Cookies
by Kym on September 16, 2008
Wondering how you got here? Please clicky on the Welcome! message above.
You may notice a thematic connection between this post and my last. Though cookies and caramel sauce are very different in a chemical sense, they are close cousins in the culinary world. And both are very tempting during times of high stress.
What? What is this stress of which I speak?
Well, late last night as Neil and I were hunkered down on the sectional in the basement playing on the ole Wii in an attempt to wind down after our crazy and chaotic weekend away, the front door opened.
Being as we live in the middle o’nowhere and have very courteous neighbours, this is not a common occurence. I instantly knew who it was though. Granny. She’d mentioned something about coming up in the near future and I’d told her we wouldn’t be home till Sunday night. I love her to bits, I really do, but me and short notice get along as well as purple paisley shorts and a red and green striped t-shirt. With pink socks thrown in to boot.
Anyway, Granny had some rather exciting news. She’s getting married. Here. At our house. This Saturday.
I don’t need to go on and on about the potential for stress and disaster involved in this scenario. Suffice it to say that my imagination kicked into overdrive and I spent much of my day today paralyzed by it. I literally did nothing today, despite the fact that the sane part of me had upped itself from its usual whisper to a shriek and was shrieking at me to get up off the computer and do something already.
I didn’t though. Not till about 9pm when I finally pepped myself up enough to go grocery shopping. Okay, I admit it, it wasn’t pep that got me out of the door. It was the tantalizing lure of the satellite radio in our new car. I tuned into the Frank Sinatra station and let his melifluousness carry me off into the night.
On the way home I found myself glancing over at the shopping bag I’d placed on the passenger seat. All the others got stuck in the trunk but this one, ah, this one had pride of place. Inside was a plastic slotted container with twelve cookies in it. Twelve luscious lemon sugar cookies with lemon frosting and yellow and white sprinkles on top. Mine is not the most refined of palettes, but to me these cookies are the closest I’ve come to finding a modern day version of ambrosia.
I finally gave in and leant over to free them from the shopping bag, feeling the satisfying snap of the plastic lid opening and the soft yielding press of the frosting between my fingers. I also felt the steering wheel shift slightly and quickly dropped the cookie in favour of staying on the road. And I let out a hysterical little laugh and thought wow, how embarrassing would it be to die over something so ridiculous and unimportant as a lemon sugar cookie.
And then, because hey this is me we’re talking about, I went and got all deep about it. I thought about the calorie content of one of these cookies (320 each!), and the fat and sugar content. I thought about how many I’d eaten since discovering them however many years ago, and how many I might yet eat over the span of my life. I thought about all the foods I put in my body, and how they impact my health and through that my quality of life and life span.
When I overindulge, am I in some way choosing death? Dramatic as that sounds, the thought gave me pause. Is the cookie worth that? As I look down at my expanded waistline (which no, is not nearly as much to be blamed on my children as on cookies) I wonder, is a cookie worth that?
The answer of course is no. But while it is that simple, it isn’t that easy.
I’m going to mull it over for awhile and see how I can apply this lesson in my life.
Right after I finish this cookie…
44 comments
Good luck with getting everything ready for your Granny’s wedding!
Mmm, now I really want one of those cookies.
And the new site looks great :)
by Kara on September 16, 2008 at 7:54 am. #
Well, you did it! You went and got yourself a dot com!
by MomBabe on September 16, 2008 at 7:55 am. #
Very nice! Welcome to the URL club!
by Memarie Lane on September 16, 2008 at 8:04 am. #
Looks very good in here Kim. You are moving on up. I love it. Those cookies sound divine. That is mucho calories. They better be worth it :)
I love that Granny is getting married. I can’t wait for the pictures.
by Jan on September 16, 2008 at 8:34 am. #
My Mom has a terrible attitude about this sort of thing… she says, “I’m going to die anyway. I’d rather die with an Oreo in my mouth than a celery stick”. Nice, eh? In a way, I see her point. On one hand, I’m not into the whole self deprivation thing. I eat what I want and what I like. BUT, it’s the moderation thing that I need to work on a bit… okay, I need to work on it a lot seeing as how I had a candy bar and TWO glasses of root beer for dinner the other night…
by Melissa on September 16, 2008 at 8:35 am. #
I would have given into the siren song of the lemon cookie as well. I love the redecorating around here… it’s beYOUtiful, just like you.
by leendaluu on September 16, 2008 at 8:41 am. #
Good luck with the wedding. Don’t kill anyone. Enjoy the cookie, worry about calories afterwards, not during the eating.
And I love the new site. Very bright and Kim-like. Or is it Kym-like?
by Sarah on September 16, 2008 at 8:52 am. #
Are you kidding? Cookies are totally worth it!
