Loaded Oatmeal Cookies 11:59 PM

These are good. This recipe makes a million, no, a hundred-million cookies. It will barely fit in your mixing bowl. Do not double it. We tried once. It was a disaster.

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies (ala Ashley's family)

1.5 cup shortening
2.25 cup brown sugar
1.25 cup white sugar
3 eggs
3 Tbs cold water
1.5 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1.5 tsp baking soda
3.5 cup flour
4.5 cup oatmeal
1 bag M&M's
half bag each white chocolate and butterscotch chips
(really use any combo of chips, M&M's, candy, ect.)

Cream shortening and sugars.
Add eggs, water, and vanilla. Cream.
Mix in flour, soda and salt. Mix in oatmeal.
Add M&M's and yummy chips.
Shape into balls and bake at 325* at 8-10 minutes.
Cool on pan for a few minutes and the remove.

And if you're really shaping these into balls with your hands or spoons, you need one of these. The favorite combo of chips at our house has been white M&M's (back when they had the Pirate Pearl M&M's) with chocolate and butterscotch chips. Mmmmm...

rain reflections 11:59 PM

It was pouring rain tonight. Not that annoying pitter patter, but the strong rain that comes down with authority and dares thunder to join in. I walked outside of class, out in the country, and all I could hear was rain. I stood under the awning and just listened for a while. It was silent and loud all at the same time, and surreally peaceful.

After the moment of zen, I walked to the car and drove home. As I was driving and listening to Keali'i I couldn't help but admire the reflections of the lights on the water glazed road. I love the reflection of lights on water.

Like these rose-colored lights on the Bay at dusk...

...or the Bay Bridge reflecting on the, um Bay, at night.

Which is probably why I love this Van Gogh the best.

baking overload 11:59 PM

This weekend I baked. A lot.

Whitney had a baby shower.

So I made some cupcakes for the brunch.

Then there was a church activity and they asked people to bring treats, so I figured as long as I was baking I would try these again.

AND it was Rob's birthday at work the next day - kind of. For the last 7 hours of the shift that we hopefully spend sleeping it was his birthday. I was not going to make a cake because I only make them when they are stuck working on their birthday.

But then Rob said that I am the only one that ever makes him a lemon cake for his birthday. Which I have every year till now. He said no one else has consistently made him a lemon cake for his birthday since his mom died. Yes, he played the dead Mom card. I couldn't say no to the dead Mom. So I made a lemon cake too.

Sorry there's no picture, I was so tired of cakes by the time I was done with today.

duckies 11:59 PM

How cute are these boxes of baby ducklings?!! So cute. I can just hear them peeping like chicks and imagine how soft and cuddly they are. This picture is happiness.


ps, This is not my vacation picture, but my friend Lori's. She, Tamarin, Liz and some friends went to Croatia. I have to admit that I don't off-hand know where that is, but the pictures are beautiful.

pohick bay regional park 1:31 PM

So because we love foil dinners. And because we super-love smores. And because I wanted to test out the new sleeping bag. We went camping last night at Pohick Bay Regional Park. It is my new favorite camping place, mostly because it's only 20 minutes away from my house! This is the same place I went with the Berget's before.

Kerstin and I started a marvelous fire, although it was touch and go for a while, in the end we came out with prefect embers for the foil dinners and nice hot spots for the smores. Ryan helped us out too, but he gets a little too excited when he sees lighter fluid (above). We ate and chatted into the night and then Kerstin said goodnight. Because we're only 20 min from home and she could...

Ashley, Ryan and I camped. It was quite chilly so we retired to bed after Kerstin left, I was quite eager to I test out the new bag. For a 15 degree bag I thought I should be warmer, but it worked out fine. The mat was divine. Ryan and I synchronized our peeing time throughout the night. Ashley was drugged and only woke up to mumble something incoherent and fall right back asleep as we left the tent.

In the morning we didn't want to get out of the tent, or our warm sleeping bags. So we sent Ashley our for a breakfast of bagels, cream cheese and left over chocolate. Yum! Don't worry though, we just sent her out to the cooler. It was a fun camping trip, we will definately go there again. You should come with us next time.

big agnes 11:56 PM

I got a new sleeping bag! With the combination of Dad's REI dividend, a 20% off coupon, and a return credit, I decided to get something big that I would not normally buy. So I opted to get new sleeping bag (to replace the one that has served me well for the last 15 years) and camping mat (because mine died last year). I got a steal of a deal - $252 of gear for $93 - Score!

I got the Big Agnes bag and mat. I would have gotten their camping mat regardless of the bag I chose because it has the type of blow up air core that I love*. And after snuggling in a bunch of sleeping bags, I chose the Big Agnes Roxy Ann because it had much more room in the hips/torso than the others. Now for a test trial...


*The camping mat that I used to have was a by Pacific Outdoor Equipment, it is not ridiculously expensive like Big Agnes is. If you are looking for a great camping mat, I would highly recommend this one (not currently available at REI, which is why I got the Big Ag).