cookies ♥ cookies ♥ cookies...

From dollhouse to cookie frenzy over here at 7sisters, i'm kickin' off our crazy cookie week...and timing couldn't be perfect-er! (know it's not a word...just go with me) Christmas is only 7 days away...wow! what a coincidence! there's 7 of us! and if you're in a bind for a quick recipe that's been tried and true...look no further...'cause these are the best of the best!

(this year sister Mar hosted our exchange ♥ this beautiful centerpiece was on her island)

Every year (this was our 3rd) the 7 of us have been together for a cookie exchange/ornament make & take (this year it was minus the make & take...too stressful...oy) and while in years past it's been fun...this year was my fav...not only cause i think with each year that passes the cookies/packaging/presents get bumped up a notch...but because with every year that passes, we grow closer together...we're goin' through life together...we're watching the kids grow up together...we're waitng for new kids together...we're laughing about old ladies and eyedrops, fabric softner and yarn dolls gone bad together (love ya jen)... the blessings, the heartaches, the laughter...and everything else in between... and in the midst of all that i feel closeness, like we really are true sisters in our Christ...He has truly bonded and shaped us together in a way nobody can...and oh i know...life changes, things change, seasons pass...but to have even 1 sister in Christ to call my own is precious... so to have 7♥ is of the Lord...love ya girls....

palmiers (or angel wings) from Ina Garten

brown sugar n' spice cutouts from Bake @ 350'
(one of my new favorite-ist blogs :)

milk chocolate florentine cookies from VeryBestBaking @ Nestle

homemade caramel from giverslog.com
(perfect for the gluten free sisters in your life :)

an check out these soooo-cute free tags
(and lots of other fun printables) from IS•LY

printable apple stationary set from Creature Comforts

crafted during our party...glittered acorn ornaments!....
gotta love the acorns...check out this version at Creature Comforts

linking to...

Christmas Mini Mall

Happy one week until Christmas Eve!

That picture is for J who wondered how my "thrifty decor chick" Walmart jars and ornaments turned out. What do you think J? Was it worth that crazy trip to Walmart that neither of us really had time for, yes? You can find the original idea here. LOVE it!

I forgot that I was excited to tell you about a really cute ministry at my mother-in-law's church called the Mini Mall! Her church has been putting on the Mini Mall for years and they have it down to a science. This year Lulu, her brother and I were available to go and help...we were Elves, how cool is that??
All through the year the "mini mall committee" meets weekly and makes crafts (aahhh, our dream come true, to do crafts weekly...) and organizes all the donations. Donations can be anything really...stuff you are getting rid of or new items. Too many mugs? Too many votive candles? Kids books? Stuffed animals? Picture frames? Christmas ornaments? Send them all to the mini mall. The ladies of the church will take a mug and fill it with golf balls and tie a ribbon around it for a "dad gift". They do a great job.
On the day of the mini mall, all the items are displayed on tables in the church, there is punch and Christmas cookies and in come the children! They usually take about 100 children through the mini mall to shop, it is controlled chaos! Here's how it works...
1. Kids come in with parents and get a number, they sit at tables and mom and dad help them fill out tags for all the people they are shopping for.
2. When their number is called they go shopping with an Elf. The Elves see how much money the child has and how many gifts they need to buy and help them keep track of everything. We make suggestions to help them choose gifts..."Does your mom like candles? Does your little sister like books?" When they make a selection the Elf tapes the tag to the item and puts it in the basket they are carrying.
3. When the kids are done shopping they go to the "check out" table and pay for their gifts. Most mini mall items are 50 cents or one dollar but some kids come with $10 and a list of 15 relatives! So cute!
4. All paid up, now they proceed to the wrapping room where the ladies from the church take all the gifts and wrap each one and attach the tag to the wrapped gift.
5. The children are delivered back to their parents with a big bag of wrapped gifts for everyone in their family. And let me tell you these kids are thrilled!

This ministry is so awesome for these families, it takes all the focus off "what am I getting for Christmas" and instead these kids are so excited to pick out little surprises for their loved ones, it is really so sweet. It is lots of fun being an Elf, some of the choices the kids make are hilarious. I helped a 3 year old little girl shop and she picked out a hot pink stuffed poodle for her mom! She'll be surprised for sure!!
It was a fun Christmas-y day for us and made us feel good to see smiles on all those little faces.

Nel's smile for the week: Craft night and cookie exchange tonight! WOOHOO!!
Nel's frown for the week: Wish I had a dollar for each time I have fixed the Christmas tree skirt, my cats LOVE to play under it and mess it all up!

