Just Catching Up: Baking and Bouncing

O.k....I don't know if any of you do this, but I am so behind in blogging that I am going to take the liberty to back track. I just don't want to jump over things completely. First stop...the beginning of Christmas break. I started it on Dec. 18th and now I return to it: 

This is my favorite break of the year. The weather is beautiful (here in AZ). It feels like we have weeks ahead of us. Christmas is just around the corner. As I write this I can hear my cute little backyard neighbor boys playing in their backyard and I'm reminded of days of the past when my then little boys played all kinds of make believe games outside and made use of every minute of our warmish winter wonderland in sunny CA. At this moment the house is quiet. All the boys are scattered here and there, doing their own thing with friends or work or Brian. Thank goodness I still have Emma to remind me what childhood is all about. She embodies zest for life. Along with that zest comes personality. I walked into her room the other day and found the following note written on her chalkboard:

I only like one

 of the boys 

in this house 

and that is my dad!

A Bake Sale is a perfect fit for enterprising 9 year olds who are just itchin' to do something. They had the whole break ahead of them. It felt like summer with the potential for all kinds of fun. Emma had been wanting to make these jumbo cookies for days. Today was the perfect day.

The recipe was supposed to yield 8 cookies. I guess the word "jumbo" spoke to the little girls louder than the number 8. They decided to make ONE JUMBO cookie that ended up having to be baked in batches from the outside in due to it's expansive cookie mass. We would cut off the done parts and put the rest back in the oven until we finally reached the center. Eventually they ended up with a plate of uniquely shaped cookies. Crunchy but quite tasty, I must say. When it comes to cookies, looks aren't everything. The tablecloth was a homey touch.

I thought they would just go out to the corner of our cul-de-sac, but when I went to see how they were doing, I had to walk around 3 corners to find them! Not satisfied with the occasional passerby that our street offered, they took their product to a more populated location. Location is everything, you know. Here are some of the images from their very successful sale, thanks to generous friends and neighbors who patronized their little operation. 

I just love her velvety skin and the Nissen trademark ear.

Gain the trust of potential customers with honest advertising.

Matthew's turn to attract business...and it worked!

The thrill of the sale!

The day was still young. What's the best way to celebrate after a successful cookie sale and you've still got energy left to burn?
Close up shop,divvy up the profits and find the nearest trampoline.

I love it! The world is their oyster and the possibilities are endless.