Kelly Times Two

For several years, I've made this cookie recipe that I concocted myself, and my kids call it my specialty cookies. I found this recipe online today that looks almost identical to mine, but it has two extra ingredients, baking powder and cinnamon, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Then of course, I kicked it up a notch to make them festive looking by adding Wilton's candy melts in red and green. They are phenomenal! Thank you, Mrs. Bush! Here's Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookies recipe for your delight. 3 cups flour 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 tablespoon baking soda 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups butter (at room temperature) 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 3 large eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips 2 cups sweetened flake coconut 2 cups chopped pecans (8 ounces) Mix dry ingredients together in bowl, then set aside. Mix butter and sugars together, add eggs and vanilla until...

Here you go, Christopher. Try uploading these two pictures from school for your project. Love, Mom. Go Warriors!

Our sister, Tracy, turned the big 5-0 in October, so she planned a wonderful birthday party, for us to visit her new home in Kansas City and spend time together for the weekend. Julie and I stayed at a nearby {fancy} hotel {not so much} and Valerie joined us a couple days later. Here's Julie and Tracy. Tracy's husband, her four kids, and her one grandson, also came to celebrate. Here is my sis with her youngest daughter, Jessica, a fourth grade teacher in Oklahoma. As most of my blog readers know, I usually make cards for people, but when I saw this good one last year, I cracked up over it, bought it for Tracy, and hoped I would not lose it for when the time came. Who actually gets this thrilled about turning into a new decade? It beats the alternative, right? The thrilling surprise for all of us was that Tracy's son, Garry, and his wife, Melissa, and their son, Hunter, flew in from Mountain Home, Idaho, to be there. Garry and Melissa got married right out of high school...