It's Cookie Friday

With it being Good Friday, the kids are home from school today.

We decided to make cookies.

First I made some chocolate covered oreos for Easter. 

I'm so excited about these, because although my painting technique leaves ALOT to be desired, this is the first time the painted chocolate hasn't melted and ruined the design when I poured the main section.

YEA ME!

Then, we made sugar cookies.

I wanted to try out decorating them using Sweet Sugar Bells instructions.

Tori and Zach helped.

Okay, they really ended up doing it all...I'm a cool mom that way.

(Yea, right.)

We weren't really patient on the designs and didn't wait the 20 minutes between layers like we were supposed to, but we had fun anyway.

Zach went with more abstract designs.

While Tori tried to paint intracit designs,

and ended up hating them so much she had to eat them.

And mine were rather boring

But we had a good time and now have some yummy cookies.

I Stand All Amazed....

Okay, so again I stand amazed by the little things that give me hope to keep carrying on with the trials in life.  The stress over the house and other financial matters keeps building.  I've been trying to figure out what we are supposed to do.  We didn't get the rental house that we thought might be the answer to our prayers, and although I've applied at several places in town, I haven't even gotten one call back.

Things have been slightly stressed.

So we decided to get away for a few days and go on vacation.

We went home.

We spent a lot of time with family and at the family store The Chocolate Box.

One day when we were there, Hank started talking to a young man that he had known when he was in our church's young men's program several years ago.  The young man had gone on a mission for our church and while there had suffered terrible carbon monoxide poisoning.  He had been sent home early and fought hard to get back to a normal life despite some terrible health issues.

When we returned from vacation, Hank sent a letter to the mission leader of this young man's mission.  Apparently the man was a warden at one of the prisons with which Hank works.  He wanted him to know that this young man was doing well and recovering.

The mission leader responded almost immediately thanking Hank for the information and the two struck up an email "conversation".  Hank was excited to know that an LDS member could indeed succeed in the strange prison system we find ourselves working for.  The warden said he was actually just getting ready to move next week to another prison complex where he would advance and there was hope.  Hank was told to "keep in touch."

Immediately Hank went and looked up the new prison area.  Funny to find out, it was one of the prisons that had just pulled his paperwork for consideration on a paid move to a lieutenant's position.  I'm not saying anything will happen.  It could all just be an interesting "HUH" moment....but I still stand amazed by the little things in life.

“Behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.  (Alma 37:6.)

I truly stand amazed and again have hope that the Lord is truly looking out for me and my little family through the stupid mistakes that we make each day.