Friends and family, do not file a missing person’s report. I am alive, but have no clue what is happening in the world. I am in the midst of a baking marathon… hoping to cross the finish line still standing soon!

One of my friends is chairing the the Relay for Life event in our area this weekend. About a month ago, I mentioned to her that if she needed me to bake anything, I’d be happy to do so. Somehow, like my mom, it seems that everything I take on becomes larger than life. I think it was over a couple of margaritas that my few batches of cookies grew into having my own booth at the event. I take full responsibility, and the truth is that my best therapy usually takes place behind my Kitchenaid – so if all goes well, I’m hoping to come out of this with all of my issues resolved.

In all seriousness, I am very grateful for the opportunity to be part of this event and once again have been shown God’s amazing timing. A few weeks ago, we found out that my son’s piano teacher has a serious form of cancer. Miss Carol is the first person my son has known with cancer. She is an incredible person and has dedicated the past forty years to kids. Please pray for her strength and healing.

I wasn’t surprised that my son had a million questions about this - not unlike the questions we all pose - How did Miss Carol get this? Why did she get this? Will she survive? Can I get this? One of the hardest parts of parenting is that there are often no easy answers. For us, through God’s grace, the Relay for Life came at the perfect time. This Saturday, my son will be there with me raising money for cancer treatment. He decided he’d like to raise $500.00. I was proud of him for setting a goal, and instead of pointing out the fact that $500.00 of baked goods would require me to lock myself in my kitchen for a week, I high-fived him and told him we could do it.

I’ve pretty much lost track of what I’ve done at this point – 100 or so chocolate covered pretzels, more star sugar cookies than I can count, and rice Krispie treats galore. There is way more on the list tomorrow – everything that needs to be done right before. I’ll post the baked goods and pics. of the event next week, but in the meantime wanted to share a rice krispie recipe which consists of rice krispies, marshmallows, semi-sweet chocolate, white chocolate, and crushed Oreos…YUM! It comes from Nemmie at Cast Sugar. These are awesome and I’m predicting will sell out this weekend.

Cookies and Cream Rice Krispie Treats (from Cast Sugar)

1/2 c. chunks bittersweet chocolate
3-4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
10 oz. (1 pkg) marshmallows
1 tsp. vanilla
6 c. Rice Krispie® cereal
15-20 Oreo® cookies, chopped
4-6 oz. white chocolate, chopped
15 Oreo® cookiesPlace bittersweet chocolate in a small bowl. Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted. Set aside. Grease a 9X13 pan, and also set aside.