This Unfamiliar Road

Last weekend, we enjoyed a family trip to The Georgia Aquarium!

I originally bought the tickets, along with a Sea Otter Encounter for Ben's birthday. We were bummed when they called the day before to reschedule the encounter due to "technical difficulties" but decided to make it a family day instead!
(And hey...we got 2 free admission tickets out of the deal)

We weren't sure if Peyton would enjoy the aquarium...that child was mesmerized!



An up close with the penguins!




Turtle time


Look. at. that. face.



And 2 minutes into the ride home...out like a light!


The husband and I will be returning soon for the Sea Otter Encounter, so stay tuned for {Part Two}!

It's been quite a while since I've participated in Five on Friday.
Here goes...




ONE. Baby Shower Fun
I am co-hosting a baby shower for a dear friend of mine and I am loving how things are coming together!



TWO. KitchenAid. Mixer.
A totally unexpected gift from my Mom for Christmas...I have been finding any and every excuse to use it.
Ain't she a beauty?




THREE. Planner
There's just something about that quiet time in the morning when I get to sit with my coffee and my planner. It's peaceful. It's happy.
(And yes, I totally used Mickey Mouse Clubhouse to entertain my child so I could have 20 minutes to myself)


FOUR. American Idol
I know I'm probably one of the few remaining fans, but I still love the original singing competition. I am happy with the {talented!} judges and I think this season is off to a great start!

Around the holidays, you ate so many treats & sweets you swore you would never eat another cookie ever again. But now it's the middle of January, and you're just craving a little something.
Wait...is that just me?

Well, my motivation was two fold: I wanted to satisfy that sweet tooth and I needed another excuse to use my new mixer!
So I will share this recipe for the BEST chocolate chip cookies (and the ingredient that keeps them so moist!)


What You'll Need 
{6 dozen}

4 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 Cups butter, softened
1 1/2 Cups packed brown sugar
1/2 Cup white sugar
2 packages (3.4oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 Cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 Cups chopped walnuts (optional)

 
 What You'll Do

1) Preheat oven to 350F.

2) Sift together flour and baking soda; set aside.

3) In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar & white sugar. Beat in instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in eggs and vanilla.

4) Blend in flour mixture, then stir in chocolate chips (and nuts).

5) Drop dough by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake 9-12 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.



**Tips:
~Start timer at 9 minutes and check cookies every 30 seconds. My perfect cookie was 10 minutes exactly. As soon as edges are brown, take them out!
~When you first remove from oven, they will look puffy and not quite done. Give them a minute and they will flatten as they cool. Then transfer to cooling rack.
~Chill dough between batches.
~Cool cookie sheet between batches by running under cool water.


The most important tip: Have an adorable taste-tester available!


Enjoy! (And you should probably share with some friends since this recipe makes 6 dozen)

Original recipe found here

I just love a recap post, don't you? Here is our year of 2013!

We rang in the New Year with this party animal. She made it until 8pm.

 We went on two road trips in January- Chattanooga & Tampa

Our nieces, Lily & Lacy

Our new friend, Wells

Our nephew, Xavier