Chocolate Goodness

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup margarine

1 egg

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

6 to 8 ounces chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together brown sugar and margarine. Add egg and mix together. Add flour, salt, and vanilla, and mix together well.Spread dough onto cookie sheet to a thickness of 1/4 to 1/2-inch.Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until slightly brown.Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top. Return to oven for 1 minute.Remove and spread melted chips over the top.Cut into squares.

I stole this recipe and picture from the pioneer woman website but i made them for Bear and they were a huge hit. To make this a little bit more healthy I substitued out the 1 cup of margarine with apple sauce.

Good Luck and Enjoy!!

Loving the warm weather

 Gardening

Flowers + Warm Weather =  a pretty backyard 

Before

After 

Easter

Long overdue.. 

Easter is my favorite holiday. I love that easter bunnies fill the homes and eggs are decorated into beautiful pieces of art. I still love the idea of Easter Egg Hunts. There is something mysterious and fun about finding a piece of bright plastic with candy inside of it. Chocolate seems to get better this time of year. Chocolate eggs and bunnies will bring a smile to children and adults alike. Oh I just love it and this year was no different. Bear and I had a wonderful Easter, it started off with brunch at our house with our neighbor and very quickly turned to a relaxing day. We took advantage of the nice weather and went for a walk and read outside. And yes, we even did a small Easter Egg hunt for each other and our dog. 

Bear gets very creative with his Easter Eggs. He got the crayons and stickers out. 

 Don't Judge: Above is Shento finding a Easter Egg with a dog treat in it. Yummy  Cherry Blossom trees are everywhere in the East and they are so beautiful and elegant looking. This is one that is right outside in our backyard. 

 Don't judge #2: The Easter Bunny brought Shento a stuffed animal dog that was dressed as a bunny. 

Thank you to my Mom who keeps the tradition alive with see's candy every Easter. But when i went to take a bite of one of the chocolates, I noticed that Bear had taken a bite out of each one. I guess he could not make up his mind on which flavor he wanted. 

A fun filled trip to Utah

Bear, myself, and Liz who we miss so much already!! 

Bear and Liz. This is one of my favorite pictures :) 

Susan and Bear skiing at Deer Valley 

 We really enjoyed playing charades at my parents house. Too bad Bear and I have a telepathic connection and won every-time. 

We went to the i-max 3D underwater adventure. My Dad and I looking good in our 3D glasses. 

Taking a walk near Bridal Vail falls, Provo. It was perfect weather for a walk. 

Introducing Allie. Bears parents new puppy. She is the cutest thing ever. 

Thank you all for making this trip so amazing.

Utah here we come...

We will be in Utah tomorrow and both Bear and I are so EXCITED!!

A State of Emergency!!

Warning... Warning... New Jersey and New York is in a state of emergency, well last Monday they were. There was 2 inches of snow and our entire state including New York was in a weather emergency. All the schools were closed, most businesses were closed, and most grocery stores were CLOSED. Bear and I just laughed; this would be an everyday snow fall if we were living in Utah but for the east coast this was way too much to handle. Don’t get me wrong, we are not complaining. We loved having a snow day. We watched movies, took a walk in the winter wonderland, and enjoyed the extra day off.

I guess it comes with being married,

Bear and I have been married for 8 months and six days exactly. These past months have been very exciting for us, as we ventured to the east coast and started calling New Jersey home. Who knows what the next 8 months have in store for us but whatever it may be I are ready and knowing that I have Bear by my side makes me feel like I can accomplish anything. This move and lifestyle change has really impacted our relationship for the better. Bear has always been my best friend but recently he has become my bestest friend in the whole world. I see our relationship growing each day and it brings such a huge smile to my face. The bond that we have created is something that I never thought was possible with two human beings.

Valentines Day

I am a Lucky Girl

Valentines Day is just another day and the fact that on just that day you are suppose to be romantic and cute has never been something that I have been very fond of. Bear and I had agreed that this year we were not going to do anything special and just enjoy the day together. Was I in for a BIG surprise. 

I woke up to a decorated kitchen with beautiful flowers and candles neatly arranged in a heart shape. 

Blueberry pancakes made by the one and only chef hubby. 

An agenda filled with a full day of surprises. 

1st Surprise 

Ice Skating outside

2nd Surprise

A fun lunch 

3rd Surprise 

Bear brought me to a spa to get a massage 

4th Surprise 

A wonderful dinner made by Bear that consisted of: Shrimp scampi and pancetta fennel salad

5th Surprise 

Laughing and talking by our fire place

 

And last but not least..... I did do something for Bear. I bought him a bear statue and a bag of skittles, hidden in the skittles was 100 reasons why I love Bear. I had tied a balloon to it and put it outside in front of our window for Bear to discover.  

Out with the old, in with the new.

A couple weeks ago I got a wild hair to re-design our extra bedroom/bears office.  On my way home from work I spotted ace hardware. On a whim i pulled into the parking lot, walked in, and realized I new nothing about paint. What does high gloss, flat, and satin mean? All I wanted was grey paint that would go on my wall. The nice workers at ace hardware realized that I was unsure and guided me through the process of buying paint. Stormy grey was the color and I was headed home to try to convince the hubby that this was a GREAT idea. He knew something was up when I walked in the house with a bucket of paint and some brushes but after a little sweet talking he was onboard and even offered to help (what a good husband I have. He supports me though all my crazy ideas). Now that I got my paint and Bear was supporting this ideas I was on my way of creating a functional yet vintage design that both Bear and I could enjoy (along with all of our guest that come and visit). 

I am sorry that we don't have any good pictures. I guess that means you will have to come visit to see the room yourself :) 

Before: 

After:

I painted two walls in the extra bedroom and on part of the wall we painted vintage looking flowers. 

I covered the chair bottom with fabric and cushion. 

The dresser that I repainted. (Mom this is the dresser we bought at that awesome estate sale)

Here is a video that kinda gives you an idea of what it looks like. I am sorry that it is sideways. 

I'm in LOVE 

with these two