Snow Dogs

This is Emma & Leona. They are snow dogs!


They like to play in the snow with Daddy while mom takes pictures.
Emma likes to eat snow off the shovel.

Is this a stuffed animal or Leona looking unbelievably adorable?

Call of the Wild?

Daddy's helper.

Kenny is an excellent shoveler.

While Kenny continued to shovel, I made Hazelnut Whipped Cream for our Christmas Eve Brunch :)

The girls really appreciated this endeavor.


Then Leona modeled her new collar. The one we got her because she chewed up six metal ID tags. Six.
And Emma looked cute, which is commonplace.

It was a lovely snow day with the snow dogs :)

Deck The Halls

Just some photos of little Christmas touches around the home before we take them all down! Mostly, because I promised my mother-in-love, Jeanette that I would :-)













Fa la la la la la la la laaaaaa!

A Social Network Christmas

I love this video - such a unique, modern twist on the birth of Christ through the eyes of Facebook!

Kisses Make Everything Better

'Tis The Season...

While listening to this...
... I made these:

Jeanette Sinclair's Reeses Bars

1 package graham crackers (ground to powder in a food processor or blender)
1 box powdered sugar
2 sticks butter, room temperature
2 C creamy peanut butter
32 oz hershey's chocolate bars melted

Mix all ingredients but melted chocolate together in kitchen aid with paddle attachment
Press into a buttered 9x13" baking dish
Top with melted hershey's chocolate
Let sit until firm


...and these...

Debra Sadler's Scottish Shortbread

1lb unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 C white sugar
5 C flour

Press dough with hands and rolling pin into a large 9x15" cookie baking sheet. Score into rectangles with a plastic knife and prick with a fork.
Bake at 275 for 1 hr. (Yields 48 biscuits)

Hoping to make this Mocha Cocoa as a delicious pairing with the shortbread - excited to try this recipe :)

Homemade Instant Hot Cocoa Recipe

4 cups dry milk	1 cup non dairy creamer	1 4oz pkg chocolate pudding mix
1 1/2 cup sugar	2/3 cup cocoa powder	1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

How to Make

First finely grind or chop chocolate chips. I used my Magic Bullet Express Mixer to grind the chocolate chips to a powdery texture so it will melt completely. I tried a slightly more coarse texture which results in a longer melting time in the mug. The taste is the same, just took a few more minutes for the chunkier chocolate to melt in the liquid.

Place the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times till thoroughly blended. Store in an airtight container. Makes approximately 32 servings and yields 8 cups of instant hot cocoa mix.

Mix and Serve. Mix 3 tablespoons of hot cocoa mixture with 8 ounces of boiling water or hot milk.

*****

Or this twist (with decaf or regular instant coffee)...

Instant Mocha Cappuccino Mix

1 1/2 cup instant coffee	2 cups hot cocoa mix (recipe from above)
2 cups non dairy creamer

How to Make

Blend all your ingredients in a food processor until they are the same consistency. Makes approximately 33 servings and yields 5 1/2 cups of instant mocha cappuccino mix.

Mix and Serve. Mix 2 tablespoons of instant mocha cappuccino mix with 8 ounces of boiling water.

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

With our Christmas Outreach Concert, "The Wonder of Christmas" coming to a close this past weekend, I'm left pondering the words to one of the songs we sang: "We hear the stories, we sing the songs; but is there any wonder left in us at all?" Abba, I don't want to lose sight of the WONDER of YOU! As Kenny and I prepare our hearts for this Christmas Season, we're looking forward to reading through this book together, "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus" by Nancy Guthrie. I don't want this Advent season to go by without really taking the time to ponder the mystery of it all: Emmanuel, God is with us! Oh, the wonder of it!

Fate!

Just one pair...sitting abandoned on the DSW check-out counter... FATE! :-)

I probably loved them so much because I love THIS...
...and THIS :-)

What do YOU think? ;-)