Mom thinks I am doing my homework now, but I am writing this column instead. I hope she will be surprised that she doesn’t have to write the column. I have four teachers at school. We change classes every hour. I have six classes and my favorite is English. Just about every night before we go to school I get clothes ready for my brothers and sisters, Benjamin, Loretta, Joseph, and Lovina. I bring it down and hang it close to the bathroom. It makes it easier for them to get dressed when they are tired in the morning.

I have 20 classmates in my grade. They are all friendly to me. School is fun and I like having a small school so I know almost everyone. Our school from grades K-12 has only around 300 students. Our principal is nice and won’t let anything bad happen in our school.

I like when it snows so we can make Stormy, our pony, pull our sleds. Sister Susan drives the pony while us children get on the three sleds. She goes fast and turns short to try to flip us off the sleds, it is so fun.

When we go to church I wear a dress with long sleeves , white cape, and apron. When we turn 10 we can sit with the girls instead of with Mom. Same with the boys. The men and boys sit on one side and the women and girls sit on the other.

I just got to taste one of Elizabeth’s cookies and they are delicious. In English class we made a book and had in published. We all wrote some wonderful stories. It is interesting how we do our worksheets in English class. The teacher has four groups and he divides us into groups. Every 12 minutes we switch to another group. I think it makes time go faster that way.

Monster cookies are my favorite so I will share the recipe.

Monster Cookies

2 sticks butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup

2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cup peanut butter

4 1/2 cups oatmeal

2 cups chocolate chips

2 cups M&Ms plain

Preheat over 350 degrees. Baking time 10-12 minutes. Cream butter, & sugars (white & brown) add eggs, on at a time, vanilla, corn syrup, baking soda, peanut butter, mix well until smooth, add oatmeal, mix well, scrape side of bowl, add chocolate chips, mix, add M&Ms mix , drop batter on ungreased cookie sheets in spoon fills, (Tablespoon) . Edges should be golden brown. Let cool on cookie sheets about 3 minutes before removing to cooling racks. Makes 4 1 /2 doz.

All six softcover Amish Cook cookbooks, including the newly released Best of The Amish Cook, Volume III, are now being offered for the lowest price that they’ll ever be offered for: $79 (plus $6 shipping) for all six 200-page titles through March 10. To order these titles DIRECTLY through Amazon.com go www.amishcookonline.com/books and that will take you to the Amazon store. Photos of the books can seen there. Orders accepted by mail by sending checks for $85 to Oasis Newsfeatures, PO BOX 2144, Middletown, Ohio 45042. Additional sets can be ordered for $70. All orders will be placed through and will be filled by Amazon (including backorders). Individual titles are also available for $20, plus $5 shipping. Titles available are: The Original Amish Cook Cookbook: First published in 1993, this is a classic written by Elizabeth Coblentz and Kevin Williams with recipes, stories and Amish artwork. The Best of The Amish Cook, Vol 1 : chronological collection of all Amish Cook columns and recipes fro m 1991 – 1996. The Best of The Amish Cook, Vol 2 chronological collection of all Amish Cook columns and recipes from 1996 - 2001. The Best of The Amish Cook, Vol. 3, Vol 2 chronological collection of all Amish Cook columns and recipes from 2002-2007. The Amish Cook’s Family Favorites & Facts: 2003 by Lovina Eicher and Kevin Williams, collection of recipes, facts about Amish life. The Amish Cook’s Treasury: a book of recipes only from Amish, Mennonite and German Baptist kitchens