Meet the parents

Todd's parents came into town on Sunday. It's the first time I've met them and they're staying with us the whole time - about eight days!

Because of this, I have spent the last two weeks cleaning and packing like a crazy person. Then I spent Saturday and Sunday doing the same only with lots of grocery shopping, baking, and cooking thrown in.

Having the place spotless and food prepared was extremely important. I keep homes clean as it is, but with VIP company such as this I made sure to go the extra mile. And I wanted to have food ready to a) not be stuck in the kitchen the whole time they're here, and b) to assure them I can cook and their son isn't starving.

I didn't do all of this because I was nervous to meet his parents...though I admit I was a tad. But that's just because I very much wanted them to like me; and I felt that aside from my shining personality, proving my domestic capabilities would help that along.

So far it's been going great. Nance and Mel (that's what I'm secretly calling them instead of a much more proper Nancy and Melvin) are fun and we've had a good time. We've gone to Craig and April's so they could see the ranch and go fishing, had pizza at the Bear Tree in Centennial, looked at the new house, and had some nice meals polished off by homemade chocolate chip cookies and/or rhubarb pie.

Tomorrow night we're tossing around the idea of karaoke, which was something Todd and I did on our first date.

That idea could go either way!

Meet the Parents Cookies

1 1/2 cups softened butter or margarine (This is my sister Stacey's recipe which she has down to an art. She swears by using margarine, but I'd like to test the results with butter myself.)
1 1/4 cup of sugar
1 1/4 cup brown sugar (every, single time I say the words "brown sugar" I want to sing it like Mick Jagger does in the Rolling Stones' song of the same name)
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs

Cream together the above ingredients in a large bowl.

In another bowl sift together:
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Stir that into the creamed mixture.

Add a 24 oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Drop by a small spoon-full onto two ungreased cookie sheets. Place one sheet each on the top and bottom oven shelves. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12-14 minutes switching the cookie sheets about half-way through. (Stacey also has a system here where she takes the cookies out and lets them sit on the tray for five minutes. I tried this, but my oven doesn't bake as hot as hers so I left them in the oven longer and took them right off the tray. You can figure out your own system!)

Serve to boyfriend's/girlfriend's parents.