Challenge Completed.

With this post, I complete the October 2012 Ultimate Blog Challenge.

I had set myself to complete all 31of the required posts, and I managed to do that. I

missed only two days and made them up quite easily. The other times that I have

participated in the challenge, I have either not finished or had to write several posts in the

last two days. I did better with that this time.

I also set myself to comment on a minimum of two of my fellow participants blog posts

every day. Most days, I followed through on that. Sometimes, I went well past the

minimum. However, over the last few days, with the storm and all, I have fallen behind. I

will be commenting on a minimum of six blogs tonight.

When I did comment, I met interesting people, learned useful stuff and gained new

insights. It’s a great part of the challenge, being part of a group. I have liked all the

people I have encountered and enjoyed a wide variety of blogs. There is such a diversity

of themes and topics!!

So what happens next?

I keep blogging. I keep commenting. I hope to keep close to this level and maybe set

myself a higher standard when the challenge rolls around again in January. Perhaps, I will

do more commenting and try some experiments with my content.

Anyway, It’s been a fun month.

Thanks, fellow bloggers, for making this challenge such a great experience.

And thanks, Michelle and Michele for putting it together!!

Have a blessed day!

This is my 31st post for the October 2012 Ultimate Blog Challenge. All done!

Aftermath

We dodged a bullet around here. A few branches down, etc. but the worst thing we had to face was cabin fever. The power never even went out.

We are thankful.

But from this vantage point it is easy to forget that Hurricane Sandy has caused real devestation elsewhere. Manhatten without electricity, Atlantic City underwater, Haiti devestated.

Nearly 100 people lost their lives because of the storm. The death toll is expected to rise.

People are going to need help.

So let's breathe a sigh of relief, hug our loved ones tight, and get to work. I am not sure what most of can do -- pray, raise funds, send supplies. Perhaps join a mission trip bringing hope to the damaged areas, once those are organized. I know we can all help somehow.


How did you fare in the storm?




This is my 30th post for the October Ultimate Blog Challenge. One to go!

Hurricane!

The winds are picking up, smaller branches are already falling. It's raining. The roads are quiet. Things are not too bad, yet.


So... we are already.


Saying prayers for everybody's safety.


Not much time for blogging...going to keep my son occupied with school work and a game of Risk.


Stay safe, everyone!!




Then come the wild weather, come sleet or come snow, we will stand by each other, however it blow.
                                                         ~Simon Dach 





This is my 29th post for the October Ultimate Blog Challenge. On track!

"Frankenstorm" ... see if they need something

So .... have you got in some groceries, filled up the gas tank and checked the flashlight batteries? Good. Put the lawn furniture in the shed? Excellent.

You've finished your whole storm preparedness list? Awesome.

How about doing one more thing....

 Check on your neighbors.

Perhaps there is an elderly couple or a disabled person next door who needs you to run an errand.

Or maybe that family with two kids down the street has a parent functioning solo for the duration. Maybe the spouse is deployed, or works for emergency services, or manages a hardware store, a gas station or a supermarket. Maybe they could use a hand bringing in the yard toys or someone to provide childcare while they get supplies.

That family is either making a sacrifice to keep us safe generally or to provide a necessary service right now. Where would be without them? Can't hurt to see if they need something right?

Anyway, it's just neighborly, and the right thing to do.


Thanks....


Now I need to go across the street and ring a doorbell.


Stay safe East Coast!!





This is my 28th post for the Ultimate Blog Challenge. Caught up!! 

Song for Sunday: A Mighty Fortress

Reformation Sunday is a good day to sing and share a hymn by Martin Luther, right?

This invigorating hymn, especially when sung with strength and energy, is a favorite of mine and of many reformed church folk. (Baptists, Congregationalists, etc.) We sang it our service this morning.

I have heard that the tune was originally a 16th Century bar song. "Lord Sabaoth", I learned today, translates as "Lord of Hosts."

Anyway, here it is...

A Mighty Fortress is Our God

1. A mighty fortress is our God, 
 a bulwark never failing; 
 our helper he amid the flood 
 of mortal ills prevaling.  
 For still our ancient foe 
 doth seek to work us woe; 
 his craft and power are great, 
 and armed with cruel hate, 
 on earth is not his equal.

