Happy New Year!

Out with the old and in with the New. I can remember a decade ago we were facing the uncertainty of Y2K...remember? Our family was in Guam where my husband was stationed with the Air Force. Guam was the first US territory to face any potential dangers from Y2K. I recall how we stayed up with the TV on, candles and batteries ready; The New Year came and went without any national or world disaster. Who knows what this new decade will bring. I chose to face it with faith and hope. Why worry about what will happen, more than likely it won't happen and if it does, worrying about it will not stop it. Bad things will happen but so will good things. If we are too focused on the bad we will miss the good.

The biggest problem I am facing right now is how in the world I am going to remember to put '10 on my checks. '09 went by so fast I haven't caught up yet.

coming soon

a give away. Don't you just love em? I'm giving you a sneak peek at what I am working on for the give away. I pulled it out tonight to work on but someone was kind enough to share a cold with me so I've been under the weather today. I hope to work on it and have it ready to announce by the January 6th. If you read all the way to the end of my last post (which was very long, sorry about that, just gotta get on my soap box sometimes)you know that it is something I am sewing and painting. The pattern is actually quite old (at least 16 years) but I am updating it and adding a new twist. Here's a tiny sneak peek at the pattern. The photo is grainy because I cropped it very small, I didn’t want to give too much away. I love keeping you guessing. Stay tuned for details.

Lessons from a dog

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We celebrated Christmas with just the family. We were all together under one roof. Our daughter Aly was home from college and our son, Nick, and his family moved here from Springfield, MO about 2 years ago so they were here. It was a blessing to have everyone together.


Lately I've been thinking about patience. My husband and I were in an express check-out at Wal-Mart on Christmas Eve. We had gone to a Wal-Mart in a different town thinking there would be less traffic and less of a crowd. We were right. With only one person ahead of us in line we made it to the cashier in record time for Christmas Eve. The cashier greeted us with a warm smile; we smiled back and asked how her day was. She told us of some rude customers she had earlier who hated Christmas and everything to do with the holiday. Her description resembled pages out of Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol”. Just a couple of weeks earlier I had been at the Wal-Mart here in our town and witnessed a man telling the cashier off. He was miffed and everyone in the general area knew it. The cashier was as calm and courteous as she could have been (I wanted to clobber him). I watched as he stared daggers at her, with an ugly menacing attitude. I had my purse ready to whack him if he came across that counter at her ( I might add I was in another line, but my purse would have reached him). What in the world is wrong with people? What has happened to common courtesy and caring about the welfare of another? How can waiting in line (which wasn't very long) reduce someone to such behavior?



We see a lack of patience every day. In the stores, on the highway, on our jobs, etc. It is said that patience is a virtue. What is a virtue? Webster defines virtue as 1: moral excellence; goodness; righteousness. 2:conformity of one's life and conduct to moral and ethical principles; uprightness; rectitude. Obviously, a virtue doesn't just simply appear in our lives, it must be attained. I can feel myself getting preachy here and I don't want to do that. But I'm really tired of seeing how ill we can treat our fellow man. I often learn by life example or word pictures, maybe it's because I'm visual, most people are; hopefully this lesson from a dog will help you see what I am talking about.

We have a Border collie named SadieMae. She's a rescued dog from a Border Collie Rescue Group. She was about a year old when she came to us. Nothing was known about her history. She was found wondering the street in a small town in WV and was taken to a local shelter. When SadieMae came to our home she was a very untrained dog. The second day she was with us, she tore apart her kennel and wrecked our daughter’s room. When we walked into Aly’s room all we could do was stand in utter amazement. While surveying the destruction, my sweet husband called SadieMae a "demon" dog, that seemed to sum it up. I have to admit, I wondered what in the world we had gotten ourselves into. I took a deep breath and steeled myself for the battle that was going to take place. She obviously was an aggressive dog (not mean, but wanting things her way). I would have to teach and train her to be the dog I knew she could be. I have done it before and knew I could do it again. Meal time with Sadie was an adventure, she would not wait on her food, she didn't know how to sit, wait, heel, she wasn't housed trained, she jumped on us, nipped and herded the kids and everyone else. She was undisciplined in every way. Anyone who has trained a dog knows you accomplish training in steps. If you want to teach a dog to stay you first teach them to sit. After they have learned this step you teach them to stay. If you want them to learn to stay while lying down you have to teach them to sit, lie down then stay. Sadie loves her kibbles so starting with food was the best way to teach her to behave herself. After she had learned to sit and stay the next step was to teach her not to come into the kitchen. It wasn’t easy but she learned to stay out. I then taught her to sit and wait on her food. Even though it was sitting in front of her she could not eat until she was told she could have it. We then moved to heel, no bark (still is learning that one), the return, settle (no jumping). When she came to us, if she was handed a treat you had to count your fingers to make sure she didn't take one. Now she takes a treat with such gentleness, you wouldn't know she has teeth. She has become a well trained dog. When my daughter comes home from college she always comments on how well behaved SadieMae has become (remember this is the girl whose room was wrecked by Sadie), friends who come to visit comment on how much better behaved she is.




