In Which I Make Something Better

Some people will tell you not to mess with a good thing.

I say, if you can make it better, why not mess with it?

I just finished turning my mom's really good cookie recipe into something amazing.

Here goes:

1 cup butter

1 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar

1/2 cup evaporated cane juice (or white sugar, if you must)

4 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

1 cup pastry flour

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

2 cups dark chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, shortening, brown sugar, and evaporated cane juice (or white sugar). Add vanilla, then eggs, then egg yolks. Combine flours, salt, and baking soda and add to the butter mixture. Add oatmeal, mix to combine, then add chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set. You don't want over-baked cookies.

Remove to cooling racks and eat them all. Well, okay, maybe not all of them. Especially since you'll likely get 8 dozen cookies out of this recipe. But please enjoy a couple.

The pastry flour gives these a different texture than you would get if you only used all-purpose flour. You will thank me.

Pinspiration

Pinterest has changed my life. Seriously. I have developed areas of creativity that I didn't know existed. Pinterest makes creativity seem possible and do-able.

I made two things for my husband for Christmas from inspiration (or should I say, "pinspiration"?) I got via that glorious website. And my boys can attest to the wonderful yumminess that has been enjoyed since I joined.

And let's face it: sometimes, you need a five-minute escape on days like today when your two-year-old is yelling phrases like, "Stop looking at me, Jordan!" and wailing, "I just don't want to obey you, Mommy!" and the four-year-old is spraying his hair with Febreeze, thinking it's hairspray. Wonderful.

It's just good to have a five-minute break to do something Pinteresting.

Why Share?

Pam Forster has a great post over at the Doorposts blog on teaching our kids about sharing.

I know that this is something that I struggle with in parenting my boys. It's sometimes "easier" to just break up a fight and divvy up the toys without addressing the hearts in the matter. But quick fixes rarely solve problems. It's like aesthetic cleaning. Just because I swept up the Cheerios doesn't mean the floor is clean. It definitely looks better, but the problem isn't solved.

This is something that I know will continue to develop as my boys grow older and mature in their comprehension. They understand a bit now, but I look forward to the day when they make connections between sharing with one another and what Jesus has done for them.

Mother, May I?

We have a new rule at our house. Nap time is in your own bed. Period. Because it goes something like this:

"Mommy, would I sleep with you?"

Translation: "Can I lay next to you, kick you in the stomach a few times, ask you to button, then unbutton my shirt cuffs, stand on your pillow, beg you repeatedly for vitamins, remove my socks, ask you to smell my feet, then tell you, 'I don't wanna sleep.' When you ask me to be still or leave the bed, I will go downstairs and try to sneak candy, kitchen knives, or some other contraband, and if you foil my plot, I will return to your bed with three airplanes and two Maters, and drive them all over your head."

And when you're cute, and you ask sweetly, Mommy always says, "yes". But those days are over. I love my babies, but they are done napping with me. At least until they quit doing tricks on my pillows.

One Day

One day, when I had plenty of other things to do (such as laundry, dishes, and dusting), I decided to start a blog. I used the excuse that I had a teething baby and a stomachache. It worked just long enough to get me through the setup and this initial post.

It remains to be seen how often or how well the blog will be maintained. But here I am: this is my blog. I do hope you enjoy whatever comes next. And now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few dishes to do.