2. Did we in our own strength confide, 
 our striving would be losing, 
 were not the right man on our side, 
 the man of God's own choosing.
 Dost ask who that may be?  
 Christ Jesus, it is he; 
 Lord Sabaoth, his name, 
 from age to age the same, 
 and he must win the battle.

3. And though this world, with devils filled, 
 should threaten to undo us, 
 we will not fear, for God hath willed 
 his truth to triumph through us.  
 The Prince of Darkness grim, 
 we tremble not for him; 
 his rage we can endure, 
 for lo, his doom is sure; 
 one little word shall fell him.

4. That word above all earthly powers, 
 no thanks to them, abideth; 
 the Spirit and the gifts are ours, 
 thru him who with us sideth.  
 Let goods and kindred go, 
 this mortal life also; 
 the body they may kill; 
 God's truth abideth still; 
 his kingdom is forever.

Did you sing a favorite hymn at church today?

This is my 27th post for the October Ultimate Blog Challenge. So close I can taste it!

That "Tomahawks" post

I have been looking over the stats for my blog for the month. On October 13, I posted about my son throwing Tomahawks.  Seventy-three people have viewed that post, and people still are -- thirteen did in the last 24 hours -even though I have posted a number of  times since then.

The next most popular post was my first one for this Ultimate Blog Challenge, posted on October 1,  and has 64 page views.

I don't get it. I haven't intentionally done anything new to promote or share that post. Also, it isn't a particularly exciting or engaging piece. There have been no comments, so no clues from readers.

I'd love to know what is causing people to look at that post, because then I would know what to keep doing and maybe my readership would go up.

(Tomahawks...tomahawks?)


Let me know if you have any thoughts....



This is my 26th post for the October Ultimate Blog Challenge. One behind and time is short!

Prayer "retreat"

I have a weekend to myself. I have a baby gift to finish and I'll be helping with lunch at a friend's church,  but I have decided to spend most of the time in prayer for family, friends, my church, CYC and whatever else comes to mind. There is a lot going on with all these things. I'll pray for insight and direction for myself, too.

Looking up classic prayers, I came across this one which I will include this weekend. It comes from Thomas Merton's Thoughts from Solitude so I thought it would be appropriate. I share it with you in hopes that you find it helpful, too.

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.

I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am

following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.

And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.

I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road,

though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore I will trust you always

though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear, for you are ever with me,

and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.


If you have any prayer requests, I'll be glad to include them. Just comment!!

Have a blessed day!





This is my 25th post for the October Ultimate Blog Challenge. Getting there!

"The Talk" And beyond

It's that season in our house. Early adolesence. Time to pass on certain information.


Oh, well, really?? Yikes!! Awkward conversations. Surly looks. Yada. Yada.

Actually, our son has had an understanding of the basics of reproductive biology for years now.  He also knows what we believe on the moral side of things. It would be easier if those by themselves were enough, but...

We believe in waiting until marriage to have sex.

                      So how far is too far?
                      How do you wait when you're in a relationship with someone who doesn't want to?
                      What do you do about desire?

Those are things we need to talk about. Yeah, awkward. Tough. Necessary.

And we are facing some rather difficult to surmount societal expectations:
                   
                    I know a health teacher who says: "Abstinence is a great idea, but these kids are in eighth 
                    grade. Let's face it, they are going to be having sex." 

                    I read a survey which noted that, overwhelmingly, parents feel that teenagers should wait
                   before having sex, but assume that their kids won't.

                   I read an article in a magazine aimed at young teen girls that said. "Waiting for sex leads 
                  to a longer and healthier relationship, so if your guy wants to wait a month before hitting 
                 the sheets it is probably a good sign."



Maybe there is a self -fulfilling prophecy going on here. I am a teacher, so I call it the "Pygmalion concept". You get what you expect and society expresses the expectation that teens will have sex. Or, if they are sensible, they will wait until they finish high school. So kids are having sex. Not so many in eighth grade, actually, but pretty young nonetheless.

 How do you overcome the societal expectation and help your child do what is right?

                 

As traditional as "The Talk" is, I'm figuring it's not enough. A series of conversations would be a start. Frequently reiterating that we will discuss ANYTHING will help, especially if web bring up tough topics ourselves now and then to prove it. Putting people who share our moral code in our child's path wouldn't hurt either.

And then there is prayer. Never to be forgotten. God can handle a blundering conversation or two (or 100) with us. After all,  He made up sex. It was all His idea. I am going to teach my son to pray about it, too.


We are going to stand firm on the idea that sex is for marriage. Not everyone will agree with us on that, but every parent does have to talk with their kids about sensitive topics because every kid needs information, every kids needs to know where their parents stand.

How will you make that less awkward in your family?











This is my 25th post for the October Ultimate Blog Challenge. Home stretch!

Homeschooling

Why do we homeschool?

Everyone has their own reasons for making this choice. We've been chatting and here's our lists.


The children said:

You get to choose which topic you study when.

You get to go to school in your pajamas.

You can gear your education to what you want to do.

You can stay with friends anytime.

You can do lessons outside and include fun games.

You get to see your family a lot more.

It's topic -based instead of time-based so you can finish earlier

When you wake up in the morning, you can just walk downstairs. No getting ready for school.

One kid also wants me to say:
You might not have a lot of friends. Some friends aren't available.You are with the same small group of people all day.


The adults said:

Flexibility. You can travel, do things in the middle of the day, set your own schedule. The curriculum is also flexible. You can use whatever you want -- although, on the down side, it can be hard to find something you like.

Time with the kids -- you don't send them away from you every day.

It's a better education - some schools are great, there are many good teachers out there, but nothing beats one-on-one tutoring from someone who knows you well and always has your best interests in mind.

There are many more opportunities to share your faith and values.


That's why we homeschool in our little conglemeration.


Why did you make the educational choice you are working with?




This is my 23rd post for the October Ultimate Blog Challenge. Eight to go!

Re Do

I was having trouble with knitting this morning. Finding extra stitches in the row, not having enough stitches at the end of the pattern row, etc. etc. At one point I thought I had it all sorted out. Then I turned it over and noticed a stitch that  had dropped two ridges -- six rows down. I tried picking it up, no dice. I had to rip out the six rows.

By now, I had taken out and reknit stitches  a bunch of times. The yarn was beginning to look ragged, so I cut out the segment and began again. I am now, finally, back on the right track. Things should be easier, too, with the fresh yarn. It will be a better product, too.

It came to mind that our spiritual lives can be like this. We struggle...we all struggle...with sin. Sometimes we have to fight harder than others, sometimes we lose.

God, as He is putting our lives together, may need to take things out, fix things, rework things. On occasion, He may need to cut some habit or pattern from our lives completely giving that space new material so that our lives are easier and, more importantly, better.  This could be any kind of sin -- greed, pride, sexual immorality, drunkenness, neglecting spiritual disciplines, gossip. Even things that get horribly ingrained in us can be fixed. It may not be very fun for us. We may need to make changes that will require us to recognize our shame, to be humble, to allow God to work. We may need courage and discipline and a willingness to change our environment, but it can be done. God does it all the time.

When God has restored us we are not damaged goods. We are whole. We may have responsibilities toward others, accrued during our time of sin, that we must fulfill, but we can move forward with our spiritual lives as though that sin never happened.

¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.

Can I hear an "amen"?





This is my 22nd post for the October Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going for 31 posts in 31 days!

Teaching Knitting ....not

I can knit and I can teach, but I can't teach knitting.

Multiplication, chemical equations, adverbs, and the significance of political movements I can get across. I can even instruct children in sewing. But I have never successfully gotten a child to move a stitch from one needle to the other, even when they were motivated.

I can demonstrate several different stitches -- I even presented a children's chat once in which I demonstrated knit, purl, knit together, yarn over, etc and likened the stitches to the various denominations that God will someday join together in one kingdom, represented by a completed piece. I know the vocabulary of knitting, too. Still, I can't teach anyone how to do it.

