Chocolate Box Cookies

Ingredients
1 ½ C. flour
¼ C. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp apple pie spice
¼ C. unsalted butter, at room temp, diced
¼ C. sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk

For the decoration
5 oz milk chocolate
5 oz white chocolate
3 ¼ oz semisweet chocolate
Almonds or walnuts (optional)
Cocoa powder (optional)
Powdered sugar (optional)


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease baking sheets.
2. Put the flour, cocoa powder, spice and butter into a food processor. Processes until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Add the sugar, egg and egg yolk and mix to smooth dough. (I use my mixer to blend ingredients, use my hands to make sure it was thoroughly done. Add the other ingredients, mix. Then, I get the hook or kneader for the mixer and let that make smooth dough. It takes a bit.)
3. Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead gently. Cut the dough in half and roll out each piece under the palms of your hands to form tow long logs, each around 13 inches long.
4. Cut each log into ½ inch slices. Place the slices on the prepared baking sheet, spacing slightly apart and chill for at least 30 minutes.
5. Bake for 10 minutes until slightly risen. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
6. To decorate, melt the chocolates over simmering water. Dip cookies into them. Be creative on decorating! Top some with powered sugar, some with cocoa powder and some with almonds.

Reminder to go with my complaints

A little while ago I was sitting in this very seat a little frustrated that the baby was crying because he wanted me to hold him. I was annoyed that Andrew wanted to watch TV instead of play with his brother. I'm not feeling the pile of laundry that needs to be put away or the pile that needs washed. Wal-Mart needs a visit from me today. I need to clean the house, and I am just not motivated even though my parents are staying here tonight. Really hard life I have, right? I really was kinda feeling sad for myself, with all I have to do and deal with today. Then I read my friend Alisha's blog and was reminded of some things that made tears fall.

While she is holding a baby two months younger than my Gabriel with wires and iv's in him, my baby just wants me to play in our living room with him. There are parents who are in the hospital with their children right now. They don't know what the future holds. Their children might not see Christmas this year. Bryce's son should be celebrating his sixth Christmas here on earth, but he isn't doing that. Instead he is in his mother's arms and they celebrating with Christ himself in heaven.

My issues that I thought a minute ago were so big now seem really small. How easily we loose focus. We only look at ourselves and how things effect us. Last night Joel tried to get up the stairs before Andrew and Andrew got pushed out of the way. Bryce had Joel come down and told him that he needs to learn the phrase "I am second". He explained about putting others needs and sometimes wants in front of your own. Really, Christ is first, others are second, and we are third. We forget that so quickly.

So, I am going to get up and clean my house and play with my children with a happy heart and renewed spirit. My children are happy and healthy. I have a home, food and clothing for all of us. We have no real needs. I have a loving, giving husband that prayed over me this morning before he left for work. What a way to wake up! How blessed I am. How Christ loves all of us! I am chosen, I am redeemed, and I need to live like it. I need to thank God for the day. Say it with me "This is the day that the Lord has made..."

MOPS and friends

Today is MOPS day. It is a day that I look forward to. I get to have a break from my kiddos and spend some time talking with other moms that are in the trenches just like I am. My big kids are out of school this entire week. So, at MOPS they just have a room for school aged kids when the kids are on holiday and it falls on a MOPS Monday.

RaeAnne told me that she didn't want to go this morning. She wanted to be lazy and sleep in. I told her that she goes to school everyday and has made friends. I don't go to school and we don't have a church home yet, so I need to go to MOPS so that I can make friends. I don't have any yet.

We went to MOPS. The kids had fun. A mom asked me if I wanted to meet her at McDonald's. I wasn't planning on taking four kids out to eat, but I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to make a connection with another mom. We get there and sit together and RaeAnne leans over to me and said, "I thought you didn't have any friends." She is so funny! It made me laugh, and thought it make make you smile as well!

Easy and Good

So yesterday I didn't really know what to do for dinner. So I decided to just put what chicken I had in the crock pot with a large can of cream of mushroom soup and some water. After letting that cook all day I added a half pint of half and half and a package of egg noodles and a little more water. Oh, and a little salt and pepper to taste. I let that cook another hour till Bryce got home. Apparently it was really good. Everyone got seconds, and my husband told me it was the best thing I have ever made. I would disagree, but alas he liked it and that is all that matters to me. I am glad that I found something super easy to make that put a smile on every one's face. They all came into the office after dinner and thanked me and gave me hugs! What a great night!

What I've learned in Texas so far...

In the order I learned them:

1. Doing your usual Wal-Mart shopping takes twice as long. Same size Wal-Mart, twice as many people. It just takes forever to go down the isles. They should have guided way to go through it, a path, like Ikea does.

2. There are no tag agencies here. One place (downtown) for everyone to register and renew their vehicles, and two locations for you to get your drivers licence or renwew it. They like long lines I guess. Also, they mail you your license...so for a while you only have a piece of paper stating who you are and that you can drive. No photo ID (which you need to be able to do anything).

3. You do not register what party you are when you register to vote. They don't care. You can vote in any primary. Cool! I am still waiting to see if that means that we will get twice as many phone calls and mail around election time.

4. Doctors expect for you to be supermom. The expect yo to wait in a waiting room for an hour that has no toys for your children to play with and is only big enough for the chairs. Then they take you to an exam room that is the smallest exam room ever. Seriously. I have never seen one so tiny. There wasn't even room to put my purse or diaper bg on the floor. The doctor then expects you, as Super Mom, to pee in a cup while holding your baby and with your three year-old in the bathroom with you. I am serious. They just don't think through things very well.

And lastly...number 5. My dental hygenist informed me that Texas is cliquish. So, unless you were born here (which I was not) then you will never fit in. Don't expect to, and so don't expect your neighbors to wave or be real friendly. They can just tell that you weren't born here. And apparnetly she can tell that I'm a city kid...does Yukon count as a big city? It is the same size or smaller than Saginaw (where we live here in Texas).

Things are different here for sure. But God is still the same, even in Texas! Know that I don't really belive everything from number 5. I think she is crazy. God has a place for us in this community. My kids have been accepted with open arms, and I have at MOPS and Bible study. However, there are stereo types for a reason and they are usually true. She is the stereotypical non-including woman that thinks she is better because of where she was born. I know that I am special because I am a child of the King! So take that teeth cleaner!

Hurts and frustrations

This has nothing to do with me, but to do with several people I know right now.

I don't know what to say to them. I guess, yes I do. Before you get mad at someone for saying something ,find out if they really said it and where it was coming from. Chances are if something negative was said it came from hurt. Hurt people, hurt people. Everyone knows that. So, someone has to stop the cycle. Someone has to change the way they react. Someone has to be willing to forgive. Someone has to be willing to say they are sorry, even if it is for the sake of peace. Wouldn't it be wonderful if that person was you? If you could show your children or family members what it meant to be Chirst? He forgave. He gave a gentle answer to turn away wrath. We have the power to do the same. We all are human, and we all sin. What if Chirst went by our example and didn't forgive us because we were unwilling to forgive others? We are called to be like Chirst. See my blog from the other day. Be a peacemaker. Be a light in this dark world. You can do it! You can be the one to make a difference in your family!

Loves

So this is something cute that my little guy Andrew just did. I wanted to know what he was doing so I called him over to me. He said,"What?" I responded by "What do you think?" It's always interesting to see what they think you are calling them over for. He said "I think loves!" He was meaning he thought I wanted to give him some hugs and kisses. I asked "Why loves?" He said, "because I am going to be really good for you this week!"

Can't argue with that! He got lots of loves!