~little elf~

A little elf spent a few hours with us this evening.



I highly recommend a baby fix when the opportunity arises. {and it's ok to ask the Momma, "Can my grandnephew spend the evening with us?"}




What's better than a wide, snaggled smile?




and baby drool?

ahhh...totally chill...that's how my little family is feeling after our evening playing with Aiden bug.

~Messin' with Stephen~

Messing with Stephen is seriously one of my favorite things to do. So when I got a new camera I, of course, asked Stephen if he would be my model. He gave me the eyes, but I explained that he just needed to sit there so I could practice shooting with different depths of field (ha...I don't even know what that means!) He complied and I started clicking away...

Very sweet at first....



Relaxed...


Saying to himself "Enough already Mom!"




Seriously Mom...you're still taking pictures? {By the way, this is a look I receive often from his Dad!}

And finally, he's telling me, "This is the last one Mom!"

And it was...for that night!

:)

~Christmas creation~

I put this together over the weekend and I love how it turned out! {forgive my poor, shadowy photo - it doesn't do it justice!}

I ordered the vinyl from this {SantasGiftShoppe} etsy shop. What a sweet lady!

I bought a 12X12 canvas when they were on sale at Hobby Lobby, spray painted it with Krylon Ivy Leaf, and then a layer of Krylon Silver Glitter paint. Next, I applied the vinyl.

I love how it turned out! [oops, already said that!] Looks great on my black entertainment center. I'll post some pics when I dust it! HA!

~molasses buns {a cookie}~

This is a deliciously soft, spicy cookie that tastes better on day 2 and beyond. I like to bake them up, let them cool and then store in a sealed container. The next morning they are most wonderful with a cup of coffee!

Molasses Buns

1/2 c boiling water
1/2 c butter, melted
1/2 c molasses (I've been using sorghum we received from a friend's family near Walnut, MS - Is Molasses and Sorghum the same thing? I have no clue - but I do know that either works in this recipe!)
1/2 c. sugar
2 t baking soda
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
3 c all -purpose flour
Mix together all ingredients except flour; set aside and allow to cool. Stir in flour; let stand for 20 minutes. roll into balls - about the size of a walnut and place on greased cookie sheet. Flatten balls with a spoon or the bottom of a measuring cup; bake at 375 for 10- 12 minutes.
Please enjoy all season long with a cup of coffee. Or cocoa. You choose! ;)

~O Christmas Tree~

The tree is trimmed! :D

~red velvet whoopie pie COOKIES~

{If you like red velvet, soft cookies, cream cheese and peppermint, you are gonna want to try these delicious morsels!}

I made some this weekend. I ate much of the filling...just squeezed it right into my mouth. I'm not ashamed. Not at all! ;)

Red Velvet Whoopie Cookies with Peppermint Filling

1/2 c butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 TBS unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 c all-purpose flour

1/2 c buttermilk

1 - 1 oz bottle red food coloring

Peppermint cream cheese filling

Preheat ove to 375 F. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Alternately add flour and buttermilk, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Stir in red food coloring. Spoon dough with a rounded teaspoon and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are set. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool.

Spread Peppermint Cream Cheese Filling on bottoms of half of the cookies. Top with remaining cookies, flat sides down pressing lightly together.

(I used my kitchen aid to mix up the cookies and I put the filling into a ziplock bag, snipped the corner and squeezed the filling onto the bottom cookie.)

Peppermint-Cream Cheese Filling

In a mixing bowl, combine two 3 oz pkgs cream cheese, softened; 2 TBS softened butter; and 1/2 tsp peppermint extract. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 3 cups powdered sugar. If necessary, add milk, 1 tsp at a time, to make spreading consistency.

Delicious!

[I found this recipe in Better Homes and Gardens Food Gifts magazine 2010.]

~glittery goodness~

We will be trimming our tree tonight. We decided to use a few vintage shiny brites in green and silver and then add some glittery ornaments in that color theme. I made a few poster board cutouts and glittered them up to add to the tree.

{If you decided to do something similiar, and if you decided to use spray adhesive - be sure to lay down something large enough to capture overspray. Ahem...otherwise your table might end up coated with spray adhesive. Spray adhesive that is NOT water soluble. I'm just sayin'.}

Just need to punch a hole and string these babies up!