i need more cookies! (the link-up)

I'm serious.  Completely serious.

{Caleb and I on our cookie making day}

This is the one time of year where I go all out baking cookies.  Come January it'll be whole-wheat wraps stuffed with spinach and light chicken.  Ha ha ha.  Okay, just regular chicken.  But, you know what I mean -- the diet shifts after that new calendar gets slapped onto the wall.  Until then??  I've got some time to try some new cookies. And I'm looking for some recipes.

I'm starting an online cookie recipe exchange link-up. Here are the details.  Post or link to a post with your cookie recipe or cooking making day (you can always add a recipe to a previous post...) Add your link to the linky below.  Then, to make it fun, blog hop to three other blogs and take a peek at their recipes.  And comment.  Because you know, we all love comments. :)

Oh, yeah, and add this button/banner that my Hannah made to your post. (how could you not? it's so cool and festive and that's my cherry-chocolate kisses cookie on the left looking yummy.)



<a href="http://justsomebeautiful.blogspot.com/2010/12/i-need-more-cookies-link-up.html"><img vspace="none" hspace="none" alt="finding joy | Christmas Cookie Recipe Swap" src="http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt255/ElvishAuthoress/christmascookieswap-1.png" align="center" /></a>
Sound fun?  I can't wait to read your recipe and your story to go with it. So start baking.  Now.

And, yes, if I could have figured out a REAL cookie exchange I would have.  Trust me.

********

I was interviewed by Mrs. Claus on the blog Like Christmas Every Single Day.  Sandi is such a sweetie, and asked me the most interesting questions.  If you'd like to read more of my "interview" click here. And make sure to check out her very festive blog!

Thanks, Mrs. Claus!  It was fun.....do you know any cookie recipes?

such a sweet and smiley day

1) You know it's Christmas time when breakfast consists of the words, "just grab a couple cookies from the garage."  Why, garage?  Well-- we've got a deep freezer out there that works great as a storage table for keeping Christmas cookies cold.  Remember.  I live in Minnesota.  Land of lots of lakes. And snow. And, now, freezing temps.

a small sampling of my cookie tins. And Payday.

2) Speaking of snow -- we had our 3rd snowstorm within 4weeks.  Let me tell you -- this one was crazy.  Remember in the Little House Books -- The Long Winter -- where they had a rope between the barn and the house?  Now I know why.  There were certain points where I couldn't see my neighbor's house behind me because the wind was whipping the snow around like crazy.

3) So I stayed indoors and baked.

4) Always wear an apron when baking cookies.  I learned that lesson years ago.

yes, I'm using a tea bag holder to cut those cookies.  It's the perfect size.

5) The more variety of Christmas cookies the better.  Several years ago I started writing all the cookies we make on the chalkboard in our kitchen.  The tradition stuck.  And, by the way, this list is incomplete.  We've added some more. Brownie, Bark, Jam filled and more...

our chalkboard sans math problems

6) These are the Cherry Chocolate Kisses. Or #4 on the list.  My sweet and beautiful chef Chloe made me these.  By the way, those cookies were my breakfast this morning.  hee hee hee

cherry chocolate kisses

7) We have to frost several varieties yet.  I also have some to make.  However, today, I am incredibly burnt out from making cookies.  Get it?  Burnt out.  Okay -- I thought it was funny.

8) Hannah documented our entire cookie making day.  We'd have to redo things, move to better lighting, smile incredibly, look like we were having fun -- that was easy, add food coloring at specific times, and more.  I am so grateful to have a daughter who loves photography and who's documenting our lives beautifully.

any guesses to the type of cookie?  

and ignore my messy counter -- we were making cookies.

9) This weekend Hannah's camera broke.

10) I am so upset about this -- she's been saving for a DSLR for quite a while.  She's given some of her money for different things for the family, thus making her ability to get her camera longer.  And yet, she holds her head high and waits.  And now her camera broke?  My momma's heart broke along with it.

my beauty -- Hannah

11) Read her post here.  You'll be blessed. And offer her an encouraging word.  Please.

Okay.  Now, I must know if you make cookies.  And, if you do, what is your absolute fave?   Cause, you know, I'll be baking within a couple days....

Link up with my sweet friend, Carissa, with your own miscellany.  (I had to use the word sweet -- after all this was about making cookies....)

does syrup have sugar in it?

I have waited all year to write this Miscellany Monday post.  Seriously.  I knew I could only write it during December. It's still random, but inspired by one of my favorite movies. So bear with me.  Please.

So with that introduction I present to you my-

Buddy the Elf Quotes ~ Miscellany Monday

1) Sounds like somebody needs to sing a Christmas Carol.  Ahhh--Christmas carols. I'm a stickler for the classics. Give me some Bing Crosby or Silent Night and I'm content. I am just not a huge fan of chipmunks singing or new remastered renditions. Or really, really, really cheesy versions of carols played in elevators, gas stations or Old Navy.

2) I just like to smile, smiling's my favorite. If there's a joke going on, or a secret to tell, or a no-smiling contest -- I lose. I cannot stop grinning. Maybe I'm just a gal who looks at life as good, or the glass is half-full, but seriously, do not ever bet on me to win any contest that involves no smiling. And, if I ever come to talk to you about some news and I'm grinning -- you know it's good. :)

hee hee hee

okay this isn't a smile pic -- but doesn't it make you smile?

that's my eli two summers ago

(and yes, I was pregnant with Samuel -- he was born  8 weeks later)

3) The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear. Thinking back to number one -- and songs -- our family sings. All the time. We've got songs for each of the kids, silly ones, sweet ones, and more. We'll just randomly break into song. Sigh....

