Bring on the Cookies!!!

So tonight is my 2nd Annual Christmas Cookie Exchange. The soup is all made, the tables are all set, & the cookies are ready to be eaten. I'm so super excited!!! There will only be about 7-8 ladies there, but I know we're going to have a fabulous time! As a sneak preview here is the cookie recipe I tried...Mint Crinkles. I've already had a taste & they are definitley yummy--Andes Mints & cookies, how can you go wrong! I'll be sure to have lots of pics tomorrow!

Mint Crinkles

Ingredients
3/4 cup finely chopped layered chocolate-mint candies (about 4 ounces or 24 candies)
1/3 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Layered chocolate-mint candies, chopped

Directions
1. In a heavy small saucepan, heat and stir the 3/4 cup chopped candies until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Cool about 15 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt; beat until well combined. Beat in cooled chocolate, eggs, and vanilla. Beat or stir in flour. Cover and chill 3 hours or until dough is easy to handle.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using about 1 tablespoon of dough per ball, shape dough into 1-1/4-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until edges are set (tops should crackle). Sprinkle a few candy pieces on top of each cookie; do not press candies into cookies. Bake 1 minute more. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 36 cookies.
To Store: Layer cookies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to 3 months.

Thanksgiving & Weekend Rewind

Wow...I am so far behind. Being gone for 5 days is wonderful, but playing catch up? Not so much. I had great intentions to post yesterday, but between Black Friday shopping (shhh...don't tell) and getting caught up at work it just didn't happen. Not to mention that when I got home from work I had to make a trip to Walmart that always seems to take longer than normal.

Anyways, back to the Thanksgiving holiday...we spent most of the 5 days we were in Michigan just lounging around & spending time with family. It was wonderful & I can actually say that for the first time maybe ever (minus those times when I was sick) I spent an entire day without ever putting on a pair of shoes. Yup, Thanksgiving day we never left the house & I never put on shoes...I hate shoes...ok well wearing them at least, I love looking at & purchasing a beautiful pair of shoes!

We did have some great entertainment...

~We played with legos in Lego Land.

~We were goofy & made lots of yummy food!

Don't you love our matching aprons? A gift from Hubby's aunt!

Can you tell they are related?!?

Mamaw even spent some time doing Tae Kwon Do! ;o)

~We crafted...and made some beautiful bead icicles for our Christmas trees.

~We visited a Christmas tree farm just so my nephews could see Santa...not to purchase a tree. Hunter even got to ride a pony.

Jackson wasn't quite too sure about Santa.

We flew home on Sunday morning & I was so glad I didn't have to make the 12 hour drive home. We went and visited my grandma who is still adjusting to life back in her own house but doing very well. We helped my parents put up their Christmas tree ( a 13 foot real tree). We had dinner with my parents at Panera before heading to see The Blindside...GO SEE THIS MOVIE!! What an incredible story!

Overall it was a fantastic & relaxing holiday break. Now it's back to the real world & the sometimes chaotic Christmas season. Last night we also managed to get our tree decorated & trade out my regular dishes for my Christmas dishes. This week is my 2nd annual Christmas Cookie Exchange so blogging will probably be pushed to the backburner again but I'll definitely have some pics from the cookie party!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I'm thankful for...

Hubby...the smiles, joy, & happiness he brings to me each & every day.

My family...who I know love me more than words could ever express...oh how I miss spending Thanksgiving with them.

My heavenly father...who without Him I would be nothing & have nothing.

Bogey...even when I try to be mad I can't, because he's always smiling.

My in-laws...what a blessing to have such a fantastic 2nd family!

Our house...because we've created a Home for ourselves not just a structure with four walls.

Miracles...that my Grandma is able to spend Thanksgiving with our family at home where she belongs.

May you all have such a blessed Thanksgiving & don't forget to spend time reflecting on all the blessings you have been given.

Count your blessings, name them one by one.

Count your blessings, see what God hath done!

Count you blessings, name them one by one.

Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

Johnson Oatman, Jr. pub. 1897

Weekend Rewind

What a fab weekend starting off a wonderful week! Friday night we just fixed dinner at home, I worked on "decking our halls" & Hubby did some work around the house. I'll take pictures once I get everything together, but decorating has been more of a process this year than it has in the past--I get tired of working and unpacking so I just abandon it for awhile and come back later. Oh well, I am getting closer!!!

Saturday morning I had to work & then Hubby & I grabbed a quick lunch at our local burger joint...it's your typical local dairy queen & they have the best fried okra & cajun q's! I think I could go there and just order a bunch of sides...but I'm not sure MY sides would benefit from that! ;o) Hubby & I originally had plans to go see a basketball game at my college alma mater, but after lunch those plans were quickly altered! My friend Andrea called & wanted to know if I was available for a date to New Moon with her and her sister! Of course!!! So...I ditched Hubby & he took Derek, Andrea's husband to the game instead. We had a great dinner at Maria's, a local Mexican place, and then the girls went to the movie while the boys headed to the game. It was a GREAT compromise since Hubby has no interest in Twilight at all!!!

