200 th post and a cozy day.....inside!

A cozy day spent at home! All day, at home!
The wind has been howling and the snow has been blowing all day, but inside the fire in the wood stove is crackling and sharing its warmth. We have used up 2 wheel borrow loads in the last 24 hours.... I woke up at 4 am this morning and realized I was hearing the furnace kick on! Oh, no... that meant that the fire had burned out and the temp in the house had sunk to 57 degrees! I jumped up and re-started the fire while the furnace warmed the house to 60.... I am going to have to set the timer for every 3 hours to feed the fire tonight!

Hubby took our oldest to his basket ball game this morning while the rest of us opted to stay home in the warmth and bake cookies. I made a new recipe for them (see below) called play dough cookies. The dough texture is very much like play dough and they bake up into simple short bread type cookies (not too much sugar). They hold their color very well.... All had fun! I made some peanut butter cups to start off my holiday baking. The baking (and eating) is one of my favorites about this time of the year.

Hubby braved the cold for a couple of hours to hit the woods to try for another doe.... he came back well before dark... just WAY too cold! I wouldn't have made it 20 minutes... I did the chicken chores in record time. The poor chickens.... they haven't given us an egg in a month... they must be like me and not like the cold!

The day has wound down, Pj's are on.... supper dishes are washed up and bed time draws near. The faint smell of hazelnut coffee and supper's sausage biscuits and gravy linger in the air. The sound of the howling wind reminds me to be thankful for the warmth of our home and to pray for those out in the cold. This time of year is the best for cuddling under the blankets to stay warm! Early bed times rule.
Have a great sabbath and know that Jesus LONGS for us to spend time with Him... He is ALWAYS there for us and yearns for time with us. He loves us so much and desires our lives to be lived for Him!!

I leave you with the "Play Dough Cookies" recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup margarine or butter
1 cup shortening (or use 2 cups margarine or butter)
1 cup sugar
2 TBL milk
2 tsp vanilla
5 1/2 cups flour
food coloring

Directions
In a mixing bowl cream together the butter, shortening and sugar. Add milk and vanilla. Mix in flour (adding more if necessary) to creat a "play dough" texture. Separate dough and mix in food coloring. Let the kids play to their heart's content and then bake their creations at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes - until bottom of cookie edge is lightly brown. Cool and ENJOY!!!

Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather