Thankful Jar.

On Thanksgiving this year I decided that I really needed to see what I was thankful for. I came up with this idea; get a jar, in my case it was on old, plastic trail mix container, and every year get sheet of paper. With every sheet of paper, write the date, mostly just to be sure you know what year it was from, and fill at least one side of the paper with things you are thankful for. I wrote everything from Dad still having a job all the way to the fact that I didn't have a solo in my band's Christmas concert. 

I plan to do this next year too, and for many more years. I plan on looking at this years' paper next year and then looking at them every three-five years to see how the things I'm thankful for change over the years. And whatever you do be sure that you put the year on the slip of paper so you can look at previous years' lists if you want to!

Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies!

All people have that one homemade recipe from Mom right? Whether it's cookies, cake, pie, or even a favorite family dinner. Wrong. There is not a time I can remember my Mom ever making anything from scratch in the past, almost, 15 years of my life. So if you are like me and didn't grow up around a ton of homemade things, but you really want to make something yourself, you have to just jump in and do it!

I got this recipe originally from Here after seeing a pin on Pinterest, so if you to see the original post click the link, but if you don't want to worry about the hassle just keep looking here because I'll tell you how to make them!

INGREDIENTS.

1. 1/2 cup sugar.
2. 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed.
3. 1/3 cup butter, I just use the stuff I use to butter bread.
4. 1/3 shortening.
5. 1 egg.
6. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
7. 1 1/2 cups self rising flour (if you are using all purpose flour add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.)
8. 1 package of your preferred brand of chocolate chips.

INSTRUCTIONS.

1. Pre-heat oven to 375
2. Mix both sugars, butter, shortening, egg, and vanilla extract.
3. Slowly add flour until mixed well.
4. drop by rounded teaspoonful, or melon scoop, onto cookie sheet, parchment paper helps here.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes until light brown.
6. Allow to cool slightly on baking sheet before removing.

One thing to add; do not be like me and forget that, while they are cooling on the cookie sheet, they will continue to cook slightly. The first, and so far only, time I made these I forgot and the bottoms got a little burned, but my parents and brother still liked them as long as they were dunked in mild for quite a while first.

I hope you try these and love them as my family did. I am planning on making more tomorrow before I have grandparents arrive and I might update this and put a picture of how mine turned out.

This is how my double batch turned out!