How does all this tie in? Conforming to a virtue such as patience is much like Sadie’s transformation from a "raw" untrained dog to a well behaved trained dog. It didn't happen overnight, it happened in steps and it took a lot of hard work on both our parts. She had to conform to obedience by making a choice to obey vs doing what she wanted. At first I could see the struggle in her but after a while it became second nature to her, and I could see in her the desire to please. Not only does she enjoy the benefits of that training but we enjoy it as well. There are things that happen daily in our lives to train us how to be patient. We can make the choice to let them train us or we can lash out like those I have seen in the past few weeks. When we learn patience and allow it to be a virtue in our lives we will enjoy its benefits and others will too. If you have ever been on the receiving end of someone's patience you know what I am talking about. I have heard people say they don’t pray for patience because trouble is sent their way. Hmmmm, how do we know we have patience if it isn’t put to the test? A test is usually given as we are learning, that test will show what areas are lacking and what areas are strong. I hope in this New Year we will make an effort to practice patience, to let it work in us until it becomes a virtue so when it is tested we will pass with flying colors. Our family, friends, co-workers and others will enjoy its benefit and so will we.



But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22,23


I am working on a item for a January give away. It is something I am sewing but painting too. I can't tell you what it is yet so you will have to practice some patience.

It's Christmas Eve. I enjoy the peacefulness of Christmas Eve in our home. All the bustle of shopping, baking, cleaning, wrapping and all the other busyness of the Season is finished. I can actually grab a cookie (with a cup of coffee of course) and sit down to enjoy the lights on the trees and all the beautiful decorations. But for me that isn't what it is all about. This day, I reflect on the Gift. Not the gift that was purchased in the store, or the gift that is wrapped under the tree but the Gift that was given to us by a loving Heavenly Father. Isaiah the prophet spoke of this Gift and His mission: "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." These words were written in a time much like our time today. For me, I need this Gift everyday, not just at Christmas. By the way, this wonderful Gift is Jesus.

Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Meeces...

I have looked at a lot of blogs in the last couple of days, many of them have pictures of the snow storm that hit the East Coast. It was a big event; I took some photos too, but I'm not going to share them today. Let me tell you a little about the snow storm before I move on. We ended up with 19 inches of the white stuff. Most people would say...ugggh...but I love snow, my response is usually yippeeee! It took us several hours to dig out, even with a snow blower. I feel for those who had to dig out the old fashioned way, with a large snow shovel and a strong back. I bet there were a lot of sore backs after this storm.

When it snows, I usually start baking or I pull out a favorite soup recipe. This time I pulled out my sewing machine. I had cut these little meeces out over a month ago. I was going to do them for an ornament exchange but elected to do something else because of time constraints. These little guys are a design by Old Road Primitives, they are part of the "I'll be back: Frosty the snowman hat" pattern. When I received the pattern, the little mouse on the hat made me think of an ornament. I hope to make the hat before I put all my winter crafting stuff away.
BTW, the word "meeces is actually in the dictionary. You can find it at dictionary.com.







I don’t know where the coffee went this morning but the pot went dry fast. Maybe it’s the late night I had last night and I needed the extra “oomph” today. I wrote two posts and worked on the meeces until after midnight. So, don’t stop here, check out the peanut brittle recipe below.

A promise kept

Another thing I accomplished while snowbound was making a tried and true recipe for peanut brittle. A good friend reminded me of this favorite recipe last week. In a previous post I promised to share it with my friends in BlogLand. This is a great recipe for those gift baskets that we give out this time of year. So, here's the recipe. I hope you will try it.
Old Fashioned Peanut Brittle
2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
½ cup water
¼ cup butter or margarine (I use butter)
2 cups of raw peanuts *
1 tsp. baking soda
In a 3 quart saucepan, heat together sugar, corn syrup and water, stirring until sugar dissolves. When syrup boils, blend in butter or margarine. Stir frequently after temperature reaches 230 degrees (on candy thermometer). Add peanuts when temperature reaches 280 degrees. Stir constantly to hard crack stage of 305 degrees. Remove from heat. Quickly stir in the soda, mixing well. Pour onto 2 buttered cookie sheets. While the candy is still hot, I pull it so it will be thin. Make sure your hands are buttered for this.

A great Read

I was over at The Farmer's Attic reading Lucy's latest post. I must say it was a great read. I don't want to give anything away but this photo has a clue. If you have a moment run over to her place and read this great article. Just click on the url and it will magically take you there http://farmersattic.blogspot.com/2009/12/old-farmers-almanac-colonial-cookbook.html?showComment=1261344147694_AIe9_BHNkwa8dzbdGeVqxtJOF9yrELfEkk9xyT2upHT-wwkUB0-Nm838DOeZzpTXD861cnUJk40PePibFL78RtO2JP8A6PvVvqKYXpC8cvWedDKI4MNX_4bmaD8nmwANvlid09i_MoiJQN0CD1mxi8UKHQGTotCLphnXijIM-s-2Hw9IubqNi1gGWFtIrjX-gm1iZAIJXq6JhIFjT0cE778UN1beasDQk4JqrS8bR5cMNqjHrOU2nCWmx-LaL1kufnPilHQn2HHE#c3106676291374264806

Snow balls

The snow is flying outside. Looks like we are in for a real snow storm. Mr. Weatherman reports we could end up with 18 inches of snow. We finished our Christmas shopping yesterday and stocked up on groceries so let those little flakes fly!

In honor of Frosty, the snowman, who we will be making later, I am sharing a snowball cookie recipe with you. We've always called these cookies "snowballs" since they resemble a snowball, you may also know them as Mexican Wedding cookies. I tend to make them this time of year because the snow brings them to mind.

I'll post some photos of our beautiful snowy landscape after the snow stops falling. For those in the path of this massive snow beast, stay warm and dry and by all means stay inside and bake some cookies.

Snow Ball Cookies
1 cup butter
1¾ cup confectioner sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour, sifted
1 cup pecans, finely chopped

Pre heat oven to 300 degrees.

In a large bowl mix the butter, vanilla and ¾ cup of confectioner sugar to a creamy consistency. Hand stir in the flour and chopped pecans.
Form the dough into a 3/4” ball. Place onto ungreased cookie sheets (you want to cook all these at the same time so you may need more than one cookie sheet). Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. While cookies are still slightly warm roll them in the remaining cup of confectioner sugar. Allow to cool and then roll again. Place cookies in an airtight container. These are a great accompaniment to a cup of tea.

For all of us who need a little help maintaining our weight in this season filled with cookies, cakes, pies, and all the other goodies that we can't resist, The Melodious Elf has a humoreous post on "How not to gain weight during the holiday season". You can check it out at http://themelodiouself.blogspot.com/

Things I am working on

I never seem to manage to work on one thing at a time, it seems to borrrring! I usually have multiple projects going on in various stages of completion. These four items have been base coated and are ready for some serious work. I love painting on boots so I'm anxious to get these started. I’m also anxious to paint the vintage kerosene can . I’ll share the history of that find once I post the finished item. Don’t forget what they look like at this stage, they will be much different when I post the next photo of them. I hope to have them done in a few days, at least some of them, but, I also need to finish decorating my house. I have the trees put up and decorated, all 5 of them. The garland is on the staircase, and the mantle is done… I think… I'm not happy with it but I'm losing steam and don't want to fuss with it anymore. I've changed out the rugs and kitchen linens with warm Christmas reds.

Speaking of the kitchen, there is also baking to be done. I'm making snowball cookies today; I'll be sharing the recipe with my blog friends. While speaking to my friend Cathy last night, she reminded me of a peanut brittle recipe I gave her a number of years ago. It's been several years since I’ve made some, I want to make it this year. Maybe I will share the recipe with you. It really is the best of the best peanut brittle recipe. It's been tried and tested and all the kinks worked out. Hmmmm, I might have to call Cathy back and get my recipe from her. For those who love peanut brittle, don't worry I will share the recipe.

