Growing Up Purcell

Friday, March 6, 2009

Hard @ Work II

This is our Home Sweet Home (The Arnolds). This is what our kids help out in keeping warm by hauling wood from the woodshed to the house.

This is another chore that Teancum also gets to help out with, which is feeding our horses, CC and Clint. I don't know what I'd do without my Teancum. He's a tough kid and a hard little worker. He's a good kid.

Look at all that hay he gets on to his pitch fork.

And then he hucks it over the fence and into the manger for the horses to eat.

I say, chores make great kids, and teaches them hard work and to work hard. Although, my kids may complain at times about doing chores, when there are days that they don't want to do them, I know that in the long run, they will one day be grateful for the things they have done and have been taught to do.

Hard @ Work!

So here you see, are my children doing their chores that they do every other day. Our home is heated by a wood stove. So, we need wood to keep our home warm, and this is what our kids get to do to help out. Do they like it? Sometimes they do. Ocean's a tough little girl when it comes to doing hard labour such as this, but really it's not that hard. Besides, it's good for the kids.

Teancum, is a hard little worker. He helps out a great deal with things around our home. I'm grateful to have him and all his hard work.

From the woodshed, Teancum then pushes the wheel barrel of wood up to the house and then him and Ocean put it onto the porch in front of the side door where we then take it into the house and into the stove to warm up our house.

Enjoying "Cowboy Cookies"

Mmmmm! Dont these look yummy?
Well they are, Ky & Teancum will show you how good they are.
These Cowboy Cookies are our family favorite.
Jaram took off on a Young Men's/Scouts Winter Campout this morning and he asked me to make him some goodies for him to take on his trip, so I made him his favorite yesterday. Yes, I do spoil him and our kids, as you'll see.

This was Ky's first cookie, but he had 3 of them just before dinner. Did he have his dinner? Nooo! He happened to fall asleep shortly before dinner time and stayed asleep til morning. Very rare, that Ky ever sleeps through the night.

Teancum is enjoying his first cookie of many. He loves them, like I mentioned, this is our family fav.

As you can see, the "evidence of a good cookie" on their handsome little faces and fingers.

So, for your pleasure, I've posted just before this, the recipe to this divine cookie, so that you can make and enjoy.

"Cowboy Cookies" Recipe

Ingredients

1 C Margrine

1 C Sugar

1 C Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

2 C Flour

2 C Rolled Oats

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

1 C Shredded Coconut

1 C Chocolate Chips

1/2 - 1 C Chopped Walnuts or Pecans (Optional)

1 C Butterscotch Chips (Optional)

Directions

Cream/Mix together margrine, sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Add in your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then alternately add your oats, chocolate chips, and optional items. Drop by the spoonfuls onto your cookie sheet and bake @ 350 degrees F for 10-11 mins. Let them set on the cookie sheet for a min. when out and then place onto a cookie rack for cooling.

Before baking. It's as good unbaked as it is baked. The dough is just delicious.

The after, just cooling for a minute on the sheet, before going on to the cooling rack.

Have fun making them, and enjoy!

BYU Mint Brownies

Brownie Batter (9x13" pan)
1 C Margrine
1/2 C Cocoa
2 C Granulated Sugar
2 Tbsp. Honey
4 Eggs
1 3/4 C Flour
1/2 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 C Chopped Walnuts (Optional)

Mint Icing
5 Tbsp. Margrine (softened)
Dash Salt
3 Tbsp. Milk
1 Tbsp. Corn Syrup
2 1/3 C Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp. Mint extract
1-2 drops of Green Food Color

Plus 12 oz. Chocolate Frosting

Directions
Step 1: Melt your margrine (I like to melt mine into the pan and in the oven while the oven is preheating, that way you'll already have a greased 9x13 inch pan). Mix in Cocoa and allow it to cool. Add honey, eggs (beat until frothy, first), sugar, flour, baking powder, & salt. Mix well and add your nuts. Pour batter into greased 9x13" pan and bake @ 350 degrees F for 25 mins. or longer depending on oven, and let cool.

Step 2: Add your soft margrine, salt, corn syrup, & powder sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and green food coloring. Then gradually add your milk and mix until consistancy is a bit runny.

Step 3: Spread mint icing on cooled brownies, put into freezer for about 1/2 hour, then thin your mint icing (you might see in my pictures that I failed to that, and they were really rich), then carefully add your chocolate icing and wholah, ENJOY!