I Know Some Kids Who Are Going to Have a Pretty Great Christmas

Thanks, y'all.

You're amazing.

Spinning Together. Forever.

While we basically live at Kennywood during the summer, we had never gone during the off-season -- until this weekend. What better time to wander around an amusement park than on a day when it's barely 20 degrees?

The good news is that while it was definitely cold, it wasn't the worst thing ever. That could just be the North Dakota in me talking, though. Alexis will happily tell you that it was ZOMG SOOOO COLD UGGGGH. Mila pretty much always sides with Alexis, so maybe the score is 2-1.

Whatever.

They're still alive and they both still have 10 fingers and 10 toes.

(I think. I didn't actually count anything.)

While it was a cold evening, it was also a fun evening. Alexis and Mila have been close since Day One, but somehow they manage to become closer with each passing moment. At the rate they're going, I think they're going to live next door to each other when they're adults. Even that will be too much distance. I hope any future partners are okay with their favorite girl being part of a package deal.

The package deal includes two girls that looooooooove to go on rides together.

I keep thinking that Alexis will grow bored of riding the baby rides with her baby sister, but it just doesn't happen. It helps that none of the big roller coasters were running (Alexis often attends the church of Phantom's Revenge when that's a choice), but even if they were, I think Alexis would have spent most of her night happily cruising around Kiddieland.

She's a good egg, that one.

 

She's especially a good egg because she compensates for that which she broke. There was a time when I loved ALL rides, but these days I prefer to keep the spinning far, far, far, far away. Spinning bad. Spinny spin ::puke:: might be the most accurate way to describe my feelings about spinning rides. Each passing year makes it a little bit worse, but it started with Alexis. Before there was an Alexis, I could spin. Once there was an Alexis to spin with, I was done. The mere thought of riding that spinny thing in the photo is enough to leave me nauseous for a week.

Seriously.

So basically while having kids might ruin your ability to have (spinny) fun, they really do make up for it by making life a new kind of fun.

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

It's go time! It's time to deck those halls, wrap those gifts, and carefully place those cookies on the trays.

I mean, it would be go time if I were done and stuff. There are six kinds of cookies in the freezer right now, which is better than no kinds of cookies, but it's still not quite enough. Guess who is going to spend the week in the kitchen? I hope y'all have already purchased all of the chocolate chips and powdered sugar you need, because I'm about to burn through it all.

In the meantime, here's one of my accomplishments. They're a little like a crispy chocolate chip cookie, but with white chocolate, dried cranberries, and a hint of almond. By the way, those things go well together. Very well.

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and sugar until they're creamy.

4. Add the extracts and egg and then beat some more.

5. Grab a smaller mixing bowl and toss the flour, baking soda, and salt in it. Whisk.

6. Gradually add the flour and such to the sugars while running the mixer.

7. Once everything is well blended, add the chocolate chips and cranberries and stir to combine

8. Drop by heaping teaspoonful onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Leave about two inches between cookies because these will spread a bit.

9. Bake at 350 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

10. TAH-DAH!