Sharing..........a few things

I've been very busy the last few weeks...busy recuperating from the holidays and all the work envolved in restoring order from all the Christmas festivities. I've also been organizing things that need some organizing (I love to organize!)

and finishing a few projects that need finishing.
Another thing that has had my attention lately is keeping up with current events, and posting those things on my political blog.

And while my "to do" list continues to grow faster than I can get things checked off the list,

I just wanted to share a few bright lights from my busy days.

Over the holidays, I came across this recipe. I was in search of a gift idea, you know, one of those recipes with the cookie ingredients layered beautifully in a Mason jar. It turns out that I never gave any jars away as gifts. But we have certainly enjoyed these plump little cookies. In the last month, we have made several dozen. They have quickly become a family favorite!!

Cranberry HootycreeksMakes about 36

5/8 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Layer the ingredients in a 1 quart or 1 liter jar, in the order listed. Attach a tag with the following instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper. In a medium mixing bowl, beat together 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until fluffy. Add the entire jar of ingredients, and mix together by hand until well blended. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

I recommend you double this recipe as it does not make a lot


Another treat this week was the arrival of 4 little chickens my hubbie hatched. Little Jack enjoys watching the peeps chirping and running around their cage.

This photo was taken soon after 2 of the chicks were hatched. They're "sun bathing" under the heat of the light to get dry.


The brightest light during these cold wintery days has been Jack. He is now 3 months old. His little personally is developing right before our eyes. He's brings us much joy!

So in closing, allow me to share a little poem about joy. I'm not sure of its origin, suffice it to say-its old. The copy I have is on the old time mimeographed paper.

JOY IS HOMEMADE

Happiness is something we create in our minds--

It's not something we search for and so seldom find...

It's just waking up and beginning the day

By counting our blessings and kneeling to pray--

It's giving up wishing for things we have not,

And making the best of whatever we've got--

For it's by completing what God gives us to do

That we find real contentment and happiness, too.

Living Simply and Deliberately,

Tammy

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