Quick sidenote for movie review: It was fantastic! So much better than Twilight but still had some of the corny romantic scenes between Bella & Edward. Andrea & I decided you just can't properly portray human/vampire passion on the big screen! Overall, it was just what I was expecting & I was impressed with the action sequences for the werewolves! I can't wait for the next movie...it'll be here in June 2010.

So today we had church & then I spent most of the afternoon in the kitchen. We had a Thanksgiving dinner tonight with our small group & I was in charge of apple pie ala mode & cornflake potatoes (which some people call hashbrown casserole, but in my opinion it's not really a casserole at all). We had SOOOO much food and it was great to just fellowship with such a great group of people. We have already planned a night out for Christmas & I'm definitely already looking forward to it. I was also able to finish up most of the decorating this afternoon except for the tree...that will be waiting until after Thanksgiving.

I have a super short week...only 1 work day! We leave for Michigan on Tuesday to visit Hubby's family. It will be great to getaway but each year I certainly miss spending Thanksgiving with my family. Hopefully Hubby's parents will be able to move back soon & we can manage to have Thanksgiving with both families. We'll be back on Sunday so posts will be very limited....Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Breaking Tradition

I hesitate to even begin this post for fear of sounding like one of two things...a crazy person or a scrooge...however, I ultimately decided it was best to get my feelings out in the open. Last week Hubby began our Christmas decorating by putting the lights up on our house & I have grand plans to have all the decorating complete by the time we leave for Thanksgiving in Michigan next Tuesday morning. Most everything will be the same with just a few minor changes but one thing will stand in vast contrast to how it has been in the past.

We now have an artificial tree... :o/ ?!?

For most of you this is probably a normal occurrence. Each year on the designated day you and your family traipse up into the attic or into the back closet and pull out your pre-lit, multi-tier, artificial Christmas tree. You spend crazy amounts of time "fluffing" your tree and making sure each branch is in just the right spot and ensuring there are not any major dark spots or big holes. You realize half-way through that you have small cuts on your hands from man-handling the branches but you press-on knowing the tree will look fantastic when you're finished. You add more lights, ornaments, ribbon, feathers, or other adornments to make your tree beautiful and original. After this process, you're done...you plug in your tree each day or some of you probably even have timers on your trees so they turn on and off each day without even the slightest effort.

When I was in college I do have to admit that I had an artificial tree...it was about 3 feet tall, had about 2 strands of lights on it, and a random assortment of ornaments. However, I spent most of the Christmas season at home and so was still able to enjoy the tradition of a real Christmas tree. You see, for those of us who grew up with a real Christmas tree the experience each year was much different than for those who went artificial. You pile into the car all bundled up with your worst jeans & shoes in hopes of not ruining something good in the muddy fields and head to a Christmas tree farm. You hop on a trailer full of haybales & ride around with complete strangers until you are either dropped off or someone yells---THAT'S THE ONE!!! You wander around the rows of trees walking around each one, examining it closely to make sure it's perfect...or as perfect as a real tree can be.

Eventually your family comes to an agreement and you cut down your tree...the family tree...the tree that will represent Christmas and all its traditions. You bring it home tied up in some net-like thing, determine the best way to get it in the house, and then begin carefully clipping the netting off to avoid pine needles flying all over the house! You spend time carefully balancing it in the tree stand, tying it up (if it's a big one), putting plenty of water in the stand, and sweeping all the random pine needles that have dispersed themselves in every nook and cranny of your house! It's finally time to decorate, but it's more difficult because you have to find a limb that is strong enough to hold the heavy ornaments and you have to carefully try to put enough lights on the tree without knocking off all the pine needles. While the decorating is done, the maintenance isn't as you have to make sure the tree has enough water to survive the 3-4 weeks until Christmas Day. Whew...what a process! and this doesn't even include finding a place to get rid of the precious real tree.

It's because of this that this year I made a decision, to purchase an artificial tree. Even when I first was considering the idea I felt as if I was betraying a Christmas tradition that my family has had for so many years. I was talking with my parents and for some reason I felt I had to have their blessing to even go purchase an artificial tree. I even made Hubby promise that once we have little kiddos around that the tradition will reinvent itself and we will once again head out to a tree farm to pick out the very best real tree available.

The artificial tree is up, not decorated, but in its place & I do have to admit it looks quite nice...the best part was not having to collect all the pine needles & the sap droplets from our floor. Christmas & the meaning of the season will still be very REAL to us, even if our tree is completely artificial.

Gifts for Foster Kids

Ever since I was a little girl my family has always expressed the importance of being generous during the holiday season. I can still remember going with my mom & my brother to Walmart to collect a cart full of toys, clothes, hygiene products, school supples, & food to drop off to an adopted family in our local town. One year I can even remember riding with my parents as they quietly knocked on the door of a family in need and watching as my parents took the presents to the door. Later on during my high school years I remember helping with canned food drives at school and then gathering at our local church to sort the food into boxes for each of the families who had signed up for assistance. Needless to say my parents have always taught me how much better it is to give than to receive and while participating in these activities I am most certainly always reminded at how blessed I am!