Every year I say I am going to start these things early but each year I seem to be later and later getting them done. Maybe next year will be the year, I hope so. Once I figure out how to start early I will do a "how to" on it for you.

Always learning

Don't you just love learning something new? It's extra wonderful if it's craft related. This new thing is not craft related but it is exciting none-the-less. It's something that will save me a lot of late nights. It's something that's very convenient for being a part of blog-land. I probably would have found out about it sooner if I would read directions or watch "how to" blog tuts, but who has time for that. I'd rather spend time learning by trial and error, it may take longer, and I may work up a good steam of frustration but in the end when I figure it out by myself, it's worth all the screaming, crying, and banging my head on the keyboard. So what is this thing I learned? I discovered that I can write my blog and then schedule it for publishing anytime I want, I can write it today and schedule it to be published next week...it's WONDERFUL! Now, for those who know all about this already, I'm so happy for you but I need "my" moment of jubilation of discovery!

With that said, I have already scheduled a post to be published tonight at midnight. It's a post you don't want to miss, it's an offer for something free. Don't we all love free stuff? For those like me who might turn into a pumpkin if we stay up til midnight, you can catch it in the morning. Now, I just know I won't be able to go to sleep until I check to see if that scheduled post appears on time. Oh bother!

Frosty Lamp Box

I love going to the Salvation Army TS. I usually find something I can paint on. When I found this box in the Christmas section it had a fabric Santa attached to it. The kind that was made in China. I knew right away it was not a Santa box but a Frosty box so I purchased it and brought it home. As soon as I got it out of the car, while I was still in the garage, I ripped the Santa off and threw it in the garbage. I have nothing against Santa, I just don't really care for the Santa's made in China.

I painted an Aly's Room original on the box. I added a tall prim snow fella named Frosty and surround him with some winter greens and berries. I found the large pine cone while I was out on a walk with my border collie Sadie. There were several that had fallen along the side of the road from the stately pine trees that line the road coming into my housing addition. I picked up as many as I could and took a bag the next day to pick up some more. They have such a beautiful woodsy shape. I added an electric lamp with a soft silicone bulb to finish this piece.

While I was at the Salvation Army TS I bought 2 pair of boots to paint on. I have one pair primed and ready to paint. I'm so excited I can hardly wait to paint on them. I'll be doing a show and tell soon on those.

Wow! I can't believe this...

Valerie, a friend of mine, owns an art gallery on Main Street in our little town. About a month ago she asked me to put some of my things in her gallery. Now, this is a fine art gallery, with really nice paintings by fabulously talented artists. I struggled with the decision for about 2 weeks when she approached me again about the matter. I asked her for 2 more days to decide. I struggled over the decision because her shop is so "up-town", my "stuff" didn't seem to fit. Valerie said "Willa, you are a local artist, why shouldn't I put your things in the gallery?" Finally I said ok. About a week ago she sold one of my items. Today she sold 3 more of my pieces. Praise the Lord, for both of us because she marked them up a pretty penny. These are items I am selling on Etsy (at a lesser price), so I've had to deactive them from my Etsy shop....because they're SOLD. I'm doing the Hallelujah dance!

We have a Winner

I am so excited to announce the winner of my first give away here at The Old Cupboard Door. I had planned to use the generator at random.org but decided to use a special little "drawer". Courtnee, my first born grandchild, was delighted to be chosen for this special event. I printed out the names of those who qualified for the drawing, added them to the hopper, and with great excitement, Courtnee reached her hand in, stirred the pot and drew out the winning name.













And the winner of the snowmansicle ornaments is Sherry of Country Wings in Phoenix. Congratulations Sherry. I will be mailing these cute snowmen out to you on Monday provided I have your mailing address and information by then.

A big thank you to all who participated in my first give away. It’s been so exciting, I plan to do another one soon.

Announcment will be soon

I will be announcing the winner of my snowmansicle give away around 2PM today. Sorry that it will be later in the day but I have a full morning of events going on. My husband and I help with Angel Food Ministry at our church. If you don't know what Angel Food is check it out at http://www.angelfoodministries.com/menu_0910en3.asp and check for the local Angel Food in your area.

Be Back Later.