4) I'm a cotton-headed ninny-muggins. Well, I'm not really. Well, sometimes I am like that, yet I've never used those words to describe myself. Does this count?  Thinking back to the when I put the lights up I do cotton-headed ninny-muggin type things.  Like when I thought it was funny to throw all the lights up in my tree and call it done. :)

am I done?

5) You did it! Congratulations! World's best cup of coffee! Now, all you faithful readers will know that I love coffee. So it's probably not coming as ANY surprise that I would love this quote? I'm not terribly particular about coffee, but I can tell you that a good solid mug with fresh brewed coffee and great company makes any morning!

just had to put my coffee pic up again. :)

6) Buddy the Elf! What's your favorite color?Did you know that there's a day modeled after this quote? I'm a fan of Buddy the Elf on Facebook. No, really, I am.  Anyways, I found out about this day where you answer the phone stating that quote. Did I do it? Nope. I forgot.

Speaking of facebook -- for those of you on facebook I've got a Networked Blog page for finding joy so you can join that and get updates. I've also been toying with making a page just for finding joy. Have any of you done that? Opinions?

7) Then YES! We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup. Oh, my Christmas cookies. Christmas bark. Christmas treats. They are my fave. However, I haven't made any cookies yet. Which is probably good since I would eat them all and have to remake them right before Christmas. Ha ha ha. My favorite cookie? A homemade gingerbread with royal icing. My grandmother made these. The dough has to sit in the freezer for 2weeks until you roll it out. They are divine. How about you? Favorite cookie?

these are the cookies

8) You're young, you're so young...You know my papa, he didn't make master tinker till he was 490 Had to end with it....I have no comments....I just love the quote!  However, I'm sure I could find something deep and pertinent in this quote. :)

*********

Thanks for enduring with me today and my silly need to use Buddy the Elf quotes to write my miscellany. Sometimes I get these ideas in my head (ask my kids) and have to run with them.....

Thanks for all the comments on my previous post and for checking out 5Minutes For Faith!

Link up to join the miscellany randomness!

some honesty & my garage sale finds

I've decided that in order to simplify I need to be honest with myself.  Part of being honest is examining our day, and our structure.  I've come to realize that I'll probably never be the super-scheduled homeschooler.  This pains me a bit to even admit it, but I'm starting to believe it's true.  As much as I crave The Managers of Their Home schedule...with all it's colored labels and charts and planning...when push comes to shove I'm just not that type of gal.  I'm more of a ...I know where you guys need to end up....so I'm going to write it down and you finish that work...but make sure you blog/design/write Hannah, and you cook Chloe, and well...that's just me.

what's the path?

It's kind of hard even talking about not being ultra-schooley (is that even a word?  Let's just pretend it is and move on.)  In fact, I really truly admire my friends that have more rigid routines.  It's hard for me to not compare myself to them. Now, know that I value academics, but I also value flexibility.  As adults we have to learn to adapt to changes in our routines.  Honestly, I think it's important that our children are able to quickly adjust to a routine that isn't normal. Ha...that's probably just my way of making myself feel better about our less-structured routine. That being said, we do have goals.  Hannah and Chloe know that they need to work each day, and accomplish so much in each book.  But, I'm not the let's do math from 9-10am then spelling from 10-10:15 type of mom.

And that still frustrates me.

Somehow I tend to think that I view the ultra-structure as succeeding and the relaxed atmosphere as not...and I'm relaxed!  I've determined that instead of fighting this I need to let-go and embrace the learning style of my home.  My children do outstanding on their tests (it's mandatory here), and yet I still fret if we don't complete everything.  A friend of mine told me that she realized that she made it an idol to complete a book by the end of the school year.  That comment really got me thinking.  Am I putting too much pressure on completing some schoolbooks for the right reason?  If it's so I feel good, then I'm thinking it's not the right reason.  If it takes away from the love of learning and dampens my childrens' spirits then, again, not an appropriate goal.  However, if we've set a goal and we're cheerfully working towards it, that is something to strive towards.

It's got me wondering what other "idols" I've created.  Is a perfectly clean house one?  A green yard?  Appearing to have it all together?  There are so many things that we can focus on which causes us to lose focus on the Lord and His focus for our lives and family.  It had, in fact, become a source of frustration for me to not match up to what I thought the ideal homeschool family looked like.  I compared and then felt I failed.  But, as my homeschooler mentor tells me,

comparison is the death of contentment.

Convicting? It is for me.  So this morning, I woke up and made my kids a treat for breakfast.  Hannah was working on her Algebra, Chloe her math, and Grace was still sleeping.  The boys were playing.  It was calm, and beautiful.  Twenty years from now I know that the memories my kids will take with them will be of waking up and smelling the aroma of breakfast...and seeing me joyful...

breakfast

_____________________________________________

One last thing...I was looking through some pictures on my facebook page and came across this picture taken  of my kids decorating Christmas cookies.  Those moments...those breaks from the normal....the freedom to create...to laugh...and to enjoy each other.... are the moments that I, as their mother, desire to facilitate. Yes, we need to be diligent in our studies, but I also need to be diligent in creating these moments for them.

decorating cookies, making memories

__________________________________

Ok...I had to come back and post my garage sale finds today.  I live in an area with fabulous, and I mean FABULOUS, garage sales.  And I'm the first to get there.  I'll get my Caribou coffee and peruse the deals.  Today I found a bunch of stuff (don't worry...it's not going to clutter my home...it was needed things and I'm having a HUGE sale in a couple of weeks) that I loved.

Here are my two favorites:

only $ 1 -- and I love gardening

cute dance bag for 25 cents

Then I have this amazing friend who gave me two of these chairs.  They're for a kids table (which I'm hunting garage sales for.  I just love them!

new fab chairs

Thanks for enjoying my finds with me!