I’m just relieved you didn’t crash your new car while reaching for said cookies. Now THAT may not be worth it…
by charrette on September 16, 2008 at 9:32 am. #
Oh, and I think it’s adorable your granny is getting married. And that she wants to have it at your house.
We hosted a wedding right after we moved into our big house in Pasadena, and it was like christening the house with love and joy, happiness and hope. It was fabulous! Despite all the stress, I would do it again in a heartbeat, just to have that feeling in my home.
by charrette on September 16, 2008 at 9:35 am. #
mmm.lemon……do you have any left?? I could be over in about 19 seconds if you do!! lolol…
love the new site by the way!
off I go, morning lessons are in motion and I must attend.
xo
by Jenn on September 16, 2008 at 9:44 am. #
Come on over Jenn!
by Kym on September 16, 2008 at 10:00 am. #
Aaayyyiieeeee!!! you’re hosting a wedding in 4 days and you’re posting about the meaning of life and cookies?!? GIRL! Get thyself to cleaning and cooking and making merry plans!!
:) Lemon cookies…. yummmmmy…
by tracey on September 16, 2008 at 10:06 am. #
Those cookies sound delicious. I would be in full fledged panic mode if I had a wedding scheduled to be at my house – holy buckets.
by Deconstructing Jen on September 16, 2008 at 10:40 am. #
WOW Granny is having a wedding in 4 days at YOUR place..yikers!!
I also HEART Old Blue Eyes, his music makes my heart sing!!..yes cheeseball thats me ;)
The description on those cookies made my mouth water, now you got me all hungry and craving sweet goodness.
Interesting perspective on choosing death…I wish it was so simple to say no to all the sweet goodness around me…sigh…
Love the new site!!
by Louise on September 16, 2008 at 11:14 am. #
The Granny story is straight out of fiction – who has that happen to them for real?
Great new look. But, ehem, why are the Americans above the Canadians? I mean, I’m a citizen of both countries and all, but really – there’s such a thing as being too polite.
by Jennie C. on September 16, 2008 at 11:22 am. #
It wasn’t my idea! Honest! WordPress automatically puts everything in alphabetical order!
by Kym on September 16, 2008 at 11:36 am. #
Love your new page!
I’m surprised you were eating the cookie in your new lovely car! Tsk tsk ;)
They DO sound heavenly though!!
by Shanna on September 16, 2008 at 11:39 am. #
Hey lady. I’ve had a hankering for lemony things too. And wordpress. (beautifully done by the way). But I suppose I’ll be lazy for another year or two before doing the work of switching.
I hope you can get all the wedding planning done! wow!
by Heather of the EO on September 16, 2008 at 11:54 am. #
Which granny is this?!
by Jo on September 16, 2008 at 11:57 am. #
Wow. I’d love to jaw and jaw, but of course, I was in the know. Bwahahahah to every one else.
Oh wait, that wasn’t very polite. Bad Eowyn!
~snicker~
by Eowyn on September 16, 2008 at 11:59 am. #
Holey moley, it’s lovely.
I have blogger’s envy…
by Lisa Milton on September 16, 2008 at 12:48 pm. #
Even though you say you stress a ton when things get thrown at you with no warning (like having a wedding at your house … this week … egads!), you still handle it extremely well!
So if lemon cookies are going to kill you off, then hot chocolate with whip cream is going to kill me off. At least we will go out in style :) !!
by An Ordinary Mom on September 16, 2008 at 12:48 pm. #
And yes, bad Eowyn :) !! j/k!
by An Ordinary Mom on September 16, 2008 at 12:49 pm. #
320 PER cookie? Please say it isn’t so… (insert whining here).
Good Lord, no wonder I’m round.
Thanks for letting me know… I think! ;)
by Janet on September 16, 2008 at 1:04 pm. #
i love that your granny is getting married, and now you’re linking cookies with death. is that what wordpress does to you? ;)
by hollydolly on September 16, 2008 at 2:59 pm. #
Granny getting married? How fun!
And in your house? Chow down on those cookies man. You’ll need it. ;)
P.S. Welcome to the world of self-hosting. It’s so divine!
by Summer on September 16, 2008 at 3:02 pm. #
Wow! Tell your gramma congrats from “our side of the family”. But seriously . . . in your house . . . this Saturday?
Eat those cookies girl, you’re gonna need all the energy you can get!
by Kate on September 16, 2008 at 3:09 pm. #
Okay… well, I’m a HUGE calorie counter. I’m actually a little obnoxious about it. For instance one serving of chips (which is 13-17 chips depending on brand, and flava) is 210 calories… yup that’s right… A Super Fudgsicle is like 140… an Oreo Ice Cream sandwich… something like 420. You’re better off to get a cheeseburger and small fries then one of those grilled sandwich deals at McDonald’s. Just when you think you’ve gotten right, and are ready to delve into that raisin bran muffin, you’ll be sad to know that the cranberry lemon has at least 50 less calories. It’s sad, pathetic that I know all this. I annoy people sometimes, but I say if your body wants to eat a lemon cookie… you must really need to eat it :) Just like I need to eat the lasagne that’s cooking in the oven right now, with a garlic toast, and some yummy corn on the cob drenched in butter and salt… yup I NEED all that startch, carbs, and sodium, my body is practically shouting at me right now!
by Anonymous on September 16, 2008 at 4:06 pm. #
that wasn’t me trying to be anonymous… although… it is a little sexy n’est-ce-pas?
by Abra on September 16, 2008 at 4:07 pm. #
Likin’ the new blog!
