Baking Cookies with Neil Diamond

No, Neil wasn't really in my kitchen yesterday. But back in the hotel days my husband was actually his personal waiter during one of his tours. Nice guy that Neil.

I'm just trying to expand my children's repertoire beyond HSM. Not that there is anything wrong with a rousing version of Fabulous.

But yesterday was a little Sweet Caroline (Bah! Bah! Bah!), a tad bit of "you are the sun, I'm am the moon", and a touch of Cherry, Cherry.

And a lot of baking.

Charlotte helped out with the flour.

And enjoyed it too much.

Apparently flour tastes better to a toddler. But flour and saliva is just a nasty paste.

Does this mean I'm raising a paste eater? Oh please no.

The boys picked about a million shapes to cut.

(look at them being resourceful and washing all the ones they want to use! yay!)

And then we cut.

And they snuck dough off the edges.

Rodeo season is over here.

Dang it. Maybe I can convince the hubby to take me again. I promise I won't drool over the bull riding.

Ok, at least I'll try.

This time of year we are usually gearing up for a Disneyland visit. This year we are relishing in Disney in the form of sugar instead.

Mickey Mouse cookie cutter-the souvenir that keeps on giving!

We kept the oven busy all day.

And then later we frosted with John Mayer. For some reason his music makes me think Fall. Him and John Tesh. I don't know how either one of them would feel about that.

I don't know how *I* feel about that.

I went to a John Tesh concert once. It was actually really great. He had a killer violinist. Charlie Bisharat. look him up.

I also went to a Garth Brooks concert once. That rocked. He had a killer fiddler. I don't know his name. I just remember "Johnny Woo-hoo". And that his pants were WAY too tight. It had to hurt.

Anyway.

Cookies.

I am retarded about frosting Christmas cookies (it's almost that time!!!), but it just doesn't quite bleed over to regular cookies.

Not to say we don't still have fun with it.

You'll have to forgive the lack of photos of kids frosting cookies. They mostly just inhaled them as they went. And I was in the corner of the kitchen playing with frosting too. But not inhaling it.

I was doing this:

Wishing Farewell to summer things

Welcoming Fall

Celebrating our best crop! (corn on the cob every night anyone? heh!)

Being obnoxious. Ooooo......cookies.....

"Laces OUT!" Couldn't resist. Aaron has no clue what I'm talking about. If you know what "laces out" is, you win a cookie. If there are any left for you.

Halloween is fast approaching....

Apparently one of the kids felt the need to help liberate some of those chocolate chips from the bottom cookie.

The cowboy cookies stayed plain. 'Cause it just seemed wrong to frost them all up.

This is my baby girl's hand. It's really hard to trace around a squiggly hand in cookie dough.

Then I tried to figure out the perfect Mickey Mouse.

Tried Chocolate Chips:

Tried Sprinkles:

But honestly, I have to say I think I just love the plain old simplicity of this:

Why? Because we like you! Wait, because Mouse ears don't need any help.

And for my meeting tonight:

My motto for meetings: "There is no meeting that cannot be made better with treats". Amen.