A is for application.

Building, loan, FEMA, etc.

B is for bids, which come in today. The anticipation is like Christmas. The dollar amounts are like my own equivalent of the budget deficit.

C is for cabinets. Which I ordered yesterday. And paid for in ADVANCE, which is a huge construction no no. They were 1/5 the cost of the bid from my kitchen designer. I love my online shopping guru husband.

D is for despair. Which is a regular companion to the home building process.

E is for euphoria. Ditto above.

F is framing. Ours is apparently particularly complicated. Like me.

G is for good weather. Which we have had for 2 days running. It makes everything in life better!

H is for home sweet home. Which will be 3 bedrooms and a bathroom for the next few months if everything goes according to plan. Like camping inside. Which is my favorite kind of camping.

I is for income property. Which we do not have. Ours is an outgo property.

J is for justification. Which is sometimes useful in budgeting for fixtures and finishes.

K is for kidding around. Which is a useful way to pass the time while waiting for bids to come in.

L is for looking. For bargains. On everything we need to build a house.

M is for money. We keep spending it. And, we haven't really started yet.

N is for now. Which is when I would like my new house to be done.

O is for organization. I'll get right on that.

P is for piles. Of information important to the building process.

Q is for quickly. Which is how I need to get get things done once I finally realize they need to be done.

R is for running. In circles most of the time.

S is for sinks. I like really special sinks. See justification.

T is for today. Which is a sunny, warm day. Hooray!

U is for unless. The word that comes before a long list of undesirable possibilities.

V is for vacation. Which we just had, but seems like a long time ago.

W is for work. Which I need to do more of.

X is for x-ray. And xylophone. Which are not really applicable to this conversation.

Y is for yay! Which is what I say every time we move forward on our project.

Z is for zippadeedoodah! which is what I will sing the day they start excavation.

You get the idea. I think we are really, really close to starting construction. Keep your fingers crossed!




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Location:Hull, MA

Once upon a time

Once upon a time I promised a friend I would post my Coconut, Oatmeal, Raisin Cookie recipe.

I did not post it.

Now, I am posting it.

The End

The Most Amazingly Delicious Oatmeal Raisin Cookie ever! (according to me)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cubes (1/2 pound) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
1 cup raisins

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
2. Beat softened butter (remember that soft butter is veeeeeery important) with the granulated and brown sugar until light and fluffy. About 5 minutes in a kitchenaid type mixer. 8 or 10 if you are using a handheld mixer.

**mixer saving note: use the paddle on your mixer for almost everything. The wire whisk, although much more fun to look at, tends to break if you use it on anything thicker than cake batter.

3. Beat eggs into butter mixture until well combined.
4. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture on stir speed. This is the point at which more is not better in the mixing department.
5. Stir in the coconut, oatmeal, and raisins until just incorporated. (FYI, I use rolled oats, but quick cooking will also work.

Bake at 300 F for about 20 minutes, or until they just start to look golden brown around the edges.

I will now give you some cookie tips. Are you excited?

First, for a consistent cookie outcome, cookies that retain their shape and volume, and don't spread too much during baking, I recommend shaping and freezing your cookies before baking. This also allows you to have fresh baked cookies whenever you want, which is a definite benefit. You will need to add a little extra time to the baking time. I do realize that sometimes you need cookies really fast, so any chilling possible is good.

Second, if at all possible, use parchment paper when you bake your cookies. It helps to keep the bottoms of the cookies from browning too quickly.

Third, I am always aiming to have a soft and chewy cookie that is just barely done. If your ideal cookie is different from mine, feel free to disregard "first", and "second".

Happy cookie baking!





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Location:Hull, Ma

If you're lucky enough to live at the beach . . .

. . . you're lucky enough.

I was walking Milo this afternoon and saw this quote on a neighbors house. Again. It speaks to me every time I see it, and yet I forget within a day or two how meaningful it is.

When people ask what our child rearing technique is, Dave and I always say the same thing. We have high expectations of our children. For the most part they meet and exceed those expectations.

Perhaps I have let that idea get away from me. I have high expectations of life. I must have what I want when I want it or things are not right! That might not be the most appropriate way to live life.

I've come up with a few variations of this quote that would serve me well to keep in mind:

If you are lucky enough to have a home to live in, and food to eat, you are lucky enough.

If you are lucky enough to have a loving family, you are lucky enough.

Most importantly,

If you are lucky enough to have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, you are lucky enough!


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Location:Hull, Mass.