Chocolate Lovers Beware...

And allow me to introduce you to the "Slutty Brownie." Hey, I didn't name it, but if you're trying to diet, the name totally fits.

They are super tasty, and super easy to make (especially if you cheat like me and use pre-packaged mixes).


1. Preheat your oven to 350.
2. Press a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough into the bottom of a greased baking pan.
3. Cover with a layer of Oreo cookies.
4. Pour brownie batter over the top.
5. Bake for 30 minutes.


Serve warm...and with a LARGE glass of milk. (You'll need it.)


If you want more detailed instructions, you can visit this link:


http://www.thelondoner.me/2011/06/slutty-brownies.html

ENJOY!

Ready for Christmas

I thought I ought to get at least one more post in before Christmas, since December is now nearing an end, and my last post was at the beginning of the month. I have made a goal to post more often, but since our life is well - normal - there isn't always a lot to write.

Of course the Christmas madness has hit, however, and we have been busy busy busy. I don't know where this past week went. We spent much of Wednesday at the Temple for a session and a sealing, because Ian and Victoria were getting sealed. We are so happy for them! I don't have any of the pictures we took outside. Go figure.

For the most part we've just been getting ready for Christmas. Here's Emmett modelling his Santa hat:

His grandparents bought it for him, and he was sure showing off for the camera. Tonight we decided to go to Layton park to see the Christmas lights. It's cold, so we got all bundled up and headed out. Luckily Emmett did stay warm, but unfortunately the bundling up made it a little bit difficult to see him in the pictures. Oh well. You get the idea:

It was a lot of fun! Emmett seemed to enjoy looking around at all of the lights. It's a small park, but we enjoy going there every year. We're hoping to get a chance to go to Temple Square as well, but we've been so busy that it doesn't seem like that will happen. Oh well. There's always next year.

Holy Wind!

Well, we had a water disaster earlier in the year, and I guess wind felt a bit left out. Yesterday was one of the worst windstorms in 13 years here in Utah. Winds topped 102 miles in Davis County. The freeway was closed and commutes were a mess, even on back roads, because of flying debris. We woke up to no power, and it was getting pretty chilly in our house! They were warning people that it could take up to 48 hours to restore power to all residents, and we were preparing ourselves for a stay at my parents' house. We spent the day there, and then came back at 5 pm to grab some stuff. Just as we were preparing to leave, the lights came back on. Thank goodness!

 I was a bit worried that there would be some damage to our fence. My dad's dog did, after all, run right through it. Oh well, a few missing planks are fixable, right? We've done it before. Well here is what we got:

I officially declare this $6,000 fence dead, after only 3 years. The dogs are currently refugees at my parents' house until we can get a new fence, and we're desperately hoping the home owner's insurance will help us out with it. They will, fortunately pay to fix our roof, which is now missing about one-third of its shingles.

I wonder if they will pay for this as well:

Yep. That's right. The wind rattled the car port so hard that the ceiling fell on my car. Luckily my car is sturdy (and apparently protected by the ghost of my grandmother - but that's a creepy story for another time) and had only a few minor scratches.

Our neighbors didn't fare much better. In fact, the entire neighborhood was pretty much re-decorated. Here's my neighbors yard. That USED to be a huge pine tree around the corner...

That piece of siding, so thankfully not on my side of the house, ended up in our yard, and I have no idea where that chunk of fence went. BUT...let's end on a happier note. Emmett is 4 months old! PEEK-A-BOO!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Villanedas!

Let the Holiday Madness Begin

While I won't get my decorations put up or break out the Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, I see nothing wrong with getting some shopping done a bit early. That's what we did yesterday, and it was super fun to shop for our little boy. It'll be a small Christmas this year. We got him some books and a cute musical sea-turtle toy. It was a lot of fun taking him to the mall though and letting him watch everything that was going on. He even got to meet Santa!

He did really well. He wasn't upset or anything, and Santa was really great. (Believe it or not, the beard was actually real!) 

Last night was also our first date night since Emmett came. We have just been so busy and money has been tight, that it unfortunately hasn't been possible for us to go until now. We went to Cafe Rio and then went to see Breaking Dawn, Part 1. That was my least favorite of the Twilight books, but I have to admit that the movie was pretty good. More exciting than the book for sure.

Now it's time for me to come down off of my Christmas shopping high and focus on Thanksgiving. I'm definitely looking forward to the food! (But that might just be because I haven't eaten breakfast yet and I'm hungry.)

Thank You Veterans

My dad is a veteran combat medic who served in Bosnia and two tours in Iraq. While in Iraq, he received the Bronze Star for actions and training that saved lives. He has since suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which has seriously impacted his life, and my mom's. We're proud of him for his sacrifice.

In honor of that and in honor of Veteran's Day, I wanted to post this picture of my dad meeting his grandson for the first time ever. He was undergoing a treatment for PTSD at the time Emmett was born and wasn't able to meet him until a couple of weeks later. We surprised him by taking Emmett to the airport to pick him up when he came home.

Thank you Veterans!

A Concerto...

By Emmett. Seriously, this toy was the best investment!