Easy Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are one of the first things I learned to bake once I was out on my own. But having to ice them and decorate them, is mostly something for holidays and special occasions, unless you have the time and patience. Just having a simple sugar cookie on any day of the year, or even just a quick cookie to take somewhere, or to eat on throughout the week, is something a lot of us enjoy. Sugar cookies, just baked and left by themselves, is such a simple cookie to mix together. The key to these easy sugar cookies is to roll them in sugar before baking, without the hassle of cookie cutters, or icing. Here is my version of "Easy Sugar Cookies" that you can make any time of the year. And the best part, they're soft.

Here's how to make these easy, soft sugar cookies:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking power
• 3/4 tsp. sea salt
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk

Mix dry ingredients together and set aside. Using a stand mixer, mix wet ingredients together starting with the butter. Combine butter and sugar, and add the eggs. Combine dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix well. Form into balls, about two tablespoons for each ball. Roll in granulated sugar, or colored sprinkles, flatten just slightly and lay on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for about 30-45 minutes, or freeze at this point to bake later.

Bake for 12-16 minutes at 350 degrees.

I would add to allow them to cool before eating, but nothing is better than a warm sugar cookie straight from the oven, so enjoy!

Five Simple Things (July 4)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. These shoes.

Because everyone needs a pair of Chuck Taylors at least once in their life. Of course, with our house it's many times in our life, but nothing is better than a new pair. I look forward to Skylar wearing these out. And if you don't know who Chuck Taylor is, are you really a Converse fan?

2. This Necessaire.

I am loving this brand and every time it comes as a gift in the mail I am excited. I am loving the soap bars lately, too.

3. These items.

Kiwi Eco Box came this week and I am loving the candle and the scent sachet. This start of summer scents always boost my mental health. Hopefully, this summer will be better than the last. Get on the mailing list for this box here, and snag the next month's shipment.

4. These cookies.

Homemade chocolate chocolate chip cookies are the best. I have an entire blog post on chocolate chip cookies. This weekend is the time to make some, so snap to it!

5. This moment.

We made the shift today from Hardy's bowl to know Eleven's bowl. We try to hand-me-down pet things as we need to. We save a few things that go into the "pet box," but some things go onto the next in line. Poor Eleven has been just as heartbroken and depressed as we have been over Hardy. He was just a spark of happiness in our house. We all are feeling the loss.

One last thing:

I've been working on a recipe book for Skylar. I don't cook a lot, and honestly, I really hate it, but I have created some recipes over the years that are mine, and I want Skylar to have a keepsake that he can use later on and remember happy times together in the kitchen. I have been making little side notes for him, too, so that he can have a lot of good things from me. This will be a work in progress, but he will really enjoy it when I do finish it and gift it to him. I don't remember where I picked this one up, but Amazon has some great options. I recommend getting a hard-backed book, because of the wear and tear it might go through when used a lot.

Positive affirmations this week:

Stay on task with your mental health. If you start to see a dip in how you feel, reevaluate what took place shortly before that dip. Think back to maybe it being something that has compounded through the last few days or weeks. If you see a pattern that is affecting how you feel, try to regain some positivity to help you through it. Definitely cut ties with toxicity if that is the case, and remember you are the captain of your life. Here are some quick things to do to help you get back to center from the image below. But always remember, no matter how many things you do that will help you stay on a positive climb out of mental health issues, some days just hit hard, and that's okay. Push through and love yourself through it, and tomorrow we try again. There is no shame in struggling. Never beat yourself up. Always allow yourself to feel how you feel. You're going to be okay.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Easter (2025)

Easter is always a pleasure in our house. I do my best to still bring the magic, even as Skylar gets older. I like to create the "illusion" that a rabbit was in our house and left footprints and small containers of jelly beans as it hopped through the house. I think I did pretty well, if I don't say so myself. Skylar told me a couple of years ago that his best memory of Easter is when I put jelly beans all through the house leading to his Easter basket. It warmed my heart that I did something that he loved and still remembers to this day. I tried my best to recreate it and I hope he enjoyed it just as much as the first time.

I also made chocolate chip cookies and created rabbits from chocolate buttons (similar to M&Ms, but without all the junk). They turned out well and were the perfect treat for Easter.

We enjoyed an Easter dinner, that I did not get pictures of, because I was enjoying the moment. We finished the meal out with some Key Lime Pie. It was a good day!🐇

Five Simple Things (January 31)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This tea.

I received this Carpathian Mountains Tea from Kiwi Eco Box, and I decided to bag it and try it this week. The tea leaves are hand-gathered along the slopes of the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine. I love the fact that I can support a small business and give back to Ukraine during this time. I will always stand by "NO WAR."

2. These ribbons.

This week, we said goodbye to Skip, Jeff's uncle. He had always been a nice man to me and treated me respectfully. He was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, where he served his time as a medic. He was a hard worker, a kind, and an overall generous man. He had wounds from his time in Vietnam and carried those with him physically and mentally. He was always a gentle man to Skylar and nicknamed him "Deets" from the Westerns he used to watch. He loved our dogs and was always welcoming to us when we walked to his house to visit. I miss those times, and we will miss him. I talked to him once about how I felt about things happening within the family, and his words I have carried with me. He said, "If we don't feel wanted where we feel we should, we have to make choices to protect our peace." After he said that, I made a choice. I am so appreciative that he talked to me and made me feel less of an outcast within Jeff's family. He spoke to me a few other times about things said or done over the years. He was a good person, and I value his words. He will always be one of the good ones to me. I hope he has now found peace and can rest his mind. These flags and black ribbons are for you, Gary "Skip" McDonough. I hope you are resting in peacefully now and know how much you meant to us and everyone that knew you.

