chocolate chocolate chip cookies

Little cookie monsters love these cookies. I try to make foods without sugar and with whole wheat flour. Often the boys and husband wont eat anything that has the tell-tell darkness of whole wheat flour...biscuits, cookies, and pancakes have to be "white and fluffy" for the boys to eat them, meaning, unbleached, un-enriched white flour. When I can hide the color in cocoa, no one seems to mind. My next trial cookie; peanut butter. I'll let you know how that goes.

Ingredients -Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
2 1/4 cups Whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cups honey
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups chocolate chips,

Instructions - Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a bowl, stir together flour, salt, and baking powder.
3. In another large bowl. stir together butter, honey, eggs, vanilla and cocoa.
4. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter mixture. Mix until combined.
5. Stir in chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed.
6. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.
7. Bake about 10 minutes.
8. Cool on a baking rack.
Enjoy these Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies with a big glass of ice-cold milk.

School Daze

I dread mornings during the school year. I find myself wishing I home schooled or had a job where I left before everyone got up, just to avoided an hour in the morning. Because I work at the school they attend, I have to get all 3 boys ready to leave very early, and drive them to school, and try to get my classroom ready while they run around me like Tasmanian devils. Then I send them out my door and welcome in tiny little tots who are crying and need clean diapers. I get no quiet, break time.

So, you can see why I am a grump in the morning. I have spent a lot of time wondering what job I could get to avoid this mess.

This year, rather than change my job, I am going to try changing my attitude.

(Corney. I know. I don't like affirmations like "change your attitude, change your life". Those make me even more grumpy. Every morning when I am grumpy, the thought trying to get un- grumpy makes me more grumpy.

OK, so we are clear, I tend to be grumpy in the morning. )

I had not even voiced my feelings of despair for the upcoming school-year-of-mornings, when darling husband said, "Can I take them tomorrow?"

I fell to the floor in shock and awe. This is the best present he has ever given me. One morning when I can drive without hearing crying and while the boys hit the shit out of each other. One morning when I can sip coffee and listen to NPR on the way, instead of listening to them singing" jingle bells batman smells" over and over. One morning when I can walk from my car to my classroom at a brisk pace, without lugging lunch boxes and extra socks and whatever else I am constantly carrying for them. One morning I don't have to be in charge of anyone but me. What an absolute luxury!!!

So, this morning, I got to go, by myself. Wade brought the kids to school 40 minutes later, and walked them to class, kissed them, and gave them their lunches, then drove, by himself, to work.

And I felt endlessly guilty...oy vey.

Garden

The garden grew in size this year, and is now overgrown. The sunflowers are 12 feet high, and the lemon cucumbers are using the tomato cages to climb on and over. It is wonderful to go out and pick and let that decide what we will be having for dinner. Pumpkins are ready, a few zucchini, carrots were picked yesterday, and of course, hundreds of tomatoes and cucumbers. Wade made yummy salsa, tomato sauce, and tuna salad today. I made tomato paste for home made ketchup that ferments for three days.

I also made some fermented pickles, out of lemon cucumbers and green cucumbers. Grape leaves are added to keep them crispy.

A New Day

Here I am. Starting a blog of all things glorious. A blog to celebrate good friends, good family, good food, good celebrations, good kids, good bad days, good sewing, good knitting, good art, goodness. A blog to help me stay in touch with the blessings I have, and to commemorate all the beautiful things happening around me everyday. I hope to create more laughter, even if it is just for myself and no one else.