I don't why.

I also don't think I have a point here. I just needed to write a blog post today and this was what came to mind. Maybe because I recently took up knitting again.

Is there something you can do but can't teach to others?





This is my 21st post for the October Ultimate Blog Challenge. I am going for 31 posts in 31 days!

Youth Ministry Stereotypes Destroyed

In my mind, because of my experience, youth ministers are men in their twenties. All my youth leaders were such and so are my sons.

I am talking about church youth group leaders. I know dozens of women and people in their 30s -80s who have served in other types of youth ministry. I do myself.

Last night, I had a sort of paradigm shift.

I was helping with a CYC Multi-Church Youth Event. We get  local church youth groups together for an evening of fellowship, games and Bible study.

The youth leaders who brought kids last night included four slightly older women (they all have grown children) and a middle aged couple from Southeast Asia. All six were clearly interested in their students and had brought them to meet others. The leaders are going to start meeting to network and plan.

I am excited. I think youth ministry needs people with a range of ages and a variety of interests and experiences not to mention both genders. Men in their twenties have plenty of positves to bring to the position, but so do others. So, if you love God and teenagers, consider if you may be called to this valuable ministry.


Are you?




This is my twentieth post for the October Ultimate Blog Challenge. Only one behind!

Song for Sunday: Teach Me to Dance

We sang this song in church this morning and I was excited by it. I especially liked the reminder that we are created for God's pleasure. I love the sentiment of the prayer -- letting the beat of God's heart set the rhythm or our lives and direct the movement of our feet. Enjoy!!

Teach Me to Dance to the Beat of Your Heart

Teach me to dance to the beat of Your heart
Teach me to move in the power of Your Spirit
Teach me to walk in the light of Your presence
Teach me to dance to the beat of Your heart
Teach me to love with Your heart of compassion
Teach me to trust in the word of Your promise
Teach me to hope in the day of Your coming
Teach me to dance to the beat of Your heart


You wrote the rhythm of life
Created heaven and earth
In You is joy without measure
So, like a child in Your sight
I dance to see Your delight
For I was made for Your pleasure
Pleasure
 

Teach me to move in the power of Your Spirit
Teach me to walk in the light of Your presence
Teach me to dance to the beat of Your heart
Teach me to love with Your heart of compassion
Teach me to trust in the word of Your promise
Teach me to hope in the day of Your coming
Teach me to dance to the beat of Your heart

Teach me to dance to the beat of Your heartTeach me to move in the power of Your Spirit

BRIDGE:
Let all my movements express
A heart that loves to say 'yes'
A will that leaps to obey You
Let all my energy blaze
To see the joy in Your face
Let my whole being praise You
Praise You

Teach me to walk in the light of Your presence
Teach me to dance to the beat of Your heart
Teach me to love with Your heart of compassion
Teach me to trust in the word of Your promise
Teach me to hope in the day of Your coming
Teach me to dance to the beat of Your heart

                              ~Graham Kendrick

What songs have excited you lately?

This is my nineteenth post for the October Ultimate Blog Challenge. Going for 31 posts in 31 days!

Domestic Violence

I am at a Missions Conference and this evening attended a talk on how a particulary ministry is helping women cope. The speaker lives in a place where 80% of women can expect to experience domestic violence sometime during their lives.

The women of a Baptist church there felt called to help their despairing sisters. The men of their church told them to just preach the gospel and bring the women into the church. The women had other ideas. They birthed a ministry that has now rescued 120 women and their children from horrific situations. Situations in which they were subject to rape, enslavement, and beatings. One woman was hung from the ceiling by a dog collar until she was unconscious. When she woke up, she was beaten.

It is mind boggling to think that such things go on and that many turn a blind eye.

It is inspiring to know that, in Jesus name, there are women working hard to end the fear and horror.


I ask you to pray for these women -- the victims and the rescuers -- and the missionaries who help.

Here is one place of refuge -- Deborah's Home.


Are you aware of any ministries that work against Domestic Violence?

My blog site is currently a "work in progress." I am playing with the look, reducing the amount of advertising and consolidating the labels so that things are easier to find. Comments and suggestions welcome. Look for changes over the next few weeks.