Hurry, Hurry, Hurry

Hurry, hurry, hurry! Remember those words when you were young? I do, seems that my parents were always hurrying me and my sibs to do this or to do that. While I was still a child I thought I would do everything differently than my parents when I had kids. I finally grew up and sadly, I found myself hurrying my children along too. Hurry and finish your dinner, hurry and get ready for school, hurry put your shoes on, hurry take your shoes off, hurry get ready for bed, hurry get up; hurry, hurry, hurry. Now they are grown and our son has a family of his own. Oh how I wish I had not hurried them, maybe they would still be little and sitting on my knee.

So, here I go again; hurry, hurry, hurry, only one day left to sign up for my give away. You must be a follower of my blog and post at least 1 comment to the current page. You can click on the photo of the give away to the left and it will take you to a comment page. To make it more exciting, I will be adding an extra goodie to the box that goes out to the winner of the drawing. I have had so much fun with this give away, I will be doing another one soon. Thank you to all who signed up to follow and left a comment. I wish everyone good luck.

sNoWmEn sHeLfSiTTeRs

I'll be offering this free pattern soon: Stay tuned.

I have “snowman fever”, I can’t help myself, I love making snowmen. Shivers, Jack and Frosty Flakes are an Aly’s Room Original. I cut them out yesterday and finished them today. In the spirit of the season of giving, I will be offering this pattern free for those who qualify for it. How do you qualify? Stay tuned and you will find out. They will also be listed on my pattern website at www.alysroom.com. I’m also listing them in my Etsy shop tonight or tomorrow. Stay tuned and find out how to receive this as a free pattern.

Ginger Tree

I found this large sifter in a local antique store I love to visit. I eye-spyed it for a few weeks but would pass on purchasing because of the cost. Lo-and-behold one day while I was in the store the vendor had a 25 % off sale. I snatched it up and gave a word of thanks that I didn’t miss the sale. I painted it with a Renee Mullins design. Added a tree with some prim ornaments. The stars and gingers are sewn, slightly stuffed, and prim-ed with coffee and cinnamon. I dusted them with some glamour dust to give them a sugared effect. The star topper and tag are made from salt dough. I’ll be posting this on Etsy tonight or tomorrow. I tried to keep this in a style that could be left out all year long.

Please...Can You Help Me Out?

I am sharing a recipe with you that I received from a very dear friend. My husband, John, and I met these friends back in 1990 while we were stationed together at Andersen AFB, Guam. It was a 2 year tour. The Island of Guam is small, a place where you can certainly develop "Island Fever". We witnessed the struggle of many couples who found it hard to live in such a remote area. Not remote in the way of "primitive" but remote in location to anything else. You could not jump in a car and drive to "somewhere different". It was a 13 hour flight back to the States, tack more hours on if your family lived on the East Coast. Anyway, friendships were a Godsend; having another couple you could spend time and enjoy similar interests with was a blessing. Our friendship with Ken and Cathy was one of those blessings.

The first year we were on Guam, I held a Christmas cookie exchange for friends. Cathy brought some of Ken's Famous Gingersnaps to exchange. I had never had a homemade soft gingersnap cookie before and let me say, they were the best I have ever had. I asked Ken for the recipe and he promptly told me that he would not share it until they were ready to ship out. He was good on his word, he gave me the recipe right before they left but only under the promise that I would never give out the recipe to anyone else. The promise made, he handed over the recipe. Recently, while Ken and Cathy were visiting, the topic of those cookies came up. I expressed how deeply grieved I was when someone asked for the recipe and I had to turn them down. To my great amazement Ken stated "Awww Willa that was just a joke". With my lower jaw almost to my knees, all I could do was splutter, I was at a total loss of words....seriously! Since there is a "no bars hold" on this any longer, I am sharing the recipe with my blogger friends. I do humbly ask for one request from you, a "can you help me out" request. Would you please email Ken to tell him thank you for the recipe for these wonderful cookies. This is a serious request and a serious email addie, I promise. Send a thank you to kensfamouscookies@yahoo.com. Won't he be surprised, when I give out a recipe, I really give out a recipe. I might also mention that Ken is a Veteran, he spent 30 years in the Air Force serving our great nation and just retired this year. Thanks so much for your help and now, here's the recipe for the gingersnaps. This is a soft cookie that is nice and spicy.



