Merry Christmas!

Finally!  After a week and a half, I finally had time to upload my new photos to photobucket, and now I can update my blog.  This will probably be long and boring, so I apologize in advance!

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This month is always SO busy!  I had all these plans of sitting around, reading Christmas stories, having family time....whatever.  I was very busy at the beginning of the month with my Pampered Chef business, and I still have some deliveries to make.  Yikes.  Lots of tax deductible mileage taking place this month.  So there have been many days when I had lots of errands to do, and my poor children were neglected.  I'm so grateful that they're old enough to stay home alone for bits of time--I remember the days of having to load all of them up for the simplest and quickest of errands.

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Confession time.  I have not picked up my Bible in probably close to 3 weeks.  I was so excited about that new reading program, and I've dropped the ball.  The GOOD part of the program is that I can just pick back up where I left off and I'm not "behind".  The sad part is just that I haven't been making time to read the Word.  I am reading tonight no matter how late I have to stay up.  I'm 3 weeks into the program (210 chapters read--woo hoo!).  Goodness knows, though, I need to be reading--I've been dealing with some issues that I can't discuss here, but I know that I need an extra portion of grace to deal with them.  And I'm not going to get that by neglecting my devotions!

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Other than some school and Christmas shopping (which I've done woefully little of, even at this late date!), we've been crafting & baking.  What follows is a ton of pictures that you may feel free to scroll through. :)



We started the baking week with good old chocolate chip cookies.  We have a back porch that stays nice & cold, so that's where the cookies went once they were baked.

Then we made Tasty Cappuccino Bites.  This was a new recipe for me.  I got it from a Gooseberry Patch cookbook.

The dough (I love my Kitchen Aid)

Maddie rolling the dough in sugar

The finished product

Next came Lemon Whippersnappers.  This dough is a lemon cake mix, 2 cups of cool whip and 1 egg.  Seriously.  Then you roll balls in powdered sugar.  Bake at 350 (I think) for 10 minutes.  This was another first-time recipe for me.

Then another oldie but goodie--Snickerdoodles!  I cannot express how much help the girls were to me during this week.  I hurt my back/neck very badly at the beginning of the week, and the cookies would NOT have gotten done without them.

Rollin', rollin', rollin', keep those cookies rollin'.......

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Patience is learning to use the oven!

Then for something no-bake--Pretzel Wreaths.  Dip the bottoms in chocolate, then make a wreath & sprinkle with colored sugar!

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Baking: Day 2

We started with Sugar Cookies, which, quite frankly, are the bane of my existence.  We only did roll out cookies because the girls begged.

Decorating had to wait.  Onto the strawberry tarts!

Maddie scooping tart dough (which we forgot wasn't sweet, and took a bite of, raw. YUCK) into the mini muffin pan.

Patience pressing the dough with the tart shaper

The Easy Accent Decorator, filled with strawberry jelly

Don't burn your fingers!

Ten dozen little beauties

Then onto another new recipe--Lemon Dimples.  I have officially died and gone to heaven.  Real British Lemon Curd--I'm in love.

Before baking

Out of the oven

And with powdered sugar.  Bliss.

Eli decided to play paparazzi to his shiny-faced mom

While the kitten took a nap

Once the kids were in bed for the night, I made 10 dozen spritz cookies with my Pampered Chef cookie press.

I also made 2 batches of gingerbread dough, and put that in the fridge to sit overnight.  Whew!

Baking Day 3

First we had to decorate the sugar cookies (I have mentioned how much I loathe this, right?).

I have to admit, at this point, I was losing steam, but I pushed ahead with Triple Layer Peppermint Bark.

I made 3 pans (one of which still needs to be cut up).  My strong man had to cut it up for me.

I was exhausted by this point, but the girls were a huge help, and we baked the gingerbread cookies next. Thank God for my girls--they did most of the work!

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The next day, I hosted a cookie exchange.  I have to say, it was a rousing success!  Everyone had a great time.  The food was good, the cookies looked great, and we all got to visit & chat.  I am definitely considering hosting another one next year!

100 dozen cookies (well, with some fudge & candy mixed in)

I had to make some goodies to eat.  Here is a Maple Sausage Apple Breakfast Bundt--it's awesome.

Don't forget the Chocolate-Filled Crescent rolls--not a crumb remained.

 I recently went to a Tastefully Simple demonstration party, and they had a Sweet Pepper Jalapeno Jelly--over cream cheese with crackers--delish.

 Once everyone had left, Maddie and I decorated the gingerbread men, while Patience went to play with her friend who lives down the road.  We dipped the gingerbread mens' "pants" in white chocolate, then used gel and m&m's to decorate them.

Step 1:

Step 2

Isn't he cute??

Last night I made an ice cream cake for Steve's 44th birthday, which is today!  I would like to make another batch of Lemon Dimples at some point this week.  Tomorrow I need to bake for a friend who is paying me to make her cookies--she's getting 4 dozen each of Lemon Dimples, Chocolate Mint cookies, Peanut Butter Hershey Kiss cookies and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Walnut cookies.  THEN, I can start thinking about Christmas dinner. :)