Thank you ALL for a great 2007!

I love this photo - it's how I'm feeling right now. The year is almost done and I'd love to just curl up by the fireplace (except that's at our old house - our current house does not have one!)

On this last day of 2007 I want to take a moment to say a HUGE "Thank You!" to all of you who have both adopted my bears or even just enjoyed seeing their photos.

"They" say that your ideal career would be something that you would do even if you had a million dollars and did not "have" to work.

Well, thanks to all of you, I am able to do this - THANK YOU!!

If I was a millionaire, I would still be creating my bears and finding new homes for them.

I apologize for not posting posts... or bears for so long! I have been working (and still am) on some special request bears, projects for magazines and have also been a little under the weather during the month of December. (no worries, just flu/cold!) I'm hoping that 2008 will start off with more bears being born soon!

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! I wish you a very Happy & Healthy 2008!!!

HUGE bear hugz,
Laura Lynn

Sugar Free Kolackys - The Great Christmas Cookie Recipe Round-up!

My friend Lisa of Q.D. Patooties came up with another fun idea. Many of us artists like to stay in touch with each other via email and our blogs. Although we'd LOVE to be able to get together and do a Christmas Cookie exchange, it just is not feasible. So Lisa came up with an idea to exchange our favorite Christmas cookie recipes and we'll visit each other's blogs to swap!

Feel free to come visiting to "pick up" the cookie recipes! If you want to start at the beginning, start with Lisa's blog here. Everyone will have the next "house" (blog) for you to visit in their cookie recipe post as a link. I hope you have fun!

I love to bake Christmas cookies, but as I have hypoglycemia, I cannot eat sugar. A past co-worker gave me her recipe for sugar free Kolackys. I love them PLUS they are sweetened naturally - without any artificial sweeteners.

SUGAR FREE KOLACKYS

1C Flour
1/4 lb Butter
1/4 lb Cream Cheese
3TBL Evaporated Milk
1/8 tsp Salt

Filling of your choice -
my favorite is Polaner's Apricot All Fruit Spread.

Muffin Liners
--------------------------------
Bring the butter and cream cheese to room temperature.
Mix together all ingredients EXCEPT the filling.
Put in bowl and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Knead well on well floured surface.
Roll out to 1/4" thick.

Lay out muffin liners on cookie sheet.
Cut out dough with round biscuit cutter.
Place each dough circle in a muffin liner and press down.
Drop a teaspoon full of filling into the center of each "cookie".
Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes - keep a close eye on it for the
first batch to see how your oven does.

Let cool.

For the next Christmas Cookie Recipe -
visit the blog of my friend
Tami Lahey's Dolls'n'Dreams