Chocolate Chip Cookies



Friday night Rich made chocolate chip cookies.  He came up with the recipe by mistake a few months back and now it is our all time favorite.  Here is the recipe:

Daddy's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups unsifted flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Stir flour with baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.  Beat butter with sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy.  Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until incorporated.

Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if desired).  Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

Rich was using a recipe off the back of a chocolate chip bag.  By accident he put in 1 teaspoon of baking powder then realized it was supposed to be baking soda, so he added that too.  The cookies came out so yummy and light.  They are kind of like a shortbread cookie and chocolate chip cookie blend.   We just love them.

We had a busy and fun weekend.  The weather has warmed up.  It has been a long winter and we are finally getting to enjoy some warmer weather.  We ordered a swing set from Walmart for Mary.  Rich went and picked it up on Saturday and started assembling it.  He got the main frame and slide done and then we quit to make dinner.  Mary had so much fun on that slide.  She must have gone up and down it 50 times!  Sunday evening he put up the swings and see-saw swing.  So she was thrilled again.  I know she will get so much fun and good exercise out of it.  I will be posting pictures some time this week of her playing on it.

A Girl and her Bows!

 They stretch all the way up the bathroom wall ...

and what would a princess be without her crown and sunglasses!

Easter Time

We had a wonderful Easter season.  The highlight was that my dad came to visit for 2 weeks.  We were so happy to see him and for Mary to get know him better.  This was my first year to dye Easter eggs with Mary.  It is easier said than done but it was all worth it because Mary enjoyed it so.  Easter Sunday service was wonderful.  I just always love the special music and message.  Our pastor gave an alter call and about 40 people came forward.  It was so wonderful to see people dedicate their lives to Jesus on this special day.  I just cried.  The weather is starting to warm up but we had a lot of liquid sunshine and blustery days.  We had a barbecue and Easter egg hunt for Mary on Saturday and then we had a big Easter dinner at Rich's folks house after church on Sunday.  Mary received so many wonderful Easter baskets and goodies.  We truly were blessed!

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Free greeting card personalized with Smilebox

Third Anniversary

My third anniversary of blogging has snuck up on me very quickly!  I have so enjoyed blogging that time has gone by quickly.  As the old saying goes, "Time flies when you are having fun!"  That's been how is has been with me.  I am so happy to have met such lovely ladies in my life and follow the events of their lives as they follow mine.  It also has been such a wonderful journal to keep track of all the special events in my life.  Here are some pictures we took the other day before my sister went home up North.  She was able to come down for a few days to visit with our dad.  My dad is 81 and doing great.  He is little stiffer and slower now but I hope I am doing as well as he is at his age.  I have also enclosed my first post.  Blessings to all of my readers.  You are a gift from the Lord! 



An Angel Unaware -It was a cold grey winter’s day and I was working as a florist in a small shop a little bit out of the way. I was in the back room making some arrangements for the display cooler when I heard the bell ring on the front door. I went out to see who it was and there at the counter was a small lady in her late 70’s. She had white hair that made soft curls around her face and she wore a tailored, blue, wool coat that was fastened with two large plastic buttons. She told me that she wanted to wire some flowers to her daughter in Florida as it was her birthday. I showed her some pictures of arrangements in the FTD book. She picked one with brightly colored flowers and party horns in it. We went back to the counter and I made out her order. She began to tell me how she had 4 children. Two of them she had in her twenties and two after she was forty. She said she loved all her kids very much but she said, “Oh, how I enjoyed the children I had after I was forty.” With the sweetest look on her face, she reached over and patted my hand and said, “Dear, don’t feel bad if you have children after you are forty. They will be such a joy!” I thought that was interesting as I had not told her that I was single, 30 years old and was waiting for God to fulfill the desires of my heart for a husband and a family. Little did I know that in two years I would be afforded the opportunity to come on staff at a local church as their secretary and that the job would provide wonderful fellowship and purpose, that would insulate me from the pain of loneliness that would have been too hard to bear during the 12 more years that I had to wait. I met my sweet husband, Richard, at that church and we married when I was 42 and he was 47. Four years later, when I was 46, I gave birth to our precious daughter, Mary Ellen. She is such a joy!

When the little old lady paid for her order of flowers that day, she walked out the door. I looked away for a moment and when I looked again, she was gone. I don’t know if she made a quick turn up the hill to the retirement center that was near the flower shop or hopped into a car I did not see or....she was an angel and just disappeared? Whatever the case, she was an angle to me. Angel means messenger and she gave me a powerful message that day that I will never forget and it filled my heart with hope during my wait!

“Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.” 1Peter 4:19

Easter Pics

Happy Easter!!

Grandpa

My dad has come to visit for several weeks.  Mary is so happy to spend time with her Grandpa.  Rich's folks live close by so she gets to see them often.  She just loves them so much.  My dad lives in Southern California and has not been able to visit for a while, so this is really special for her to spend some time with my dad.  She calls him Grampie.  She is his youngest grandchild and now he is going to have his first great grandson in August.  

Some Really Sweet Gifts

We received some really sweet gifts in the mail this week from 2 of my blogging friends. This is Mary holding a potato bag that was sent to me by Tanya at Miller Racing Family. It is a special bag to cook potatoes in for the microwave. She sewed it and sent is as a prize for being a regular reader of her blog. That was so sweet of her. The next picture is from Jill at Ribbon Challenged. She sent me the most beautiful card that she made and some craft books for Mary and I to use. She sent that as a just because gift. She makes the most beautiful handmade cards and you can check out her blog here.  These gals are such a blessing!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Easter Decorations

I got out our Easter decorations today. Mary had so much fun putting up her bunny cottage and playing with the plastic eggs. She is really into hiding the eggs and finding them this year. We are going to dye real eggs this year and hide them to find when Easter comes. I found a cute Easter Egg stand at the craft store and a great gardening hat that Mary wanted to model.

This is Mary's favorite egg.  He winds up and does and little Easter shuffle.

Spring Flowers

Friday I made Mary a head wreath of daisies. She just loved it. I took her and had some Easter pictures taken. We had a blast. The pictures turned out great. I will get them in a couple of weeks, just in time to give them out for Easter to friends and family. What Spring fun have you been up to?