Weekend Retreat

Last week was a really loooooooooong week for many reasons, none of which are worth recording here for posterity.  Suffice to say, I definitely wasn't in my "happy place" anymore, or really even in the tri-state vicinity.  Very fortunately, I had already scheduled a much needed break a few months ago and went on a solo visit to parents on Saturday night (thanks mom and dad!).  Not only did I eat several meals like an actual adult (i.e., sitting for the entire meal and enjoying conversation), I also enjoyed an evening stitch-in at my mom's favorite cross-stitch shop, The Stitching Post. A healthy serving of parental love and quiet stitching time is just what I needed to quiet my mind and refresh my mood -- that and some delicious bacon from IHOP. (OK, there was also sausage and french toast too.)  Even though I was only gone less than 24 hours, the 100% break from parenting and chores is just what I needed. By the end of the day, I remembered that I really do love my family and am profoundly grateful for all I have.  Absence really does make the heart grow fonder sometimes.

When I returned, guess what was waiting for me???  Homemade cookies!  Scott and Abby were inspired by the photos in the Crazy for Cookies book (it really is a cool cookbook) and made Toffee Chocolate Chip cookies, and they even made the toffee to go inside.  DELICIOUS.  (And, all the dishes were even cleanup up!)  This is a photo I took, and the cookies turned out exactly like those shown in the book.  You can see a hunk of homemade toffee peeking up from the center of the cookie. Nice baking!

Prior to my visit down to Maryland, I took Abby and Caroline ice skating on Saturday as part of a Girl Scout event. I used to skate all the time, so it was fun for all of us.  What has changed from when I was little, is now rinks have these cool skating bars that new skaters can use for support.  They are like skating walkers, and the girls used them to get the feel for the ice.  Abby tossed her aside after about 20 minutes, and zoomed around, so I don't have any good photos of the front of her.