red and pink monster cookies

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“Monster cookies” are a constant request I get from men when talking about Flour Loves Sugar.  (Why don’t I have any in my shop?  Beats me. )  But while dreaming up sweets for our littles to send out for Valentine’s Day, monster cookies came to mind. The pink and red M&M’s made them a perfect match for our over-sprinkled sugar  cookies and homemade Valentines.  They turned out so yummy that I contemplated adding them to my shop instead of sharing the recipe- but I decided they were too fun to not share.  And yummy.  Far too yummy.

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Monster cookies are fabulous because they are packed with all of the best stuff.  Oats, peanut butter, chocolate, M & M’s.  Combine these four and you’ve got the perfect cookie.

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red and pink monster cookies
 
Ingredients
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temp
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1½ cups creamy peanut butter (I prefer Jiff Natural!)
  • 2 eggs (also room temp)
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2½ cups flour
  • 1 cup quick oats (If you only have old fashioned, toss them in your food processor!)
  • 1 12oz bag M&M's
  • 1½ cups chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F, and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In your mixer, combine butter and sugars. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl between each addition. Mix in your vanilla.
  3. In a seperate bowl, mix flour, salt, baking soda and oats.
  4. Combine the dry ingredients into your butter mixture, and beat until just incorperated.
  5. Add M&M's and chocolate chips, and stir them in by hand.
  6. Bake at 350F for 12-13 minutes, until lightly brown on top.

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I would venture to say that these are my favorite cookies I have blogged to date. That means you really, really, need to try them. I promise they will satisfy your sweet tooth, and probably your Valentine’s, too!
shansig

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top 10 shades for spring

Looking down at freshly painted piggies is one of the simpler joys in life.  It’s also a great activity for those of us stuck indoors day after day after long winter day.  This past weekend Jettie asked for a little mani/pedi pampering and it dawned on mean that our shade selection is in desperate need of an update.  What better guide to follow than Pantone’s top 10 colors for Spring!  Beautiful soft pastels and blasts of bold color – this season’s list has something for everyone:

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1Essie Bikini not so Teeny 2Butter London Macbeth 3Sephora Collection Banana Split 4Butter London Muggins 5Essie Turquoise & Caicos 6Nails Inc Sheraton Street 7Ciatè Hopscotch 8Illamasqua Velocity 9Dior Safari Beige 10Topshop Awol

Happy nail painting!

brandyjsig

 

 

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my valentine (twenty weeks)

Last week I went on and on about how fabulous pink and red are together.  Clearly I am obsessed and quite honestly not totally to blame.  Who wouldn’t need a jolt of color in this beautiful yet never ending white winter we are experiencing.  When purchasing this top and midi skirt I was envisioning those first warm days of spring and just a jean jacket.  Waiting for green grass however is no longer an option.  Taking matters into my own hands but pumping some much needed bold hues into the monochromatic scenery.

pink_and_red_20_weeks_1 pink_and_red_20_weeks_2 pink_and_red_20_weeks_3This shoot was within hours of no longer being 20 weeks pregnant.  Add that to the fact that the (not so) little mister is measuring 8 days ahead of schedule and I should be 22 weeks.   I realize this is not how it works but I’ll pretend it is for my own sake.  At the halfway point with Jettie I remember feeling much smaller, even though I weighed more than I do this time around.  Crazy what sort of mind tricks being cutoff from physical activity will do to a person.  Gosh I miss the endorphin surge and tighter legs but let’s be honest, there is a miracle growing inside of me.  There will be plenty of time for working out later (well, sort of).

pink_and_red_20_weeks_4 pink_and_red_20_weeks_5|WEARING| H&M skirt/H&M tank/jean jacket similar/scarf similar/gloves similar/H&M tights/Target metallic pumps/clutch similar

brandyjsig

 

 

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hello baby

Sticky, Jettie and I are over the moon to announce…

gender_reveal_rammel_1A lil man.  In our family.  How incredibly amazing!  He looks good too – growing ahead of schedule, healthy and fidgety like his old man.  Jettie has claimed since day one that there is a baby brother in my belly.  (Then again if asked whether it’s a boy or girl she still says girl – we’ll work on that.)  Sticky and I on the other hand were completely surprised.  It’s not that we were leaning towards girl.  For whatever reason this time around we had no gut feeling.  Obviously all anyone could ever wish for is healthy.  We would have been perma-smile, happy as clams either way.  And now that we know – wow.  A boy.  Oh my goodness a boy!

A very special thank to our Jettie Jean for standing in the arctic chill and giving us that big frozen smile.  We had 5 seconds and one shot before she turned into a complete popsicle.  We sure love you baby girl!

Yesterday, we came across an ig with the phrase “too blessed to be stressed”.  A simple yet powerful statement with pure truth to it.  There are a hundred reasons I could list for being stressed.  Yet it only takes a few far better ones not to be.  His warm embrace, her giggle, his ultrasound picture.  Life is good.  We are blessed.

Here’s to a weekend full of joy and blessings!  Thank you for sharing in ours!

brandyjsig

 

 

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inspired by pink and red

Valentine season or not pink and red has always been one of my all time favorite color combinations. It’s bold, girlie and powerful. Separately they are perfectly lovely shades – put them together and they make a strong feminine statement. Whether it be a room or your look there are plenty of ways to infuse a little pink and red into your world:
pink_red_inspiration1bold look by Atlantic-Pacific 2Crewcuts hat & gloves 3fun striped bathroom 4Charlotte Russe color block bikini top & bottom 5Hollyhock painting by etsy shop perkypets 6Valentine cake by Wedding Chicks

brandyjsig

 

 

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