It’s Veterans Day and I want to say thank you to all the veterans who have served and are currently serving our great country. My Dad was a Colonel in the USAF as I was growing up. We moved many times but it was a good life. I enjoyed traveling as I do now. My glorious wonderful husband, Roy is on his 34th year in the USAF. Our son-in-law is also in the USAF and is currently serving in Turkey.  We pray for his safety everyday. To all our veteran friends, which are many,  Thank you.

We have a new addition to our family. We did not seek out any new additions this one walked into our life by chance or as I like to think heaven sent. We have Ashley. He is a Great Pyrenees. He is malnourished and in need of some good old fashioned attention. He adopted us we did not adopt him and I am doing my best not to get attached because he is able to walk out of our lives as he came in. Roy at this moment is making him a dog house to sleep in. We are feeding him and trying to make his outdoor life comfortable but he is an outdoor dog. Scarlett and Belle really like him. The three all get along. Ashley had his first nightly family walk to the pond to feed the fish. It all seems to fit for now. Being a Great Pyrenees he barks at nightly noises, like deer and he also howls, which he doesn’t do well.  He likes to start around 1 AM and go till 5, when the other dogs get up.

This week I also broke down and made cookies. Watching “The Holiday Baking Championship” just got my need for cookies up. I love cookies and I love baking cookies. I made sugar jumbles. It’s a recipe from Betty Crocker but as usual trying to eliminate the calories I used Stevia for half of the sugar.

Sugar Jumbles

Preheat oven to 375. Mix together all the wet ingredients:

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup Stevia
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla

In a small bowl sift together

• 1 1/8 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Bake 8-10 minutes. Recipe said it made 3 dozen I got 14 cookies. The bottoms will be light brown and the tops will still be white. Cool on cooling rack and then enjoy!

It’s been a stressful week but cookies always help make life better.

I hope everyone has a nice long weekend.

Kelly