Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tonight, after dinner at Nana and Hondo's, Nana decided to make chocolate chip cookies. Cooper needed to supervise and after getting used to the mixer, he was ready to go!


Mixing the first few ingredients.


Next come the chocolate chips...


The dough is ready! Cooper loved to turn the mixer on and off.


What fun is making cookies if you can't lick the spatula?


Nana was blowing on the cookies to help them cool and Cooper picked up on that trick VERY quickly!


Happy boy!

It didn't take long for Cooper to figure out how to dunk a cookie. Thankfully, Nana and Honda didn't seem to mind that he would rather watch the milk drip from the cookie onto their kitchen table instead of eat it.


I think there will be lots of cookie making at Nana and Hondo's in Cooper's future!

Father's Day Weekend

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. Cooper is so lucky to have Jeff as his daddy and I definitely could not do without him.

Overall, we had a really relaxing weekend. I fixed a big breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage and biscuits Saturday morning, then we headed to my aunt and uncle's pool to swim. Cooper had so much fun. He's definitely is a water baby who doesn't shy away from going under water. Because of my schedule this summer, I don't think we're going to be able to swing swim lessons, but they will be on the list for next year. One thing we did discover is that Cooper doesn't like to float on his back. I tried a few times, but I guess he doesn't feel safe and would fight to get upright each time I tried.

Jeff's request for Father's Day was chicken wings from Central BBQ for lunch and to watch the US Open. Safe to say, he got his wish. We watched the whole tournament over the weekend- from early morning coverage on the Golf Channel to the very end when Rory McIlroy hoisted the trophy. We had dinner with my parents and brother to celebrate Father's Day and discuss our upcoming annual family vacation.

Cooper and I have spent the day together today. We slept in a little, so we took our morning walk a little later than usual. There was a nice enough breeze that we took a really long walk, then stayed outside and played. I kept forgetting that the Easter Bunny brought colored bubbles for Cooper, so I thought they might be something different to try out. Cooper loved them, but hasn't mastered blowing bubbles...see?


I promise they are non-toxic.

I had just as much fun with the bubbles as Cooper. When you blow the bubbles, they come out blue and green (or whatever color(s) you buy- they have pink, purple, and orange, too) and leave the surface colored when they pop. That's one reason why Cooper has some color on him and why the water table water is a little blue. The color was much more vivid than I anticipated and so far, it hasn't stained anything (clothes from today are in the washing machine now- if you get these for your child, I wouldn't wait to wash them). As weird as it sounds, the green didn't work as well as the blue. Not sure why, but these are a lot of fun and I'll probably buy some more to take on our vacation.

And to further prove that Jeff and I deserve the "Parents of the Year" award: Cooper has learned to load DVDs into the blu-ray player. Anyone who says kids don't mimic what they see has no idea! Whether he was really into the movie or tired from our busy morning, this is what I found after cleaning up Cooper's lunch:


Looks like he loves "Elf" as much as his Mama does!

AHHH! It's the TONYS!!!

What started as a blog to keep out of town friends and family updated has merged into posts about everyday life, including my love of pop culture. While some may not consider Broadway part of pop culture, I absolutely love it and would probably rate the Tonys as my favorite awards show, with the Golden Globes as a close second.

I took dancing for 15 years and my recitals were normally the afternoon of the Tony Awards. We'd have dinner after the recital and race home so my mom and I could watch the Tonys. I've left family dinners early to see it from start to finish and although they'd do it begrudgingly, you could probably twist my dad's, brother's, and Jeff's arms to admit that there is a degree of hilarity to the show. I think I still dream of being on the "Great White Way", although I was never a good enough dancer and if y'all have ever heard me sing, well, then you know there's no hope there, either.

Neil Patrick Harris was great as host this year, opening the show with "Broadway's Not Just for Gays Anymore." Hilarious! I think that's one of the many reasons I love the theatre, musicals, Broadway, etc. so much- there's no apologizing for who you are, they'll openly thank their partners, and no one's gasping in shock over anything. Just go with the flow, make fun of what you can, have a good sense of humor, and enjoy life.

So, let's get to the fashion:

I liked Christine Brinkley's dress, although it looks a little "prom-y" to me. The hair didn't help and let's not even get into her daughter, Alexa Ray's look- yikes. It looks like her hair is hurting her. While I liked the dress, if you caught Brinkley's introduction for the performance by "Company", you'll think the dress took on a life of it's own, making Brinkley seem like a high-on-meth teenager. Whoa...she had to be on something to be that animated:



While not a fan of her dress, I think Ellen Barkin is stunning. I'm not sure why, but Tori and I were talking about her this weekend as we were watching Ocean's Thirteen. Her haircut works so well for her and while you can tell she is older, I think she's gorgeous. And, I really want to see the play she won a Tony for- "The Normal Heart" about the AIDS epidemic in 1980s New York.



