who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

No...this post has nothing to do with gangs or criminal activity. And the cookies that disappeared from this cookie jar in short order...were not stolen...just shared!


This post is more about the vintage cookie jar than anything else. I baked a batch of Ranger cookies yesterday...and looked around for a suitable container to store a few cookies, while the rest went into safe keeping (the freezer, that is). I pulled the old cookie jar into service...for the first time ever, I think. It was the cookie jar my hubby grew up with...and one he stole cookies from on a regular basis as a child. I'm thinking cookie jars became a thing of the past when tupperware arrived on the scene...or maybe when cookies arrived in sealed packages from the store...rather than from pans in the oven.

The cookie jar is nearly empty...it will soon be pulled out of service once again. But it was fun to have a little reminder of 'grandma's kitchen' from a very long time ago.

I'm just noticing that the cookie jar appears to be a house...with snow on the roof. The kids are still smiling...they don't ever seem to mind snow...even if it is March. All that to say...there is snow in our forecast for the weekend....and I'm not smiling about that. I'm quite happy to be turning the clock ahead one hour though!

Have a wonderful weekend...

FYI...If you are looking for any my recipes that have been featured either on My Front Porch or on the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog...they are now filed properly on my sidebar (click on the 'From My Table to Yours' button).

too close to home!

I tend to focus on the lovely things in my neighbourhood...and try not to pay too much attention to the rest. And so it is that for the most part...you see sunsets and rainbows...and my lovely grands...

...and the snowcapped peaks...and the eagles soaring above.

But today I must tell you that it is not all Utopia and 'pie in the sky' over here! Our sleepy little community...where doors remained unlocked when I grew up...and everyone knew their neighbour...is now home to gangs and their activities.

Yesterday's news included the story of the BMW pictured here that was abandoned along the highway not far from my home...belonging to a notorious gang member. The vehicle was fully armoured with bullet proof glass and heavy steel plating. Okay...now this is getting just a little too close to home.

Every day we hear a new story of horrific gang violence....while rival gangs exchange gunfire in shopping malls. Gangsters are arrested and released on bail within hours...since it is against their human rights to detain them. Innocent people are losing their lives just by being at the wrong place at the wrong time. It seems that our criminal system and our laws have no power over organized crime...and so the gang activity continues.

I'll be back to posting some lovely pictures tomorrow...but for today...I just had to share that there's a few things happening out here that I'm not one bit happy about! Organized crime is a global problem...but it seems Canada has been far too accommodating and welcoming to these groups. Is there any chance of fixing this mess...or are we too late?

Have a great day...and stay safe!

Remembering Anne

The year was 2004...the date was March 3...five years ago today. After a week of visiting my sister in Texas, I was just nicely home...and winding down for the evening...when the phone rang. I can remember the details as though it were yesterday. My brother-in-law was calling to give us sad news...his wife (hubby's oldest sister) had slipped quietly into eternity that very evening. She wasn't feeling well...had retired early...and breathed her last breath shortly thereafter.

She never gave us a chance to say good-bye...but she gave us so many good memories to treasure. Always cheerful, generous, hospitable, encouraging...she was brave despite her chronic illness and always optimistic...with a screech and laugh that were unmistakable. Anne will always be remembered!

A is for Anne....with an 'e' (she always added that...just to set us straight).

A is also for apples...and she had many...both out in the orchard and inside her home.

A is for the amazing aunt Anne was to my children.

A is for the absolute best big teeny sister my hubby could have wished for.

A is for an awesome sister-in-law...whose memory I will always cherish.

Until we meet again...