This and That

As mentioned in a previous post, when my in-laws were in town from Maine, they helped us with some landscaping. Our two maple trees out front are doing beautifully, but I'm not quite sure about our hydrangea in the back. Our dog, Morgan, had a few rounds with it...although she never actually dug it up, she just got close to the original root system. I am convinced it will live though, as she hasn't messed with it in a couple of weeks and the blooms are still looking good:

Time will tell - I think it should bloom in color by July. :) 

In other news, our handy man got to work and installed a fan in the kitchen:

Hallelujah! It makes a HUGE difference when I am baking or cooking, especially in the afternoon or evening hours when the sun hits the kitchen full force. Major thanks to my father-in-law for installing it for us! He is on the docket to install one in Eden's room soon. :) 

Next up, we have a little recipe experiment. I found a recipe for chocolate chip cookies on pinterest (of course) and decided to try it. I have never been able to make good cookies, they are always too crispy for my liking. This recipe called for vanilla pudding and seemed a little different so I thought it was worth a try. Here is my little helper, who had to stay on the sidelines this time, due to a runny nose (she still got to enjoy the benefits of helping, including licking the spoons):

The finished product:

Those look pretty close to perfect, if I do say so myself!

We had a fun week last week, enjoying coffee with friends, shopping for a baby shower, and having dinner out with some of our closest friends, Rebecca and Glenn:

Their daughter, Holley, is our favorite babysitter, so the kids got an evening with her while us adults went to Red Lobster and perused the mall. They are dear friends, always helping us when we need it. In fact, Rebecca is watching the kids for us all day this Friday so I can head out to the beach. We are blessed with such wonderful friends!

Lastly, I couldn't help but add this picture - I went to check on the kids yesterday (they usually play in Eden's room most of the day) and I could see their sweet little reflection in Eden's mirror. Thought it was cute!