When Hubby & I got married the idea of generosity certainly remained. For the past 2 years we have participated in Operation Christmas Child in conjunction with our church. We have thoroughly enjoyed creating the shoeboxes for small children around the world who otherwise might not have a Christmas gift to open.

This year our church chose to focus on a ministry and a group of children who are much closer to home...local foster kids. Our church partnered with the local Baptist Children's Home & pledged to purchase 1 gift for each child in their foster care program. Local agencies help to place children in homes to take away some of the burden on the state system & there are about 120 kids ranging from newborn to 17 that are managed by this particular organization. So...the challenge was this: Provide a $10-$15 gift for each child that will be distributed to the foster parents. That's 120 gifts from our congregation of about 175 give or take a few.

The kickoff for this giving project was 2 Sundays ago...November 7 with the hopes that the gifts will be brought back to the church & prayed over at our church Christmas party on December 6. The paster expressed his heart for these children and how important it was that we show our love and compassion during the holiday season. At the time he also discussed how he understood this was a huge undertaking for our fairly young church but that God just kept speaking to church leadership that we need to support all the children.

Hubby & I had decided that morning on a specific number of children to sponsor so I went and picked those out early in the service. Each child had a piece of paper with a name, age, & a list of 3 wish-list items. As our pastor discussed the project Hubby & I decided we could handle a couple more kids so he planned to go pick those out after the service was over. Unforunately but fortunately in a little less than 10 minutes after the service all 120 kids had been taken care of and sponsored. Praise the Lord!

Last Sunday, for those who were unable to participate, a list of additional gifts was available for kids who will come in to the foster system too late to be involved in the specific giving project. I am always in such awe at how God brings his people forward in times of need.

Hubby & I have yet to go pick out the gifts for our kids, but I'm super excited to go shopping for Transformers, Spiderman, ballet flats, & High School Musical movies. I know those kids will have such joy when they are able to open presents on Christmas morning & I just pray that God fills each gift with such love!

As Thanksgiving approaches & Christmas is right around the corner, don't forget how blessed you are & just how much better it is to give than to receive!

Weekend Rewind

How do Hubby & I always end up with fabulous weekends?!? Again this weekend we were able to spend some great time with friends, get some work done around the house & also enjoy some wonderful quality time with just the 2 of us.

Friday night Hubby grabbed some BBQ carryout and we headed over to our friends' Derek & Andrea's house for dinner & games! They are such important & great friends so as always, we had a great time. After a few games of Wii with the kids, they went to bed & we played spades the rest of the night...Boys vs. Girls of course. At this point the score stands 1 to 1 so there will most definitely be a continuation of the series!

Saturday we lounged around for a bit and then began the annual task of putting up the Christmas lights. Hubby definitely does most of the work as I just supervise, hand up new strands of lights, staples, or anything else, and just pray continuously that he doesn't fall off the roof. We did take a quick break to have lunch out on our deck...it was a perfect afternoon and I can't hardly wait to take advantage of our deck all next Spring & Summer. It was a bit early to hang lights, but the weather was too beautiful to not take advantage of so they're up...just not turned on. We've still got our tree and some additional bushes in the front to take care of, but the lights on the house are up!

After our hardworking afternoon we had made plans to head down to Branson for dinner at our favorite restaurant, Cantina Laredo...as we were getting ready to leave we glanced out to check on Bogey one last time...and this is what we found!

Apparently earlier in the afternoon I hadn't gotten the deck gate shut and curious Bogey found his way up there...unfortunately the wind shut the gate on him so he was locked in! Thank goodness we checked on him before we left! Otherwise we might have come home to a bunch of destroyed stuff!

Dinner was fantastic as always, we did a little bit of shopping, & basically just thoroughly enjoyed our time together! I'm so grateful for the weekends we get to spend together, it's those times that I realize just how blessed I am to have Hubby & how perfect we are for each other!

After dinner I talked Hubby into taking me to Target to purchase our new area rug, as you might recall we got a new chair for our living room a couple of months ago & it looked less than fabulous with our area rug. I had found a fairly cheap one at Target that I thought would look great...so what do you think?! I'm super happy with it! It's the perfect color of brown but has a woodgrain texture so it's not just a plain brown rug.

Today we headed to church, had a great lunch, and then headed to visit my grandma. Hubby hadn't been to visit her in a little while so we headed over there to spend some time with both her & my grandpa. We were there for over an hour & she looked great. I am more confident each day that she will be home by Thanksgiving. The rest of the afternoon consisted of laundry, football, and possibly a quick nap for me! The weather has turned quite nasty & I think November has finally arrived so the rest of the week may be less than desirable! Oh well, this is the last full week of work before we're off to Michigan for Thanksgiving!