Meet Mrs. SnowMan

Here is Mrs. SnowMan welcoming in a fresh coating of snow.  The kids had a wonderful time playing in the first snowfall.  The boys however had to shovel...but got in some fun with a snowball battle.  I enjoyed the time inside by myself sipping on some hot chocolate and hidden cookies I had in my secret place so the kids would not eat all of them on me :)

Enjoy the Holiday Season that is coming up...dare I still say "Merry Christmas" --yeah I will be not PC and say really loud--MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!...for the reason for the season is Jesus Christ.

Cowgirl, Pirate and Cookies!

We had so much fun trick or treating this year. The girls went to many houses this year without Sarah Jane whining at all :) --this made me very happy. We did the home-made costumes this year...yeah I know I am cheap...but that is okay they are usually the best costumes when the children think them up themselves.. I like to consider my family is thrifty.

I made my annual big pumpkin and bat cookies again this year. The kids love to take them into school for their classroom Halloween parties. I love to make them too...I sneak a pinch of dough while I am rolling out the cookies. I made about 100 of them using 7 batches of dough! The recipe is really easy to make up.

Sugar Cookie Cutouts
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
colored sprinkles and multicolored sprinkles, for decorating
**In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl (I am lazy and use the kitchen aide mixer right away, instead of having to wash another bowl) beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, then the vanilla. On low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture. Divide the dough into thirds, shape each piece into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Preheat oven to 350F. On surface--roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and place 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. (I use the pampered chef baking stones) Decorate with sprinkles. Bake 10 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. (12 minutes for baking stones). Cool cookies and eat alot of them :)

Since everyone's time is precious during the holidays--make the dough ahead and freeze for up to three months. My family loves these cookies and I hope that your family will enjoy them too! I also baked some for Kevin's soccer teammates and they all seemed to enjoy them--for they disappeared rather quickly.

God's beauty is in full bloom

I was busy yesterday taking pictures in our yard. The flowers are so colorful with rich hues--I just had to smile. I hope that all of you stop to smell the flowers-for God has created them for us to enjoy. Summer is quickly passing us by and soon the children will be back at school...hmmm...will I miss them or do a "yeah me"? I love the summertime for it is a time to kick back. We have been relaxing on our back porch with family and friends. We love to eat outside--especially when it is raining. The sound of rain makes you be mellow. We even ate outside during a thunderstorm which is pretty cool! What a canvas the Lord has created when it comes to summer--flowers in all colors, bugs, birds. Well I hope that everyone is getting out and about this summer whether digging in the dirt or just grabing a good book to read while lounging on the porch swing (with a big glass of koolaide--grape flavor of course and some cookies too) Kick back and enjoy the rest of summer--for it is passing us by and we will blink ;) and fall will appear. We went back to school shopping with my mother-in-law the other day. Had loads of fun and shopped till we dropped. We hit the Salvation Army store (local thrift shop) and the girls and I were in pure heaven! We love this store--you never know what treasures we will find. Besides clothing I also found frames,(for the many pictures and art projects to be framed) flower pots, and some other odds and ends. Of course I have to take Kevin for jeans but maybe not till January--yes our son is one of those knuckleheads that wear shorts all year long--we pick our battles. Well enjoy the rest of summer and take time to listen to the sound of rain or take in the beauty of the flowers.