Andes Mint Cookies

I tried a new cookie recipe that I found on Pinterest.  The original recipe was found at Six Sisters' Stuff.

I love chocolate and I love Andes Mints and the recipe only has four ingredients so I figured I would make them as a Valentine's treat for our family.

Andes Mint Cookies

Ingredients
1 Devil's Food Cake Mix
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 package of Andes Mints

Directions
Mix cake mix, oil, and eggs together.
Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet. (I used my Pampered Chef scoop and it worked perfectly for this consistency of dough.)
Bake at 350 degrees for 6-9 minutes. Be careful not to overback them.
Take sheet out of oven and while the cookies are still very hot, place an Andes Mint on top of each cookie.
Wait 5 minutes until the mint has melted. Take a spoon and smooth out each mint like frosting.
My batch made 22 cookies.

The verdict from out family: 
My father-in-law and son loved them. 
Sarah and I did not care for them at all.  I guess we just like our mints and our cookies separate.
My husband does not like mints and wouldn't even try them.

These are super easy to make and with only four ingredients, you should give them a shot!  Someone in your house will thank you!

Andes Mint Cookies

http://beth-amomslife.blogspot.com/2012/02/andes-mint-cookies.html

Here's to Monday!

I haven't run in two and a half weeks.  And I've gained 2 and 1/2 pounds. 

I mentioned this to my dearly beloved husband and his kind and supportive response?

"Geez at that rate you'll gain over 50 pounds by the end of the year."

Thank you, honey.

My knee is feeling much better, my new running shoes have arrived and I plan on going for a short run on Monday.  I thought I would give the old knees a few extra days of rest just to be on the safe side. 

Meanwhile, I'm trying not to eat all the Valentine's candy that has made it's way into my house.  But those Lindor truffles keep calling my  name. And I have never been able to resist a truffle.

Monday will be here soon enough and I'm sure the truffles will be gone by then. 

Here's to Monday!

http://beth-amomslife.blogspot.com/2012/02/heres-to-monday.html

And now they are mine.

I rip into the red envelope that is waiting for me at the breakfast table.

I slowly pull out the card.  I open it and begin to savor the sweet words.

Tears form in the corners of my eyes like they always do, every time I read the words he has chosen for me.

I read it several times throughout the day.

He's at work but the words are right there speaking to me as I fold  laundry, whispering to me as I wash breakfast dishes, singing to me as I make dinner.

The words are simple, not flowery.  They are heartfelt, not insincere.  They are true, not counterfeit.

They are powerful. And now they are mine.

I write the date on the back of the card, slowly return it to it's envelope and carefully place it in the large box with all of the others.

And now they are mine.

http://beth-amomslife.blogspot.com/2012/02/and-now-they-are-mine.html

It was a good one.

Aunt Cathy arrived on Friday evening to surprise the kids.  In addition to some Mad Libs and a Clue game, she must have tucked a whole bunch of good luck into her overnight bag.

Sarah, who has not scored a basket (other than free throw shots) during the game since last season when Aunt Cathy visited, took a shot during the game and scored!

Sarah is the one with the long pony tail and the white short sleeves underneath her jersey and that's HER shot coming out of the basket!  Way to go Sarah!

And then, if that wasn't enough excitement for one weekend, Peter competed in his pack's Pinewood Derby and not only did he win 1st place in his den, he won 1st place in the whole thing!  He had the fastest car in the whole pack!  Way to go Peter!

Aunt Cathy, you're coming back next weekend, right? 

It was a good one.

http://beth-amomslife.blogspot.com/2012/02/it-was-good-one.html

Highlights from the dance.

Sarah and  Daddy had a wonderful time at the Father Daughter dance on Friday night.

When they arrived at the dance they picked up their corsage and boutonniere and then had their picture taken.

So sweet.

Then their night of dancing began!  They did the Chicken Dance, the Hokey Pokey, the Macarena, the YMCA and the Cha Cha Slide.  Below is photographic evidence that he actually did the Hokey Pokey.

You put your left elbow in.  You put your left elbow out.

At one point in the evening, they had everyone form two lines facing each other and had the dads come dancing down the center doing their best dance and then all the little girls voted on who was the best dancer. Dan did not win this award but according to him Sarah didn't even vote for him.  Her defense "well the other daddy was really, really good!".

Oh how I would have loved to have seen my sweet husband dancing down the center of these two lines.  Sarah - if you ever in your life doubt that your daddy loves you, I will have to remind you of that moment.

Here they are in the line watching the dads do their best dancing.  They are holding hands.  So sweet.

They also had lots of opportunities to "boogie" as Sarah likes to call it.

Here they are getting their groove on.

Sarah and her friend Mia danced a lot of dances together.

Sarah and her friend Mia.

More Sarah and Mia

And it wouldn't be a Father-Daughter dance without at least one slow dance. 

Sarah has already announced that they will definitely be going back again next year! That gives Dan a whole year to practice his moves so he can win the Best Daddy Dancer award!

