Mid-Week Snippets April 6, 2011

 Here is a picture Blake snapped of me reading in bed. My happy place.

 Another of the rare Blake naps. I guess since it's becoming so rare, I photograph it when I can. Isn't this sweet with his little feet, one folded on top of the other?

 Blake wanted me to ship him via Flat Rate Priority Rate, apparently. That boy LOVES boxes!

I really love the art that Blake makes. On paper. I could really do without the art he makes on his face.

And one more. A sneak peek at the start of a big project. Mum's the word. 

Hey, could you do me a favor? Will you stop by my etsy shop and tell me your favorite item? I'm sort of in a place where I'm probably going to need to narrow down the number of items that I can keep up with, so I'd love the input!

Growing Up Before My Eyes

Blake recently had a hair cut and he looks so grown-up now! It was as if his babyhood fell away with those curly locks.
 

Before

After. Isn't he handsome?

He also doesn't nap regularly anymore. Once in a while, though, on a long hard day, he'll zonk out. Like this:

So sweet.

It's also fun to watch him grow and develop his own interests and sense of humor. For instance, he thinks squirrels are awesome and hilarious. He calls them all "Jumpy." Here is one that made him laugh hysterically. Blake also loves checking the mail, so this squirrel, who apparently has the same interest, was a cause for delight for sure.

I love so much being home every day with him and getting the pleasure of watching him grow and change and develop.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Valentine's Cookies

In the mood to make something yummy and Valentine-y for Nate and Blake, I got up early this morning  to make these beauties.

They are peanut butter cookies with little hearts of raspberry jam in the center! I first got the idea from the Feb issue of Martha Stewart Living. But I have a secret. Being the lazy baker that I am, I totally used a peanut butter cookie mix. These only took 40 minutes to make a batch of 3 dozen!

Here's what I did: I whipped up the cookie mix. I rolled dough into balls and put on 2 large cookie sheets. I pressed the heart shapes into the balls with my thumb. Refrigerated the heart-stamped balls for 20 minutes. Put in oven (375*) for 12 minutes (though next time I make these, I will probably go with 350* or lessen the time. They got a little darker than I prefer). Removed from oven, reinforced the heart shapes with the end of a wooden spoon (despite the refrigeration, the heart shapes melted away a bit). Filled hearts with a tiny bit of jam. Put back in oven for 6 minutes. Put on cooling racks!

They were a hit with Blake as you can see. We'll see what Nate thinks when he gets home. I'll probably make another batch for his parents and brother when they are in town later this week. Happy Valentine's Day!