Happy Birthday To My #1 Sister

22 Days and Counting

So I just counted this morning and the kids only have 22 days of school left. This means it's that time of the year again when my mom starts planning for all of the different places she might like to take her traveling companions (aka, Kobe & Tehani) over the summer. While this may seem like a strange idea to most, I should point out that my family comes from a long line of "grandparent sponsored" traveling excursions...
The year was 1978 when my Grandma and Grandpa decided to take my cousin and I to Florida. And while I was a little young to have a lot of memories of said trip (For example, I've no recollection of the groovy pantsuit I was sporting in this photo) I remember having fun at both Sea World and Disney World--and getting a super cool Donald Duck souvenir hat! (I also remember getting a couple of spankings for not listening but we'll leave that out of this trip down memory lane!)

Flash forward to 2010. Will the kids be spending time in Boston this summer? Or does a nice long train ride to Canada sound like the ticket? With Crazy J as your travel director, there's no telling where you'll end up!

All I know is that I'm glad for all of the great experiences that I had as a child with my grandparents...and for all of the fun times that the kids have with my Mom and Dad. Pack your bags, summer vacation is almost here!!

(PS--No need to "pack your bags" if you are over the age of 18. Cynthia and I drop hints about wanting to tag along for trips all of the time--but my mom only wants to do vacations with the grandkids now. Go figure!)

That's the way the cookie doesn't crumble

So I've been trying for awhile to find a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that I like. I'm a fan of chewy cookies and it seemed like every new recipe I tried turned out batch upon batch of super flat or extra crispy discs. Don't worry though because I would never let a defective cookie go to waste (which might explain why I still have an 25 extra pounds to lose:)

Anyway, I was in the mood to bake the other day (probably trying to get out of doing homework or something of the sort) when I stumbled across a new recipe that I decided to try. The cookies were fabulous and we gobbled them all up that very night (notice I said WE which means I did not eat all 4 dozen by myself!!)

However, the real test came tonight when my inner-Martha Stewart got the best of me and I decided to bust out the instructions for another run. Would the recipe work? Or had I just gotten lucky last time?

The verdict? I'm happy to say that these cookies pass the test. I LOVE THESE COOKIES!! And although I'd love to whip up a batch up for each of you to sample, you'll have to settle for the next best thing--access to this "Laura Approved" recipe. Enjoy!!

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
• Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Flashback Friday

I'm not quite sure of the year on this (or why Cynthia is looking at me instead of the camera) but here's a pic of us Anderson's kids ready for an Easter morning egg hunt. Since it's a flashback photo I don't really know:

1. Why Cynthia is carrying a flashlight (Maybe it was her job to look for eggs in the crawlspace?)
2. If Raymond always wore such snazzy pjs or if this was reserved for special occasions like holidays?
3. If the siblings are going to be mad at me for posting this pic?

Happy Friday!

Crazy J's got a new 'do

Thanks to my hairstylist Ashley at Metropolitan Salon for squeezing an appt in for my mom. (I'm assuming they don't have hair salons in Tahiti 'cause Crazy J came home with longer hair than I've seen in a long time)

I just had to post a pic of Crazy J's new 'do because it would be a shame to pass up an opportunity to aggravate my sis! Cynthia had planned to come out to Utah with my mom but had to cancel last minute. And I'm pretty sure that the ONLY reason my lil' sis was coming here was to get her hair done by Ashley (which means apparently they don't have hair salons in Wisconsin either) OK, the truth is that Ashley is really just that good :)

Anyway, if you're ever in need of a new 'do too, just let me know and I can give you Ashley's number (You just have to promise not to get the same cut as me 'cause I don't do the whole "twiners" thing...) And I'll be sure to post another pic (for Cynthia) after my cut on Saturday!

Typical Boy

So I came home from class last night to find Kobe sitting on the couch like this...

Turns out that 4th grade gym class is more dangerous than you would expect. Kobe's never broken anything before so I was glad when he told me that the doctor said it was only a slight sprain--whatever that means. I guess that's one way to get out of gym class for awhile...

Anyway, when I asked him what happened Kobe reminded me of the date.

I can't believe he got me! Who knew I had such the little practical jokester on my hands?!? Turns out Kobe spent the whole day at school telling the teachers that he had a sprain. I can already see that I am going to have many, many years of April Fools jokes to look forward to!