10 things i couldn't live without this week:

1. at home play dates! i always forget how much fun can be had at someone else's house.  we had a fantastic time with christine and ebba at their new pad this week. love these ladies. and thank you for the stinky fish fertilizer and delish mint iced tea!
2. you know that adorable burton family i am always gushing about....well it was announced this week that we can be expecting another baby burton in the spring! congrats to you guys! oh so cute.
3. i have been an anxious mess this week with all the upcoming changes in our house (i will be reporting this amazing news soon!) and that hubs has yet again proved to be just the best! he knows just how to soothe my soul...and did i mention that he's doing all of this while completing week one mission quit smoking! he's so awesome!
4. oh sweet delicious cookies! so i used the island cookie recipe, but subbed the coconut out for dark chocolate chips and crasins.....holy smokes! so good!
5. went to an amazing fashion show put on by bika swimwear, the davidk space, and the cottage. thanks you so much to one of the greatest friends in the world for accompanying me and sweating it out....boy was it hot!
6. i can't believe that it's taken me this long but i finally discovered the greatness of groupon and living social this week.  while i have been members of both websites for quite some time now i have never actually purchased a coupon, well i don't know what i was waiting for! this week i scored a half off dog grooming and half off admission to leapin' lizards. i am hooked!
7. did i mention the dog grooming! hahaha stella was getting shaggy and stinky! now she looks like a prize winning pooch! the folks over at milton's grooming parlor did an amazing job. usually when i pick stella up from the groomer there is an underlaying tone of "don't bring that dog back here".....this time was a completely different story. i showed up ready for the worst, and found my dog (or at least i think it was my dog) sitting completely well behaved for kiki.  meanwhile kiki is telling me that she would like to show stella next year at a groomers show, that she was the most beautiful and unique dog she's seen in a long time. all i could think was..."are you crazier than the stella....because she's nuts".
8. i have to just give a shout out and major thank you to all the special ladies in my life from my friends to my mother to my step mom and mother in law....all of you have been just the biggest help with helping me handle the boy and his "tude".
9. after about a month off, between all the traveling and being sick, i finally got back in ballet this week... it was a huge eye opener to how much a month can do to your body. i ached, pretty sure i groaned, and tweeked my neck and ankle, but i loved every second of the torture.  this week i will be pushing my limits and taking two classes back to back....trying out a contemporary class right after ballet. i kinda can't wait! the only thing that i am afraid of is falling in love with the contemporary class! haha.
10. we are two days diaper free (with the exception of naps and bedtime) and have only had a few accidents. we even ventured out in public in big boy underpants! really proud of the boy and how fast he's growing up!

10 things i couldn't live without this week:

1. oh man, i am just in love with my new red floral skirt that i found at family vintage. and i am kinda in love with family vintage it self...just found out they will be having another yard sale coming up in september! can't wait.

2. ballet just keeps getting better and better....or maybe it's me that's getting better at ballet. i am not sure how i went for some many years without structured dancing in my life. don't get me wrong....i shake my booty all the time, but the discipline and control that ballet takes is a different story.

3. i can see changes happening in my body. besides the weight loss, i physically look stronger. i am long and lean, and i feel more poised and far more flexible. it's kind of an amazing thing.

4. all this talk about how fantastic i look and feel made me hungry for some deadly gooey chocolate cookies! check out these delicious gluten free lava cookies.

5. i finally got my na fianna cd in the mail. me and the boy can't stop listening/dancing/singing to it. i won a contest a while ago (yes can you believe it....i never win anything) that they were holding to help promote their american/canadian tour. na fianna is a great traditional folk and ballad band from ireland...and you know how i am a sucker for irish music. make sure you check out their album and show some support to the band!

6. i finished my pencil skirt the other day and got to take it out for girls night test drive. it's kind of amazing. and there is something about that skirts color pallet with turquoise shoes that makes me feel complete.

7. i bought my plane tickets for north carolina. the boy and i can't wait to be there! the trip went from being and nice quite family vacation to what sounds like a giant reunion-ish family party. can't wait to see everyone. i have plans to take lots of pictures and maybe spend some time getting lost in the woods.

8. the hubs and i went on a great date night, it's not something that we do often, but when we do it's always amazing. we ate dinner at a place downtown that we always over look...god knows why because it might be the best restaurant we have down there. then we cruised over to our local pub for some drinks with some friends. we ended the night down by the water watching shooting stars.

9. i finally started working on a restoration project that i have been sitting on for a while. my great grandmother gave me a necklace that my father helped make when he was a kid. i have had the necklace for a while and have worn it in the past, but due to the necklaces delicate condition it's been out of the rotation for a quite some time. so i took it apart and started to put it back together again....with a little re-fashioning. can't wait until it's done so i can share it with you!

10. we took the boy for his first movie theater experience. it was awesome! he was so excited when we got there, the look on his face was priceless as he took it all in. we got our popcorn and candy and settled in to our seats to watch the smurfs 3D. not only did he love the movie, but he was so good. he sat in my lap (mostly because his seat kept folding up on him - which was hilarious) with one had in the popcorn and his little 3D glasses on. as soon as we left he wanted to go back.

lava cookies

these are hands down the best cookies i have ever had/made! they are super easy and gluten free (got to love that)!

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips (about 90z.), divided

3 large eggs whites, room temperature

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided

1/2 cup dark cocoa powder

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350℉. spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray.

2. melt 1 cup of chocolate chips in a glass bowl in the microwave, stirring twice, about 2 minutes. cool slightly.

3. using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in a large bowl to soft peaks. gradually beat in 1 cup of sugar. continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow creme.

4. in a separate bowl whisk together 1 cup of sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt.

5. on a low speed, blend the dry ingredient mixture into the meringue.

6. stir in melted chocolate and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. the dough will become very stiff.

7. place 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl. roll 1 rounded tbsp of dough into a ball, then roll in sugar, coating thickly. place on prepared sheet spacing about 2 inches apart.

8. bake about 10 minutes, cool on the cookie sheet for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

makes about 20 cookies.

this recipe was adapted from divine baking. enjoy!