Sharing the Love/Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. Ever.

When I married Trent, I married into the yummiest chocolate chip cookie recipe ever.  It's so yummy, I have shared the recipe with dozens and dozens of people over the last 14 years of our marriage.  There have been several people though that swear I have left out a "secret ingredient".  (I promise, I haven't!)  They always say they don't taste the same when they make them.  I still stand by the fact that nothing ever tastes as good when you make it yourself.  Anyway, for those that have asked for step-by-step instructions, here they are!  :)

I always start with the sugars.  (Oh, btw, the pictures I have are of a quadruple batch, so the bowl looks REALLY full.)  The recipe calls for 1 c. brown sugar and 1/2 c. granulated sugar.

Also put in 1 c. shortening.

Then you're going to mix the sugars and shortening together really well.  If it looks like this above, it's not quite done.

Once it looks nice and creamy, it's ready.  Sometimes I'll go do a load of laundry while it mixes away.  Seriously.

Then you're going to mix in 2 eggs,

and 2 tsp. of vanilla.  Let that mix for another minute or two.

Then mix in 1 tsp. of baking soda,

and 1 tsp. salt.  I let my mixer keep running as I add the ingredients.  You're going to let all of that mix in really well.

I scrape down the sides several times through the whole process.

Next, add in 2 1/4 c. flour.  I don't let it mix for too long once I get the flour in.

Once you're all done, it should look like this.  YUM!

Then stir in (by hand) 1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips.  Now is the time to grab a spoon and dig in!  That's what we do at least.

Then load up your cookie scoop.  I think my cookie scoop is 1.5 inches.

Here they are, ready for the oven.  Bake them at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes.  (My oven cooks pretty hot, so I only put mine in for 8 1/2 minutes.)

Voila!  A tray full of yummy, scrumptious chocolate chip cookies.

Now all you have to do is pour yourself a nice cold glass of milk and enjoy!

The Past Week

Here's a little recap of this last week:

 The grandparents came over one night and we had pizza and watched "Brother Bear".  Jilly enjoyed a few tastes of Vivi's lollipop.

 She didn't want to give it back.  Once she had one taste, she thought it needed to be hers.

 I made some valences to go above my kitchen windows.  I didn't notice how bare all my windows look with just the blinds, but now that I have these valences up, I'm thinking I need to get going on making some window treatments for the other windows.

 This is one of Jilly's favorite new toys to play in.  Preston and Vivi pretend it's a wheelchair all the time and pretend they have broken legs and wheel each other around the house.  They decided to put Jilly in it the other day and she LOVED it!

 Trenton is done with school now.  YAY!  Can't wait til Viv and Colson are done, then we can really get our summer started.  Trenton's been such a wonderful helper.  He has also spent plenty of time pushing Jilly around in the dump truck.  He's so good to her.

 Preston and I got to go on a little date the other day.  It was so much fun.  He chose lunch at Good Times.  He loves the spoon benders there.  What am I saying, I love their spoon benders!  Although I'm trying to quit.  We also went to a toy/learning store so I could get the kids some summer workbooks.  He loved it.  They had these little car/scooters, and he was cruising all over the store in it.  He found this giant bear while we were there and had to have a picture with it.  While we were out, we also ran to Target to get a few groceries.  As we were 

strolling through the aisles, he saw a woman who was pretty heavy and he said, "Whoa, mom!  Look!  Her butt is really--" and as he looked and saw the expression on my face, he exclaimed, "Cool!  She has a cool bum!"  Oh my goodness... It was all I could do to not burst out laughing!  That boy cracks me up.

 The kids had their recitals on Saturday.  They did so good!  This is their amazing hip hop teacher Mr. B.  I wasn't able to get a picture of Vivi with her teacher, Miss Holly.  She took tap and ballet this year with Miss Holly.

 After the recitals, we headed over to the pool for some fun in the sun.  We all had lots of fun jumping off the diving board.  Here's Viv in the middle of a twist.