"The Book of Mormon" actress Nikki James had one of my favorite dresses of the night:



Whoa...who let Angela from "Who's the Boss" back into the limelight?


Judith Light, nominated for "Lombardi", looks a little ill in this picture. I thought she looked really, sickly thin when they showed her last night and this picture further proves the point.

And presenting...the Helena Bonham Carter of Broadway...Whoopi Goldberg!


Whoopi has helped bring "Sister Act" to Broadway. I wasn't impressed with last night's performance, but it wouldn't have been at the top of my "must see" list anyway.

Love, love, love Sutton Foster:


Sutton had a brief stint at a high school near us, so I feel like I cheer for the hometown girl with her. When Jeff took me to New York after I finished my graduate degree, we got tickets to "The Drowsy Chaperone" just because she was starring in it. Of course, her run ended a month before we were there. She won last night for her portrayal of Reno Sweeney in "Anything Goes", but got a little crazy (think "ugly cry") when she thanked her dresser and burst into tears because he was leaving her to pursue his dream of being an artist.

Now on my must-see list (preferably on Broadway, but I don't think that's happening again anytime soon): The Book of Mormon, Mamma Mia! (never seen it and hope to next summer when it comes to Memphis), Memphis, Million Dollar Quartet, La Cage aux Folles (I've already begged to have tickets to these 3 shows when they stop at The Orpheum during the 2011-2012 season), Jersey Boys (Love this show. Love it. Could see it a million times and never get sick of it.), Hair, Rock of Ages, and Spring Awakening.

So as they say when they close the Tonys, "...get out there and see a Broadway show!"

Weekend Away

We've had a great weekend, visiting with our friends Jeff and Tori (Tori is also Cooper's godmother) in Jackson, TN. Jeff is a member of Jackson Country Club and this weekend was the member/guest tournament. My Jeff was Jeff's guest, so they played golf Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Cooper and I headed up late Thursday afternoon to meet everyone.

Before that, though, Cooper and I just hung around the house, although we did have our first Play-Doh experience:

Safe to say that Cooper was not a fan.

After Cooper and I had our morning walk and Cooper had a nap, we all headed to Tori's hometown of Dyer, TN. We stopped off at Joe and Deana's Bypass Cafe for a great lunch before visiting City Lumber (Tori's dad's store), the Dyer Florist, and Tori's parents' house. They have completed their renovations since we visited last summer and needless to say, I am IN LOVE with the work they've done. The kitchen and living room are gorgeous and they have even installed a storm shelter and area for them to clean the vegetables from their garden downstairs. Scooter and Patti (Tori's parents) also have the sweetest Great Dane named Micah, who was so good with Cooper:


We made a quick stop in Hester Drug Store in Rutherford before going to China Grove, where the local Mennonites have a store. I came away with some delicious cinnamon rolls, but they had everything from fresh milk and cheeses to spices to candy- all homemade! We took the scenic route back, including a stop at the Trenton Co-Op and even got to see Jeff and Tori's first home in Trenton. We met the Jeffs back at home, then had a pizza dinner before crashing for the night.

Saturday, Cooper, Tori, and I hung out around the house, watching movies, talking, playing outside, and chasing Cooper, while the guys played the last day of the member/guest. Hank decided he needed to sit in Tori's lap (yep, their 70 pound boxer is a lap-dog) and Cooper thought he needed to join in:


Once the guys made it home, we packed up and headed back home to Memphis. Unfortunately, we didn't know a thunderstorm was in the area, so our ride home was rainy and windy at times.

We had a great weekend and can't wait until the next time we get to see Jeff and Tori!

Hot as Blue Blazes

Is it hot enough out there for y'all? I'm not normally one to complain about the heat, but 100 degree temps day after day is insane.

And do you know what's more insane than that? When you discover your air has gone out at 2:30am Saturday morning. We stupidly thought we could make it through the weekend, but by 12:30pm Saturday, Jeff had been gone for hours playing golf with his cousin and Cooper and I were playing outside in the water table because it was cooler there. And to dig the knife in a little deeper, I got glass stuck in my foot. Several weeks ago, Cooper broke a picture frame and while I thought Jeff and I cleaned the glass up well, apparently we didn't. So, in the midst of all this, Jeff had to play surgeon to remove the glass.

Late Saturday afternoon, the air was fixed. Turns out, the motor needed to be replaced in the unit. Motor replaced, on a Saturday, in the sweltering heat- think that might have cost us a pretty penny? There was nothing that could be done, though. We had to get it fixed.

I feel like we can't get cool enough. No amount of air helps because we're constantly opening the door to let Avery out and back in or running errands. You've got to get as much done before 9am, otherwise you'll burn up. You just need a pool and a cool drink!

Stay cool, everyone! And, if you haven't seen Bridesmaids yet, you must go! My cousin Erin and I went last Thursday and it is hilarious!