Just Life & Some Cookies To Go With It

Life.
It happens.
Every single day.

Whether we're ready for it or not, it keeps coming at us one day at a time.

The clocks keep ticking, second after second, until another day is done.

And before you know it, October of 2011 is here and it just hits like a ton of bricks.  Life will NOT slow down.

For us, October has entailed getting this 2-yr-old potty trained...

...and although we're not quite there yet, it feels like the jet is finally lifting off the runway with this little family of ours.

 And I sigh a sigh of bliss at night whenever I think of the new stages we're entering.

This little guy has gotten 2 teeth in and went from not crawling until the end of his seventh month to pulling up on anything and everything and getting into waaay too much trouble with his newfound abilities...all in one week.

To say this mamma underestimated him, would be...well...an understatement.

His favorite pastime is crawling at my feet all day and whining until I pick him up, as if he hasn't been held ALL morning.  But seriously, how can you resist this?

If there was an award for mastering the most household activities one-handed, I would win.  No question.  Steven says I spoil him, and I am officially at the point where I agree with him.


Anybody know how to wean an 8-month-old off of being held all day?  If you say, "cry it out", I will invite you over to hear his version of "crying-it-out" and let you be the judge of whether a mother could stay sane after a day of hearing that.  But really, any advice would be appreciated.

We also had an out-of-town guest this weekend...

He is {so far} the only one from SC who will brave Oklahoma to come see us.  Will you be next??? :-)

We had a beautiful drizzly evening one night to dine outside at PF Changs...

While friends graciously watched our girls so we could enjoy some adult conversation with the little king.

Thanks so much for coming out here to see us Troy!  We missed you Jenny!  We'll all meet up in Seattle next. :-)

And because the motivation of an out-of-town-guest gets my nesting juices going again...

There's a little sneak peak {if you will} of the room I've been working on, with a little help from my Emma girl. :-)

And, not that I should be, but I've been baking like a wild banshee again.  I like how my friend says, "Fall is my chubby season."  I'm thinking I'll adopt that motto.  There's just too many creamy soup recipes and pumpkin desserts out there, not to.

These Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are the perfect all-around cookie for fall.  They're light.  They're a crowd pleaser.  They freeze well.  They are fun to roll with your kiddos.  And...you probably have all the ingredients already on hand.  

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:

For the cookies...

2 sticks butter (1 cup), at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the Rolling sugar...

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar and pumpkin puree and beat well. Mix in egg and vanilla, scraping down sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon. Beat flour mixture into liquid mixture a little at a time until incorporated.

Cover dough with plastic and chill at least an hour, or until dough becomes slightly firm.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (or spray with nonstick spray). Mix rolling sugar in a small bowl. Use a small or medium cookie scoop (1 - 1 1/2 Tbsp.) to scoop out dough and roll into balls. Use your hands to roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar and make sure they’re coated really well. Place on the prepared baking sheets. Use a glass with a flat bottom to dip in sugar and flatten the balls.

Bake at 350°F. for 10 to 14 minutes, or until they are slightly firm to the touch. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes or so, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen small cookies.

And now, I must get back into cleaning mode.  Too much baking and crafting...not enough cleaning will lead to a Monday of trying desperately to get back into the swing of things.  That's me today.  Boring laundry here I come!