Bake the Grumpy away

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.
I don't know why, it's just been one of those days.

I told myself I'd take a nap when H was napping....sort of push the reset button......but it didn't happen that way, H didn't even nap that long in the end anyway.   Once H did wake up and I took both he and Ella out for an afternoon stroll thinking some sunshine would cheer me up, or at the very least give me a boost of vitamin D, I returned to the house only to look around and feel totally overwhelmed.  Toys were everywhere shoe's were everywhere (shoes are toys to H) the dishwasher was waiting to be emptied and reloaded the laundry was sitting in the dryer waiting to be folded and there were tufts of black dog hair rolling around on the floor as if they were tumble weeds in the desert.  A normal person probably would have come in started to tidy up....one foot in front of the other right?  Not me!  I kept H in his stroller, and just closed that door.  I focused my attention on some tomato plants that a friend of mine had given me and needed re-planting.  Once that was done and H had had enough of his stroller I picked up H, I stepped over all shoes lying haphazardly in the entrance and I plunked H down in his room.  I side stepped the books H had decided would be a great idea to remove from the bookshelf and then leave all over the floor and then I practically jumped over a dozen or so dinky cars or other various toys left strewn throughout my house.  I opened my cupboards and pulled out my sugar and flour......I grabed the butter and eggs from the fridge and I found myself finally able to relax a bit as I measured and mixed my grumpy away.

 As I glanced up over my Kitchen Aid I see H still quietly playing, Ella lying in his room beside him and out of the blue I had one of those moments where you just feel so grateful, grateful for everything really.  I just kept going....I made enough dough for 10 dozen cookies or more.  I wrapped the dough and put it in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours.  I cleaned up the kitchen......I peeked in on H who was still playing (thankfully) so I unloaded the dishwasher and re-loaded it, then I moved onto the shoes and then, leaving the toys where they lay, I sat and I played with H......really actually played.....we played cars, built towers , destroyed towers, rolled a ball back and forth and giggled.

I figure once H goes to bed tonight T and I will fold the laundry and anything that's left over......I'll pray for the clean house fairies to pay me a visit while I sleep.
but in terms of my state of mind..... for me, a little baking goes a long way!

For those of you wondering about the recipe.......
*****This is not the same recipe that I used in my Mothers Day Post, they are similar but they are not meant to be quite as thick nor are they as soft as the Mothers Day cookies.....they are however delicious and very flavorful for a sugar cookie*********

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, almond extract and vanilla. Stir in the flour and baking powder. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out dough on floured surface 1/2 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes. Cool completely.