Naughty wild animals!

Lulu's smile for the week: She made the cute magnets from E's post and gave them to all her friends to use in their lockers! They loved them!
Lulu's frown for the week: We thought sure there would be a snow day this week...no such luck! BOO!

Fa la la la la...

Part 1: The Abominable Marshmallow

I hope those who follow the Marshmallow (he's blushing) haven't been missing him too much around here! To make up for it, I can't help but share these adorable photos of my doggy love.


You're probably wondering what kind of shenanigans would bring about this sleepy face, snuggled in a warm blanket;
(aka the cutest face ever)

Well, it involved a whole lotta this;


Which causes this:

also known as the Abominable Marshmallow Dog

And my favorite, the icicle stache:

Is it sad that he has a designated "melting spot?" We put a towel down in front of the heater in the bathroom and tell him it's "melting time" hehehe.

How can I not love him?

Just had to give a big shout out to the Marshmallow this week. He's been extra snugly lately during cold winter nights!


And on to... Part 2: Cookie exchange cookie making!!

I made hazelnut crisps and peppermint wafers. (To make regular cookie recipes gluten free, I substitute the flour 1 for 1 with Bob's Red Mill gluten free flour plus a tea of xanthan gum).

Okay, funny story time. Picture this: I pulled out all my ingredients for the hazelnut cookies and got started mixing my ingredients. I had my two eggs on the counter, and had just put the first two ingredients in my mixing bowl (butter + brown sugar) to begin. In my right hand, I have my trusty hand-held Kitchen Aid mixer and in my left hand, my beautiful OXO mixing bowl. As I began mixing, I saw out of the corner of my eye one of the eggs about to roll off the counter! In an almost cartoon-esque scene, I went to stop the rolling egg with the elbow of the arm holding my hand mixer. This meant the hand-mixer came out of the bowl (while still on) and was splattering brown sugar and butter mixture all over my kitchen! As I realized this was happening, I put the mixer back in the bowl and tried to grab the still-rolling egg with my left hand that had been holding the mixing bowl steady. However, with no hand holding the bowl, the bowl started twirling across the counter as the mixer (talk about an itchy trigger finger) was still going, dragging my right arm along with it! So you can imagine me... the mixer going in my right hand with the bowl twirling across the counter ready to drag the rest of my body with it, brown sugar and butter mixture flying everywhere, and my left hand trying to reach across my right hand for the getaway egg in one big frantic scramble while I screamed "No! Help! HELPPPP!!!"

Needless to say, my husband ran onto the scene to find an egg splattered on the floor, butter + brown sugar everywhere, and me, waist down collapsed onto the counter. Why didn't I just turn off the mixer??? We may never know. It sort of reminds me of Nel's laundry detergent story, only much more pathetic.
♥J, you are not allowed to launch into a speech about how I should have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer.

After all was said and done, the cookies still turned out pretty awesome. This will be the first year my cookies will look good, taste good, AND have amazing packaging. I like to call it a triple threat ya'll.

I also like to call the cookie on the left Mr Peppermint Pants.

This post makes me want to sing "Joyyyyy to the world!!"

Cardboard Testimonies....

If you've ever wondered if God is alive and well and still working in people's lives, please watch the first part of the video using the link below. It is a video clip of our church service this past Sunday morning. It really touched my heart-- maybe, because most of these people are friends of mine... But, I'm sure that you will be blessed seeing how the Lord has worked in these people's lives.

Let's put our trust in the one and only God who can bring true victory over sin and destruction!

Thank you Jesus, that you are my Redeemer and for NEVER giving up on me!

VIDEO:

http://www.opendoorchili.org/SermonsV10.cfm?link=121210m&title=The%20Fullness%20of%20christ%20-%20John%201:16

Romans 8:38,39

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Philippians 1:6

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

Away in a Manger

When I was a little girl I had a little baby Jesus made out of a knee high stocking. I know it sounds a little strange, but I loved that little baby Jesus dearly. Every year I would take him out of my Christmas ornament box, wrap him ever so gently in his swaddling clothes and place him under the Christmas tree. Every day I would un-swaddle him and re-swaddle him, just to make sure he was cozy and warm in his little manger. Over the years he became very weathered and worn, but I just adored that little baby Jesus. I believe I made it when I was in preschool because each of my sisters 'S' and 'Jenn' had one as well.

This year I again took my little baby Jesus out of my little Christmas ornament box and got him ready for placement under the Christmas tree. However, this year was going to be a little different, I wanted to give my precious baby Jesus to my little L so that each year she could continue to place little baby Jesus under the Christmas tree.