 

 Trent has still got it.  He did a front flip with a full twist, a 1 1/2 front flip into a dive, and lots of cannon balls.

 Here's Trenton finishing up a front flip.

 And this crazy little boy here decided he was going to do a front flip, and just went up and did it!  I couldn't believe it!  Colson was done swimming by the time I pulled the camera out.  However, he was the one that got me up on the diving board.  During adult swim, he told me, "Mom, go and jump off the diving board."  I looked around and noticed that the pool was all but empty, and there was nobody over on the diving board.  I asked him, "Now?"  He responded, "Come on mom.  This is your only time to shine!"  Once adult swim was over, I went and jumped off the diving board several times with the kids, then asked Colson if I was "shining" yet.  He told me that since I hadn't taken the opportunity to jump during adult swim, I missed my chance.  Oh well... Maybe next time.

 

My little Lou looks so cute in her tutu suit!  She's funny about the pool.  She loves it as long as she doesn't get splashed too much.  Which is funny to me, since when she is in the bathtub, all she does is splash the whole time and practically drown herself.  She's a funny girl.

For our cupcake this week, Vivi chose May Day Basket cupcakes.  She decorated them all herself.  They turned out so cute!

Joy School Grad

Preston had his Joy School graduation this past Sunday night.  I can't believe he's done with preschool!  This next year will be the first time in four years that we won't have a kiddo in Miss Jen's Joy School.  What am I going to do without a preschooler?  And what are we going to do without Miss Jen?!  It's a good thing I already put Jilly on her waiting list.  :)

 Showing off the family flag.  This is the same flag we've had for the last four years.  I made it out of the kids holey jeans.  It never fails to amaze me how quickly they get holes on the knees of their new pants.

 Preston, singing one of his Joy School songs about reaching goals.  I love how animated he is.

 Doing the Joy School cheer.

 Miss Jen told the parents something special about each of the kids.  She talked about what a quick learner Preston was, once he decided he wanted to learn.  :)  That's pretty typical of our Buds.

 Preston earned all of his stars.  Getting his hug from Miss Jen.

 The graduate.  It was all I could do to get him away from his plate of refreshments to get a quick picture.

We love Miss Jen and are so grateful for the wonderful education she has given our little Buds.  She is the absolute best!

It's Cupcake Time!

Summertime means cupcake time at our house.  Several years ago we started what is now known as the Cupcake Tradition.  Once a week one of the kids gets to look through my cupcake cookbooks, or at all of the cupcake recipes I've downloaded online, and they get to pick whatever kind of cupcake they want for that week.

It was Preston's turn to pick this week and he chose Pina Colada cupcakes.  Super yummy.  Next week is Viv's turn.  Can't wait to see what she picks.  Or rather taste what she picks.  ;)

Dad

My dad has been on my mind a lot lately.  It's been over ten years now since he passed away.  I was in the car the other day, driving along and listening to the radio when a Pink Floyd song came on (one of my dad's favorite groups).  It was the song "Brain Damage".  Of all the things, it brought tears to my eyes.  I was raised on Classic Rock.  It's all my parents listened to.  I didn't even know there were other genres of music until I was close to ten.  I thought groups like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and The Beatles were all that was out there.  So, my brother and I heard the "Brain Damage" song a lot growing up.  My dad had the "lunatic" laugh down pat.  To.A.Tee.  So it became a habit for my brother and I to ask my dad to do the lunatic laugh.  More like beg him to do it.  Beg and beg and beg.  And the more we begged, the more stubborn he became about not doing the lunatic laugh.  I think he just liked hearing us beg.  :)  My dad was always a prankster.  It wouldn't be until about five minutes after we stopped begging that the maniacal laughter would begin, which would make us laugh like lunatics too.  Anyway... Who knew a Pink Floyd song could be so sentimental?

