willpower...

you have no idea.  it was a struggle to take these pictures.  three cookies left.  three teens coming home from a hard day of high school later.  the way i see it, there were only two options.  a)  eat them all.  deal with aching stomach for the rest of the afternoon.  b)  save them for my teens.  be adored by my teens for the rest of the afternoon.

so which option did i choose?

well of course i saved them for the teens!   that's a no-brainer.  i much prefer being adored to an aching stomach.  yep.    

but i did include the recipe for you.  in case you would like to test your willpower...

Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

1-1/4 cups butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups uncooked oats

Cream Filling

Preheat oven to 375.  Beat butter and sugars at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.  Add egg and vanilla and beat well.  Combine flour and next 3 ingredients in a separate bowl and stir well.  Add oats and stir well.  Add to butter mixture and stir until well blended.  Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets.  Bake for about 10 minutes.  Cool on pan for 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove cookies from pan and allow to cool completely.  Spread 1 tablespoon of cream filling over the bottom side of cooke and top with a second cookie right side up.  Makes about 18 cookie sandwiches.

Cream Filling

1/2 cup butter softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 to 2 tablespoons milk or cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Beat with an electric mixer on low until combined, scraping bowl.  Beat on high until light and fluffy.

eat.  enjoy.  share them with your kids : )

writer's block...

my thoughts have been all over the place these days.  i haven't been able to settle on anything to write about in this space.  i think it's all of the changes that are happening with the kids and what that means for my life. 

as i wrote on the very last pages of my journal this morning it got me thinking about endings and beginnings.  i'm a firm believer that endings are not endings at all, but rather, time to begin again.

   a fresh start.  new experiences.  different, but exciting.  and perhaps a bit unsettling.  i guess i am feeling like i'm in between somehow...in the process of figuring it all out.

but i'm not unhappy.  i am moving forward.  i am doing all that needs to be done and more.  i am still creating...always creating...that is an essential part of life for me...but, i am trying out some new ideas and experimenting with different materials.  i have been decluttering like a mad woman...a little every day and some days a lot.  everything about that just feels so right.  it's hard to describe, but it's a release of sorts...of life's unnecessary baggage.  i'm itching to paint my walls a nice fresh white.  i am trying out a "capsule wardrobe" which seems to be all the rage these days.  i got rid of most of my wardrobe in the decluttering process and i'm slowly and deliberately building a new one.  i'm dreaming about the future and far flung adventures.  my house looks different.  my closet looks different.  my future plans look different.  and even though i'm still the same old me, i feel different.  really, it feels a bit like magic.

*****

And suddenly you know; It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.

-Meister Eckhart