.Sometimes Happiness Really is Homemade.

These cookies make me happy. I have not had them in years. I was chatting on the phone with my grandma the other day, and she told me she was making these cookies. My mom used to bake them when I was a girl, and I just had to get the recipe. I knew Jim would love them, too.

I was not disappointed, and the taste brought me way back. Don't you love how our senses can do that? Smells, tastes, sounds, touches can take me back to yesteryear instantly. One bite and I was the four year old pig tailed girl sitting at my mom's island in her kitchen, and then I blinked and realized I wasn't that four year old girl, rather I had a four year old girl. My life is just a vapor.

These delightful cookies are so old fashioned that my grandma warned me they cannot be made with a Kitchen Aid or electric mixer. Rather they require a wooden spoon and big bowl. That made me really happy. I felt so domesticated and homey stirring my batch of cookies. I do have to admit, I had to recruit the muscles of my hubby to do a bit of the stirring though! I have been sissified with our modern day mixers!



And because I am feeling generous, I will share this special heirloom recipe with you. Maybe Gooseberry Patch should add this to their next cookbook! Ha! There really is something special about recipes passed down through the generations, though. Isn't there? I think I will have to get Jim's Grandmom's special welch cookie recipe next. {grin} I am also going to start a recipe book of these special recipes for Cadi and Scotty to take with them when they move away from our home. I want to preserve these memories for future generations.

Molasses Jelly Filled Cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 C. butter - softened
1 C. brown sugar
1 C. molasses
1 C. sour cream
4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. ginger
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. cloves
4 C. flour
grape or raspberry jelly

Method:
Cream the butter, sugar and molasses well in large bowl with a wooden spoon.
Add in remaining ingredients (except jelly), incorporating the flour thoroughly. Refrigerate dough at least 2 hours. On lightly floured counter roll out dough to 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter cut out cookies. Place on ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Gently push thumb into center of each cookie and fill with 1 tsp. jelly. Bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes. Cookies will be soft and tender.

Click here for printable recipe.

This recipe made 63 cookies for me! And they were only 93 calories a piece. My children love them as much as Jim and I do. It might seem silly, but it made my heart so happy to see my children enjoying a cookie I enjoyed from my childhood. These cookies are delightful with a hot cup of tea - my tea of choice with these is cinnamon by Bigelow.



Do you have any special heirloom recipes?

.Pretty, Pretty Pirate Princess .

As I mentioned earlier this week, Cadi had an eye appointment. We had been noticing some problems with her eyes. Sure enough she needs a prescription for some glasses. We picked out some cute {expensive} glasses, that she should be receiving soon.

I was a bit devastated that Cadi, at just four years old needs glasses. I have poor eyesight myself, and have always hated it. I was really hoping that Jim's perfect vision genes would be passed onto our daughter - nope. So we will make due, and I am sure the adjustment will be fine.

Not only does Cadi need glasses, but she also has to wear a patch for thirty minutes each day. {sigh} Her eyes drift a lot when she is tired and cross. Her left eye is especially bad, so wearing the patch over the right eye is supposed to strengthen her left. I thought we would be given a patch, but we weren't. So ashamedly I just figured I would throw on her eye a plastic pirate patch that Cadi had received as a favor from a birthday party.

However, I was chatting with my best friend on the phone soon after finding out about Cadi's vision problems, and she suggested I make a cute one from some felt she had and an elastic. What a great idea! So after spending the evening with her family last night I came home with some fun colored felt and elastic. I couldn't fall asleep last night {surprise}, so I started creating the patch in my head. I got to thinking that it would be better if I could create something that fit over her glasses rather than under and eliminate the elastic altogether, as I am sure that would not be comfortable. I searched online for a pattern, and I came up empty. However, I did see a few cute ideas, so I mixed and matched the ideas and created my own patch. It was so fun to be able to create and sew. This little project took about ten minutes, and I am really pleased with the result! We tried the patch over Cadi's sunglasses as well as my glasses. It fit on both, so I am hoping it fits on her glasses as well.



It's even lined! (Ignore the stitches. I like to sew, but am not good at it. At. All. Ha!)


I am thankful for the inspiration from my best friend, Bethany! Without her, poor Cadi would have been looking very Pirate-ish. Now we have a pretty, pretty pirate princess!