Ah-mazing!

One of the best blessings God has granted us (in my opinion) is Chocolate. So I was in hog heaven when I came across this little beauty of a pin. That’s right! Chocolate chip cookies stuffed with Oreos!!! I’ll give you a moment to wipe that drool off your chin.

I actually made these a while back (ok, so over a year ago) and they were Ah-mazing! All I needed was another special occasion to make some more. Well, I found one, or it found me.

The brat pack and I were on our way back from the public library and passed by the fire station. A few of the nice firefighters were standing around chatting (probably like hens in a hen house) and waved to the kids on our way by. Which started the highly repetitive conversation about visiting the fire station and getting a ride in the truck.  All of a sudden the reoccurring whirlwind of thought goes through my head. Why couldn’t we go visit the station? Do they even do that? If I called the number to ask will I get in trouble since it’s not an emergency? Its spring break for crying out loud and all I’ve done with them is a trip to the library and a stop at the park. Isn’t spring break supposed to be all about cramming as much fun into one week to make up for the four dull months of winter? So I mustered up the courage to Google the fire station phone number. As my smart phone nearly begged to call the blue number for me, I reasoned with myself. It’ll be ok- they won’t even know who I am (in case I look a fool for even attempting to waste their precious time on a small pack of brats). And if they trace my number because I wasn’t supposed to call for non-emergencies, I’ll just pretend to speak Spanish. Have I mentioned I don’t know a lick of Spanish? The funny thing is that all this takes place in the mere minutes it takes to go exactly tree blocks to our next stop.  I hit the call button and a surprisingly pleasant gentleman informs me that no, it’s not a crazy question I am asking. And they actually do tours of the fire station all the time. Just come on by. So we set up a time for a couple of days later.

Now, I was always taught that you don’t show up to someone’s house empty handed. And this is their home away from home, right? So the whirlwind began again. Would hand drawn pictures from the kids be enough? Could we add this to our RAOK (Random Acts of Kindness) album? What kind of thank you goody do you take a bunch of grown men? And then it hit me. No man I know would ever turn down a cookie, let alone a twofer!

So with that decision made I had to go back and search my extensive Pinterest board appropriately name Recipes. Why I haven’t broken that board up into smaller categories I don’t know. After twenty minutes of searching and getting sidetracked because, “Oh, that looks good; Ahh, I need to make this soon; and even a Look something shiny”, I found the sweet pinnacle of chocolate. Find the Original Pin here.

So I give to you my attempt at recreating the deliciousness.

 

 

Okay, so they may not look all that Ah-mazing but they taste un-freakin-believable. Plus we put them in a nice cake box (the smallest sized bakery type box I could find) and added some manly colored tissue paper to make it all pretty. (My brother rolled his eyes at all this) Did they like the cookies- you might ask? Not sure. They happily accepted these tokens of gratitude and the hand drawn pictures, then proceeded to amaze the kids with all their hero toys. 

I have to say, the cookies weren’t the only thing Ah-mazing today. Those men were wonderful! They were very kind and really seemed to enjoy entertaining and educating the kids. They made a point to show the kids how they get dressed in all their equipment; and that they may look a little scary, but if our house was on fire he would be the one to come save them. They let them get inside the fire trucks and even let them spray the big water hose. This experience is one that will be talked about for quite awhile in our house.

Thank you R. Gantt, 2^nd Lt. Flippin and team for making a big impact on our kids and for all that you do.

You all truly are local heroes!

                   P.S. I hope you enjoyed the cookies I know I did!

 

Treasure Map

One of the best pins I have found so far is one that I'm positive will help with my sanity! Someone posted a book called "When did I get like this?" by Amy Wilson. Buy it here I looked it up on my book app on my handy dandy (sticky) iPad. Within a few pages I just had to have it. But, being the oh-so clever lady that I am, I decided it had to be the hardcover edition (you never know, the hubster might get bored one night... scratch that more likely he might drop it only to pick it up, happen to read the first few lines and get hooked. I can just see it now!). All those things I have ever wanted to explain to him, only to be lost for words, written here like a treasure map to my sanity. Seriously this book, this woman, is awesome! She just gets me! I do believe she may be my kindred soul. There are other mothers like me! She summed it up perfectly just on the front cover, "The screamer, the worrier, the dinosaur- chicken- nugget buyer, and other mothers I swore I’d never be."
 
I showed another mother at my work the book, and she asked what's up with the dino shaped chicken nuggets. Apparently her kids get a well balanced diet, because if you don't get the essence of those dino delights I just can’t explain it to you.
 
When I was twentyish and working on starting a family, I had this friend and we would talk about the others in our circle that had already joined the ranks of motherhood. Ones that did things one way where we would do it another. Then we joined those prestigious ranks and laughed our selves silly over our former selves and our high and mighty ideals. That was only the beginning.
 
The worst part of it all is, I now have my best friend whom I grew up with (and should know me best of all) completely fooled. She actually thinks I'm a good mother and someone to look up to in that regard. Whenever I hear her say things like that I cringe. She apparently hasn't yet figured out that I still- three kids later- have no clue what I'm doing! She doesn't realize there are things she does as a mother that I wish I could or would do. I mean she actually takes her son to the park every day after school to let him blow some steam. I wish!
 
As I read more and more of this addicting book I think that's the whole point of it. We as mothers, wives, and women do things different or even extreme, but with only the best of intentions- and that should be commended not judged.
 
I can’t say it enough, I love this book! As I sit here on my couch in the peace and quiet of the midnight hour chowing down on days old pizza unable to quit turning the pages I inch a little closer towards the sanity beckoning me from the land of self acceptance.
 
Thank you Amy for putting into words what I could never say.
 
(And thank you mom for making it all look so easy, which in turn has given me a complex! I kid, I kid. But seriously you must have done it right cause I did turn out to be pretty awesome if I do say so myself!)   XOXO

 

P.A.

Hello, my name is Laura and I am a Pin-aholic.

I'm sure you've all heard of Pinterest by now, if not what the heck are you waiting for? Much to my hubster's dismay I have become addicted to finding oh so many new projects that I just know are really going to make this crazy life we lead just a little bit simpler. He may moan and groan the entire way through one (and by that I mean bitch about how much he hates Pinterest), but deep down I know he loves all the money saving ideas that just cost a small amount up front. Right? Hubbies love that stuff right? Oh well, if I didn't drive him crazy with home improvements or new un-perfected recipes I would have to find something else to pester him with. We just can't have it get too boring around here now.

I started this blog thinking all the fun projects and parties I do would make a cool blog. Ha. I never was good at finishing diaries when I was a kid, and apparently haven't gotten any better. But I made up my mind. I'm turning thirty in nine months. Yes I know, you can cry for me in a minute. The problem I'm having with this horrible momentous occasion is that I haven't done anything monumentally page turning. But that's all about to change. This newfangled blog/ diary is the first step in the right direction (don't ask me how).

So be forewarned most of the fun projects I do kinda usually fail, but I always sometimes know what I did wrong and I will perfect it the next go around. I hope you enjoy it more than the hubster (cause really who could love it any less?).

Follow me on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/lrude/pins/