not necessarily in this order

  We made a trio of cookies to get us through the holiday this year and fill out some small gift boxes for Lil Momma’s friend crew. Baking cookies is such a weird nostalgia thing for me because while my grandmother, Mimi, loved baking and always had these tins of homemade cookies she’d pull out after dinner for all of us, my own mother (her daughter) thought baking was the worst thing in the world and I grew up thinking the best chocolate chip cookies were Betty Crocker’s bag ones. (A fact that horrified my Mr when we first started dating, haha!) I’ve come to really enjoy baking in the last decade or so and love to try a new recipe each Christmas along with our family favorites. LM loves to help now, which warms my heart, even if that help is more measuring and taste testing vs cleaning up. Our new recipe for this year was for Chocolate Crinkle Cookies from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe ! Described as “ They are a delightful cross between a soft, chewy chocolate cookie and a rich, fudgy brow...

Oh my stars, food is so messy and full of feelings sometimes, right? This post is kind of about cookies but it’s also kind of about coming out of challenging times and not the best habits and it’s also kind of about being stuck in a rut. We’re having a weird health fall/winter. Obviously, I’m not going to go too deep and no one is in imminent danger and we’re all ok - but some of us are having to focus more on how much sugar and carbs we are  having and some of us are having to think more about fiber and movement. And, as our resident anxious worrying overthinker, I’m trying to make a plan, haha! Added on to that is we are in this transitional year for Christmas and New Year’s where we are reimagining so much of how we do holidays together after losing my mom - the possibilities are endless, which is exciting and hard and weird. When so much has changed, what we hold on to are these traditions that remain and, for us, that’s our Christmas desserts. We are a cookie family, especiall...

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers By Jesse Q. Sutanto  4⭐️ The first few chapters were just meh to me, but not enough to not finish. I’m so glad I stuck it out! This book was the definition of cozy. It was cute and funny and sad and lovely. A perfect light mystery to keep your mind busy with a smile.  Big Little Spells 3.5⭐️ By Hazel Beck I did like this book better than the first in the series. Rebekah seemed more of a fully conceived protagonist than Emerson - and the deepening of the sister’s prophecy and connection made much more sense. I did have a bit of the icks when I thought too hard about the love story’s origins (teenage girl, immortal and significantly older magical man) and how lightly magical consent is discussed. I’m trying to decide if I’m more meh about the series or wanting to know how it ends.  Colton Gentry's Third Act By Jeff Zentner 3⭐️ This wasn’t totally my jam. It was sweet and I appreciated how it was like a take on a country song, but...

Random recent thoughts and happenings…   Lil Momma is finishing out her 2024 recital/show/competition year with  back to back weekends of recitals . First up, we had a Christmas Parade that her dance school walks in followed by a dance showcase the competition teams perform in. The parade was FRIGID; last year we were in hoodies and this year one of the moms was handing out hand warmers like they were candy. I couldn’t walk with the group because of my ankle, so I saw the parade for the first time (aka I hung with the dads). After, we had an hour or so to do hair and makeup and then lined up for their dance showcase which was themed around  National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation . It was so fun and cute! Lil Momma was in a hip hop dance with songs themed around money (the Mr. made the mix!) which entered the story when Clark Griswold was talking about his bonus and getting a pool. Her jazz dance was to  Mele Kalikimaka (Marry Christmas)  and LM was front and...