#grace thomas

She's got a batch of chocolate chip cookies coming out of the oven.

In the fridge she has extra cocoa mix. She made the recipe all by herself, using cocoa powder and sweet spices. After mixing it with milk, she then adds squares of chocolate into the hot cocoa, letting it melt and make the mixture even more decadent. On the bottom shelf are smaller containers of cocoa mix that are for sale. Grace says they make great gifts.

In fact, the cookies she has been baking are only available with the purchase of a jar of cocoa mix. They're a surprise freebie, which is why they're not out on display. But the smell of fresh cookies is sure to attract some customers.....

Her first customers of the day are Lidia and Monica. Lidia has been cross country skiing, and Monica is taking a break from walking the snowshoe trail.

Lidia gets a cup of cocoa with whipped cream and a candy cane, and a mini donut.

Monica takes her cocoa with a cinnamon stick.

Haleema with her sled and Kewanee with her snowboard are the next ones to stop by.

Haleema buys a mix of half cocoa and half coffee. She lost her mittens somewhere on the sledding hill, and this warmed her hands up perfectly.

And she's the first to try an oven-baked s'more.

Kewanee chooses mini marshmallows for her cocoa topping.

Grace keeps the chocolate chip cookies coming in and out throughout the day. The cocoa mix containers don't sell very often, so she ends up giving most of the cookies away to her friends and their families who stop by.

She takes her last batch of cookies out right before sunset. At such a high elevation, the air gets much colder very quickly once the sun goes down. Most resort visitors are long gone, and it's been a while since anyone placed an order. Grace figures it's time to pack up and go home.

Then she notices her friend Ellen running over.

Ellen just finished ice skating, and she was thrilled to be able to catch Grace before closing time.

Grace thinks Ellen wants to buy something, and gives Ellen a cookie. But Ellen has a better idea. She invites Grace to bring some extra marshmallows to the fire pit.

Haley and Nareen have spent all day playing in the snow and were looking forward to going home to warm up, but they felt bad for Grace not getting to have a real winter experience. Spending all day Saturday selling and making money is admirable, but..........

Maybe it's time to put a pause on the business side and just have fun for a while! Hand over the marshmallows, they say, and they'll take care of the rest.

Grace has to admit this is really cozy and enjoyable right by the big bonfire. And the marshmallows.....

Those really hit the spot. Grace realizes she hasn't eaten anything all day. She pulled in some serious cash, but this experience surpasses the thrill of doing business.

They compare marshmallows. Nareen likes hers only lightly toasted. Haley prefers it slightly blackened. Ellen and Grace go for a more medium roast.