Ken's Famous Gingersnap Cookies:

3/4 cup Crisco Shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups sifted self-rising flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a mixing bowl cream the Crisco, sugar, egg and molasses. Add the dry ingredients and raisins, hand mix until the dough is soft (when dry ingredients and raisins are incorporated). Pour 1/4 cup of sugar into a small bowl. Form dough into balls and push down into the sugar and place on a cookie sheet. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven promptly (baking too long will make cookies hard, they should be soft and chewy)

Whew! This is the first time I have given this recipe out. What a relief! I'll be interested to see how many "thank you's" he receives. I would love to share the plate of these delightful cookies with you all, along with a cup of coffee or tea.

Smile at someone today and see if they smile back.

It’s been a busy day at the Old Cupboard Door. I have been working on finishing some items for my Etsy shop and new patterns for Aly's Room. And since Christmas is just around the corner I thought I'd better drag out the Christmas trees and decorations. All the stuff is out of the basement and attic but I haven’t gathered enough steam to put it all together. Hopefully, I will have the trees decorated in the next couple of days. I'll post photos when it's all done.



I don’t know if you experience this but I usually forget what is in the Christmas boxes that are packed away. Each year I make new things, buy new things, and receive new things in the way of decorations so by the time the new Christmas Season rolls around I have forgotten what I have. It’s a joy to open the boxes and take out each treasure and ooooh and awww over them as I remember making them or receiving them.



A box of 12 ornaments arrived today as well. They are from the crafters at Country Lane Peddler Message board. This is the 3rd year I have participated in the 12 Days of Christmas Ornament Exchange. We receive the ornaments a few days before the 12th of December. Beginning on the 12th we open one ornament each day until the 24th. My tree is loaded with the treasured ornaments I have received in the past 2 years. I’ll show a photo once I have my tree decorated.



Don't forget to sign up for my snowmansicle giveaway. Only 5 more days til the drawing. You must be a follower and add at least one comment to the current page. Click on the snowmansicle photo to the left, it will take you to a current comment page. Thanks to all those who have signed on to follow and have left a comment.

It's Snowing!

I love when it snows! I love watching the white flakes drift lazily to the ground. The fresh white coat makes the world look new in my eyes. And the sound of the snow falling; if you listen close enough you can actually hear the snow hit the dead dry leaves on the trees and ground. It's a peaceful sound that makes me think of winters gone by; the sound the Pioneers must have enjoyed on their homesteads.

Back to the present...I enjoy grabbing a cup of coffee or tea and a nice comfy throw so I can sit by the patio door and watch the flakes fall. SadieMae, my Border Collie sits at my feet. She's an action girl. If there is action going on she's makes sure she's in the thick of it. But when I have a cup of coffee in my hands she knows she has to be good.

Speaking of SadieMae, I decided to grab my camera and take a picture of her in the snow. She's not happy about sitting still for a pose, but she did it anyway. I could almost hear her sigh with a hint of frustration. SadieMae came to our home by way of a rescue group. We had a Border Collie named Lily that died from complications of diabetes and SadieMae helped us through that time of grief. She is a bundle of energy and smart as a whip. She's a Frisbee gal. From her point of view, I can't play enough of it with her.



I took several pics of Sadie, I have 2 where she is looking at me, posed so sweetly and the rest are like this one where she is looking around, checking out what’s going on. One little sound and she will be off to investigate. A real bundle of energy and a wonderful member of our family.

Don't forget to sign up for my give away. Click on the snowmansicle photo on the left. Remember you must be a follower and leave a comment to qualify.

Snickerdoodle Cookies

These cookies are a family favorite. My Sweetie and I enjoy a cup of tea in the evening while we are sharing the events of our day. What better compliment to a cup of tea and good company than an old fashioned cookie like snickerdoodles. Don't forget to sign up for my give away. There is still time. To qualify you must be a follower and post at least one comment on the current page.

Snickerdoodles
1 ½ cups of sugar
½ cup butter softened
½ cup Crisco shortening
2 eggs
2 ¾ cups flour
2 tsp cream of tarter
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
Cinnamon sugar mix (mix ½ cup sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon)
Heat oven to 400. Mix dry ingredients in a Ziploc bag or bowl. Mix sugar, butter, shortening and eggs. Add dry ingredients. Do not use mixer or the dough will be over mixed. Shape dough into rounded cookie sized dough balls. Press cookie ball into cinnamon sugar mix and place on baking pan. Bake 8-10 minutes. Remove cookies from cookie sheet quickly, you don’t want to overcook them.