Highlights from the dance.

http://beth-amomslife.blogspot.com/2012/02/highlights-from-dance.html

Betcha you didn't know....

...that if you type "pirate treasure hunt clues" into Google, my blog will be the first result that comes up.  Pretty impressive, huh?  I thought so too.

A little less impressive? I'm #4 if you type in "strange perversions".



**Don't forget - You have until Wednesday at 9:00 pm to leave a comment on this blog post for a chance to win a copy of  I Just Can't Take It Anymore.  (And just so you know, you don't have to have your own blog.  Just make sure you leave a way for me to get in touch with you if you are the winner.)

Betcha you didn't know....

http://beth-amomslife.blogspot.com/2012/02/betcha-you-didnt-know.html

I Just Can't Take It Anymore! Giveaway.

And the winner of the book giveaway was Snarky McGee!  Congratulations, Snarky!

 *************************************************************************
Relax, Mom!  Everything's okay over here.

I Just Can't Take It Anymore! is the title of Anthony DeStafano's latest book.  And what a little gem this thing is!

"By pairing a thoughtful story line with amusing full-color photographs of children, bestselling author Anthony DeStefano succeeds in delivering a lighthearted look at the age-old question, “why me?”
Through photos, especially chosen to bring out a smile, and carefully crafted sentiment, Anthony shares his delightful sense of humor, lifts the reader’s spirit, and plants a firm message of hope and encouragement.
Fun for all, this is one book that can be given—or received!—on any occasion."

Anthony sent me a copy to review and it is absolutely the sweetest book I have seen.  The pictures in it will bring a smile to your face and the words will lift your spirit.

Take a look at a few sample pages:

This book would be a wonderful gift for a friend who needs to have their day brightened or who just needs to be reminded that Jesus cares.

It would make a great book to keep on your own book shelf to read when you are having one of those days.  And we all have those every now and then.

Anthony has kindly offered to let one of you have a copy.  All you have to do is to leave a comment on this post.  Comments will be left open until Wednesday at 9:00 PM EST.  I will randomly choose the winner after that.  This contest is open to US residents only.  If you haven't enabled email response on your comments, then leave a way for me to get in touch with you in your comment.

Good luck everyone!

I was provided a copy of this book to review but my opinions of this book are mine and mine alone. If I didn't like this book, you would not be reading this post!

I Just Can't Take It Anymore! Giveaway.

http://beth-amomslife.blogspot.com/2012/02/i-just-cant-take-it-anymore-giveaway.html

Don't they make a cute couple?

Here they are before leaving for the Father-Daughter dance at school. I can't wait to hear all about it!

Don't they make a cute couple?

http://beth-amomslife.blogspot.com/2012/02/dont-they-make-cute-couple.html

7 Quick Takes

1.  Sarah and Dan will be attending a Father-Daughter Dance tonight.  Sarah is thrilled.  Dan is,um, a little less than thrilled.  He keeps asking me what they are going to do for two whole hours.  I told him he and Sarah will probably dance for about 5 minutes, eat some refreshments, have their picture taken and then she will run off giggling with her friends for the next hour and forty-five minutes.  And then he will have to get to talk to the other uncomfortable dads until time to come home.  I think that's what he's afraid of.

2.  Dan and Peter have been working on Peter's Pinewood Derby car for next weekend's race.  Lowe's Home Improvement is going to have a track set up tomorrow for any Boy Scout to come by and test their car.  The boys are going to do that tomorrow to make sure it runs okay and doesn't jump the track.  I think at this point though it would be too late for them to make any improvements to the car although someone from Lowe's will be available to make suggestions.  It would be nice if one year we had a fast car.

3.  We are excited about the Super Bowl this weekend.  Go Patriots!  I will be making a big batch of my Jalapeno Popper Dip.  I would invite you guys over but when the Patriots are in the Super Bowl, my husband won't allow for any distractions - no parties, no people, no conversation - just nervous watching, occasional pacing and frantic phone calls to his brother to discuss how the game is going.
 

4. Saw this on  Pinterest this week.  Love it!

5.  I have been having problems with my knees lately so I have stopped running for a while until they feel better.  I've done some research and I think my problem is my form.  I am a heel striker and I should be striking midfoot. Striking with your heel causes knee pain among various other physical issues. I have ordered some shoes that should help me correct my form.  I hope they work because I miss my runs! 

6. I took my father-in-law to McDonald's for breakfast this morning.  He loves McDonald's.  If you asked him to name his favorite restaurant he would tell you McDonald's.   You know what I love about McDonald's?  Their medium hot mochas with skim milk.  McCafe is the best thing going when you have to go to McDonald's.

7.  Saw a groundhog sitting at the edge of a field this morning.  Does it mean anything special when they see their shadows the day after Groundhog's Day?

For more Quick Takes, head over here.

7 Quick Takes

http://beth-amomslife.blogspot.com/2012/02/1.html