Whoa mama, I just came back from my first “real” cruise (I went on a three night one before, but I don’t count that since it was so short) and can now say I am five pounds happier. No, not really… but that’s what all you can eat 24:7 for a week does to you. We went on Oasis of the Seas with Royal Caribbean. We visited Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten.

My verdict? Ehhhhh, I don’t really care for cruises! I know some people are crazy for them, but it just gets a little boring when you’re at sea for so long. My DH and I are explorers. We want to move, move, move while on vacation. We’re not very good at the lounging and relaxing part.

Plus, our cruise didn’t have any good dessert! That’s supposed to be the best part! The buffet food was also a little grim. I will say that it was extremely clean and had wonderful staff, though.

I think those little three days are the perfect length for a cruise. Just enough to get a little taste before you get bored.

These cookies are a little bland. I prefer my sugar cookies to be on the sweeter side, and these weren’t. The consistency was soft and crinkly, though. Perhaps I’ll add some vanilla bean flecks next time or up the amount of vanilla extract. Recipe from Baking Away.

Whoa, mama… I’ve been gone a while. Sorry about that! I was busy packing, moving, and unboxing. My blog got a little neglected throughout the process. I’m still not quite situated yet in our new home, but 90% of the boxes are unpacked and out of the place so I’d call that an improvement (thanks to the help of my superhero parents).

Moving has got to be one of my least favorite activities. You start to realize how much junk you actually own and begin throwing everything out. It doesn’t fit into a box? Throw it away. Can’t find room in the drawer for it? Throw it away. It expires in two months? Throw it away. That became my life motto during the move: Just throw it away.

Thank goodness for our family and my DH’s friends. Because of them, we had almost ten people come and help out. The boxes were flying out the door before I even realized it. That left me to clean every corner of our home for our walk through later in the afternoon with the property management company.

Walk throughs alone are an awkward process. Let’s make small talk while we walk through every room and examine every cabinet. Are they going to call you out on anything? Will it be an easy process? It was for us… for now. I’ll let you know when we get the deposit check back in the mail. 

It’s funny how different it is moving with your partner. The first night that I moved into an apartment when I was single, I had never felt more alone. Now, the first night spent in a new place already feels like home because I’m with my DH. Home really is where your heart is.

These cookies are a basic, plain cookie. They’re not sweet by any means, which is why the sprinkles on top add a little extra. Don’t substitute vegetable oil for olive oil because you’ll really taste it! Besides that, these cookies are crumbly and simple.

Recipe from Cookies and Cups