What my daughters really want for Christmas

 Since we only like dogs, rather than love them we know they aren't a good match for our family, so I don't think this will ever happen... but never say never right?

Maybe another kitty is in order.

Are you giving a pet as a gift this year?

Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Baking season is in full swing at our house and as December elbowed out November, I pulled out this tried and true drop cookie recipe. I clipped this from the local Williamson County Parent magazine in 2005.
You are going to love these simple, yummy cookies! Our plate didn't look like that for long.
The very best part is this is a no egg recipe so your kiddies~ and you can eat the dough!
Stir up a batch of fun and happy memories today with your family. Enjoy!

The Basic Chocolate Chip Drop Cookie

Ingredients:

Directions:

I've also baked up a few dozen Old Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Cookies which turned out really well I think in large part because I used dark brown sugar.

What is your favorite cookie recipe? Please share!

Email Overload

I have been a fan of Amy at Blogging with Amy for almost as long as I've been blogging. Her advice is spot on and usually very timely.  I have learned many tips and tricks from her and this post was just too perfect for me not to share.

 I logged on this morning to over 15,000 emails! That is not a typo... 15K staring at me and I knew I had to do something!

 Like a beacon in the night, Amy's post:  Increase productivity, Unsubscribe liberally caught my eye, thanks in part to my lame attempt to corral my inbox by setting up alerts so there was a handy yellow arrow drawing my eye to it.

Thanks Gmail and Thanks Amy.

After reading her tips, I'm hoping for a streamlined inbox soon.  I am say Yes! To Email Bankruptcy!

Need some inbox help? I invite you to read:


Increase productivity. Unsubscribe liberally.

I hope you find this as helpful as I did. Do you have an inbox tip you'd like to share?

Please leave a comment here!


12/5/11: Update: I did it! I am at ZERO in my inbox! Boy, that feels Good! Go ahead, take the plunge and declare email bankruptcy too! It's liberating and Gmail rewards with this sweet note:
No new mail! Want to read updates from your favorite sites? Try Google Reader

I've been taking it easy the last few days, truly enjoying my dear family and the spirit of Thanksgiving.

I tried reaching out to some of my girlfriends before the craziness of the "holidays" set in, but sadly I found several already too busy, or worse too engrossed in their own " stuff" to really connect with me.  I got off the phone wondering if the call was even worth it.

This saddens me, because female friendships can be hard-won and tricky to keep, especially as we get older. I try to value the friends I have, but friendship must be reciprocal to thrive! I wondered why they couldn't see all they had to be thankful for? Was I living in my own rosy little world?
I know my best friend is happy and I am so very thankful for her.

 But the rest of my circle? I have doubts.

So when I saw this movie over at Simple Truths I just had to share it. Maybe one or two of my " friends" will watch it and realize that alot of the stuff they " talked " with me about is mentioned within.
 Oh, and they might also notice that they never stopped to ask me how I was. Maybe they just figured I was still happy-go-lucky me... but it would have been nice for them to check.

 In the end, it's all good because I really care about them and I've learned over the years to lighten up and not take everything personally .. but I am going to keep my heart open to new friends.

I hope you will enjoy
Simple Truths-it's not just me

and remember this little diddy:

Make New Friends
But Keep the Old
One is Silver
and the other Gold

How do to stay connected with your friends? How do you invite new friends into your circle?