This is my eighteenth post for the October 2012 Ultimate Blog Challenge. I'm trying for 31 posts in 31 days, plus commenting on two posts by other people every day. 

Jesus is not a murderer.

Before you say, “duh” the title is because of a question my young son asked:

If Jesus said that if you get angry at someone you are guilty of murder and He got angry at that moneychangers at the Temple, is He guilty of murder?

I looked for answers. There was an insightful one from a friend who pointed out that Jesus anger was righteous and that He was angry at the sin not the sinners.

I also looked up the quote above story of the money changers, intending to see if the word for “anger” in the Greek was the same in both passages. I discovered that the “word” anger is not found in the story of the money changers. His actions appear angry but perhaps they were more decisive and strong than furious.

Ultimately we know that Jesus was without sin (Hebrews 4:14-15). So, no, He was not guilty of murder. And that was the answer I gave my son.

It was a good question, though, and I am glad he asked. Those who are able to question and think things through usually end up with a stronger faith that is more their own.

What questions have you had to field recently? 

My seventeenth post for the Ultimate Blog Challenge. One day behind - best I have ever done to this point. :)

The Serenity Prayer.

This is best known by the slightly altered version used in Alcoholics Anonymous and has been helpful to millions, whether they are in recovery or not.

Here is the original prayer, written by Reinhold Niebuhr

God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

Has the Serenity Prayer ever helped you?

My blog site is currently a "work in progress." I am playing with the look, reducing the amount of advertising and consolidating the labels so that things are easier to find. Comments and suggestions welcome. Look for changes over the next few weeks.

This is my sixteenth post for the October 2012 Ultimate Blog Challenge. I'm trying for 31 posts in 31 days, plus commenting on two posts by other people every day. 

Doing What's Right

I have been studying the book of Deuteronomy (among other things) for school and we have been playing a morality/ethics teaching game at home so we've been doing a lot of talking and thinking about what is right.

And the reasons behind what is right.

You, know, God has given us some instructions that He doesn't explain the reasons for all that clearly. We can guess that it is  to keep us faithful to Him, to protect us from sickness, to preserve relationships, and to be respectful of creation, etc. But ultimately we don't know.

Perhaps we don't have to. Perhaps we should just refrain from stealing because God told us to, not because someone will get hurt. (Add your own scenarios here.)

It's fun to speculate on why God has given us a particular law or how it is to our benefit, but in the end we need to set that aside and do what God says. Any parent can tell you that a child should simply obey.  A parent may give an explanation, but the child is on the hook whether they agree or not.

Also, if we are too definite with our ideas of why God wants us to do or not do certain things, than we can find ways around it. We can say, "Well, back in Bible times they couldn't prevent STDs. Now we can, so sex outside marriage is OK." or "I can take office supplies from work because the company has millions of dollars and it won't hurt anyone." But God still told us "no."

In some cases, maybe God just wants to make sure we'll obey him ... as a way of showing our love.

Because of our traditions, we have kept our balance for many, many years. Here in Anatevka, we have traditions for everything: how to how to eat, how to sleep, how to wear clothes. For instance, we always keep our heads covered, and always wear a little prayer-shawl. This shows our constant devotion to God. .... every one of us knows who he is, and what God expects him to do.  ~ Tevya in the opening scene of Fiddler on the roof

Not that I think we should all do the same as the characters in Fiddler on the Roof. It's just the concept of "that's what God wants" that I am putting forward.

Anyway, that's what we've been thinking about at our house. How about at yours?

Song for Sunday: A Lullabye

There was a baby dedication at the church I visited this morning. Beautiful baby. Well, they are all beautiful. I love babies. Put me in mind of this song which was one of my favorite lullabyes to play for Jordan back when.

Even the Darkness is Light to Him

Even the darkness is light to Him,

And night is as bright as the day.

So you are safe though the light grows dim,

For even the darkness is light to Him!

The Father above does not slumber or sleep,

He wakefully watches our ways.

Then there's no reason for you to weep,

For the Father above neither slumbers nor sleeps.

