Surprises on a Gray Day

This morning we awoke to gray...more gray...blah! I am thankful for the rain and all but Spring seems to be a long time in coming. Look what I found: Jonathan asked in amazement after school, "Mom, look a rainbow? How did it get here?"

Four Children at the Dollar Store

Fascinating! Four children (three girls and one boy) set loose in a Dollar Store and what does each one buy? Hint: Hannah is almost 11. Rebekah will be nine this summer. Jonathan is 5 1/2 and Susie is 24 mos.

Mary Edwards Walker and the Wax Museum,

Thursday evening, we got a rare treat. Hannah's elementary school's Fifth Grade holds a Wax Museum of Historical Figures and allows the students to pick one, research the person and then pose as him/her. Hannah chose Mary Edwards Walker. Who? Mary Edwards Walker was the

• first female doctor in the Civil War.
• She was the first female surgeon also.
• She earned the Congressional Medal of Honor (the only woman to ever receive this award--the top military medal for service to one's country).
• She was the second woman to graduate from medical school in the US.
• She was raised by a "free thinking" father who believed that woman's clothing (of the time) was unhealthy and advocated shirts and pants for his five daughters--quite a scandal!

Valentine Cookie Recipes!

My sisters and I used to get together and bake sugar cookies and other delectables in the days preceding Valentines Day. This is my favorite SUGAR COOKIE recipe of all the ones we have tried (six or more). The Sugar Cookie (from Grandma Hare's Cookbook, rumored from Martha Stewart) 2 C. flour 1/4 t. salt 1/2 t. baking powder 1/2 C. sweet butter 1 C. sugar 1 egg 2 T. brandy or milk 1/2 t. vanilla Sift together dry ingredients. In an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar; add egg, milk, and vanilla and beat well. Add dry ingredients a little at a time and mix until well blended. Wrap and chill dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling. Preheat oven to 400F. On a lightly floured board, roll out 1/3 of the dough at a time. Roll to 1/8 thickness and cut with cookie cutters. Put shapes on buttered baking sheets or parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes (or less). Do not allow to brown. Cool on racks. An icing mixture is listed but we prefer a fluffy buttercream icing, usually dyed pink. Chocolate Heart Cookies (Very rich!) 3/4 lb. (3 sticks) unsalted butter 1 3/4 C. sugar 2 eggs, lightly beaten 3 C. all-purpose flour 1-1/2 C. imported cocoa 1/4 t. salt 1 t. ground cinnamon Icing is listed to glaze with. These cookies are very rich and go well dipped in a chocolate dipping mix: 1 pkg. white dipping chocolate (1 lb.) 1 t. shortening Mix chocolate with shortening in a heavy pan over low heat. (I put in deep glass container and microwave, stir often as it melts). Dip finished cookie and allow it to dry on dry rack until chocolate hardens. Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. Sift the dry ingredients together and stir by hand into the butter mixture until mixed thoroughly. You may need to add more flour if the dough seems too soft.) Divide the dough into three small flat rounds. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least an hour. Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly butter sheet or cover and cook on parchment (or silicone liners). On a well-floured board (or a cool stone, with no flour), roll out dough into a thickness or slightly more than 1/8 inch. Cut dough into 3 inch hearts and place on baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes, just until the cookies are crisp but not darkened. Cool on wire racks. When cookies are cool, dip into white chocolate mix and let harden. Enjoy!

Hot-ness!

We would like to thank Bergman heating and air for the new "Hot-ness" in our house! On December 30, we had a regular check up on our heating, and our furnace was shut down as not safe. February 18, we are finally back up and running hot air! We have had multiple repair/replace estimates. We'll give some detail, although it is HIGHLY unlikely anyone out there will have our same problem.

• Our house was built in 1972.
• The original (current) heating was a high velocity system, with 2 inch ducts.
• 2 inch ducts are used commonly back east, where boilers are common sources of heat, and excessive humidity is a problem
• Utah has neither common boilers, nor any humidity to speak of, so: Our heating system is very uncommon in Utah
• High velocity systems require a boiler
• Our system was installed without a boiler. A regular furnace was tipped sideways and had an extra blower motor installed. It was very non-standard.
• No repair company wanted to deal with the crazy configuration as current
• We got quotes upwards of $13,000 to either revamp or install a boiler
• Our best solution was presented by Bergman, although it involved ordering a custom furnace (therefore delaying another 3 to 4 weeks)

This is what the 2 inch ducts look like:

A Very Happy Valentines Day

t Sweet Joseph got up early and let me sleep late with Susie. (Great to have a holiday on a Saturday!). I knelt by the bed and began saying my morning prayer when Susie opened the door to our bedroom. There was a *gasp* followed by a "Ooh, Juwee...Oh, oh Juwee...Gook (look)!" I opened my eyes. The back side of the door was covered in heart love notes. Love notes were written on stickynote heart shaped papers stuck all over the house and included: I love you; Sina, Mina ja Kuu (off a Finnish postcard I once mailed him); Olet Rakas (he forgot how to say in in Finnish); Ich Leibe Dich; The Lord Bless You and Keep You (Deut. scripture); XOXO, You're Awesome! ( hot, a great cook, etc). The children helped Joe decorate the table in hearts and candies. Joseph made omelets with sauteed red peppers, onions, mushrooms and cheese for brunch. He bought each child a small box of chocolates (I think to save the big box of chocolates for us!) He bought different types of flowers that were fun to arrange and share. (It is nice the girls' daddy remembers them with candy and flowers too!) He also bought me a pin with a dozen small roses on it and a small tin of cinnamon mints and a Big Hunk and Symphony bar. He also wrote me a very sweet poem and note (I have been hinting that I miss his writing for quite awhile now). I treasure his writings. New double wreaths for the new doorway (two doors). Jonathan London's book, What do You Love? is an old family favorite on our Valentines and Snow books bookshelf. (Currently, my little shadow Susie is talking into the other computer mouse and using it like a phone held up to her ear..."Say Hewo (hello) Momma...Kank ew (thank you)...Some grapes Momma? Sure! Okay, good-bye Gramma. etc.) Hope you all had a very Happy Valentines too! [It wasn't all rosy around here--I got a viral ear infection on Thursday morning and it threw a kink in plans to deliver cookies and cards around the neighborhood secretly...We mostly ate the cookies by ourselves, with a few exceptions. How sad! Recipes to follow.]