I don’t mean to be a debbie-downer, but how are those New-Years goals going? Are we keeping everything together? Or have we laxed a little bit?

My “30-minutes-of-exercise” every morning has taken a hit and lacked consistency, but my “eat-more-green-stuff-and-less-sugary-stuff” has dominated. I feel the difference in my day when I start it with a couple bites of whatever is out, versus a green smoothie. It’s been amazing! My quest to make the perfect macaron isn’t exactly underway anytime soon – but the year is still young!

Our family goals are going very well, too so far. Thanks to our tax return, and Ryan’s strict budget, we’ve been able to save, pay-off, and take care of business in our finances department. They weren’t bad in the first place, but we’re always striving to prepare ourselves for a rainy day, train ourselves to recognize what wants/needs are, and save up to build/find our very first home.

Ryan’s goal of running his first marathon (he ran track and cross country in college at BYU, but took a 3-year-break to focus solely on graduate school). He’s been a champ! His runs are getting longer each week, he has his training schedule all mapped out, and his times are getting to where they were (and sometimes better) than when he was training as a collegiate athlete. It’s been incredible to see him get back into the game again, and his appetite has certainly come back! Man can pack it away again!

If your goals are lagging, like some of mine, there’s still time. A brand new month begins this Saturday! Or better yet – a brand new day begins tomorrow. Fresh and beautiful. For me, taking it a day at a time (or even an hour at a time) makes everything easier to swallow. Let’s kick those goals back into full gear again. I believe in you, dear friends!

Random segue…

These cookies are AMAZING. I’ve made so many versions of the classic peanut butter cookie, but this one caught me off-guard with the very first bite out of the oven. I can’t even begin to describe the softness we’re talking about here with this cookie. There was such a lightness and almost creaminess to the inside, without sacrificing the outside soft-crunch. It really was, dare-I-say, perfect. Even without the signature fork-press design.

Wanna know the good news? You probably have all the ingredients to make these in your pantry right now. Sunday night is my favorite night to whip up a batch of cookies for the week. No go, get’em!!

xo, 
blondie
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The Perfect Peanut Butter Cookie
makes 2 dozen cookies
ingredients:
1 C brown sugar
1 C granulated sugar
1/2 C shortening
1/2 C butter, room temperature
1 C peanut butter
1/2 t salt
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
2 t baking soda
2 1/4 C flour
method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and prep a cookie sheet with cooking spray or parchment paper. 
2. Cream together butter, shortening, sugars, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
3. Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate medium bowl. Whisk together so everything is thoroughly combined. Add dry ingredients to the wet, about 1/2 cup at a time. 
4. Roll the cookie dough into 1-2 tablespoons-worth balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar. 
5. Place cookies on cookie sheet, don’t smash with a fork, and bake for 11-13 minutes. 
recipe adapted from: loulougirls