3. These cookies.

I have perfected these chocolate chip cookies over years, and they are delicious! Here are a few other recipes to try (Chocolate Chip Cookies Five Ways).

4. This rainbow.

Always a delight to see in the skies here in Oregon on a rainy day.

5. This show.

This was one of my favorite shows as a kid. We didn't have cable growing up and I replied a lot on Public Broadcasting. I learned a lot through many of the programs, and loved when Mathnet would come on. This show taught me about square roots, long division, and algebraic geometry. When I see "defund PBS" online, I always get sad at how fast people are to want to get rid of programs that helped/help so many of us. Some of the people posting actually grew up watching the same programs, and are around my age group. The logic behind that falls short for me. We have donated one car, with another to be donated soon, to Public Broadcasting here in Oregon (OPB) and we are so happy that we could help keep these shows on air for kids growing up like I did.

One last thing:

This moment was posted by Patti Smith, a writer, singer, poet, and author. She captured this moment perfectly, because it gives us a chance to relate in a way that allows us a quiet, universal realization of simply needing to pause and exist. Sometimes it's okay to sit and reflect on nothing but that moment. And thanks to the "godmother of punk" I will do just that this weekend.

Positive affirmations this week:

Resilience to tough situations is a good mindset to have, but there are times that test us to the brink of making us feel like we are losing that resilience. There is this "high road" myth that exists. There are certain times that call for that, but there are other times that setting firm boundaries needs to be done. You do not need to tolerate abuse simply to keep the peace. It is okay to say no when someone crosses those boundaries. The key is to be able to bounce back resiliently after those boundaries have been given. Having guilt afterwards is because of your own empathy, but we must learn when to have that empathy and when not to. Keep setting those boundaries and keep working on your resilience through your healing.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (November 15)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. These cookies.

I have been baking cookies lately. Probably being in full holiday mode tricks my brain to think cookies much be baked. I've been using some of my own recipes that I have perfected to our taste over the years.

2. This runner.

Our table is long and always welcoming to anyone wanting to sit at it with us for dinner. A lot of times we are feeding Skylar's friends, and sometimes coworkers, but over all, it's always a place we gather at once a week as a family. This table runner I found this week at TJ Maxx and I can't wait to add it to the tablescape this holiday season.

3. This kitty.

I washed all the quits this week and Eleven was the first one to take a nap on them before I added them back to everyone's beds.

4. This syrup.

We needed syrup, but half the reason I bought this one was for the bottle. Okay, mostly the reason I bought it was for the bottle.

5. This subscription.

This week my monthly subscription to Birchbox came, and I love that a full-sized bottle of Paul Mitchell Hair Mask was included this month. I love anything hair mask related that helps hydrate my hair. Skylar has enjoyed using the hair masks, too, because the city water dries our skin and hair out a lot more than it should. I have extremely sensitive skin and Skylar got my sensitive skin, as well. We love to hydrate our hair, skin, feet, and everything in between. Birchbox has been coming through for us on this for a few months in a row now.

One last thing:

These two new items are now in the shop.

These Sardines Match Box contain 18 wooden matches in a matchbox that looks like a pack of sardines. They are perfect for small gifts, or just laying out on a table for decor. These Watercolor Rainbow Greeting Cards are blank inside for your own personal message. They are hand painted by an artist in Hawaii and come with a cardstock envelope. Both of these items are under $7.

You can check out the rest of the Five Simple Things shop here.

Positive affirmations this week:

You deserve everything that gives you joy, slowing down and enjoying the moments that matter to you, and to smile at the things that bring you comfort. No matter the people in your life that try to take that joy away from you, you deserve to have a happy life. When people try to still that joy, they themselves have no found theirs. Focus on what makes you happy, and don't let people take that away from you.

You can do this!🌈

The image below is from Amber Fillerup Clark's company Dae.

Have a nice weekend.

Five Simple Things (October 18)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This cookie.

We stopped at Whole Foods for lunch this week, and they have Halloween-themed cookies right now. We grabbed three different ones for each of us, but I just loved this mummy cookie. 

2. This shadow.

Morning shadows got me thinking...

3. This measure.

When you're Rick-Rolled by the state for cannabis. Does it get any better than this? I love Oregon!

4. This sticker.

I get it! You brake all you want.

5. This sky.

The amount of rainbows I have seen in my 20 years of living in Oregon are amazing! It's one thing, of a list of many, that I love about the state.

One last thing:

Skylar's fossil collection is amazing! I love him and his creativity, and his loves. Jeff gave him this box from his job, and Skylar immediately created a showcase box for his collection. This picture was taken from when he took it to class to show it to his professor at college and his classmates. It was a hit!

Positive affirmations this week:

Every day should be a day that you think about what you are grateful for. Never forget, even in the most disparaging moments that there are still things to be grateful for. Your life is one of them. Just remember to keep thinking of positive things that are in your life. If depression has you in a hold that you can't get out of with positive thoughts at the moment, remind yourself that it's only temporary. You are strong! You are! Remind yourself that you are strong and you will get through this.

You can do this!🌈

Have a nice weekend.