Updates & Apologies

Hey guys!! Sorry for the lack of postings lately, a lot has been going on around here! We bought a car - a silver VW Golf with black interior. I have been getting out on the road as much as I can. Rich has been a great driving instructor, and he says I am doing really well. I have been driving by myself, and I am starting to navigate on my own too. It's nice to have my own wheels again, and the Golf is fun to drive! I still order my groceries online - and I don't think that will stop any time soon!

I am also VERY pleased to report we have finally bought a new couch!! We have been looking for about 6 months, so I am thrilled we found something we both like. It will be bigger than in the picture above, with an extra section added on in place of the foot stool. We, of course, got the foot stool too! This thing will fill up the whole corner of our living room! We are really excited for it to get here, so we can start having more people over to watch UFC, movies, etc. But we still have to wait for it to be made - hopefully about a month or so. I'll be sure to post up when it arrives.

A Work in Progress...

Our first "really big" DIY project is well underway. We have plans to transform our backyard over the next couple of years, starting with the patio! This post is dedicated to Phase 1 of the project - removal!! Pictured above is a 6 yard skip. We filled the first and now the second skip! That's a lotta dirt! As a reference, here are some "before" pictures from last year:

Before: Overgrown & Neglected

We wanted a bigger & more attractive patio, and to get some usable space out of the side yard. So we decided to rip out the planters and all of the plants along the fence and ended up with this:

Step 1: before we knew better...

Step 2: bringing down the level

Step 3: starting to level off

We had some guys over last weekend to help dig, and they really made some progress!! They filled an entire skip in one day! The major part of the digging is now done, we need to get the whole thing level and then we can start laying some paving!

The First Slabs come up...

No more patio!! The thing in the middle is an inspection hole for the drains

I'm so stoked this project is coming along. With the side thrown in, it's a lot more work than we first thought. While digging, we discovered a lot of roots coming from the woodland towards the house. Since this can potentially damage the foundations, we are glad to be getting the project done now. Especially because once it's done, we will never have to do it again!! Stay tuned for part 2: the finishing...

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!

MMMMMMM. That's all I can say about this recipe, people. This one is a KEEPER! super easy to make, and the cookie really comes out looking and tasting like a "professional". I suggest you try...


I halved the recipe to make 2 dozen, but the original recipe can be found here on allrecipes.com 


Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs & vanilla until fluffy
3. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda & salt. Stir into butter mix.
4. At this point, I added about 2 tbsp of milk because my dough was really dry
5. Mix in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoon full on ungreased cookie sheet
6. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until just set. Do not overbake. Cool on cookie sheet slightly before transferring.

Yields 2 dozen

I should have made the full recipe - these only lasted 2 days!! Enjoy