Sweet Sunday - Cookie Dough Cheese Ball

I love sweets! It is a huge weakness, and I'm afraid I have passed this along to my children. Yesterday I made a Cookie Dough Cheese Ball for snacking on at an outdoor theater production we we attended of Le Mis (what a GREAT story, by the way). The cheese ball was so large that we only ate about half of it.

So, this afternoon, while it was storming and everyone was just laying around watching our Atlanta Braves wipe the floor with the Milwaukee Brewers, I brought out the leftover cheese ball. It was one of those moments where I think the children (and maybe their dad, too) would have wrestled each other to the floor if their share of the cheese ball was endangered. It was THAT good. In fact, Miss B said, "Mom, you have made a magic cheese ball. Once you take a bite you never want to stop eating!"

I neglected to take pictures, but trust me - it is very very good!

Cookie Dough Cheese Ball

8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup pecans, finely chopped

Blend together first 3 ingredients until creamy; add powdered sugar and bron sugar, blending well. Fold in chocolate chips; cover and refrigerate 3-4 hours.

Shape dough into a ball; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. Roll in pecans before serving. Makes about 3 cups.

Enjoy! I hope you're having a "sweet" Sunday!

Rules to Live By

Here's a list of eleven little "gems". I love them, and I'll tell you where they came from afterwards...

1. Friends come in all shapes and sizes.
2. Being free is the greatest gift.
3. Treat others as you want be treated.
4. An idea is not always enough.
5. Do not try to be something you are not.
6. Slow and steady wins the race.
7. When faced with danger, make wise choices.
8. Be proud of who you are.
9. Do not pretend to be someone you are not.
10. Common sense is greater than beauty.
11. Always prepare today for tomorrow.

These all came from a book I picked up a while ago - The Rabbit and the Turtle - Aesop's fables retold and illustrated by Eric Carle

Aren't these all principles our children should be learning? Yet it sometimes seems that the simplest of courtesies and common sense are lacking in our society today. When my son pulled this out of the bookshelf today and asked me to read to him, I did. We just read the first four fables (they are only a page each). I read the fable, and then he would read the moral to me. And yes, even a five year old could restate them to me and the importance in our lives.

I especially liked the GMan's answer to #4 : "An idea is not always enough". I asked him what it would have been like if he had the IDEA to play tball, but then we never did anything about it... mom never signed you up - dad never took you out to buy you the gear you needed, etc... He said, "Then my idea never would have come true". My sweet, sweet boy.

I think I've just found the perfect copywork for our first week of school! I'll post some pics next week as we're working on that.
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