However, much to my horror a few days ago (before I had given it to little L) I found my poor precious baby Jesus ripped and torn and eaten to shreds by the terrible monster that lives in my house!!!!! THE DOG!!!! I was absolutely mortified!!! How she came to obtain my precious baby Jesus is still a mystery! (now please note I love our dog to death but right now she is on the naughty list!!) After this experience I think I need counseling!! Nevertheless, after a few days of mourning my baby Jesus, I decided to make a new one with little L so that she could still have a baby Jesus to put under the tree. Below is a little tutorial of how I did it.

This is our wonderful monster dog!!! She is little L's best friend, they do everything together. Its so precious. But she is still in the doghouse!!

Supplies:

One very large or two average size socks (or any filler stuffing will do)

One knee high (flesh tone)

permanent markers

scissors

twine or rubber bands

Card stock

tape

piece of felt, towel, or cloth

hay

First stuff your knee high with the socks

Next, tie the open end with a rubber band and cut off the excess stocking

Wrap of tie twine around the doll to form a neck, and then draw a face on with permanent marker


Next take your card stock and make cuts along the specified lines (for the purpose of this tutorial I wrote on the card stock). I cut into each corner; 3 inches. Its would even be fun for the kids to color it or use a pattered piece of card stock.

Next, fold up the long ends.

Then fold up the short ends.

Finally fold in all the corners.

Tape the corners to form a rectangle manger.

Fill the manger with hay

Wrap baby Jesus in his swaddling cloth. I had an old towel on hand, but any piece of material or felt will do.

Place your baby Jesus under the Christmas tree.

I hope your kids enjoy this craft as much as we did! Merry Christmas!

P.S.

I love Christmas time and especially the Christmas story. I can't even imagine what it must have been like back in the days of Mary and Joseph. In Luke 2 the virgin Mary is told that she will bear a son (miraculous). She was visited by an angel (miraculous). She carried the Son of God in her belly (miraculous). She made the journey to Bethlehem 9 months pregnant (miraculous). She gave birth to the Son of God (totally miraculous). And finally the best part of all is that God sent his son to be born a man and save us all from death and torment (wonderful, marvelous, amazing, miraculous)!

Luke 2: 28, 31-32, 34-35, 37

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art

highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed are thou among women.

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb,

and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest;

and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be,

seeing I know not a man?

And the angel answered and said unto her,

The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee,

and the power of the Highest shall over shadow thee:

therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God.

For with God NOTHING shall be IMPOSSIBLE.

It's the most wonderful time of year!

The time has come for our annual tree cutting...that is our Christmas tree. Each year we pack ourselves up in all our winter gear, and make the trek north to Wilberts (found in Webster). Here can be found NINE different types of trees, and the most perfect one for our living room. Wilberts also boasts a live nativity scene and sleigh rides. Perfect for every child and for those who are still young at heart. When we arrive we round up our saw, and carrying cart and start the search for the prickly beast.

How do we find the perfect tree?

The tree must be....

• As tall as my husband...he stands six foot four
• Evenly distributed
• Strong branches

This year we took little A in her baby sled and made the hike out, she was squealing with delight...the snow was falling gently and really put us in the Christmas spirit. So with our freshly cut tree in hand we brought it home. Those of you that get a fresh tree each year know that the tree changes once it is in your house...ours a little to short even with the husband test. But we love it anyway.

Hope you all are enjoying yours and smelling the sweet scent of pine!

Be still...♥

why is it....that at this special time of year...there are so many things that distract us from the real thing we all long for...some peace & quiet...some stillness...and only with that stillness comes the reality of Christmas...Jesus...he came, lived, died....all for us... just for us...
so right now...i'm still, i want be still and know He is God...

♥ . ♥ . ♥

The name of the Lord is a strong tower:
the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
Proverbs 18:10

♥ Abba Father...Author Of Life ♥

♥ Deliverer...Faithful & True ♥

♥ Gentle Whisperer...God Who Sees Me ♥


♥ I AM...Lamb of God ♥


♥ Light of The World...Merciful God ♥



♥ Prince of Peace...Redeemer ♥



♥ Savior...Only Begotten Son ♥




♥ Truth...Wonderful ♥



For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

ha! this makes me laugh...my girls wanted to make "Christmas" pancakes this morning, and decided the Pascals (from the new Disney movie Tangled) were hungry too...check out this cute printable from Disney family...Tangled is one of the best Disney movies since Beauty & the Beast (my all-time fav :)