Monday: Pick-Me-Up

I have been CRAZY busy for the past two weeks... so busy that my body is pretty much done. D.O.N.E. I am not planning on leaving the house today, I need to seriously clean this house and allow my body to catch up. I have had a head and neck ache for the past 3 days and I just feel completely run down. I also realized three-day weekends aren't as fun when your husband is deployed. But... I wanted to share this little guy with you:

Meet Moku! (Moku=Island in Hawaiian) When I got him, he was no more than 4 or 5wks old... probably too young to have been taken away from his mom. He didn't even know how to use a water bottle, so for the first week I had him drinking out of a dish. I am happy to say my little guy is using the water bottle now and slowly trying new foods. He's so stinkin' cute... and "Skinnie Piggie" once again has a piggie mascot!

How is your Monday treating you?

Love Across the Ocean

Five Valentine Days have come & gone... 2008/2009 we were still dating long distance (AZ-MD/CA-MD), 2010 we were actually together, 2011 he was training many states away, and finally this year he's thousands of miles away due to deployment.

I told him that Valentine's is just not our holiday, haha!

However, I am still feeling the love... an ocean away, in opposite directions... my husband and parents sent me lovely gifts.

Cute candy dish, cards, and beautiful flowers!

I hope your day has been full of love!

Double Chocolate Chip Brownies

While I was home my mom had me make a batch of box mix brownies for the men's shelter that she and her Bible study cook/bake for once a month. After I had made them and the house smelled delicious and my dad asked if I could make another batch. My mom had only bought the one box of brownie mix... so from scratch it had to be! That night, when we ate our first squares we were a little on the fence about whether or not the recipe was a keeper... the next two days won us over, maybe these brownies are like pasta? Better the second (and third) day! *All photos taken with iPhone.

Double Chocolate Chip Brownies

• 2 cups (12oz bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Heat oven to 350* & Grease 13x9in baking pan. Prepare ingredients for easy adding.

It was rotated when I uploaded it, I apologize!

STEPS

1. Melt 1 cup of chocolate chips and butter in a large saucepan over low heat, stir until smooth.

 2. Remove from heat, stir in eggs.

3. Stir in flour, sugar, vanilla, and baking soda.

4. Stir in remaining 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of nuts

5. Spread into pan and bake for 18-22min (insert toothpick in center-should be slightly sticky but not runny)
6. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Enjoy!
*If you want a richer brownie you could use milk or dark chocolate chips.

Let me know what you think if you make them!