major, just get out of the house and be together sort of trip. We decided on Tortilla Flats. It's a favorite drive on the motorcycle because it's so fun to take the curves and dips on a bike. It was still fun in the suburban, but we did have a little man who got car sick. Poor little Dr. Destructo! He was literally green, and remained so for the rest of the night even after we got home. I felt so bad for the little guy! Anyway, we had a fun time in spite of this (he actually got most sick on the way home, after all the fun). We packed the baby in the back pack, which he LOVED, toured the gift shop, threw rocks in the little lake, went into the teeny-tiny "museum", took some fun pictures, and let the kids run around. Here are the pictures to prove we really were there. :)

Here's Dr. D and I throwing rocks into the water. A little boy's dream!


Little Miss posing for a shot. :)

And her dad posing his cute self for a picture...


Teeny Bopper reading something on the wall in the museum.


Blondie being chased by the metal horses? :)

Baby in the backpack. Daddy was so happy to be out with his fam!



Our next trip to Tortilla Flats is already planned. My birthday! It will be my turn for a ride on the bike with daddy and we are going to ride out there, have lunch, maybe get a birthday gift in the gift shop (they had some awesome turquoise jewelry...) and then ride home. I am looking forward to it!!

How many kids can you fit in a hula hoop?

While DH's sister and her family were in town, we had so much fun goofing around! Here's a picture we took with Grandpa and all the grandkids that were here in a hula hoop. We fit them all in! What a great picture, I LOVE it!! (I stole it off my sister in law's facebook page, heehee) :)

Birthday month

Sweet G sporting her loot. She is a lover of all things snowglobe.

I am so behind in everything, posting on my blog is just one of them. :) We have been busy little birthday beavers here in our house the last couple of weeks. So this post is dedicated to my January birthday-ers.
First we have DH, who likes to keep his birthdays on the quiet side. He quietly turned 37, and is cuter than ever in my humble opinion. He has recently lost 40 pounds, and is working hard to keep losing. He is an example to me in so many ways. He is always telling me what a great mom he thinks I am, and how beautiful he thinks I am. (he needs new glasses. hehe) But I want to let him know that HE is a FANTASTIC parent. He is so good at catching those precious teaching moments and making the most of them. I love watching him give the baby squeezes and gush over every little thing he does. I could never ask for a better partner in this life. Our special phrase is "I couldn't have picked a better wife/husband if I'd have picked her/him myself". We say this because we know that Heavenly Father matched us up and made sure we got it right. I thank the Heavens for this every day!
And THEN, as if having an awesome husband wasn't enough, we were blessed with a daughter who decided to come into our lives. 14 years ago today, in fact. Our little Teeny Bopper, who from day one has been an independent little creature. She loves her family, loves her friends, loves to have fun and be a goof but also loves to be quiet and has a stunning spirit about her. I am so proud of her for loving the Temple and making an effort to go so often. For her quiet yet strong resolve to make good choices and have good friends. This will make a huge impact for the good in her life! This is Teeny Bopper with one of her bff's who came over for her birthday dinner. They are a fun pair!


And then AGAIN, we were blessed with another lovely daughter 12 years ago this month. Our little Sweet G. She was blessed with a sweetness that I always wanted and never quite felt I had. She likes to do quiet service and is always on the lookout for ways to help me, her dad, and her siblings. She's the one who sneaks in and makes your bed while you are making breakfast or in the shower. She gives of herself without asking for favors in return. This quality will take you far, G! I bet there will be many good deeds done because of your influence on other people. Thanks for giving so much to our family! These are scenes from Sweet G's party: Band Hero (LOTS of Taylor Swift singing), pizza, and cake pops.



I sure love these people! Now, I'm ready for a break from all the birthdays for a while! :) Oh wait-Teeny Bopper has a party coming up...

Christmas mantel

I'm doing a re-post of sorts to show my Christmas mantel from last year on a Linky party.


I really kept it simple, and LOVED this look. All I did was make a FABULOUS garland, thanks to the Nester, and it totally made the mantle. I twisted 3 fake pine garlands together (that I already had), and basically just stuck in a bunch of stuff. Twigs, sparkly things, berries, etc. I found the red glass candle holders for $4 at Goodwill, and then just put our Christmas cards up there. Voila! This was the hardest thing to put away because I wanted to keep looking at it. Can't wait to bring it out year after year!

Welcome 2010!