Redemption, Indulgence and A Story

 First the story . . . As I was putting away my No Bake Cookie ingredients - for the last time EVER!  I walked into the family room and saw this picture

And I realized that there is probably no one in my family who knows why I love this picture so much - other than the obvious fact that it has two of my children in it.  This picture was taken at a time when we actually had too much work rather than not enough.  The new high school was being built and they were putting in new tennis courts. They needed the old ones torn down before the new ones could go in, and Dave didn't have time to do it - at least, he didn't on a normal work day.  So we decided this would be a good opportunity to teach our children the responsibility and benefits of work.  We gathered the family around, told them about the job, and explained that if WE did the work, if Dave didn't have to pay his employees to do it, we could keep more of the money from this job and use it for something we really wanted - like a vacation!  So everyone gave up their Saturday to take down the old tennis courts at the high school.  Rob Welch, who was the head maintenance guy for the school district, showed up with his wife, Lita to check out what we were doing, and when Lita saw Kimbrey running the backhoe, Jill with Kyle up in the bucket, and ME running the loader, she quickly went home and got her daughter, Danalee and brought her back to show her that "she could be ANYTHING she wanted to be.  Just look at these Cozzens women running this heavy equipment."  (She told me this later at the store :)  I had never thought about the implications of that day, but that is what the above picture has come to mean to me.  We really CAN do/be anything we want to in this life, we just have to want it bad enough.  Or have mean enough people around us to make us do them : )

 

And so I gave No Bake Cookies One. More.  Try.  And they worked!  The key, I've found, is to start timing from a rolling boil and cook them for 1 minute and 10 seconds.  It's a very scientific process.  And I DID IT!

So now I'm kicked back in all my glory in front of the fireplace drinking an Orange Fanta Frosty Float.  My indulgence for conquering the illusive No Bake Cookie.  Sweet redemption.