COOPER!

I have to show off the most precious nephew in the world!! I was so thankful to spend a quick weekend with him and to get to see Kelli and Zach in the role of Mommy and Daddy.  They are such a great team!  Can't wait until Cooper is old enough to come and visit Aunt E and Uncle C and go to Disneyland!  :)   

It's hard to find something I love more than cuddle time!



Love being with my brother!

 

Melts my heart.

 

 

This is my favorite picture!  I wish there was sound!!

 

 

They are a perfect team and Cooper was so good during bath time!

 

 

I am now anxiously awaiting my next check-up appointment on my jaw just so I can see COOPER again! :)

 

 

 

 

 

Top Secret Recipe to a Happy Husband

Charlie is easy going about most things in life.  However, his weekly batch of chocolate chip cookies is NOT one of them.  That's right, weekly batch! I try not to make them every week but since moving to Malibu, I'm afraid this has become the trend.  For as long as I can remember, my wonderful mom has made these cookies with Semi-Sweet Morsels, which are fabulous! However, I recently discovered Dark Chocolate Chips. Because Charlie is a dark chocolate connoisseur I decided to try them in the chocolate chip cookies.  BIG MISTAKE.  Charlie loved them SO much that he now insists that he "studies 10 times better" with these cookies!

I want to share this recipe along with a few pictures from the batch I made last night.  I hope these cookies fill your home with the same kind of JOY they bring to MaliBama.

*Chocolate Chip Cookies**
Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter                                      1 1/4- 1 1/2 Cups Flour          
1/4 Cup Shortening                                               1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. vanilla                                                          1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Sugar                                                        1 Cup Chocolate Chips
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg   

First, cream together the butter, shortening, and sugars.

This is the easiest way I've found to measure shortening: Fill a measuring cup with 3/4 cup water, then using a spoon, guesstimate with different amounts of shortening.  When the water reaches the 1 cup line, you know you have exactly 1/4 cup of shortening in the spoon!

I use a Kitchen Aid Mixer and set it on low-medium speed for about 2 minutes.


Next, add the vanilla and egg.  Beat thoroughly.  I usually let this mix on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl before adding them to the mixture.  (The worst thing in the world is to take a big bite of cookie dough only to find a huge glob of salt!)  When it comes to the flour, my mom adds closer to 1 1/2 cups, BUT Charlie likes his cookies very gooey and not as fluffy so I only add 1 1/4 cups of flour.

Stir in the Nestle Dark Chocolate Chips.

Finally, drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet...I can't tell you the last time I remembered to grease the cookie sheet! I think they do fine with or without greasing it.

The original recipe says to bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.  Because Charlie likes his cookies SO SOFT I set the timer for 6 minutes and check them.  If they look like they are borderline done, I take them out!

I immediately transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.  If you like your cookies EXTRA soft this will be a challenging task since they like to fall apart and often fall through the wire rack and onto the counter.  I claim those crumbs for myself! 

I let them cool approximately 2 minutes THEN deliver the cookies on a nice paper plate to Charlie's study location!  This is what typically happens...

 

Warning: I only bake 1/3 of the cookie dough per night and wrap the remaining dough in aluminum foil so I have my own slice and bake cookies for the rest of the week! 

Everyone knows it takes more than just cookies to make a marriage work, but this is definitely a key ingredient!

Long Overdue! The Walkers visit Malibama.

Whew! What a crazy week! I have so much to blog about, where to start?!  First, I want to share a few details about our wonderful visit with the Walkers.  Dr. Bob and Mrs. Beth came to town on business and got to spend some quality time with us as well.  Since Charlie and Dr. Bob were both busy during the day, Mrs. Beth and I got to enjoy some delicious food and of course Shopping!

Sunday the Walkers arrived and we met them for dinner in Hollywood.

Monday we had lunch with with Mari Jane Cole, she is a stunt double and was an old college room mate of Kyle, Charlie's aunt.  She has worked on Crossing Jordan, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 3rd Rock from the Sun,  and many other shows....  She was hilarious and told the best stories!!

Mari Jane is 59!! WOW.

 

Tuesday we went to a Community Bible Study in Malibu.  I am so excited to have the opportunity to participate in this great organization with so many wonderful women.  I will keep you posted on this endeavor as we study the books of Mark and Ephesians this year. 
Since Mrs. Beth has a very green thumb, she also spent some time helping me think of ideas for our porch!  I can't wait to take before and after pictures. 

Wednesday we did some shopping and cooked one of my favorite meals...
Crispy Chicken with Tomato Basil Sauce, Baked Potato Casserole, Green Beans, Red Lobster Biscuits, and for dessert...the BEST blackberry cobbler.  It is listed in Southern Living as a great recipe "for kids." Haha, I think it's great for adults too and is super easy.

Thursday we got to experience NOBU!  Charlie and I have been hearing about Nobu, smelling Nobu, and seeing the effect it has had on our parking as it is only two doors down from Casa Malibu!  It undoubtedly lived up to the hype. We got the BEST table available, on the outside deck next to the ocean.  It was fabulous and the food was exquisite, even if the portion sizes were tiny! :)  Typically, guests say they recognize at least 4-5 movie stars, but we only saw Mary Hart from Entertainment Tonight.  If you are visiting L.A., New York, Las Vegas, Miami, Dallas, London, or any other major city you MUST find and eat at Nobu!

