Friday Fun February 23

Lizzard loves baking. 

I mean, duh. But I do! So that is where we will start!

1. A new cookie recipe from the hilarious Joy the Baker.

Frankly, they don't look as good as they taste!!

I love that she titled this recipe "Weekday Oatmeal & Everything Cookies" - kind of a fun name, yes? So they are delicious - I only baked one pan, because Chris & I will demolish all the cookies in sight...best to limit whats available! I thought there were a lot of spices in the dough, but once out of the oven - I honestly will up the ante next time! The only adjustments I made to the recipe - I used half whole wheat flour, half dark chocolate chips & half milk chocolate chips, half dried cherries & half dried cranberries, half pepitas & half sunflower seeds. I basically wanted everything but the kitchen sink in these cookies :) Oh, and I sprinkled the tops with sea salt before I baked them, because double duh.

2. Coffee Catch Up

2 of my favs, sitting at the island, noshing on banana bread

The littlest things matter so much now that Lulu is in our lives. Sometimes it feels like a giant pain to get out of the house & schedule life around nap schedules & feeding schedules, or to schedule a babysitter. So when a friend is willing to meet at our house for coffee & chatting - I feel like I've won the lottery! When said friend (my beloved CC) also comes bearing ridiculously delish banana bread (coincidentally also a Joy the Baker recipe!) it is a triple bonus. I baked the cookies above for this visit :)

3. Success with New Years Resolutions

So what happened to the other cookie dough that I didn't bake?? It is nestled in a lot of plastic wrap in our freezer! That makes 3 kinds of dough in said freezer, which means I am accomplishing my resolution to always have cookie dough in the freezer. Being better about posting right here was another 2018 focus of mine - and look, we're doing that right now. Feeling satisfied. I have slowed down on my new vegetarian recipe resolution - do you have any you'd care to share??

4. Mother Daughter Book Club

We had a meeting on Monday night and nearly the whole group read the book, which hardly ever happens. We had an awesome meal, great conversation, & perhaps the most delicious slice of pecan pie I've ever had (& I thought I didn't like pecan pie!!) We've been meeting with this group of 5 mothers and 7 daughters consistently for about a decade. It makes me happy pretty much every single time.

5. Making a Donation to Sandy Hook Promise

Because I need to do something. We marched (more on that here). We vote. We sign petitions, but the NRA is so well funded.....we need dollars to combat their dollars & keep our kids safe.

March for Gun Reform

Lizzard Loves standing up for what she believes in.

I also love bringing Lulu to her first march! And marching with friends.

I, like so many others, am appalled/saddened/enraged by the events that took place in Florida last week. So, we joined the March for Gun Reform in Chicago. It was a good event put on by Mom's Demand Action Illinois, Women's March Chicago, Women's March Illinois, Indivisible Chicago, & Indivisible Illinois.

We all need to work together to change our gun laws. There is no need for any private citizen to own an assault weapon, full stop. No need unless you want to assault people, which, last time I checked is illegal in the great US of A. Its literally in the name......think about it.

I don't want to abolish the 2nd Amendment, but I do want thoughtful and common sense gun legislation to help keep my daughter & everyone else's children safe. Frankly, I'd like to also feel safe myself.

So, do what you can do. Call your representative, call your senator, write letters, walk in marches, donate to causes that support common sense gun laws. If we don't do something, we are standing idly by while children are being murdered. I, for one, don't want that on my head.