Wow! Grannie getting married must really have thrown you for a loop? Lemon cookies…not too bad.
Although I’d rather have these Reese’s PB cups that are sitting here in front of the computer. I’ve eaten 4 (minis) already.
Perhaps if I ever write again I’ll make it back onto your blogroll. Don’t blame you for leaving me off. You only want people there who actually write! :D
by Rebecca on September 16, 2008 at 4:23 pm. #
When I figured out that my favorite ice cream is close to 200 calories per serving I kind of freaked out. That means that what we consider (at our house anyhow) a decent sized bowl is probably between 700 and 800 calories. I still wish I had never looked at the label.
Congrats to your Granny…I hope your sanity remains intact through the weekend!
by Heffalump on September 16, 2008 at 7:46 pm. #
Bah, eat the cookie and do an extra round on Wii : )
Your Granny’s getting married at your house with less than a week’s notice??? That’s crazy! But I’m sure it will be fabulous and wonderful and you’ll have a great time. Don’t fret or stress yourself over it.
by Erin on September 16, 2008 at 7:52 pm. #
Cookies cure EVERYTHING.
by david mcmahon on September 16, 2008 at 8:14 pm. #
I just adore you.
A Saturday wedding for Granny at your house sounds like a hoot. I can’t wait.
by Jenna Consolo on September 16, 2008 at 9:42 pm. #
Oh it’s so pretty here .com lady. And it was the other Jo who asked about your Granny. I didn’t comment yesterday as I was short on time and forgot to come back and comment later. Bad Jo.
Cookies, yum. They sound fabulous. :D
by Jo Beaufoix on September 17, 2008 at 12:43 am. #
Just wandered over here from authorblog. I could so relate to this post. I can’t tell you how many times I have got home from the store and the chip bag sits next to me – empty. Good luck with the wedding. :)
by Deb on September 17, 2008 at 4:01 am. #
That’s a good thought. Now if I can only apply it. Like, now.
by Jaina on September 17, 2008 at 8:10 am. #
Your cookie post reminded me of my Grandma. Feisty, wonderful woman. In her last couple of years she’d indulge in something she’s not supposed to have, and we’d all be bent out of shape going, “Grandma, that’s not good for you!” And she’d give us the look and say emphatically, “If I die, I die but I want to die happy!” We didn’t have a come-back to that. So I say, “Here’s to lemon sugar cookies!” :-)
by LittleGrumpyAngel on September 17, 2008 at 1:13 pm. #
I can’t even comment on your post because I am so blown away by your site. Seriously LOVE IT! But why are the Canadians not above the Americans? Are you selling out on your loyalties? :-)
by Amber's Crazy Bloggin' Canuck on September 17, 2008 at 4:51 pm. #
320?!?! EACH?!?! Wow.
As disgusting as that is, I can’t stop wondering how amazing they must be. I’ve already put on 49lbs once in my life due to cookies so hopefully I’ll never come across them!
by Crystal on September 17, 2008 at 8:02 pm. #
ps…congrats on the site! I’m totally jealous! :D
by Crystal on September 17, 2008 at 8:03 pm. #
Seriously, this Saturday?
I think I’d almost say, “great! I’ll be out of town, but you go for it!”
by JustRandi on September 18, 2008 at 7:50 pm. #
i’ve had an exceptionally difficult week, and am only now catching up on my blog reading…so as i type, you are partying it up w/gran at your place. i hope it’s going swimmingly.
you know, i’ve been thinking about baked goods and willpower etc lately as well. mostly about how quickly i can consume vast amounts of fat and sugar, and how much work it takes to expend them as energy. and then how it sounds easy to just say, ok, no more cookies for me, but the hard truth is that it’s not a one time decision. it’s a minute by minute contest of will to continually decide not to eat one right at this very moment, and then choose the same thing again next minute (or twenty seconds later), etc. which is why sometimes i just have to remove the cookies from the house altogether (and i know you do this trick too–hiding them in neil’s trunk is pure genius). (added to all this is the self-repulsion i feel knowing that an appalling amount of the world’s population is horrifically underfed.) but anyway, all this to say–i empathize with your thoughts here.
by nic on September 20, 2008 at 9:31 am. #
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by Lula Raymond on November 12, 2008 at 5:33 pm. #