So dry your eyes of angel blue,

And trust the One Who died for you.

Would not Jesus safely keep

The little ones He loves asleep?

Even the darkness is light to Him,

And night is as bright as the day.

So you are safe though the light grows dim,

For even the darkness is light to Him

Even the darkness is light to Him! 

               ~Michael Card



What lullabyes do you love?

My blog site is currently a "work in progress." I am playing with the look, reducing the amount of advertising and consolidating the labels so that things are easier to find. Comments and suggestions welcome. Look for changes over the next few weeks.

This is my fourteenth post for the October 2012 Ultimate Blog Challenge. I'm trying for 31 posts in 31 days, plus commenting on two posts by other people every day. 

Tomahawks...tomahawks?

I am spending the weekend at school and brought my son along with me.

I have hours of class, so he had to figure out how to keep himself busy. He had a little math and then he headed outside.

I met up with him at lunchtime and asked what he'd been up to.

"I threw tomahawks."

Say what?!

"I met some Boy Scouts and they taught me how to throw tomahawks."

I'll let him tell the next bit in his own words:

Have you ever thrown a tomahawk? If you haven't, you should try it. All you have to do, really, is take a tomahawk and throw it at the target. of course it takes practice, but that's basically what you have to do. Besides throwing tomahawks, I also got to watch other people throw them, but I think I liked throwing them better. It's actually pretty fun. Now, back to you Mom!



If there is anything interesting and unusual to do, my son will find it. He was quite delighted to have hit the target a few times and I was very grateful to the organizers of the Camporee for givng him a lesson. Not to mention glad that my school meets at a camp where I feel safe letting Jordan wander. I feel blessed that this worked out so well.


What new things have your kids tried lately?

My blog site is currently a "work in progress." I am playing with the look, reducing the amount of advertising and consolidating the labels so that things are easier to find. Comments and suggestions welcome. Look for changes over the next few weeks.

This is my thirteenth post for the October 2012 Ultimate Blog Challenge. I'm trying for 31 posts in 31 days, plus commenting on two posts by other people every day. 

Abundance

There is a frost warning in our area for tonight so today we harvested our garden. We added more than a dozen nasturtium flowers to our salad at lunch and I hung up some basil and marjoram to dry.

It was the tomatoes, though, that shocked me. 

We have one tomato plant. It is a big one, having spread out late in the summer. Today, it still had some flower buds alongside some green and some ripe tomatoes. There were some rotten tomatos, too. 

I picked a large colander full of cherry tomatos and kept picking. In the end, the colander was overflowing and I had sent bags of tomatos home with the chess Moms visiting my house. I was overwhelmed by a sense of God's provision. 

"A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap." -- Luke 6:38

When have you found God to provide in abundance?

My blog site is currently a "work in progress." I am playing with the look, reducing the amount of advertising and consolidating the labels so that things are easier to find. Comments and suggestions welcome. Look for changes over the next few weeks.

This is my twelfth post for the October 2012 Ultimate Blog Challenge. I'm trying for 31 posts in 31 days, plus commenting on two posts by other people every day. (This has been the longest I have stayed on track in any UBC I have attempted!!)

Chocolate Chip Banana

• Awhile back, my son wanted to make chocolate chip banana cookies. I didn't have a recipe and neither did my Mom. The next day Mom called me though and said that she had read that banana could be substituted for fat in cookie recipes. So Jordan and I gave it a try. 

I took your basic chocolate chip cookie recipe, changed half the flour to whole wheat and substituted bananas for the butter. Here you go:

• 
  
• 1 cup very ripe banana
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chcocolate chips

Cream banana and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir in flours, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Add chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspons onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 7-9  minutes at 375F,

Hope you you like them as much as we do. 

What's your favorite cookie recipe?

My blog site is currently a "work in progress." I am playing with the look, reducing the amount of advertising and consolidating the labels so that things are easier to find. Comments and suggestions welcome. Look for changes over the next few weeks.

This is my eleventh post for the October 2012 Ultimate Blog Challenge. I'm trying for 31 posts in 31 days, plus commenting on two posts by other people every day.