I often wonder what life would be like if dad were still here with us?  Less empty I think.  Not that life feels horribly empty.  There are just certain times in life when I really would like my dad to be here.  Like when my brother graduated from the School of Mines this last December.  I can honestly say it was the first time I ever felt angry about my dad being gone.  It kind of took me by surprise that I could be so incredibly mad about it after so many years.  And then there have been the times when I've had babies.  As joyous an occasion as it was, there was always a little hole there.  My dad was gone by the time I had my last three kiddos.  Their blessing days were really tough on me.  Beautiful moments, but tough.  I'm sure my dad was their in spirit, but I really wanted him there physically.

For several years after he died, I couldn't look at pictures of my dad.  And when thoughts of him would come to my mind, I would push them away.  I would go days and weeks without thinking of him at all.  It was almost as if I thought that if I could forget he had ever been there, then I wouldn't feel so sad.  Of course that wasn't true though.  And I was fooling myself to think I could ever forget.

I always thought the more time that went by, the easier it would get.  The truth is, it never gets easier, you just learn to cope.  I still miss my dad as much today as the day he died.  In some ways I miss him even more.  I miss seeing him grow older with my mom.  I miss seeing him be a part of my kids' lives.  I'm sad that my three youngest kids didn't get to be with him in this life.  He was such a wonderful grandpa in the few short years my two older boys got to be with him.  Trenton still remembers being thrown sky high in the air by his grandpa.  And the wrestling sessions.  My dad used to lay on the floor on his stomach and let Trenton jump all over him.  We're talking running down the hall, great flying leaps.  We all thought it was hilarious until Trenton started to do that to the kids in nursery.  I guess he thought that was how you played with other people because that's what he did with grandpa. :)  Oh, and then there were the "bonks".  My dad would tell Trenton, "Give me bonks."  To which Trenton would promptly give my dad a head butt.  And when my boys were babies, you have never seen such a baby hog in all your life as my dad.  Which is so funny to me because when Trent and I first told our parents we were expecting a baby, my dad was mortified that he was going to be a grandpa.  At the ripe old age of forty, he was convinced he wasn't yet old enough for that.  But the closer I got to the end of my pregnancy the more the idea of being a grandpa grew on him, to the point that he told his boss and coworkers, "If I get the call the my daughter is in labor, I'm out of here, I don't care what is going on."  So much for not wanting to be a grandpa initially.  ;)

I had a dream about my dad not too long after he had died.  In my dream he was blind, but it was his task to lead us to our destination.  We were traveling by foot, through grassy meadows, forests, and uneven, rocky terrain.  And although my dad was blind, he never tripped or stumbled... not once.  I kept saying, "Dad, you're blind.  How are you going to lead us to where we need to go.  You can't even see!"  He repeatedly told me that he didn't need to see, he knew the way, and that everything was going to be fine.  I couldn't stop worrying about the fact that he was our leader and he was blind!  But he was also the only one who knew the way to where we were going, so I finally just had to trust that he could get us there.  That dream actually brought me a lot of peace and comfort.

I know we will get to be with my dad again.  That is the beauty of Heavenly Father's plan.  And I know my dad is still here with us, even if we can't see him and talk to him.  We have our very own guardian angel.  And there have been several times we have needed one.  Like the time Preston was a little younger than two.  He fell down our unfinished basement stairs to land on the concrete floor below, and the only thing he had to show for it was a tiny little bruise, the size of a dime, on the side of his cheek.  Or the time Vivian's porcelain piggy bank fell off the top shelf of her closet and landed right on her head, breaking into tiny porcelain shards all over the place.  The only mark it made was a tiny little cut on the side of her knee.  And there have been many other times that I swear we were protected by the arms of an angel.

I can look at pictures of my dad now.  I actually love to look at them.  Sometimes it brings tears to my eyes, but I'm okay with that.  And every time I think about him, I embrace the thoughts that come.  I don't push them away any more.  I think it means that after all of these years, I'm starting to heal.  :)

Spirit Week

This was Preston's last week of Preschool.  So bittersweet!  The other day when I told him this was his last week, he said, "Yep!  And then I'm going to Kindergarten!"  I made sure he realized he won't start Kindergarten until after the summer break.  I'm glad he's so excited about it.

