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Today it rained almost all day, the sort of cool drizzle that beckons you onto the front porch with hot tea. The green smelling breeze would sometimes wander in through the kitchen window and sometimes I could feel the hot heavy sauce breathe out. I was probably like a McDonald's venting my fry smell. I was so happy to just BE today, be at home, not leave, be present with the girls. They ran around outside between drops for awhile, all in matching striped hoodies. I heaved with the sense that these are the golden days. Charlotte loves to climb to the top of the doorways and today Gracie was squealing, trying to imitate her, but her armspan doesn't even reach across the doorway. So she grasped onto one side and got her chunky arms and legs at least 6 inches off the ground. I cheered and she decided that was good enough. While Charlotte played games with "Sophie Learns Spanish," Eleanor and I finally worked on her electricity kit. I don't know why I thought it would be hard. It was great; I learned, too. After a very satisfying spaghetti dinner, the girls washed all the dishes (Yay! My dishes fairies have finally bloomed!) and then I dragged up boxes of fabric that haven't been looked at since grad school. They stunk, but Charlotte enveloped herself in them anyway and reveled in their coziness. She uses opportunities like this almost hourly to put her cheek against mine and tell me how much she loves me. She is the most loving, thoughtful, and sensitive child I have ever known. They both began crazy quilts, ravaging through fabrics and old clothes, producing tiny shapes maybe too crazy even for crazy quilts. I discovered the sewing machine needle was mysteriously broken, so we sewed by hand. They each have a little freezer bag with a quilt the size of their hands so far and some scraps salvaged from Gracie's jealous tirade over the puzzles the girls were creating for themselves. We're nearly finished with our current bedtime book, Charlotte's Rose, which I chose because Charlotte's middle name is Rose. It's about a young Mormon girl who cares for an infant on the Oregon trail. They are starving right now. Not me. I am forcing more oat bran on Chris. He doesn't like the sort of eclectic, vegetable heavy business that I like so I created a delicious chocolate chip cookie for him. They're awesome. F-ing awesome little cholesterol sponges. I am licking my fingers to get enough of them (fingers) to type - between batches.

1 1/2 cup oatmeal and
1 1/2 cup oat bran in vita mix at 10 for 30 seconds
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cup (I think...I measured with my hand) brown sugar
mix this all
add
4 egg whites
1/2 cup smart balance vegetable oil
maybe 3 tsp of vanilla
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (even less would be OK)
2 cups chopped walnuts (these have also been shown to lower LDL's)
mix - I sprinkled a little extra oat bran on because mine was a little wet

Drop by small spoonfuls and bake for 9 1/2 minutes at 350