More on life in Malibama tomorrow!! 

Rembering September 11th, 2001

 

Today Mrs. Beth and I visited Pepperdine's September 11th Memorial.  The scene is remarkable. Unfortunately, these pictures do not even begin to convey the magnitude of the flags that are on display.  There is one representing every life that was lost in the tragedies of September 11th.  I'll let the pictures do most of the talking, but it was a great day of reflection.  So thankful for this reminder!   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lesson #1: Stop, Look, and Listen

As a speech-language pathologist, one of my favorite things to work on with students is Social Skills! That's why I always laugh when I find myself not 'practicing what I preach.'  Today, I reflected on our short time here at Casa Malibu and came to the realization that the Number One need all guests have is for someone to stop what they are doing, make eye contact with them, and LISTEN to what they are saying.  Now, I mean really listen!  Not the kind of listening that I am guilty of at times where I smile and nod my head while a guest talks and I think about what dessert I should bake next.  I'm talking about the kind of listening where I clear my mind of all the thoughts about me and listen to them!

Charles Swindoll writes about Joseph's ability to listen to others even in the midst of a horrendous situation after he has been falsely accused and thrown into jail.  When two of the king's workers find themselves in jail and under Joseph's watch, Joseph sees their faces one morning and says, "What's wrong?"  Then, he listens to them as they tell him their dreams and he interprets them.  Now, when I first read this, I'll admit that I skimmed over what I think is an important concept and has helped me to realize Lesson #1.  Anytime I feel that something is not fair or I'm stressed, I make sure that everyone around me knows about it!  Thoughts of my situation can consume my mind.  Unlike Joseph, I definitely am not in tune to others facial expressions so that I can pick up on something that may be wrong with them.  And even if a person was making it so obvious that I knew something was wrong, chances are I would have a difficult time putting my problems on hold to ask and LISTEN to theirs.  We never hear of Joseph telling his sob story in jail, although he has a really good one! Instead he listens and uses the gift God has given him to help others. WOW, what a lesson I need to hear.

Back to Casa Malibu...I have recently realized that those guests who Charlie and I are especially able to connect with, are not the ones who I have spent time telling all about my jaw surgery or Charlie has talked to about Alabama's depth chart. Rather, the ones who genuinely seem to appreciate the customer service we offer are the ones we FIRST listened to.  These are the guests whose name we remember and whose jobs and families we ask about.  We have observed that when someone demonstrates a genuine interest in you, typically you WANT to get to know more about them as well.  After we listen, they seem to enjoy asking us about how we got here and what on earth we are doing in California.  I need a daily reminder to stop, look, and listen!  What would have happened if Joseph had not listened to the men in jail?  What if he would have been so down about his situation that it was the only thing he could talk about?  Charlie and I definitely are not Joseph, but we have been blessed with the ability to hear and whether we use that gift to listen is our choice!

To wrap it up, Swindoll says it best as he talks about listening to others even if things in your life are not perfect. " You don't have to have cloudless days for there to be sunshine days." So think positive and listen!   

Making the Most of Every Day

One of the VERY first things I remember Charlie doing after receiving his acceptance letter from Pepperdine was printing off a list of the Top 10 hikes to take in Malibu.  He was so proud of the 'thoughty' gesture he had initiated and told me that he hoped we could conquer all 10 together during his first year! :)  That goal may have to be adjusted as we are finding other outdoorsy things we want to try such as paddle boarding, ocean kayaking, POSSIBLY surfing, and all kinds of day road trips in the area.

Because we work every other weekend, we have committed to taking advantage of our off days and making the most of our time in Malibu.  So, to begin our first Cherin Day we went to breakfast at Paradise Cove.  The atmosphere in this casual beach side cafe is wonderful!  The coffee and breakfast smoothie were also fantastic.  The food was OK but it was easy to see why the place was absolutely packed at 10:00 in the morning...THE VIEW.



We snagged a great window seat.

After breakfast we hiked to Escondido Falls, the first hike on our list.  The weather was a perfect 78 degrees which made the two hour loop not bad at all!

Charlie paving the way to the falls!



Charlie took this picture on our way down from the 'falls.'  We must have come
during the dry season because it was more like a soft trickle of water rather than 'falls'. :)

On our walk back from the trail we found our dream home!

The security guard positioned outside of the gate, told us that they were about to film an episode of 'Castle' there.  Since Charlie and I literally watch no T.V. (except sports and politics) we both gave a convincing "Ahhh Neat!" Then whispered to each other, "What in the world is Castle?"

It was a great two hour hike and afterwards we came home and relaxed on the beach. The waves were GIGANTIC!  Although we have only been here one month, they are the largest I have seen yet.  In fact, the crashing waves were so powerful they actually were rattling our windows! For a brief moment I thought we may be experiencing our first earthquake...thankfully it was just the tide.

We snacked on game-day chips and dip the rest of the afternoon and Charlie grilled some delicious chicken for supper.  He was extremely giddy about watching the Alabama game so I whipped up his second favorite type of homemade cookies, but before I even had a chance to snap a picture, the 'B' in BAMA had mysteriously disappeared!

It has been a wonderful day here in Malibama...ROLL TIDE ROLL!