A Huge Firework Type Explosion…

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”
Ecclesiastes 3:1

I sleepily grabbed my slippers and headed to the garage fridge for a Diet Coke. 

Whit was out of town on a foreign work assignment. The boys were up and getting ready for high school. I felt like I had put off the inevitable long enough and if I wanted to help get them out the door with breakfast and some packed sack lunches, I needed to get up and get moving. I returned to the kitchen, cracked my can open, and gathered items for breakfast. I often put forth the effort to make a nice hot breakfast before they left for school knowing the hours between breakfast and lunch were many. But I was tired… 

So I reached for several boxes of cereal and opened the fridge to get the milk that I had just purchased the day before at Costco. It wasn’t there. Apparently, I was too lazy to bring it into the house fridge and must’ve just dropped it off in the garage fridge. I went back outside to retrieve the milk and panicked as there was no milk in the garage fridge either. I immediately opened the backseat of my car. Sure enough! There were the 2 gallons of milk that I had bought the day before. The outside temperatures were warm enough that milk from the backseat was a no go. 

I snapped! 

I took the 2 gallons of milk and in an angry rage, I hurled them from the top of my hill by my driveway. I needed them to fly through the air gaining great height and speed to create a huge firework type explosion when they hit the ground. 

I needed to be heard. Some days I felt overworked, underappreciated, and completely out of sync while raising kids.

However, most of the time I truly loved the phase of life I was in… I always had a lot on my plate and a calendar filled with volunteer efforts within my kids at school, my community, and my church. I felt with a little organization and some extra Diet Coke… I could accomplish pretty much anything…

But not on this day… I was chatting it over with a friend and she reminded me of the scripture that she found to be helpful. She shared it with me and I felt as though it was the first time I was hearing it. Perhaps when I had studied it as a teenager the message didn’t really penetrate my heart as it did on that particular day. This was a season of life. It was fleeting. Just as in seasons before it would be gone before I knew it. I had always tried to be completely present in the phase I was in. Never wishing away and wanting to get to the next milestone. 

But with spoiled milk in the backseat of my car. I momentarily forgot… 

The slung milk jugs barely landed several feet down the hill. There was no explosion giving sound to my feelings that day. But perspective had been gained. 

As the weekend arrived I found myself making a signature treat and restocking the refrigerator full of Gatorades in anticipation of some teenage guy downtime. With renewed effort and re-energized form, I was grateful for my season… And recommitted to do better in being completely present for each fleeting moment.

-JC

Mint Chip and Chocolate Marbled Sugar Cookies

Make a batch of Mint Chip Cookies:
1 cup soft butter
½  cup vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon mint extract
A few drops green gel food coloring
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup Andes Mints pieces

Cream butter, oil and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high for 1 minute or until fluffy. Hand stir in eggs, mint extract and food coloring; don’t over-mix. Add dry ingredients all at once and mix until fully incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips and Andes Mint pieces. Add 2-3 Tablespoons more flour for high elevation. Scoop out approximately 36 -1 ¼” balls of dough.

Make a batch of Chocolate Sugar Cookies:
1 cup soft butter
½  cup vegetable oil 1
¼ cups granulated sugar
1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup cocoa powder
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Cream butter, oil  and sugars with an electric mixer on medium-high for 1 minute or until well blended. Hand stir in eggs and vanilla extract; don’t over-mix. Add dry ingredients all at once and mix until fully incorporated. Add 2-3 Tablespoons more flour for high elevation. Scoop out approximately 36 -1 ¼“ balls of dough.  
Marble cookies by placing a disc of Mint Chip Cookie on top of a disc of Chocolate Sugar Cookie. Break into half, lengthwise and place one half on top of the other. Flatten slightly. You now have four layers of alternating flavors. Break and stack again. Roll into balls and flatten slightly.
(For a richer flavor and smoother texture refrigerate or freeze until ready to bake.) 
Place on parchment paper lined aluminum cookie sheets.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10+ min. Drizzle with melted Peppermint Dark Chocolate.  
Let set. Share!

Peppermint Dark Chocolate
⅔ cup dark chocolate melting discs
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
Melt and stir until smooth. Use while still warm.