For their last week of school, they got to have spirit week.

 Tuesday was pajama day.  This is Preston with one of his best buddies, B.

 Wednesday was crazy hair day.  My personal favorite!

And today was school colors day.  (Red, yellow, and blue.)  They also got to have field day today, which Preston loved!

I can't believe how big my boy is getting.  The other night when I was putting him to bed, I gave him a big kiss on the cheek and he said, "You're going to pay for that!  From now on every time you kiss me, you're going to owe me $12.00!"  I told him I guess he wouldn't be getting any more kisses from now on.  He promptly told me, "Mom, you know I'm just joking! You don't have to pay me $12.00."  He likes to pretend he hates getting kisses from mom, but I know better!  ;)  One of my favorite things he does is he calls sneezes bless you's.  The other day Jilly sneezed on him and he said, "Ugh... Jilly just bless you'd all over me!  Gross!"  So cute.  I sure love this boy.  I'm grateful he has been able to go to Miss Jen's Joyschool the last two years.  I know he is so excited about Kindergarten, but I wish he would stop growing up so fast!  I'm glad Kindergarten is only half day so we can still spend plenty of time together.  I'm not ready for him to be away from me all day yet!

Memorial Weekend 2012

We started off our weekend with a family BBQ/b-day party for Trenton and Sean.  (Grandma and grandpa Stock were out of town on the real birthday, so they had another party so we could celebrate with everyone together.)  It was a very windy day this past Saturday.  Apparently windy enough to blow down half of mom and dad's flowering pear tree in their back yard.

 We were all sitting around visiting together after eating copious amounts of delicious food, then CRACK!  And half the tree was lying on its side.

In no time flat, the guys had pulled the saw and chainsaw out of the garage and were working to clear the tree off the fence.

There was another split down the side of the limb that was left standing, so the guys decided they better chop it down.  They were all in their element!  They had so much fun.  ;)

Colson even got in on the action.  Preston was disappointed that his dad wouldn't let him have a turn with the saw.  He was even more disappointed when daddy made him stay in the house.

He ended up getting a front row seat though.  You can see him and Vivi watching from the dining room window.

 Poor tree.  Mom and dad planted this tree in their back yard over 20 years ago.  This wasn't it's first mishap.  Several years ago it lost half of its big branches in a snowstorm.  The leaves were still on the tree when the snow hit, and it was a really heavy snow.  The poor tree couldn't hold the weight of it, and the whole middle section of the tree came crashing down into the yard.  By the next year, the surrounding branches had grown upward and filled in the space of the missing limbs and it looked beautiful as ever.  Not this time though, darn it.

TIMBER!

 There was a nest in the tree that had two baby birds in it.

Poor babies.  I hope they make it.

 This is mom and dad's neighbor, Sam.  She came to party with us.  As she left that night, she told Janet, "I love your family.  They're so fun and wild!"  We are a pretty crazy bunch, I have to say.  Never a dull moment.

 Once the tree was all torn down, we went back to partying.

 Singing "Happy Birthday" to each other.

 Love the faces.

 Money bags.  Grandpa and grandma gave him a box of money too.  Funnest gift ever!

 The kids hadn't had enough excitement yet and were dying to take a stroll up to the park.  We played lots of Frisbee and let the kids run and run and run.  I need their energy!

Jilly absolutely LOVES the swing.

The next day was Sunday, so we went to church, then came home and made our chocolate chip cookies, like we do every Sunday.  Then the kids begged and begged us to start a fire in the fire pit so we could have s'mores. 

 They didn't have to beg very hard.

 It was a pretty chilly night; perfect night to hang around the fire pit.  And with the tree falling down, we have enough wood to last us all summer!

 On Monday we headed to the pool so Vivi could try out her new swim goggles.  We had tons of fun this weekend being able to spend so much time together!  I need more weekends like that.