RIP old slip n' slide

After it's third use our $9.99 slip and slide ripped a seam in a crucial part of it's landing pad. So, we had to retire it and now the kids are left with the dinky pool. Boo, Hoo!!! It probably didn't help that we had it on the downhill slope in our front yard. But, we had fun while it lasted. We spent the rest of the week at swimming lessons for Cole and Paige. They're getting better and it's so funny how using goggles makes kids feel like they can suddenly swim under water like fish. We bought a big bucket of 101 cookie cutters. It has every holiday and then some covered. So, we made cookies and the kids decorated them. They were the ugliest cookies ever made, but man they tasted good! The best sugar cookie recipe I've ever used.
Here it is:

INGREDIENTS:
	1 cup unsalted butter, softened
	3/4 cup sugar
	1 large egg
	1 teaspoon vanilla extract
	1/3 teaspoon salt
	2 1/2 cups flour

1. Using an electric mixer at medium-high speed, cream the butter, gradually adding the sugar. Beat in the egg until evenly mixed, then blend in the vanilla extract and salt.
2. With a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the creamed ingredients, about one third at a time, until evenly blended. The dough may seem soft, but it will firm up when refrigerated.
3. Divide the dough in half. Flatten each portion into a disk and seal in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
4. For a Valentine's Day twist: Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cover a sturdy baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat the foil with cooking spray. Between 2 sheets of waxed paper lightly dusted with flour, roll the Easy Sugar Cookie Dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Remove the top sheet.
5. Cut out the cookies with a large cookie cutter. Use a spatula to transfer the shapes to the baking sheet, leaving about an inch between cookies. Remove the centers of the cookies with a smaller cookie cutter. (Save the centers to bake later.)
6. Place a hard candy (we used Jolly Ranchers) in the center of each heart and bake until the cookies start to brown lightly around the edges and the candy is melted, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely. To prevent sticking, line your serving plate or tin with waxed paper and place additional waxed paper between layers. Makes 30.