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chocolate chip. or butter
Butter. Flour. Eggs. Salt. Sugar. 5 simple ingredients that when measured and combined properly open the doorway to so many good, wonderful treats. The types of foods that make you stop and savor, to relax (a bit) and reflect on the simple, sweet things in life.
Luckily, there is no shortage of sweet treat creation in our home, especially in December. Today was a chilly, perfect day for turning the oven on and breaking out the Kitchen-Aid Stand mixer.
How is it, that after all these years, the simple joys of baking cookies always brings you right back to baking in mom’s kitchen as a child, anxiously awaiting both the end result of the bake and also the end result of the Christmas season – presents!
We have been fans of Williams Sonoma for years, and it was a number of years back that we found these adorable little aprons from the local shop. They had exactly the right amount, and I went ahead and bought Cameron’s apron even though he, at the time, didn’t even exist yet. Planning is fun!
Today, we focused on chocolate chip and butter cookies, with butter cookies ( also known as Sand-Tarts) up for the decorating when wet were are finished our task.
All the kids enjoy the sand-tart decorating (who wouldn’t),, but as for me, I veer towards the chocolate chip.
We typically use Ghiradelli milk chocolate chips for our cookies and wow, what a difference they can make.
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give.thanks.
My, How the holidays do come and go so quickly. One day we are watching the kids enjoying Trick or Treat, the next we are watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, prepping apple pies and turkey desserts, gathering with family and giving thanks for all that we’ve been given.
With all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it is kind of nice to still have a day dedicated to the simple act of eating and giving thanks, to whomever that might be.
Today we watched the parade on TV through the eyes of children, watching closely for floats of Spiderman or princesses. We know there will be a day in the future that those childhood wishes no longer exist, so we give thanks every day for the blessings we have been bestowed.
After dinner we got the kids ready, took some photographs, and headed to eat with family in the most “normal” setting we’ve had in almost two years, and, of course, enjoyed some turkey, mashed potatoes, pies, treats, and the like.
Give thanks, today, tomorrow and for as many days as you are blessed with, for not one single one is ever guaranteed. Our lives are busy. So busy. There is always something else to do on our honey-do list. One more chore to complete. One more task to cross off the list. But days like today help to refresh, refocus, and remind us to live in the moment, for the moment, and that no moment is ever guaranteed.
Many blessings to you and yours,
Jess
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visits with santa.
you better not pout. you better not cry…
We took the littles for a quick little photo shoot with Santa. The little ladies were in awe but little brother was a bit uneasy. We expected Cam to have some concerns about the big man, but he was deadset against the meeting.
After the initial tantrum, we were able to get him settled with mommy hiding behind the couch. If I had a side-angle shot, you’d see me doing whatever I can to keep Cam together long enough to get a quality shot. Some people wouldn’t care for the candid shots of Cam crying but we find some of our our favorite photos tend to be shots like these that really display unique emotions. Photos are a snapshot of a moment in time, and they let us relive and recreate a moment that would otherwise be gone forever except for the memory of those moments.
We have been doing a shoot with Santa for the past few years and every year I pull out the old photos and it amazes me at the growth these kiddos go through from one year to the next.I always blow up my favorite shot from the session and order it on canvas ( Easycanvasprints.com). I have a wall in my home of all the past and present Christmas canvas shoots. Ill upload a photo of the wall in a future post.
I love these years so much and I love to watch the sparkle in their little eyes as they beam with glee over the excitement of the holiday season, may these years never come to an end.
Jess
