So, thanks to some freelance work, my laptop has been in Nate’s sole possession for the past week. And since I’m not at all flexible, it is entirely impossibly for me to conceive of posting from another computer, such as the desktop in the office.

I have been so long divorced from my laptop that it was actually Nate that posted about the contest winner. In fact, I didn’t even know who had won until he returned to my parent’s cabin from his extended excursion at the internet cafe. And due to a miscommunication and improper instruction on my part, he was unable to locate and publish these important pictures:

Yes, there it is. The official drawing. I find it necessary to point out that Ava drew the number that corresponds to her age. She is clever like that.

So congratulations to you, Shanel! And to me, since I no longer have to ship the soap across the country. I can just keep forgetting to bring it to our lunch dates.

And now that I’m able to type freely on my laptop, I would like to send my love to all the lovely lurkers who said hello!

It was seriously so much fun to hear from you!

Thank you, thank you to all the former roommates, old highschool friends–of course I remember you Beth, favorite co-workers, and new internet friends who brightened up the dreariest of days during the wettest week of the rainiest month in my memory. (You know it’s bad when six urban woman–read non-farmers–get together and their number one prayer request involves the weather. “Please Lord, make the rain stop, please.”)

I had know idea that delurking week would be so rewarding, I wish I could give you all a huge hug.

But since my arms won’t be able to extend all the way out to Northern Ireland again for sometime, I will give you the next best thing: the recipe for Ava and my absolute favorite chocolate chip cookies ever.

And they are so easy to make that the resident three-year-old now “reads” me the recipe.

In fact, the hardest thing about these cookies is figuring out how to get your microwave to properly soften butter. You could just leave the butter on the counter for a couple hours, but that would require planning ahead. And in my experience, these are the “I’m-craving-something-warm-soft-and-gooey” kind of cookies that are made on very short notice and generally include knocking on the neighbors door for an egg while the butter and sugaring are creaming upstairs.

While you will have to supply the butter and eggs, I promise they will return the smiles you sent me.

Virtual Hug Cookies

3/4 cup of butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
1/2 cup of brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup of white sugar
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 pkg semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together dry ingredients (including oats). In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Taste to make sure that the sugar is sweet and the butter is creamy, then add the egg and vanilla. All samples now contain raw egg, taste at your own risk (a risk I tend to ignore repeatedly). Slowly add in flour mixture. Add in chocolate chips. Resist temptation to eat all of the cookie dough. Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 9 to 13 minutes. It’s suppose to make 3 dozen cookies. This has yet to happen for us–I blame Cookie Dough Monster Nate. Cool for one minute or let them cool in your mouth. Either way–Enjoy!