A little woo hoo!

I've been down the past couple days. It happens to everyone, but I'm a bit annoyed with myself that I allowed it to continue as long as I did. Today I took a little extra time to get up and moving and it appears to have worked in my favor.

So, to celebrate, here's a list of things I'm thankful for PLUS a really killer cookie recipe!

1. The internet. I did about 95% of my shopping online this year and I am so glad I did! Things are starting to roll in now and I don't feel that panic that I won't be able to find what I need. And, even better, the cupcake and cookie boxes that I ordered arrived today, which is gonna make the rest of my baking much easier!

2. My job. I am loving my new gig! And it's nice that, on mornings like this one where I need a little extra time, I have both the time necessary AND really kind and considerate supervisors and co-workers. So it's not major.

3. My heatherns. My kids are older so Christmas isn't necessarily that magical time that it used to be. But, instead, it's a lot of fun. I'm really looking forward to Christmas morning and that time of just lounging and playing.

4. Power and water. The big storm that hit over the weekend knocked out the power, water, and phone for much of my family. I have a family of survivors so I knew they'd be ok, and they are, but now the discussions are all about WHERE to have Christmas since all the usual places are without power and water. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

5. Fire alarms. So the day everyone comes back from the big storm filled weekend isn't exactly the best time to make a few buildings' worth of state employees stand out in the snow, but it does give some state employees the opportunity to talk to the chick that makes cupcakes about ordering some for their kid's birthday right after New Years. And that makes the cupcake chick happy!

Alright that's gonna do it for now! I better do some actual work despite the fact that I'm just DYING to go home and start filling up those cupcake boxes!

So now for the recipe! Over the weekend I made shortbread for the first time and it was perfect! I cut mine into hearts and snowmen, so you don't have to stick to the simple squares. But here's the recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups butter 1 cup packed brown sugar

4 cups all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2.	Cream butter and brown sugar. Add 4 cups flour gradually. Mix well.
3.	Roll to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into 3x1 inch strips. Prick with fork and place on ungreased baking sheets.
4.	Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.